Notes from Neale

The CwG Reader

Last week we asked the question, How does one "be" what one wishes
to "be", how does one adopt a State of Being, through Intentioned
Choice?

In that last letter we said, "Using this avenue, One uses the Mind
to instruct the Mind to ignore or override the Mind.
What one actually ignores or overrides is the Mind’s constant
chatter, its constant judgments (arising from Past Data), its old
conditioning. The Mind tells the Mind what to think, how to feel,
and when and where to do this. This approach requires commitment and
discipline — the marks of every true spiritual master and every
serious student of spiritual mastery."

I want to take a closer look at this today…

"Spiritual Mastery" is a big phrase, and it is heard a lot in
certain circles these days. Yet what is this thing called Spiritual
Mastery? To me, it is the ability to focus one’s thoughts on the
eternal wisdom of the soul at a time when one is tempted to focus
thoughts on the conditioning of the mind.

This certainly does, as I indicted last week, require commitment and
discipline. It requires a commitment from ourselves to ourselves, to
notice whenever we have fallen prey to the temptation to recede into
the Past or project into the Future. This is the territory of the
Mind. The Soul does not go there, because for the Soul there is no
such thing as the past or the future. There is only Now.

The Buddha shared with us the essence of Spiritual Mastery before
the time of Christ. He said, "Do not pursue the past; do not loose
yourself in the future. The past no longer is. The future has not
yet come. Looking deeply at life as it is in the very here and now,
you dwell in stability and freedom."

This is an ancient teaching, and all persons who have experienced
what we call "enlightenment" teach the same thing even today. There
is nothing new about this process of mastery, or enlightenment —
but there are some new and important and wonderful and clarifying
articulations of this age-old wisdom. It is all about what Eckhart
Tolle calls The Power of Now. It is all about what Byron
Katie terms Loving What Is.

So the commitment is a determined decision, a choice, an intention,
to look closely at every single important thought or feeling that
comes into our experience; to stop and think twice
about what you’re thinking about.

Often when "bad" things happen to us, or bad feelings come over us,
well meaning friends say to us, "Don’t give it a second thought."
Actually, I am suggesting just the opposite. Think again.
Think again about that which you are thinking again. Because
the negative thought you are having now about something that is
going on in your life is a "thinking again" of a thought you’ve had
before. It is a calling up of Old Data — what is called Judged
Past Data in the wonderful new CwG book When Everything Changes,
Change Everything.

So if you find yourself in a "negative space" about something, think
about what your thoughts are showing you right now. Make the
commitment right now to do that — to think about what you are
thinking about — whenever you feel less than totally joyful,
totally peaceful, totally content. THEN…

…apply the discipline of refocusing. This is a discipline. It is
an art. It is Akido of the Mind. And about THAT we will talk next
week! Make a wonderful seven days.

Continuing our discussion of Big Self/Little Self, launched here in
the Bulletin a few weeks ago…

I am not for one minute suggesting that we abandon the Little Self.
It is not my idea that unless we are being the Big Self in every
single moment that we have somehow lost sight of our "mission" or
"failed" in living our purpose. And I think it’s important to
understand that.

Life is a question of balance, and if it was not spiritually
appropriate or spiritually useful or, may I say, spiritually
necessary for us to live as the Little Self, we would not be
given the opportunity by life to do so.

My point is that living as the Little Self has a purpose. We
came here to live as the Little Self AND the Big Self. It is
the experience of the Little Self that creates a context within
which all of the awareness, wisdom, understandings, and knowing of
the Big Self may be experienced in us and through us.

It is for this reason that living as the Little Self provides us
with so much joy. If it were not meant to be part of our earthly
experience — and an important part — it would not ever have been
made to be nearly as wonderful. So my lesson in life since I have
embarked upon this headlong drive to achieve enlightenment (my God,
is that what I’m trying to do?!?!) has been to welcome every aspect
of the Little Self into my experience; to embrace every impact and
effect of the Little Self as portion of my reality; to explore every
nuance of the Little Self as part of my journey.

Part of this process has been for me to learn more and more about
the Five Natural Emotions. These were first talked to me by my
wonderful master teacher Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. These emotions
are given to us as tools. They are part of the life of the Little
Self. If we use them in the manner in which they were intended to be
used, they can be extraordinary devices leading us to profound
awareness. If they are suppressed, and therefore not used as they
were intended to be used, they become enemies of the mind, poison in
the pond of consciousness, and obstacles that we will find ourselves
fighting to overcome every day of our lives.

I will be explaining all of this in my next blog. For now, for
today, allow yourself to welcome with open arms all of the wondrous,
delightful, frustrating, annoying, uplifting, inspiring, deflating,
disappointing, and elevating experiences of the Little Self. Watch
your Little Self today. Watch to see what he or she gravitates to,
pushes back from, seeks more of, wants less to do with, and plunges
enthusiastically into. Observe its preferences. Witness its process.
And bless its journey, knowing that without the ups and downs of its
sometimes difficult traveling, the Big Self could not be reached.

Has it been a good year for you? Have you experienced your soul
expanding, your heartspace increasing, your mind opening even more
to the wonders and the mysteries of life?

How is your relationship life going? Is your life purpose being
expressed in your daily activities? Are you in touch with your
deepest and highest self? And how are you doing with all the changes
in your life?

I am so deeply committed to bringing forward the messages of
Conversations with God in a helping way, in a way that can bring
real and vital new energy to your experience of life. That is why in
the 14 years since publication of the groundbreaking spiritual text
Conversations with God, I have presented an Annual Holiday Retreat
from Dec 28th to Jan 1st.

>From the beginning it has been our most popular and most attended
event each year. Once again this year we are offering this event
here in Ashland, Oregon.

In a very special mind-expanding, spirit-awakening 4 day
presentation, I will offer you the opportunity to truly celebrate
your life just as it has occurred, and then to recreate it anew in
the next grandest version of the greatest vision ever you held about
Who You Are as you move into the New Year.

Wrapped in the soft and gentle poetry of my wife, Em Claire (www.emclairepoet.com),
this is a highly experiential event filled with personal sharings
and emotional healings, imbedded in deep discussions of the
Conversations with God material.

The wonderfully evocative and joyful musical artistry of recording
artists Cathy Bolton (www.cathybolton.com)
and Don Eaton (www.small-change.org)
will add to an inspiring and uplifting encounter with Self, with
God, and with Life that you are not likely to ever forget — and
that others have told us has changed their lives for the better.

The program ends with a very special Resolution Ritual in the final
moments of 2009, with participants publicly declaring their
intention for the 12 months ahead. Then we’ll usher in 2010 in grand
form with a traditional New Year’s Eve party.

You took the first step when you read Conversations with God.
Now, take the next step…

You already know
you if you want wish to be there.

If you do — if your soul is calling you to spend this very special
time with the Conversations with God material and with me
(something that you may have been promising yourself you would do
one day!), please contact Will Richardson at 352-442-2244. He’ll
answer any questions you may have.

NOTE: Not all events are sponsored by the ReCreation Foundation, but
because all of the events move forward the message of
Conversations with God, which is the mission of the Foundation,
the Foundation is pleased to inform you of them.

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