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, December 2, 2012

Seeing with eyes of Cosmic Consciousness: Are you AWAKE yet?


On Dec. 21, 2012, the world was supposed to be ending. That was the prediction of a certain segment of the spiritual community, using the Mayan Calendar as guide.


Common sense prevailed.

Now the prediction, based on new calculations of the same calendar, is that there will be a major shift in consciousness in individuals throughout the world. I will not argue with the last part. As a species, we are moving inexorably towards awakening to a world beyond our five senses.

But isn't it just like humans, though, to imagine they can foresee the end of the world?

I suspect in every century, every generation, as people become aware of a greater world than the physical realm, there are major leaps in their reasoning. This happens because as folks wake up to new truths, they tend to believe they are the very first to cross this threshold.

Some things, like having full insight into the mysteries of life,  are better left to the God of our universe (Cosmic Consciousness). Try as we might, as human beings,  we'll never be able to reach that level of awareness.

Yet there is one human being who came close or, indeed, may have found the full answers to life and living.

On Dec. 25, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ.

Even those of you who are not Christian should be able to appreciate the fascinating story of his mystical birth in our world and his life.

Jesus lived for a mere 33  years on earth. Yet during that time, he awakened to full consciousness and to connection with the spirit of God within him. The lessons and teachings he left behind should serve as wonderful guides for our own awakening into the truth of our being, should we dare to look with the right eyes and stay steadfast in our search.
Today, being Thursday as I write this, is the day reserved in the Catholic Church to focus on the Luminous Mysteries.

Catholic or non-Catholic, Christian or non-Christian,  we can see how these mysteries, used when saying the rosary,  beautifully highlight Jesus' steps to awakening.

  • The Baptism of Jesus. 
  • Jesus' self-manifestation at Cana.
  • Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
  • The Transfiguration of  the Lord, Jesus Christ
  • Jesus' Introduction of the Eucharist
The steps clearly demonstrate that Jesus, although already anointed and chosen, still had to take all the necessary steps to wake up to TRUTH within him.

As Jesus moved through life, his consciousness changed and brought him to full unification with God (Cosmic Consciousness).  This was the awakening of The Christ spirit within him.










 (Please enjoy 12/2/ 2012  Daily Word's Message on The Christ ) 

All of us are being called to awaken to TRUTH. Think of all the messengers sent by God to help us wake up: Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, and others.

Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim, we are called to see that  we are more than our physical bodies and the physical world. We are greater than the tiny world we create for ourselves.
 "There is only one true universal religion---the belief in the one God who is in me and also outside of me, in everyone and every living thing." - Leo Tolstoy

Many people "sense" something greater is at hand in themselves, yet do little to connect or understand this sensitivity. It is there...in all of us...patiently waiting to be recognized.  While others can guide us to truth, they cannot awaken it in the person who wants to stay asleep. 

Atheists and agnostics deny and/or question the existence of a greater power at work in our lives and in the world. They are blessed for having such peace of mind.

To awaken to the call of our Soul and to recognize and acknowledge its Presence and Power in our lives is a demanding process, and not many dare to tread there. But the invitation always will remain open.

Many people  will  operate a full lifetime from the basis of their personality, allowing this to  become "God" in their lives. They operate solely from the human mind, and as reward, they get the totality of the human experience with all its goods and goodies.
I actually do not disagree with Bill Maher's take on how some religions function.  Despite his being an atheist, I love this man! He may deny it , or not  recognize it, but based on his politics and positions he seems to work from the basis of his Soul. 
For those seeking to wake up to the Soul within them, the journey of going inward adds entirely new dimensions to living.
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."-Ralph Waldo Emerson



Awakening is just the start of this long journey inward, which requires moment by moment awareness of the work at hand. 
"Just do what you are doing now, and believe this moment will be good for the hours, years, and centuries to come." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson
       

Waking up to the Soul
means that personality and mind do not dominate and control the life they inhabit. When you earnestly begin to operate from the level of  Soul, your path is guided step by step; all you need do is follow. 
"Our actions in this particular moment belong to us. What will become of them belongs to God." -Francis of Assisi





There is no thought of looking back, as you're busy staying focused on the moment and the signals of how to move forward.
"We should desire only things done n the present. Desiring something from your past is to feel sorry for yourself; desires for the future are visions and daydreams. Concentrating on your present desires---this is real life." -Leo Tolstoy

Orchestrating  "the future" becomes irrelevant as you wake up to the truth that this moment is all that matters, becoming the beginning and end: your eternity. In essence, you become "too blessed to be stressed" about the nuances and day-to-day fluctuations in life.

