Love

A simple, brief title for the last newsletter of 2004, however, a powerful one, and a reminder that these next two months filled with  Holiday festivities should be centered around extending love to each other.  The excerpt below is from a booklet entitled, " Your Owner's Manual", by Burt Hotchkiss.  I have no idea where I got this book, it just appeared.  When I write this section of the newsletter every month I am always guided by synchronistic events.  Thus, read on below from Hotchkiss's booklet.

 "You learn what you teach.  Much the same way that the student who stands up in class and explains the homework assignment is the one who learns it best, each story that you tell to another has one purpose: to reinforce it as truth in your own mind.  For example, after you have an argument, you talk to yourself, reliving what he said and what you said to get real clear in your mind that you were right and he was wrong.  Then you go tell your friends a story that convinces them how you are a victim of his attack.  You gather witnesses to his guilt (based on your side of the story) - that's called teaching guilt.  Remember, you teach only yourself.  It has little to do with the words.  The words can be sweet but if the thought or attitude is sour, it is sour that you experience and learn.

Love can be perceived only when present in the mind of the perceiver.  Love is therefore not found "out there," but extended from within the perceiver to the form perceived, from which its presence is reflected.  Love is what you are.  You learn this as you teach it, and you only have it as you share it.  So what is Love's Story?  We are really fortunate: To find out what love would teach, you need only to look at what the world teaches, and reverse it.

You are NOT:

World's Story, Guilt, Body, Separate and Incomplete

You ARE:

Love's Story, Innocence, Spirit, One, and Whole.

Remember, now, that you are an energy which is called love.  As that energy, you have never done anything of which your are guilty or for which punishment is appropriate.  Oh yeah?  What about the body?  It is done plenty to be ashamed of and for which it should be punished," you say.  I guess it was Mark Twain who said, "Of all the animals, only man expresses shame, and should."  As we become more civilized, we find more and more behavior that offends our neighbors, all of which related to the body.  But we're speaking on the level where you are not a body, but spirit.  What do we mean spirit?  I am sure at some time you've had the feeling that there is more to you than just a  body.  Well, it is that "more" to which I refer.  We call it love, and its essence is spirit.

There is no relationship in which you cannot teach love.

The problem is that we think that guilt, anger, and fear will buy us something that we want.  Only when we are ready to give up our investment in suffering and revenge can we ask experience the peace that follows.  It is my experience that most of the time we don't have to ask to know what the loving thing is to do.  We just don't want to do it because we see some value in doing something else. 

There is no situation in which you cannot teach peace.

Every day life gives you hundred of chances to teach and, as a result, learn who you are. When we teach guilt, anger and fear, we experience both mental anguish and frustration.  When we teach love, we are being honest and we experience peace and fulfillment.

When Alice asked, "Which Road Should I Take?" the response was, "Where do you want to go?" Alice replied, "I'm really not sure," to which the answer was, "Then take any road you want, it really doesn't matter."

When the question arises as to which choice we should make, simply ask yourself, "What's my purpose for doing this?" or "What do I really want to accomplish."

Excerpts from Burt Hotchkiss "Your Owner's Manuel"

I hope these words help each of us continue on a path of Love.  The Road we should take...the path...does matter.   Let's remember to spread Love not just over the holidays when it is so easy to do, but on into the new year and ongoing.  A student of mine the other day said, "when I get angry at someone I wish and pray for them everything I want for myself."  Precious words to live by!  This is the last newsletter of 2004.  Happy Holidays to everyone.  Hope to see you at the November Gathering this month (see below)

In Light

Diane