Post by Indilwen on Mar 3, 2012 10:11:57 GMT 12
*The Inner Light*
Imagine a man who is given a great treasure – let's call it a lamp. The
lamp glows constantly; it never runs out of fuel. The man keeps it in the
center of his home.
As the man sits by the lamp, a golden glow radiates from it that warms his
soul. He feels comforted and uplifted by the lamp. Any distress or
discouragement is quickly replaced with a sense of peace. However, that's
not all – with the comfort and peace comes a creative flow of inspiration.
No matter what problem or challenge this man faces, he needs but sit by his
lamp, and creative ideas radiate forth. There is no restriction or limit on
these ideas – they fluidly pour forth into his mind to address any issue.
With the lamp, the man is filled with a wisdom that addresses all his needs.
But then one day, a strange thought enters the man's mind. He wonders
whether he might need to protect the lamp. He says to himself: "Why not put
this lamp somewhere safe. No need to leave it burning out here in the open.
I'll store it downstairs, to make sure that it stays secure."
So the man puts the lamp in the basement of his house, in a safe spot. And
something begins to happen – slowly and gradually – that affects him. As he
spends time away from the light, increasingly strange ideas enter the man's
mind. He begins to worry that someone might take his lamp. He questions the
security of its current spot.
He finds a safer spot in the basement, where the lamp is more protected. He
builds barriers and other protections. As he engages in this work, the
light of the lamp becomes covered-over more and more.
Time passes, and without the warmth of the lamp, the man's mind becomes
increasingly clouded. Many days he forgets entirely about the light hidden
in his basement. When he does remember the lamp, he admits that he has
forgotten precisely how to locate it. "But," he thinks, "at least it's safe
somewhere down there."
Eventually enough time passes that the memory of the lamp fades completely.
The man's house is cold and dark. The wisdom and peace he once felt is
gone. He stumbles around in the dark, oblivious to the fact that there is a
treasure right below him.
This, according to * A Course in Miracles*, is where we find ourselves. We
have been given a gift that will illuminate our minds and sweep away all
darkness. The light of this gift will never go out – and we can never
really be separated from it. But we have erected barriers to the light, so
that it seems to be inaccessible. And yet, having raised the barriers, we
can begin to release them.
This is our work here, says the Course. We don't have to create light. We
simply need to uncover it. The lamp of wisdom and peace is there within our
minds. It has not gone out. It has simply become buried from our awareness.
*Removing the Barriers*
Perhaps the man in the story one day finds a note – an old, antique note
that he wrote to himself many years ago. The note describes the general
location of the lamp, along with descriptions of the various barriers that
the man set up to protect it.
The man resolves to uncover the lamp, and restore it to the center of his
home. But as he begins his work, he realizes how cold and dark his home is,
and how challenging it might be to stumble around in the basement, clearing
barriers. He is daunted by the job at hand. And yet, he nevertheless begins
it.
The work is difficult. He can't see the barriers clearly – and doesn't have
much of a sense of warmth or inspiration to fuel his efforts. But every so
often, something will shift in the basement and he'll catch a faded glimpse
of the lamp's light. This fills him with a temporary sense of hope, and
allows him to continue his work.
Like the man, we too may find that as we begin "removing the blocks" to our
own inner light, the way is challenging. I find this frequently in my
therapy work. Clients make some forward progress, experience a temporary
increase in hope, and then before long find themselves back in the maze of
barriers. Discouragement sets in again – often for quite some time.
But then, together, we pick up where we left off and clear a few more
blocks. There – suddenly a flash of light is back. Even if the blocks shift
to cover it again, we've caught a glimpse … a little brighter than before.
This fuels the forward progress.
Heaven, says * A Course in Miracles*, is the experience of the presence of
this light. And Heaven is with us right now – simply waiting for us to open
our awareness to it. The light within will comfort and guide us, bless and
inspire us. Our job is simply to clear a path for it.
In future newsletters, I'll share simple methods for identifying and
releasing the blocks to this inner light – although in truth, we don't need
any formal techniques. A pure desire to have the blocks gone is enough to
create a "holy instant" of an opening.
Eventually, like the man, we will uncover the hidden light and restore it
to the center of our home. It will then radiate endlessly, as it always
has, filling us with an experience of peace.
This is our work – to clear the inner blocks: the resentments, the
concerns, the unilluminated thoughts of any kind. We find each one, become
willing to release it, and open to the warmth and inspiration that shines
forth where it was.
~~~
As always, thank you for your interest in my newsletter. I invite you to
share it with any friends who may be interested. And I welcome your
questions, comments, and feedback.
If at any time you'd like me to take you off the newsletter list, you can
click the "Change email address / Leave mailing list" link below – or drop
me a note.
