PRESENTING THE BLOG BOOK
CHAPTER EIGHT- FINDING LOVE AND HAPPINESS
PART TWO - THE MESSAGE
FEATURING THE FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN BLOG STORY
NOTES ON
ENLIGHTENMENT -
Quest For A Positive, Personal,
And Contemplative Spirituality
THE CRYSTAL PATH
BY G. BRYANT CRONK
____________________________________
PART TWO THE MESSAGE
CHAPTER EIGHT – FINDING LOVE AND HAPPINESS
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
FINDING LOVE
View Tina Turner’s Official What’s Love Got To Do With It Video
shot in New York in the summer of 1984 and offered on YouTube
via the link below:
GOD WEIGHS IN
FEATURING LOVE POWER - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING THE GIFT OF LOVE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING THE EYES OF LOVING-KINDNESS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING SECRET POWER - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING A SIMPLE ACT - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
https://youtu.be/wBl2QGAIx1s?t=121
#HueyLewisAndTheNews #ThePowerOfLove #Remastered
LOVE IS THE GATEWAY
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 4TH OPEN YOUR HEART
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 5TH REAL LOVE
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT - MARCH 8TH RECIPROCAL LOVE -
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT - MARCH 9TH REFLECTING THE LIGHT -
PART TWO THE MESSAGE
CHAPTER EIGHT – FINDING LOVE AND HAPPINESS
PRESENTATION OF CONTENT CONTINUED
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 11TH
IF ONLY LOVE WERE EASY
EXTENDED LOVE DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
FEATURINGF EXTENDED LOVE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
EPIDEMIC OF GLOBAL LOVE AND TOLERANCE DAILY POST
EVEN THIS DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
FEATURING EVEN THIS AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
STEVE WYNWOOD’S AND WILL JENNINGS’S AWARD-WINNING SONG, HIGHER
LOVE ON YOUTUBE LINK https://youtu.be/SU0AH4O1HhI
FINDING HAPPINESS
THE PURSUIT OF SECULAR HAPPINESS
A PSYCHOLOGY OF HAPPINESS/WELL-BEING?
THE “HAPPY” SONG PHENOMENON
HAPPINESS MEDITATION GUIDANCE
THE PURSUIT OF SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS
HAPPINESS MEDITATION GUIDANCE
PERFECT LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
ACCEPTANCE MEDITATION GUIDANCE EXCERPT
ACCEPT YOUR LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE EXCERPT
RELEASE, ACCEPT, RELAX, AND ENJOY - MEDITATION GUIDANCE EXCERPT
HARMONIC HAPPINESS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
PERFECT LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
ENLIGHTENMENT – HEAVEN ON EARTH
CLOSING NOTE ON ENLIGHTENMENT
TRUTH MINING - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
CLOSING AFFIRMATIONS
FINDING LOVE/FINDING HAPPINESS
____________________________________
PART TWO OF THE MESSAGE
CHAPTER EIGHT – FINDING LOVE
AND HAPPINESS
MOTION OF OUR HEARTS - SPIRITUAL POEM
Let us search and find our love
in the motion of our hearts -
the spirit of all Divine –
built on perfect kindness
and gentle devotion
we send vibrations throughout
the world and all humankind.
Let us search and find our love
in the motion of our hearts –
knowing this is God’s voice –
God’s full communication –
perfect in its simplicity
and wondrous in its depth.
Let us search and find our love
in the motion of our hearts
and know the beat of this emotion
provides the rhythm of all life,
the breath of the Divine.
POEM BY G. 8.4.2010
FINDING LOVE
Oh, what's love got to do, got to do with it?
What’s love but a second-hand emotion?
What’s love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?
Tina Turner
What’s Love Got To Do With It
View Tina Turner’s Official What’s Love Got To Do With It Video
shot in New York in the summer of 1984 and offered on YouTube
via the link below:
Listen On Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/album/5HmYiJnUkFuciiqRrAAv4o
Preview and Buy on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/id804178529?i=804178540
The ability to experience love – giving and receiving love in all forms - is truly a gift. It separates humankind from all other life on the planet and is undoubtedly the most accurate marker of our connection with God. As expressed in the titles and content of our songs, movies, and books, love always appears on our minds and hearts. But a discussion of “Love” as it relates to enlightenment requires that we first sift through the sands of the multitude of meanings for love and honestly reflect on what is a related expression of “enlightened love.”
Webster’s New World College Dictionary offers a good starting point with their standard definitions: 1. a deep and tender feeling of affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons; 2. an expression of one’s love or affection; 3. a feeling of brotherhood or goodwill towards other people; 4. a strong liking or interest in something; 5. a strong, usually passionate affection of one person for another; 6. sexual passion – sexual intercourse; 7. (my favorite), a tennis score of zero; 8. Theology – a) God’s tender regard and concern for all people, b) devotion to and desire for God. Webster takes a crack at an all-encompassing definition when discussing synonyms, offering the following, which is a valid global definition of love:
Love implies intense fondness or deep devotion and may
apply to various relationships or objects – sexual love,
brotherly love, love of one's work, etc.
These definitions make me think of the 70’s rock hit “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin – a song from Ann’s favorite rock band of all time, so this tune still gets a lot of airplay in our house. Yes, these definitions encompass a lot of love; frankly, it’s too much weight for one word to carry, which only adds to the confusion when using love as a clear indicator of enlightenment. I am somewhat sure the pursuit of enlightenment was not Led Zeppelin's intent when they wrote this song.
So, let’s start sifting. Although some may consider sexual passion an excellent addition to their vision of heaven on earth, let’s start with taking out the sexual stuff for our definition purposes. Some mystics have mixed their devotion to God with sexual passion. We will pass on this. The first tendency is to move to a theological definition, including commitment to God and God’s love for us. When discussing spiritual love and enlightenment, all eyes must focus on the life of Jesus, who added love as the major element of enlightenment, giving us the two main commandments centered on love - which I now consider hurdles we must surmount on our road towards accomplishing heaven on earth:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the most significant and first commandment.
And a second is like it: “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.”
To ensure seekers do not miss the importance of these two precepts, Jesus adds: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” clarifying that you have seriously missed the mark if you do not adhere to these precepts. As we will discuss shortly, this is a call to complete God's love and devotion, along with loving our neighbors as ourselves – setting up the most significant challenge to enlightenment ever voiced by a spiritual leader. To read further about Jesus and enlightenment, I strongly suggest reading Deepak Chopra’s The Third Jesus – The Christ We Cannot Ignore.
So, using the summary definition supplied by Webster, spiritual love based on enlightenment might be:
Returning God’s love with deep, unquestioned devotion
of a spiritual nature for God, along with an intense fondness
and a feeling of brotherhood or goodwill towards all other people.
This definition is a good start, with a mix of God's love, brotherly love, and loving-kindness defined as goodwill. As we progress, we will need to answer some clarifying questions to determine what love will be like in our heaven on earth: that is, when we are truly enlightened, will we: 1. love God, others, and the universe more? 2. be loved more by God, others, and the universe. 3. Or act with more love and kindness, or perhaps all three? Of course, this section and our discussion aim to answer these questions and, hopefully, dig even deeper into the concept of spiritually enlightened love.
GOD WEIGHS IN
Caring for others and serving heaven
is nothing like using restraint.
Restraint begins with giving up one’s ideas.
Opening Lines From Passage Fifty–Nine
Tao Te Ching – Lao Tsu
It would be easy for me to continue to discuss how love is essential to enlightenment and impacts heaven on earth. Still, I would fail to be fully transparent, missing the opportunity to share my experience over the past few weeks that underscores my interactive connection with an active God, fully involved, at least, in my life.
After reviewing my meditation guidance, I felt the impact of love on enlightenment was unclear when I started writing this chapter. So I went on to write this chapter on Heaven on Earth featuring only Joy, Peace, and Happiness, leaving out love. However, it turns out that God did not fully agree, and as a result, I have learned, as Lao Tzu's quote above conveys, a spiritual lesson on restraint and giving up my ideas somewhat. But more than this, I finally understand love's profound impact on our spiritual awakening and why.
LOVE POWER - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us vibrate and resonate
the power of pure love for ourselves,
for others and for all that exists
within this universe of God –
realizing love is the energy that propels
our existence – all existence.
Today, let us take this love power
with us as we recognize there are
no strangers – no unfamiliar –
only the recurrent presence of God
in all we encounter, all we see,
all we meet in this universe of God.
Let us love every manifestation.
Today, let us be a beacon of this love
power, understanding this is our destiny,
our potential, our purpose – to meet
and touch our Divinity through love.
AT BY G. 11.3.2011
Those who follow my blog will be able to refer to blog posts I have published over the past few years, including Affirmative Thoughts, Poems, and Meditation Guidance, showing that love has been a significant theme of the Finding God On The Train Story, both within the book and the blog: fully obvious and evident in this Meditation Guidance posted October 29, 2010.
