Guiding Thought

The purpose of Life for all beings is to experience happiness, peace, contentment, and safety, Knowing the Oneness and Immortality of the Divine Self. Such Knowledge is beyond speech, beyond thought; it is found in the depths of the heart where communion (co-union) with All is reality. Bring the unifying force within your heart to all people and experiences and thus Know yourself as the happiness, peace, contentment, and safety You Are.

Reflection

I’ve had a heavy heart today. It was difficult to read and make sense of the Guiding Thought with this overwhelming feeling of how we–the human race–have failed the planet and all the beautiful, wonderful, incredible animals who share this space with us.

There are so many animals who are hurting at the hands of humans.

There are so many humans hurting at the hands of humans, too.

There is so much hurt in the world.

I feel so sad about all of the hurt.

It senseless. We are not here to hurt each other; we are not here to hurt the beloved animals. We are here to love All of Life.

This is why the Guiding Thought was difficult: How does it make sense when there is so much hurt? How can I talk about the purpose of Life being happiness, peace, contentment, and safety, when there is loneliness, sadness, abandonment, and threat of violence for so many? Who can even think about Oneness and the Immortality of the Divine Self when there is so much suffering?

I have been telling myself this is why I am doing this. I do this to lift people’s minds and hearts into a new understanding of Love and Peace, so that there will be that ripple effect and eventually, we will wash away the hurt with waves of Love. 

I do not feel consoled. I feel sad, and I feel angry. We need to do better. We are stewards of the earth and all her inhabitants. They depend on us to maintain the earth, our home, in harmony and balance, so everyone can live in Peace.

I feel angry because I know we can do it, and yet, we aren’t.

Begin today, I am asking you. Change one thing…one small thing, about your approach to all of life–the planet and her inhabitants–to respect and revere life more. Even if you already do a great job at this, do one more small thing.

• Give thanks to the earth.
• Give thanks to life.
• Bless the water (email me if you would like instructions!)
• Bless your garbage as you take it to the curb.
• Don’t kill that mosquito or that spider, bless it and thank it for crossing your path.
• When you pass a dead animal on the road think, “O lord, bless”.
• When you eat your food, give thanks and bless the earth for providing for you.
• When you get gas in your vehicle, give thanks for the animals that gave their lives millions of years ago that your car would be powered today.
• Add lonely and forgotten animals to your prayers.
• Ask the earth’s forgiveness for how we have treated her.
• Thank the rain for watering the plants.
• Feed the birds (and squirrels!).

Most of these do not require anything more than a moment of thought. Do you have one extra moment of thought every day to give thanks to life? I wish I could do it all, but I need your help; we all need your help. Until we restore the earth and her creatures to health, we all must help.