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August, 1998

Seeking the Elusive Truth

Have you ever wondered when confidence becomes condescension? When conviction becomes fanaticism? When does a strong opinion become self-righteousness? How can we tell when Universal Truths are being reinterpreted as personal truths? How do we rationalize when life invites us to break our code of ethics? As humans, it is far easier to believe we are passionate, rather than obsessive. We think we are conscientious and precise, when perhaps we are controlling. We believe that we are “doing what’s best for everyone.” We are not contributing to our relationship’s problems. We are such innocent creatures, aren’t we?

We human beings love to be know-it-alls. Even if we claim the opposite. It’ s all that keeps us from experiencing the truth of our place in this Universe. We are powerfully creative beings, we are part of God, we can channel and express God, but we are not the Godhead. We are not the center of the Universe, but merely a fragment or aspect of all reality, delicately interwoven into a vast All-That-Is that defies human perception. Our highest spiritual experiences are still just a vague perception of the multi-dimensional infinity of Spirit. How can one consciously incorporate something so unimaginably vast into our day to day lives? How can we live in Truth, not a projection based on fear and attachment?

All of this boils down to a major lesson in life: Discernment. For myself, I try to add humility to that whenever I can. We all have strong opinions about the things we think we know, but within a larger context our beliefs may only have meaning for us. Our struggles with loved ones are often about “who’s right,” and both sides believe without a doubt that they have the clearer, smarter, more logical perception. What’s worse, we also think we know how the other person feels, what they are thinking, and what they really mean when they speak to us. We are all guilty of this. The turning point is becoming aware of it, and making a commitment to pursue a higher truth.

I have found that when something is not clear, when I become aware that there is more than one way to approach a problem, that I should not push for an immediate solution. Even under an apparent deadline. Often the answer is received and the deadline is met or changed only when I let go of the struggle against time. I go back to a basic spiritual concept about surrender: the Truth will be revealed when, where and how Spirit deems it most appropriate. It is not up to me to decide what the Truth is, or when it will become available on a conscious level. On some level, I already know the Truth. Through the development of discernment, detachment and humility ( purifying the ego) one can perceive the higher truths. Impatience, spiritual elitism, and the desire to know (as discussed in previous articles) are the destroyers of Truth.

Of course, none of us believe that we have serious problems with those faults, right? The reality is, we ALL must struggle with these attachments. It’s part of why we are here. Or perhaps we could say – it’s part of why we are not on a higher plane of reality. We still have these earthly lessons to learn. The biggest challenge is to recognize how, where and why we distort. The problem is , we always feel so justified when we project our beliefs onto our reality, our job, our relationships, our family, etc.

Have you ever found yourself saying any of these things to yourself or loved ones?

I know what’s best for them, if they would just listen to me. I know what you really meant. I know you really don’t care. They don’t know what they are doing. They are only motivated by money/power/sex/etc. They aren’t really spiritual, they just think they are. He/she must have done something really awful in a past life, to deserve that. I don’t need to hear what you think. I would never do that. It’s not my problem, you’re just projecting your problems onto me. No one will ever know. Those dummies/idiots/jerks don’t have a clue.

Pretty presumptuous stuff, but we all do it at some time, one way or another. It is our way of trying to define (know/control) an uncomfortable situation.

Part of this discussion must include ethics, which is a huge topic, but I will just mention it briefly. It seems our society has swung from one extreme (victims) to the other (self-righteous) and is now struggling to find a balance. I don’t think the answer necessarily comes from being politically correct, but rather focusing on the philosophy of ethics. In lay terms, doing the right thing. The problem of course, is defining “The Right Thing.” If you want to approach it from a spiritual point of view, one can place an issue within a very clear context: karma. There is seldom just one answer for us humans. Usually there are several answers, all with different outcomes and lessons. But, there is often a best answer for us, for our karmic path. That is the higher Truth.

Take for instance this situation: You go to the store and take several items to the cash register. You have mentally added up a rough round figure of what the charges will be. When the clerk gives you a figure that is much lower, do you: 1- Ignore it, take your change and leave. 2- Decide that the Universe is giving you a gift and you don’t need to say anything? 3- Tell the clerk they missed an item and wait for the correct total?

Or this situation: You have just paid for your groceries, and as you walk to the car you check your change. You find that the clerk gave you too much change. Do you: 1- Consider it a gift from the Universe. 2- Go back in and return the extra money?

I have heard many self-described spiritual people say that it was a gift from the Universe. Maybe. But if you were the owner of the store, what would you think the correct karmic action should be?

I participated in a 3-week training around the time of the Harmonic Convergence, and one of the most valuable lessons I learned was around this question. Ever since then, I always return extra change, and insist on paying for all my items. The store owner may never know – heck, it may be a mega-corporation and they deserve it, right? No, the higher Truth is that this is a test and all these things are recorded on the Akashic Records. Even your thoughts on the matter are recorded. Whatever you choose to do will be returned to you, multiplied. It’s not punishment, just the karmic rule of cause and effect. Conversely, when you do good actions without prodding, those blessings will be returned to you in multiples. Generosity and compassion breeds abundance on spiritual, emotional and material planes. Our society trains us to be competetive survivors. But, we must be constantly vigilant to the clash of the material and spiritual realities, and make conscious choices every day. The illumination of true ethics is revealed through a daily practice of compassion and surrender. How can you implement this daily practice – today?