Here at the year’s end it is a good time to spend some time in the stillness. During that stillness we say goodbye to the years ending. In the stillness we can remember to forgive all that went on this past year,that we haven’t let go of. For me personally it has been a very difficult year, there were times when I felt the depths of desperation. In my forgiving others, circumstances and myself I can see the past differently and see as well it was an incredibly fertile time – in many ways. In asking myself which of these stories energy do I want to accompany me in the new year; the remembrance of struggle and lack  or a fertile garden that has prepared me to step up onto a new level of success, fulfillment and joy, I can begin to envision for myself a greater higher experience of life.

 …and imagine.

With the past released and with the impetus that Remembering What We Are brings us we can now use the stillness to imagine. It is a common practice to set goals at this time of year. This year I am taking to heart something that an acquaintance told me; that goal is the same thing as gaol, a french word for prison. We all know that a prison is something that confines our personal freedom and severely limits our personal expression. Why would we want to set ourselves up for that?

So this year I am envisioning some “targets” , some specific bull’s-eyes to help me focus my intent. Yet before envision my targets I am getting clear on a theme. What quality of the Divine would I love to resonate with this year. Strength? Abundance? Beauty?

This quality will be my touchstone when I feel depleted or discouraged if I think I have missed my targets. It is a well to draw from. But the theme gives me room to breathe and flex my muscles, either physically or spiritually. If while on the way to a target, something shows up,that appears as either an opportunity or distraction, I can remember the theme I have set in oneness with my Authentic Self . The theme will help me decide.

The theme also helps us to Remember What We Are. Just like when we set our daily intention and witness it’s unfolding in our day. The fulfillment of our daily intention  encourages us and reminds us the magnificence of the Companion we travel our days and nights with. So does our yearly Intention. As the year unfolds, moment to moment, we can allow ourselves to be encouraged, inspired, supplied and supported.

I find myself energized by the idea of the unfolding of the coming year and I am envisioning a year of delight for us as we step into the New Year now that we have remembered what we are.

Before we, “Remember what we are” the idea of being of service can seem like a sacrifice, a sacrifice of time, energy and perhaps money. Sometimes our service can start out as a way of changing the effects of the worlds various ills and we can feel depleted before we start. “Who am I — this little me, to bring about change to what seems insurmountable”.  We are exhausted before we start. And our desire to serve may come about as a way of easing the erroneous thoughts and feelings we have of our guilt and shame. It can be a way of declaring we ARE deserving.

But we have done away with the paradigm of deserving/undeserving. Our Light is driving away the shadows of guilt, shame and sacrifice. But now that we have remembered our  service is actually an energizer. It facilitates an experience of even more profound remembering.

One Sunday morning I woke up earlier than expected. The night before I had been reading Joel Goldsmith, one of the great modern mystics (Sorry I can’t remember the title of the book). In it he suggested that it would be helpful to ask “How can I be of service?” rather than saying “Here’s how you can serve me.” (I am paraphrasing here.) So on an early Sunday morning I asked that question, “How can I serve you today?”. After this brief prayer I realized I could go to an earlier service at the church I was attending at the time. So off I went.

After the service there was a lot of activity with people leaving from the first service and arriving for the second. Soon the second service begun but I remained outside talking with a friend, not willing to go home just yet. While we were talking another friend, an acquaintance really, walked up having arrived late. She looked very unhappy and drawn.

I asked her how she was and she told my other friend and I that she had been contacted by a the Oprah Winfrey Show to speak to her experience in a 12 step program. Her anonymity would be preserved, and as an articulate person  who was fully dedicated ton her recovery the idea of promoting the “program” appealed to her. She thought that by relating her experience, she could bring hope and change to a number of people.

Yet she was still upset. Even though viewers of the TV show would not know who she was, she was afraid of how they would judge her. She was afraid of the ridicule of others, who didn’t really know her and the progress of her recovery and the great changes she had made in her life.

In the silence of the moment, after she shared her fears, I was curious on how this invitation to the show had transpired I  innocently asked, “Who asked you to be on the show?”.  In the nanosecond of my asking the question and her hearing it Spirit used that question for a higher purpose. In her hearing the question she realized it was her Higher Power that arranged for her to tell her story. In that split second her fears dissolved. There were tears and an embrace.

