7. The First Truth
One Love
I feel like I'm constantly repeating this - but I guess that's a good thing. I need to be reminded of the First Truth all the time anyway.
There is only Love and Inclusion. That's it. That's reality.
One Love.
We all exist within the Presence of Being - everything, everywhere, for all time, all one, Thou art That, loving and loved unconditionally, forever.
It's okay.
It's all okay.
There is no bad, everything is happening as it should and 'badness' is only our small judgement. There is no "off the path" because everything that happens is exactly where we need to be, so everything that we experience is the path. I know I feel better when I'm paying attention and reminding myself of inclusion and love, instead of stumbling and struggling with anger and resentment in my heart. It feels better. It's okay.
The truth feels better because there are no exceptions. That is the tricky trick of the divided mind.
“Sure, one love yadda yadda, but THIS guy - this guy is a dick.”
Then we exclude them from wholiness and bam! we're struggling and stumbling.
It's okay. This is how it goes.
There is only love and inclusion. No exceptions. Not ever. Love and inclusion is for everyone and everything that exists, at all times. No exceptions.
No exceptions.
Not in any situation, not any person, not any place, not anything - not even serial killers and tyrants and those that do harm... and this is the most difficult part of living.
This seems crazy.
Of COURSE some people and actions and thoughts are bad, right? Of COURSE they are... but what if we've got it all wrong? What if we don't really understand the purpose and meaning of life and we've been making exclusions in error?
We have been making exclusions in error.
Everything is existing in universal purpose.
Every encounter is a holy encounter and the only difference has been in our own minds.
Presence exists in the minds of everything. Now our minds are one. We can choose to see the Truth - Presence is everything that exists. Nothing exists that isn't the Presence of Being. Everything outside of truth is our own misunderstanding of reality. It's okay, and we're not going to be punished for getting it wrong.
Its okay. We won't be punished for getting it wrong.
Let’s be clear…
Human beings can be MEAN, VIOLENT and HARMFUL - we may even cause harm ON PURPOSE.
I’m not saying being harmed and hurt and betrayed and traumatized doesn’t matter or that your pain isn’t real or that your pain doesn’t matter. I’m not saying that people who do harm shouldn’t be rehabilitated and made to see and acknowledge and own the harm they have caused.
What I am saying is,
EVEN THESE harmful people are part of Wholiness.
We are either offering love or asking for love.
Those are the only two possible communications that exist.
When we remember this, we can identify what is needed in every encounter, in every situation. We give love when it's asked of us, because that is what we have to give. We ask for love when we need it, because that is what is needed and that is what we need to receive. When we don't remember this, we misunderstand and attack or feel attacked and destroy peace. It's okay.
Every encounter gone awry is two people asking for love and not getting it.
Every encounter gone awry is two people not recognizing that they have love to give.
We always have love to give. We are forever connected to the infinite source of love. Beloved Presence is Love. Beingness is love. We are the Presence of Being. We are loved unconditionally forever and all of that love is ours to give to one another.
Love isn’t special.
Love isn't a special emotion held aside for our inner circle of friends and family. It's literally the state of existence and forms all of reality. All we have is love to give and we can fill our need for love by giving it. What we have is what we give away. We grow love and peace by offering it.
We can learn to give ourselves a moment of space before reacting to let Beloved Presence guide our understanding and our response. We can learn to give ourselves a moment to connect to the infinite source of love and have enough for those that need to be seen with love.
This truth is simple, but it's not easy.
I've spent over 30 years knowing this is the truth and failing regularly to put it into practice. I thought that I had a choice and made exceptions about who and what was included.
Nope. Wrong.
It's all of it. All of it. Everyone. Everything. All of it. Love and inclusion means everything, always.
No exceptions.
The Practice
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Bring your feelings of love and gratitude to your immediate surroundings.
Identify everything that exists around you as existing in kinship with Creator (or whatever name/word/phrase you have for all the everything).Say aloud:
"Everything that exists here right now in front of me, exists in the kinship of Being."
"Everything that exists here right now is in the wholeness of Presence." -
Identify nameable things in your immediate eyesight.
“This table, this cat, that phone, that geranium, this cup, that tree… exists right here and now in the kinship of Being.”
Make no hierarchy judgements of worth or value. Make no distinctions or exceptions - everything you see exists within the kinship of Being.
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How did you feel?
What were some stumbling blocks you encountered? What did you resist against including in kinship with Creator? Why do you think you felt that resistance?
Repeat this exercise until you feel more comfortable and have less difficulty with inclusion. Love and Inclusion. No Exceptions.