Here is a story from the Bible:
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying:
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
The meaning of this parable is that we have choice.
Obviously everyone reading this tip has interest in awakening, but in order to go all the way and awaken, more is needed than interest. Last year we started Gentle Healing with 66 people in the Sanctuary (& many others who were unable to attend the meeting live.) By the end of the first year, there were about 25-30 people attending meetings in the Sanctuary (& probably half of the original number who participated without attending meetings.)
I noticed that our numbers were up again at the first meeting for Year 2. There were 40 people in the Sanctuary. How many of us will make the choice to stay and commit to the daily reading, contemplation, writing, meditation and practice, as well as sharing or teaching about our process and clarity? How many of us will make the choice to give it our all, just like an Olympic athlete gives all for the sport?
Giving all includes letting go of our self. There’s just no way we can transcend the ego and continue to listen to our every thought, follow our every desire and avoid everything we want to avoid too, because our thoughts, desires and fears are the ego. The ego is those thoughts.
That means, if we are committed—if we want to be the good soil that the seeds fall on—we are willing to make an ‘about face,’ turn completely around from our ways and our habits, and be led by inner intuition instead of by our thinking and personality conditioning.
I’ve mentioned that I was in the Air Force. Of course, the first phase of a military career is basic training; you might know it as “boot camp.” In basic training, we learned to march in formation, and we learned that specific turn-around step called ‘about face.’ That step did not come naturally for most of us. At first, we would wobble, stumble and turn around too far or not far enough. We had to practice and try again, but by the end of basic training, we could all do the ‘about face’ with ease.
You will have the same experience with this ‘about face’—turning around from your ways and habits to be led by intuition instead of by your thinking and personality conditioning. You will wobble, stumble and turn too far or not far enough. But if you are like the good soil, you will practice and try again, and at some point, following intuition will be easy for you. You will feel at ease with intuition, meaning that you will know inner peace.
One debate that comes up repeatedly in spiritual circles is whether we are to put effort toward awakening or not. Some teach that extreme effort is needed. Some teach that effort needs to be avoided because it comes from the ego. I have always thought that the debate stems from different interpretations of the word “effort.”
NTI Matthew 13 says:
It is through your choice, but not through your effort, that the kingdom of Heaven is given, for the kingdom of Heaven must be a gift given by the Father to you. Choose to be ready to receive the gift. In this way, it is like yeast. The yeast represents the choice, but the rising of the dough is the gift born of that choice. … Through your consistent choice, I will give you My gift. For I cannot give against your choice…
(Note: The last part of this excerpt is from tomorrow’s reading.)
Contemplating this excerpt may help you resolve the debate about effort or no effort in your own mind. Ask the inner Teacher to help you realize clarity.
