About Lost Son

 Disclaimer: This post is not meant to offend anyone. It is not meant to offend anybody's feelings either. It is my search for understanding the matters described below.

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Some stories (parables) which I have heard many times since my early childhood never made any sense to me, even when I was little. Especially the three ones, well known to many, seem to be rather nonsensical and made me wonder what their meaning was.  At some point, the understanding of their meaning came to me on its own. 

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The parable about Prodigal Son and its traditional interpretation – the Father in the story celebrated in a big way the return of the son who had been a disappointment for many years, and who did not  appreciate in the same way the “good” son who had always been with the Father.

Once, we heard during a Sunday sermon that we are all stupid as we should quit working and party only. Just like the prodigal son did. Frankly speaking, that message, coming from a preacher, did not seem very insightful and raised eyebrows, the least to say.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a parable is “a short, simple story that teaches or explains an idea”. A story that explains an abstract matter by using familiar situations listeners can relate to.

What if the persons mentioned in the story where not people, but

the “Father” meant the Source of everything that is/God/the always present conscience. 

The “good son” was our higher mind, which is in the spirit world and always with the “Father”, and 

the lost son was our physical mind. 

The latter is always filled with various beliefs, feelings, and a constant flow of thoughts. When the thoughts and beliefs are negative and ego centered , the feelings such as self-pity, self-judgment, hatred, criticizing others, sadness, and/ or anger fill out our mind, we move away from the balance and harmony  of the Source  - the “Father”. By dwelling on negative thoughts, egocentric perspective, we amplify low frequency thoughts , and just like the purgatory son,  “tend to swine and eat with swine”. The eating is metaphoric of course.

Whenever we manage to clear our physical mind of all the negative clutter and be in peace with ourselves and the world, we get closer to the Source and its harmony.

On the other hand, the higher mind, although it is “ours” (as it is the other, spiritual, part of our being), it is also part of the “Father” and is similar to the “Father” in nature (which is love and peace).  That is why it would never throw a fit about the Father appreciating the lost son only, just like the “good son”  in the parable did. That reaction is typical to a human behavior and ego-based thinking.  Perhaps, that part of the story was addressed to earthly fathers, to teach them treat their children equally?

When we align with the high frequency of the “Father”, we also align with the “brother” (our higher mind ).

In our everyday life (and at nighttime), we all struggle dealing with low frequency thoughts and feelings mentioned above. When they come to your mind, ask yourself

“Who is experiencing it?”

The answer to it is,

“I am”*, 

meaning not only the physical you but also the Biblical “I am”. It is the Source/God/the omnipresent conscience/the Ultimate Creator of everything that is - experiencing itself through you.

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* I cannot recall where I have heard or read about that question and answer. I remember it as does resonate with me, though.

Photos - from our walks - September 2020

About Lost Sheep

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to offend anyone. It is not meant to offend anybody's feelings either. It is my search for understanding the matters described below.

✷★★

Some stories (parables) which I have heard many times since my early childhood never made any sense to me, even when I was little. Especially the three ones, well known to many, seem to be rather nonsensical and made me wonder what their meaning was.  At some point, the understanding of their meaning came to me on its own. 

⑴

Probably you have heard a parable about a shepherd, his 100 hundred sheep. When one of his  sheep got lost, he left the other ones and went to look for the missing animal. I used to think, “What shepherd would leave 99 sheep “in the open country” – unattended – and go to look for one sheep”? They would lose most of those 99.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a parable is “a short, simple story that teaches or explains an idea”. A story that explains an abstract matter by using familiar situations listeners can relate to.

What if 

The sheep in the above mentioned parable represent our thoughts? We may have 99 positive or neutral thoughts and one only negative. The latter one could for example be a fear, recollection of a traumatic moment in our life, an encounter with an unpleasant person, an unjust or unkind word about us spread by somebody, resentment, and/or many more. The negative thought gives us unpleasant feelings, triggers harmful reactions in our body. It makes all the prior positive thoughts move to the background and disappear. They no longer exist as they have no meaning when we focus on that negative one only. 

“Take captive every thought (1)”.

To avoid self destructive dwelling on the unpleasant thought, we do need to look closer at what bothers us and deal with it. What are we afraid of? What is it that makes us feel gloomy or resentful? Why should you re-live that particular negative experience/unfair treatment, or focus on somebody’s unkind word again and again? This one lost sheep needs to be found to join the rest of the herd. You need to find it to regain peace of mind and balance in your body. 

Focusing on the negative thought makes it grow, lowers down our frequency and subsequently attracts negativity and darkness.  It is not just my words. It is science. According to Quantum Physics* the multiple outcomes of our current life situation already exist in time and space. We choose which way our life goes by deciding which thoughts we stick to. Whatever we focus on, grows. No matter if it is positive or negative. Why would you choose negativity if you do not want to live it through?  

It is all not about pretending that there is no negativity in the world. There is a lot of darkness and dreadfulness around us. Noticing and observing it is one thing, but why would you want to surrender your mind to it? Choose Light, Peace, and Harmony. You can replace an adverse thought with a constructive one. 

“Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - (… ) think about such things.” (2)

Each of us can find their own way to make dark thoughts go away. Whatever works for you – a prayer, a chosen mantra - positive words that make us focus on peace, harmony, and Divine abundance. Repeat them every time when your mind is overwhelmed by a negative thought or belief. Continue practicing it and guarding your thoughts. Be their careful shepherd. It takes some time, but you can make a destructive thought go away, and dissolve your mental connection with it. 

*At high school, I studied expanded curriculum of Physics. Quantum Physics was never mentioned in classes, though. I was familiar with the name of Max Planck, physicist, but I knew not much about his works. It’s been recently only that the Quantum science is talked about more and more often.  It all made me think that is a rather new scientific approach regarding Physics and the world as it is. I was surprised to read that the beginnings of Quantum Physic go back to the early years of 1900s and Max Planck, as well. I guess for all those years those ideas where discarded and neglected because you cannot measure or weigh the quantum world contrary to the material objects/world.

1. 2 Corinthians 10:5

2. Philippians 4:8

TBC

About Questions and Answers

Once upon time, more than a decade ago, I stepped into a little store with “esoteric” type goods. I had never visited it before. The lady who ran the establishment asked me to think of a question/something I wanted to know and next, draw a card from a Tarot card set. She offered  that to every customer who came to her place, to read the Tarot message for that particular person. I told the lady that I did not need that as that was how I felt about it.

The store keeper insisted – she wanted to learn why I said so. So I did draw a card. The message was:  “All the answers are within you”. It was no surprise to me and that was exactly what I thought rejecting the lady’s initial card reading offer. However, the store keeper seemed rather amazed. She said nobody else had drawn that card before. Perhaps not enough persons had come to the place? Who knows.

I do believe that the answers we seek are within us and, surely, I do not mean here the questions related to General Knowledge. That is a totally different matter.

Many people look for the fulfillment and comfort in the outside world only. Whatever they find there, though is temporary and fades away quite quickly. Thus, they need to be constantly surrounded by people and/or make another purchase again, and again, to keep the fulfillment flowing. It is like pouring water into void, a closed circle that never ends.

If you cannot find what you seek out there, perhaps it is time to look within?

It is quite common we choose to blame others for our failures and unsuccessful life. How convenient it is, blaming others and not taking any responsibility for our own life. Does it help us improve anything, though? 

I used to know a lady who had a good job but was not happy with her life. She found it boring and she blamed her parents and her social background for her situation. Whenever I met her, she kept saying she would like to learn a foreign language, join this and that club so that her life could be more interesting and exciting. The time was passing and she did nothing regarding what she was talking about. I came to a conclusion that she enjoyed it all - that narrative, blaming others and using it as an excuse for her own inertia. It grew so old that I stopped meeting her. 

Stop self-pitying. It does not improve anything and leads to nowhere. If you wish to change something in your life, act on it. If one direction does not work, try another one.

Another acquaintance once said, 

“I have been messed up because my father was …. (put an adjective or a noun of a negative meaning here).”

When we were children we could not do much about our life circumstances, I agree to that. Nonetheless, what if those conditions were given to us not as punishment but as a learning lesson? To learn from them, draw conclusions, and move on?

We are not our parents, you are not your mother, father. You are YOU so be yourself. Each of us is responsible for our own beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. They all carry positive or negative energy, depending on what our beliefs/thoughts are. If you believe you are nothing more than a product of other people’s actions and situations created by them, you are like a steerless boat thrown by the winds and storms of life from one side of the ocean to the other.

Be your life Captain,  bless the ones who you think have harmed you or influenced your life in a negative way. Let them go. Clinging to dark feelings/memories of traumatic moments/the past/ holds you back.  Sending those people negative thoughts is hurting you mentally and physically, not them. Do you really need that? Whatever was, was. Everything has a reason and nothing happens by accident. What we do and how we deal with it is another matter.

It is quite common that when a person happens to make a mistake, they say, “How stupid of me/ how clumsy I am” Are you such a person? Saying so, you express your negative belief about yourself and put yourself in a negative judgment frame. Why should you do that? Everybody makes mistakes, it is part of our lives. However, if you do not believe you are good enough who else will? Nobody.

Look at every moment and other people who surround you as part of life learning process. Somebody claims you will not succeed or are not smart enough? Why should you care? Perhaps they project their own anxiety on you. They are NOT you. If you believe them, you let them lead your life. You are the Captain of your life, your thoughts and beliefs. However you direct them, you direct your reality, as well. Focus on the positive.

Yes, it is possible. Discipline your thoughts. Our mind constantly talks to us, brings doubts and all that gloomy and fatalistic visions which create fear. Mind that hurting others, even if in thoughts only, is a road to self-destruction. Send love to others as whatever we send ripples back to us. It is not fantasy. Remember Physics and “every action creates reaction”?

Let all the grudges and regrets go. The past is the past, gone, the future has not happened, yet. Choose love, peace, harmony and the good. Focus on the current moment. Replace fear with positive thoughts and keep repeating them again and again. Love, Peace, and Harmony. You can create your own positive mantra such as for example, “God loves me and looks after me.” It is all not about any religion. It is about the universal laws of life. Whatever you focus on in your thoughts will amplify in real.  If  the word “God” does not resonate with you, use another one e.g. the Source or the Ultimate Creator. The meaning stays the same: “the source of life and everything that is”.

Be the Captain of your mind, thoughts, and beliefs.

Be the Captain of your life.