Everyman's Journal 2011

(my fine art website)

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)

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Everyman's Journal 2011, #74

November 22

My only function is forgiveness. (from the ACIM Lessons)

______________________________________

In my inner life, the theme of forgiveness surrounds me these days, forming an egoic challenge similar to that of salmon attempting to swim upstream past a waterfall… not a small simple one jump easy waterfall, but a gushing torrent powerful seemingly impossible large and mighty waterfall… the kind that separates the truly totally committed who are willing to risk everything to succeed from the less than totally committed.

As an accomplishment, forgiving 'the hardcore impossible to forgive' is among our souls greatest triumphs. Each time it is done, it is the triumph of the purified heart transcending our habituated mind and emotions. I can see this clearly right now, for within me many emotions are surfacing from past suppressions to be healed. They all are made of memories of being deeply and personally wounded, or of the outrage I have felt at the unacceptable injustices of the world. As my spiritual growth curriculum is now presenting me with the truth of 'there are no accidents' (whose 'radical forgiveness' corollary is: 'since there are no accidents, there is actually nothing to forgive')… of course all unhealedness must be addressed, for anything unforgiven remains as a stop, a barrier, to continued purification.

In this milieu of accelerated growth opportunities we call 'present day life', it seems that (at least for me) nearly everything relates to this purification/forgiveness process. Last night I watched a movie named 'Joan of Arc', and uncovered that the pain of being burned at the stake was not forgiven yet, even after 500 years. At a recent social event we watched a movie called 'Thrive' which reviewed with undeniable accuracy the activities and suffering-creating impact of certain beings who place their love of great wealth and power above all else. Again, the unacceptableness of the injustices left me deeply aware of my own incomplete unhealedness.

Yet my knowing knows that the only answer is Love. And that to truly love I must also love my enemies (or as Echart Tolle has said, "What Jesus really meant when he said 'Love your enemies' is 'Have no enemies') . It is a tall and seemingly impossible order when my unhealedness is screaming for justice (which frankly means in 'an eye for an eye' fashion that I want them to suffer exactly as I believe I have). So like the salmon called to its upstream destiny, I do battle internally, in my heart, for the will and the courage to give up my anger, my hates, my opinions, my beliefs… 'my' anything and everything that is in the way of my commitment to my selflessness (understanding that only in selflessness can the world actually be forgiven).

I can see that this selflessness is both 'the great way' and 'the only way'. And that in its summation, life in incarnation comes down to the simple question of whether we are willing, at all times, to first, remember what is true, and then live it.

It is not at all so hard to have peak experiences and from them, see the truth… our Oneness. As millions of people are having these openings, that is relatively common among us these days. What is less common is the transformation of the ego into selfless being, for that usually involves rigorous and committed personal work… the work of searching out our personal cobwebs, of cleaning out our own inner house of it's closets of angers and hates and fears. That work is our real and true purpose here, and it is done by living from this moment to this moment without ever denying the perfection of the Oneness.

I admit that at times it is difficult to remember this, especially when the heart gets swallowed by feelings of personal pain. Yet I am here to suggest (essentially to myself, which of course, you are a part of) that such moments are God's gift to us also, for it is only in facing our unhealedness that we can remember the truth of our Oneness... and then practice the way to reenter the wholeness… by being finally willing to forgive 'the impossible to forgive'.

Namaste,

David

***********************************

My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

***********************************

Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

(my fine art website)

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)

http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045

(info on The Love Declaration)

To subscribe, simply click on the code below to open the subscribe window.

Everyman's Journal 2011, #73

November 15

To fear or not to fear, that is the question…

________________________________

Each event in our lives offers many amazing opportunities to grow, to step forward into self-discovery, to look more deeply into the infinite introspective mirror and tell the truth about whatever we can now see. It is like this thing of being a spirit (or soul) inhabiting a body is purposefully designed to be the most exquisite game that the most intelligent intelligence--- the most supreme intelligence in fact--- could have possibly designed. And inside the design of the game is its self-extension, itsgrowth too. That growth is (I am seeing) propelled by our growth, my growth, your growth. So that in a very real way, everything we individually do to develop our own consciousness also has the effect of enlarging (and fulfilling) the consciousness of that which we call 'God'.

