Do not be mistaken the body serves the mind whether we are aware of it or not.  The thoughts that we have produce one of the following emotions, love or fear. All emotions fall within the sphere of those two emotions. Loving thoughts produce peace, connection, equanimity. Fear produces psychological and physiological illness.  Fear also influences what we see in the external world, discontent, depression, anxiety, disease, and war.  This is known as a projection from our own mind be it positive or negative. A Course In Miracles states that our external world is a projection of our internal condition, this is a very profound statement. Therefore, if our internal world is a mess then what we experience in our outside world will also be a mess.

The descriptive thoughts we cultivate in our lives can be seen as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. James Allen states, “man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must and will, bring forth.” Therefore, you can seed your garden with beneficial seeds that bring forth fruits or useless seeds that bring forth weeds. It is always a choice that we make over and over again every moment of our day and night.

Do we choose the ego self with its endless wants or do we choose the right mind, love which states we are enough and we need nothing more to define us. Moreover, is it possible to always get what we want? What happens when we don’t succeed? The Buddha identifies this process as craving and it has three facets, avoidance, desire and clinging. It looks like the following, we suffer when we have something we don’t want, we want something we don’t yet have, or we have something we want to hold onto because we recognize we cannot keep it.

The first facet of craving is avoidance, turning away from pain by holding onto what we already have that we don’t want to lose, like the aging of the body. Getting old is something that happens to all of us it is inescapable. Everything here ages, decays and passes away. This is what is known as the process of death and dying.  Some of us may understand resistance is pointless but none of us really wants to accept the inevitable surrender to lifelessness. We seem to always want to be searching for a way out. Some of us use justification in this process by pointing out all the good we have done in the world and why “I” am worthy of living a longer more fulfilling life on earth.

None of us wants to lose control of what is known as life. However, from the time we are born and draw our first breath we are dying. No matter what kind of wealth or beauty or power we accumulate in this world the end result will be the same we all die, the only unknown is the “when”. 

The second facet of craving is grasping, this is the face of getting what we want because it makes us feel good, although temporary. This certainly does not mean that we should live an austere life and not enjoy life’s pleasures. However, we do need to more aware that nothing here lasts forever.  The sense of losing it, whether it breaks, gets lost or dies brings with it an immediate wanting to replace it with something else that brings us pleasure. This becomes an endless pursuit of seeking, clutching, losing and seeking again. It would appear that perhaps just accepting impermanence may be more satisfying, or maybe it is easier to hold onto what we have.

The third facet of craving is fixation. We hear that voice within shouting, “I just want to keep everything as it is!” This is the most painful human experience of all. Tenaciously holding onto something comes with a certain cost. The cost is usually disappointment, and then exhaustion from trying to hold on too tight. Exhaustion is due to the realization that nothing here lasts forever or is even in the least bit dependable. As you all know this is not the way life works. For instance, it is like getting up in the morning looking in the mirror and you think you are going to see what you saw yesterday and that is not it at all there is something different about this image that was not there last night when I went to bed.

We must learn to be a vigilant gardener, of our thoughts and letting go of those thoughts that do not benefit us and therefore do not produce flowers. Being vigilant of our thoughts is known as mindfulness. Being mindful does not mean not looking or feeling what is going on it means do not get stuck in the thoughts and emotions. Thoughts/feelings will ebb and flow just like the waves in the ocean and the clouds in the sky.  Sometimes it may be beneficial to take a deep dive into what we are think or feel in order to understand it better. We just want to make sure that we don’t get stuck there once you have that insight moment then allow yourself to move out of that space.

Life in the physical world can be challenging and clouded with pain, suffering and fear. Why, because we are always trying to protect ourselves from the ravages of our physical existence. We need to realize is what is already perfect needs no protection. We don’t live therefore we do not die it is an endless circle of being. Unfortunately, we have taken our physical existence too serious and are very attached to these physical bodies that we look at every day.

What does the voice of fear bring to you, what is its special language. Fear does not whisper in our ears it is the first and loudest voice we hear. Fear tells us it is the voice of logic and reason. In the shadows fear assumes the language of love and tells us it wants us to be safe. But if we are safe, why would it need to tell us.  Love speaks softly in a whisper and simply says, “you are safe”. Fear says give me symbols, things, objects and images that I can put my faith in. Love says, “give me this moment”. Fear walks us on a path of our choice taking us to where we want to go. Love has no boundaries and only states open up to me. In every moment of our lives we are offered the possibility of choice, love or fear. The choice is ours, to walk the earth or walk the Heavens. The question is, why would fear want to oppose truth? Because truth/love has the power to transform fear. Fear thus believes it is fighting for its life, this is the ego part of self. Worry and fear are not the express train to the right mind they are the extra baggage we drag behind us that holds us back. Fear is the stronghold of the ego’s arsenal. Fear tells us that “we are” and separateness exists.

We can be mindful or mindless about what we plant in our minds and hearts.  We get the opportunity to choose every minute of our day from now to eternity is it love or fear? Does this thought bring me peace, is this benefiting me or harming me. Thinking in this way gives you some sort of control over your decisions instead of being dragged down.

We can be mindful or mindless about what we plant in our minds and hearts.  We get the opportunity to choose every minute of our day from now to eternity is it love or fear? Does this thought bring me peace, is this benefiting me or harming me. Thinking in this way gives you some sort of control over your decisions instead of being dragged down.