“Your mind is shut tight, like this.” Melchoir held out his hand making a fist so tight that the knuckles were white. “You’re keeping us from where we need to go.”
“And where is that?”
“Wherever your mind will take us. At present, we’re just walking the same dull road. We need to break out.” …
“It’s a state of mind, then? A predisposition?” …
“What if that tramp is a tramp because of your state of mind, your predisposition?” …
“Everyone creates the world they perceive, and we all perceive according to impressions fixed in the past.”
“That sounds very abstract.”
“It’s not. It’s the way we create things, events, and other people.”
“Come now, I can’t create other people. I’m not God, or if I am, I hope I’d create him better than that.”
“You aren’t responsible for creating the souls of other people, but how they relate to you is your creation. If you have an enemy, he is created in your own heart; the people who make you afraid make others happy, the ones you hat are loved by others. We’ve passed a dozen people already who could have been our salvation, our guides. But you’ve shut them out. Can you see this one as a guide?”
The above quote was taken from The Return of Merlin by Deepak Chopra.
I spoke in depth with my dearest friend of many years last night about these truths. I also was reminded of them the other night when I attended a Revival Church meeting with my friend Kathy and her mother. I’ll start with my own experience at the church meeting.
I haven’t been inside of a church in many years. As a child I grew up attending various Southern Baptist Churches and my uncles Pentacostal Church. I always loved the music and getting to see friends, and of course the learning experiences. The other night I agreed to escort Kathy and her mom to this Revival meeting because it was important to her. As I sat there I began to get excited about the music, but then as we began to sing, I was suddenly faced with the question – is this truth? I looked at the words of the songs and began to ponder them. No, they were not truth, only a limited perception created to soothe the souls of those who longed for something more. I couldn’t sing those songs. As I watched the people and listened to the various small town preachers I realized that I should have compassion for them, but I didn’t. Instead I felt superior. I sat there for that hour pondering why I didn’t have compassion and why I was allowing myself to feel superior to them. I began to ask why wasn’t I more humble. I later looked up the word ‘humility’ and the definition surprised me. It seems the word humility is a Christian word and its roots founded in the words of the Bible. I no longer call myself a Christian, although I believe there can be truths derived from the reading of the stories of Jesus in the Bible that can lead one into knowing, Gnosis. So now I have to concentrate on my mind, how I create my experiences with others. I don’t have to be humble, but I do have to have compassion and open myself to the possibility of one of these people as a guide.
As I talked last night with my best friend he expressed what he has been learning about these truths and I helped guide him into further realization of the power of his mind, his perceptions, and what he was creating. I am extremely excited to see my friend come into this knowing. I have a great love for my friend and he has begun the process to overcome those ‘impressions fixed in the past’ regarding who he is and how he relates to others. I desire for him to come into a full acceptance of his love for self, his own power, and how wonderful of a person he is. I believe he is on that path of discovery.
We cannot create another soul, only how we relate to them, perceive them, and how we create the events involved when we relate to them. It’s the power of our thoughts, our minds, that have the power for creating. As my friend spoke I was reminded of the importance of quieting the mind through meditation and we talked about meditation a bit. Meditation is something I enjoy, and have a strong desire to learn more about various types of meditation. Only by quieting the mind can we really begin to see clearly the thoughts that are rushing through our minds and then begin the process of asking ourselves if these thoughts are truth.
Truth is that I’m not superior to anyone, in fact I have many things yet to learn and can learn from many people, even those I have perceived as without. Truth is that I am creating the people, the experiences, and the events around me. Truth is that I have some incredible friends. Truth is that I am love and should express that love more freely to everyone. Truth is that I should open my mind so that I can find the guides that can help me realize the truths I am seeking, that place of pure love, light and freedom.
The other night while at the church meeting when they began to read from the Bible they asked everyone to stand. I know why they stand because for them the Bible is something to be revered and they stand to honor it. I’m sure some around me were curious as to why I was the only person sitting down during that time, but I could not do something that was against what I held as truth. I couldn’t honor the Bible as a Holy Book with its words derived from God as the only way to salvation. As I have looked back over my now 43 years, soon to be 44, I realize that I have created many events, experiences and people to show me how to grow into the person that I am becoming. By opening my mind I am realizing my own power to create, the value of others, the value of relationships, and the many possibilities that can be created.
Thought for now: What ‘impressions fixed in the past’ limits how you relate to other people? What expectations have you placed upon yourself and others? Is your mind open or as Melchoir phrased it, ‘shut tight’? What are you creating?
Expectations can limit what is real when the moment is presented, so why should we limit our experiences? Release yourself and others from expectations and just love the living of every moment so you can enjoy the life we are each creating.
