Something that has become quite clear to me with the current events of the world is how we humans still have the propensity to make enemies.

When stuff happens in our lives, we look for someone to blame. A hurricane occurs, lives are lost, homes are destroyed, chaos reigns … suddenly the U.S. government is at fault. Our employments ends … we fixate on our boss being too greedy, or too demanding. Our relationship ends and our mind is full of what they did or didn’t do that ruined it. Something happens in our circle of influence, and suddenly we start feeling like people are out to get us.

Granted, many of us in New Thought, move beyond that enemy-making period and take responsibility for our part in the event … but that first response bothers me. How can we get past making them wrong?

Perhaps we have to get honest. Nothing is really about the other person or people – it is about ourselves. Taking responsibility for our creations is partly how we choose to respond to what we’ve created. I remember the last year of my marriage – feeling like I was on a hamster-wheel of resentment. I had a litany of grievances that went through my mind constantly – the main one being “He’s so emotionally unavailable.” It wasn’t until I had moved 3,000 miles away that I realized I was unavailable. Then I tried to blame it on him – “If he wasn’t so unavailable, I wouldn’t have shut down.” In getting honest with myself, I realized that I chose to withdraw in retaliation. And it wasn’t until I realized my choices that I was able to stop making him the enemy and forgive – not only him, but myself.

Colin Tipping, founder of the wonderful Radical Forgiveness technique, sent an e-letter suggesting that we forgive the hurricane. Here’s a link to his example: www.radicalforgiveness.com/content/katrina.asp
Perhaps we could use this for other situations in our world, globally or personally.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “He prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small.” Many of us are praying daily for the survivors and their families of not only Hurricane Katrina, but the people in the Middle East, and in our own neighborhoods. Have a look at where you have created enemies before you sit down to pray today. Praying without forgiveness is not loving all things great and small.

Grateful Blessings, Rev. Angelica

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT
There is only One Heart – the compassionate heart of The Divine. There is only One Mind – the infinitely intelligent Divine Mind. These things are absolutely everywhere – not separate, but One – One incredibly impeccable Creative Energy that flows though and is all things, including me.
I now choose to be open to knowing where I have created enemies in my heart and mind, and I release them. I forgive and I let go. Infinite Intelligence moves through me, guiding me in the right choices, the right responses to my world.
I open my heart to the One Heart, and I love all life, big and little. I let my life be a blessing to my world. One moment at a time, I choose to see the perfection of The Divine in all Its manifestations.
Gratefully I release these words, knowing they are already so, and so it is.