This does not mean that the physical world where we live and operate no longer has relevance. In fact, it should take on much more importance as we journey forward into and with our Soul.

The physical world gives a finiteness to our lives. It should help us decide in the moment where we'd like to take our journey...the work that we still need to do on Earth.

Using each moment to connect with our Soul, and choosing each moment as the vehicle that takes us forward into the future, is what we're called to do...when we wake up.


"I am the tool with which God works. My virtue is to participate in this work, and I can do it if I keep the instrument which is given to me, namely my soul, in immaculate condition."- Leo Tolstoy

The greatest task for an awakened personality, operating through the Soul, is to begin to view life from a higher perspective. The world should no longer feel like my life and their lives: it is one connected life, one connected journey, where there is only the realization that "We're all in this together. How can I serve?" 


Happy 50th Birthday, Jon Stewart! You serve "the people" very well!
Although I don't know if he considers himself religious or spiritual, Entertainer/Comedian Jon Stewart exemplifies a person fully operating from Soul, providing tremendous service for the good of all.  Huffington Post  recently gave 50 reasons for loving Stewart when he recently celebrated his 50th  birthday:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/28/jon-stewart-birthday-50-reasons-to-love-him_n_2204394.html 


We should begin to see a common thread running through those who command national attention, yet are genuinely humble: their focus is on how they can serve rather than continuing to gratify their own ego needs. (in this case,  these names easily come to mind: Economists Robert Reich and Paul Krugman; Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and the more than dozen  other very rich people who pledged to give away a large chunk of their wealth; Daniel Day-Lewis; Steven Spielberg, especially in light of  his production of the recently released movie, Lincoln; Journalists Bill Moyers, Lawrence McDonnell and many others on MSNBC, and, of course,  Oprah Winfrey.)  Whether atheist, spiritual or non-spiritual/religious, these folks seem led from the within and step by step seem to know the right thing to do to help lift others.  

We then can gauge that seeing with the eyes of Cosmic Consciousness removes the veils of separation from our vision:
We notice different hues of people, but our greater attention is focused on a colorless world.  Walls we may have erected in the past to move into life are gently removed, as we  grow within, then move outward with wisdom.
 Looking back  becomes the reflection of a wiser mind seeing past "negative"  events as vessels that propelled us  forward.  Where we saw only problems to overcome, we now see stepping stones to lift us higher up into a deeper awareness of the journey. 
Life has different lens for the awake "personality."




In a few short weeks, we celebrate the end of another year. Some of us may judge it as having been either a good or bad year, and many will be  anxious to leave it behind, while others will be reluctant to let it go.

The simple truth is that at midnight on Dec. 31, we have an opportunity to realize that throughout the year, we are given *31, 536, 000 moments (rounded)  to begin to live life differently and to connect to the spirit within us. Each moment is an opportunity. This moment is all that matters. Awake to this truth.

There should be no regrets, no nostalgia, just an awareness of where we are NOW and an opportunity to CELEBRATE!




      "Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity."
Eckhart Tolle,"The Power of Now"

I'm hoping that the predictions of those oh-so-human beings about 12/21/12 are very accurate. My hope is that as we shift into 2013, many will take the leap into new consciousness.




Were we to wake up in 2013 on Planet Earth to a world where differences blend and lines of separation blur, 2012 indeed would been the end of the world as we know it. Another more dynamic world would have just begun.  













Namaste',
Che'
NOTE: This number is not based on pure math but is a consensus number used by several sources, citing varying numbers of days in the year. 

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.