Cultivating the Mind
Overnight the adorable little sprig of green potential that I had planted from a seed and nurtured gently, that had ascended and presented itself to the world, had become a brown mangled mess, and was completely unrecognizable. It wasn’t just the three weeks of time that I had put into my little botanical buddy that upset me. Or the fact that it was so beautiful, and had such limitless growth ahead, but thanks to some six-legged spawns of Hell, that was all gone. Making it worse, his neighbor suffered the same fate, and in fact most of what I had planted was now chewed up and left in ruins. All of this carnage in one night? How could so much effort and energy be wiped out so quickly?
When my personal realization finally clicked, and I had my own experience with true Love, my mindset changed completely. This might be referred to as salvation, or enlightenment, or any number of different terms, but it meant that I now had an opportunity to live well. Not defined by the sadness of my past, or my fears of the future. Love changed all that. The gift I was suddenly and so rapturously overwhelmed at receiving, made its way down to the very core of my being and took root.
While I, too, ascended like a little seedling, toward the light of Love, a dark and sinister offensive took place. It, unlike the bugs, seemed to come from within. Negative thoughts began to descend like a plague of locusts on my tender spiritual seedling, and I was left unsure of what was even happening. How can I believe in Love when the world is in so much pain? What difference does it make when there is this level of suffering? Who do I think I am to dare to have hope? My little Love miracle was under siege and I needed help quickly.
When I looked closer at what was left of my decimated crop, I noticed that there were thousands of the tiniest little orange bugs covering my little green babies. Without any thought I began squishing as many as possible, and brushing away large swaths of them with each swipe. These little bastards were gonna pay. In the midst of my massacre I thought how it was not enough to plant the seeds, and water them, they still needed protecting. The miracle that is the seed sprouting and manifesting its potential, is nothing without careful planning and a sustained attention to its well being.
Experiencing Love first hand is truly nothing short of a gift and a miracle, but the maintenance of that miracle is a choice, or series of choices, to not give any energy or space to those overtly negative thoughts that we all have. Not denying the atrocities that are inherent with our lives, but deciding to focus on and prioritize Love and peace, is no easy matter. Each nasty thought, if given the chance, is the start of an infestation that will eventually rob us entirely of our hope and peace. Love thankfully is a magnificent insect repellent, and the more we depend on it to lead us, and fill us, the more we will want to defend it, and our inner peace will have a chance to grow to its glorious full potential.