Saturday, November 06, 2010

Close Encounter

I had a beautiful encounter with an Angel yesterday afternoon. I was shopping in the grocery store when Kim called me on my cell phone. Now for some reason, cell reception in Smith's isn't very good, and I was walking around trying to find a good signal without having to go outside. So, I was very focused on whether or not I could hear Kim and walking slowly so that I could stop when the signal was strong. Haven't we all done this. While I was thusly engaged, I just happened to glance at a small child riding in a shopping cart. The glance was very brief and I looked away concentrating on the phone. But something got through and registered in my awareness that the kid was waving at me. I quickly looked back(no more than a second past) and sure enough there was this 1 year old (or less) child with his hand now frozen in midwave. As soon as he noticed that I had looked back at him, he continued his very enthusiastic wave. I think he actually looked relieved that I had not missed his greeting and I waved back, of course. We both smiled at each other and went our ways, but that encounter totally made my day.

Now, one might think that maybe that kid rides around waving at everybody he sees. I didn't follow him around to find out. All I know is that my attention was grabbed immediately by this brief encounter and the rest of my day was improved because of it. Now, how much better could actual Divine Intervention be?

Sunday, October 31, 2010

What is God Anyway

What is God anyway? In all of my reading through the years, God has been called many things: the Source, the Intelligent Principle of the Universe, Divine Energy, the Infinite Invisible (now that’s helpful), and my personal favorite, the Unmanifested to name just a few. I like that last one because it implies what IS right before manifesting, like on the conveyor belt, ready to come into being. Kind of like The Creator, but like the name God, it has so much baggage. Did He create all this a long time ago and then retire to the clouds? Actually I think the Creator would have gone to the beach, one with wifi of course. If I had to label God, I would, like a true Virgo, do it with way too much detail. Something like the Infinite Consciousness Manifesting Everything in Each Moment (ICMEEM). Yeah, I like that.

Maybe the best way to find out what God is, is to just ask Him (or Her) and see what happens. But how do we communicate with the Divine Boss of the Whole Universe? From my experience,(and a lot of people I read would agree), the way to feel God or talk to God, is definitely not by whining and begging. Everybody on the planet has stuff in their lives that they want and/or don’t want. I have visited some of the poorest people in the world in Central America and Africa, and while they have very little and work very hard for what they do have, they seem to have a better sense of fitting into their communities and in their lives than a lot of Americans. My point is that I don’t think that there is a God that wants to hear our complaints, or see our list of desires. All that boils down to dissatisfaction with the world and the life that He is giving us.

So what good is it to talk to God if S/He doesn’t want to help us with our problems? Here’s my theory. Our lives are like a glove and God is the hand in that glove. The problem is that when I am totally focused in my mind, with what it likes and doesn’t like, I don’t feel that hand. In order for God to be able to get into my life, I have to get rid of all of my whining and complaining, all of my feelings that I need more or deserve more. I get so busy thinking or worrying about the future and how I am going to get something I want or avoid something I don’t want, that I spend very little energy appreciating what I do have. God is Life and if I want to feel God in my life, then I have to stop going to God with a list of likes and dislikes. That’s a bit ungrateful. The people of the secret and the law of attraction have it mostly right: if you want to get something into your life, develop the state of mind that you already have it or it’s already on its way. But that kind of thought control around stuff, money especially, is almost impossible to maintain. As a friend of mine put it, “I got into this wonderful, joyous, expecting state of mind, but by the time I got down to buy my lottery ticket it was gone.” For me, there is only one sustainable state of mind that is a true feeling of abundance, and that is the feeling of God’s Presence in my life. And the only way to get that is to ask God to meet with you, but with no demands, no desires, no complaints and no expectations.

Why is that? Well, I believe that consciousness is a true miracle. If I sit quietly and say thank you God, I accept this life in this moment exactly as you are giving it to me, no reservations, no judgments, no demands, then I am consciously aligning myself with the life God is giving me. ”But what if you don’t like your life.” I don’t have to. But if I want to start liking my life, if I want to change it somehow, I have to start at the beginning; I have to start right where I am. I can’t get anywhere else by constantly worrying about the future. But when I align with life as God is giving it to me in this moment, and I wait and watch, a peace begins to flow through me that feels just like the hand of God. And am fulfilled. Then I am no longer identifying with my judging, differentiating mind. I am loving myself just the way I am, and forgiving myself for whatever negative or petty thoughts kept me from appreciating this life. And I believe God wants me to express and share this light that I am now shining, and the happier and more abundant I feel, the more of that light I have to share and shine. And isn't sharing and shining what it's all about?