Tag Archives: understanding

Unlimited Degrees of Love

Posted on by under A spirit guide shares a precious gift, A spirit teacher tells me that, developing awareness, higher education, spiritual intelligence

A Spirit Teacher shares His understanding of timeless wisdom.

He tells me that we each express love by caring for and respecting
those whom, or that which, we claim to love.

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

Yes, and there are unlimited degrees of love.

And quality?

Our capacity to love 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.

I Am The Way I Am Because

Posted on by under A spirit guide shares a precious gift, developing awareness, higher education, life worth living

Spirit shares His understanding of timeless wisdom.

He tells me that I am the way I am because
that is the way I am.

The only question that seems to make any sense is,
So, why am I as I seem to be?

Your original nature has been modified
by experiences and reflection on those experience,
resulting in a personal interpretation, or
misunderstanding of the causes and consequences
resulting from previous experiences.

We learn from experience, and yet, some of us
learn quicker than do others.

Pain and pleasure seem to be necessary components
of our learning how to live in this World; and to
discover what works, or seems to, and what does not,
in different situations.

We learn that consistency of response is
inappropriate. What works with one situation does
not seem to work in another. We must also,
He tells me, learn to measure the quality of our
response to any given situation.

What ever made me think that living should be
easy? Perhaps that’s why the way I am is, or
seems to be, confusion, personified.

A Personal History Book

Posted on by under A spirit teacher tells me that, developing awareness, Finding our unique way, intelligent spirituality, Life-long learning continues

Spirit shares words of wisdom with me that seem so deep and yet expressed in words simple enough even for me, a simple seeker
and slow learner, to almost understand.

He tells me that knowing is not a matter of faith. We know
that wounds hurt for we have experienced their pain, both
physical and emotional wounds.

Physical pain is felt through our physical senses while
emotional pain is a mental state and is often learned and
developed through habit.

How do we learn emotional pain?

It’s a socially acquired skill.

If you offend me and I feel distressed, then I have learned
to feel distressed, and you’re not the cause?

Yes.

Who taught me?

You taught yourself.

Then, everyone would feel offended for the same reason?

Not necessarily.

Why?

You couldn’t offend me.

Perhaps you’ve developed immunity to offence.

There are other labels.

Such as?

Tolerance, patience, understanding, compassion, …
The list goes on.

You didn’t include awareness.

Yes.

Why?

The examples I provided each require a certain depth
of awareness.

The problem with that approach, or at least one problem,
is that it would seem to require a certain detachment
from the emotional state of the offender, as well as
from oneself.

Why would that be a problem?

It would suggest a certain lack of sensitivity.

Not necessarily so.

Please explain.

As we become increasingly aware of the path, then we can
listen to what some might call offence, calmly, and feel
compassion for the distress of the other. As Confucius
might say, “No blame”.

How is that possible?

As we develop an ever more clear vision, we can see in many
more directions than one.The present arrived from the
past and we each are as a personal history book that
those who have eyes to see can read, and we all can and
will develop eyes that see, sooner or later, and from
a unique perspective.

I’m not ready for that quality of insight, yet.

Yes.
aught me? urs

Reason Does Not Express Itself

Posted on by under A spirit guide shares a precious gift, developing awareness, Finding our unique way, higher education

I may never know why Spirit chooses to share His understanding
of spiritual philosophy with me, but I hope I will be eternally
grateful to Him for helping me to understand His deep thoughts
in a form simple enough for me to learn.

The wisdom He shares with me is not His, alone, He tells me.
He claims that all that He has learned has been shared with
Him, as it was with those who taught Him what He now shares
with me. It belongs to everyone who cares to claim it.

Problems arise, He tells me, when the knowledge we each absorb
from whomever or whatever source is filtered through and
modified by our unique understanding, that has necessarily
developed through personal experience.

How can what is necessary be a problem?

Not in itself.

How, then?

The problem arises when we seek to share what we know
or think we know, with others.

But, surely we need to share …

Yes, we need to share our unique understanding, at least
with those who seem to be aware of …

Can awareness be shared?

In the story of Buddha and the rose, the rose expressed
something to the teacher that he wished to share with
his followers …

And only one student responded with a smile at the beauty
of the flower.

Yes. Th others were all aware that it was a beautiful rose,
but were …

Trying to rationalize what message it was meant to teach.

Yes, appreciation of beauty for its own sake requires
emotional maturity.

Beauty express itself and reason does not?

Yes.

velops when we seek to share what we know

Beneath The Surface of Doing and Thinking

Posted on by under developing awareness, Finding our unique way, higher education, self-transcendence, Spirit shares words of wisdom

Spirit asks me if I am conscious.

Of what?

Of anything.

I’m conscious of being asked if I’m conscious.

That’s not the same thing.

The same thing as what?

Of being conscious.

As in being aware?

Of what?

Then, to be conscious is to be aware?

Of what?

Of whatever.

Of whatever what?

Of whatever is happening that I’m conscious or aware of.

Yes.

What does that mean?

It means that you use two words to mean the same thing.

Why not?

When you use awareness or consciousness, why do you
give awareness a higher social status position
in your spiritual reading, writing, and thinking?

Perhaps they don’t mean exactly the same thing as
each other.

In what way?

You would know …

Yes, but do you?

I think so.

So?

Consciousness is possession of at least some capacity
to be aware of and understand what is happening
around me, while awareness is intentionally
conscious of what is happening, and attempting to
understand why my dear Spirit Teacher has chosen
to focus my attention on the difference or
differences between the meanings of consciousness
and awareness.

Do you think I have a purpose?