As these tears were released I realized as well that my prayer to serve had been answered. In that moment I felt the awesome Presence working through me. I was filled with awe and gratitude for this moment, so strongly realized, that God was working through, in and as me. Soon there were smiles and we were all filled with that which I can only describe as a Higher energy. I see now this energy is what it feels like to remember what I am.

So I remember to say that prayer often. Rarely to such dramatic effect. I also carry the knowledge that I may never know how that prayer is answered but that it is. To serve has so little to do with what we think we are and much more to what we really are. It is a path to remembering what we are.

During Advent we have been waiting with a feeling of anticipation and expectancy for something to be born. For the purpose of these pages what is being born is our Remembering What We Are. Now during these days of the Christmas Season we claim that we Have remembered. Now are remembering takes a somewhat different focus. Now we are remembering what and how express all that we have come to realize about ourselves in order to save and bless the world. Our Remembering is a gift we give to the world in order that all the world may remember.

Now that we have Remembered What We Are and Re-membered with That which we are one with we discover that within us are Infinite Blessings for us to express in the world. Though we have always been sharing and expressing our gifts when we remember what we are we are able to give out of a spirit of “Largese”. Our inner gifts of all that we have come to remember about ourselves; Our Love, Power, Creativity, Wisdom etc. can never be exhausted. The wonder of the design of the seen and unseen Universe is that when we express our gifts we discover how much more we have.

But this expression of our True Self is never toil. It doesn’t add one more chore to the “To Do” list we have created for ourselves. We have remembered now. We no longer have to prove to anyone, including ourselves and God, we are deserving. The fallacious paradigm of deserving/undeserving is no longer operative for us. In actuality we become a witness of our rememberings unfolding.

Yesterday, feeling a little tired and depleted I asked Spirit for encouragement. That was it. And then I let it go. Within minutes I received the first installment. The plan I had started the day with was out the window. Instead I choose some downtime, some time for reflection and rest. I shared this choice with friends on Facebook. Almost immediately I received messages of encouragement to take care of myself. I found some delightful and energizing videos on the web that were definitely encouraging. I went home and took a nap. I read from a beautiful book I had gotten for Christmas. I took another nap. I went to the library and every title I saw seemed to be from God telling me “Good Job!”. I even went online and watched a lot of silly-funny videos. I laughed. Right before sleep, out of the blue, came a vision on how my work, the expansion of a business I am involved with, could gracefully, easily and gloriously expand, and me along with it.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face, acknowledging how my intention for the day had been so wonderfully fulfilled. Sure I could have made other choices, but the right choice for me in that moment was so easily made. In essence I turned the driving over to God. The scenery was better for me that I could have created through my labor or willpower.

If you don’t think you know how to let go try this. Take a rubber ball ( an old tennis ball is great) and hold it in your hand. Now squeeze it tight. Notice how this feels in your hand. Notice how the holding tightly feels in all of your body. Now turn your hand over, palm down. Let go. Notice the sensation and relief in your body and hand. Notice how much fun the ball has bouncing around on the floor. Watch it come to perfect stillness. Notice the feelings in your hand and your body now. Is there a smile on your face?

Let that smile be your companion today as we let go and Let God together.

I introduce todays posting with a quote from the Course in Miracles

The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in darkness. See it not outside yourself, but shining in the Heaven within, and accept it as the sign the time of Christ has come. He comes demanding nothing. No sacrifice of any kind, of anyone, is asked by Him. In His Presence the whole idea of sacrifice loses all meaning. For He is Host to God. And you need but invite Him in Who is there already, by recognising that His Host is One, and no thought alien to His Oneness can abide with Him there. Love must be total to give Him welcome, for the Presence of holiness creates the holiness that surrounds it. No fear can touch the Host Who cradles God in the time of Christ, for the Host is as holy as the Perfect Innocence which He protects, and Whose power protects Him.

A Course In Miracles Ch.15 Sec 11.

Yes we are the light of the world and as we remember that we release all the lies we have told about ourselves. They are dissolved in the light that has come to shine brilliantly through our hearts, our minds and our expression of life.

