Living Consciously - August 2, 2021

Dear friends,
 Marcus Aurelius: “the best revenge is to not be like that.”
     I have often felt that we know we have truly forgiven a terrible act against us, when we live a good life as if it had never happened.  I also see the above quote to be about breaking the cycle of abuse or addiction or negative thinking. We may have been born into a violent household or an unloving one, but we do not inherit the tendency to live that way. We either shake it off or absorb the consciousness into our worldview.  We have the choice at any age to discontinue its influence.
     Most of the acts against us are carry-overs from that person’s childhood. They have adopted the behavior of defense, which can result in violence against others, or themselves.    It is quite astounding how quickly the mind can let go of such habits once a spiritual image of who we are has been discovered.  One of the most life-shifting moments for me personally was when I learned that who I am has never been damaged nor diminished by what others have done to me.
     That awareness lifts us out of the mode of fixing ourselves or pretending to be something, into the realization of our intactness and how we can proceed from now, leaving the past where it belongs. It is simpler than it is easy, but it all depends on how we integrate our wholeness into everyday choices. We might say it this way: when the soul is involved in our choices, it tends toward love; love of self, love of the world, love of others, despite their behaviors.
      You are the observer of what others have discovered about themselves or continue to believe. That is why New Thought Spirituality can change the world for the better; because it teaches that we are all capable of changing our perceptions about ourselves and when that happens, everything can be new.  Our part is to see through the appearance and to love the Being behind it, including the one in the mirror.
Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com
 
 
   
 

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