I am Therefore I am

Heaven is Acceptance

2008-12-18T08:20:00.002-06:00

We make things so difficult when they are so simple. It is not your actions, your thoughts, your feelings, or your experiences that are important. It is your judgement of those things that cuts you off from God. Accept things exactly as they are. You are an expression of God, and with that comes perfection. You are perfect as you are. You need to change nothing about yourself.

Nor do you need to change anything about the world or about someone else. I can hear you saying right now --- "Well look at the world. Look at how screwed up it." Yes, I would say that the world looks pretty screwed up right now. But looking and being are two separate things. When your child puts on a vampire costume at Halloween, are they a vampire? You can not, no matter how hard you wish it or try, change the fact that only Love exists. You can wish it so hard that you believe it, but your belief doesn't change the unalterable. So the appearance of the world being screwed up is just that an appearance. And you don't change the world. You change how you see the world. That starts by how you see yourself.

If you apply a judgement system of good and bad to yourself, you project that out to others and the world, seeing them as good and bad. But as I have discussed many times before (and it is worth repeating as many times as necessary --- definitely for myself,) you look at the world through your own set of rose colored glasses that are based on your own unique past experiences and your future expectations. We never live in the one holy moment and see things as they really are. Your set of glasses is completely unique to you, and it is not reality. Truth, reality, Love, God --- that is unchangeable. Anything that changes is part of this play we appear to live in and is fleeting.

How do we change the world? Change how you see yourself, and that will change how you see the world as you no longer project your unique set of beliefs (glasses) to the world. Accepting yourself exactly as you are in each moment --- whether you are feeling joy, sadness, anger, guilt --- whether you are having thoughts or desires to wring someone's neck or thoughts you consider dirty --- whether you have committed an action you see as horrible ---- accepting yourself leads to Heaven. Stop judging yourself. This is what cuts you off from God.

Step back, take a look at your judgment system of good and bad, and know that it is not real, it is not you. There are not degrees of perfection; it is either perfect or it is not. But can you even define perfection? What would the perfect person look like, say, or do? We think there are degrees of perfection, because we apply a system of good and bad, a system of degrees, when looking at things. There is no good and bad. It is what is. I AM.

Call on His Love

2008-11-13T14:25:00.004-06:00

I have written about a lot of subjects in my book and on this blog, but if there is one thing that you come away with, please know that God Loves you. He cherishes you. You complete Him, and you are His Beloved. These hard times, which are only now starting, are not a punishment for you. God does not punish. He expresses through you. Why would He punish Himself. As this dream, as this appearance gets harder and harder, you can always return to His Love inside of you. In fact, if you do not turn toward that Love, your body will not make it through this aspect of the dream. He can help you; He can take all your problems away by showing what is Real. He waits in infinite patience just to Love, to Love YOU. It is your choice. It is never too late, because turning back to Him means you leave this time based illusion and you return to the one eternal moment of your creation. You are me --- we are One. Let us do this together. His Love is the most simple, yet sweet and holy blessing, one that is beyond your imagination or comprehension. Let us return to Him and His Love.

Forgiveness Offers Everything You Want

2008-10-19T09:29:00.003-05:00

We are in turbulent times. The appearance of the world is worsening. For those who do not recognize any part of their spiritual awakening, fear and anger will continue to rise within them, and they will feel very lost. Those of us who are conscious of our awakening have the blessing of seeing from a much higher perspective, but that doesn't mean that it is any easier for us. Many of us have done our "work" for a long time. When the fear and anger arises within us, we tend to judge it, like we are doing something wrong. Like we have fallen back or fallen off our spiritual path. We can never fall off our spiritual path, because only God exists, thus there is nothing that is not spiritual. There is really not a path. I have written about forgiveness before, and in these times, forgiveness becomes very important. Most people have the wrong concept of forgiveness. They believe that you have to forgive, to overlook, something that is true. But forgiveness really means that we first see that the appearance of everything is a dream, thus there is nothing to forgive. No attack or hurt was done to you. It happened only in the illusion. When we judge ourselves for our anger and fear, we project this out to others as judgment of them, their actions, their words, their appearance. If we forgive them these "sins," then we see from the perspective that this is all a dream. We see that none of these "sins" occurred. Then a miracle occurs. We forgive ourselves. We also see that we never sinned. Offering forgiveness "works" for two reasons. When we offer forgiveness to someone else, a group, or the world, we offer it to ourself, because we are One. And we can only offer forgiveness if we have forgiveness to give. By offering something, we acknowledge that we already have it. Doesn't God work beautifully?

Will One Good Person Stand up and Tell Us the Truth?