Blessings,
Dan Joseph
www.DanJosep h.com <http://www.danjosep h.com/>
Imagine a man who is given a great treasure – let's call it a lamp. The
lamp glows constantly; it never runs out of fuel. The man keeps it in the
center of his home.
As the man sits by the lamp, a golden glow radiates from it that warms his
soul. He feels comforted and uplifted by the lamp. Any distress or
discouragement is quickly replaced with a sense of peace. However, that's
not all – with the comfort and peace comes a creative flow of inspiration.
No matter what problem or challenge this man faces, he needs but sit by his
lamp, and creative ideas radiate forth. There is no restriction or limit on
these ideas – they fluidly pour forth into his mind to address any issue.
With the lamp, the man is filled with a wisdom that addresses all his needs.
But then one day, a strange thought enters the man's mind. He wonders
whether he might need to protect the lamp. He says to himself: "Why not put
this lamp somewhere safe. No need to leave it burning out here in the open.
I'll store it downstairs, to make sure that it stays secure."
So the man puts the lamp in the basement of his house, in a safe spot. And
something begins to happen – slowly and gradually – that affects him. As he
spends time away from the light, increasingly strange ideas enter the man's
mind. He begins to worry that someone might take his lamp. He questions the
security of its current spot.
He finds a safer spot in the basement, where the lamp is more protected. He
builds barriers and other protections. As he engages in this work, the
light of the lamp becomes covered-over more and more.
Time passes, and without the warmth of the lamp, the man's mind becomes
increasingly clouded. Many days he forgets entirely about the light hidden
in his basement. When he does remember the lamp, he admits that he has
forgotten precisely how to locate it. "But," he thinks, "at least it's safe
somewhere down there."
Eventually enough time passes that the memory of the lamp fades completely.
The man's house is cold and dark. The wisdom and peace he once felt is
gone. He stumbles around in the dark, oblivious to the fact that there is a
treasure right below him.
This, according to * A Course in Miracles*, is where we find ourselves. We
have been given a gift that will illuminate our minds and sweep away all
darkness. The light of this gift will never go out – and we can never
really be separated from it. But we have erected barriers to the light, so
that it seems to be inaccessible. And yet, having raised the barriers, we
can begin to release them.
This is our work here, says the Course. We don't have to create light. We
simply need to uncover it. The lamp of wisdom and peace is there within our
minds. It has not gone out. It has simply become buried from our awareness.
*Removing the Barriers*
Perhaps the man in the story one day finds a note – an old, antique note
that he wrote to himself many years ago. The note describes the general
location of the lamp, along with descriptions of the various barriers that
the man set up to protect it.
The man resolves to uncover the lamp, and restore it to the center of his
home. But as he begins his work, he realizes how cold and dark his home is,
and how challenging it might be to stumble around in the basement, clearing
barriers. He is daunted by the job at hand. And yet, he nevertheless begins
it.
The work is difficult. He can't see the barriers clearly – and doesn't have
much of a sense of warmth or inspiration to fuel his efforts. But every so
often, something will shift in the basement and he'll catch a faded glimpse
of the lamp's light. This fills him with a temporary sense of hope, and
allows him to continue his work.
Like the man, we too may find that as we begin "removing the blocks" to our
own inner light, the way is challenging. I find this frequently in my
therapy work. Clients make some forward progress, experience a temporary
increase in hope, and then before long find themselves back in the maze of
barriers. Discouragement sets in again – often for quite some time.
But then, together, we pick up where we left off and clear a few more
blocks. There – suddenly a flash of light is back. Even if the blocks shift
to cover it again, we've caught a glimpse … a little brighter than before.
This fuels the forward progress.
Heaven, says * A Course in Miracles*, is the experience of the presence of
this light. And Heaven is with us right now – simply waiting for us to open
our awareness to it. The light within will comfort and guide us, bless and
inspire us. Our job is simply to clear a path for it.
In future newsletters, I'll share simple methods for identifying and
releasing the blocks to this inner light – although in truth, we don't need
any formal techniques. A pure desire to have the blocks gone is enough to
create a "holy instant" of an opening.
Eventually, like the man, we will uncover the hidden light and restore it
to the center of our home. It will then radiate endlessly, as it always
has, filling us with an experience of peace.
This is our work – to clear the inner blocks: the resentments, the
concerns, the unilluminated thoughts of any kind. We find each one, become
willing to release it, and open to the warmth and inspiration that shines
forth where it was.
~~~
As always, thank you for your interest in my newsletter. I invite you to
share it with any friends who may be interested. And I welcome your
questions, comments, and feedback.
If at any time you'd like me to take you off the newsletter list, you can
click the "Change email address / Leave mailing list" link below – or drop
me a note.
Blessings,
Dan Joseph
www.DanJosep h.com <http://www.danjosep h.com/>