The season of renunciation...

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3 v1

In the last few days I've taken to quiet reflection, a sort of sweet renunciation.  It came about in a funny way.  Facing indirect accusations about my character, I grew frustrated in trying to 'prove' myself.  
Of course, this was getting me nowhere.  One can not prove themselves virtuous.  You either live it or you don't.  And even if you choose to live it, it doesn't mean you're without blemish - it can only mean that you are dedicated to constant refinement.      
It's a funny old world, and there are days when no matter how much you try to do right, someone will still blame.  The ego doesn't like this blame.  The ego wants to appear blameless.  And any suggestion otherwise the ego will fight.  So when I find myself wanting to fight, to defend 'my honour' (aka my EGO), I know this is the season for renunciation. 
Renunciation is not easy.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.  :)   But when you realize that 'proving and defending' is pointless, then it's time to turn to the power of silence.  
The interesting thing is, when taking the path of silence and allowing others their opinion, when the choice is taken to not fight and defend there is a deep peace and a deep love that follows.  Ego wants to deny other's their own opinion, but the benevolent soul wants only peace and is willing to 'pocket the insult', in Gandhi's words. 
I want to give power to that benevolent soul.  And so, what am I really renouncing?  I'm merely renouncing the misguided desires of ego.
Om shanti.

Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.brahmakumaris.org.

You crossed the line...

My husband's God-son wrote a song in his early teens with the above title. It had a hard rock feel to it and the lyrics talked about several cases where someone went a step too far and then the chorus repeated the phrase 'You crossed the line.' It was very clever and catchy - a song that any parent (or God-parent) would be proud of.

When we use the phrase 'crossed the line' we mean traversing from the right side of the line to the wrong side - that some inappropriate act was committed. I'm now going to draw for you another line. This line is drawn higher with an above space and a below space.

Those above the line, you could say, are all-knowing. They see the big picture. Their vision is not limited. For them, it is obvious that we (souls) are eternal. It is obvious that everyone is connected (brothers and sisters). It is obvious that we (souls) already have all that we need. Because of these understandings, those above the line feel secure. They have no fear of loss - they cannot lose anything. They have no desires because for them, they already have everything. They are content and also generous with what they have. They see the big picture and so their motivation is to act in ways that will benefit all.

By contrast, those below the line have a limited knowledge. They do not have the understanding that they are eternal and so they fear death. They do not have the understanding that they have everything already and so they desire a lot and fear the loss of everything they are under the illusion of possessing. Contentment evades them because they always want something more. They cannot be so generous because they see what they have as limited and they don't want to run out. They hold tight to things they cannot really possess and so they miss out on the beautiful gifts that are their birthrights. They do not see everyone as a brother and sister but will treat strangers with suspicion until they can make a valuation based on past but limited experience. They become attached to those things they cannot really possess and so eventual loss brings sorrow.

Which side of the line are you?

I believe children, in their innocence, start out above the line, but then through our well-meaning education, we pull them below. Now, I'm trying to get back to being above the line.

It reminds me of that wall at team-building camps - you can't get over it by yourself, but with the co-operation of many we can all get over it!

Apply effort in the RIGHT place and you cannot fail...

This past week was a challenge for me. I was asked to put up four Finnish guests in my unfinished house. The builders said it would be ok, they could easily get the inside walls painted and the the floors varnished by the time the guests arrived. But as the date drew closer, it became clear that the builders were overly optimistic. The inside of the house was still a building site! How could I re-house 4 people at short notice?

I was feeling stressed and a bit overwhelmed with my task. The weekend before they were to arrive it dawned on me - just clear out the back extension (which was currently full of my loft contents) and bed them on two sofa's and two futons. I don't know how I cleared the space - but somehow I managed to create a sleeping area, a dining space and some kitchen area so they could have hot drinks and light foods. The only other remaining matter was the bathroom which I cleaned after the builders left. AND, the builders chose to work outside the following day so that I wouldn't have to re-clean it when they went home.

I observed a few things about myself and others in this scene. Firstly, I was stressing a lot. But when I found a workable solution, the stress melted away and everything became easy. Secondly, when you're thoughtful and respectful of others, you get loads of cooperation. Never did I try to force the builders to stick to their estimates (I'd rather they did the job properly than rush anyway!). Instead I kept them informed, thanked them for their help, and checked with them about any changes. As a result, they worked late to make up for missed hours, worked outside while the guests were in residence and co-operated in so many other ways. Thirdly, instead of trying to make an unworkable solution work, I applied my efforts to finding a workable solution.

This is very different to how I would have operated in the past. I would have been demanding and stressed and made life miserable for as many people as possible. But this new method made everything seem easy and the guests had a nice visit.

Sometimes we get so caught up in making unworkable things work that we don't consider the alternatives. This is when we need to apply effort to come out of the situation, observe it, and make informed choices instead of emotional ones.