2008-10-09T20:52:00.003-05:00

Is there a Christ among us? Is there anyone who will lead us out of this morass, someone who will be a moral and spiritual compass for those who are asleep? Is there anyone whom we can trust, as a clear vessel of God with pure intent, to administer this world as we come to a remembrance that the world is only a dream? The only way out of this financial, economic, and moral upheaval is to know that this world is a dream. With that knowing comes the remembrance of your Oneness with God, and all fear passes away. Fear is only present if you believe this dream is real. Those that will lead us out of the dream are those who are authentic. They are completely honest with themselves and those around them. We are still in the old system. Our politicians, those who are looked to for leadership, still believe that they can not tell the truth in order to be elected. I am not asking our presidential candidates to tell us this is a dream, because their level of awareness may not be at this point. They are exactly where they need to be. But I am asking them to be honest, to stand up and admit that our old systems are crumbling and that they do not know what the new will look like. I am asking them to admit that there may be great pain in this transition, and I am asking them to take personal responsibility. I am asking them, as well as all those in a leadership position, to not put the problem off on someone else. Each of us has responsibility for the way the world is, for even in this dream we are part of a larger collective, and individually and collectively we have made choices which have turned our face from God. These choices are not being talked about. Our turning from God is not being discussed. In this crisis, which will only worsen, everyone wants to blame someone else --- the government, the bankers, those who incur high debt. Where is the personal responsibility? The blame and victimhood must stop, for that keeps us from recognizing who we really are. The self interest must stop, because we are One. Each of us is responsible for salvation, for the ending of the dream. Each of must make the choice to stop being a victim. As important, each of us must no longer look to a person, a group, or the government to bail us out. Really, when we do this, we are looking for our salvation from something outside of ourself. Looking for and expecting the government to take care of your problems is no different than looking to a priest to help you talk to God. They are both diversions or reasons not to turn inward and find God within. Our politicians believe they must tell people what they want to hear to get elected. But the old is crumbling, and new ways, authentic ways, God centered ways, will be the only ways that work in elections, in business, in religion, in life. When people see that their beliefs rest on a foundation of sand, that no one or no thing in this world can assuage their fear and make them feel safe, then maybe they will truly listen for the first time. At that point they will be told what they need to hear instead of what they had previously wanted to hear. Is there a Christ among us? There are many Christs among us. You need look no further than yourself.

How Have We Arrived Here?

2008-09-22T19:57:00.003-05:00

As a followup to my last post, it is helpful to see how we have arrived at this point in the dream. Collectively, as the one Son of God, we have turned our face from Him, from our own true nature. As the pain of Longing has intensified, we have tried to fill this pain by numerous means. One of my previous posts mentioned how addicted we are to sugar, and this addiction is a feeble and failing attempt to replace the sweetness of His Love. In addition to sugar, we have tried to fill that infinite hole of Longing with drugs and alcohol, Internet addiction, workaholism, etc. And one addiction that most of us share is the addiction to materialism. As we acquire more and more, we become increasingly frustrated and despondent as money and material goods do not fill that hole, so we try to acquire more money in a futile effort. Pity the super rich person who has everything that could be acquired and still feels that hole, for they realize that the search for more had no meaning. For them this is either a time of awakening or suicidal despair. Money has nothing to do with the Longing, which is filled only through your relationship and Love with God. You can be reach or poor and find your true joy in Him. So here we are in this illusion, which is now crumbling. We are here because everyone wanted more, more money, more houses, more goods. Because they were so disconnected from themselves and God, they made decisions out of fear. They took risks and did things that were part of the herd mentality, because everyone else was doing these things. When you do not know your Oneness, you move with the herd, just like a bunch of gazelles running wild out of fear as they are chased by lions. They thought that they were safe as part of the herd, but this is just another illusion. Your safety comes from your recognition of your relationship with God. Now the house of cards is falling, because it never had any support. Nothing based on fear has support --- it is an illusion, it is not real. But if you continue to believe in this house of cards as real, the fear is just beginning for you. It is no accident that you are here in this dream at this appointed time. This is the time of your awakening, the time that you have chosen. What do you choose to do at this holy time?

The Foundations of the World Are Crumbling

2008-09-18T12:14:00.002-05:00

Because this world is illusory, it rests on a foundation of sand. This foundation has shown signs of cracks for a number of years, but now we are at the beginning where the whole structure will be coming down. The financial panic has only just begun, and it will spread in to everything, like a spark in an overgrown forest. What is overgrown here is our false beliefs about who we are. Everyone thinks this is a financial problem, but few see the spiritual underpinnings. It is spiritual, because everything is spiritual, everything is God. Collectively we have agreed to this forthcoming hurricane in order to help us remember who we really are. Whether it had to come to this is a moot point, for we are here. Individually and collectively we have manifested this scenario within the dream so that we will receive a "shock" to our memory. If you think this world is real, you will become increasingly fearful as these events unfold. But it does not have to be this way. Use these events as a contrast to show you what is Real, to show you that you are One with God and that you never separated from Him. This world, this dream, is a manifestation of our belief in separation. Because we believe that we sinned, we also believe that we should be punished. And in some respects, what we have called forth with the upcoming hurricane is our punishment. We believe that we should suffer to atone for our sins against God. But you see how one illusion --- the belief that we are separate --- leads to another illusion that we should be punished. And it leads to the belief that this world is real, which leads to great fear. You can depart from this dream of fear anytime you choose when you see yourself as One with God. When you do this, the world is no longer real and you no longer have fear over the events that are unfolding.

