FOUR STEPS TOWARDS PEACE

FOUR STEPS TOWARDS PEACE


STEP ONE: DO RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

The first step towards peace in your life is to practice random acts of kindness. Believe it or not, by helping others, this will help you to achieve peace in your own life. What are “random acts of kindness?” It is any act of help or kindness for somebody else without any thought of something in return. These acts can be as little as a smile to someone, helping others in distress, being there for a friend, shoveling the walk for an elderly neighbor, etc.

By helping others to feel good, you will be helping yourself to feel good and to be more at peace. The world needs more peace. We need more peace! And I do not mean just the kind of peace that is free from conflict, because this leads to boredom. I mean the kind of peace that fills one with joy and makes us appreciate everyone and everything around us.


STEP TWO: FIND YOUR CENTER OF STILLNESS

It has been said, “Round and round the chaos goes, and in the center, peacefulness knows.” Actually, I made this up. It is a take off on the old saying, “Round and round the secret goes and in the center, the secret knows.” But it illustrates my point. Have you ever been on a merry-go-round? I think most people have. I used to love them as a child. Anyway, all merry-go-rounds revolve around a fixed point. Without that fixed point in the center, it would not work. It is very interesting! The center is at rest, while the circumference constantly changes. Our perceptions or rather our experiences are like the merry-go-round. They are constantly changing. But at the center of it all, lies peace. When we are feeling agitated or disturbed, we are at the circumference of our merry-go-round. The trick is to learn to change our perception to the center. One way to do this is to visualize yourself at the center of the merry-go-round. Watch your emotions as they whirl around you. Then begin to feel your inner self move to the center of peace and stillness. We all have this inner stillness. We could not exist without it. There could be no experiences of any kind without a center of stillness. So find a way to contact your inner center of stillness. “Be still and know God” the Bible says. Many people find that center through meditation, faith, nature, etc. But find your own path that leads to peace and stillness at the center of your being.


STEP THREE: FORGIVENESS

This can be a toughie! Many of us carry around hurt and pain from previous relationships and even previous lifetimes. It can be very difficult to find peace in your life when you carry a lot of unresolved hurt, pain and anger. And it can affect everything that you do and everyone that you meet. You must find a way to let go of all your pain and frustration, or any resentment that you may carry. Why are you still holding on to it? What good is it doing for you? Sometimes it takes time to heal. But there is a very fast way to let go of all hurt and pain. Jesus said it best “forgive them for they know not what they do”. Forgiveness is the cure to unresolved pain and hurt. Even if you are the cause of it all! Learn to forgive others and yourself. Once you learn to forgive, then you can learn to let go. Once you can let go, then you can find peace. It is very easy to say, but very difficult to do. Some of us have suffered tremendous pain and abuse in our lives. But the road to peace lies in forgiveness.


STEP FOUR: LOVE OTHERS AS WELL AS YOURSELF

Step Three and Step Four are actually interconnected. If you truly love others, then you will forgive them. It doesn’t mean you may approve of their actions, but you will forgive them their transgressions. A Mother loves her children even when they are naughty and tries to guide them in right action. The Divine loves all creation. It shines like the sun to everyone and in everyone. We can open our hearts to it or close them as we choose. Peace comes to those who open their hearts to love. It is the strongest force in the Universe. The Jewish greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and soul. Jesus added the second commandment to “love thy neighbor”. And it is definitely the harder of the two commandments. I think it is easier to open your heart to God, but to your neighbor? That is a different story. We tend to fight with each other like crazy on this planet. And over the dumbest things! “Hey, asshole the light turned green, get moving!”; “I was here first! Get behind me or I will kick your butt!”; “Don’t let your dog piss on my yard!” Everyday we assault and are assaulted by each other. “Loving your neighbor” does not seem to be a prevalent theme here on planet Earth. But it is the path towards peace. If you can practice “loving your neighbor” then you will begin to experience peace in your own life. Learn to love those who hate you. Why? Because it is a more powerful force that brings peace. Is it easy to do? No way! I think it is one of the most difficult things to do. But leaders like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi were able practice it in their daily lives. We can do it, too! Start in small ways. Give peace to others by your smile and your friendship. Pray for those who may hurt you. Wish others well in their endeavors. Be happy for other people’s happiness. Try to be a good neighbor and open your heart to other people. You will be amazed at the peace that will come into your life!

