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 A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING
A New Awareness As with any journey of discovery, there comes a time when you must leave the comfort of what you know as a light-hearted view of life to explore the true nature of your reality. With this in mind comes the realization that this newsletter must now begin to evolve to present more in-depth information so that you can further your own journey of discovery and kindle within the curiosity to explore your own spiritual truths and path. Relationships - Guilt The world today presents us with many, sometimes overwhelming situations and quick reaction or inaction can cause our spiritual selves to feel suddenly crippled and overwhelmed with the emotions of rage, guilt and unforgiveness. We become rigid and unyielding to the slightest change and hurt. We can even momentarily think of revenge and "payback" or worse yet act out those thoughts; which in itself can bring on another bout of spiritually crippling feelings. While it isn't what most people would consider a spiritual attitude, we must accept these as part of ourselves as unpleasant as they can be. They are part of our humanity. We are human and we must accept that we will stumble many times on our path of growth and learning. To add to the confusion we have well-meaning friends and family giving advice and even those who wish to see us be disrupted edging us on. All in all, it can feel like a treacherous place to step but by entering in while having a deeper understanding of the forces at work, we can ultimately free ourselves, physically and spiritually from those forces that would rather see us be disrupted and unfocused. Within this freedom comes an inner calm and centeredness that allows you to see the disrupting forces for what they are. It allows you to see the motive behind the words or actions and to deal with the intent.
Guilt Guilt can be a complicated issue if we allow it to become one. It has two sources; internal and external. The internal guilt we give ourselves is based on the premise that we should have/could have done something different. The external guilt we give ourselves is a wish for things to progress differently or to change so that someone dear to us can more closely come to terms with the experiences, tests and trials along their path and get on with their lives. The guilt that comes from these two also comes to us as a combined guilt from those we love; our parents, our children, our families or our jobs. The premise that should have/could have is driven at us from their pain and disappointment and we obligingly take it in and make it our own. With this combined form of guilt we end up feeling trapped, helpless and more often than not unworthy of any good that comes into our lives. We feel cheated, used and that in turn can become vindictiveness and bitterness. There is a third guilt however and while it has an external source it is a guilt laid upon us by others for things we have no part in. Either way guilt is not something that benefits our spiritual progress. Internally given guilt while not as hampering can if unresolved cause us to tread on a more self-destructive path. In cases where someone dear passes without us there for support, or if we instigate a deed to drive others away or if we lash out at those who are in front of us in a moment of pained weakness, the guilt can lead us into unhealthy relationships where abuse, drugs or alcohol become the norm or develop into a need to run from any emotional attachments. We end up using vices to dampen the voice of guilt instead of facing them for what they are; lessons to be learned and dealt with. Also as we run from emotional attachments we suffer ourselves to experience abandonment not only from friends and family but we feel further abandoned by Source and God/Goddess. While we cannot change the past, we can apologize and if we can't apologize to that individual we can pay the apology forward and help others. In helping ourselves to heal and release guilt we can help heal others and show them how to release their own guilt and reconnect to that which gives us strength and unconditional love. Externally given guilt can be one of the most frustrating forms of guilt. If a friend continues to exist and avoid major decisions in their life, we can become mired in the need to be sympathetic to the point where we can't tell where our own experiences should end and where they should continue. We become ineffective in our own lives and vulnerable to whims and fluctuating temperaments of those around us. It turns sympathy and empathy into pity and within pity lies the trap of being bound to the karmic experiences not of our own design or scripting but to reliving past lessons and removing the burden of learning from those who need to grow with these experiences. While this may help the person in the short term, once we start down this "helpful" path there are sometimes very few chances to escape back to our own karmic experiences. The route back will be harder than our original meddling and cause heartache, disruption and sometimes permanent separation for all concerned. It may sound like one has to be heart-less or cold hearted when dealing with these people but there is a fine