Tag Archives: separation

Where’s the Perfection in Tragedy?

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A friend recently asked me, where is the perfection in this recent tragedy in Orlando, Florida? My response was that any words that would try to explain divine perfection in that situation would just be platitudes, and there are no words that could describe divine perfection there.

When we relinquish the idea of an all-controlling God who controls all the affairs of humans, with that we accept that all manner of events will take place that represent where each one of us is, and where all of us are collectively, in our embodiment and expression of our divine nature, which is perfection.

Our nature is perfection. Our nature is love. Yet, because we are all free and have choice, it is up to each one of us to recognize our divinity and the divinity of all others. In the meantime, some will continue to engage in wars and other violent acts, and we will all be affected by that on some level.

Acts like the recent mass shooting in Orlando do not call us to trust less, nor to become more fearful, nor cynical. They call us to love more, to extend ourselves more in caring and compassion for others, and to stand even more clearly in the vision of a world that works for everyone.

It is the consciousness of love and wholeness that heals. If the world is to receive healing, it will happen through more love, and expanded consciousness of wholeness and oneness.

In tragedy that is perpetuated by another human being, our human tendency is to go into separation, to look for how the person who committed the violent acts is different from us, and to look at how to protect ourselves from “them” and those like them.

The greater calling is to do the opposite, to see it as a call to bring even more people into our sense of oneness, to love even more, to connect even more with those who seem different than us.

According to the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, the differences in human beings of all ethnicities and races is defined by less than 0.1% of our DNA. In other words, for all human beings we share 99.9% of the same DNA. This should be a clue as to our oneness and how much more we have in common than differences.

For anyone who has traveled or really gotten to know people of different cultures, we can see that all of us human beings are fundamentally similar. It is ignorance and a sense of separateness that cause us to begin weaving wild stories about the “other” and their culture, and often this occurs in both directions to the point that animosity and fear continue to grow. It is these mythical stories that allow us to do harm to one another. Without them, it is unlikely for a healthy mind to commit acts of violence against others.

My friends, let’s not fall for any story that would have us believe that others are so different from us. Let’s find out first hand by listening deeply with an open mind and heart. We can honor and respect differences and be genuinely interested in learning about other people’s cultures and religions and, not only does it enrich our lives, but it also creates the possibility for world peace as each person fundamentally wants to be seen, honored, and respected for who they are.

My friends, we are truly all one. The call this day is to see, honor, love, and respect all of God’s children. Let us approach others with genuine interest and curiosity rather than fear. Let’s wear our hearts on our sleeves and let everyone know how deeply they are loved by God through us.

Enjoy the journey.

Gregory Toole offers spiritual coaching to individuals and groups who want to create and live extraordinary lives. For more information, go to gregorytoole.com.

Experiencing Oneness Moment by Moment

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The great yoga teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar described oneness in the most embodied sense I had ever heard. He said that to experience oneness is to feel every cell of our body simultaneously. Similarly, it could be said we experience oneness when we experience every other being as ourselves simultaneously.

Recently, I have been contemplating such a full experience of oneness. The Science of Mind philosophy articulated by Ernest Holmes has oneness as its central tenet. Holmes taught that a sense of separation, the opposite of oneness, was all that ever needed to be healed.

In my current contemplations I have been exploring what oneness looks and feels like moment by moment. The short answer is it feels quite good! It means we see no separation between ourselves, the creator, and all that is created. It means all the good that we desire is contained right within the infiniteness of our own being. So we are never seeking anything from outside, but accepting all good within ourselves.

From a philosophical point of view, this is not radical at all to those in New Thought spiritual circles. However, on an experiential level it is quite radical as most of us still struggle with this or that condition or situation in our worldly lives.

To truly know oneness at an experiential level would be to acknowledge, feel, and experience all situations as the unfolding of divine consciousness right where we are. This is really radical. Most of us would be willing to accept some responsibility for our own conditions, but few would go as far as to embrace the fullness of life as connected and flowing from their own consciousness.

In oneness, by definition, we are not separate from anything or anyone. The good news is that, when in the full experience of oneness, we no longer need to be in doubt or fear. We can know that we are crafting our experience of life through calling forth that which we already possess within ourselves.

One of my favorite spiritual writers, Joel Goldsmith, said we must allow infinity to flow out from us. Whether it be prosperity, friendship, relationship, wellness in the physical body, or anything else, the answer is always the same – tap into the reservoir of divine substance within ourselves and call it forth into form.

Experiencing oneness moment by moment is feeling the presence of the divine within us each moment. It is feeling and experiencing powerfulness at our core. It is recognizing the constant movement of divine substance through us, manifesting into form. It is also feeling all the pain and suffering of the world within our own being and allowing love to flow in those parts of ourselves.

Like many, I cannot say that I experience oneness in every moment as my mind wanders at times into the wilderness of separation. But the more I remember, and the longer the moments are that I am in full awareness of oneness, the sweeter life is. And I accept this as my charge – to keep remembering to remember. Remember that I am one with and as all that is. I am that I AM. And so are each one of us. There is only One.

The invitation this day is to remember you are one with all joy, creativity, wisdom, power, and love. The further invitation is to channel the flow of infinite divine substance into the highest form for yourself and all others. The possibilities are great, infinite in fact. Shine on my friends. The world is what we make it.

Enjoy the journey.

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