Endurance

It is so easy to be peaceful when everything is going well. It's when the "shit hits the fan" that your equanimity is tested. My Yogic teacher, Paramhansa Yogananda says that we should be grateful for the challenges we are given. That is not so easy to do. I don't know about you, but when I am going through some trial or I am suffering, I just want it to end asap.

The other night, I was suffering because of intense pain. I have had much pain in my life and so it is not new to me. But I never enjoy it. Anyway, the pain was very intense and I could not sit still. I had to pace back and forth in agony. For anyone who has had a urinary tract infection, you know what I am talking about. The pain and pressure got to a point where I could barely stand it! I cried out to God, "why I am I going through this!" It's funny; I always cry out to God when I am angry. As if it's his fault. Well, suddenly the pain vanished. I have no idea why. And I began to reflect on why we suffer so much. Why do we have "pain" anyway? What a pain it is! I am aware of all the theological answers like; It builds character, It teaches us wrong from right, It is the nature of Yin and Yang, It is part of God's plan, Karma, Fate, Sickness, Being at the wrong place at the wrong time, etc. But what I got out of my meditation is the word "endurance". We have to learn to endure. And that is all you can do sometime in the midst of suffering, is to endure it. Whether we accept it or not, we have to endure it. Webster defines "endurance" as: to last, to abide, to undergo, to tolerate and to bear." "To bear witness!" We are a part of all that is and we have to bear witness to all that is.

The Effort for Peace

Mother Teresa was a great admirer of St. Francis. She also lived her faith and dedicated her life to peace for the poor and suffering in India. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. When she received her financial award from Nobel, she gave the entire amount to the poor. Mother Teresa was once asked how everyone could bring peace into the world. She simply replied, "just love your family".

I think people today can identify with the spiritual struggles of Mother Teresa. Although she dedicated her life towards her mission to help the poor and needy, she had severe doubts about the existence of God and Christ. She confessed that deep in her soul, she did not feel the presence of God. She felt nothing but darkness and emptyness and yet she labored on. Many people in today's troubled world, question their faith and the existence of God. Like the hero, Sisyphus in the Myth of Sisyphus, we toil everyday in our work, our jobs trying to make ends meet, rolling that stone up the hill. And when we get that stone to the top of the hill, it rolls back down. It's like, "What's the use!" Everything is just a struggle. Why am I bothering?

Well the answer is right in front of our face. It is the struggle that makes it all worthwhile. Sisyphus smiled when he got the stone up the hill and let it roll down again. I once wanted to learn how to juggle. So I purchased a juggling book and began to try to juggle. It was very difficult for me. I tried and tried and tried. I would always drop the balls down in frustration. I thought to myself, God can I ever do this? But I persevered and continued to practice. One day I got it! I was able to get all the balls flying through the air in uniform grace. I was simply amazed! It was so beautiful. And I smiled!

It was the work and struggle that made it so worthwhile. If someone had given me three balls and I would have instantly juggled them, I would not have valued it. It was the effort and the struggle that made it so valuable for me.

Path of Peace

There is the "Peace Prayer" attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. St.Francis was a very interesting monk. After undergoing deep spiritual experiences, he gave away everything he owned and went to help the poor and downtrodden. He lived a very simple life that was dedicated to spreading peace to other people and nature. His life exemplified the path of peace to all creation and the "Peace Prayer" is a dedication to him.

"Lord make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred,

Let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, truth;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness; joy.

O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console.

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is indying that we are born to eternal life."

The Search for Peace

Lao Tzu was a quiet mystic who lived in China back around 6th century B.C. He was a contemporary of Confucius and wrote the Tao Te Ching. He also had a few things to say about attaining peace. He said:

"Tao abides in non-action,

Yet nothing is left undone.

If kings and lords observed this,

The ten thousand things would develop naturally.

If they still desired to act,

They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.

Without form there is no desire.

Without desire there is tranquillity.

And in this way all things would be at peace"

Lao Tsu's teachings are hard to comprehend for the western mindset. He advocates returning to the state of the "uncarved block" or the center of your being to find peace. In other words, there is nothing that you need to do, there is no action you need to perform. You just need to go to that simple awareness that exists within all of us. It is an awareness without prejudice, without discrimination, without desire that just exists. And it is so simple that a baby can do it, naturally. And yet it is so difficult for us to attain. We have been so shaped by our culture, our schools, our parents, our desires that we have forgotten the state of the uncarved block.

"Look, it cannot be seen--it is beyond form.

Listen, it cannot be heard--it is beyond sound.

Grasp, it cannot be held--it is intangible...

