An excerpt from a talk given by Suzanne on 3/27/22 at Rochester Unity.
This is a series given by Nat and Suzanne based on Wayne Muller’s book: HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?
~ Two more things to consider as we learn to live, knowing that our lives as we know them, will change. Wayne suggests we approach life with Acceptance and simplicity~ Let us look at Acceptance first. Mark Nepo tells us this about Acceptance: as we are willing to accept things exactly as they are, a new World of choice opens up to us. So many times, humans will look away when they are approached with something difficult in their life rather than accepting what is showing up so the issue can be resolved or dealt with ( a definition of dysfunction is not knowing that problems can be solved) LOOKING AT AND ACCEPTING something exactly as it is, ENABLES US TO SOLVE THE CHALLENGES WE FACE There are so many ways we can choose to NOT ACCEPT things as they are. *We can look away…… by walking away *We can look away…….. by controlling others or ourselves *We can look away………………. by not feeling our feelings *We can look away……………………. by not connecting to our DEEPEST Inner knowing. * We can look away by medicating, that is by using various behaviors or substances to keep us from seeing OR FEELING what we believe we cannot handle. There is really nothing we cannot handle if we look, see, tell the truth, and get support as needed.
When we are confronted with a problem and Accept it as it is we can then allow our full consciousness to guide us as to how to deal with it and we grow spiritually and emotionally as a result.
And of course, connecting to our full consciousness means we connect with the DIVINE WITHIN …AND WE ARE THEN ABLE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND THEREBY CREATE HEAVEN ON EARTH. Let’s look at simplicity. When we think of the word simplicity, we often think of simplifying our life; maybe cleaning out our closets or not doing so much; trying to have a simpler life. There are coaches that help us do this, Coaches that help us clean out our closets, organize our house, maybe change jobs. Etc., etc. These are great techniques, and they will work; however, the true gift of simplicity is this: There is a way to be present to life that simplifies everything.It works like this:There’s one choice in life: THE CHOICE TO BE CONNECTED TO OURSELVES or not be connected to ourselves and get jerked around by everything or everyone outside of us. To Choose to stay connected to ourself means that we stay connected to * What we think and feel, *Our past *Our dreams *Our perceptions, *What we want, and what we want to say yes to and what we want to say no to. If we are clear and we are direct; and speak our truth, life becomes simpler because we are the author of our life . This gift of simplicity is the easiest path because it’s choosing to be in touch with our inner knowing first, and then speak our truth based on our own internal values When others are not able to support our ability to make our own choices, then they are not being a friend. Example with Mike: I had a friend a while back; we had been friends for a long time. He was moving around as was I. We both wound up in CO. We met for lunch, and somehow, he seemed different. He had just gotten married and was very stressed out. I was dealing with a few challenges myself. I did my best to listen and to understand but he was really directing me and telling me what to do. Long story short, when I told him that I did not need him to tell me what do, he said that he had to because I was not seeing right and he would not sit back and not tell me the right way. He would not stop and so our friendship ended. A Wise and wonderful coach of mine, Dr. Ted Klontz, once said that if or when we want to tell someone what to do or we want to give them our opinion we should say: “ I would like to give you my wise and worldly advice; and are you willing to listen”. If they say Yes, we can share briefly but if they say no, we need to honor that boundary. Finally, Mark Nepo talks about the concept of HOLDING NOTHING BACK with regard to Simplicity “Holding nothing back is the quiet courage to bring all of who we are to each experience; Holding nothing back lets us be who we are and not hide who we are.In essence holding nothing back is about living wholeheartedly and is required to experience oneness “ And because Unity is known as PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY, I always like to offer a how to. One of the best tools that I’ve come across that helps us speak our truth and talk about our feelings and express our actual thoughts is called the feedback wheel. This tool has 4 steps and is used when any kind of mis-understanding occurs between two humans. 1. Talk about the facts, only the facts initially. 2. say what we’re feeling about the facts 3. say what our perception is about the facts and the feelings 4. make a request or a statement based on our own truth. Nat said he would email a copy of this to you, just email him.
We can learn a lot about simplicity and acceptance by watching birds fly For birds, it is their true nature to fly. Certainly, they use their ability to fly, to seek out food and make homes and migrate, but they fly because it is their true nature. Let us be willing to seek our true nature, to find out what our gifts are and be willing to use them to fulfill our soul’s purpose. Then just as a bird’s true nature is to sing when light dawns, let us connect to our true nature and sing our own song and sing it whether someone is listening or not, because it is our true nature. Let us now prepare for the meditation by singing I am as God created me Breathe Release, and now let us follow our breathe to a place deep within our own consciousness, let us breathe to the very center of our being, where we know of our truest nature. We are each made in the image and likeness of God. We are heir to the Kingdom of all Good. And say these words to yourself I AM AS GOD CREATED ME, IN THE LIGHT, IN THE LOVE, IN THE GLORY. And once again, I AM AS GOD CREATED ME, IN THE LIGHT, IN THE LOVE, IN THE GLORY. Because of this truth, we have two magnificent ways to solve all challenges we face. First we have love, DIVINE LOVE, that has the ability to transform everything unlike itself And second, DIVINE LIGHT illuminates our unique path Let us bring to mind a challenge that we face…………. And let us imagine DIVINE LIGHT now showing us what our next step it in the resolution of this challenge…….. Let us pause for a moment and acknowledge that we are guided in the way that God would guide us, not someone else but the Divine within Love, PERFECT LOVE, IS ALSO within and showing us what to do Let us pause in the silence. I AM AS GOD CREATED ME, IN THE LIGHT, IN THE LOVE, IN THE GLORY. AND now let us bring to mind a loved one, who simply needs a little prayer support a little acknowledgement of who they truly are Holding them in our heart and mind Let us say to them in the silence: YOU ARE AS GOD CREATED YOU, IN THE LIGHT, IN THE LOVE, IN THE GLORY. Let us see and know for them that whatever is challenging them has a solution and they are finding their very next step. ********************************* Thoughts to consider: How Then Shall I live Knowing I Will Die? Remember what you love. Remember what is sacred. Remember what is true. Remember that you will die, and that this day is a gift. Remember how you wish to live.” What helps you remember? What touchstone(s) throughout your day can bring you back to an awareness of how you wish to live? “God is not found in the soul by adding anything but by a process of subtraction.” – Meister Eckhart Where could your life be simpler? Where are you making it more complicated than it needs to be? What is getting lost in the busy-ness? “We can so quickly lose our capacity for surprise and delight. Beautiful things become commonplace…” What has become commonplace in your life that once brought delight? Can you remember the childlike experience of everything being new and wondrous? How can you bring that innocence to your life today? Where in your life is resentment or bitterness preventing you from being grateful? What would it take to shift to a place of gratitude? What would you need to see differently? “Our life is not a problem to be solved, it is a gift to be opened… If we are preoccupied with what is missing and what is broken and wrong, we lose the miraculous harvest of all these tiny gifts…A single word of gratefulness can transform a moment of sorrow into a moment of peace.” Many of us have cultivated a gratitude practice over the years. What has your experience been with creating, and maintaining, an attitude of gratitude? It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small
It's time to see what I can do To test the limits and break through No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free Let it go, let it go
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
Let it go, let it go When I rise like the break of dawn Let it go, let it go That perfect girl is gone Here I stand in the light of day