We cannot not fail in the expression of our Light though we may never know how our light has blessed the world. And as we remember that we are the light of the world all the lights around us will discover the light that they are. Soon the light will be dazzling. And from this place of brilliance we will discover even more light ready to be revealed.

If you have not already done so may I suggest that you find a time today, 20 minutes or so to sit silently and ask, “What would it take for me to Remember that I am the Light of the World?” See what comes in that time. See what unfolds in the days, weeks and years to come. Be amazed at the magnificence of your True Self. If you would like some help, and if you have’nt done so already, download the free meditation and use that for those 20 minutes. That’s what it is created for. (Click on the “Meditation” button on the “Welcome” page.)

My Christmas wish is for us all to remember what we are and for us to let the light shine till the end of time.

Blessings to you this day.

Beyond being lovable, loved and loving what we are is Love. We are it’s Presence and Activity in the world.

This morning I was contemplating the Christmas Story and my still childlike fascination with it. I realized my child self was responding to the mystery and expressions of love in the story. I want to live in a world where the Miraculous is not only possible but a common occurence.

Mary’s acceptence of the news brought to her by the Angel Gabriel. Her humble devotion. Joseph, steadfast and silent but tenderly caring for his wife and child. The Angels who, realizing they have startled the shepherds with their rejoicing, immediately strove to comfort them. “Hey, sorry to have startled you. We got carried away with Joy. But join us in the dance.” The adoration of the Magi, who not only bring gifts of great value, but bend their knee in the presence of wonder and innocence.

We resonate with this story because we resonate with all of these expressions of Love  as well as the all the other infinite ways that Love expresses itself.  We resonate with them  because Love is what we are.

During this time of Advent I received a precious gift of Love through a book. I was at the local library, going through the used book selection, when I saw “The Shack” by William P. Young. I was aware enough of the book to know it was written from the point of view a little different than my own. But I felt drawn to it, so I paid my fifty cents, and started to read it that night. What a gift I gave myself.

In “The Shack” the protagonist undergoes a spiritual experience in the aftermath of a horrendous personal tragedy. He is visited by God. But what a God he is visited by. A God infinitely affectionate and exuberant in It’s expression of Love. While reading the story I came to ask myself how I really saw the Deity. Did I perceive a God whose regard for me, was infinitely loving or was I limiting God by my perception. And if, that which we call God is my Source, how much of that love was I allowing myself to receive? And if I am One with God how much love was I expressing.

I found myself wanting More. More of what is easily available. If God ( or Source, or Abba, Father/Mother or Infinite Mind—Whatever we call It,) is Infinite how could knowing that Love be any way limited. I realized my asking for more of that expression of Love is a gift for me and the world.

Tonight, in the hush of the expectation of something wonderful being born, may we remember how Infinite we are by our Oneness with Infinite love. May we remember that the Love we are is always Joyously and exuberantly expressed. May we remember we are the More we yearn for.

The Course in Miracles reminds us that we, “Teach which we want to learn.” So it is with a grateful heart that I want to thank all my readers for facilitating my learning that I am peace.

I wasn’t sure about what I would post today about peace. (I never know what I am going to write until I sit down at the laptop. I do set an intention the night before saying, “Tomorrow I intend to write about ____” and then go asleep. Sometimes in that state between wakefulness and sleep, some ideas form. But I never write them down, and am always fascinated by what shows up the next day.

There are some circumstances in my life right now that I wish were different. I resist the idea of enumerating them here as I know they are projections of the past. Listing them only makes them real. Why would I want to give unreality any substance? However a few nights ago, while watching snowflakes fall, before going to bed I noticed something different about myself. I noticed I was at peace. Even though the evidence of what I wanted changed was screaming for attention, I was at peace. I saw those screaming things and I noticed I was regarding them as the ephemera they are. They were outside of me and were not real—the Peace I was noticing inside me was. Ahhhhh.

Yet even in that peaceful moment, a tiny little doubt crept in so I asked a question; “Does the peace I feel, in the midst of these challenges, mean that I am only in my comfort zone when I have these challenges in my life? Or does it mean something else? I heard that still small voice say something. Then as if to amplify that voice, to make its message unmistakable, I received load and clear confirmations. These confirmations came in the midst of casual conversations with friends, live and on-line.

