“Don’t look for peace. Don’t look for any other state than the one you are in now; otherwise, you will set up inner conflict and unconscious resistance. Forgive yourself for not being at peace. The moment you completely accept your non-peace, your non-peace becomes transmuted into peace. Anything you accept fully will get you there, will take you into peace. This is the miracle of surrender.” ― Eckhart Tolle
Do you ever feel guilty for having moments of deep happiness, like somehow you missed the part where the world is falling apart? Or, do you ever feel guilty because you are caught in despair and hopelessness, like somehow you aren’t being spiritual enough?
There are days I find myself overwhelmed with joy. I get captivated by the way the dawn and dusk announce their transition. I find hope in the innocence and trust of a small child. I am inspired by acts of goodness that remind me what is best in the human spirit. Other days I am caught in the suffering of others, the devastation of the earth, and policies that are sanctioned by lies. I am sickened by ignorance, greed, and selfishness, both in others and in myself.
Perhaps in these times of intense polarities, it is ok to walk in both of these worlds and to feel the range of emotions they bring. Ekhart Tolle reminds us there is a miracle of surrender. It is the miracle, he says, that by allowing ourselves to think what we think and feel what we feel, there is a movement towards wholeness and peace.
Week One. This week refuse to be in conflict with yourself by allowing yourself to be in the state you are in. This is an exercise in accepting what you think and feel, not in acting on what you think and feel. What do you notice?
Week Two. Continue to fully allow the state you are in, but intentionally choose only those actions that lean your life towards what is good and kind.