Welcome to Day 40–did you make it through all 40 days? It gets long, doesn’t it? Just a reminder: The next 10 days are “rest” days for this Journey, during which time I will post one last time about my self-assessment for this Journey. Then we begin a Journey of Rest. Like on the 7th day, we rest for the 7th Journey. During this time I’ll do some alternative article-writing, which I hope will inspire and entertain you while we recuperate from the 2017 Journeys and gear-up for 2018. and then…I have some exciting news. The Journeys are now being formalized into online classes. Beginning in 2018, I will offer personalized guidance, support, encouragement, and inspiration for those wanting to take their spiritual practice/seeking to the next level. Stay tuned on that. For now…Thank you for being here and adding your light to the world. Blessings to you.

Guiding Thought

Knowing the essence of All as my Self, I respect and revere All Life. I love my Self; I love All Life. I bring this Love regularly, sincerely, and thankfully to all my activities and interactions. I now Know the Peace inherent in Oneness. I Know All as my Self. I Know my Self as Love.

Reflection

I love this phrase: “I love my Self”. I used to have a hard time even thinking about loving myself. Now I love saying it to myself and hearing it from myself! I love Love!

You know that I very often ask such questions as “how do I do [it]” or “how do I know”, right?

Well, over the past few days, I’ve been in a situation that has helped me to understand how one knows. Be forewarned: it is not clearly logical or rational, ultimately, the answer is, “you just know”. I think I am getting more comfortable with that answer.

So the question is (or the questions are), how do I know if I am At Peace or how do I know if I perceive Oneness or how do I know if I’m even doing anything.

A lot of times I don’t know–not emotionally, not intellectually, not physically. And I now see that it is due to what I now call “the point of diminishing contrast”.

You see, I hang out pretty much with people who a) are good communicators b) value peace and harmony in relationships and home c) care about spiritual values and actualizing them in the world. In short, I hang out with people who work at having clear minds/hearts, and living from that pure space.

This is the point of diminishing contrast: I vibrate with the folks I hang out with on a similar wavelength that reflects our values. There is less contrast between me and my friends than between me and someone who thinks and acts from (let’s call it) “lower self” values. It is harder to discern “how much” Peace I actually embody, if I don’t have a contrasting point of view.

Every once in a while it hits me: “most people don’t think or live like this”. I understand intellectually that my mind and life are smoother, more peaceful than most people’s. But it’s not like I understand the extent to which my life is smoother.

I’ve recently been given the gift of interacting with someone on a daily basis, who (how shall I say this?)…who’s mind is in chaos, and I can see it.

This is part of the bigger, “ultimate” answer of: you just know. When you get to a certain point of experience, you can recognize what you know in other people. This is true in many areas, not just that of spiritual growth. People who have been in recovery can recognize symptoms of alcohol disease in others before the others may recognize it. People who have reclaimed their lives after abusive relationships can recognize the symptoms of abuse. When people focus and learn the skills and behaviors of Peace, it becomes clear when someone is not at peace.

In this particular situation, the contrast is so great, I can practically see exactly how this person’s mind spins, the effects that the spinning has, and how it plays out in the life of this person. It’s just so obvious.

I have to say, this has been a draining situation. I am not used to working with people who are so not-self-aware, and so embroiled in their their mind’s antics. It has been educational on very many levels, and I am thankful for all of them. I can now identify my own Peace much better, and I bless and ask for Peace for those who do not have this awareness.