Leo Tolstoy on God

LEO TOLSTOY ON GOD: "When you look inside yourself, you see what is called 'your own self' or your soul. You cannot touch it or see it or understand it, but you know it is there. And this part of yourself--that which you cannot understand--is what is called God. God is both around us and inside of us--in our souls.

The more you understand that you are at one with God, the more you will understand that you are at one with all His worldly manifestations."

Sunday, February 7, 2016

All ALWAYS is in "Divine Order": Believe It!

"As Above  Below"* (see disclaimer at bottom) is Namaste' Wholistic's title for these photos from Sociedad Argentina de Horicultura. 

It's fitting for our topic today: "Divine Order." 

Watching the daily news, especially in this election year in the United States, we're apt to believe that our world is falling apart. But when we take a deep breath and reflect back throughout history, we see the events of today are in no way  extraordinary.

Generations ago, what seems like today's chaos would have been calm in the midst of battles, literally. People took to axes and machetes back then to resolve issues. Today, as rude and crude as some of the conversations may seem, we have to keep our perspective. 


"All the World's a stage and all the men and women are merely players," William Shakespeare penned in his play "As You Like It."  
(See full text of poem: "All The World's A Stage" (Photo Credit: 45.media.tumblr.com)


We always are growing through various stages of our individual lives, even as other worldly events and issues take center stage. This is nothing new. Throughout the generations, people have tested new methods of coexistence. The fact that battles have been fought and won in the past, establishing best practices for coexistence, does not preclude new generations from trying their hands at testing new limits of human restraints and decency.

Then in the midst of this seeming chaos, we see people reaching their highest evolution of humanity and decency, aiding strangers and reaching in deeper to show compassion and caring for others more than at any other time in our human history. One such example is "GoFundMe."
Founded in May 2010 by Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester, GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform, allowing people throughout the world to raise funds to support individuals on events that range from graduations and other celebrations to accidents, illnesses and catastrophes. Check it out here: http://www.gofundme.com   
We also see compassionate actions of major universities giving everyone a fair chance of a world-class education, regardless of their ability to pay.  (Here's an example: Stanford Offers Free Tuition).  

On one hand: chaos and divisiveness; on the other: compassion and caring. 

Ultimately what may seem like chaos may actually be an event, or events, leading to our good or into new ways of our being in the world. 

In a nutshell, this is..."Divine Order." It suggests that everything in our lives and in our world is in order, despite superficial appearances. 


Look back at your own life.

Look back at your own personal evolution, as you moved from only family values to community values to global values:
The changes may have been subtle, as you accepted, or discarded, new ways of how you show up in the world, but changes were unrelenting as you moved forward. 


If you were to say that you've never changed your outlook on the world from the way you were brought up to believe, then you must examine the extent of how much you've blocked your own personal growth and evolution.

                          To live is to change.        
                                                   To live is to grow.

We grow physically, emotionally and in our conscious view of the world.

Were you to really, really, examine your life, you would see a simple, but perfect, truth:
"The life I'm living today is truly a reflection of my past beliefs and values. I am where I am today because of what I believed to be true of my abilities, capabilities and desires."
It's hard to accept: but you are where you are today, good or bad, because of your limited or expansive thinking. 

Many spiritual leaders have urged us to: "Change Your Thinking and Change Your Life."
Pause, think, reflect?
Did I get what I expected out of life? Did my fears...or positive expectations....my true beliefs ...manifest in my life?  
Without the privilege of being able to hear your answer, let's plug forward... as I know "my thoughts are his and her thoughts... and their thoughts..."


This, and the two photos following, reflect, "As Above Below."  Photos Credit: Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

What we also should know is that whatever we may be thinking on the inside will ultimately be reflected on the outside. 

Yes! It's an exact "science." 
"Thoughts held in mind will manifest in kind."
     






  "As Above Below." 




It's all about consciousness.
If we're conscious of being rich, poor, or just being "normal," our life begins to take on that flavor. It may not get there overnight, but with that level of continued consciousness, we will inevitably get there.

So, you want to change your path? 
Change your thoughts. It really is that simple.

Why?

We all are operating as singular balls of energy, going through and growing through life.
Energy can take the form of any thought, action or behavior where it becomes focused or concentrated.  So, in that way, you shape your life.
"What is a Soul?" asks R&B Singer Ray Charles. "It's like electricity...We don't really know what it is, but it is a force that can light a room."  
Photo Credit and Quote: Gratefulness.org
Is this Divine Order?

