“The immanence of God: God manifesting as life through life”

“The immanence of God: God manifesting as life through life”     
      Unable to sleep, restless .... mostly bored!  I stared at the ceiling and wondered about the rest of my life and how it would unfold.  I realized I did not want to be bored, or restless, or sleepless.  I also reminded myself that I had the power in that moment to use the closest and best up-lifter that we carry; our breath!  The gift of life.  God manifesting as life through life.  I began to breathe consciously!  I took my attention off my wandering mind and began to breathe.  I focused on deep conscious breaths that I hoped would allow me the gift of sleep.  I reminded myself of the sacredness of our breath and how every breath is a mini birth.  I acknowledged the sacredness of our breath beyond the obvious physical necessity of life.  Our breath is life.  We do not have to search for it or wait for it to appear.  Breath carried us into the physical and breath will carry us home when our time in this dimension is over.  We cannot leave home without it!
     Many philosophers feel it is our thoughts that keep us from enjoying more fully this life.  Our mind is a chatter box occupying space that yearns to be still.  This fact is echoed by mystics; both ancient and modern.   
Champion was a wonderful man who walked with tourists at the pyramids and told us tales of his youth; not all good!  Champion walked with our group for a while and I was drawn to the incredible peace he emanated.  I asked him where this peace came from and he told me something I never forgot. “Don’t worry, don’t hurry, and don’t think too much”.  When Champion said this, I remembered a lovely woman, who was relating her near death experience to Raymond Moody.  She said that in her life review all the good deeds she had done were shown to her.  Yet only those deeds that she had done without thinking “lit up”.  Does this mean the good deeds that did not light up were not appreciated?  No, it does not.  To me this incident only reminds us that the greater gifts come directly from the heart.  Not from this world but from the spirit which is the truth of us.
 Judge not!   When we think before we give, when we think before we move forward to help; when we think before we reach out a friendly hand…. we are judging.  Judge not!   Discernment is just a fancy word for judgement.  I feel we can teach ourselves to not judge, but to trust.  Trust not our ego and the things of this world.  Trust the life force flowing through us.  With practice our lack of judgement and our ability to trust will bring us peace.  We will be in the right place at the right time for the right reason.  As we lay aside judgement our trust will not be misplaced.  As we surrender to the immanence of God we surrender to life and the peace of knowing all is well.  It is all for us; not against us.  This peace that passeth understanding is real and it is what we seek.  We do not have to be human doings!  We are human beings!  Sadhguru says he does not have thoughts!  Hard to believe!  However, think of those blessed (rare) moments when we experience pure stillness.  Time drops away; space drops away and somehow “we move” in the right direction.  We are the observer.
      Thought is of this world and requires time.  Cora Richmond tells us that as we move further into the spirit world thought drops away and is replaced by perception.  Perception in its truest sense is an inner knowing that comes from within.  Spirit does not think its way to knowing.  Spirit is part of the whole and is knowing.  Time and thought are of this world and we must surpass thought and time to be who we are.  This requires stillness.  “In stillness the world is transformed”.  “Be in this world but not of it”.
      Once many years ago I was in a therapy session and just having the biggest pity party.  The student therapist did not know what to do with all my wailing.  I was not seeking the light but feeding the misery!   I must have been making a lot of noise because my teacher walked in and asked, “have you suffered enough Emmy” .... I was jolted into awareness......yes, I have suffered enough and thank you for reminding me.  On that day I realized that we can wake up if we truly want to get relief.  Restless?  Bored?  Sad?  We can remind ourselves that maybe we just need a breath of fresh air.  A reminder of who we are; a reminder that all we need is within us.
     Does this mean that we do not acknowledge our grief?  Our anger?  Our less than perfect reactions to situations we are uncomfortable with?  Steve Jobs tells us that feelings move people to action.  It is in acknowledgement of our present position that we are moved to higher ground.
                                                                                                                        Namaste!  emmy chetkin