“How much can one demonstrate? Just what one can believe”
~ Ernest Holmes - The Science of Mind
For my birthday I was given a big pile of mature horse manure… the best of birthday presents for me, as I love my garden. My garden is, for me, a place of:
inspiration
experimentation
possibility
growth!
Faithfully, I cleared a corner of overgrown plants, chopping them into a mulch layer. Bucket by bucket, I covered the space with manure. Next, I planted broccoli starts, along with cauliflower & cilantro seeds. Large doses of mature manure equals large, healthy, happy plants. I have observed that my attention to details and to certain gardening principles, combined with my diligence, manifests beneficial results. And I observe that such practices apply to more than just gardening. I could have the same conversation about:
Collette’s expertise as a body worker
Eric as a mechanic
Tutteli as a vet
Marilyn with elders
Neall as a poet
Jason and his knowledge of good books
Yvonne with her crafts and creativity
Mary Lou’s attention to detail
I could go on and on. These are just a few examples. This is the way of Life… this right use of basic principles. When we put our attention towards any subject, when we learn its properties and principles, and then we diligently apply what we have learned in our life, we become experts, and the results are good. We must pour into our minds that this GOOD is without bounds.
YET…
We are addicted to a belief in “good” AND “bad”. Where does that come from? In our mothers’ wombs we had all our needs instantly met. Upon the occasion of our birth, we then arrived into disconnection. Many of us carry a deep sorrow… I believe it is linked to the sadness of this initial separation. But “separation” isn’t True. It is an illusion of our human journey, which is an adventure and mystery we are all experiencing together. What if we applied equal effort to our spiritual understanding as we do to our other acknowledged areas of expertise? We must do so! We must be firm in our acknowledgement that the ideas of “evil”, “bad”, “limitation”, “restriction”… ARE NOT TRUE!
Eric gets a call. Somebody’s excavator won’t work. I know there is not a shadow of a doubt in Eric’s mind that he has the ability to fix the problem. He is a master at his trade. There is no fear that gets in his way. He knows that his successful completion of the task at hand is imminent.
There are other mechanics who might approach the same job with doubt, however. “Yup, that machine is too old, and they don’t make parts for it any more.”
What does Eric say? “I will make the part it needs myself!” No doubt gets in his way. Same machine, different attitude.
It isn’t that life is good for some people and bad for others. It isn’t that I am good or bad at gardening. It is our belief that is experienced. There are principles in Life that, when learned and applied, will achieve equal results no matter who applies them… as long as that person believes it is possible.
Every year my fruit trees get leaf curl and don’t produce much fruit. My fig tree is confused; producing a mass of figs in mid-summer when there is no time to ripen. I have one apple this year… ONE! (Perhaps this one lone apple is there to remind me of the Unity of all life… Oneness. What I know is that it is going to be a GREAT and delicious apple!)
Regardless of my gardening challenges, I don’t give up. Instead of failures, I easily see these challenges as learning opportunities. Each year I approach my trees with renewed vigour and enthusiasm, applying any new principles I have learned as a result of seeking to understand what is happening. I will succeed! I allow the “failures” in my garden to clear my path to triumph.
How much of this oomph and faith do we put into each area of our lives? Where can you use a little more faith and a little less doubt?
I know why I am a Spiritual Director. It is not because I have insights you don’t have. Rather, it is because I know that if I don’t teach this stuff all the time, I will forget. If that were the case, I would dwell in fear and doubt, reacting to the misery of ‘mainstream’ news cycles, instead of revelling in the cycles of possibility in Life.
This article has possibly taken you 5 minutes to read. I spent 60 minutes preparing for last Sunday’s talk that inspired this article, and then I shared this information for 15 minutes with an audience. From there, I then re-edited the script for publishing on my blog … about another hour’s worth. See how determined I am to remember the Good without bounds, even when I might tend to forget? Just this morning I journaled a page on which I wrote statements like,“Give to me lightness and laughter, lifting me above the heaviness of suffering, lack and limitation, to peace of mind, and a heart free from fear.” The practice is ongoing, across all the platforms of my life.
Hey, ‘they’ tell me conscious thought is more powerful than unconscious thought. So even though I may have some unconscious doubt, it isn’t a match for my daily spiritual practices… meditation, journalling and teaching the Principles of Life. Good is always expanding! (So it IS true, we DO get better with age. HA!)
~ Where can your life use a little more faith and a little less doubt?
~ Let me know and I will write you an affirmation that you can pin on your fridge and practice with daily. admin@theCentreCR.org