Shoulds

2008-09-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

Haven't all of us done certain actions because we felt like we should? Where does this belief that we have to do something come from inside of us? It comes from a false self, a self that is constantly looking for affirmation that it even exists. When we do something because we feel that we should, it is as if we are earning points. We are being a "good" boy or girl, meeting expectations of others. Just as we believed as a child that we had to do certain things and meet the expectations of our parents, we carry that belief over in how we deal with God. We believe in a system of reward and punishment, that somehow we have to "earn" our place in the grand scheme of things. We believe that we have to earn God's grace. There are no shoulds. That is a false belief that you carry. God requires nothing of us, for if he did, He would be requiring something of Himself. We are fulfilling our role perfectly by being an expression of Him. And we do things out of joy, not out of obligation.

Isn't That Interesting

2008-08-25T13:58:00.003-05:00

We spend so much time and energy getting caught up in our dramas. Somebody hurts our feelings, or we lose our job, or the dog dies, and we experience all of these ups and downs as if we are a boxer getting beaten to a pulp. Our mind stays on constant go mode, like it is mental masturbation. We think about what has happened, and we have regrets, joys, anger, etc., or we think about what will happen, and we have the same as above. We never live in the present moment observing. What if we observed these fears or this anger and just said to ourself, " Oh isn't that interesting." It would take us to a totally different perspective. It would take some of the fear away from the fear, or some of the anger out of the anger. Because a lot of our angst is our judgment of the fear, or our fear of the fear. We can see the fear for what it really is, just another energy arising within us. Oh isn't that interesting.

We Have Equal Parts in Salvation

2008-08-19T10:07:00.002-05:00

When we see only through eyes of separation, we see differences. The world takes an appearance through contrast, through the appearance of differences. But if we believe these differences are what truly exists, then we are not seeing God, and hence ourself, as One. There is only One of us awakening to ourself. When we meet another expression of God, we remember. We see ourself in that other expression, and that brings us back to a recognition and remembrance of our true self. The appearance of differences is a tool that helps us to do that. Each of us, as the One, has agreed to appear in this dream and fill a certain role. We are each a piece of an infinite puzzle. If you see yourself on a spiritual path, and you feel that you are somehow better, special, or different, then you are seeing through eyes of separation. No part is better or worse than another. No one has more to contribute to the awakening than someone else. Our salvation depends on all pieces of the puzzle going in to place. Those who care nothing for spirituality or God have as important a part as everyone else. When you think that being spiritual is better than not being spiritual, you are applying your belief system, which is based on illusory good and bad, and which is not real. Those who are not "spiritual," these expressions of God, have chosen to do their part in salvation in another form. If you are spiritual, this is just a form that passes away. Each of us has a very important function. We are all God. In fact, the person who is not caught up in being spiritual may have a very profound insight to share with you if you will only listen. They are not sharing their divinity from an ego standpoint, so they may be a clearer vessel than someone who sees themselves as spiritual.

Getting Hurt

2008-08-15T14:21:00.002-05:00

Most people are afraid of getting hurt. That is why so many people invest so much in their relationships with animals. We have 3 dogs and a cat, and I love them as part of the family, but my greatest personal growth has come from not running away from human relationships. That is where the true manna can be found. As opposed to an animal, people can hurt you. They will hurt your feelings, your sense of self worth, and your ability to love. By their words and their actions they will make you feel small. For me, because I had significant childhood issues I was dealing with, a comment could throw me back in to feeling like I was little and powerless. When you feel powerless as an adult, you either become withdrawn and depressed, or you become angry. Throughout my twenties and in to my thirties, I did both at different times. As I worked through those issues and became more of an adult emotionally, I was no longer frozen in emotional time as a kid and no longer reacting from that state. My self worth came from a knowing that I am perfect as I am and no changes are needed. I no longer saw the world through rose colored glasses of past experiences. When you live more and more in the wholeness, you recognize your holiness, and in that holiness God is found. So when you unwind all of the false beliefs you have about yourself, what you discover is God within. If you get hurt easily and you have reacted to this by putting up an emotional wall, you are cutting yourself off from Love. You think that you are "protecting" yourself, but in reality you are damming the flow. Ironically, the way to not get hurt is by getting hurt. When you allow yourself to feel everything, when you allow yourself to be in relationships where someone you love might hurt you or leave you, you learn how to deal with and grow from those hurts. What happens is that you learn to rely on yourself, not in the sense of being like Rambo, but in the sense of being your own nurturer, your own comforter. And you learn to rely on God, who is always there for you. Then when you enter in to a relationship, you can love fully, without expectation of what the other person will give to you or do. All the love they give you becomes a gift for which you are very grateful. If they leave you, will it hurt? Probably, but you now have the ability to comfort and fully love yourself. It is a great thing when equally you can love being by yourself or being with people. That is an authentic and fully open person.

