A Healing Prayer

Give me the wisdom to know that life is a journey toward growth.

Help me to use this gift to see the need for change in my life.

Give me the courage to examine my failures and weaknesses. Help me turn my weaknesses into strengths.  Help me to accept who I am, knowing that this is a major step toward healing.

Help me to feel compassion for both myself, and others. Help me realize that

no one is perfect and everyone has suffered at some time.

Past suffering can cause dysfunctional behavior,

 But recognizing past suffering and dysfunction can cause one to grow.

Teach me how to forgive.  Let this forgiveness start with myself and extend to others.  Help me understand that if I am stuck in unforgiveness, I am stuck in the in both the past and the present.  I cannot grow unless I am free of both. Compassion brings forgiveness.

Show me how to simplify my life so that other people’s negativity cannot influence me.  Help me allow positive thoughts and feelings to be the center of my life.

Help me make “peace” the center of my life.  The peaceful person sees the games that others are playing and chooses not to play.  Surround me in peace so that I can help others. 

Boundaries

ü A boundary is an invisible bubble around you that separates you from everyone else.

ü This boundary defines who you are – no one must be allowed to interfere with who you are.

ü If you feel the separation between yourself and others, you are better able to see reality.

ü Your boundary contains your own personal power – others cannot take this power away unless they penetrate your boundary.

ü If positive and happy thoughts are in your boundary, you will be a happier and more positive person.  Negativity from others cannot enter unless you allow it.

ü Chaos and abuse cannot enter your boundary unless you allow it.

ü Defending your boundaries increases self-respect.

Personal boundaries are the limits we establish for ourselves that demand respect from the people in our lives. This is how we protect ourselves from being manipulated, used or violated by others. Setting healthy personal boundaries is necessary for healthy self-esteem and self-respect. When we allow others to violate our boundaries, we are out of integrity with ourselves and it causes us discomfort. In extreme cases we become ill.

What would you like to say about yourself as your life is about to end.

What would you like to say about yourself as your life is about to end.  What did you accomplish, whose life did you influence, in other words, what was the end result of your life.

Write ten rules, or how about ten commandments for yourself, that you would like to follow:

1.            I want to find the truth and live by it.  I will not allow myself to define myself or my ideas by the truth of someone else.

2.            I want to become objective.  Being an objective person, I cannot be a judging person.

3.            I want make humility a part of my life.  I need to know that God is directing my life.  I need to know my strengths any my limitation.

4.            I want to consider myself harmless to humans, animals and the environment.

5.            I want to become wise.

6.            I do not want to make promises that I cannot keep.

7.            I want to keep the wonder and the joy alive inside of me.

8.            I do not want to compete with anyone but myself.

9.            I want to create for the sake of creation, not for the end result.

10.         I want to have the courage to rid myself of things that corrupt my

spirituality.

What does it mean to be a spiritual being having a human experience rather than a human being having a spiritual experience?

What is stopping you from living up to each commandment?

The Goal of The Enlightened Person

THE GOAL OF THE ENLIGHTENED PERSON 

IS TO TURN DARKNESS INTO LIGHT

AND TO TURN THE UGLY INTO BEAUTY

MY GREATEST FOE

CAN BE

MY GREATEST TEACHER 

This person can show me my need to grow

I cannot change anyone else, but I can change

myself

With work, I can grow to live above the negativity of others

“Turn the other cheek,” does not mean to be a doormat,

but to grow above the negativity of others.

If I learn about myself, I can make the changes that make me stronger, wiser and more compassionate.

  

I CAN WALK AWAY FROM DESTRUCTIVE PEOPLE AND DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR.

I CAN SIMPLY SAY, “I WILL NOT PLAY THIS GAME.’

I CAN ‘THANK YOU’ TO MY FOE FOR FORCING ME TO BECOME A BETTER, STONGER PERSON.

 WISDOM IS A GIFT

ü A WISE PERSON SEES MORE CLEARLY

ü A WISE PERSON CAN HELP OTHERS

ü A WISE PERSON CAN COMFORT

ü A WISE PERON WILL PROMOTE JUSTICE AND FIGHT INJUSTICE

ü A WISE SEEKS PEACE, NOT CHAOS

ü A WISE PERSON IS HUMBLE BECAUSE HE HAS EXAMINED HIS OWN WEAKNESSES

ü     A WISE PERSON SEEKS TO TURN HIS WEAKNESSES INTO STRENGTHS

ü A wise person is more compassionate of others because he sees his own weaknesses.