THE GIFT OF LOVE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Love is the fuel, the power, the energy of all existence,
all creation. Within love is the spark of God,
connecting, caring, and totally immersed in the beauty
and wonder of creation, of all life becoming.
Love is the elixir of God, and under its charm, you and all
life will flourish, grow, and reach its full potential.
Love is truly all you need – with it, mountains can
be moved; without it, nothing can be created.
Love everything about your life and what you are
seeking to do – love the equipment you use,
the pen in your hand, the notebook you use to write.
Love the message – love those who read your work
and find a suggestion or an answer.
Love the moment - love the opportunity to be alive –
creating and being authentic.
Love is the solution – love is the answer, creating an
environment of possibility for all existence –
for all creation. Love your obstacles, love through
your issues and problems, and love yourself into success.
Love the positive and even the negative - know God’s
energy – God’s power is with you when you lead
with love. Make your first response and last
response – love.
Cherish this moment: love the gift God has given you, and
all humankind – the gift of love.
NOE BY G. 10.29.2010 7:05 AM
You may go on to point out that my primary focus has been on the concept of “loving-kindness,” often considered the centerpiece to enlightenment by the Jewish Kabbalists, the Buddhists, and let us not forget, Christianity, which, as we just introduced, is built on Jesus’ focus on loving our neighbors. You might even point to my Affirmative Thought that stated the following:
THE EYES OF LOVING-KINDNESS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us face our challenges with love-powered
by kindness and knowing each obstacle is only another
test to see if we truly understand the way of God –
powered by the sacred energy of all-encompassing love.
Today, let us touch the image in the mirror – our perfect
countenance with love and kindness, centered
on gratitude for the gift of this physical form and
the incredible strength of our inner and outer fortitude,
always ready to grow and become more.
Today, we are empowered by loving-kindness and rejoice
in its magnificent strength.
AT BY G. 8.31.2008
Or, you might point to the Affirmative Thought published as a New Thought Note For The Day 8.9.2010 titled Secret Power, where I comment that in my reading of the spiritual wisdom through the ages, I am genuinely amazed that “love is the centerpiece of most guidance for the reaching of enlightenment.” Two thousand years ago, the Upanishads, written by the early Hindu mystics, spoke of the “Lord of Love,” featuring love as the key ingredient for transcending this plane, saying
“drink deep of Divine love, and you will reach the unitive state.”
SECRET POWER - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us realize the incredible power of love,
to change the world or change the moment –
the secret ingredient of our humanness –
the essence of our Godliness – always within
us to mold and shape our lives for the better.
Today, let us realize the incredible power of love,
used by Jesus to heal the sick and the
afflicted – used by every mother to soothe
the hurting child.
Today, let us bring the power of love out
from within our hearts and Souls,
to mend our minds, heal our spirits,
uplifting the world.
Today, let us use the incredible power of love –
God’s gift of Godliness to us,
to mend and transcend our day,
touching all we meet.
Today, let us use our secret power!
AT BY G. 8.9.2010
Or, the simple message provided by the Affirmative Thought below:
A SIMPLE ACT - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, reflect on a straightforward idea,
the singular law of the universe,
the one rule of God
and all that is Divine –
What is done in love surpasses
all achievements,
all heights reached,
all mountains moved,
one simple act of love and kindness
reverberates throughout the universe,
caressing the heart of God.
Today, reflect and fully understand
this one simple spiritual truth,
realizing all that has been written,
or said, is based on this wisdom –
this Divine guidance.
AT BY G. 6.3.2014
At this point, a reasonable man, or God, would have expected “Love”‘ to be included in this chapter from the beginning. But this said, writing a book on enlightenment, based on what you think is the guidance you have received from God on the subject, is challenging and, many would say, worthy of institutional treatment. Having accepted my mission, I approached this chapter with what I thought our lives would be like if we were to obtain enlightenment and, as a result, experience Heaven On Earth. Then, we would live a life of joy, peace, and happiness.
I want to do a sort of blog reenactment and present the actual blog posts that follow since they convey best my questions and reactions in real-time, allowing the guidance to unfold over seven days in March. But, as I express in the first Blog Post in this series below, titled Love Is The Gateway, God indeed had other plans, and in one week, I transcribed much of the meditation guidance on Finding Love used in the remainder of this section.
Yes, after all of this, God was right; love was missing. However, I have learned much about love and its connection to enlightenment. I hope you will also find it helpful, and so we don’t get too serious, I would like to kick this section off with one of my favorite West Coast rock songs from the 1980s, made super famous as the song featured in the mega-hit movie Back To The Future, you guessed it, The Power Of Love. It seems like Huey Lewis And The News knew the secret about love all along, “you don’t need money, you don’t need fame, you don’t need a credit card to ride this train, and with a little help from above, you feel the power of love.”
Listen On Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/album/0u34k1ANjgZ47uQfG9yaLj
Preview and buy on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-power-of-love/id725784933?i=725785116
LOVE IS THE GATEWAY
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 4TH
As I mentioned, I am now focused on writing Chapters Seven and Eight of the Finding God On The Train Story titled Heaven On Earth – Joy, Peace, and Happiness, and yesterday I shared the guidance I received titled Internal Peace. I incorporated this guidance during my writing session, completing my first draft of the section on Finding Peace. I was pleased but felt like something was missing from the whole chapter, and since I was not clear about what was missing, I turned my sights to the last section, which is on Finding Happiness.
This morning, I got up at 6:00 AM, did my reading, and started meditating. I would ask God what might be missing from my work in Chapters Seven and Eight, which focus on attaining heaven on earth through enlightenment, thus finding joy, peace, and happiness. So, I asked, and I would like to share the reply below. My title has been revised to Heaven On Earth—Joy, Peace, Love, and Happiness.
LOVE IS THE GATEWAY - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Love is the gateway to enlightenment – love is the only way
to God – love is the power of all connection – it is the seeing
of the Divine in all life – all existence – love is the essence
of God, and without love, enlightenment is only a bright light
without passion, without joy, without substance.
Love requires that the ego be left at the gate –
personal desire stripped away – the shedding of past
and future, leaving only a bursting emotion of caring,
kindness, respect, and admiration – a realization of oneness –
seeing your face in every face, it is the desire to worship
the perfection of life –
to understand the essential connection.
Love of your child, your family, your community, or your world emanates
from an overwhelming desire to nurture, to protect, to develop, to
flourish, to breathe life into all you come in contact with –
understanding the nature of God and God’s love
for all creation. To love like God is to connect with God.
Love is ingrained and sewn into every cell of your being –
move towards the light, and you will find yourself worthy
of love; humankind worthy and in need of love; and
eventually, see through the loving eyes of God –
a force of love – boundless – infinite – without limit,
overflowing with love for all.
You will see the light of pure God love radiating
to all from all. See the love, feel the love, be the love.
NOE BY G. 3.4.2011 7:10 AM
Wow, “love is the gateway to enlightenment” - “without love enlightenment is only a bright light.” After I transcribed this guidance, I just sat in my library chair and kept reading it over and over; it was 7:15 AM, and I still needed to write Ann’s morning note, fix her tea, and walk the dogs. But God was letting me know I had missed the point and needed to adjust.
I was elated and also worried at the same time because I did not have the material to entirely make this case for love as a cornerstone of enlightenment. This would be the start of several communications with God on the subject as I tried to fill in the gaps and complete the section. Here is the next blog post in the series published on Saturday, March 5th.
OPEN YOUR HEART
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 5TH
As I outlined in my last post, I have added “love” to my definition of what we would unveil as we approach the attainment of spiritual enlightenment - actually creating our heaven on earth. The title for Chapter Eight is now Heaven On Earth – Finding Love and Happiness, with the recent addition of a section on finding love.
You would think that growing up in the “City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia, I would have some grasp on this subject of love. Of course, life in any major city is often focused on survival rather than loving your neighbor. The direction to love or “be loving” has often felt like an overused remedy, a spiritual panacea of sorts—just love everyone, and you will be saved.
To truly love your neighbor as yourself is probably the most challenging direction ever given by Jesus or any spiritual leader who has ever walked this earth. Yet, as I type these words, I realize why love would be the gateway to enlightenment. To pass this litmus test, we would need to see as God sees, with love, and therefore be enlightened. We would need to see ourselves in our neighbor, see our neighbor’s Divinity, and experience Divine love through this renewed perception.
Perhaps those who point to love and practice something distinctly different have thrown me off course at times. But, as you may have detected, focusing on love may be just what God wanted me to accomplish with this guidance. This approach made me start searching through my journals, seeing what message God had communicated on the topic. I decided I would thoroughly understand each message, trying to incorporate all of them into my life. So, I randomly opened one of my journals and stumbled upon this guidance from Sunday, November 22, 2009, titled, Open Your Heart.
OPEN YOUR HEART - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Open your heart to the love within your Soul-fed
by the love of the universe. Do fears block your love,
worries, challenges – look closer at who is talking within you –
who is leading you astray, is the same old ego masked as
a spiritual advisor or psychological counselor?
