Awakening to True Nature

​The spiritual path is about awakening to our True Nature and staying awake. Our True nature is the nature of God. We are created as God’s “image and likeness.” But what does that mean? What is God?” Here’s my understanding:
 
God is Infinite Intelligence, the Power and Presence that is under all that is. God is not a big being in the sky who wields power over all of Creation. God is the Infinite and transcendent Power of Love and Creativity. God is Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. As “image and likeness,’ we are all of that at our deepest and most authentic level. 
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Most of us however, live in a state turned away from that Truth. Living ‘turned away from Truth’ is called ‘sin’ in many faith traditions, but those of us on the spiritual path call it separation. As long as we experience ourselves as separate from Spirit, from Creation, from each other and from ourselves, we will not experience ourselves as Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. 

​Our egos do everything in their power to keep us from identifying with our spiritual natures. That keeps the ego alive and well and sets us up to live contradictory lives – lives in opposition to Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. As a result, we live in anxiety, fear, self-loathing, violence, loneliness, victimization, doubt, objectification, hurting self and others and on and on. And that’s not a pretty sight.

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​Deep within us, in the place where God dwells, we are free of all this. On the spiritual path, we endeavor to release our identification with the ego and awaken to this depth of being. Our depth of being calls us to live the life that It seeks to express. It urges us to look at the whole of our lives, our relationship to all that is, and to live as Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding.
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​​As you venture on your path, I invite you to look at every encounter and every decision point that arises for you, and ask:
 
What would Love do?
What would Peace do?
What would Harmony do?
What would Wisdom do?
What would Understanding do?
 
Your first inclination might be to look at all of your human interactions. That’s a good start. We all need to look there! But don’t confine your inquiry. Also look also in the places you don’t usually look. Look at the way that you live. Are you willing to look at your food, your wardrobe and the products you buy?

​Again, ask:
 
What would Love do? Would Love purposely harm an innocent?
 
What would Peace do? Would Peace inflict brutal and unnecessary violence upon another?
 
What would Harmony do? Would Harmony take a baby from his mother at birth, deny him freedom of movement and isolate him for a premature death?
 
What would Wisdom do? Would Wisdom force another being to live in crowded conditions antithetical to her nature?
 
What would Understanding do? Would Understanding turn a blind eye to another’s inherent desire for life and freedom?
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The state of today's chicken farm. No one wants to live like this.

These are close quarters. Imagine living like this.

Taken from her mother at birth, this is how a female calf born to a dairy cow is housed. The baby boys are confined in crates and turned into veal in a few weeks or months.

Note: These are 'soft' images of reality. In this blog I am not showing the degree of overt violence that takes place for these animals.

Remember the wise words in the book of Psalms - the ones that were so wise Jesus quoted them: “You are gods!” (Psalm 82:6, John 10:34)
 
Be your God-nature. You hold the power to release inherited thoughts, patterns and habits that are contradictory to your true nature. Awaken today. Be in action to become the you that you were created to be: Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. 
 
Your Divine Self knows what to do. You don't have to be a part of the violence anymore. You can decide not to participate in the suffering and brutal killing of fellow sentient beings. Or you can take steps to do what you reasonably can to move in that direction. In today's world we don't NEED to do any of this anymore. It is a want, not a need.

Be Kindness. Eat plants. Lots of them! Wear materials that don’t require the skin or fur of a sentient being. Purchase products that don’t make others suffer. 
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​​It’s very simple really, when you remember that we are ALL One.
 
“Love one another.” John 13:34

© carol saunders 2016


Thank you for listening. If you are moved to learn more about how you can make a change, or you want to make a change today, here are some resources that might help you: 

http://www.v-lish.com/​

http://tryveg.com/

http://vegankit.com/