Guideposts toward your destination: Joy!
I am astounded by the many
different ways in which human beings have sought to make sense of
life and the universe, and to live in a way that guaranteed their
"afterlife." I have
studied many philosophies, was a member of the Rosicrucian order for
over ten years, have made a living writing astrological charts,
practiced Kriya yoga, meditation, Tai-Chi, studied the tarot, and
have done the Course in Miracles twice as part of my personal
search. And at this point in life, when I have
achieved a comfortable, happy lifestyle and a great expectation for
wonderful events to come to my experience, I have found that the
most profound rules are not rules at all, but very natural
tendencies always at our reach. They are part of us and have always
been there for us to allow them to guide us.
If this
is so, why is so much unhappiness in the world? Why do people run
into the same mistakes over and over? Why is there war, poverty,
famine, drug addiction, crime, cruelty toward humans and animals? In my view,
it all has to do with habits of thought. Habits are learned, and we
keep them, foster them, and live by them because we don't know
better. We heard our parents recite their own rules, whether they
made for a happy existence or not, and we have learned. We have
learned to seek approval, to please others, and to forget that we
are divine beings full of wisdom. We forget that we have come to
this physical experience to be happy creators of our own reality.
The most
beautiful part of our experience is that the rules of good living
are so simple.
Observe
a toddler. She expects to have what she wants. If she doesn't have
what she wants the instant she desires it, she will make the world
know, loudly. She will crinkle her face, close her fists, and scream
in protest. She knows she is worthy, she knows that just by being,
she deserves good things to come to her. The toddler knows nothing
of manipulation, of having to please anyone to get what she wants,
or that she may not get the object of her desire. But those adults
around her will certainly teach her about their twisted ways.
We can
be like toddlers. If we assume that every step in our life is like
lighting a match, we can have it all.
Lighting
a match? What does lighting a match have to do with toddlers?
When we
take a match and strike it against the rough surface of the box, we
expect to see the flame. We don't think "I wonder if I will get
a flame." We expect it to work. Say the matches are wet. Okay,
we will try with another box. No big deal. 99.9% of the time we do
get a flame.
We are
worthy. Things will work for us if we expect them to work.
If we
can feel the purity of this principle all will be well.
 
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