The Pathway to 'winning' the game of God-consciousness lies in perfecting our selflessness. There is no other place to stand in this universe where the karmic sword of our actions is not two-edged and where it will not cause suffering, not cut both ways…others, and ourselves also. But in becoming a selfless being, that possibility does exist… to become free of being cut, being wounded, or entering into any form of suffering. This is why the ancient Zen writing says: "Attachment (clinging) cannot be limited… even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment is to go astray…".

Yet because it is our own mind that grasps or clings to a belief, a concept, a tradition, a projection, a relationship, a desire…. anything… we therefore are the only ones with the power to ungrasp and release ourselves. Whenever we choose not to do that when life has led us with clarity to the portal of another such opportunity, the reason always lies in the fears still being harbored in our own mind.

Many years ago, I once heard a teacher say: "The beginning of mastery is always in the telling of the truth". I don't believe he was saying 'Don't ever, under any circumstances, lie about ANYTHING to another person'. There are too many circumstances that would result in increasing suffering needlessly for that to be that teachers communication intent. No, my experience has confirmed that it is to ourselves that we must not lie… and we must be very rigorous about this, lest we sink in awareness by choosing to pull over us the covers of self-deception.

I have personally done this enough in the past to know there is no reward there…. that it is much better to take a deep breath, pray for courage, and then face whatever demon we and 'the game' have co-created as our next challenge. Our greatest ally in this is our conscious clarity… that ability to look the challenge in the face and examine it for both the truth and the falseness that it contains. I mean, THAT is the whole game, in a nutshell… can I, can you... DISTINGUISH between what is true, and what is false AND STILL REMEMBER THAT ALL OF IT IS ONE. If we can (and we can when we are committed to practicing rigorous self-honesty) then we will find our hearts healed of all our past sufferings, we begin to live into the future with an increasing fearlessness and without worry, and in the present, we learn to quickly forgive ourselves our errors and missteps and clean them up, and then to return to the ever-present business of a conscious being: Teaching by our example that there is truly nothing to fear, that there is no Reality but God/Love/The One.

Namaste,

David

***********************************

My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

***********************************

Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

(my fine art website)

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)

http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045

(info on The Love Declaration)

To subscribe, simply click on the code below to open the subscribe window.

Everyman's Journal 2011, #72

November 10

Tomorrow is finally 11-11-11. Wherever we are, and whatever we are doing, let us join with all sentient sensitives to unify in our heart with each other, and know that we are one.

Let the boundary veils between the dimensions of spirit and matter lift, and let us receive into our lives a new knowledge… the knowledge that from this moment on, no one is a stranger, no one is outcast, no one is condemned. For as we know this to be true, the world cannot but begin to recognize it also and the institutions of mankind shall begin to reflect this.

All of us within incarnation at this time have a part in this great mission, and no part is insignificant. We are all in place exactly as is needed for these times. That there are no accidents in life is obvious when the truth is fully told. Therefore, let us arise and go forth in these days, welcoming in and allowing the pure spirit of love to guide our ways. In simply doing this, all dharmas are fulfilled.

Namaste,

David

***********************************

My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

***********************************

Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

(my fine art website)

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)

http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045

(info on The Love Declaration)

To subscribe, simply click on the code below to open the subscribe window.

Everyman's Journal 2011,#71

November 9

Ultimately, all beliefs are false.

Dr. John Ray (founder of Body Electronics)

______________________________

Life continues to not miss a beat. No sooner had I finished sending out #70 yesterday but my name was called and I was ushered into the waiting dental chair, where I expected to receive an implant screw (the base upon which to place an implant crown). But once again (upon gum opening and examination) my body had failed to convert the previous June's surgeries grafting material into solid jaw foundation bone. So for the third time, we grafted again. It wasn't fun or pretty, but nobody complained. I especially am 'not pretty' right now, my face being the home of a very swollen and sore upper jaw, and so, following my dietary and healing beliefs, I am again in bed water-fasting for several days, with one very significant exception. I am ingesting a course of antibiotics also.

I have held very strong negative beliefs about the use of antibiotics, believing with a passionate conviction that they are poisons. I have absolutely refused to use them for the last twenty years of my life, including all the multiple times my beloved dentist has begged me to reconsider over the past several years of our association. Yet I also live 'as my word', and in the midst of the surgical trauma yesterday, I chose to create peace with my dental team (who all know me very well and whom I know love me… I am 'their artist') by finally saying 'OK, I will take them'.

