View Related
Best-Selling, Self-Realization author
It's well known that storm-tossed waves often expose new treasures along the shoreline...and there is unexpected wealth to be collected by those who know the secret value of rough seas. And yet, even though most of us have little tolerance for anything that "rocks our boat," the truth of the matter is self-evident: Unwanted moments introduce us to dark parts of ourselves that would otherwise never be realized, let alone healed by the Divine light that has come to reveal them.
Real life is not by the numbers; it is impossible to "know" and grow at the same time. Yes, one can have a formula for a prescription drug, or a recipe for a good green salad; but there is no system of thought that can stand up to the ever-shifting changes of real life, let alone meet those same changes fearlessly. The self that knows itself through thought can never develop beyond the content of itself, any more than a math equation can suddenly outgrow the pile of figures responsible for its form.
One of the reasons we want to know – in advance – how "to do" certain things, spiritually speaking, is that we want to save time in our spiritual search; we want to "cut to the chase" of how to end the conflict we have in ourselves with others, and arrive at the contentment we've imagined; we want to be at peace. Among the many hidden contradictions in approaching the inner quest from such a mindset is the following: the more we try to save time – find the "shortcut" to higher consciousness, the more we actually create and slave beneath the sense of time that drives us through our days, as well as becoming further identified with the level of consciousness that creates the prison of psychological time from which we hope to escape.
The truth is, we can't know what to do in advance in any given moment. And although we now meet life in exactly this way – that is, with predetermined ideas about how to respond to what unfolds before us – this is not unlike a downhill skier "knowing" when and where he will make his turns before it snows. Add to this idea the fact that whenever ideals or systems of ideas go before us as measuring sticks, they are soon turned into a judge's bench from which we dispense some form of punishment on anyone (or upon ourselves) for not doing as we think ought to have been done.
Knowledge, regardless of how sophisticated, is a tool. It arises from and belongs to what has passed; it is the past put into a formula. As such it embodies, defines, and relates us to life through what we, or others, have already come to know is true about reality. But real life is not limited to what was; it is always new; it is always now. And while it may bring to light, under law, certain conditions or events that precede its appearance (what we call karma), it is more than just these forms alone… just as a flower in bloom is more than its newly opened petals.
Real life is the expression of living intelligent forces that actively shape whatever they touch, as well as whatever reaches out to touch them. It might be said that each moment appears, as it does – in whatever form or color – hard or soft, dark or light – to teach us about ourselves. And how can we hope to learn what we must from such moments, if we meet them already knowing how they should unfold?
And just as one wouldn't mistake a ladder for being the same as the rooftop upon which he hopes to view the stars, neither should we confuse knowledge for those innermost revelations that can come to us only through self-understanding. This level of genuine self-knowledge is never static. It places no demands on life; therefore it fears nothing that life may reveal. It has nothing whatsoever to do with thoughts, plans, or otherwise imagined purposes. Real self-knowledge, the unshakable ground of enduring peace and security, is born in the union of the present moment with a Presence in us that's capable of being aware – at once – of what is acting upon it, of what is being acted upon, and what is flowering as a result.
For over 40 years Guy Finley has helped individuals around the world find inner freedom and a deeper, more satisfying way to live. His in-depth and down-to-earth teachings cut straight to the heart of today’s most important personal and social issues –stress, fear, relationships, addiction, meditation, and peace. His work is widely endorsed by doctors, business professionals, celebrities, and spiritual leaders of all denominations.
Guy is the author of 45 books and video/audio programs including his international bestseller “The Secret of Letting Go” which has been translated into 30 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide.
He is the founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit Center for Spiritual Discovery located in Southern Oregon, with over 40,000 online newsletter subscribers.
https://www.guyfinley.org
Through Life of Learning, Guy has presented over 5,000 unique self-realization seminars to thousands of grateful students throughout North America and Europe over the past 30 years and has been a guest on over 700 television and radio shows, including national appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and NPR. Guy is a faculty member at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York and 1440 Multiversity in Scotts Valley, California. He is a regular expert contributor to Beliefnet, Insight Timer, Simple Habit, and many other popular spiritual sites.
Finley holds regular classes at Life of Learning that are held in-person and live-streamed
https://www.guyfinley.org/light These classes are open to all. For more information about Guy Finley and Life of Learning Foundation visit www.guyfinley.org
Post Article:
Submit Your Own Article