Morning Notes. Hugh Prather
is love of the ego because it turns to the ego for its sense of reality. Spirit will not and cannot confirm “low spirits.” Discouragement is never necessary. And it isn't much fun. But the answer is not to fight it. If I fight it, I make myself a victim of my own mind, which is impossible. When I am discouraged, no matter how slight the feeling, I will be still a moment and find the place in me where I am whole. I will let my mind fall gently back into place. Then, I will start over by doing just one thing without discouragement.
34
Whatever I worry about is not worth worrying about.
Stillness, not worry, plumbs the depth of my potential. If I want to have a deep sense of freedom, be attuned to my intuition, and remember the beauty in those around me, worry is of no use. Today I will confront my ego directly whenever I worry. I will ask, “Just what is it you suggest I do?” In this way I see that the aim of the worried part of my mind is not to improve the future. In fact, it has nothing to do with the future. The aim of worry is always to disrupt the present by undercutting connection and peace, which can only be experienced now.
35
There are no questions in God.
Today is the day I stop arguing with myself about whether the divine is logical or Truth is true. Questioning whether it is reasonable to be kind, to believe in a higher Reality, or to act from faith is merely my desire to put of f practicing today. Yet only practice brings understanding. It's arrogant to think that somehow I need my “intellectual honesty,” my wise and profound questions. What does doubt have to do with Love? My aim today will be to let all questions dissolve within the stillness of my heart and the gentleness of my actions.
36
Adding light to darkness solves the problem of darkness.
My thoughts constitute the happiness or misery in which I live. When I battle my thoughts, I split my mind and put myself in a firefight with shifting realities. However, I can safely leave all conflicted thoughts in place if I merely add God to them. No matter how strident my ego, it can't completely drown out God's quiet reassurance. Today, all I need do is worry in peace, be discouraged in peace, be confused in peace, and so on. There is always music behind the discord, if I choose to hear it.
37
Fear is my responsibility because fear means that I am conflicted.
We are like children pointing and screaming at a shadow, and all the while a loving parent stands beside us offering comfort and safety. God shows us the place where we are invulnerable and completely at peace. Yet if I am conflicted about moving in that direction, the peace of God doesn' t force me to decide against my desires, even though those inclinations, no matter how tentatively or erratically followed, always hurt me. Today, when I notice I am afraid, I will examine my mind for conflicting purposes.
38
The means I use to change my mental state becomes my new state of mind.
I can't force my mind to be whole, because force itself is mental. Pressure in any form is war. When part of my mind tries to force another par t to change, the outcome is mental upset. However, if I focus my full attention on wholeness, my mind becomes whole. When stillness and peace are the means, stillness and peace are the result.
39
Just one thought of blessing recreates me in its image.
I intend to pray for others, but so often I for get or do it halfheartedly. Perhaps this is because sincere gifts from a loving mind are given without calculation, and prayer by its very nature is anonymous. But it is not without effects on the one who prays. As I go through the day, I will try to notice any damaged images I carry about anyone I see or think of, and I will correct them on the spot.
40
Awareness disarms my ego.
Our busy, conflicted mind never forgives, for only peace can see innocence. Whenever I fall back into my ego, all the old stuff is still there. There is no way to perfect it, but there is a way to disarm it. When I look long and carefully at my judgments, when I “look the beast in the eye,” I begin to see that these are not my deepest feelings. But I must stay with that process long enough that I truly do perceive a different side of me and not just sugarcoat the mental contents with pleasant words.
41
My mind is a gift. Its nature is pure.
There is no tension in simply being what I am. Letting go and relaxing are the same. I have to work quite hard to be unlike the child God created. Tension is a clue that I am at odds with my function and my destiny. Therefore I will settle into the day as it unfolds. There is nothing to figure out and no sales pitch I need give myself about who I am. There is One who knows what I am all about and never forgets. I am relieved of that task.
42
See your ego's plan for you clearly and you can't help but laugh.
Forgiveness is not a state of mind in which no judgmental thoughts about myself or others occur, but one in which they show themselves to be utter nonsense. I know when I have reached that point when, even though I am conscious of the thoughts, they no longer make me anxious or stir me up. In fact, if my forgiveness work has been thorough, the unforgiving thoughts are seen as laughably absurd.
43
Wallowing in guilt is self-indulgent.
To indulge in thoughts of guilt, remorse, and regret seems virtuous, an act of humility or honesty. But it's actually a failure to take responsibility for my past actions, because it's still all about me. These thoughts don't help or heal the individuals I have hurt. I must interrupt my self-attack and give the blessings I have withheld. Often this is best done silently, since the consequences of making amends directly are unpredictable. The decision to bless comes from within and includes the intuition of whether or not to act.
44
Attack is the problem, not the answer.
I am making the same mistake in a different form when I indulge in shame, guilt, or self-loathing— first I hurt this person; now I am hurting myself. Justification for attack does not hinge on the object of the attack. Attack in any form blocks the experience of peace.
45
I cannot betray myself by “loving too much.”
What could I possibly lose by seeking the peace of another person—literally making another's peace my single-minded goal? I can certainly lose by destroying another's peace; in fact, loss will be the one reliable outcome. And I can lose by loving too little and thereby making myself small. But to “love too much” is merely to be my self, to be my own hear t, to be my true and deepest nature, which is all I have ever wanted to be. Real love isn't “balanced” and can't be measured or quantified.
46
Love is a preview of heaven.
Love is not just our way out of fear, it is our destination point and our fulfillment. In the words of the apostle John: Love one another, because love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But the unloving know nothing of God, for God is love.
47
The jailer is also in jail.
Freedom is found in little things—in errands and tasks and small encounters. Today I will practice freedom by remaining aware of the situation I am in, the individuals who are present, and the quality of my thoughts. I will