School Days

There is a well-known expression that states: "Life is a school". This is a fair analogy that attempts to describe one of the purposes of our being here. But where are the teachers? What classes are we taking? What are the lessons we are here to learn?

The Earth is our Schoolroom. Karma (the Law of Causes and Effects) is our Teacher. Our reactions to external stimuli are our Tests. The experiences that result from our reactions are our Lessons.

Fairly simple concepts, but concepts that completely escape the notice of many. If man would make the effort to pay attention to his life, to look at life as an ongoing course of instruction and correction spanning many incarnations, he might be able to begin to perceive the Grand Design behind the reason for his existence. When one pays attention to one's life, then even the most mundane occurrences are filled with meaning.

At this point in our evolution, the human life-span is short. Therefore, much experience must be crowded into a small period of time. This presents us with continuously oscillating forces in our lives, swinging us to and fro from one seeming "crisis" to the next. In truth, embedded within all of our troubles are the seeds of divine instruction, the teachings that we need to improve and refine ourselves as we attempt to move from men to super-men ("super" meaning "above", "more than", "higher").

Karma is the key, as it provides us with a mirror in which to see ourselves in. How is this done? Let's say that a soul - while incarnate as a man - mistreated his wife in a past life, perhaps several lives back. Let us say further, that in this current life, that soul is now born as a woman. The woman grows to become virtuous and righteous. She marries a man who at first loves her but gradually becomes abusive towards her. The woman cannot understand why she is being so poorly treated. What has she done to deserve this? Is she not virtuous? Is she not righteous?

If she could only peer beyond the veil which cloaks our past existences from us, she would recognize straight away that she was being shown herself. Rather, the soul was being shown the effects of its previous causes, or actions against another soul, through a previous personality. Now, the soul gets to look into hate-filled eyes and a snarling mouth. Now, the soul experiences what it is like to cower in fear and walk on eggshells. Now, the soul realizes the tremendous wrong that it has perpetrated in a prior life. If the lesson is taken properly, these tendencies should move towards being extinguished, never to appear in future lives.

Another example which may help to illustrate the point is when a child is disrespectful or ill-mannered towards their parent(s) , sometimes right on through adulthood. Those "poor parents" are more than likely reaping the bitter fruit of a harvest whose seeds were planted long ago, when they were the children mistreating and dis-honoring their parents.

This is why when we view tragedy, we should try to look past the heart-wrenching facts of the event and recognize that there is undoubtedly some cause, the nature of which we are not privy to, which required the participation of certain souls in the calamity. These souls are repaying karmic debts, brutal as the transaction may appear to us.

This is not to say that everything that occurs in life is a reckoning of sorts. Do accidents happen? Of course, they do. The point is that there is usually a very good reason behind the events that take place in our lives. By having our former causes reflected back to us, we are enabled to "look in the mirror", as it were. We are forced to confront and deal with matters that we would otherwise pay no attention to. We are given the ability to see ourselves. The hope is that we will be chastened by what is being shown to us, and work to expunge those qualities from our lives.

We've been at this school-thing for a long time. Graduation is literally right around the corner. Our Higher Education beckons. Pay attention to life. Put away the self-pitying cry of "Why me?". Recognize the lessons that are being offered to you and work to master them, once and for all.

~ g

Perfection Through Perseverance

From The Inner Life - C.W. Leadbeater (1910)

[quoting]

117. ... before he can take this step the man must have learned consciously to co-operate with nature, he must definitely have taken his own evolution in hand. The knowledge of the unity which makes him unselfish also makes him desire to be useful, for it gives him an incentive to study and to perfect himself-- a reason for his actions and a criterion by which he can judge the feelings and thoughts within him, and also the value of all with which he comes into contact.

118. How then must he begin this work of perfecting himself? Obviously he must first pull up the weeds, that is to say he must eliminate one by one the undesirable qualities which he finds in himself; then he must seek the good qualities and cultivate them. He must definitely set himself to practise helpfulness, even although at first he may be very clumsy in the unaccustomed work. The formation of character is very slow and tedious for him, for there are many forces arrayed against his efforts, forces which he himself has made in the past. He has for many years been yielding himself to the sway of certain undesirable qualities, and so they have gained a great momentum.