Open your heart and find the love you have for all
you encounter – your family – your church – your
community – your world. Only love clears away anxiety
and stress - only love refreshes your spirit and lets you
celebrate your life and existence.
Open your heart and dance the dance of life – fully
alive in this miracle that is this moment – clear
away your hopelessness – dance with joy at the
opportunity to experience life as you do– with God
as your full partner and cocreator.
Open your heart and enable and allow the joy of life
to rush in and fill and expand your capacity for love.
Then and only then will you love as God loves.
NOE BY G. 11.22.2009 9:25 AM
Is enlightenment founded on learning to love as God loves? Is this even possible, given the strength of our egos and our culture of separation? Could we see ourselves in our neighbor and, by recognizing our neighbor’s Divinity, be able to love our neighbors as ourselves? To do this, we must first love ourselves. Would we be required to love someone unlovable, in our opinion? The debate continued as I searched for these and other answers as the week progressed. My next blog post, published on Tuesday, March 8th was based on the Meditation Guidance below I had received over the weekend.
REAL LOVE
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT - MARCH 8TH
I want to continue sharing my communications focused on love most mornings this week. God has added a new message to help clarify the essential nature of love in our lives and for the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. In the Meditation Guidance below, titled Real Love from this Sunday Morning’s meditation, love is described as a passion—a complete desire to bring someone or something to life, keep it alive, and nurture its existence.
A key theme of God’s communications on love is the direction to start with loving ourselves first. This may be the greatest challenge for some who live up to some ego or parental expectation. So today, would you be willing to do something for the world to aid in spiritual enlightenment? Would you take yourself to your favorite natural setting, look up to the sky, stretch your arms out wide and up high in a sign of victory and joy, as complete and outstretched as possible, and then slowly wrap them around the beautiful being who is you, giving yourself a well-deserved loving hug.
REAL LOVE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Love is passion – the act of being connected with
someone or something, in a complete desire to bring
it to life – keep it living and nurture its existence.
Love is to cherish – hold it so dear you would offer
anything, do anything, to protect it and give it form.
Love is becoming one with the object of your desires –
breathing through it – with it – your breath and life
in sync with the essence of your attention. When your
loved one is impacted, you are impacted – when your
loved one is hurt, you are hurt.
You have experienced this love for a child, a parent,
or a loved one, but true love – as God loves - requires
the love of all that exists – of existence itself –
overwhelmed with the very fabric of life-loving
every cell – every thread, every moment.
To love, you must give of yourself – be emotionally
and spiritually attached to all creation. Begin with
loving yourself – your unique nature, and grow out
to loving others close to you – and then into the
community – and your life.
Love takes risks, takes effort, and must be cultivated
and nourished. Love is at the heart of all life – connect
with your power to love – open the cage and set it free.
Learn to love as God loves.
NOE BY G. 3.6.2011 8:30 AM
Although I was struggling, at this point, with the concept of loving all that exists in a world often controlled by the misguided egos of a few who create havoc for the many, each morning, I would receive new guidance that continued to broaden my perspective of love, and test the constraints of my belief system – such as the guidance below to “Love those you admonish, those you hate, dislike, do not care for.”
RECIPROCAL LOVE -
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT - MARCH 9TH
As you know, I am writing two chapters focused on Heaven On Earth—Finding Joy, Peace, Love, and Happiness. After some guidance from God, I only recently added the section on finding love. I am attempting to define what enlightened love would look like—and in a few words, I would describe it as loving as God loves.
In my opinion or spiritual orientation, this love needs to be unconditional and without judgment, as Jesus described, very much like a parent's love for a child and remarkably similar to how children love their parents. However, as difficult as loving without judgment, we can see this aspect of enlightenment is also not easily attainable when applying this to loving our enemies. In all of this, I realize I have much to learn about love, and this week, God has tried to fill in some of the blind spots through my Meditation Guidance. For example, in the guidance I received yesterday morning, I am reminded of the reciprocity of love - where we were loved in proportion to the amount we love.
It is not by chance the unloving are usually unloved and, of course, vice versa. Let me know if you have any additional guidance you would like to share on finding love.
RECIPROCAL LOVE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Love is reciprocal – you get what you give – you are loved
in proportion to the amount you love - let love flow out
of you, and it will flow back to you multiplied.
Start with yourself – truly love the wonder of you –
fully and completely, let the sensation of love be in your
thoughts – treat yourself with love, care, and respect.
Move to those close to you – your family and friends –
intensifying and reflecting on your existing love for
them – love even the unlovable aspects without
reservation or limitation.
Move to your co-workers and others at work, showering
them with love and kindness. Let this love flow to those
you meet and encounter – living with compassion,
caring, and kindness.
Then love those whom you admonish, those you dislike,
hate, and do not care for – push through the negative
feelings and connect with their Souls.
Turn your love and attention to your life, your job,
and all you encounter, loving the opportunity to
experience all of it – loving being fully alive and
capable.
As you expand your capacity to love, notice how the
love generates and flows back to you – suddenly, you
have arrived at the loving universe you always
dreamed of – you are experiencing heaven on earth.
By NOE BY G. 3.8.2011 7:20 AM
At this point, I felt like God was actively writing this section of the book with me, guiding me, sometimes spoon-feeding, and at other times pushing me well beyond where I was ready to go. I continued to ask God for guidance in my daily meditations and received more clarification and insight into the relationship between love and enlightenment. I had tapped the well, and it was gushing spiritual oil.
LOVE LIKE GOD LOVES –
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 10th
This week, I have been focused on defining love and its relationship to enlightenment. I have received daily meditation guidance that has led me deeper into the power of love. This week, I have often felt like I was attending a crash course with God as the instructor.
As I have questioned, I have received the answer, or I have received inspiration to reach for a certain book, which, somewhat coincidentally, opens up to a discussion on love. Honestly, I have been somewhat obsessed with the topic, as I am sure you have noticed from these posts.
Until yesterday, I have been taking my dictation from God, like a good messenger, and writing these posts while clarifying some key points. For the most part, in agreement with everything that has been conveyed, including love, is the key to enlightenment. To reach enlightenment, we need to love as God loves. This love should be unconditional and non-judgmental, enabling us to love both our neighbors and our enemies. Taking this a step further, we should love those who are unlovable in our perspective, those we feel are not worthy of love.
The direction to love those I feel are unlovable gave me pause and led me to question the argument's validity. I kept asking, how could God love someone who, through ego destruction, was creating pain and havoc for themselves, others, and the world? Why offer positive reinforcement and love power to someone desperately needing reform?
Yesterday afternoon, I was at an impasse on this issue after conjuring up every evil creature from history and considering loving them. As I stewed, sitting in my library, I focused on a book titled Your Forces and How To Use Them by Christian Daa Larson, a New Thought pioneer, leader, teacher, and prolific writer whose books are still published today. This book was initially published in 1923 by Larson, the International New Thought Alliance President. Larson had also inspired Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science. Larson is best known for writing the Optimist Creed, still used today by the Optimists Club.
I had scanned this book, which was the basis for Rhonda Bryne’s book Tilted the Power, when I had purchased it from Amazon - but had not had the opportunity to read Larson’s book thoroughly. So yesterday, I took it down off the shelf and opened the book directly to page 129 of Chapter 13, titled The Art Of Changing For The Better, and my eyes read these passages:
We may give our kindness and our sympathies to all, but we must not love anything in anyone that is not ideal…but we can love the greater possibilities and the superior qualities that are inherent in the individual... the power of love is the greatest power in the world … we steadily grow into the likeness of that which we constantly love… the power of love must direct the more significant part of its attention upon that which is rich and beautiful in mind and Soul.
This was clear guidance, providing a perspective on how one might consciously love the unlovable while avoiding attracting similar attributes into their own life. And even if we are personally struggling with our inner turmoil or dis-ease, we can still love ourselves. For what we love is “the secret realms of Soul life, where the forces of love are drawn instantly to the highest, truest, and most noble.”
Larson tells us that the “law of love… determines what we are to think, what we are to work for, where we are to go, and what we are to accomplish. Therefore, among all great essentials, the principal one is to know how to love… the secret is to love the great, the beautiful, and the ideal in everybody and everything; and to love with such a strong, passionate love that its ascending power becomes irresistible.”
I still had my questions, which were clarified by my meditation guidance this morning titled Love Like God Loves, where I was instructed that God loves the Divine potential in all life but does not address or acknowledge the work of the ego. Therefore, using this paradigm, it is possible and quite purposeful to love the unlovable.
LOVE AS GOD LOVES - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
The secret of loving as God loves is to understand
the nature of God's love and the essence of God.
In the eyes or experience of God, there is only perfect
wholeness, wellness, potential, oneness, the spirit
of pure good.