The Peace I feel is real. Once I have it I can never go back. Even if I get tired or discouraged this peace will always be here. It is like a flower made strong by its push through the soil and flexible by the blowing of summer storms. But the flower grows tall by yearning for the Sun. The peace I am feeling is the demonstration that somehow, surprisingly I am becoming the stability, security and abundance I crave.

This morning as I prayed before writing I had the thought of you. I know by sharing my story with you and my intention to Remember What I Am, I am begining to remember. What a wonderful gift you have given me. Thank-you.

Happy Solstice!

As the quantity of light begins to increase, from this moment on, in our beautiful globes yearly circle around the Sun, let us remember the quality of our light.

We are dazzling and breathtaking in our Brilliance. I imagine if we could see it, It would blind us of all the lies we tell our self. I imagine it as golden white and iridescent. I imagine it pouring and pouring constantly from the Source; A luminous river flowing from Higher Realms eternally. It carries with it the message, sometimes felt and some times heard, This is the light you are! It is helping you to remember Me and that you never left..

As Spiritual beings having our Human experience we love our Aha’s! When the light goes on for us and we sense it going on. That’s why the cartoonist draws that little light bulb over the head, it is what it feels like. Our Aha’s are like finding the burnt out bulb in the string of Christmas lights.We find the light that is no longer working and we replace it with one that is and Viola’, Brilliance. In remembering our Brilliance and our Aha’s and exploring the sensation of it, we realize that the switch that is flipped, is within us. While the Light may shine on us when we remember our Brilliance it is emanating from with in.

While I was involved with a twelve step program I reached out to a speaker who come to our group. She and I had talked after a meeting and she had given me her number to call if I needed support. On a painful night after a painful day I remembered her offer, (an expression of Brilliance) made the choice to call (another expression of the same) dialed the number and found her at home. During our call she said to me “David all this is happening because you feel ‘less than’ and that is not the truth.” I had an instant flooding of the recognition of the brilliance of what she was saying and started to sob. I had been crying so much during the day before I called that I thought there would be nothing there to release but I did. The light of her truth was casting out the lie the sobbing was an effect of that release. That call and her words was like a floodlight going off over my head. In writing about it now, I am filled once again with light filled gratitude for that miracle.

I would love to be able to report that after that moment  I never had the thought of “less than” again. That did not happen. What did happen is that now I am so much more empowered in the presence of the lie. I can stand before it with the brilliant truth that I am. Over time the lie has gotten smaller and more subtle, some times harder to recognize. I may go days or even weeks without seeing it sneaking back into my life. But when I do perceive its presence, I  shine my brilliance on it and it withers away again. The Lie has gotten smaller and smaller, dimmer and dimmer in the presence of my Brilliance.

There are other Aha’s in my life and your’s that are constantly flooding us with the brilliance we are. Perhaps we can take some time to remember some of those moments today. May the remembering the moments of brilliance, cause us to the magnificent Brilliance we always are!

Today’s expression of our authentic nature may be the most difficult for us to grasp. It may even seem impossible. “What?” “Me?” “Innocent?!?”  It is so difficult to grasp that I even forgot I wrote about it just a few days ago.  But just as anything else we are asking Consciousness to reveal to us, it is not a good idea to go around saying how difficult it is.

How easy could it be for us to know, and know that we know, how innocent we really are.

Yesterday, knowing I wanted to write about innocence today, I asked Spirit to reveal to me my innocence. I asked in a way that indicated I thought it would be pretty easy for her to do, but frankly I am not sure I received the message. I did not receive the equivalent of the Cosmic Frying Pan upside the head “Here it is Guy; the irrefutable evidence of your Innocence!” Neither did a host of angels descend into my room proclaiming “Oh David, Beloved of God! Here is the unequivocal proclamation of your Innocence!” I would have liked either to have happened. Yet even if either did happen I probably would have said, “Yeah but what about the time I did _____?”

Yet a couple of ideas came to mind and that is what I will share today.

