Friday, May 23, 2008

May 17

Today I am going to have my first real experience with weeds for this Spring. Most people don't like to weed, but for me weeding is a Sacred Practice. With the recent rains, there are lots of them, and as I pull each one, it is as if I am removing something from my subjective mind I have allowed to grow in my mental garden. Perhaps one area is filled with the belief in limitation, another area might be the belief in some negative aspects of aging. As the areas become weed-free, I can almost feel the plants breathing a sigh of relief, stretching their leaves to the light. Just like the thoughts for good in my mind that might be getting crowded out by the negative.

Your mind is a garden,

your thoughts are the seeds,

the harvest can be either flowers or weeds.

Author Unknown

As much as I don't want weeds in my garden, I have to give them credit for some lessons they have for me. As I pull them I notice weeds are actually beautiful little plants. I admire them in the meadow outside the church office. It is only my judgment of them that makes them bad for my garden. They are impersonal. They will gladly grow anywhere!

Weeds are not intimidated by the beauty of the roses, the strength and height of the trees or the green of the lawn. They don't compare, and they don't have to analyze the reason for their existence. They just grow. Do I?

Weeds will move concrete in driveways, boulders in the garden, and find the smallest crack in the wall to send up their stems! As I pull them, I admire the tenacity of dandelions. Where you pull one, two might grow. How committed they are to their growth! Am I?

As I pull weeds today, I bless the Life Within them, and am grateful for them as my teacher. I am grateful to the thoughts that no longer serve me as I release those as well.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

The Power and Love of the Universe is everywhere I look today. It surrounds me, and fulfills me. I can never be separate. It is my Life. I am spirit, having a spiritual experience that I call being human.

I choose to have my human life reflect the beauty and wisdom of The Divine. I pull the "weeds" from my mental garden, not because they are "bad" but because they no longer serve me.

I now plant seeds that flourish and grow and are able to be in service to humanity as well as to myself. I plant compassion and forgiveness. I plant love and liberty. I plant wisdom and a deep knowingness of the Truth of our being.

I am so grateful for being aware of the Source of all, and I acknowledge It in my mental garden with joy. I see my mental garden reflected in my life and this is good. I celebrate the Truth of these words, and release them knowing I am part of God's garden, healthy and beautiful!

And so it is.

I believe one of the reasons so many people signed up for the Oprah/Tolle web casts was because the subtitle of Tolle's book A New Earth is "Awakening to Your Life's Purpose." "How can I discover my Purpose?" is a question I have heard many times in my 22 years of ministry. Before then I asked it myself.

Western culture leads us to believe we have to be famous at what ever we do to be of value. We keep looking to what we are supposed to be doing in the future. What if our Purpose is just to BE. What if our Purpose is to be doing what we are doing RIGHT NOW! Right now, you are reading this e-mail …. This is your Purpose. In a few moments you might be pouring a cup of tea. That is your Purpose. When we are questioning, "What am I supposed to be doing here?" we are missing out on what is right in front of us to do.

So here's my take on "How to find your Purpose:"

1. Be where your body is

2. Honour The Source Within

3. Do what is in front of you with grace

4. Be grateful for everything

See how simple that is? OK, it might not be easy, especially #1 – however the more we do it, the easier it becomes, and we will find that we are achieving our Purpose – to BE - a living, breathing, expression of The One.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Breathing deeply, I let myself rest in the center of my Being. I relax into my Spirit self, knowing this is who I am in Truth. I feel the Oneness and know I am much more than I think I am.

Today I am ready to BE. As I do the things in front of me to do, I let myself do them with grace and gratitude. All activity is sacred and I approach each activity, no matter how mundane, as sacred work.

I pay attention to the little details of my life in Present Time. I recognize each of them as a love note from Spirit. I am so grateful to be alive, awake and aware. I am grateful for the way my body works, for the way I do the work of my hands, for what I feel as I do this work. I am The Presence of The Divine.

I know who I am. I know what is mine to do. I know my Purpose. For this I humbly give thanks. And so It is.