Weekly Reflections

The question as to why our culture, in which we were so deeply rooted and steeped, was infected by the punitive, the terrible, and the vengeful to such a extreme degree, is a topic which would go way beyond the scope of this essay, so it may need separate treatment at a later date. The fact was, that, as a young boy, I lived in fear of God. I had been clearly instructed, mainly by teachers in my most tender years – all members of religious orders – that a list of all my sins was being accurately kept and, if I were good, I could make it to heaven, most probably by way of a stint in purgatory, a somewhat lesser form of hell. On the other hand, if I were not good, I was sure to go to hell.

By turning toward the soul, the heart, and the Self, and attuning to our inner intelligence and guidance, we can discover and commit to our unique path of transformation and healing, deepening our experience of intimacy, connection, creativity, and vibrancy. Having crossed the threshold from `no´ to `yes´ to a fully-lived life (the state of `courage´ in David Hawkins’ map of consciousness) we grow and expand through the higher frequencies of courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, and joy, towards peace and enlightenment.

There was a time in my life when I was proud of the fact that I slept, on average, less than five hours per day. These were the years marked by my conviction that mountains could indeed be moved, if only the correct attitude and sufficient amounts of will power were applied. As an ambitious, competent executive in a hurry to make it to the top of the pile in international management, I had little tolerance for notions such as rest, enjoying the moment, or `being´ rather than `doing´. I could do all of that later…..

When we were children, we were `disciplined´ – by our parents, our teachers and the priests of our church. This usually involved some form of physical, emotional or spiritual punishment. Punishment sometimes spilled over into abuse, continuing a cycle of suffering which has been passed on from generation to generation since the initial stirrings of humanity.