Here are the links to my postings for lessons 69 and 70:
Day 69: My grievances hide the light of the world in me.
Day 70: My salvation comes from me.
Up to this point, I have defined “holding a grievance” as anytime we have withheld forgiveness from someone (including ourselves) or from a situation. I’ve used the term synonymously with “grudge.” Though this is true, I realized today that grievances also come in much subtler packages. Yesterday I attempted to define Love, and in doing so, recognized that past associations, preconceived notions and projected expectations are Love’s antitheses. These too, I realized, are grievances.
For instance, when riding in the car this morning (or driving/riding in general), I become tense anytime passing another vehicle while in their blind spot. This is a grievance. This is a fear I’ve held onto for years ever since I was in an auto accident where I was side-swiped. This is a situation that, on some level, I haven’t completely forgiven. If I had, the fear would no longer be there.
We may say, then, that grievances also apply to any worries or doubts we have. These emotional responses are built upon past associations. They make up our preconceived notions and fortify our projected expectations. As long as we hold onto them, we will continue to live in a world where fear reigns.
When we do manage to wipe away our grievances – when we are able to look beyond any fear, any anger, or any sorrow and see the light within – we will recognize that the light which resides in us is not only our own, but the whole world’s. The Light of the entire world exists in each and every one of us, because this Light is God.
I had the privilege of going to a spa resort today, in celebration of my partner’s birthday. We relaxed in hot mineral springs, bathed in red clay mud, and rejuvenated with cool aloe body masks in an underground grotto. It was, indeed, a luxury. Yet I believe it is also much closer to our natural state than how most of us otherwise live. I say this because, while we were there, no grievances appeared to follow. My partner and I were in bliss, as were the other patrons at the resort. Everyone greeted one another with authentic smiles. Their glow was apparent. We all were in a state of Godliness.
Being in such a state opened the gateways to spiritual insight. While relaxing by the pool, I had an epiphany. Though we were obviously indulging in activities at the spa that nurtured and restored our physical bodies, doing so also revitalized our spirits. I realized then that being enlightened does not mean that we must deny the physical world. Yes, we must recognize that the physical world is an illusion, but we can still cultivate joy from the physical. It would serve us to do so, because we are spirits who have incarnated into a physical world. Yet we need to understand that it is not the physical element itself (whatever it may be) that is bringing us happiness – It is what that element represents.
For example, if I am eating ice cream and in a state of bliss, it is because that particular ice cream is bliss, incarnated as ice cream in that moment. If I am relaxing in a whirlpool, it is not the whirlpool itself that is relaxing – It is what that whirlpool represents: relaxation. Relaxation, a Godly state, is manifested physically as a whirlpool to provide me with that feeling.
Of course, in recognizing the truth in this (which admittedly can be difficult at first to grasp), we also recognize that the physical things ultimately do not matter. If we can detach them from their representations, then we can also experience the emotional states they conjure in us without associating them with anything of the physical world. In other words, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we can always reside in a space of Godliness.
This is what being truly grievance-free is all about. This is what will unblock the light of the world within us permanently. And the process of doing so is our salvation. We must each take this journey. Since “my salvation comes from me,” no one else can deliver it to me. We are each our own Savior. The Light is within each of us. It cannot be given to anyone, because it is already there. What we can do is help others to find their own inner light. Doing so is a Godly endeavor. As we shine our light upon the world, others will recognize their own light, and they will thus save themselves.
So join with me in lighting up the world. Join with me in relinquishing all grievances and being present in the here and now. Join with me in retaining a blissful and loving emotional state, regardless of the physical circumstances. Join with me in bringing salvation to ourselves and, by effect, to the world in which we live.
Until tomorrow,
Journeyman
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