The New Garden of Eden

2008-08-10T17:01:00.002-05:00

God wants us to love him by our own choice. He does not require anything. As His love is freely given to us, he is completed when that Love is freely given back to Him. No expectations. In order to know Himself, Herself, as Love, God desired that we would have the appearance of choice in order to turn away and then back to Him. I say appearance, because we can never be separate from God. But in order for God to have an experience of Himself, the appearance of separation was necessary. So when Adam desired the knowledge from The Tree of Life in order to make his own choices, God did not intervene. This was a necessary part of the journey. As subsequent choices were made by us, most with the appearance of turning ourselves away from God, God was saddened but not angry. For a God of Love does not get angry at the subject of His Love. God knew, that in order for us to have an appreciation of His Love, we needed to experience what it was like to feel absent from that Love. Instead of committing a "sin," the act in the Garden was necessary. So in this journey of many eternities, as we have "moved" farther away from His Love, the longing to return to who we are in Oneness calls us back. The "farther" we get away from it, the stronger the pull to return. And when we return, we are coming back fully of our own free will. It is drawing closer in time to experience the true Garden of Eden. This is a place where we have the knowledge that we can make choices, and we choose to stay fully present in the recognition of our Oneness and Love with God. All of our choices are made from a space of His Love. We are truly Cocreators in this new Garden of Eden. There is no appearance of separation between Heaven and Earth, and we live in paradise, experiencing ourself as Love.

What is Right

2008-08-04T13:46:00.002-05:00

I have mentioned in this blog that my fourteen year old son is very spiritual and he asks me deep questions. The other day he went to a Baptist church with one of his friends, and the preacher gave one of those sermons that are heavy in judgment, making my son angry. When he got home, he asked me how do we know that what we believe is right. I explained that there is only the appearance of right and wrong in this experience. Each of us has different beliefs based on our past experiences and future expectations. We see life through our own unique rose colored glasses. and even what we see as right and wrong can change in the next moment. Truth is not variable. It is self evident. What underlies all of these belief systems is what is Real, what is changeless. My book, my words, and this blog are not Truth. They are symbols which may or may not point us to the Divine. God is not about symbols or perception, because these change. If someone can find benefit in my words/symbology which can point them to their divine nature, then that is great. Everyone who listens to this judgmental Baptist preacher is also being led to the Divine, because all roads lead to God. God is All. These roads may appear to take a person away from God, but their path just may be a little longer. Or someone listening to this preacher may learn from contrast. They may learn about Love through the appearance of non Love (the judgment.) There are an infinite number of ways this can happen, and everyone, including me and this preacher, are exactly where they need to be. Maybe this preacher, this manifestation of God, decided to come to know God in this experience by being a piece of the puzzle that appears to be negative. What a sacrifice he is making for others. Remember, we are all One, and we are doing this together. In this experience, in appearance only, the difference between the preacher and me is that I know that God can be reached in innumerable ways, traditions, religions. And I know that what I am speaking about is not ultimate Truth, because words and symbols are still part of the illusion.

Next time you encounter someone with heavy judgment, hear them out. If you judge them, you are falling in the same trap and illusion they are in. Remember that this person is also on a path of remembrance and recognition to their true Divine nature, just like you are. Ask yourself the question, why have they been brought to me.

Guilt and Our Partner

2008-07-30T15:35:00.002-05:00

As a follow up to my last post, I want to comment on guilt within those close relationships. Guilt is usually present when there is friction between you and that person close to you. You feel like you are not doing it right or you are not doing enough, especially when that person expresses their anger toward you or their dissatisfaction with a situation that you can supposedly control. It doesn't matter whether their anger is justified, because that is only their perception, and that is an illusion. What matters is that the guilt is arising to be dealt with. Remember, everything that arises is a teacher for you in order for you to recognize who you truly are. Guilt is no exception. It is a gift of Love to show you that you are also Love. Guilt goes back to the beginning of time. It arose with fear when we first believed that we had separated from God. This "original" guilt calls out to be healed as it appears everywhere --- in our relationships, in our religions. Because our fear of facing this guilt, we have collectively created a belief that guilt is beneficial. We believe that guilt will alter our future thoughts or actions. So the cycle goes something like this. We feel separate from God because of our belief in separation. This feeling of separation leads us to judge our thoughts and actions, because we do not know our Oneness and we think that how we perceive the world is reality (we are also in the future and not in the present moment.) When we judge these thoughts and actions as bad instead of seeing them as neutral, we look to guilt to "save" us. Guilt is our Savior. We accept ourselves as guilty, thus we hope to preempt the punishment that we believe is coming. In our relationship with God, we judged ourselves as guilty instead of waiting for God's true judgment on His Son, that being that we are completely sinless. So in our relationships with others, we play out what happened with God. We, not the other person, decide whether we are guilty. They may or may not think that we are guilty, and it is all an illusion anyway, because both their judgment and our judgment is based on perception, not reality. So we decide to go ahead and punish ourselves, and in doing so we "love" the guilt for taking care of our "sins" and for teaching us, in a so gentle way, how not to do the same action or have the same thought the next time. Of course, we do the same thing again, and we look to guilt to save us another time. Only when we go to the root of the guilt and to the illusory belief behind it can we break the cycle. And when guilt no longer arises in you, then guess what does --- GOD!