line between helping someone to stand on their own and ending up bound in unrelenting situations. No one wishes to see a parent, friend or child hurt but standing by and giving them a hand up after they've fallen may in the long run be the kindest action possible. We must take the time to audit all of our situations and not be driven by the emotions that will trap us in unending hurt and guilt. The last form of external guilt is that which is imposed by others onto us for their own purposes and designs. While I don't mean to pick on Christianity, it is one of the concepts I'm familiar with. Walk into any Christian church and what is it that confronts you, the cross. As a child it served as a reminder of a source of shame and guilt rendering emotions and while we may have been there to experience the acts, it does not mean we are responsible now nor is it within the true teachings of any of the masters that have walked this world. In today's society if you watch the news, again we are confronted with all kinds of sources of shame and guilt rendering situations; war and war crimes, poverty and homelessness, disease and pollution, endangered animals and animal testing, children of gangs and child abuse, drug abuse, religious fanaticism, murder and on and on the events are brought to your awareness, all with the same resounding theme; "How could YOU let this happen?" While all of these things are part of our experiences and while we are here to help where we can, the guilt over our emotions toward these events can cause us to fall victim to others who would take advantage of those suffering and those who experience the suffering through them. Once we are consumed by any form of guilt, it makes it very hard to function, let alone walk a spiritual path. To open ourselves to healing these guilty emotions, we must take the time to examine why we react in a set manner, from where within and without the guilt is coming from, what are the impacts of dealing with our emotional guilt for us and for others. When we begin to deal with our guilt, whatever the source, people will feel threatened by it. The potential is there for their own release which brings forth pain and past hurts that must be dealt with in releasing; and some people will always refuse to deal with it. It may sound strange that we have to look internally for guilt that is from external sources but the truth is our ingrained reaction is most likely from a pre-programmed response and in learning to control that response and understand it, allows you to bring forth the release best suited to your own growth. However those of us who are open to healing these destructive emotions also know that the initial pain and hard work is well worth the spiritual freedom and peace that ensues. I bid you peace, hope and love.
CRYSTALS EMERALD Emeralds come to us in two forms; one man-made and the other from nature. Natural emeralds are Most emeralds vary in colour from light green to a very deep dark green. In mythological terms emerald is said to be a gift from the flame holder lords from Venus and it was also considered to be associated with Mercury, the messenger. While the man-made stone will have similar properties as the naturally occurring stone, the natural stone will usually provide a better, more easily assimilated energy that can be used by the body. Emeralds have been used to balance the energies healers and those who work in the scientific studies. Emeralds help the wearer to balance the emotional, mental and physical demands of life's activities. It can also help to balance out the systems of the body and to help slow and even halt the progression of some debilitating diseases like Parkinson's disease. Emeralds have also been used in the past and even up to today to help heal and relieve strained, stressed eyes and relieve headaches. As a stone for mentors and teachers, it promotes a love for sharing knowledge and the insight on how best to impart wisdom to students. For those who work in the fields of coaching and counseling it aids in being able to reach out to those who need or desire help. As a stone for psychic or spiritual growth it has long been associated with divine inspired intuition. It is useful for improving perceptiveness and raise the wearers consciousness to attune to divine guidance and to be able to recognize it's source. Emeralds while usually combined with other stones work best alone but will work well with diamonds and clear quartz crystals. Emeralds are not stones to be worn daily. They work best if only worn to aid in specific situations where the need for mental balance and perceptiveness are required. Emeralds should be discharged under running water and then left to recharge in sunlight for a day.
Emerald
MONTHLY MEDITATION "My Omnipresent Throne " "I came down from my omnipresent throne in the bosom of space and in the hearts of twinkling lights to find a cozy place in the heart of men. I stayed there long, shut out from my large, large home. I was everywhere; then I hid myself away in the small places. Now I come out of my hiding places. I open the gates of the human limitations of family, caste, color and creed. I am racing everywhere to feel again my consciousness of omnipresence."
From Metaphysical Meditations by Paramahansa Yogananda |