CHOICES

ü LIFE IS CHOICE

ü YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE TO BE POSITIVE OR TO BE NEGATIVE

ü YOU CAN CHOOSE TO HATE OR TO LOVE

ü YOU CAN CHOOSE TO HURT OR YOU CAN CHOOSE TO HEAL

ü YOU CAN LIVE WITH ANGER OR LIVE AT PEACE

ü YOU CAN CHOOSE OR HONESTY OR YOU CAN CHOOSE TO LIVE IN YOUR OWN DECEPTIONS  

COURAGE 

Courage is to have the mental and moral strength to pursue what is right and good without the fear of danger or difficulty.

It takes courage to stand against abuse.

It takes courage to stand up for those that are vulnerable. 

INTEGRITY

ü     Integrity is to see what is wrong and abusive and to stand up against it.

ü     A person with integrity confronts wrong.

ü     A person with integrity stands up against injustice, even when it is not to his/her own benefit.

ü     A person with integrity has had the courage to examine the self.

ü     A person with integrity is always working to become a better person.

PEACE/SIMPLICITY

ü     A PERSON OF PEACE DOES NOT LIVE WITH HATE

ü     A PERSON OF PEACE DOES NOT LIVE WITH REVENGE

ü     A PERSON OF PEACE DOES NOT LIVE IN CHAOS

ü     PEACE AND SIMPLICITY OCCUR WHEN A PERSON DOES NOT ALLOW THE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR OF OTHERS INTO HIS/HER LIFE. 

A PEACEFUL PERSON IS A HEALER

A PERSON WITH INTEGRITY IS A HERO

THE WORLD NEEDS BOTH TO MAKE IS A BETTER PLACE

Enlightenment is an Attitude.

Enlightenment is an Attitude.  Looking at Things Through New Eyes.

Being able to see the situations that disrupt our peace is of primary importance.

Knowing that we have the power to choose peace for ourselves in all moments, and that we will still have the same activities, problems, and events cropping up each day.

Inside or outside of ourselves, we never have to change what we see, only the way we see it.  That is enlightenment.

There is a constant battle between ego and spirit.  Ego wants to conquer – spirit wants peace.  Ego wants more; spirit enjoys what it has.

I like the idea of being thoroughly used up when we die.

Ghandi

When I begin to hear grievances, complaining and bitching, I deliberately and quietly move out of that space as quickly as possible. I simply refuse to have that kind of energy in my surroundings.

Make no mistake about it, the timid do not manifest their own dreams, they join the ranks of the unfulfilled.

By fighting alone for what you know to be your destiny, regardless of what others say, you become “valiant in spirit” who “glory in fighting alone.”

If you follow the pack, you are going to end up stepping in a lot of what they leave behind.

I learned to keep my mouth shut and proceed silently.  I found that the less I needed to tell others of my vision, the faster my vision began materializing.

The two divisions of our one reality are ago and spirit.  Ego is often described as standing for earth – the other is spirit.

Ego is nothing more than the idea you carry around that insists that you are separate and in competition with others. You are also separate from God.  As long are you believe

yourself to be separate from everyone and from your source, you lost the power of the source.  When you reconnect to your source, or make conscious contact with the unseen

(spirit) you regain the power of our source. This means you regain the power to manifest, to heal and to attract what you desire .  Watch it…ego always wants to be involved.

Everyone Has a World View

What is a World-View?

A World-view is your personal model of the world. It comprises your beliefs, your knowledge, and your assumptions about the world. As your world-view changes, you see the world differently, and therefore your responses to situations and circumstances also alter.

"I have met the jailer and he is I.
We are all trapped by our own world-view."
Paul Chippendale

Everyone has a worldview.  The view depends on where you are in life.  If you live in a safe environment, your worldview is going to be optimistic.  If you live in an unsafe environment, you have a pessimistic view of life because you live in fear.

