February 2005 - Make It Heaven Newsletter

Bringing Heaven to Earth: Becoming a Spiritual Scientist
“Diving B

eneath the Surface”

Did you know that the moon is a master at illusion? According to a recent news article, the moon looks larger on the horizon than when it’s directly above us in the sky. OK, that’s definitely been my observation. So what’s the problem? Well, it seems that this is an illusion.

When the moon is on the horizon it is further away which logically would make it appear smaller. However, even though the mind knows differently – it is fooled. The moon looks bigger. Their point? This trick of nature might prove the brain was made to be fooled.

As it turns out, your mind is also a master trickster. It can tell you all kinds of things and make up endless scenarios that are not true. As a spiritual scientist, the ‘new trick’ is to become aware of what your mind is doing, observe it, and learn to make different choices.

For our example this month let’s take a look at relationships.

Exploring beneath the surface of a reoccurring relationship issue can be tedious and scary. Seeing beyond a habitual pattern that creates emotional upset to the ‘deeper issue’ requires courage, faith and trust.

Let’s look at what may be underneath a chronic response of anger. Chronic reactive angry responses can disrupt relationships, causing a myriad of hurt feelings and send the mind off on a favorite damaging tangent. In fact, the mind can be so good at replaying these horrific ‘one-acts’ in your head that sometimes you can’t tell the difference between what happened – and what you imagined.

In the movie, What the Bleep? one of the scientist commented that the mind does not know the difference between what is actually happening in reality and the ‘movie’ you play in your head. In other words, if you are watching a scary film or replaying a scary ‘scene’ from your past, or experiencing a scary situation – the brain does not know the difference. The mind is ‘fooled’ but your reactions can be the same.

As a spiritual scientist you want to begin to observe your mind and the emotions it triggers so the truth of what is happening can reveal itself. That requires looking beneath the surface.

Visualize for a moment that you are floating along on the ocean of feelings unwilling to accept that the choppy waves to your left signify anger. If you put on snorkeling gear and dive under them, you will see a whole new world. Beneath the anger you will most likely find a hurt or a fear. Complete the following sentences with yourself:

• Each time I think of __________I get angry.
• If I feel this anger, I’m afraid that ___________.
• When I feel this anger, I am hurt about __________.

Remember, avoid assigning personal meaning to these feelings. (I’m such a terrible person for feeling and thinking this way.) Just swim around with your snorkel securely in place, investigating the fear or hurt that lie beneath the anger. Surface briefly and reflect about the role your anger plays. Here are a few possibilities:

• Anger is a shield that protects a part of me that feels afraid or hurt.
• Anger is a red flag alerting me to the presence of fear or hurt.
• Anger is a messenger. A part inside must feel afraid or hurt.

Now take a deep breath and dive again, looking next to the fear or hurt for a judgment it may have spawned, such as the following:

• If people knew I was afraid they would reject me.
• I’m pathetic for being afraid of this.
• Feeling hurt is weak and foolish.
• Because I feel hurt I am unworthy of love.

To further complicate opening our heart the mind adopts black and white thinking. Desperately needing to stay in control of life and make sense of the world, you
resort to rejecting what you think you see as wrong (bad, inappropriate, immoral) and cling to what you perceive as right (good, appropriate, moral). This approach does nothing to resolve the issue. Rather look beneath the surface of black/white thinking for another layer of limiting belief.

Questions for Letting Go of Black/White Thinking:

• If I am judging my husband/wife/ friend do I also judge myself in the same way?
• Am I condemning my mistakes or lack of perfection because I am afraid of failing or being seen as a failure?
• Do I judge anger (fear, sadness, caring, loving) as wrong in others because I see it as wrong in myself?
• Do certain people get on my nerves because I’m afraid their behavior resembles my own?
• If I want to be happy rather than right in this situation, what do I need to accept and forgive in myself?

When the heart opens, making sense of the world is not as important as being happy. Restraining from taking a position about other’s behavior, allows the heart to thaw out revealing depths of information that quiets fear and loosens the grip of control.

Snorkeling can open the mind to what is really going on in your ocean of feelings. When you take the time to peel away the layers that have you stuck or paralyzed you reap the benefits of self-acceptance, compassion, and liberation from fear. Then inner fears can be comforted and judgments forgiven. Compassion replaces blame and shame, and you discover a place of peace and well-being beyond the choppy surface waters.

Next time there is a challenge in a relationship don our snorkeling gear. Experience the wonders that lie beyond the surface reactions. Discover for yourself what lies underneath your anger -a safe refuge – your open, loving heart.

**************************************
By Rebecca Skeele, author of
You Can Make It Heaven:
How to Enrich Your Life with Abundance and Loving

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca Skeele, President of Make It Heaven LLC, is an author, speaker and master facilitator supporting people to cocreate their personal heaven on earth. She is the author of You Can Make It Heaven: How to Enrich Your Life with Abundance and Loving and numerous articles supporting personal and spiritual growth. She combines her extensive years as a spiritual counselor and coach, two Master’s degrees in Spiritual Counseling and Spiritual Science, her certification in the noetic field of consciousness and her study as an non-denominational minister to support conscious choice and awakening to the truth within. Her new course, Becoming a Spiritual Scientist: A Course for Cocreators is offered in Santa Fe, NM.  Visit http://www.spiritual-scientist.com for more information or email Rebecca at rebecca@makeitheaven.com

Copyright 2005, Rebecca Skeele. This content may be reprinted or forwarded in full with author’s name and contact numbers.