God sees only this, even in those who have been
overtaken by the will of their egos and are far less
than their potential. God does not acknowledge or
love the handy work of the ego since to do so would
be to energize this negative creation and lead
to further dis-ease.
Like God, you must love the Divine potential existing
in all life, all existence, the element of growth - hope –
the desire for further perfect creation. Do not address
or acknowledge the work of the ego – the madness that
often results, see beyond the dis-ease, the conflict,
the pain and connect with the aspect of God –
the Divine potential of all living things.
Love like God, infused with the power of love, that
which you wish to infuse with the power of further
creation – water only the blossom and not the weed –
for the weed cannot flourish if the blossom is to grow.
Like God, use your power of love to encourage,
to manifest the full potential of everyone you meet –
all you encounter – touch their God potential and love
it with all your heart – all your strength, calling it
forward into form – pulling it with your love power into
the light of pure existence. Love the essence, not
the dissonance.
Love as God loves, and you expand the creation –
you are God in action, creating more love, more life,
more perfection. Love what is loveable – the essence
of God in this world – and you will not only see the light -
you will be the light.
Namaste – (I honor the spirit in you, which is also in me)
NOE BY G. 3.10.2011 8:40 AM
I would like to close our blog reenactment with the final blog post I published in this series on love and enlightenment, titled Reflecting The Light, which features an Affirmative Note I wrote during this journey. Over these seven days, I learned why love was an essential ingredient of enlightenment - expanding my new knowledge of love and enlightenment.
REFLECTING THE LIGHT -
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT – MARCH 11TH
Thank you for bearing with me as I have taken this mental and spiritual voyage into the depths of the meaning of love as it relates to enlightenment. As a result, I feel I could join Rhonda Byrne and write a book on love.
I think I now have a glimpse into why love is so crucial for humankind, God, and all existence. To love, we must move out of ourselves and, without our egos, approach the world as one, as related, as our spiritual relatives, our co-conspirators in finding heaven on earth. Real love is not conceived out of obligation but is created out of desire and necessity, requiring us to invest our power in what we hold dear and cherish.
The act of love is often only noticed in the actual demonstration of love – the kindness that is shown, the compassion felt, the hand outstretched in the time of need. In the end, it is the love and kindness we display and our devotion to God and humankind that will light the individual paths we each traverse down our road toward enlightenment. As the Affirmative Note below conveys, let us reflect the light of God’s love into the world – caring, nurturing, and empowering.
REFLECTING THE LIGHT - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, approach the day with love – reflecting
the light of God’s love into the world – seeing
the world through God’s eyes of love –
caring, nurturing, protecting and
empowering all you meet and encounter
with the power of Divine love.
Today, approach the day with love – allow
compassion to flow through you and from you –
be the hands and feet of God –
carry love with you and shower the world with it –
shower yourself with it until all is immersed
in pure love.
Today, approach the day with love and move
with its energy, its passion, its glory –
triumphant through love!
AT BY G. 3.11.2011
Love is the litmus test for enlightenment because it requires that we have evolved beyond our egos, laid a foundation of God's love and self-love, and from this base, grow to love not only our friends and family but also our neighbors, our co-workers, our boss, and those who we consider unlovable, even our enemies, until we love all existence, as God loves the world.
This “God love” is the love of potential or possibility, seeing the Divinity and beauty—not the ego or the disease—in all life. As we move towards real love, we harness the power of God-consciousness through the reciprocal nature of love that we have discussed. Our expanded capacity multiplies the love we receive, fueling our love power to create and sustain our heaven on earth, lighting the path for ourselves and all those we touch.
IF ONLY LOVE WERE EASY
There is no doubt in my mind now that love is an essential aspect of enlightenment and our establishment of heaven on earth. It is in this practice that reciprocal love, loving our neighbor, loving our enemy, and loving as God loves, often falls short. One of my favorite posts involves the complexities of actually loving as we know we should love.
EXTENDED LOVE
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
Last Thursday, Ann had surgery on her Colon. I found myself dealing with having someone I love dearly, being wheeled away by strangers, to have an operation alone, without me. I was waiting for word of the results, during which time I made so many deals with God that it would take two lifetimes to fulfill my end of the bargain. Ann is now home and recuperating, and I am so very grateful.
I woke up early this morning so I could meditate and write Ann a special note for Valentine’s Day before we got to her doctor’s appointment at 9:15 a.m. I meditated briefly and asked for God’s guidance before writing Ann’s note, even though I had planned to write a personal note for Valentine’s Day.
I kept getting the first line of the note below titled Extended Love, and the message came to me so strongly that I felt compelled to write it and give it to Ann with her morning tea. Later, Ann would remark that she was surprised her note was focused on global love rather than a personal message meant just for her.
I woke up Ann, she got ready quickly, and we headed out the door around 9:00 AM with barely enough time to make it to the doctor’s office on time. As I walked out the door, I saw my neighbor, Nathan, with the hood of his car up and jumper cables attached and hanging out, waiting for assistance.
As I was helping Ann down the steps to the car, I thought - “no, we do not have time for this,” and did my best to avoid eye contact. As Ann was nearing the car, she surveyed the situation and said - “I think we should help him.” I immediately replied that we did not have time and we would be late. Ann said that we should make time and reminded me that we had a portable battery charger in one of our cars that could easily jump into his car without us using our new car. I begrudgingly agreed, went to get the charger and Nathan started his car a minute or two later.
As we were driving away, Ann looked at me and said, “you know, it was your note this morning reminded me I needed to be loving and kind to others, and this was an excellent opportunity.” I said, “yeah, I guess I failed the test, I’m sorry.” In my defense, I said, “the truth is, I am working on all of this just like everyone else.” Ann went on to talk about the significance of random acts of kindness and the power of a simple smile or a handheld out to assist.
I realize now that this morning’s note was meant for me and those of us who find it expedient to turn away from our opportunities to be God's hands and feet in the world.
EXTENDED LOVE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
This Valentine’s Day, let us open ourselves
up to love the world and all life
that occupies this moment in time with us –
extending loving-kindness beyond our lovers,
our families, and those we cherish,
to all who we encounter along the way.
This Valentine’s Day, let us realize the power
of love to heal, renew, and restore
the world as we reflect and mirror the love
God radiates in the world – a thriving,
vibrant, positive, and empowering love.
This Valentine’s Day, let us answer a global
need for love, generosity, caring, and
kindness – expanding our consciousness
as we envision a loving world – knowing
this would indeed be heaven on earth!
AT BY G. 2.14.2012
EPIDEMIC OF GLOBAL LOVE AND TOLERANCE
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
I am sincerely thankful for the technology that allows me to publish a blog and send it out worldwide; otherwise, I would be just one of those “crazy” folks who stood in the marketplace of old spouting messages from God. So, here is another message!
When I received my copy of Time magazine this week - which I purchased to assist my grandson’s school with their fundraising effort, breaking my prohibition from listening or reading the news from any source other than my easily edited NPR phone app - I eagerly flipped through the pages to see what the human race has been up to recently.
I was stunned by the stories of intolerance and injustice, both religious and secular. One image, although from our hopefully never-to-be-repeated past, will haunt me forever.
This morning, as I started to write my daily Affirmative Thought, letting the words come to me, out of the greater reaches of consciousness and probably my recuperating psyche, came the note below. As I usually do when I would prefer another topic, I tried to go back for a more user-friendly communication, but that was not to be the case today.
Sometimes, when I read a note like this, I think, “I know this,” so there is no need to focus on it, but with today’s note, I was not so sure. Although I am preaching to the proverbial choir of spiritual blog readers, I realize this was the message I was meant to convey—a message calling on all of us to contribute to the transformation of consciousness, perhaps in hopes of fostering an “epidemic of global love and tolerance.”
EVEN THIS
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
Even for the faithful, the loss and suffering that follows the death of a loved one are staggering. Our lives are destabilized, often with regret, guilt, and despair, our constant companions.
When my youngest son died last summer, I was caught in a consciousness somewhere between life and death. Existing in a waking purgatory, requiring all my faith to climb out of and transcend.
This simple note below guided me during this time, reminding me to refocus on where my life and God exist: in the here and now.
EVEN THIS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, here and now, is where our lives
reside, these are the moments that deserve
our reflection, our inner contemplation;
these are the times love touches us and
our love touches the world.
We create the useful, the purposeful,
the meaningful – a life truly worth living,
and although our suffering is real, tangible,
we must never allow it to thwart our
well-being our forward progress.
Here, now, this day, we stand tall, breathe
deeply, fixing our sights on the worthy,
the valuable, the essential aspects of our
lives – calling forth the courage and Divine
assistance needed to transcend even this.
AT BY G. 5.14.2014
Let us today each grasp, in our own way, for this “higher love,” no more beautifully conveyed musically and lyrically than by Steve Winwood’s and Will Jenning’s award-winning song and a personal favorite of mine, Higher Love.
