Believing You Are Separate Is Spiritually Pointless By Richard Blackstone

Most of us have lived the majority of our lives dealing with the world from an external point of view. We use our five senses of taste, touch, smell, sight and sound to interpret the various stimuli that we encounter through the events and experiences of our lives. This is a natural thing because we live in a world of relationships and we compare one set of physical characteristics against another set of physical characteristics to see how one relates to the other.

The world is not made up of only the physical aspects of our existence. We are also in relationship with the metaphysical aspects, which are necessary for the physical world to exist. The metaphysical part of our existence cannot be viewed by using the five external senses that we use to interpret the physical world, so we usually don't think about it much. We are more concerned in our day-to-day living, satisfying the needs of the ego.

Unfortunately the ego is never satisfied and is always in a state of need. You can give the ego all that it asks for and wake up the next morning and it will have a new list of demands. The demands of the ego are external. There is an infinite number of external stimuli, thus there will be an infinite demand for fulfillment.

The ego is a perfect tool for living your life if you subscribe to the concept that you are a separate being from all other people places and things. This paradigm of life says that you are a separate entity and at your core is fear. You are born in sin and you have to justify your existence to a judgmental God who will condemn you to hell if he finds you're unworthy of being accepted into heaven.

So you fear this final judgment and develop a system of 'you against the world' in an attempt to amass points for winning at the game of life. You have a willing partner in the ego who is very adept at putting the demands of the ego first in your decision making process.

You immerse yourself in the external world because that is where the game is being played. You are not concerned with going inside of yourself for peace and answers to your greatest questions because you are separate from everything, including your God, and therefore going within yourself doesn't serve to connect you with anything but your internal silence.

You don't see how this silence relates to your physical needs, and the idea that metaphysical thinking can affect your physical world doesn't make sense. What does make sense are the five senses. If you can't taste, touch, see, smell or hear it, then it doesn't serve you to satisfy your needs. And your needs have to be satisfied to quell your fears. But you can never quell the really big fear, the core fear of your being, until the time of your earthly death.

It's kind of sad because all of your earthly physical life you live in fear of not knowing if you are going to make it into heaven, and when you die you are no longer in the physical world so you never really know in a physical sense if you won the game of life.

According to this paradigm of separation you live your whole life in fear of something that you never know the outcome of. It seems very pointless and that is the realization that most of the people who live their lives in this manner come to. Their struggles and maneuvering and hard work and planning all seem pointless except to the extent that they can feel superior in their relationships to other people and superior over their environment.

The separation mentality is fertile ground for the ego and allows us un-ending opportunities to create those aspects of ourselves that we are not. The problem comes when we believe in the separation mentality so deeply that we define ourselves and align ourselves with the exterior events and experiences that represent who we are not. The ultimate reality is that we are not fear and we are not separate from our source.

You are free, however, to believe that you are those things because you have free will to create yourself as you choose. If it is your choice to create a life of fear of, and separation from, your God source, then that is okay.

Fear says that's the way it is, and love says it is entirely your choice.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=208598&ca=Self

What Are Your Insecurities? By Lynn Lawson

Everyone has insecurities. Whether you feel your nose is a little crooked; you’re not as intelligent as others around you; or you feel you need to shed a few pounds to be at your best; we all feel there are changes we can make to make us feel better about ourselves.

One of my insecurities has always been that I’m more of an introvert. Even though I was a cheerleader in high school, love to perform, participated in lots of group activities throughout my life, and actively seek opportunities to lead, I still consider myself a more reserved person (maybe an introvert with extrovert tendencies). While I am funny to those who really know me (kind of a nerdy goof ball), I still find myself pretty quiet (definitely not shy) around those who don’t know me well. I can honestly say that in party settings, I am not the “go to” person for fun.

I love to have fun, but I love to be in control, too. That’s probably the root of the insecurity, I guess. I never enjoy feeling “out of my element”. And, I sometimes avoid situations in which I feel out of control. However, I also balance this insecurity by placing myself in some of these same situations.

For me, being more introverted allows me to manage my life better. So, to an extent, it serves me well. But, if it ever gets to a point where I cannot be comfortable without being in control, then I’ll know I have a problem. My goal continues to be to challenge myself to experience bouts of free reign in my life, so that I can loosen more and more of my self-restraint.

When you look at yourself, what do you see and how do you feel about yourself? Small levels of insecurity are common in all people. But when insecurity debilitates your life, you have to consider why you succumb to anxieties about yourself. What is the root cause of your insecurity? If you don’t identify the root cause, your potential for a better life can be strangled by the uncertainties you feel about yourself.

Ask yourself these questions to determine your level of insecurity:

1. Am I shy or uneasy with strangers?
2. Do I wish I was smarter?
3. Do I wish I was better looking?
4. Am I overly cautious?
5. Do I think I’m an emotionally weak person?

If you have more yes than no answers, then you may have an issue with insecurity. If so, you’ll need to restructure your thoughts and perceptions about yourself. You can do this by replacing the negative mental energy of your insecurity with positive action.

For example, if you wish you were smarter, rather than ruminating on your feeling of inadequacy, you can choose to learn more about a subject of interest to you. In this instance, taking the time to learn while worrying less about your personal anxieties will give you the confidence you need to gradually banish this thought from your mind.

This same method can be used for any type of insecurity, but you also have to remember to stay in balance. Overcompensating in your life because of insecurity proves futile, as well. Just remember, worry without action is just as destructive as too much action due to little self-worth.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=299690&ca=Self