Our Partner Is A Gift

2008-07-26T14:47:00.003-05:00

The person who is closest to you is the one who can teach you the most. When I say closest, I don't necessarily mean our spouse or closest friend. It can also be someone who you have to interact with on a frequent basis but whom you would not consider a friend. Closeness means irritation. They may or not be in our physical space, like a spouse, but they are definitely in our mental space, as we think about them frequently. They can be someone halfway around the world, or they can be someone who we have not seen in years but for whom we hold a lot of anger. There are a lot of possibilities. Because they are so "close," we see a reflection of ourselves in them. Those qualities we like and those we do not like about ourself are projected on to them. This relationship is usually two sided, but it may be one sided, like someone who you have not seen in years. This person is a mirror in to our soul. They hold the key to your salvation if you will only see the gift they offer to you. You may see God in most situations and in most people, but when you encounter this person that you can not forgive, then you are holding back on seeing God fully within yourself. The times when you hate or cannot forgive this person is when you see them as separate, thus during these times you are seeing yourself as separate. They are in your life because of Love. As Love, you have called that person, you have called those anger and unforgiving thoughts to you, so that you can heal the idea of separation within yourself and see yourself as you truly are, as Love. This person or these thoughts are constantly bothering you because they are calling out to be healed, and until this false belief in separation is finally dropped, the aggravation/thoughts will continue. What do you do with a pattern that keeps repeating itself? Try another way of reacting to it. My wife and I have been through much of what I have described. We were like two rough diamonds which were used to polish each other. There have been many times when I was mad at her, and my mind came up with all of this "proof" that I was right. But my mind/ego wanted to continue the conflict, because that is how it survives. I could choose to either be right or happy, and I always chose, sometimes after extended periods, to be happy. I always saw her and her actions as a gift which helped me to better see myself as Love. As I did that, my recognition and remembrance of my Oneness and Love with God flourished.

Suggested action: Next time you have an "attack" thought related to someone close to you, like your spouse or a close friend, take a step back and witness that you are having this thought. The same action can be used if you are having anger thoughts at someone who you knew in the past. When you witness the thought, at that moment you can choose to take a different course, to have a different reaction. Choose to see the person and their actions as a gift of Love. Choose to see that you are bringing this to yourself, because we are One. Be ready for the peace this non reaction brings to you!

In The World But Not Of It

2008-07-23T13:28:00.003-05:00

There is so much static in this world that hides what is truly there, what is truly inside of you. We are bombarded with the "world." Everywhere we turn there is a television that is blaring. The Internet tells us what is happening that exact moment. All of this is false. It takes you away from yourself. All of this static adds to the workings of your mind. It keeps the mind twirling with thought and covers the thoughts that you have with God. For your Self is part of the Mind of God. And that is what you need to keep in perspective. When you see a deep lake which has a surface that is whipped by waves, you can find complete stillness at the bottom of the lake. Underneath the static of the world, which is only a false appearance, you find complete stillness. For there can truly be no change to the body of God. But we can live in the world but not be of it. We can participate in the activities and duties while knowing that inner stillness and peace. We can know what is false and what is Real.

Suggested action: For a week turn off the computer, television and radio. Try to take a long walk alone in the woods every one of those days and listen to the wind and the trees speaking to you, for this is the language of God. Isolate yourself as much as possible, but only for this week. The static will die down and there will be some type of opening. God, the peace, the stillness, is talking to you in very moment, but now you will be attempting to listen, and your little bit of willingness is all that is needed to make the heavens sing.

Creation

2008-07-17T19:26:00.002-05:00

We are coming back today from a family vacation on the Big island of Hawaii. The power of creation rings through loud and clear on this island. The volcano is very active, and there is a lot of lava flowing above ground. We went to see where the lava meets the ocean, and the lava is coming out of a lava tube and shooting up to 1000 feet in the sky. Nature's fireworks. When the lava enters the ocean, there is a huge cloud of steam and gas which goes up for miles. Two powerful forces coming together at the same time to help us remember who we are, for you can't look upon this show and not feel an awe for God. Creation starts with you. Just as the lava bubbles up from deep within the Earth, creative forces and change come from deep within you. Just like the lava, there is no way to stop this creation, this constant change which is happening inside of you. Many of us try to not feel this change by numbing it through any number of ways, but just like the lava, the change is always coming up to be vented, recognized, and honored. Since God is Love, Creation within this human experience happens through the emotions. We were created out of Love, so that God, as Love, could have an experience (loving as in a verb) of Himself, of Herself. The lava meets the water, just as the creation within us meets our ocean of emotions. We have to be emotionally stable and fully express our emotions for us to be carried along on the River of Creation (the River of lava.) Creation's purpose is the expression and expansion of Love. Love, like water and like the lava, always seeks the lowest point in order to have all of Creation, to have all of you and everyone, be washed with the redemptive and forgiving waters of Love. God is Stillness, but Creation is never stagnant. It is always seeking to expand and further complete Itself. This is well represented in the physical, as the islands created long ago by these volcanoes slowly submerge under the Pacific plate, only to be reborn in a newer state many years later as they are again brought back up as magma. Just like the caterpillar becomes liquid goo before it is reborn as a butterfly. So all land on the Earth renews itself, just as our physical bodies are in a constant state of renewal and repair. But one day these bodies return to dust and will be turned back in to the elements that will make for another day of Creation. That is why you cannot see yourself as a body. The body is only a physical tool of Creation. A tool for Love to know Herself in a more expansive way.

Suggested action: Take a look at some pictures on the Internet of the flowing lava and where it meets the ocean. Feel the power of Creation, and know that this power is inside of you, is you. If you know that you are One with this power, then you know that you are One with God.

