Everyman's Journal 2011, #61 ©2011 Rev. David Seacord October 11 First, my today's Facebook post: Dear Great Infinite Peace Within Me, Although I have forgotten You innumerable times for the illusions of this world, You have never abandoned me. Whenever I have Remembered You, You are Still, and You are Here. From You my true Being arises. Now, my additional commentary: We all forget Reality so much that it usually occurs as a spiritual event when we finally Remember for a few moments…. at least this has been true for me much of my life. But as Hazarat Inayat Khan said (paraphrased), 'It is not how many times one fails, but rather how many times after such failures that one rises up and begins again… that is what determines our destiny'. And so each of us journeys through this life on the road of experience, learning tiny piece by tiny piece, the lessons of the Divine Curriculum. These all boil down to recognizing that the very idea of having a separate personal identity is unreal… that we are all not only unified, we are One Being. From this realization, it is literally impossible to hate 'any other', for we have seen we are them, too. Now the 'peace that passeth understanding' can enter, for in a world of non-duality (no 'other'), nothing is separate, or pushed away, or excluded… it is all 'just what IS' and it is seen as perfectly balanced, with nothing missing. What IS in our life is then our personal curriculum…. our best direct path to learning the many lessons of LOVE. Only our ego's tell us differently… that something is wrong. I suggest 'Don't listen'. As Prasad taught me: "Don't believe your mind." It is good advise. It will allow allow the 'Great Infinite Peace Within You' to be a daily Presence. Namaste, David