Guiding Thought

In Perfect Love there is no lack, only complete abundance. Perfect Love is Perfect Fulfillment. When I am aware of my Oneness with Perfect Love, I have everything; I am everything. With a mind fully aware of its own Fullness in Perfect Love, I have perfect faith in my creations, as they are of the same mind as Perfect Love.

Reflection

You know what I just saw for the first time? “With a mind fully aware…” Get it?

Mind fully…mindfully. haaaaaaaaa.

What ‘s even funnier is that it’s about being mind fully aware, which… isn’t that the definition of mindfully?

Of course, the meaning in the Guiding Thought is different than the definition of mindfully. Mindfully means being aware, and utilizing psychological and/or behavioral practices to bring attention to the relationship between one’s internal state and external experiences; mind fully means the mind is completely and totally filled–super-saturated.

Baroness von Sketch  is a Canadian comedy/sketch show that has a cast and crew comprised of predominantly women, and some (not all) of its sketches represent topics that are generally more important to women–like children, pregnancy, women in the workplace, etc.

The other day, there was a sketch about a group of women visiting a woman who had recently given birth (she was sitting on the sofa breastfeeding her newborn with a nursing cover). The sketch began with everyone encouraging, happy, and excited. Then the new mother made the comment, “I just can’t believe this overwhelming feeling that I have of love to my baby” (paraphrased–I don’t remember the exact comment).

With that, one of the visiting women said (again paraphrased), “You can’t believe it?…have you not listened to all of us, when we’ve had our children, how we have gone on and on about that feeling? Did you not hear about that feeling in your birthing class? I can’t believe you can’t believe it, where have you been? Did you not know what to expect…when you’re expecting?” and on and on for an uncomfortable length of time (good old Canadian humor).

As I was watching this, I thought…yeah, but there’s a difference between hearing about something and having the understanding that comes only through experience. 

Of course I thought about the Journeys–how many concepts do I “hear” (or read) on these Journeys, that I have either never experienced, or have experienced only a fraction of their ultimate potential?

I would love to tell you that I know exactly what Perfect Love is. I would love to tell you that I know what Perfect Fulfillment is. But the truth is, I am learning. I am not there.

How many times do parents tell their children, “you need to take a shower…comb your hair…tuck your shirt in…” Or “clean your room”. Or “say please and thank you” Or any number of things that parents know are important? Over and over and over…until…Until there’s that student the child has a crush on and wants to look good for…until a special someone is coming over to study in the bedroom…until the child is meeting that special someone’s parents for the first time. Then all that talk sinks in, and viola! the behavior changes.

What matters is what is important to you (what you value--the 8th day of each round of this Journey). Hearing stuff over and over does not make it important to you, and does not make you want to learn it.

On any spiritual journey, there is kind of a leading-following-leading that happens after you’ve decided what’s important to you and committed yourself to learning it.

First, you lead Spirit by showing It you are interested in learning (for example by communicating with your inner self, or by praying, or tithing, or reading spiritual books, or doing contemplative practices like these Journeys). You demonstrate to Spirit that you value It, that It’s important to you. This is you leading yourself to Spirit.

Then Spirit responds, and shows you something. It can be a realization you get from song lyrics; it can be seeing a conflict in a new way; it can be finding an article that addresses something you were just wondering about; it can be any number of things, so you need to pay attention.

When you notice what Spirit shows you, you are following Spirit. Yeah, the point is to follow. Don’t just notice when Spirit shows you something, follow it (as I will be doing with my insight about mindful / mind full). That means, think about it; think about how it’s relevant to other areas of your life; think about how you can use the showing to increase love, acceptance, forgiveness in your life.

The combination of you continually showing Spirit what you value, and then following Its leading, creates better communication between the two of you–you trust Spirit, It trusts you, you are both working cooperatively toward what is important.

When this confidence builds up between you, there comes a turning point, in which Spirit begins to lead you, without you first leading It. Spirit trusts that when you say you value It, that you mean it, and that you pay attention and act upon it.

Have you ever held someone’s ankles, while they hold yours, and you roll each other forward? That’s what it’s like when you get in the groove with Spirit. Your mutual momentum hurls you forward on the path of Light.