Conflict

2008-07-04T14:36:00.002-05:00

We all have to deal with conflict. It is presented to us to help us better see who we are, to help us see that we are Love. When conflict is present, we can choose to either stay in it or to not stay in it. It is that simple, just like everything on this journey. You either choose God or you choose the world. When we choose to stay in conflict, we are on the surface of a lake which is thrashed by hurricane winds, but if we choose to not be in conflict, we move to the perfect Stillness at the bottom of the lake. Your best "opportunities" to grow from conflict are usually presented by someone close to you like a spouse or a child. Be grateful for these gifts that they give you to better see yourself as you truly are. That is why I say in my book that there is little growth if you isolate yourself. That doesn't only mean someone who goes to India or lives in a cave. If you surf the web for hours, watch television all the time, stay away from people, etc. There are innumerable ways people sabotage their own growth. My relationship with my wife has certainly been one where there was friction at times. We were like two rough diamonds being used to polish each other. As you grow in your remembrance and recognition of your Oneness with God, you choose conflict less and less. The part of you who still wants conflict has an increasingly smaller role to play, although when it wants to reassert itself, it can come back out with a vengeance. After you have had no conflict for a while, it shoots out unexpectedly, and you ask yourself where did that come from. It is so far to the opposite extreme to what you now know yourself. At some point you cannot fathom conflict any more. Not only is it the opposite of your true Self, but you can no longer handle hurting someone, which is always the case if they are arguing with you. If you are both part of the conflict, you are both in the illusion, and you are both forgetting who you really are. If you believe that you can be attacked, you also labor under the false belief that you can be harmed. Under this insane thought system, your only response would be to attack back. You believe that your strength lies in defensiveness, not defenselessness. But if you are centered in your Love for God, you realize that this is all an illusion. You can never be attacked, nor can you be harmed. Thus you do not attack back. If you are asked to follow through on a crazy request, you go ahead with it. If you try to fight it or argue about it, you are falling in to the same illusory space as the person who asked you to do it. In fact, if you are centered in God, you do not "see" the request as crazy. Your view is one from the bottom of the lake.

Suggested action: The next time you feel yourself getting angry and wanting to argue with someone, simply ask yourself if this is what you want to do. Remember that you are reinforcing one of two paths. One path leads to peace and joy, and the other keeps you on the surface of the lake. You may "win" the argument, but at what cost to your peace. And what part of you --- the false self or the Real Self --- are you asking to lead your life.

THANK YOU!

2008-06-30T12:43:00.006-05:00

I want to thank everyone, around one hundred of you, who came through the line at INATS to meet me and pick up a signed copy of my book. It helped remind me that I am not doing this for prestige or money. As I looked in to each of your faces and eyes, I saw the divinity shining through and I saw a reflection of myself. This is what Christ meant when he referred to two being gathered in his name. In the moment that we smiled at each other, the illusion of time passed away, and all that was left was the one eternal moment. This was God awakening to Himself, to Herself. In that moment only Love was present. I am grateful for all of the kind comments you said to me, and I hope that the book will satisfy your hunger, which was very evident. This book is not mine, for we are all One. It was a gift to ourselves, and as you read it, our remembrance increases. Thank you for the blessing you gave to me.

As you walk through the world today, take one person and look them fully in the face, just as you did with me yesterday. Allow that moment to be suspended in time. Feel the peace in that one holy moment. Maybe this is someone that you don't like that much. Take a step outside your normal comfort zone. If you can see the divinity in them, you can see it in yourself.

Prayer and Communion

2008-06-20T15:54:00.002-05:00

What is the proper kind of prayer? What should we be asking for? The highest form of prayer is communion with God. That is a wordless prayer that is constant, never ending, because you are One with Him. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't pray with words or thoughts. There are different levels to this illusion or dream, and we move through these different layers, which gives us a contrast to what is Real, the undifferentiated One. So prayer with words or thoughts are important rungs on the ladder, but these prayers should be ones of gratitude than ones of asking God for something. When we pray for something, like prosperity or health, we are putting that which we pray for at a higher level than what we don't want. This reinforces separation. If you pray from your ego and not your true Self, you will be asking for something that is seen through the ego's eyes, eyes of separation. Asking to win the lottery is in the same category as asking to be prosperous, even though it sounds a little toned down. When we pray from gratitude, we are acknowledging our perfection and wholeness as we are. These prayers come from Love. They come from our authentic or true Self. When you come from that true Self, you are coming from Love, and you don't ask to win the lottery. You know that your happiness lies within, that it lies in your relationship with God. You are already prosperous. You do not lack. When you are grateful for your properity, all of the world's riches come to you. Isn't that amazing. You are not even asking for them, and they come to you because you are grateful for already being prosperous. This is the underpinning of The Secret. But let's go further. Those riches will come to you, but they will not satisfy you. They will not take care of that hunger, which comes from your longing to return to God's Love. So the next rung on the ladder of prayer is communion. Communion is wordless. It comes from the heart, not the head. Our gratitude prayers came from the heart, but now, with communion, our heart has found its Beloved. There are no words, because God cannot be known through symbols. You are in communion with God, every moment. You can 'feel" that space without end, simply by drawing your attention away from the world to that which you are, which is Love. And you bring your focus back to this communion through your remembrance.