119. Take the case of such a vice as irritability, for example. He has in the past been in the habit of yielding himself to outbursts of anger, and every such outburst makes it more difficult for him to control himself on the next occasion; so a strong habit has been set up, a vast amount of energy moving in that direction has been accumulated. This is stored up, not in the ego as an inherent quality, but in the permanent astral atom; and when he realizes the inadvisability of anger and sets himself against it he has to meet this store of force which he himself has generated during many past lives. Naturally he finds his task a difficult one, and he meets with many failures and discouragements; but the important thing for him to bear in mind is that however many times he may fail, victory is absolutely a scientific certainty, if only he will persevere.

120. However great the amount of force may be which he has stored up, it must be a finite amount, and every effort which he makes against it reduces it by just so much. But on his side there is a force which is infinite; if only his will is strong enough he can go on, if necessary through many lives, steadily renewing the force for good with which he combats the evil, and behind him in that effort is the infinite force of the LOGOS Himself, because that evolution is in accordance with His will. Until the man grasps the idea of unity he has no adequate motive for undertaking the hard and distasteful work of character-building, but when he has seen the necessity of this, the reason for trying is just as valid even though he has failed a thousand times as it was in the beginning. No number of failures can daunt the man who understands the scheme, just because he knows that however great the struggle may be, the forces of infinity are on his side, and therefore in the end he cannot fail.

[end quoting]

Pull up those weeds. Identify and honestly assess those things about one's self which express, or are born from, selfishness. Then make the commitment to dissolve these selfish behaviors. Allow them to die a natural death by ceasing to respond to the emotional stimuli that evoke the behaviors. It's called self-discipline, self-control. The personality, the "little self" that 'wants what it wants, when it wants it and now', must be arrested and toppled from its perch as our master.

It will take perseverance and will, for we have been in the habit of indulging our bad behavior for ages. However, it can be done -- if that is what your heart desires.

Indeed, it must be done, if one is to properly prepare for what is upon us.

~ g

Three Questions

Definitions:

"Yuga": an age of time
"Maha Yuga": 4,320,000 years
"One Day of Brahma" = 1,000 maha yugas = 4,320,000,000 years

[quoting]

From "The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita -- Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda"

(8:19) Again and again, O Arjuna! the same people throng back to earth to be reborn. The cycle of reincarnation ends for them only temporarily with the descent of Brahmas Night. It resumes again with the dawn of Brahma's Day.

How long does the "show" go on? This stanza provides a spine-stiffening, if not utterly dismaying, answer to those who tell themselves, "Everything will work itself out, in time." A Day of Brahma lasts -- judging from the evidence of modern science -- some billions of years. Many self-aware egos, appearing at the dawn of Brahma's Day, are still wandering in delusion at the fall of Brahma's Night. One cannot but pursue the question further: How many Days of Brahma do most souls, in fact, wander in darkness?

The answer is not circumscribed by time. It might be countless Days of Brahma! Yet the cosmic destiny of every soul is final liberation in God, "Eventually?" we quoted Yogananda above as saying, "-- eventually? Why not NOW?". When the soul finally escapes the great wheel of "destiny" (which is only a cycle of unceasing karmic return until karma itself ceases to enchain), one realizes that the time elapsed was non-existent! Time is an illusion: In eternity, it is not even a second.

A worrying question arises: Is personal spiritual progress also not linear, but cyclic like everything else? What this stanza of the Bhagavad Gita suggests is that any rising wave of good karma should be seized with a firm grasp. Don't waste the opportunity! For even though time doesn't exist, it certainly seems very real to us as we labor under its yoke! "Seize the day!" is an expression: this Day of Brahma; this yuga of Earth time; this season; this day; this very moment! Spiritual progress comes not with the passing of years, but with every moment of sincere effort. "The minutes," Yogananda said, "are more important than the years".

Live now in God! Now is the only time you will ever have, since tomorrow too will be only another "now" when it arrives. "Who cares what happens in five years?" was a question flung scornfully by a young woman at her questioner in a famous movie. Many people think similarly. "Oh, some 'future time'! Who cares what happens then? Now is the only time I'm concerned with." Unfortunately for this blithe way of thinking, that "future time", when it arrives at last will be very much "now" -- even if it happens in a future body. It is very unwise, -- not to say foolish -- ever to offend against karmic law.