A few postings ago when I wrote about us being free, I shared an experience with a hypnotherapist. This experience revealed to me the meaninglessness of all the shame and guilt that I had carried with me from incarnation to incarnation. As the message of this continued to be revealed over the coming days I felt a glimmering of my own innocence. I had more energy available to me. I was smiling more. In my day job the phone started to ring more often, with people inquiring about my product and services. I felt better than I had in ages.

One night as I was preparing for sleep. I had a memory of a time I had been less than loving and less than responsible as a parent to my daughter. It was my weakest spot. Even though I done a lot of forgiveness work/prayer and clearing on this episode obviously some energy remained. And even though I felt some of the emotions of guilt and shame try to worm their way back into my life, I was also able to step back and observe all this.

“Wait a minute here.” I cautioned them. “If all the other stuff is meaningless, this episode, way in the past, is meaningless as well. My daughter and I have a great relationship that gets better all the time – even as it changes with her growing independence and maturation. I will not let you use this to knock me off my equilibrium. I will not let you use this to make this relationship or me “less than”.  But thanks for pointing out where I still have some self judgement. I’ll get to work on that right away.” I invoked Spirit and then did a forgiveness process over the remaining energy of the situation. If my guilt had been true and my innocence a lie, I would never had been able to sleep. As it happened  I turned out the light and went to sleep and slept well.

This pattern repeated a couple of times over the past month. Me feeling strong and purposeful. The ego trying to make it in the back door with an embarrassing memory. Me resisting the temptation to go there and applying the tools at my disposal to proclaim my innocence. Once I even said, “You’re going to try to use that old saw. Come on get out of here.” I have been more at peace and more joyful than I have for a long time. To me this feels as if the idea of my innocence is beginning to take root. I anticipate this flower blooming and being more beautiful than I can now imagine. I also imagine when it does and I remember my innocence in fullness, if the Angels do descend with the proclamation of my innocence, I will no longer have any argument for them.

Finally I would like to share this thought. It may not be fully formed as yet but by showing it the light of day it may flesh it self out.

Last night, one of the New Thought churches I attend presented a Christmas Concert composed by Lucille Olson, a member of our community. It used as a part of it’s naration the writings of Edgar Cayce around the Christmas story. The same story we are familiar with in one way or another. The guided meditation available on this site utilizes the same story as well as a way to awaken to the Spirit of Joy, Love and Peace that is inherent in the story and in us. While listening to the concert I kept thinking about the infant Jesus. Being born in innocence, as I believe we all are, no matter what the circumstances of our birth. I found my self wondering how and when Jesus remembered his Innocence. Surely his message of Peace, Joy and Love could not come from shame and guilt. Sure these gifts could not empower his adult message of an eternally loving Father as a Papa or Daddy if he did not know his Innocence. Surely his healing ministry could not be expressed if he did not know his Innocence. Surely he would not have taught us about our true limitless nature if he was not certain of our being able to remember that we are Innocence. What would it take for us to remember that now?

One of the many inspiring and beautiful books by Peter Matthiessen is titled “At Play In the Fields of the Lord.”. It is a powerfully crafted novel that moved me deeply. But however wonderful the experience of reading that novel was for me, what has stayed with me the most is the title. “At Play in the Fields of the Lord”. When I contemplate this phrase I glimpse a picture and energy of how our experience of life is meant to be.

We work so hard at our emotional, mental and spiritual growth. We work so hard at making the most of our relationships. We turn it into a labor. How much joy is found digging a ditch? (Well if the boss turns his head and we start playing at it we can discover some Joy even there.)  What if we played at our growth? What if we played more with our friends, families and lovers?

Our play; either in games, or with an object (like a rubber ball), flirting or telling stories and tall tales, can all transport us to an altered state. Our brains are active, but in a very different way than when working. Our imagination joins in the fun. We lose track of time, becoming timeless in the process. Joy awakens in the heart. We laugh and shout and perhaps push the envelope of our physical abilities, discovering we are more able than we thought. We become more alive. Isn’t that why we are here?

Once when experiencing a broken heart after a painful breakup I was working real hard at putting all the little pieces of my heart back together. A couple I knew who were friends and spiritual teachers offered to do a healing for me. They guided me to an interior place were my former lover and I were to meet and resolve, with Spirits guidance.

