Letting Go

"If someone isn't treating you with the love and respect you deserve, it is a gift if they walk away" ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

So often people choose to feel responsible for an entire relationship, when in reality it ALWAYS takes two to make or break one. When the fire and passion are reduced in a relationship, and all that is left are mundane situations and repetition, without emotional support, people tend to feel resentful and hurt. It's understandable. It has been said that love is a two way street, like most every relationship in Life. Our friendships, our acquaintances, the people we choose to call our family ~ all those relationships occur on that two way street.

When a person chooses to see only the negative and darkness in another then there is no longer room to see the goodness or the light of one's Soul. A choice is a choice. If I see only the negative aspects in another, it is my responsibility to either change the way I see or to live with the repercussions of my choices.

Today, I choose to see the light and goodness in everyone. But my choice does not mean I need to be friends with everyone. Seeing the goodness in someone does not mean I need to commit myself fully to that person. A wise woman once said: "We love humanity because that is what we are meant to do. But loving humanity doesn't mean we have to be burdened with everyone else's problems. We have to have boundaries that are clear, and we have to protect ourselves." 


I am Divinely protected. I choose to live my life with integrity. I choose to be true to myself. I choose to see the Light in others, rather than focusing on the darkness. If that Light is snuffed out by the Shadows of Darkness, I will learn to let go with love and forgiveness and move forward on my Sacred Path. 
In the end, it is my relationship with my Self that matters most ...


Namasté, my friends ...

Religious Tolerance & Other Things to Ponder ...

connected, and we are all One ...

What does the term "religious tolerance" mean to you? For me, it means I possess the ability and willingness to allow others' their personal beliefs while still clinging to my own. My beliefs are extremely flexible and diversely eclectic. I was raised Catholic, became a "born-again" Christian in my teens, dabbled in Wicca and other metaphysical philosophies for many years, and then fell away from the organized religions to expand and grow in various Eastern philosophies.

Many of my Christian friends gently try to persuade me back into the teachings of the Bible, and their leader-interpreted meanings. I choose to think for myself now. I choose to allow my Inner Guide to interpret meanings for me. All things esoteric are my bible ... various beliefs hold meaning for me, even those that are considered "alternative" or Pagan to others.

 

Jesus taught that acceptance, tolerance, and love are the keys to living a Life that is filled to capacity with goodness and blessings. Buddha taught some of the same of the principles, and so did Mohammed and many of the other prophets of love and peace. Why do these teachings have to be separated, fought over, and argued about hatefully? Why do my views have to be right, and yours wrong, or vice versa? I am pretty sure that's not what the prophets intended these teachings for.

 

The teachings were meant to unite, not divide. Where there is division, there is chaos, unrest, and unhappiness. Where there is unity, there is love, peace, and joy. It's simple, as far as I can see. Jesus told us, among many other wonderful things: "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Mohammed and Buddha and others teach us the same principles ... but do we listen and adhere to the goodness of all that was said, all that was taught us by those Enlightened, those who were before us? Do we practice the Spiritual principles every day, in every way, to the best of our ability?

 

If there is hope, there is hopelessness. If there is light, there is also darkness. If there is love, there is also hatred. If there is white, there is also black. Where there is yin, there is also yang. On a human level, for me it's difficult to just BE. When I meditate in the mornings, my days seem to go more smoothly. When I argue and disagree with my partner or with anyone in the mornings, or forget to meditate and/or pray, my days seem to be difficult, and it's not as easy to gather my thoughts and focus on the tasks at hand. That's the way it seems for me.

But then again, I also try to remember this: Everything is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems ... someday the mysteries of Life will be revealed. In the meantime, I choose to allow others' their beliefs, whether Christian, Atheist, or Hindu ... and I hope to be allowed mine. I choose to love, even where there is no love, because love can and will resolve most anything. I personally feel that it's counterproductive to argue and judge where personal beliefs are concerned, just as it's counterproductive to force my political opinions on others. We all have opinions, we all ~ because it's human nature ~ want to be 'right', but is being 'right' so important that we risk losing loved ones, and friendships, over it? Not in my Life, it isn't ...

May Peace, Love, & Joy guide all of us ...
Namasté