| Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: | | | | peace. You must look beyond the surface and see |
| "What lies behind usand what lies before usare tiny | | | | with your inner eyes. |
| matterscompared to what lies within us." | | | | Antoine De Saint-Exupery, author of "The Little Prince", |
| Have you thought lately about just how amazing you | | | | wrote: |
| are? How incredible life is, and the miracles all around | | | | "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;what is |
| you, large and small... It's easy to lose sight of that, isn't | | | | essential is invisible to the eye." |
| it? You get caught up in the dramas and minutiae of | | | | When you see with your heart, you feel warmth and |
| daily life and that feeling of specialness, of uniqueness, | | | | connectedness with all beings. One of the fundamental |
| somehow diminishes and fades. | | | | tenets of Buddhism is the concept of universal |
| Well, I'm here to remind you that you ARE special! And | | | | compassion. This is about accepting yourself and |
| you have a special purpose for being here, right now. | | | | everyone around you, without judgement, |
| What is it, you ask? Simply to accept yourself as you | | | | understanding that each person is doing the best that |
| are and, in so doing, to allow yourself to BE all that you | | | | they can. |
| truly are. | | | | Try this for yourself... Next time you're travelling to |
| Don Miguel Ruiz, author of "The Four Agreements" | | | | work on the train, or sitting in a cafe having a coffee, |
| said: | | | | or in some other public place where you're surrounded |
| "There is wisdom in accepting what you are. It is | | | | by strangers, take a moment to centre yourself in your |
| difficult to be what you are not. Being what you are | | | | heart. Allow yourself to feel compassion for each |
| doesn't require any effort. When you become wise, | | | | person who is in that place with you. See how doing |
| you accept yourself the way you are, and the | | | | this changes the way you view others. |
| complete acceptance of yourself becomes the | | | | A wonderful exercise to do is to visualise a big ball of |
| complete acceptance of everyone else." | | | | warm, loving, golden light in the centre of your chest. |
| I would add that accepting yourself as you are doesn't | | | | This light is flowing to you directly from The Source. |
| mean that you're somehow settling for second-best. | | | | Now imagine light radiating out to the person next to |
| On the contrary, when you let go of judgement and | | | | you, like the rays of the sun, activating their heart |
| expectation, you liberate yourself from constraints and | | | | centre. And then the rays spread to the next person |
| open yourself up to receive the best that life has to | | | | and the next, until every person is bathed in golden light |
| offer. | | | | and you feel the way all of you are connected, as one. |
| You also allow yourself to connect with that deep, | | | | This is also a very healing process to use with anyone |
| peaceful place within you. This, in turn, connects you | | | | in your life you may be having difficulty connecting with |
| with a state of oneness with all things. | | | | -- whether a friend, family member or work colleague. |
| Consider the following passage, called "The True | | | | The other person doesn't need to be in the same |
| Peace", by Black Elk of the Oglala Sioux: | | | | room with you, just imagine that heart to heart |
| "The first peace, which is the most important, is that | | | | connection. Allow yourself to feel compassion for the |
| which comes within the souls of people when they | | | | other person and remind yourself that you're both |
| realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe | | | | doing the best that you can. |
| and all its powers, and when they realize that at the | | | | You always have the choice to express forgiveness. |
| center of the universe dwells Wakan-Taka (the Great | | | | That doesn't mean that you condone negative or |
| Spirit), and that this center is really everywhere, it is | | | | hurtful behaviour, simply that, from within yourself, you |
| within each of us. | | | | choose to release the negative emotions attached to |
| This is the real peace, and the others are but | | | | the situation. |
| reflections of this. The second peace is that which is | | | | This is the path to wholeness and oneness. This is the |
| made between two individuals, and the third is that | | | | path to true peace. |
| which is made between two nations. But above all you | | | | Always be gentle with yourself and remember that |
| should understand that there can never be peace | | | | you don't need to have all the answers! As the poet |
| between nations until there is known that true peace, | | | | W.B. Yeats said: |
| which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men." | | | | "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to |
| These words contain great wisdom: everything that | | | | be lived." |
| you seek is within you. This is a universal truth that | | | | Enjoy the uniqueness of your own mystery as it is |
| transcends all religions, all cultures, all time. Constantly | | | | revealed to you... |
| focusing on external things is not the path to true | | | | Copyright © 2007 Judith Waller. |