In a trance like state I was transported to a higher level of awareness. In this place my former girlfriend and I started to dance. Not ballroom dancing or any other kind of dancing I was familiar with. It was free-form. Some times holding hands, at times with bodies touching, at times our bodies far apart. I had never seen her looking so Joyful. The whole time I felt my heart would break again. Not for what I was missing but because of what was always there and always would be. In the vision others started to join us. We each danced with multiple partners. With each partner the feeling of freedom in space and the love in the heart was, not the same, but similar and deliciously different. The field of dance expanded in my vision and I saw hill sides flowing with the dances of countless people. I had danced with all of them and would dance with each of them again. And by dancing with one I was dancing with them all.

When I came out of the vision I was a different person. The ache of heart-break did not completely disappear immediately but daily it diminished until I was left only with gratitude and love. Some months later we actually reunited for a while. And while I experienced disappointment when we parted I remembered the dance and was left with a feeling of completion.

As I remember that time I am asking myself the questions: What would Christmas mean to me if, like in the vision, I danced on the Fields of the Lord with the infant Jesus and Mary and Joseph and the Shepards and Angels and Wisemen? What if I included crazy King Herod in the mix? What if in my mind I played with the Infant Jesus just like I did with my daughter, cooing and gurgling and laughing eye to eye? What if in my mind again I recalled all the playful times I had with my daughter and miss now that she is an independent and beautiful young woman? What if I remembered to dance and play with my family and friends, if only in my mind? What if I danced and played with all my issues and dreams and goals? What if I decided just to dance and play with God?

What if we danced and played our way to remembering what we are. How joyful would our remembering be?

Will you come out and play with me?

PS To ignite the spirit of play and as a demonstration of what is possible I include the link to a short video here for you to play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHj82otCi7U

The more we remember how stunningly and  breathtakingly beautiful we are, the more beauty we perceive.  I find it interesting that we say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, rather than the ears, nose, finger tips etc. What would happen if we gave attention to how all of our senses perceive beauty? What if we sharpened all of our senses as well as our hearts to perceive our own beauty?

It’s important to make the distintion from the outset the difference between attractiveness and beauty. Attractiveness is a function of the physical world to perpetuate the physical world. When you see a tabloid at the super market check out declaring this or that celebrity as beautiful what they really mean is that they are attractive. In essence they are declaring “This person has, in great measure, the physical qualities, that activate certain hormones in the body of the viewer, that create an urge in the viewer, to propragate the species with them”.

It is also emphemeral. Attractiveness varies from culture to culture. Cross the border from one country to another and what is found attractive could be very different. What is considered attractive is also different person to person. It’s attractiveness that is in the eye of the beholder. In essence attractiveness has consequences in the world-Beauty has consequences in the soul. Attractiveness can inspire but Beauty endures and even transforms.

Back in the early 1980’s I drove a taxi in NewYork City. During that time there was a TV commercial for a soft drink that caused quite a stir. It featured  Elle McPherson walking out of the surf onto the beach. This commercial launched what was to become dual careers as a highly succesful model and business woman. One day while driving up Park Avenue during the late morning an attractive woman in jeans and a cotton sweater hailed my taxi. When she got in and I saw her reflection in my rearview mirror I blurted out, “Hey you’re the actress in the Tab commercial”. She laughed and said she was. We got to talking during the short ride and when she discovered I was an aspiring actor she focused on me and asked how I was doing. She spent the rest of the trip offering me words of encouragement. She related to me as a peer in the same tough business. When we got to her destination, she left me a big tip and a final “Good Luck David!”. The impression I was left with after she got out was not that I had been with an attractive woman or a celebrity for 7 and a half minutes but rather I been blessed to have been with a woman of a beautiful and generous nature who lifted my spirit.

If we have a self concept of our selves as being “less than” when it comes to our attractiveness we project that “less than” onto the expression of our beauty. When we turn our attention then to remembering how beautiful we are, we come to discover that the limited self concept we have about our attractiveness is a lie.  When that lie is revealed and our beauty is allowed to shine we discover that we are much more attractive than we realized.