Listen On Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/search/Steve Winwood Higher Love
Preview and Purchase on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/higher-love/id520644?i=520640
HIGHER LOVE LYRIC EXCERPT
Think about it; there must be higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above,
Without it, life is wasted time
Look inside your heart, I’ll look inside mine.
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be.
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, oh
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love, I keep thinking of?
Worlds are turning and we’re just hanging on
Facing our fear and standing out there alone.
A yearning and it’s real to me…
There must be someone who’s feeling for me.
I could light the night up with my soul on fire,
I could make the sunshine from pure desire,
Let me feel that love come over me
Let me feel how strong it could be,
Bring me a higher love.
You may be saying - “sounds wonderful, but what do I need to do?” Each of us will approach this differently, but for starters, we need to consider the following:
Love yourself first—handle yourself with care, concern, compassion, and respect—with love and kindness. If needed, forgive yourself and pardon yourself for past sins, mistakes, and mishaps.
Do not allow anyone to use you, abuse you, or lower your self-confidence.
Develop a working relationship with God through prayer and meditation. Let God work in your life, and understand the essence of God’s real love for you and all existence. Be grateful for all you have already received.
Harness your ego and work to overcome your feeling of separateness – search for similarities and commonality, and connect with the Divinity within each person you meet, seeing their potential and possibility.
Try not to judge, condemn, or speak negatively about others for not being or believing like you. Remember, just because you love lobster does not mean that everyone must love lobster.
Refuse to condone intolerance, whether it is based on religious preference, ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation. Always be tolerant.
Let Loving-Kindness Rule Your Actions – live as an active agent for God by committing random and purposeful acts of kindness – be an example of giving and nourishing. Give more than you receive.
Live With Passion – love what you do – do what you love - approach all you do with love and passion, and live with enthusiasm and energy, allowing your creative powers to be fueled by your love.
Love As God Loves – whether it is your best friend or the guy at work who is a pain – see their potential and possibility - work to really love your neighbor.
Can you imagine living in a world where everyone worked hard to accomplish these bulleted elements of love above? It sure sounds like a major step towards my vision of heaven on earth. Think about what life would be like for you and your family if you did. I think you get the point. Let’s move on to happiness, which does not seem difficult if your life is full of joy, peace, and love.
FINDING HAPPINESS
Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
But don’t worry, be happy
Bobby McFerrin
Don’t Worry, Be Happy lyrics
Listen On Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/album/4zhRkgoZKC2xCPPys1gK4b/4hObp5bmIJ3PP3cKA9K9GY
As I begin this section and reflect on the meaning of the word “happiness” and my own experience with the pursuit of happiness, I am somewhat overwhelmed by the multi-faceted nature of this concept. To fully understand how happiness applies to creating our heaven on earth, we must differentiate between secular - or physical world happiness - and the spiritual happiness associated with enlightenment. Therefore, before defining what happiness means, as it relates to enlightenment, and how it couples with joy, peace, and love to create heaven on earth - let’s discuss happiness in more universal terms.
Since happiness is a state of being happy, let’s start with the word “happy,” which sometimes just sounds a bit silly, primarily when worked into phrases like “slap–happy” and “happy–go—lucky.” As you might expect, there are several definitions for happy, starting out with being lucky, moving on to a feeling of great pleasure, and finally arriving at being intoxicated.
happy adj. (from the old English hap meaning lucky)
1. favored by circumstances; lucky; fortunate;
2. having, showing, or causing a feeling of great
pleasure or contentment;
3. suitable, appropriate to the occasion;
4. intoxicated or irresponsibly quick to act.
Would we have been better served to have just used the word “contentment,” or a phrase like “great pleasure,” or even better yet, how about the loftier or more formal sounding words like “ecstasy, bliss, or rapture,” which all have spiritual connotations and overtones.
ecstasy – implies extreme emotional exaltation, intense delight
that overpowers the senses and lifts one into a trance-like state.
bliss - implies a state of rapture, supreme happiness, utter joy
or contentment; heaven; paradise.
rapture – mental exaltation experienced when one’s entire attention
is captured by something that evokes great joy or pleasure.
To be honest, ecstasy, bliss, and rapture may be closer to what we are talking about when we are discussing spiritual happiness, but for our everyday purposes, these words are often just too intense, each carrying an element of “extreme” elation. Since “happiness” is the baseline for these words, I propose that it is the more useful or appropriate term for our discussion here. Let’s face it; the word happiness won its place - at least in the United States - when the “pursuit of happiness” was established as a basic right by the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This simple political act set in motion a great cultural expectation that I do not think was seriously considered feasible or achievable in the past.
My personal experience has not been much clearer. Growing up in a family where moments of turmoil were mixed with moments of peace, love, and happiness, albeit rare, I became very attuned to the emotion of the moment, basking in every positive experience possible. I also became a master at making other people in my family happy to mitigate possible eruptions and discord, a behavior pattern that still surfaces today. I was sure others with a “normal family” were happy and, as would be expected, I often longed for their lives. As I grew up and met those who had been nurtured in what I thought were marvelous families, I realized that happiness was in the eye of the beholder. Few seemed to have had happy childhoods, and to my surprise, I often had more happy memories than they could muster.
As I grew older and acquired some degree of personal and professional success, enabling me to live in wealthy communities and work with peers who had been given all of the advantages, I would like to be able to report that I have met a long list of happy people, but this has not really been the case. This is not to say those I met along the way were not in hot pursuit of happiness; just that few appeared to have succeeded. Frankly, compared with many of my peers, I was quite fortunate to be at least happy with my professional life. When the rest of my life did not measure up, I rationalized that no one was really “totally” happy. In truth, the happiest people I have met turn out not to have been the wealthiest or most successful, just the most contented and accepting of their lives.
THE PURSUIT OF SECULAR HAPPINESS
A PSYCHOLOGY OF HAPPINESS/WELL-BEING?
As difficult as it is to determine a working definition of happiness, it appears even more elusive when trying to create a psychological approach to grasp or replicate it. Before we focus on spiritual happiness, I would like to spend some time reviewing the enormous strides that have been undertaken by the psychological community toward addressing happiness or often referred to as well–being, in the past twenty-plus years.
In its rather brief two-hundred-year history, psychology has primarily focused on suffering, victims, mental illness, and trauma - boasting that fourteen of the major mental illnesses are now treatable by psychotherapy or medication.
The skills of becoming happy turn out to be almost entirely
different from the skills of not being sad, not being anxious,
or not being angry. But at best psychology only told us how
to relieve misery.
The quote above is by Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D. – Zellerbach Family Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Psychology. He was previously the Director of the Clinical Training Program in the department, and is now the director of the university’s Positive Psychology Center, and considered one of the founders of Positive Psychology: the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive; focusing on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.
Dr. Seligman’s early work on the phenomenon of learned helplessness in animals was initially applied to understanding pessimism. Yet Seligman's perspective broadened when, by chance, a literary agent suggested that perhaps his work was about optimism, not pessimism. Energized by this suggestion, Seligman wrote his landmark book, Learned Optimism - How to Change Your Mind And Your Life, laying the foundation for his thinking regarding Positive Psychology. Later, expanding this focus goes on to author three related books that follow - The Optimistic Child in 1996, Authentic Happiness in 2002, and Flourish in 2011.
Let’s take a quick review of the foundation of Dr. Seligman’s work, including learned helplessness, optimism, and later positive psychology. I believe there exist worthwhile insights that we might well apply to our understanding and pursuit of both secular and spiritual happiness. Based on Seligman’s research, each of us, in a sense, carries in our heart a “no,” or a “yes” – the first step being to determine the word we each carry. Those with a “no” are impacted by what Seligman labeled “Learned Helplessness” - a giving-up reaction - a quitting response, surfacing from the belief that whatever we do, it will not matter. Then, based on our “Explanatory Style” - how we habitually explain to ourselves why events happen to us – it can be determined if we lean towards a “yes” based optimistic explanatory style, limiting helplessness, or a “no” based pessimistic style, which spreads it.
Dr. Seligman theorized that the defining characteristic of pessimists is that they believe bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do, and are their own fault. Optimists, on the other hand, think about misfortune oppositely. They believe the defect is not their fault: circumstances, bad luck, or other people brought it about. Confronted with a bad situation, optimists perceive it as a challenge and try harder. But most importantly, Seligman also realized: that pessimists can learn to be optimists.
What is crucial is what you think when you fail,
using the power of “non-negative thinking”-
changing the destructive things you say to yourself
when you experience the setbacks that life deals
out is the central skill of optimism.
Seligman's book Learned Optimism teaches us to change our explanatory style. It provides a comprehensive approach to developing what Seligman refers to as “flexible optimism.” It addresses how we address adversity and our beliefs using documented techniques, such as disputing, distracting, distancing, and arguing with ourselves to change our negative perspective.
Part Three of the Finding God On The Train Story titled Mind Control – The Control Of Consciousness, provides a more advanced perspective of actual mind control techniques, including mindfulness, along with incorporating the seven facets of consciousness into the reader’s personal, positive approach to spirituality and control of consciousness.
