Like the potter, the more centered and grounded we are, the
more we are in control of our own inner processes. We become
enlightened one life experience at a time. We may be very soulful
and charitable in our volunteer service, or amongst members of
our spiritual community. However, a rebellious teenaged child
of ours, or a careless driver on the road may trigger a less
charitable response. The ecstatic, ethereal flash of enlightenment
we read about in ancient texts may be, in the modern world, as
simple as that sinking gut feeling that we lost our cool and
should not have spoken that way.
We all have those moments when our higher self seems to whisper
information about a needed course correction in our behavior.
We can ignore that voice for a long time. The moment of enlightenment
is when we take full responsibility for our reactions and decide
we will not, cannot, do it that way any more. It is when we realize
the impact of our behaviors upon the innocent souls of others.
(At the level of soul, we are all innocent.) It is when we realize
we each are microcosms of the bigger world, and as we are, so
is our world. We cannot have polarity and conflict in our personal
lives and, at the same time, be aghast at the rising levels of
conflict on a global scale. Enlightenment is more like
the dawning of a glorious sunrise than a big bang. Slowly, slowly,
the light of awareness begins dawning in our consciousness. Gradually
that light begins to infiltrate all we do, every aspect of our
lives. The most beautiful part of the process comes when we begin
to integrate that light into every aspect of our being, and our
own radiance begins to shine. We then can begin to bring light
into all kinds of dark corners in our world, and in our lives.
Enlightenment then, is a gift we all share as we work
together to co-create it. That might just be what heaven on Earth
is all about.
Gwen Randall-Young is a Chartered Psychologist
in private practice in Sherwood Park. She is the author of the
books Dancing Soul: The Voice of Spirit Evolving, Echoes Through
Time: A Message of Healing for Men, and Baby Soul: A Blessing
of Spirit, and audiocassettes Healing the Past: A Meditation
for Wholeness, and After Recess: (a relaxation tape for the elementary
classroom.), A World of Kindness: Experiencing Personal and Global
Harmony. gwendall@shaw
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