From above, it is not bright.

From below, it is not dark:

An unbroken thread beyond description

Stand before it and there is no beginning.

Follow it and there is no end.

Stay with the ancient Tao,

Move with the present.

Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao."

Searching for Peace

Buddha also had a lot to say about finding peace. Before Buddha was Buddha, he was Siddhartha, Prince of a Royal Kingdom. He stood to inherit great wealth beyond measure and rule the entire kingdom. You would think he would be at peace with this. But he was not. He wanted to know more about the people and their experiences in the kingdom. He would go out at night without his father's permission and explore the surrounding lands. He spent time visiting many of the poor people and learned about their many sorrows. He had never known such suffering living in the rich palace. This led Siddhartha on a quest to find the meaning in life and why people suffered. After many years of contemplation and meditation, Buddha attained enlightenment. Buddha discovered that the root to all suffering was desire. And the way to find peace was to let go of our attachment to things. It is our attachment to things that causes so much suffering. Our attachments to all our stuff or things on this physical plane; like our house, car, boat, money, and other people. There is nothing wrong at all with having these things. But when you believe that they are yours or part of you, then you become attached to them, and any thought of losing them will cause you suffering. Can you own something without being attached to it? Can you create something without being attached to the end result? Are you able to have friends without possessing them? Buddha had the keys to immense wealth and power, but he let it all go for ultimate peace and freedom.

Peace in a Crazy World

Jesus spoke a lot about peace in a crazy world. Things were crazy back then also. Maybe even crazier. Back then it was common place to kill people if they did not agree with the ruling theology. We are a little more civil today. At least in the West. There are still places in the modern world where they will chop your head off for divergent religous beliefs. Hard to believe, but there it is.

So, what did Jesus have to say about finding peace in the midst of apparent chaos. Well, where did he go in times of trouble to find peace? He certainly had his share of it. He went to the Garden! The garden of Gethsemane. Where is that garden? That garden is everywhere and nowhere, because it is the garden in the mind, where peace and beauty reign forever. Basically, Jesus went into the silence to meditate and find peace. Jesus was not always at peace throughout his life. He had worries and troubles like everyone else, but he was closer to God than anyone else.

Speaking of the garden, Jesus tells of an interesting story in Matt 13, where the celestial farmer plants his celestial seeds in different types of soil. Some people are like "rocky soil" where they receive the seeds of "Good News" and begin to grow young plants. But their roots are shallow, and they quickly lose faith when they are trambled by problems of the world. Then their plant withers and dies. Then there is the "good soil" where the seeds of God grow into vibrant plants that are able to withstand the trials of the world and produce abundant harvests.

Many of us have these different types of soils within our souls. We have to learn to cultivate them with tenderness and much care. We can either be trambled by our problems and lose our peace of mind, or we can nourish our souls through peace and meditation which will produce abundant fruits of love and right actions, even in the midst of disaster and calamity.

How to find peace in a crazy world.

Life can be such a bitch! You know those days when everything seems to go wrong. The alarm doesn't go off and your late for work. The car gets stuck and you miss an appointment. The computer won't work.., oh don't get me started on computers, there are times, I just want to throw it out the window! God, there are just so many frustrations in our day to day world. How do we find peace in the midst of it all? It's very easy to say, "Oh, just don't let it bother you." But when it bothers you, it bothers you! How do you let things not bother you? Well, let me say it is not easy. I have been meditating most of my life and I do find peace during meditation. But when certain events happen or specific astrological aspects take place, sometimes my peace of mind goes right out the window. The Universe knows exactly what buttons to press to drive me crazy. You would think I would know better by now, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

So what do you do? How do you find peace in this crazy world. Well what do the wise men and women say? Please stay tuned.

Ten ways to improve your psychic ability

X. Practice, practice & practice

Developing your psychic ability is like developing any other ability. You have to practice and nourish it. We all have psychic ability, but you have to develop it. Some people are naturally more psychic than others, just as some people are better at sports than others. But everyone has psychic ability and it can be improved with practice. There are many different ways to engage your psychic ability. You can practice telepathy by sending and receiving thought forms with your close friends. When you need to make major life decisions, call on your psychic ability to help guide you. Try practicing the art of Dowsing or the Tarot to develop your psychic ability. There are a myriad of psychic exercises in Franz Bardon's Initiation into Hermetics and my own book Yoga and The Art of Astral Projection to help improve your psychic acuity. But practice and more practice will bring the realization of your desire to improve your psychic ability.