In the late 1990s, Dr. Seligman was elected president of The American Psychological Association and began applying his work to create a theory of “happiness/well-being.” He joined forces with another leading researcher, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, incorporating his landmark research on FLOW: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience to lay the research and theoretical base for the positive psychology movement.
In his book Authentic Happiness, published in 2002, Seligman theorized that happiness and well-being - defined as the desired outcomes of Positive Psychology – are, in turn, the result of positive emotions. These emotions may be based on the past - exhibited by satisfaction, contentment, and pride; the future – displayed by optimism, hope, confidence, trust, and faith; and in the present - described in the following three categories of emotions: gratifications – activities we like doing; higher pleasures such as bliss, glee, and comfort; and bodily pleasures such as scrumptiousness, warmth, and orgasm.
Much of the happiness or well-being discussion focuses on “gratifications,” which the theory and research suggest cannot be obtained or permanently increased without the development of personal “strengths and virtues.” Three criteria for strengths are proposed and outlined as follows:
- Valued in almost every culture;
- Valued in their own right (just not a means to an end).
- They are malleable.
Those “strengths” that are deeply characteristic of us are “Signature Strengths,” with the highest success in living and the deepest satisfaction resulting from building and using these signature strengths. “Virtues” were researched and studied across the millennia and cultures, resulting in six core virtues: (1) Wisdom and knowledge; (2) courage; (3) love and humanity; (4) justice; (5) temperance; and (6) spirituality and transcendence. These strengths and virtues serve us in good moments and are specially tested when ill fortune strikes.
The good life is using our signature strengths every day to produce authentic happiness and abundant gratification. According to Seligman, this is something we can learn to do in each of the main realms of our lives: that is, work, love, and raising children. There are also levels of well-being or happiness - just as well-being needs to be anchored in strengths and virtues, these, in turn, need to be anchored in something larger. As the good life is something beyond the pleasant life; the meaningful life is beyond a good life. Worth noting is that statements about the “meaningful life,” as applied to positive psychology, seem to converge on aspects of spiritual happiness and enlightenment we will discuss shortly.
In 2011, Dr. Seligman’s book, Flourish – A Visionary New Understanding Of Happiness And Well-Being, was published, reframing his authentic happiness theory - as a “Theory of Well-Being,” with the measure of well-being, defined as “flourishing.” Well-being has five measurable elements (PERMA) in Seligman’s latest work that count towards it: positive emotion (of which happiness and life satisfaction are aspects); engagement; relationships; meaning; and achievement. No one element defines well-being, but each contributes to it. The goal of Positive Psychology, as noted in Well-Being Theory, is to increase the amount of flourishing in our lives and on the planet. To flourish, an individual must have all the core features of PERMA - and three of the six additional features; which include self-esteem, optimism, resilience, vitality, self-determination, and positive relationships.
The book, Flourish, offers applied practices: such as; WWW (What Went Well) Exercises, where we are asked every night to write down three things that went well during the day, and why they went well. The Signature Strength Exercises encourage us to own our signature strengths, by finding new and more frequent ways to use them. A signature strength is further defined, in “Flourish,” to include the following hallmarks: ownership and authenticity; excitement displaying it; rapid learning curve; finding new ways to use it; the desire to use it often; invigoration using it; personal projects revolve around it; feelings of joy, zest, and enthusiasm using it. We are encouraged to take the strengths survey on the positive psychology website, listed below, and work to find new ways to utilize our designated strengths each week. I strongly recommend reading Flourish to expand on these and related topics, as well as completing all the exercises used to increase personal Flourishing.
In the twenty-plus years since its initial inception, Positive Psychology has spawned a variety of applied positive psychology degree programs, along with large-scale educational and organizational change initiatives. The Positive Psychology Center site at the University of Pennsylvania is an excellent resource for understanding these programs:
Likewise, The Authentic Happiness site - Dr. Seligman’s homepage at the University of Pennsylvania, offers an astonishing variety of questionnaires and inventories, already utilized and validated by millions of participants, which will enable you to measure your level of Authentic Happiness and determine your signature strengths
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu.
I have personally participated in most of the tests, inventories, and assessments on this site, finding them to be very useful, and for me at least, amazingly insightful. These links are also available on the right-hand sidebar of the original Finding God In The Train Story blog marked Positive Psychology Websites.
It is important to note that Seligman concludes his book Authentic Happiness with this sentiment - “I am not sophomoric enough to put forward a complete theory of meaning, but I do know that it consists in attachment to something larger, and the larger the entity to which you attach yourself, the more meaning in your life. Positive Psychology points the way toward a secular approach to a noble purpose and transcendent meaning – and, even more astonishingly, towards a God who is not supernatural.”
The belief that we can rely on shortcuts to happiness,
joy, rapture, comfort, and ecstasy, rather than be entitled
to these feelings by the exercise of strengths and virtues,
leads to legions of people who in the middle of great wealth
are starving spiritually.
Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Founder of Positive Psychology
THE “HAPPY” SONG PHENOMENON
Although Dr. Seligman, quoted above, reminds us that there are no shortcuts to happiness: I might argue the point, at least for a fix of temporary happiness, citing an outbreak of happiness created by Pharrell Williams’ hit song and video, simply titled, “Happy.” The song has been extremely successful, peaking at number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and 19 other countries, with an initial sales of 5.6 million copies in the U.S. alone. The video has created a virtual phenomenon. Before I fill in the details, let’s test my hypothesis, by watching the original video below, and honestly assessing if we feel a surge of happiness, and maybe, even a few tears of joy.
Click on the YouTube link above To Connect with the Official Pharrell Williams – Happy Music Video on YouTube with lyrics - currently with 961,507,284 views.
Now that you have watched the video, first, was the happiness contagious? Did the lyrics fully convey that this emotion we call happiness, does not just happen to you, it springs from you? Let’s look at the main lyrics:
“Happy” By Pharrell Williams
Verse 1:
It might seem crazy what I’m about to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way
Chorus:
Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy, clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do
Verse 2:
Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,
Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold it back, yeah,
Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine, yeah,
No offense to you, don’t waste your time Here’s why
Bridge:
(Happy) Bring me down
Can’t nothing bring me down
My level’s too high bring me down
Can’t nothing bring me down
I said (let me tell you now) bring me down
Can’t nothing bring me down
My level’s too high
Bring me down
Can’t nothing bring me down
I believe that for all of us listening to this message – the billion plus souls that were touched by this particular video undertaking alone – the song expresses the possibility that happiness does not just appear in our lives, but must be grasped for, actively accepted, and then continually declared – knowing full well the world is structured to bring us down with “this and that,” impede our attempted expression of happiness. Yet, in the end, for each of us, it is our choice to be happy or not. Such a powerful message. No wonder our souls respond with an unrestrained – YES!
It was Ann who, late one night in early 2014, suggested I watch this video - by Pharrell Williams, a singer, songwriter, and producer, originally from Virginia Beach, based on a song that was featured on the soundtrack of the 2013 movie Despicable Me 2 and republished in early 2014 as the leading song of Williams’ second studio album, titled Girl. I said to Ann, that it was strange she should mention Pharrell Williams, since he was featured on two Grammy-nominated songs I had been listening to, Get Lucky by Daft Punk, and Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. Although, I hadn’t heard his Happy song since our grandson had seen the movie with his other grandparents.
A little later that evening, as we were getting ready for bed, I could hear Ann repeatedly watching this Happy video, over and over, its catchy melody and lyrics repeating on her iPad. I asked, cautiously, why she kept listening to the same video - she looked up, smiling, and said, “you should see this, there are thousands of “Happy” videos, from all over the world, even our hometown has produced a very sophisticated video, with local notables dancing and singing to the soundtrack.
It turns out when the Happy song was originally re-released as a single, in November of 2013 - in preparation for what I would assume was Williams’ early 2014 release of his studio CD, Girl – accompanied with the video above, along with a companion website - 24HourHappy.com - https://youtu.be/i0A3-wc0rpw featuring the world’s first 24-hour music video; overflowing with a host of guest celebrities singing and dancing to this Happy song, as Pharrell Williams opened each song segment.
The Happy videos became an instant sensation, spawning countless cover videos on YouTube, usually labeled Pharrell Williams – Happy – We Are Happy from (name of the city). Inspired by this global phenomenon, a French couple launched a website – We Are Happy From - to gather all the Happy videos at one internet location. As of August 2014, more than 1,950 Happy music videos from 153 countries had been created, many still available on YouTube. There is also a We Are Happy From a Facebook page and a Twitter site, for a thrill, go to one of these sites and take a world Happy tour – it is amazing!
