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| Wisdom for Life… | |||
A collection of essays on the Three Principles and related topics. You are welcome to copy these articles and distribute them for educational purposes, providing you do not sell them and do not remove the author's name, company name and the copyright If you read these articles and find them helpful, please email Elsie Spittle with your comments. Elsie would love to hear from you. To read previously posted columns, click here. |
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Finding the Treasure Within All too often, we think change occurs outside ourselves rather than “inside.” Once we begin to sense the natural spiritual power that lies within, a realization emerges: that the foundational Principles Sydney Banks uncovered are indeed, as he often stated, humanity’s birthright. The Three Principles, spiritual in nature, reside within each and every person. They give us the power to change our lives, simply by a shift in our level of understanding of who and what we really are—spiritual beings playing the game of life. Once we begin to tap into the core of our being, we find far more ease and grace, and become filled with feelings of love for humanity. The feeling of unconditional love is a spiritual energy that touches, often without words, the hearts and souls of those we encounter. It allows us to connect with another human being, without reservation. This is the most powerful medicine and service we can offer in helping to relieve mankind’s distress. Those who are strong and stable will pick up the unconditional regard we have for them and respond accordingly. For those who are in need, the unqualified love we have will automatically ease their travail. Love is the key element in moving people to higher levels of consciousness. Love opens the ears of those who are hard of hearing. Love administers a healing balm to those in pain. Love opens the door to transformation. Love is the treasure that lies within. Recently, I spoke about the Principles with a new group; people dedicated to helping humanity through their work as therapists, educators, and leaders in the business world. They were concerned about their ability to articulate the Principles clearly to those they serve. This well intentioned concern was getting in the way of “feeling” and “hearing’” their own wisdom. They had become focused on the intellectual content of their explanation and description of the Principles, rather than realizing and trusting that the ‘”feeling’” of wisdom and love is the restorative agent. Once the intellect grabs hold of content, the deep spiritual feeling of Truth can evaporate into thin air and what you say will sound hollow and without conviction. Syd says on The Long Beach Lectures DVD that a five year old child can repeat like a parrot what the Principles are, but “that’s not the answer.” Presence – often overlooked, but once experienced, never forgotten. It was Syd’s presence that spoke to Ken and myself when we were so perplexed by his words of wisdom; words of wisdom that we’d never before heard him utter until after his enlightening experience. His words of wisdom frightened us; his presence comforted us. His words of wisdom, spoken with such authority and certainty, challenged our whole belief system; his presence offered us new feelings of joy and contentment. His presence, overall, stirred our souls, awakening the treasure within, and did more to help us than his words did. He led by example. It wasn’t until I had my first insight: “thought creates feeling,” that I experienced my true nature first hand. That insightful experience provided an inner education, transforming the way I used thought. I’d had self-esteem issues all my life; I felt I was ill-educated and inadequately prepared for life. That insight taught me, in a general way, that learning isn’t about time. Inner evolution is about insight. Insights broadened my perspective of me and what I was capable of, and also broadened my view of the world. Seeing the power and value of insight within myself showed me how it worked for others. When I first went into urban communities, I was a complete novice in the workings of traditional community development. But I was confident that the residents had innate wisdom within them. It was my certainty that the residents and I were made of the same spiritual energy that allowed me to be comfortable in a totally new experience and environment. I had no idea how to go about engaging the residents or effecting change in the community. The single factor I knew was to listen deeply to the residents and let the “feeling” guide me. Because my presence was non-threatening and I didn’t come in as the “expert” but drew new ideas from them, the residents felt safe with me. The feeling of safety allowed them to soon move past the fact that I was not of their ethnicity, and was ignorant of inner city living. For the most part, the tenants embraced the feeling of respect and understanding I offered. They appreciated my confidence, and the genuine regard I had for their knowledge of what change they wanted in the community and their determination to find a way to succeed. They had previously brought in national level community development consultants in an attempt to reduce crime and make their neighborhood safer. The experts came in with their own ideas, and a set plan for effecting change. They didn’t consult with the residents on how best to reach out to the citizens, and so the initiative failed. Nothing changed. What I brought to the table was love and non-judgment, coupled with education on the Three Principles. What they brought to the table were practical ways to engage the youth of the community; once that happened, they felt parents and neighbors would want to learn about what was promoting interest and leadership in the young people. They hoped this would provide a leap-off point for the adults to become more actively involved in the resident council’s plans to clean up the community; ridding the compound of drug dealers, reducing crime, and so on. A simple example: the resident council came up with the idea of encouraging adolescent graffiti artists in the complex to paint a scene reflecting what they envisioned for their community. The youngsters decided to do this in the community hall, which was filled with old stoves, fridges, and other left over junk from vacant units. Once the debris was cleared out, the dingy walls of the community hall were clearly apparent. After a bit of prompting, the housing authority agreed to repaint the hall; then the artists went to work, displaying amazing talent. The kids rose to the occasion and highlighted their earnest desire to promote harmony in the world, not just in their community, by painting people of different ethnicities, holding hands in peace and good will. You can be assured this artistic event showcased not only the talent of the young artists, but their vision in choosing these admirable goals. The youth gained considerable confidence as they shared their hopes and dreams for the future. They seemed to literally gain stature as the adults looked at them with new respect. The kids had dug deep inside themselves, once they were offered the opportunity to contribute to the transformation of their community. They found the treasure of their own wisdom, and had the courage to reveal their innermost dreams. Their hopes and dreams inspired the community and brought a feeling of togetherness that had been missing before. The next project brought about a new playground for the small children. The playground had become a meeting place for drug dealers; the grounds were littered with used needles and other unhealthy and dangerous paraphernalia. The council asked for resident volunteers to clean up the area, and I invited friends and colleagues. Everyone went to bat, seeking donations of lumber to build new play boxes, clean sand to fill the boxes, and various other amenities to make the area a genuine playground. A picnic lunch was held to celebrate the coming together of neighbors from near and far. The children loved the happy feeling surrounding them and their new, safe play area. This event, in the simplest, most meaningful way, illustrated that people are people, no matter what ethnicity or what perceived differences there are between cultures. The “feeling” of camaraderie, the presence of love, speaks louder than words. Love works; it may sound soft and it is gentle, but it has such practical value. Love reaches people like nothing else can. Why? Because love is who we really are, at our spiritual core. May 10, 2012
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Reader Comments “I'm so glad you are preserving this historical information, as seen through your eyes. It is so moving and precious, and will mean so much not only to those of us who were privileged to be around Syd then, but to all those coming up who have no other way of knowing what it was like.” “When I read your article I had been in a state of anxiety about being able to handle new volunteer work, meeting strange people and the interviewing process. So I felt like someone was soothing my brow and a sense of ease and joy came over me. Such very precious memories and I know they speak to people at the deepest level. Thank you!” |
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| Copyright © 2010 3 PHD. No content may be reproduced without express permission. Updated: May 16, 2012 |
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