I know you have a purpose.

How do you know?

You always have a purpose.

Yes, but do you?

Is it possible to do or think about anything without
a purpose for doing so?

Why just do or think?

Without including emotions?

Yes.

I don’t know. Perhaps they’re somewhere beneath
the surface of everything we do or think.

Yes.

Unconditional Love is Always and Never Personal

Posted on by under developing awareness, unconditional love, understanding life struggles

Spirit tells me that unconditional love
is always and never personal.

Does that mean that to love anyone
unconditionally …

Yes. You must, at the same time,
be required to love everyone
and everything in the same, or
rather, to that same degree.

Wouldn’t it all become blah?

Blah?

Yes, as in nothing special.

Unconditional love is a very special
quality of love.

Would you want me to relate to you
in such a way?

Not at this time.

Why wouldn’t unconditional Love
be appropriate at all times?

It would not be either possible
or appropriate.

Please explain.

What? Unconditional love?

No. I think I understand what
that means.

What is your understanding of
the meaning of unconditional love?

Unconditional love is to love
without conditions required
to receive my love.

Required by whom or what?

How can it go beyond people?

How can that be a condition?

Then our environment is
and must be included in
my unconditional love?

Yes.

Then, the fallen petals or leaves
must be as loved as when
they were …

No. Unconditional loves does not
have a past or future.

It is always in the present?

Yes, an inclusive present.

How can the present include
past and future?

There are no boundaries of time
and place for unconditional love.

Then, unconditional love is always
or never?

Yes.

But, what if I have developed, and
even now am developing, a deeper
sense of the meaning of
unconditional love?

That is as it should be.

But, I didn’t always understand …

Unconditional love does not depend
upon your understanding.

It just is?

Yes.

Note: Dear Readers, This discussion with Spirit
only seems to skim the surface of the topic
of unconditional love, and yet I could feel
myself stepping into intellectual and emotional
waters over my head, for now. If any of you
have thoughts or questions I could present to Spirit
on the subject, then please help me.

We Each Know Everyone Else

Posted on by under developing awareness, Spirit shares words of wisdom

Spirit tells me that there have always been
dedicated teachers of wisdom in every culture
since time began, who have shared their
understanding and awareness of how life
can be lived for the benefit of all.

But, there are surely many more ways than
one to live a life that benefits all,
if it was possible to know how the life
we live could harm anyone.

Awareness would teach you.

How to become aware?

Experience.

Experience of what?

Being harmed as a result of how others
live their lives.

It isn’t possible to know how all others
live their lives.

Why?

I don’t know all others.

Do you know yourself?

Yes, I think so.

Then you know everyone else.

We each are as a personal history book.

Posted on by under developing awareness, simple spiritual insights, Spirit shares words of wisdom, Uncategorized

Spirit shares words of wisdom.

Spirit tells me that knowing is not a matter of faith.
We know that wounds hurt for we have experienced
their pain, both physically and emotionally.

Physical pain is felt through our physical senses,
while emotional pain is a mental state, and is often
learned and developed through habit.

How do we learn emotional pain?

It is a socially acquired skill.

If you offend me and I feel distressed, then I have
learned to feel distressed, and you are not the cause?

Yes.

Who taught me?

You taught yourself

Then, everyone would feel offended for the same reason?

Not necessarily.

Why?

You could not offend me.

Perhaps you’ve developed immunity to offence.

There are other labels.

Such as?

Tolerance, patience, understanding, compassion –
the list goes on.

You did not include awareness.

Yes.

Why?

The examples I provided each require a certain
depth of awareness.

The problem with that approach, or at least
one problem, is that it would be seem to require
a certain detachment from the emotional state of
the offender, as well as oneself.

Why would that be a problem?

It would suggest a certain lack of sensitivity.

Not necessarily so.

Please explain.

As we becomes increasingly aware of the path,
then we can listen to what some might call offence
calmly, and feel compassion for the distress of
the other. As Confucius might say, “No blame”.

How is that possible?

As we develop ever-more clear vision we can see in
many more directions than one. The present arrived
from the past and we each are as a personal history
book that those who have eyes to see can read, and
we all can and will develop eyes that see, sooner or
later, and from a unique perspective.

I’m not ready for that quality of insight, yet.

Yes.

Visualize Limits as Horizons

Posted on by under developing awareness, grass-roots ethics, Uncategorized

Spirit asks me to visualize my limits as horizons, not as boundaries, as I seem to do. As we move closer to the horizon, it adopts our pace and moves forward, too, as if in a game to maintain the distance of separation from us.

You may reach boundaries, He tells me, but horizons? Never.

The horizons of your understanding are waiting to lure you far beyond your so-called, and perhaps, self-imposed  limitations.

Accept as so what seems so

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Spirit tells me that to accept people, situations, and relationships

As they are is not possible without first knowing what they are,

And that it may not be possible to know more than what

They seem to be.

 

Perhaps the answer is to accept what seems to be.

 

To whom?

 

To each individual.

 

Let’s bring it closer to home.

 

How?

 

Tell me that you will try to accept what seems to be, until it seems

To be other than it seems to be, now.

 

If there is no general consensus on how things are, then how

Can we relate to people with different understandings of

What seems to be?

 

Dialogue offers an opportunity share our personal understanding

And to learn how others view the same situation.

 

Others may see something that we do not, and we might share

Something that others have missed.

 

Of course, even dialogue may still result in our view being

Dismissed by the other, or we may dismiss the other views.

 

In which case…?

 

Then we see Life as we see it and let others see it their way.

 

Case closed?

 

Case closed.