Right action will give you good karma, which will bring you corresponding happiness. It will not, however, release you from the constant turning of the mill that grinds every delusion, in time to powder. The goal of the Gita is not to show you the way merely to a better life -- perhaps on Earth; perhaps in heaven. Rather, it is, as Yogananda quoted Krishna, to help you to "get away from My ocean of suffering and misery!".

One by one, and by no means in consequence of any mass societal or evolutionary step forward, every soul escapes from The Wheel at last, into the arms of Cosmic Wisdom. Be such a one, yourself!

The astonishing thing is that this step is really quite easy to take! It seems difficult when we look around us, and see how many there are who fail to make it. If we will look into our own hearts, however, instead of judging ourselves by the criterion of others' struggles, we must see that the job is not so difficult as it seems. It all hinges on two or three very simple thoughts:

First, do you prefer happiness to suffering?

Second, are you willing to do the work to find a happiness that won't change, in time, to suffering?

Third (and most important), are you willing to offer into the fire of wisdom -- which is the true perception of things as they are -- that pathetically little, insignificant "I"? Are you, in continuation of this final question, willing to say, "Thou, Lord, art the Doer. Thine is the importance. Thine is the prominence before others. Thine also is the blame for every 'sin' this little "I" has committed, which I hereby cast into Thy flames to be purified that its reality be destroyed forever"?

Now -- as a physician might say to a little child after giving it an injection -- was that so very difficult?

The path to God is easy! For one thing, life's tests would come anyway, apparently without any cosmic reason. For another, there is no alternative to it! And for a third, every step of the way is more rewarding, more joyful, and more utterly satisfying!

[end quoting]

Yes, one certainly can presume that one has all the time in the world to continue to play in the fields of illusion. But we are at a moment in "time" where those who are deeply attached to this game, this matrix of materiality, are at risk of being moved even further backwards in their development. Solar system, planetary system, humanity (those who have made the effort) and the three kingdoms below man are about to take a tremendous leap forward in their evolution. The time to "save up your treasure" is now, not tomorrow, not the next day.

Quit holding on to this world of alternating joys and sorrows. Release your fear of what appears to be the "unknown" and allow Spirit to guide you until your inner eyes grow accustomed to the new light. The journey to liberation is why we are here. Accustomed as we are to living as physical beings, it is time for us to take the next Step. So much awaits us. Let us walk without fear into the dawn of our promised destiny.

~ g

A Challenge

I challenge the thinkers of the world to drop their sectarianism, their nationalism, and their partnerships, and in the spirit of brotherhood to work in their particular nation, regarding it as an integral part of a great federation of nations -- a federation that now exists on the inner side, but waits for the activity of the world thinkers to bring it to materialization on the outer side. I charge them to work in the cause of religion and in the field of that particular religion in which they, by an accident of birth or by choice, are interested, regarding each religion as part of the great world religion. They must look upon the activities of their group, society, or organization as demanding their help, just in so far, and only so far, as the principles upon which they are founded, and the techniques which they employ, serve the general good and develop the realization of Brotherhood.

I ask you to drop your antagonisms and your antipathies, your hatreds and your racial differences, and attempt to think in terms of the one family, the one life, and the one humanity. I ask for no sentimental or devotional response to this challenge. I would remind you that hatred and separateness have brought humanity to the present sad condition. I would add to that reminder, however, the fact that there is in the world today a large enough number of liberated men to produce a change in the attitudes of mankind and in public opinion, if they measure up by an act of the will to what they know and believe.

I challenge you to make sacrifices; to give yourself and your time and your money and your interest, to carry these ideas to those around you in your own environment and to the group in which you find yourself , thus awakening your associates. I call you to a united effort to inculcate anew the ideas of brotherhood and of unity. I ask you to seal your lips to words of hatred and of criticism, and to talk in terms of brotherhood and of group relationships. I beg of you to see to it that every day is for you a new day, in which you face new opportunity. Lose sight of your own affairs, your petty sorrows, worries and suspicions, in the urgency of the task to be done, and spread the cult of unity, of love and of harmlessness.

I ask you also to sever your connection with all groups which are seeking to destroy and to attack, no matter how sincere their motive. Range yourself on the side of the workers for constructive ends, who are fighting no other groups or organizations, and who have eliminated the word "anti" out of their vocabulary. Stand on the side of those who are silently and steadily building for the new order -- an order which is founded on love, which builds under the impulse of brotherhood, and which possesses a realization of a brotherhood which is based on the knowledge that we are each and all, no matter what our race, the children of the One Father, and who have come to the realization that the old ways of working must go, and the newer methods must be given a chance.

