A controlling interest

Spirit Shares Gems of Wisdom

Spirit asks me, what is our relationship? That puzzles me, as I believe it is as a student and teacher – a one-to-one, as a private tutor, as people with money might purchase.

I am not for sale, He tells me, which is just as well, since I have no money. Perhaps I could never have as much as it might take to offer what He is worth, to me.

But, student and teacher is only part of what our relationship is all about and so I must answer, I don’t know, yet.

Can we pretend, He then asks, to be what we know we are and can we relate to each other as we do, or seem to?

Then Spirit responds to my confused thoughts and emotions with, “Yes, I seem to have a controlling interest in your life and I do, for now.”

Knowing requires Faith

Spirit tells me that knowing is not a matter of faith
and yet there can be no knowing without faith.

What has faith to do with knowing?

How do we learn?

Through experience.

Yes, but not through experience alone.

We reflect on past experience and use what we have
learned from it as a foundation for future …

Future what?

To guide us in our responses to future challenges.

And if what experience has taught you differs from
what others would claim to be the way to live?

This is developing beyond intellectual concepts.

Yes.

Then please explain.

Knowing is awareness

Awareness of what?

Awareness of what seems to be true, for us if for
no other.

Where does faith come in?

We each, in time, develop faith in our own
knowing, or awareness, of our own truth.

Is Self-Control an Ego Trip?

Spirit tells me that He is only one of many Spirit Teachers who
seek to help willing people to create a satisfying lifestyle,
and that His Fellowship Group are not at all interested in
helping everyone, only those who genuinely care for the world
they live in and for themselves, enough to resist as much as
they can, unhealthy habits. Self-control in all things is
our way, He claims.

It all sounds so noble that I’m annoyed at myself for even
listening to a cynical voice from somewhere in my mind that
whispers to me that, perhaps, His ego has escaped self-control.

Is Acceptance Necessarily Contentment?

Spirit tells me that acceptance is contentment.

How can I feel content about accepting something
that I can’t change?

What else would you feel?

Defeated.

In losing a battle you know or believe that
you never could win?

What else could I feel?

Satisfied with yourself that you did, if you did,
everything you could do to win.

And satisfaction is as contentment?

In this case, yes

Are we referring to a specific case?

Yes, and no.

As particular and general?

Yes.

We Fear Losing Control

Spirit tells me tht we express love by caring for and
respecting that or those whom we claim to love.

But, there are unlimited degrees of quantity and quality
of care and respect.

Yes, and there are unlimited degrees of love.

And quality?

Love itself expresses the quality of our soul’s
development.

Can we control love?

No. What we don’t express, we don’t have to express.
Love is limited only by the personal restrictions
we put on ourselves. We each possess the potential
to love unconditionally.

Then, why don’t we?

We fear losing control.

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Spirit tells me that our personal behaviour
either serves us well or it doesn’t. But, if
it does not then it must have served us well
at some time in the past, or at least we
must have believed that it did.

What if it just seemed appropriate at a
particular time?

There are no particular times for specific
behaviours.

Why?

All behaviours have a history.

What about spontaneity?

What about it?

If moving out of the way to avoid an
accident that never happened before, then
how could that reflex action have a history.

How could it not?

Because it never happened before.

To you, perhaps, but you would be aware
of a possible outcome for not moving
out of the way.

Perhaps I intuitively knew.

Yes, and intuition is a built-in history book.

A history of what?

Of how to live.

Limits are for pushing

Spirit tells me that limits are for pushing.
We seem to need to know that whatever we
have become and however we have expanded
boundaries that once seemed as horizons and
beyond our reach, we must go even further.

We are, as we were, much more than curious.
We are, as we were, determined to discover
how far we yet can go.

How far is it possible for us to go?

In reality, there are no limits.

Do we only think we know what we are?

Spirit refuses to accept my complaint that I am what I am and
I need what I need.

No! He claims. I only think I am whatever and need whatever,
without thinking deeply.

So, if I thought deeply, if I could, then what would I
think I am and need?

You would not think. You would know that you are spirit
living a physical life, and you would be aware that it
is all an illusion, except for the awareness that you
may have developed from playing the Game of Life,
according to whatever rules your particular society has
designed for you.

If different societies play the Game of Life by different
rules, and we are all becoming, more or less, citizens of
a world community, then how can we possibly interact with
each other?

The Rules of Life of different cultures, societies,
communities, or even neighbourhoods do not necessarily
have to be the same.

That may work in separated traditions but when people
migrate from one set of generally accepted set of rules
to another, then surely they need to adapt or learn to
live within the two cultures, without rejecting their
past.

They are their past, or at least they are a product of
past experiences.

The answer?

Respect for past traditions while adapting, or
creating our own set of rules to live by. Whatever
choice we make, however we choose to live our life,
we do choose and accept, consciously or otherwise,
the consequences, if there are any, and there
always are.

Discover where you belong

Spirit tells me that there are some people in my life
whom I would best serve by stepping away from.

Life, He tells me is about relationships: to oneself,
to loved ones, to community, to neighbours, to
fellow workers, to our environment, and to Life itself.

We are each as living pieces of a cosmic puzzle and
we each need to discover where and near whom we fit
most comfortably and appropriately.

Stepping away from a close association with those
with whom you do not share values with allows them
to also possibly discover where they belong.

At this time, neither of you are where you belong.
You both are holding each other back from
meaningful spiritual development.