Sample
of Guidelights (First
Chapter- Overview)
Page 2 of 4
The
Journey
Opening the heart to the Good is a process,
an inner Journey. A journey which never ends. Each of us
simply travels further and further down the road, coming ever closer to
the Lord within. To make any headway, each of us must put into practice
a fundamental principle: Faith. By this term, I mean this: Trusting your
intuition about what the pure goodness within your heart tells you is
right. Many times you may feel something is right, but when you analyze
it with your rational mind, it doesn't seem to make sense. Trust your
intuition. Do not reject an idea because it doesn't fit your current understanding.
Let the Good show you the truth. I am by no means advocating that people
should not think or try to understand. On the contrary, we should never
cease to strive for knowledge of our own souls. What I'm saying is trust
your heart and let it guide your mind. In time, you will understand.
Preparations for the Journey include overcoming
the mind games we all play, the mental gymnastics, the tendencies of people
to think that they cannot be wrong and that they have no shortcomings,
tendencies conceived, or misconceived, to protect against insecurity.
One who wishes to embark on the Journey must open his or her mind. He
or she must be willing to contemplate fundamental tenets concerning the
nature of the universe that have long been held dear. One must resolve
that he or she will not engage in self-deceit, that there is no thought
that is off limits. Only in this way can one hope to find truth. In addition,
one must also be willing to accept that he or she is not perfect, that
he or she has shortcomings, and resolve to try to overcome them. One must
understand that those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed
to repeat them, forever impeding the path to the Good. This is the idea
behind repentance. Admission of the shortcoming and a genuine change of
heart are the key. One need not instantaneously overcome the problem.
Baggage we have carried our entire lives will not be shelved over night.
Admitting the problem, however, and resolving to
try to do something about it goes a long way towards opening the
way to the Lord.
Another fundamental principle is key to
making progress: The Journey is predominantly about actively changing
the feelings within the heart. It is not just about finding beliefs.
It is a journey in which one must reach inside himself or herself and
tear down the emotional barriers that prevent the Good from filling the
heart with its light. These include selfishness, hatred, arrogance, and
insecurity. One must learn to love all others. This is the
key to finding the Lord within. For many people, love has boundaries.
They may love only their family, friends, people within their community,
etc. Due to selfishness, some care only about themselves. These people
believe they will be better off behaving selfishly. Selfishness, however,
involves shutting others out of the heart. This also shuts out the Light.
Barriers also arise because of arrogance, a need to feel better than others.
Some delude themselves into thinking that they are "superior".
In their minds, this justifies selfishness and provides a measure of self-esteem,
albeit in a perverted form. Like the selfish, the arrogant shut others
out of their hearts, inadvertently shutting out the Light. Many close
their hearts to the Good because they fear that others will take advantage
of them, that the goodness will leave them vulnerable. In truth, some
people will try to take advantage when interacting with others who are
trying to cooperate. Two comments: Nothing prevents good people from dealing
swiftly and firmly with those who try to take advantage. Secondly, the
rewards you receive from the Good, including a true sense of security,
far outweigh any detriments associated with others who try to take advantage.
Opening the heart to the Good involves learning to love without boundaries,
not being selfish or hating, for any reason. One must learn to forgive,
not anger. One must learn humility, not arrogance or a need to dominate
others. When you open your heart to the Lord, you find that true fulfillment
is spiritual rather than material and that spiritual fulfillment along
with true self-esteem and a true sense of security comes from love and
humility.
When you first begin to abandon the mental
gymnastics and tear down the emotional barriers to bringing pure goodness
into your heart, you must trust in the power of good and in yourself.
Trust that however much poorer you may initially perceive yourself to
be, you will be richer by far in the end. You must trust initially, but
before long, you will see the truth. Your confidence in the Good and in
yourself will grow as you develop your ability to see the truth about
what is right, as you develop your ability to change your feelings, and
as you experience the Lord's extraordinary gifts. It's like a child learning
to ride a bike. At first, the child must trust his parent's urgings. With
a little practice, the child will see that he or she will be OK and that
he or she can do it. Overcoming mental and emotional obstacles is not
like flipping a switch; it is a process, a long process. And it is not
easy. But as you travel on your Journey and the pure goodness and love
of the Light fill your heart, you will find that it is worth it.
Personal
Empowerment
I wish to make very clear a fundamental
truth that runs throughout this work- you have the power
to effect change. You have the power to find spiritual fulfillment. You
have the power to find true happiness. You have the power to find meaning
in life. And as I discuss next, together, we have the power to change
the world.
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