Of course, I have since vacillated in my mind a bit, but in the end, my Word is my Word, and (after online research about the drug) I ingested the first pill a few hours ago. Through this, spirit is guiding me to remember that not everything (actually almost nothing) is as it seems. There is, for instance, a verse in the Bible somewhere that says that 'if you bless your food with God's presence, even if it is poison, it will not harm you' (that verse is the foundation of why practicing Christians pray and bless their food). And in A Course In Miracles, I remember texts teaching us to not believe in magic… and using taking medicines etc as examples of magical beliefs. So my commitment in this is to turn this into a practice… similar to the way a Zen Master archer does not release the arrow until all he sees is only the bullseye. For me, I am taking the time necessary to focus and pray upon these pills each time I take one until all thought that they are poison is removed from my mind, and instead, wait until I know they are fully saturated with angelic and holy healing energies, and my being knows that only good will be allowed to come to me from taking them.

If you would also so join me in thought, I would be grateful, as there is support power in your thoughts. In the opening quote from Dr. John Ray, I am finding my deeper peace… and by remembering that this universe is truly only God's dream… and that as beings, we are eternal. The entire purpose of our lives is simply to remember our true selves, that self that is invulnerable. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of 'the Lord' forever." In this moment, I am thinking that 'the Lord' is the Oneness who is awaiting my full discovery of itsSelf within my Self.

Namaste,

David

***********************************

My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

***********************************

Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

(my fine art website)

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)

http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045

(info on The Love Declaration)

To subscribe, simply click on the code below to open the subscribe window.

Everyman's Journal 2011 # 70

November 7

The most honest acknowledgement of grace that I know of is continual gratitude.

_______________________________________

As an artist, I participated in a publicly promoted large-scale big-city event this past weekend that had extremely disappointing attendance. Therefore, many of us 'vendors' had to face the reality that the projected and hoped-for results of the time/money investment were not materializing, and I listened often to both my mind and other minds 'complaining'. It is such a waste of a moment of life… to use it complaining, but it is a standard operating procedure of our minds.

As I live committed to being surrendered to 'what is', and to 'allowing and accepting' as a practice, it is fair for the universe to test me occasionally. What I am grateful for is the way this process ultimately confirms and strengthens me in my knowing of my knowing.

All seeming breakdowns contain gifts, clearly visible if we are quiet enough to see them. Of course, complaining is not 'being quiet'. Thank God, by grace of long practice my detours into 'non-present mind' now have built-in boundary triggers that generally go on alert and wake me up when I start bumping into them. So it was this past weekend. As I listened to other complaining minds, I found myself recognizing how blessed and lucky I am to have been led to the life I have… a life of service (albeit with numerous disguises operative). Just listening to the world's complaining conversations for a while, it became quickly obvious that for many people life is full of intensely pressurized suffering, sourced in the breakdown of unfulfilled expectation. And most people do not know that this world is not real. Especially, most people do not know that they have any choice in the matter of how they experience this world.

Yet we absolutely do, and in fact, I experience that our world occurs to us exactly as is needed by our core being for its growth. If this simple perspective is used as a view, nothing has the same power to disturb us, upset us, or create fear within us. This simple perspective shifts the moment from one of being attacked by life to one of being given a gift…. a gift leading to only our best growth outcomes, even if we cannot see where the path we are upon is going. To continue upon the Way is then our conscious action of choosing to trust.

So the summation of my lesson from this past weekends event is this: When the world seems 'not right', the right thing to do is: STOP…. and let it slow down. As we release our personal struggles for control over the world and allow the Divine Goodness to replace it with its order, peace and mental quietude are again accessible.

Therefore, in all that we do, let us acknowledge that Great Spirit that gives us Life, lest we forget. Forget? Yes, lest we forget our true Source, and in that forgetfulness, suffer the inevitable consequences of believing in the impossible, the 'separation of God and Man'. Inevitable because 'believing in' is creative, whether true or not.

To restate the opening, the most honest acknowledgement of grace that I know of is continual gratitude. Such gratitude is also powerfully creative.

Namaste,

David

***********************************

My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

***********************************

Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

(my fine art website)

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)