When Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is in you," he meant it, but not in the way it is typically defined today. It is not a place somewhere in the sky where some judgemental/vindictive/demanding God awaits to punish you after death. The "kingdom" is the state of enlightenment and the LOVE and PEACE experienced in that state. And, it is available to YOU right now, if you choose it.
Often times we hear references to the road to enlightement, the path to enlightenment, the way... These are simply metaphors for the journey from where you are presently, to the place of LOVE and PEACE called enlightenment. Some people are able to jump immediately from an unenlightened state to an enlightened one, as soon as they perceive it, but for most humans it is a gradual shift, a raising of one's Consciousness by degrees.
Let's talk about enlightenment and what it is, what it looks like. Enlightenment is a state of Awareness, of Consciousness. Many times Awareness is likened to an awakening, as if from a dream. We suddenly SEE as if a veil over our eyes had been lifted, allowing us to observe ourselves and the world in a manner that had been previously blocked. We experience flashes of understanding, in a way we had never imagined. Sometimes it BEgins when we hear a provoking thought. For some it comes from a passage in a book. Others see it arrive though witnessing an enlightened act of kindness or compassion. It turns towards the light, and we BEgin to seek this wonderful, ethereal quality.
We BEgin to see ourselves as a spoke on the wheel of the Universe, as simply a leaf floating down the river of life, as nothing more than a drop of spray, part of the whole Ocean. We see ourselves connected to all, to everything, no longer separate, no longer apart, but A PART of something much bigger than ourselves, a oneness. We realize we are ALL ONE...
Our Ego fights this. It needs to be special, and separate. Our culture fights this. It doesn't want us to experience the kind of independent awareness that we are connected to something larger than country, than capitalism, than political ideology. Our families, friends, religions, know the only hold they have on us is through the "convention wisdom", fears, prejudices, feuds and "shoulds," we have been spoon-fed from day one. For us to break out of that leaves them powerless over us. But once the ONENESS has been felt, experienced, the knowing that follows, points us in the direction, puts us on the path, and the journey towards enlightenment commences.
Consciousness BEgins to raise when we become aware of deeper selves, the self that is behind the Ego, behind the thinking mind. We start to observe ourselves, and BEcome aware of our conditioning and our identities. When we do, they BEgin to dissolve. We still experience negative emotions and states from time to time, but we now see ourselves doing it. We are able to observe ourselves and see when we are simply idenitfying with a role, following a script. The observation of ourselves and others in this way BEgins to remove the hold of these identities on us, and we subsequently move away from them and towards the connection to all. LOVE replaces fear. Allowing and acceptance replace desire, control and separation.
Today, simply watch yourself interact with the world. Observe what you say. Observe how you react to what others say. Notice when you are following a scripted role. You need do nothing more. The mere act of observing is all that is necessary. The Spirit in you will do the rest. The kingdom of heaven is available right now...
Duffy
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