I want to continue our experiment, doing some low-cost mood-altering, as we proceed on with the remainder of this chapter and the book, by asking you to invest in the online purchase of the Happy song from iTunes, or whatever site you use to download music via the internet that is if you are not already one of the billion who own the song. Next, I am going to suggest that you set the Happy song as the alarm sound on your phone, or related device, to wake you up in the morning, or whatever time of day you start. If you participate in this experiment, I believe you will find it hard to shake this song's meme-like quality, and you will spend the start of your day, every day, focusing on being happy.
I believe, this Happy song phenomenon is a clear indication that a vast number of people on our planet are just tired of living in an unhappy world, wishing desperately for something positive and awe-inspiring to lift them, their families, their communities, their countries, and all humankind in general, out of the mire of depression and hopelessness we seem to have created for ourselves. You may say this is only a band-aid, but I say, when you are bleeding, a band-aid is a great start.
So, as I am putting the finishing touches to this revised edition of Chapter Eight – More Heaven On Earth – Finding Love And Happiness, with the inclusion of the Happy song phenomenon section above: Ann, a Green Bay Packers fan and shareholder, received an email from the Packers home office that Pharrell Williams will musically kick off the opening Thursday night football game of the 2014 NFL season, between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers, in Seattle. I am sure the Happy song will be featured on the setlist.
THE PURSUIT OF SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS
A leading pioneer in the study of the pursuit of happiness - linking both the secular and the spiritual realms - is Robert Holden, PhD., and author of the book Happiness Now!. He, through his counseling and seminars conducted as part of The Happiness Project, has revealed some fascinating notions relating to our human approach to happiness. For example, Holden asserts, that many of us have “Happychondria,” a fear of being happy, while others feel they are unworthy of happiness. Holden suggests living unconditionally and practicing acceptance, and goes on to write:
It is, after all, impossible to be happy and play small,
to be happy and hide, to be happy and inauthentic.,...
the real reason happiness feels so good is that when
you are truly happy, you are being yourself - your
unconditional, original self.
As I reveal the messages I received from God regarding spiritual happiness, you may notice the similarities to Holden’s work, which I will continue to quote throughout this section, and often to Seligman’s, which we have just reviewed. I also highly recommend reading Happiness Now!
After reading my related Meditation Guidance for this section, I have realized that secular happiness, maybe fleeting because it is only grounded in the physical world and not in the spiritual. We survey our lives; they may be abundant and full, but even when we are happy with the result, there is still something missing. I believe what is missing is a connection with our Divine self and God.
Spiritual happiness, unlike joy, peace, and love, does not seem to exist internally, waiting for us to reach a place where we can experience the emotion of “happiness” coming from within – but is more of a summation of all these emotions combined - a result of all of our spiritual and life activity. So happiness, in a spiritual sense, may be an appropriate synonym for enlightenment - what we feel when we are living a life of joy, peace, and love - experiencing our full heaven on earth.
Unlike my work on love, I started by first asking God for guidance upfront. This past Saturday morning, sitting in my library, I received the following guidance listed below, aptly titled Happiness, which, I believe provides a good starting point for this section. Happiness is defined not as an action, but in the guidance as an assessment: described as a “sense of delightful balance, a confirmation that we have spiritually arrived.”
HAPPINESS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Happiness is not an action but an assessment of where
you are now –a description of the culmination of the
positive forces in your life, a sense of delightful balance –
a confirmation you have arrived: living authentically;
spiritually connected, actualized, and of one mind
with the Divine self - orchestrating a cooperative ego
and an operational self. Happiness is being aware of and
living your perfect life now.
Happiness is being all, being one, fully loving, being
joyful, and at peace. It is nirvana, the perfect state
of active enlightenment – all is well with your Soul
and you are awash with the elation of it all –
a connected bliss founded in a genuine, authentic,
purposeful life – not found in material wealth but
spiritual wealth – for you are prosperous, abundant
and overflowing with the gifts of life.
Happiness is the sum of the parts – the apex of our
physical, mental, and spiritual lives – no conflict,
no doubt, no fear, only positive movement with the
flow of the universe – a pure vibration of the awakening
of the God within you at one with its destiny – its mission –
its power - the ecstasy of being and accepting your
own destiny.
NOE BY G. 3.26.2011 8:45 AM
Along with the references to bliss and ecstasy, it is essential to note that in this opening guidance above, the key elements of spiritual happiness – “the perfect state of active enlightenment” - include some of the key themes we have discussed in this chapter: living genuinely, authentically; being spiritually connected; self-actualized; and living based on the Divine self. Here exists happiness, where we are at the apex of our physical, mental, and spiritual lives.
Happiness challenges us to make peace with ourselves.
Happiness Now! Robert Holden, Ph.D.
The issue of genuine, authentic living has been a major theme of my Meditation Guidance since the beginning; pushing me to listen to my inner voice and work with the Divinity within me. Here is early guidance from a Wednesday morning commute titled a Perfect Life.
PERFECT LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
As a creation of God, you are able to obtain a Perfect Life.
The qualities of God exist within you, the potential for God
perfection is your essence and birthright.
A perfect life is genuine/authentic life. It is the life you
are designed to live, the life that will reveal your full
potential. Perfect life exists and is within your grasp
if you reveal the true message – the guidance that leads
you to this existence.
Listen to your inner voice – your God Soul and understand
where it is calling you. Where you are now maybe close
or not, but do not despair. The movement toward
authentic perfect life is a force that will prepare
the way if you let it. Listen and understand.
Frustration, anxiety, and despair are all indications
that you are on the wrong path or need adjustment.
All you need to do is stop resisting, take the lesson
and understand what is lacking or not. Look towards
your joy or excitement. Envision the perfect life,
role-play, dream, and let this expression reveal it to you.
You are on the road to this genuine, authentic,
perfect life. Move-in this direction and prepare when
needed. Be honest and willing to risk what is needed –
be willing to work and adapt. Work with the Divinity
within you to reveal your destiny.
NOE BY G. 8.13.2008 8:00 AM
When you are truly happy, you are being yourself.
Happiness Now! Robert Holden, Ph.D.
One of the greatest hurdles to experiencing happiness is self–acceptance, overcoming our ego-based thoughts that we are not worthy of happiness, have not earned it, or we do not deserve it, because of some transgression committed in the past. So often we act like Wayne and Garth in the Wayne’s World movies, who when meeting a celebrity, or presented with an opportunity, fall to our knees in homage chanting “We Are Not Worthy.”
To withhold self-acceptance is to judge you’re not
worthy of happiness. You cannot, however, have low
self-acceptance and happiness.
Happiness Now! Robert Holden, Ph.D.
Let us turn to my guidance from God on this point, and understand that we need to accept who we are, and where we are, to obtain spiritual happiness and enlightenment, as outlined in some excerpts from my guidance below.
ACCEPTANCE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
You must strive to accept who you are, where you are,
and what you are, to find peace and so learn
that the experiences of your life do not determine
your life.
Life experiences are often challenging, frustrating,
and at times appear insurmountable, but they are only
momentary – temporary - and your fear focus makes
them appear incomprehensible and insurmountable
when they are merely a moment in time.
Acceptance and non-resistance are the keys to surviving
and growing as a spiritual being. So today, accept and react
without emotion, knowing it is as it should be. You are
as you should be, and life is on track.
Excerpt NOE BY G. 4.19.2010 7:50 AM
ACCEPT YOUR LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Accept your life - what is occurring in your life - and go
with the stream of life. To accept is to cease resisting –
fighting – working against what is already set in motion
to happen. To accept, you need to mix surrender with
the belief – the belief that resistance will not accomplish
your objectives.
Excerpt NOE BY G. 5.1.2008 7:45 AM
RELEASE, ACCEPT, RELAX, AND ENJOY -
MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Accept what is your life now – all of it – every aspect –
accept and be thankful for what you are receiving.
At times radical acceptance is required – forcing
acceptance even when you are sure it is not what
you want or have had any intention of cocreating.
Excerpt NOE BY G. 10.28.2009 7:50 AM
As you see from the three excerpts listed above, I have had a problem with acceptance and non-resistance - so the message has been repeated to get me to frame a more positive approach. A key to being happy requires the control of the ego, which will enable us to accept who we are and where we are in life. Acceptance requires the control of the mind and the ego, both topics of Part Three of the Finding God On The Train Story focused on mind control and the control of consciousness.
I am going to conclude our discussion on spiritual happiness, its impact on enlightenment, and the creation of heaven on earth, with the Meditation Guidance I received just a few days ago, after asking God if I was heading in the right direction with this section on happiness. The first sentence offers a poetic definition of spiritual happiness as a ”single harmonic existence when all aspects of your body, mind, and spirit play in harmony … a symphony of authentic, purposeful life emitting full creation … every intention energized with the power of rightness … joy, peace, and love fueled by a connection with God.” Could there be any state more desirable than this? I think not.
HARMONIC HAPPINESS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Single harmonic existence when all aspects of your body,
mind, and spirit play in harmony – synchronized –
in perfect oneness, all playing and striking pure wholeness -
a symphony of authentic purposeful life emitting
full creation – the creative power of Divine existence.
