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• Anxiety, fear of the future, and painful regret exist only in the absence of clarity. Clarity is not the product of thinking; it is the realization that if thought is blind, so is the thinker; in the light of this understanding is revealed a new and higher order of Being, a Divine Intelligence that cannot harm itself, let alone anyone else.
• A quiet mind never goes out looking for guidance because it never gets lost in thought.
For Further Study
When life falls apart, or threatens to come unglued, it seems almost natural to carry around some desperate, stressed, or depressed emotional state. But why cling to something that makes us ache? The answer is surprising, but evident, once we’re aware of what’s actually taking place within us.
Negative states tell us that we must feel as we do.
In some strange and unseen way, the weight of a dark worry serves as proof that we have “no option” other than to buckle beneath it . . . to fall down, feel betrayed, or prepare for a fight.
Real life can no more act to pull us down than the rising sun can burden the spring flowers that wait to bathe in its nourishing light.
No event, in itself, is the cause of the fear we feel in the moment of its appearance. William Shakespeare, whose insights into the workings of the human mind still remain treasures in spite of passing time, validates this important finding: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” The same wisdom holds true when it comes to the moments that make up our lives: we meet in events nothing more or less than the wealth of possibilities they present before us.
It is the mind asleep to itself that makes monsters appear where there are none, just as a child’s runaway imagination creates menacing shapes out of shadows on the wall. In this instance, we feel fear when our mind sees something that threatens us in some way. But what the mind that feels this doesn’t recognize, but that we must see if we’re to be free, is that it’s looking at a negative image of its own making! This level of mind, divided and asleep to its own creations – then tells us what we must do to protect ourselves from its projection!
How does this new knowledge empower us to walk away from what’s been hurting us? Imagine an artist who, as he sleepwalks at night, walks into his downstairs studio and paints a picture that, when he awakens the next morning, terrifies him. He’s at a complete loss as to how this could have happened! So he buys an expensive security system, hires a patrol service, and takes a host of other steps to protect himself from an imagined intruder. None of these efforts work. – and we know why! It isn’t until he installs a motion-activated video camera that he catches the real culprit: himself! Shocking, for sure, but the outcome is wonderful. The artist’s fear disappears in the very same moment he discovers its cause.
Anxious thoughts and feelings are not there to help us reach the promised land. Instead, they keep us a prisoner in the world of their empty promises. The courage to see the truth of this fact is the same as the courage we need to be free . . . to consciously walk away from these impostor powers, regardless of how convincing they are that we can’t live without them. After all, who clings to their captors?
So the next time some fear tries to drag you down into its world of worry –first showing you all that’s dark and wrong, then telling you how to make things right and bright again – choose in favor of this action instead.
At the onset of any frightening situation – whether in the form of an actual event, or because of some worried thought that appears – remember that no such fear exists outside of the dream that makes it seem real. Then simply come as awake to yourself as you can, and see what you’re giving yourself to look at in that moment. This new and higher self-awareness reveals the unthinkable:
Your own mind is scaring itself. As you see that the feel is real, but the “why” is a lie, you’re done with both sides of the deception, and the dark state drops away by itself. This kind of clarity gives birth to a whole new kind of spiritual courage, for now you know that you don’t have to free yourself from anything other than a misunderstanding about who you really are. And, by this same light, a promise dawns you couldn’t have seen in any other way. You’re already free; you simply have not yet seen the truth of it. First Key Lesson: We are not being called to be more than we are, let alone to judge ourselves when we see we have missed the mark; rather, we are here to discover ALL that we have been given, and how – if we dare accept this unimaginable gift – we will see it multiplied a hundredfold.
Second Key Lesson: Our awareness of any yet-to-be perfected character in our consciousness IS NOT a judgment made by the Light that has made us aware of it.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
To Attain the Unattainable
Almost every day I receive a letter, an e-mail, or phone call from an aspirant who wants to know, essentially, the following: "What must I do to succeed spiritually?" Or, in a slight variation on that theme: "What's the right way to do what I must in order to awaken?"
There's little doubt as to the sincerity of these questions; but the problem is this: true spirituality is not something that can be attained through "doing" whatever one imagines; there is no "right way" to follow if one wants real freedom. It's important you see these truths for yourself. If it is authentic newness of heart that one longs for – an uncorrupted, uncompromised mind that responds effortlessly to the demands of the moment – then all images of such a life must be thrown away, died to, as clearly they belong to "what was." To model oneself after anything, or anyone, is to imitate; but if nothing else is clear, this should be:
The Divine Life -- as it expresses itself in the presence moment – is inimitable. Which means we are either present to that Life – being moment-to-moment what we are given to be (and see about life) through that Light – or… we have the all-too familiar alternative: the endless questions about "What one must do in order to be (free)?"
Asking ourselves "What must we do in order to be?"… is not unlike the eye asking what it must do to be able to see! And though somewhat unavoidable for many years along the path, such questions must eventually be outgrown. This gradual spiritual maturity is something that happens quite naturally as we awaken to see (in the present moment) that all of these pressing questions of ours (about what is the right thing to do or be) are secretly double-edged swords: one side is the endless hope of becoming someone special through the pursuit of an imagined ideal; the other side is the growing realization that comparing ourselves to any spiritual ideal doesn't liberate us; rather it imprisons us in the painful illusion that a comparative mind can transcend its own captivity.
Again, the true spiritual life is incomparable; nothing comes before now, nothing follows it.
Dare to be and see just what you are; give yourself to that task wholeheartedly… and for your willing entrance into the whole estate of yourself, you will realize the unattainable life you seek.
About Guy Finley: Guy Finley is the Founding Director of Life of Learning Foundation, a
nonprofit Center for Spiritual Discovery. He is the acclaimed author of The Secret of Letting Go and more than 50 other books and audio programs, translated into 30 languages, that have touched the hearts and minds of millions worldwide.
For over 45 years, Guy has helped people around the globe discover the inner path to freedom, and a more authentic way of living. His direct, down-to-earth teachings speak to some of life’s most pressing challenges—fear, anxiety, relationships, addiction, stress, and the search for peace. His work has been widely endorsed by physicians, business leaders, and spiritual teachers of every tradition.
Guy lives and teaches in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He holds regular online classes that are livestreamed (https://www.guyfinley.org/light). These free classes are open to all.
For more information about Guy Finley and nonprofit Life of Learning Foundation visit www.guyfinley.org