And what does our singular formation have to DO with Divine Order?

The truth is that even though we're operating singularly: there is no singular
in anything we do.

Because we are that ball of electricity, we have a force and power in the world.
So, our good and bad thoughts and vibrations have impact on our lives...the lives surrounding us....and our contribution to the world.

So, actually, we may feel like we're operating singularly....as our own energy force.

The simple truth?

There is only ONE Soul.
We call this Cosmic Consciousness or Energy or Vibrations or God.

That's why we can have FREE choice in the world.
That's why whatever we do has an impact on others: we hate, and we're contributing to hate in the world. 
As we know consciously... there is only one world. Under the surface, too...there is only one soul...one universe...one God.

So, our behavior...our thoughts ...our actions...can contort that ONE Soul?

But ah....

Can we change GOD?

No. 
"There is only one Presence and one Power in the Universe," Unity School of Christianity teaches. "God the Good, the Omnipotent." 
While our thoughts...actions...behavior...have an impact on the world, it does NOTHING to God. We cannot in any way alter God, the Good, the omnipotent presence: the ONLY true force in our world


So again: our thoughts, behavior and actions have an impact on our lives...our community...and our world...but it alters not an IOTA on the Cosmic Level. All we see reflected in our world is an accumulation of past thoughts, actions and behaviors of those who went before us and those who are currently here sharing the space with us. 

Yes. We are in this boat ...this one boat...called "Earth" ...altogether...and
yes, as one.

Divine Order comes in because ultimately, we are choosing experiences, good and bad, that are forming the basis for our lives. We cannot take a "wrong" step...as they all lead to forming the whole of what we're becoming.

Change comes in...when we recognize that there is only one presence in our lives: despite our individuated Souls and consciousness. When we recognize this power in our lives, we can begin to allow it to take over more and more the operation of our lives. Trusting the power, i.e. the presence that is God, the one Soul through which we all operate, we begin to trust its guidance...for our good... and the good of world.

From our egotistical standpoint, we want to make choices that benefit our individual lives. This is a normal rite of passage. But as we connect and grow closer to the Soul within us: we are guided to TRUTH.

Trust this voice. It's your Intuition.
Trust this force. It's God.
From the 2016 calendar of the late Dr. Wayne Dyer. 

I've discovered that there is a great difference between Wholeness and Holiness. (Watch for this issue being covered by Namaste' Wholistic in our upcoming March 2016 post). So, I've started a new practice in 2016: enjoying the Holy Eucharist, as implemented by Jesus, The Christ, as often as possible, even daily, if I get the chance.  

I'm reaching in to cultivate more of "The Presence of God" in each moment...


I've come to the awareness that our purpose in life is to make what's on the Inside of us reflected on the Outside. What's Above, as in the Cosmic, is our human purpose to make on Earth, below, the same. Now that I've traveled enough distance to Wholeness and feel I've reached a plateau there,  I now want to focus more on cultivating Holiness**. Trust me: this is a huge, huge undertaking and will take the rest of my conscious life! I know I will not get there in one lifetime...but I'm getting on this new road.    

My wish for you, All, My Valentines:
This year is one of discovering that all you do... and all that happens to you, good or bad...is truly in Divine Order. You'll learn that the bad often happens for you to discover and/or appreciate the good that you already have in your life. The seeming bad also often is a way for you to re-direct your life and your focus.

"There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck. I have walked in the early spring through fields that will suck your boots off, a world so wet and woeful it makes you yearn for the return of ice. But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created."
Parker Palmer, via Gratefulness.org, Sunday, February 7, 2016


Know there is no wrong step!  

Step out and live! Your life is in Divine Order: 
                                                DO! 
Happy Valentine's Day, too. 

Namaste',
Che' 

NOTES:
*DISCLAIMER: Namaste' Wholistic's use of the term, As Above Below, has no relationship in any way to the movie, "As Above, So Below." This is described here: As_Above,_So_Below_(film) 

**This is not necessarily the walk I would recommend for those Christians who do not feel called to this walk...but right now, because of my early indoctrination into Christianity, this is the right way for me. 
.

Personal Authenticity: "To Thine Own Self Be True"...

"To Thine Own Self Be True and it must follow as the night, the day, Thou canst not then be false to ANY man."
William Shakespeare.