Every thought, every movement, every intention, energized
with the power of rightness – expressing
the full chord of all existence – the expression of purpose.
Happiness is joy, peace, and love fueled by a connection
with God, and the elimination of internal conflict –
mind, and spirit move in unison towards
the acceptance of their own Divinity.
This is life in pure Divine oneness.
This is life singing with the voice and breath of God
in harmony with all creation.
NOE BY G. 3.27.2011 8.45 AM
Let us take a moment here to reflect on all that we have covered in regard to happiness, along with its relationship to joy, peace, love, and enlightenment. First, I think most readers would agree, based on my guidance, that the pursuit of happiness is a God-given expectation, and in the U.S.A., at least, our founding fathers considered it a basic right, along with life and liberty, worthy enough to ignite a revolution. Can you survive without it? Of course, you can, but I would add, that living without happiness is like driving your car with the emergency brake engaged permanently, you will eventually stress your entire system and prematurely self-destruct. Does it take work to accomplish? Yes, it does, but it is an effort well spent.
Now, let’s look at the ingredients needed to create some happiness in our lives. First joy, peace, and love - with all of the steps that have been listed in previous sections - must be well underway to being accomplished and mastered. Happiness is obtained when we have worked our way through the Heaven On Earth Game levels and have mastered finding joy, peace, and love in our lives while being fully connected with God. Happiness is truly the perfect state of active enlightenment. We need to master the following at this level as we work to overcome all doubt, fear, and resistance.
1. Harmonic existence – all aspects of our body, mind,
and spirit live in harmony. Perfect oneness, health,
and wholeness.
2. Spiritually connected with God and our Divine self.
3. Complete Self-Actualization – fully self-accepting -
convinced of our ability to obtain, and our worthiness
and right, to possess happiness.
4. Living a Genuine/Authentic Purposeful Life in full
cocreation, every intention energized with the power
of rightness.
ENLIGHTENMENT - HEAVEN ON EARTH
Are we capable of experiencing Enlightenment - Heaven On Earth, rather than creating hell? Is this our Divine purpose? Is this our next stage of evolution, where we stretch our consciousness, expanding our mental capacity by harnessing the full powers of our minds until we each have the ability to cocreate our existence, our happiness flushed with joy, peace, and love – perhaps providing the same evolutionary moment as did the first fire – producing warmth and renewed life, unheard of previously, for all humankind? Is this awakening occurring right on cue, hardwired in our Souls to make us wander from the caves of our ego restricted minds and create spiritual fire this time? Has God, Source, the Universe, or whatever names we care to use to describe the master of this consciousness of life that hardwired us to move into this new life, and create this new earth?
I believe the answer is yes. Simply yes, and now is the time! I believe the message I have received, and I am conveying here in Part Two - The Message of the Finding God On The Train Story - echoes the voices in the wilderness of so many others who are also receiving this call to action - and provides a reference for making this spiritual and life transformation.
Our discussion on Heaven On Earth – Joy, Peace, Love, and Happiness describes the result of this effort towards spiritual enlightenment and outlines some basic guidance we each will need to master in reaching for our awakening and entry into the heaven that is waiting for us. Our efforts with this awakening will communally impact the consciousness of all who live on this planet through a combined vibrational force of renewal. But, will everyone reach the same level of consciousness? No, I believe we will each find the amount of enlightenment that we desire, and are comfortable with pursuing, but each person, who does move forward on the path, will create, for all, positive change for the better.
As I close this chapter with an Affirmative Thought titled Right Course, I can feel our spiritual train gaining speed, and want to thank you for continuing on this journey with me, wishing for you all the Joy, Peace, Love, and Happiness of Heaven On Earth!
RIGHT COURSE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today know you are on the right course
and moving in the desired direction
to fulfill your destiny and manifest
your heaven on earth – heaven full
of joy, peace, love, and happiness –
meaningful existence.
Today know you are on the right course
and listen only to your heart –
the still small voice of divine direction
offering subtle guidance indicating
the way forward – suggesting possible
solutions – creating coincidences –
opening previously shut doors.
Today know you are on the right path –
go with confidence, clear intentions,
and enthusiasm to your paradise.
AT BY G. 4.11.2010
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CLOSING NOTE ON ENLIGHTENMENT
As we have explored love and happiness in this section, we have been engaged in what I would describe as a search for the truth related to spiritual enlightenment. For me, especially in ferreting out how love contributes to our heaven on earth, it has felt like deep-sea diving, where I have had to submerge myself in Divine consciousness to come to the surface with a pearl of wisdom now and then. As the Meditation Guidance below refers to this, truth mining is an essential personal practice needed for clarifying and utilizing our guidance.
TRUTH MINING - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Spiritually, we must all be miners of the truth that will
truly set us free. This truth is a current running through
all conscious life, revealing the clear purpose and Divine
meaning of this existential experience.
Each day, let us don our helmets and begin to mine
for both the apparent and the not so obvious truths,
waiting for our discovery. Knowing each is a kernel
of God’s essence – a piece of the puzzle of existence
that will enlighten us and grow us.
Spiritual truth, of course, begins with an individual
or personal truth, for on the surface an untrue
consciousness cannot mine for the deeper gems
existing within. Open yourself up to revealing
and accepting the truth of all things.
This truth is not critical or caustic, but civil and honest,
the real truth is potent in its healing power, even if
at times, it is uncomfortable and uneasy.
As you mine your individual and spiritual truth,
be open to the rethinking or reflection needed
to bring you towards a truthful equilibrium.
Take each truth to God in prayer and meditation,
letting it grow like a seed in spring until it is lived
fully in your life.
NOE BY G. 4.28.2013 9:25 AM
CLOSING AFFIRMATIONS
As we discussed, affirmations are positive statements announcing to God – Universal Mind – and to our subconscious mind, how we view the world and what we expect to occur during the day, or in our life. It is a powerful way to use the Law of Mind Action, or Attraction, to frame our reality and set positive expectations.
As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I enjoy writing affirmations so I can tailor them to my mood and life experience at the moment. As we have learned, love is an essential ingredient in our recipe for enlightenment, so let’s start with an affirmation that pushes us beyond our separateness and into a connection, centering our being in love for all we encounter.
FINDING LOVE
Today I relinquish the illusion of separateness, exalting
the truth that I am one and the same with all I encounter,
connected through the consciousness of God, I am a relation
to the world, to all sentient life, and in this regard, I connect
the love within me with the love of others, family, all. I feel
this love surge from within my Soul like a tidal wave of
grace, flowing from me, to me, surrounding all I encounter
with potent, powerful, lasting love. I am a lover of the
world.
Next, let us turn our sights on writing an affirmation for happiness. We have learned that this happiness must come from within, especially as we realize our genuine, authentic nature or calling, allowing well-being to be fostered in both our secular and spiritual realities. I believe the following affirmation expresses these sentiments.
FINDING HAPPINESS
The essence of happiness exists within my Soul. I affirm
and establish that all facets of my life, both secular and
spiritual, come together for my betterment and the greater
good, with my authentic life etched from my intentions
and desires, cocreated with spirit into something tangible,
worthy, and formidable. I find true and lasting happiness
in every enterprise and encounter.
Try your hand at writing your own affirmations, or feel free to take one of the love or happiness-related Affirmative Thoughts on the blog and adapt it to your needs.
Love and happiness have been the subjects of numerous Affirmative Thoughts posted on the blog. The first Affirmative Thought below reminds us that true love must start with our own self-love, followed by the closing note on happiness, reminding us that we have the ability to ignite our happiness, setting any day ablaze.
LOVING YOURSELF TODAY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Focus on loving yourself today –
start with a kind word, move on to
recognizing all you have accomplished
lately, how about a special treat for
hanging in, going the extra mile,
always being supportive.
Focus on loving yourself today –
insist on a rest from the busy schedule,
perhaps a nap to recuperate or just
some alone time to recharge, offering
all with a smile, and a sincere look
of compassion and empathy.
Focus on loving yourself today
just like you love all the meaningful
others in your life, practicing patience,
tolerance, forgiveness, acceptance, and
kindness: reminding yourself often what
it is that you actually love so much about yourself –
wiping away the tear of gratitude at the thought.
Love yourself today!
AT BY G. 8.2011.12
THIS DAY ABLAZE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Set this day ablaze with your enthusiasm
for living, with your zest for life – refusing
to compromise one moment of this precious
existence with less than complete and total
commitment to purposeful, authentic action.
Set this day ablaze with your positive life
affirming perspective – knowing that a
“yes” attitude is based on Divine strength,
overcoming doubt, fear, and worry –
instilling every cell, instead, with the
energy to reach its full potential and
for you to grasp your magnificence.
Set this day ablaze lighting up the world
with your joy, igniting a spark of wonder
and hope in all you encounter – being
and instilling a sense of attainable
happiness within each Soul you touch.
Set this day ablaze!
AT BY G. 9.20.2012
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