am sharing it here. Not sure I entirely agree with the title, but
there's still wisdom to be learned from this article.
Does Life Always Conspire For Our Highest Good?
Dr. Judith Rich
"Warning: Objects in mirror may be larger/smaller/closer/farther away/than they appear."
You might think you know yourself. But I suspect, that like mostpeople, you've kept your true identity a secret, not only to the largerworld around you, but especially to y-o-u.
In order to navigate in the world, we adapt who we are in order to fit in, get along, be liked, gain acceptance, and thus feel good aboutourselves. But already, like the prodigal son, we've left "home" andbegun our human journey to discover who was the one who did theleaving.
Who was the one who didn't trust in her innate goodness? Who was theone who didn't know he was worthy? Who was the one who deemed she wasunlovable? Who was the one who didn't know he was already enough?
Prodigal sons and daughters are we. We spend a lifetime trying to find
our way back home to the truth of who we are. Meanwhile, back "home", the truth awaits our return.
Sooner or later, life will expose us to ourselves and we'll come toknow of what we're truly made. It's often when we're being tested, whenour back is up against the wall, when life is pushing us in a directionwe thought we didn't want to go, or laying at our doorstep news wedidn't want to hear, that we find ourselves having to dig deeper thanwe ever thought we could and discover something within we didn't knowwe had.
It's not until you think you've run out of courage that you'll learn totransform the few remaining drops into a whole new fountain. It's notuntil you've been wrestled to the floor and flattened that you'lldiscover a deeper source of strength to get you back on your feet andgoing again.
How little we know about what lies within us in what, for lack of abetter word, I'll call "the mystery". Those resources, buried deepwithin, await our discovery, but most likely, we'll only do theexcavation in times that push us to the very edges of our capacity tohandle what's been laid on our plates.
Our deepest wisdom is always with us, informing us throughout ourlives, but doesn't tend to reveal itself to us directly until we'repressed up against the threshold where, in order to cross it and enter
into new territory, we must shed what no longer serves and resurrect ourselves anew.
When these opportunities to dig deep and reveal ourselves to ourselvescome along, the inherent tendency is to turn away and protect what wethink is being threatened. These moments arrive, often wrapped indifficulties and great challenges that shake us to our core andseemingly dismantle our foundations. At times like these, every muscleis contracted, every cell tensed, every part of our DNA is fightingfor what seems like our very survival.
How counter intuitive it feels to surrender into the moment rather thanflee it. Human instinct seems to require that we flee. Yet, considerthe possibility that surrender is the very element that is being called forth by such times as these.
We're not talking about the "wave the white flag", version ofsurrender. The surrender we're speaking of is not a passive state of"I give up", but rather it is a very active state of allowing whatalready is, to be exactly as it is, without adding any of our ownresistance on top of it. This version of surrender requires our fullawareness and our ability to be present in the moment and activelychoose to be in acceptance of what is before us.
This state of surrender, the state of active acceptance, is a very high state of awareness. One could say it is in fact, an enlightenedstate. Only when we are not in resistance to the thing that's rightbefore us, can we even begin see it for what it is. Only when we're notfleeing or judging or condemning the thing that's got our attention,can we access our "right minds" and attune ourselves to the deeperwisdom that's just waiting for this moment to be the perfect moment forits discovery.
Some would say it's "Pollyanna-ish" to insist "there is only good", that whatever things may appear to be, seen from a differentperspective, all things conspire for our good. We can certainly findevidence on the material plane to justify the argument there is evil inthe world and it is definitely not conspiring for our good. This wouldappear to be true, but all is not necessarily as it appears to be.
This belief in the existence of evil that is out to undo us is all the justification one needs to keep the armor on and the self-madebarriers intact. But it is we who become imprisoned inside our armor
and it is we who ultimately will seek to be liberated from it.
When we seek liberation, what we're truly seeking is to be liberated from the belief systems that keep our minds imprisoned in ways ofseeing the world that perpetuate our own suffering. We seek to open thedoors of the mind, and set ourselves free. We seek to allow ourselvesto see beyond the cause and effect world of separation and enter into aharmonious state of aligning with what serves our highest good.
(Finish reading article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judith-rich/does-life-always-consp...)
Replies
i believe that the more one learns about our origins ~not just in the physical/human sense~ but in our spiritual, past~existence & theological origins, the more research into the cultural heritage/ ancient relics and spiritual beliefs/ practices & day-to-day lifestyles of our ancestors that you do, the more you (or, 'you may' ; as this concept is subjective!) begin to believe (as i do) that there really is no "good or evil". those concepts have been used as a system of control.
which is to say, yes, our world/ realm/ 3D existence is rife with duality & it's myriad of between those poles ~ true! (yin~yang) however, to ascribe "good" or "evil" to an object, an action, a situation, a people- etc. creates a whole paradigm of limitation. for example, an eight year old child living in "bigtown-urban USA" today may be heartbroken, internally conflicted and distraught over seeing one of those cute beloved furry~friended cows be slaughtered and turned into the cheeseburger that she will eat just after visiting the petting zoo, whereas, that same eight year old child, in a different setting, who is more of an "understanding participant" in her lifestyle and survival, and who -perhaps, lives on a farm, etc. ?- would be more accepting and less guilt ridden/confused by this course of events, etc. (a very simplistic analogy to try to make my point): we have, over time (many of us, not ALL) been "disconnected" from our actions of daily living, our connections to the land, the animals and plants, the "reaping & sowing": the processes, the "reasons", the "getting your hands dirty, but having the pleasure of washing them later"~ness of it all! it's as if we've been disconnected from ourselves.
i believe, the more we are "understanding participants" in our own experience of life and culture, etc. and the more we seek to enlighten ourselves & learn the mechanisms & history of these societal constructs/belief systems, the more we will find inner calm and acceptance, feel more in control of our own lives, and perhaps, that personal responsibility and intention ~ call it, "The Law of Attraction" if you'd like~ are very powerful tools in manifesting your thoughts/desires in this existence! being in control of your own life.
we LET life happen to us, instead of us happening to life! we no longer participate! we have become zombies! (not all of US, thank Goddess! ;0)
there are, as we all know, those who long ago creating a "machine" with powerful cogs and non-tarnishing pistons to blind us and numb us to our own power and abilities. this machine is finely tuned and expertly greased. it runs nearly as good today as ever it has. it's a system of control with lots of on-going science, technology and research behind it. i believe this mechanism has the ability to reach into our very personal spaces, our bodies, our psyches, and our souls.
i agree with this post in many aspects. it's definitely the kind of stuff i've thought about my whole life! i try to remain optimistic when i can! it's important to take ourselves off the hook sometimes and realize, as strong as we think we are/try to be, we are constantly being acted on by outside forces! i choose not to call these forces "good" or "evil", but just "LIFE" (at this moment, right NOW where my soul must be! i have faith there is a reason!).
We must seek to cultivate the liberation spoken of above at ALL times, not just when our "back is against the wall". Of course, this may be the hardest thing in the world! but, i've never been one to retreat from a worthy challenge, for the winnings of this one are so worth the scuffle! ;0) ~take heart & thanks for the stirring message!~