Gifts of Pictures by Lillian Grace

The last of the devotees depart after a weekend of celebrating Christmas with our spiritual family. The house is quiet, and yet not quiet, for the all-powerful sound of Aum/Amen is ringing in the air, and from the walls, floor, and ceiling. My heart is full and complete.

God is the special ingredient that makes for this total contentment. All the plans could look the same: Christmas carols the night before, spiritual service followed by a potluck, a social gathering of such wonderful souls, but without the vibration of God the festivities would be incomplete, an unnamed emptiness.

But with God, oh, what a different story! Upon meeting each person my heart is an overflowing cup of love, the eyes flow with bliss, the Soul is touched and a depth of Spirit is reached that makes the world bright and peaceful. The Divine ingredient makes it all sacred. It is the true philosopher’s stone that turns all it touches into gold; the gold of the Spirit.

For so many years I yearned for this and did not have it. How many lonely Christmases, how much time was spent living in separation, knowing there was more; like the waif on the outside, in the cold, watching those on the inside share a warm banquet. I keenly felt the Divine absence.

Now the Infinite Presence lives in my heart and soul, separation is but a memory of the past. Oh how I long to have all yearning souls share in the Kingdom, to know that through total surrender comes spiritual perfection.

Come my dear ones; come into the kingdom of bliss, light and peace. Come, oh blessed Christ, come! By whatever the name you may call upon the one, the redeemer of mankind; for it is through Thy Grace that all are lifted, even on this day, into the waiting Kingdom of Spirit.

I continue listening to the resounding Aum coming from everywhere and nowhere, and I know that it is the result of God’s Presence combined with all the wonderful souls who have celebrated this holy season with us today. And this feeling, this music of Spirit, this is the best Christmas gift I could ever hope to receive. It is the vibrancy of the Holy Ghost and Christ Consciousness born anew, manifesting through this blissful sound. And its words sing through the very cells of my Being: Merry Christmas to you, and goodwill toward all!

I sit in inner stillness; a tremendous pressure is in the base of my skull. I focus inside this intense pain; the sound of Aum/Amen is remarkably loud. My vision goes into the center of this dense power; I see the “atoms” inside this density, what appears to me now as so many galaxies in a vast universe. The compact density expands, the pressure in my head reduces, and the feeling of power increases, only now it is spread out over vast space.

There is so much power behind creation, inside the cell, an atom, and even a quark; it is all the power of creation itself. Dumb power could not create out of randomness all that we see about us. I perceive this great intelligence and beauty in this power; to perceive this vision is awe-inspiring.

This mystical experience is the remover of fear and the birth of Christ Consciousness. The microcosm and the macrocosm are not different, but are expressions of the one power. This is a mystery to the uninitiated, and self-evident to those who know.

The holy birth is here, it is now, and it is ever-present.

Picture: Seeing God (Krishna) in all.

Tragedy comes into the home in many ways. Sickness and Death are two common ways, but there are also tragedies of stealing, lying, cruel words, domestic violence and silent withholding; these are some familiar tragedies that too often snake their way into the home. While the first two instances may be beyond our direct control, the later acts are volitional and entirely within our choosing.

There are those who unthinkingly perpetuate such pain on a daily basis; many times without really thinking of the effect it has on others. I remember many years ago when I was in my master’s degree program we were enacting an adult student’s childhood family situation at Christmas time. She chose me to play her father, and two good friends of mine played her brothers. In this scenario there were common verbal fights and occasional dunken brawls that broke out to commemorate the season of “brotherly love and goodwill toward all mankind.”

I made a startling discovery in re-enacting the verbal fight; I felt the power of anger and loud, aggressive words pouring out of me. Then I was replaced by the woman whose family we represented; now I was a witness only. The difference in the effect this clash had on me, based on my perspective, was stark. I felt the loud words going right through me; I was physically assaulted by the vibrational violence. Where before I felt in control, now there was no sense of control and that anything might happen.

I was stunned by this change of perspective; it made me realize that many of those who yell, swear, threaten and possibly get violent have little idea of the effect they have on others. The one who is yelling knows what he or she will do or not do, while others are left to imagine to what extent it can all go.

When doing family therapy I have oftentimes thought how useful it would be to videotape the session, so that others may hear how they sound, what they look like when interacting with others. For many it would be shocking to hear his or her own tone of voice and the look on his face.

Self awareness is the first step in making a change. You can make more of an effort at self-awareness by really observing yourself in any situation. When you evaluate that what you say, or how you say it, is not reflective of the person you want to be then get busy and change your behavior. Simply writing it off as, “This is just the way I am,” is the cowards way and will lead to intense future regrets.

Make sure that your words are sweet, so just in case you have to “eat your words,” well you get the picture! Make your goal in life for every thought, word and action to be an expression of your highest Self; then you will not have to live with regret ever again. You are now an agent of truth, strength and healing for yourself and for all.

Picture: Jesus knocking on the Door

There are so many kinds of addictions in this world: alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, anger, and eating are among the most common. The brain and biochemistry are powerful actors, some will say they are everything. And yet there are those who rise above these addictions and genetic predispositions; those who choose a course of freedom.

The pain of addiction is tremendous, affecting the lives of not only those with the addiction, but the lives they touch, and in turn the lives those people touch, in a ripple effect that spreads out in all directions.

Support of family, individual will and faith in God are typical antidotes thought of to abstain from addiction. For many, these factors turn the tide; yet, in too many cases these usual formulas are not enough. The family is supportive, the individual deeply wants to change, and he or she prays to God for relief, yet the addiction continues.

Just as the biochemistry of individual’s vary, so too may the prescription for recovery. What is common to all abstention from addictions is a clarity in the individual’s mind for the damage created by the addiction, a clear, unambiguous desire to be free of the addiction, and a concrete course of action for gaining this freedom.

This course of action may be a 12 step program, aversion therapy, counseling, and so on. The key is that it must be a commitment and provide the right kind of support that someone with the first two steps, clarity regarding the damage and an unwavering desire to be free, are in place.

To some it may sound surprising that faith in God alone cannot solve the problem. There are those that an internal connection with God is exactly right, while others must look to God’s helping hand being extended through a specific program.

There is a instructive story about a man who is warned a flood is threatening his home and he must evacuate. The man thinks, “I have faith in God, He will see to my safety.”

The flood waters rise up to his porch. A four wheel drive truck comes by and the driver tells the man to get in the truck and he will take him to safety. The man waves off the driver telling him to save others, God will take care of him.

Then the flood waters rise up and the first story of his house is now underwater. A motorboat pulls up and offers the man a ride to dry land. Again he waves off the resucuers, secure that God will keep him safe.

Finally, the man is standing on his chimney, his house is covered by the rising flood when a helicopter flies overhead and lowers a harness. The man waves off the helicopter when suddenly he is swept away and drowns.

Arriving at St. Peter’s gate soaking wet he asks to talk directly with God. He is escorted in to an interview with the Almighty, dripping river water on His carpet. “God, why didn’t you save me?” He asks with irritation. God looks the man in the eye, “Look, I gave you advance warning, then I sent you a truck, and a boat, and finally a helicopter. You refused all of these, what else could I do?”

We must be willing to humbly accept the help that God sends us, and with a clear determination, to never give up striving for freedom! Even if it is with your last breath in life and you continue to strive for freedom, you will carry that determination with you into your new existence.