The Sweetness of God's Love

2008-06-16T19:27:00.002-05:00

About ten years ago I realized that I was attached to sodas and chewing gum and that this attachment, as well as the high sugar content, was not good for me. So I gave them up, but I continued to eat sugar in candy or chocolate, etc. The amount that I ate varied over the years. Within the last few years I exhibited symptoms of Candida, and there were a couple of times I came off the processed sugar, hoping to clear the Candida up. But I never gave up fruit, and I was eating a significant amount of fruit. I justified eating the fruit because it was not the same type of sugar, and of course, everyone needs to eat fruit. About 6 weeks ago I had the realization that I needed to give up all sugar, including fruit. My fruit intake had increased greatly, and I felt as if I was having physical cravings for fruit. Plus, there were times I gorged on chocolate/candy, and my Candida had never cleared up. Physically, I needed to cleanse my body to make it more of a temple for God. I was off all sugar and fruit for about a week, and I felt that this must have been enough time to cleanse me. It was also hard for me to fight the cravings for chocolate. So in my mind, I justified the slow reintroduction of fruit and a little sugar. But of course, once I opened the gate, the flood came in. Another piece of candy was okay, another orange couldn't hurt me because it was fruit. So you know the story. I ended back up at the same point I was at before I started. A couple of weeks later it hit me. My cravings were not physical. They were psychological. As I turned away from God's Love due to fear, I substituted that missing sweetness with a physical sweetness. This is what I had been doing for all of my life, and this is why we are so addicted to sugar in this society. We believe that we can replace that missing Love, but it can never be replaced. As we eat sugar, we continue to eat more and more, because what we are eating is not acting as a replacement for that Love. That deep hole of grief that we have over not feeling His Love becomes more and more pronounced, and we continue to feed that hole with sugar. The sugar also causes us to add weight, and we have a belief that this extra weight acts as a protective barrier to not feeling at all. Because if we feel, we will have to face that deep hole of grief. When I realized that this sugar addiction was psychological, I knew it was time, finally time, for me to turn permanently to that Love. The sweetness of that Love is indescribable. It is the Love the Father has for the Son and that Love coming back to the Father. This is the reason for your Creation. It has all the sweetness that you will ever need. It is there for you, right now. All you need do is look within.

Love and the Expansion of Creation

2008-06-11T11:37:00.003-05:00

Until several years ago, I used to believe that when I met somebody and had even a short conversation with them, it was meant to be a conversation that covered spiritual topics. It was almost like I had an obligation, a burden from God, to do this. And sometimes I resented that. I believed that I could help them and that it was for their own good. What a false belief that was! I won't say that it came from arrogance, but it came from a belief that I had something special, something that others did not always have. This was a belief that was inseparably linked with my belief in separation. I saw everyone as separate from me, and I also saw a distinction between spiritual and non spiritual. By talking to them I was bringing them in to the spiritual realm. Our belief in separation from each other and from God has roots that extend out to the farthest reaches. The good news is that we have only one belief to release, that belief in separation. When we release that belief, it solves all of our "problems." Instead of all of those roots extending off a weed, they extend off a trunk of Love. Remember, one "problem," one answer. Now, my conversations go wherever they go. What freedom it is to allow the River of Life to carry you gently. It doesn't matter if the conversation turns "spiritual," because it is all spiritual. It is all One. There are no differences in Love. When I speak from Love, I am speaking from the One, regardless of the content. In fact, I think that my non "spiritual" conversations have more effect than "spiritual" ones. For a lot of people, talking about anything spiritual brings up fear, which closes them off to the Love. If our conversation is about the mundane, yet I speak from Love, I am reminding that person that they are also Love. As they remember that they are Love, it helps me to remember that I am Love, because we are One. So it is a never ending circle. This is how Creation unfolds and expands.

How the Illusion of Choice Shows Love

2008-06-08T00:02:00.002-05:00

Choice only exists within the illusion of time. In the Now, in the one eternal moment, there is no choice because there is nothing to choose from. There is only the One which exists in perfection. God is changeless. Choice requires distinctions or differences so that you can choose one thing over another. Time gives us the appearance of choice. It is an appearance because it exists within an illusion. No change has occurred to God, thus no choice is possible. We have never been separate from God, thus this journey back to Him is an appearance, and our choices that we take all lead back to the same outcome -- Changelessness. The beauty and blessing of time is that it gives us the opportunity to express ourself as Love. In each moment we choose to express the appearance of Love, or we choose to not express that appearance. So the illusion of time allows God to know Herself as Love through the appearance of choices.

