Newsletter January 2006 by Cathy Combs

Love---A New Perspective?

As the light dawns brightly on 2006 I would like to once again say to you that my purpose in writing this newsletter is to be educational and inspirational. It is so very important that we are well informed as well as happy, healthy and proactive as we live our lives in our precious world. I cherish the reality that so many cultures around the world have a different time of year that is their marking of the new year! This reality tells me the importance of being openhearted and openminded about how I view my world. In viewing my world I am mindful of the necessity of joy and forgiveness as life partners. In 2004 I participated in a program called Radical Forgiveness as taught by Colin Tipping. In his October 2005 newsletter he was highlighting the well-known medical literature that speaks of the connection between the lack of forgiveness and cancer. He speaks of the “pioneering work of Louise Hay and Caroline Myss that allows us to work backwards and discover who, or what, we need to forgive by observing what symptoms our bodies are producing and in what part of the body they are occurring.” I find this kind of work so exciting and so very telling. The other end of this connected loop of experience in our shared world is the medical literature that indicates that second hand smoke is even more dangerous than firsthand. The literature speaks of the waitresses and bartenders working eight hour shifts in restaurants inhaling the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. This information speaks to me of how important it is to care for ourselves and each other. We must be mindful of the impact of our thoughts and actions! We clearly need to progressively support no smoking environments!

As I move into 2006 I will continue to track my overarching lesson from 2005, “Do that which brings you joy!” In doing that which brings me joy I am pointedly aware that I must understand and love “those who are in front of me” as Christina Baldwin highlights in her book, “The Seven Whispers”. I am also mindful of a book called “The Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer in which she asks us, “What will get us up in the morning when we feel completely despairing?” What it is for me is my commitment to life, love and joy, my honoring of more than one perspective from which to view the world, my respect for life and others. From the psychological perspective of the Myers-Briggs personality inventory I am understanding at a deeper and deeper level that there are intuitives like myself and there are sensates. I understand the world from the inside out. Sensates understand the world from the outside in. There are flashpoints of difference where these two worlds do not understand each other because their ways of perceiving reality are different. What is natural for me is difficult for them. What is natural for them is difficult for me. We can feel deeply hurt and disenchanted when these differences painfully impact our lives. I have experienced this clash recently. I have been shaken to the core and yet I “keep on keeping on!" I have released taking the experience personally. I have asked treasured friends for feedback and support. I have received wonderful help. I trust there is no intention to hurt me. I simply have work to do to stay present, to respect myself and others, and listen deeply. That is our constant work as humans in this lifetime. That is what we must do to stay joyfully, lovingly, peacefully connected with ourselves and others. We must stay open to life. We must love deeply, passionately, joyfully. We must forgive wholeheartedly. That is how we will live happy, healthy, joy-filled lives.

Another piece of the picture for 2006, and always, is we must be educated! We must build a world culture based on empathy and care for all. An educated populace is the best defense of freedom and liberty. We must be consciously, actively engaged in building support systems for ourselves and others. There can be no authoritarian bully if there is no culture of despair for him to thrive in throughout our world. This idea is eloquently addressed by George Lakoff in his book, “don’t think of an elephant!” Building a culture of empathy is the foundation of the progressive political model. This model is the heart and soul of who I am as a person. In simplest terms this book details the massive difference in social consciousness between a worldview that truly values Love and connectedness vs a worldview of fear and imposing our will on others! As we recognize and value our intrinsic interdependence rather than dividing our world into friends and enemies we recognize everyone is intrinsically good. No one is born a terrorist! A terrorist develops in a culture of despair that is valued in the context of the authoritarian Father God model of society. As we frame our world differently and recognize the value and necessity of empathy and nurturance in our shared human experience we build a world where peace is valued and therefore possible! We must help relieve the suffering of others. We must have people in government and authority positions who value upholding the public trust. We must value being a nurturant society. We must recognize that paying taxes is not a burden. Paying taxes is our social responsibility. Our taxes pay for all the services we have in a healthy, happy, functioning society. We must value taking care of all the people! One of my values is to have discussions, rather than debates, with people I disagree with no matter how different our opinions may originally be. In order to have a discussion we both must be willing to understand and respect ourselves and each other. There must be a value above and beyond “winning”. If winning is the objective then fear and the status quo is the motivator. If understanding and respect are the objectives then Love is the motivator. Need I say the outcome will be very different in these scenarios? We have a lot of work to do to dismantle the ingrained patterns of dualistic fear-based winning and losing. We must reframe the way we think and feel! Debate implies winner and loser. Discussion implies listening and movement. “My side” implies winner and loser. My personal agenda is no one in need in our shared world! I see everyone bountifully fed, clothed, employed, living the bountiful life of their heart’s desire. My agenda is peace in the world. No war. No one dying from easily preventable illnesses that have been long eradicated in the entire rest of the world. My agenda is compassionate, affordable health care for all! All of this and more is easily doable as we expand our hearts, heads, and minds toward this spiritually, socially responsible, compassionate worldview. It is said, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” Another quote I cherish is, “Do as Thou will and harm none.” Both of these views speak to me of our union with the Divine as Love. I believe we are all the Divine in expression. The Divine is Love. We are creations of this Divine Love. May our lives be reflections of our recognition of our oneness with this amazing Love! May we grow together caring about the impact of our actions on all people. May our intention be to grow in generosity of Spirit, recognizing the value of this expansively joyful fullheartedness. Namaste to you!

 

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