People have been assigned different callings in life. Special people are meant to live their lives in love, giving, and peace. These are called the Healers in life because people seek them out to feel the sense of their peace, serenity and love.  These are the Healers.

Other people are meant to see the injustice in life and are meant to fight to help right the wrongs that are inflicted on others.  These people stand up for the vulnerable and often have to fight and even offend to find “justice.” These are the “Heroes.”  If we only had “Healers,” who would fight to see that there is justice in the world?

WE NEED BOTH –

The ruling members of a society often loses its perspective and often makes people “objects” and that are to be ruled for the “good” of the society. They lose that compassion to see these objects as people that can be hurt and victimized.

I think that a true society is its “people.”  These are the individuals that see life around them; they see both the happiness and the pain of their neighbor. They can take advantage of the “vulnerable” or they can help relieve their suffering.  I believe that our society contains most of the latter. 

Moral Decline: A Clear and Present Danger

Moral decline (or degeneration) refers to the process of declining from a higher to a lower level of morality. The condition of moral decline is seen as preceding or concomitant with the decline in quality of life, as well as the decline of nations. In the words of British lawyer and jurist Judge Devlin (1905 -1992), "an established morality is as necessary as good government to the welfare of society. Societies disintegrate from within more frequently than they are broken up by external pressures."

 In America, it was widely held that, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt, "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society", with the morality referred to being a foundationally that of the Bible.

Below are current world events that shows man's decline in morality.

Erosion of Morals and Values

Many are witnessing what they believe is an erosion of morals and values among everyone and feel that
this perceived lack of morals and values is contributing to poverty in general.

The decline in morality is a worldwide plague. I think that it has something to do with the idea that no one is watching that closely anymore.

Other people may think that moral decline is stimulated by immoral leaders. This is partially true. Leaders like Barack Obama need to be moral to set a good example. But American citizens need to ask themselves: "Who elected him to office, twice?" The answer: a society of generally immoral people. The transition back to strong values and good moral standards needs to start in everyone's own home and mind. We need to make the change back for ourselves, and the future. We are caught in a hypnotic downward spiral. The only way to escape in to regain consciousness.

Are We in a Moral Decline?

There has been a definite moral decline throughout the world in the past years. The need for money and the power that it brings has become the rage.  The normal person has become just an object that is to be controlled and manipulated in order to enhance the ego of a few.

Everywhere people feel dehumanized, which brings feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.  Do we give up and sink into destruction, or do we find a new way?  A way that does not admire wealth and power, but admires integrity, concern for others and humility.  Admiration for those controlled by the ego will be part of the “old” system.  The new system will bring about a “Renaissance” of a higher morality.   

We need more heroes today; individuals that can lead the people to a new level of thinking.  Are they the rich and powerful?  Those that inspire in us feelings of “awe” for their many possessions and their power are not necessarily heroes. If they amassed their fortune from the exploitation of others, they are not heroes.  If they gained their power through the manipulation and trickery of others, they are not heroes.

Who then can we consider heroes?  There are those special individuals that can see beyond the everyday experience.  They see the world as a whole and are able to identify the injustice, the exploitation of individuals, they see the pain, etc.  And they speak out and take action   They do not want fortune and fame, they want to change an unjust system with little, or no, benefit to themselves.

Unfortunately, many  have deteriorated to the extent that they follow the rules of Dante’s seven evils.  They are greed, pride (the need for power), envy, lust, anger, sloth, and gluttony.  Does this look familiar in our society” This is a shocking fact, but a true one.

We have researched and studied the words of many unsung heroes that “see the big picture” and offer the hope that we need to encourage “objects” (people) to not be discouraged, but to use these words as inspiration to create a new world, with a new way of thinking and being.

The Road Less Traveled

My Devotional Refuge  aims to provide spiritual refuge and enlightenment to everyone by retracing our steps to the road less traveled.

Take your life's journey in our community. road to enlightenment - is long and hard and there are no short-cuts.

We require those who wants to join us to leave everything behind for we travel light with a big empty rucksack. We should be able to pick up things on the way that are truly essential in life. Your guide are but just few nameless heroes who dedicate their everyday lives to a life of servitude in doing and preaching their faith and wisdom to those who need refuge.

"Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

"Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."