The Spiritual Dichotomy of Los Angeles

2008-06-04T20:13:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was in Los Angeles for Book Expo America. Los Angeles exemplifies a split that is somewhat representative of the rest of existence. Historically, there have been many people drawn to this area, and most are probably not aware why. There is a very strong grounding in the natural world because of the combination of the mountains and the ocean. This grounding allows a person to be more in their body, more connected with their true Self and with God. But at the same time, there is a great falsity present there. There is a fixation with the unreal, a fixation with worldy attributes. For a large group of residents there is a strong belief that money, fame, and popularity are what is important. Celebrities, rich businessmen, dealmakers, they are the new God. These worshippers of a false God, not unlike the idol worshippers in ancient times, are spiritually very empty and afraid, and they turn to the world to fill a hole that can only be filled by God. This whole society is fixated with celebrities. This fixation comes from a belief in separation, that somehow these people who are famous are better than you. When you desire to be like them, you desire to be something that you are not, and thus you cut yourself off from the recognition that you are One with God and that you are perfect as you are.What sometimes makes me laugh and sometimes saddens me is that these celebrities are some of the most psychologically dysfunctional people you could meet, so to be looking at them for guidance is incredible. These celebrities are like this because a large number of people have put them on a pedestal, and when this pedestal is believed by the celebrity, it moves them away from their true Self. But let's go back to the Southern California area. There are a small minority of people, like Michael Beckwith and the Agape church (and others,) who have broken through this false worship. As they have found themselves, they have been even more empowered in their divinity by the natural environment present there and by the large contrast to what is not real. As they haved moved deeper in their Oneness, there has been a split with those who are caught in the web of illusion. This split is like a rubber band being stretched to its limits. Because they are so centered in their true Self, it does not take many people to create the tension that pulls against those lost in the illusion. The ratio may be 1000 to 1. When you take one candle into a completely darkened arena, that one candle can shed a lot of light. As the split becomes worse, the rubber band is being stretched to a greater extent, and this causes shocks to the system. The natural world is a reflection of what what is happening with us, and the increase in earthquakes and tremors is showing us what is going on in this area.

On a completely different note, if you have a question that you would like me to address in this blog, please go to my website at www.lawrencedoochin.com and ask the question through the contact form. I will not identify you when responding to the question. Thanks!

Comparison to A Course In Miracles

2008-06-03T15:20:00.002-05:00

There are many similar themes between I Am Therefore I Am and ACIM. This was not done on purpose. I did not go through ACIM and find sections that I wanted to reproduce in my book. However, ACIM has been one of the most important aids on my journey. For me, it is as if God and Jesus are speaking directly to me as I read those words, so I strongly resonate with it and I have used it frequently to remind me who I am. Many times it has cast a light in the darkness when I have fallen back in to the illusion. I have never read ACIM cover to cover, but rather I have randomly turned to a page, always finding the words that I need to hear in that moment. As I originally recorded the revelations in my journal, grouped them, put them into book form, etc., I was amazed and grateful for the number of times that I had already written something that I was just now discovering in ACIM. The point I want to make here is that these revelations, whether they be in ACIM, my book, or in your consciousness, come from the same Source, from the One which we are inseparable from. So for me to have these revelations and then to find them in ACIM at a later date is no surprise. And it should be no surprise when you have the same experience. Think about all of the times that you have read something in a spiritual book and you already had that recognition or knowing previously. There is only One of us generating this. Besides resonating with ACIM, I think one of the purposes for my book is that it attracts a wider audience than those who can make it through ACIM. That is a small group which I applaud, as I can only make it through several pages at a time. But that is how it is meant for me. Hopefully, my writings give you a flavor of the teachings in ACIM but at a little easier pace and comprehension level. I think my writings are complex, but I think that ACIM is super complex. God is One. That is pure simplicity, but we live in a paradox, a world of appearances, and these appearances can seem complex as we make our way back to the Oneness. I know my book is somewhat heady, but this is the way it came out, the way that WE intended. Hopefully, my personal journey in the book eases some of this complexity.

Criticism of I Am Therefore I Am

2008-06-02T20:39:00.004-05:00

In the short time it has been out, I have had an overwhelmingly positive response to my book, and I have been very grateful that it has helped people in different ways. I recently read a negative review of my book on Amazon, and this is something that would have bothered me several years ago. But I am in a different place, and I know that everything is brought to me for a reason, that it is all Love and that it will remind me that I am also Love. This "interaction" between myself and this reader has a purpose for both of us, again to remind each of us that we are Love. If you read my book and you become angry, your reaction is one of fear, and that reaction is a blessing for you. Whether you choose to explore your reaction is up to you. I do not have anything invested in whatever way you choose, and I am not angry if you continue to dislike the book. I ask in the Author's note near the end of the book the following: " Do you think that this book and its message is a bunch of bunk?" I am not asking this because I believe this about what has come through me. I know that what I have written is not the path for everyone. There are as many paths as there are individuals, but all of these branches lead to the one trunk, which is Love. To know God, who is Love, we must come through and recognize ourselves as Love. When I write in the Author's note that it is a blessing if you dislike the book, I mean it. Contrast is created when someone really likes the book and someone else dislikes it. That contrast reveals God. It forces us to look deeper and find Him. If everyone liked the book, there would not be the appearance of differences. Then there would only be the One. The One is revealed through the contrast and appearance of differences. Each of us is individual manifestations of the One. Before we entered this particular part of the dream,we agreed, as the One, that we would provide this contrast for each other. So I agreed to be black and the person disliking the book agreed to be white, each of us knowing that we would provide the manna for the other to see the contrast and remember. The One helping the One. Whether you like or dislike the book, you are helping both of us to remember.