Work and give, love and think, and aid those groups who are building and not destroying, loving and not attacking, lifting and not tearing down. Be not taken in by the specious argument that destruction is needed. It has been needed, no doubt; but the cycle of destruction is practically over, could you but realize it, and the builders must now get busy.

I challenge you above all to a deeper life, and I implore you for the sake of your fellow men to strengthen your contact with your own soul, so that you will have done your share in making revelation possible; so that you will have served your part in bringing in the light, and will therefore be in a position to take advantage of that new light and new information, and so be better able to point the way and clear the path for the bewildered seeker at that time. Those who are not ready for the coming events will be blinded by the emerging light, and bewildered by the revealing wonder; they will be swept by the Living Breath of God, and it is to you that we look to fit them for the event.

From Serving Humanity - Alice Bailey and the Tibetan Master, Djwahl Khul

~ g

Help Along The Way

From The Essence of the Bhagavad-Gita -- Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda

Directional Development

[quoting]

There are, according to India's ancient wisdom, many kinds of energy, emanating from the astral level of cosmic manifestation. We have discussed already some of their energies: conscious, egoic entities that produce and sustain life on this planet. Some of these entities are more highly evolved than others, and deserve the appellation devas, or shining ones. Others are nature spirits -- fairies and the like. Still others are lower spirits: demons and devils.

Low types of humanity attract low astral spirits. High types attract guidance and inspiration from devas, or angels, who can help them through their openness to receiving assistance from above.

Very few humans are ready for the highest spiritual blessing: the help of a true guru. That all human beings need whatever help they can get, however, is surely very evident to anyone but the most arrant egotist. The fact is that man, having reached his high ledge on the evolutionary climb and finding himself clearly possessed at last of an ego, wants to enjoy the awareness of it for a time. Alas, he doesn't realize how very long, probably, he has been enjoying it! A woman friend of mine was scolding her two-year old son, "Come on, now, you're not a baby any longer." He replied, "But I like being a baby!" Such also are most human beings: They like themselves as they are! They like being unique and separate from all others, made a fuss over and coddled (when they can be). The climb, however, isn't over for them until they can expand their self-awareness -- eventually to embrace infinity. Meanwhile, the "advantage" of greater awareness, especially of the egoic self, carries with it a disadvantage also: a susceptibility to greatly increased suffering.

The other "selves" whose help he may scorn to accept are, in fact, closely related to his own self. In infinity they are all expressions of the same one Self! Man's task in the great scheme of things is to learn that he is only a small manifestation of Infinite Consciousness. The work before him of achieving infinity is colossal! If he has any wisdom at all, he must surely see that he needs all the help he can get!

By helping others, he helps himself by expanding his sympathies. By helping those below him on the mountainside, he reinforces his appreciation for his own more advanced position. By accepting help from those above him, he finds it easier to climb. Without help from above he may think, smugly, "Why climb any further? I'm satisfied with this plateau, where I can enjoy the expansive view." And so, then: shall he starve to spiritual death up there, lacking nourishment from ever-subtler levels of joy? Many people, smugly centered in their egos, are content simply to settle in for the long wait until death. Life must be continually progressive. If it tries to remain stationary, it is already a living death.

It is time people included subtler beings in their reckoning. For they are there, willing to help us. What attracts their help is not flattery (if they are truly higher beings than ourselves: devas, or shining angels). Rather, what they respond to are lofty qualities like courage, selflessness, generosity, and -- above all -- love.

In our love for others, it is best always to give impersonal love: to see God in all, and not to look to anyone for personal gain. Love should be expressed as a concern for their well-being; its impersonality should be without self-interest.

[end quoting]

This book is recommended to all, without reservation. Do not be put off by the title. It has been brilliantly written with a powerful simplicity and will be easily understood by all who take the time to read it. This gem of wisdom can be purchased for less than $15 at Amazon.com. One can think of more useless reasons to toss away twenty bucks. Don't you deserve to get some value for your money, for a change?

Help is ever available to those who have the humility to accept the outstretched hand.

~ g

The Greatest Sin

From The Essence of the Bhagavad-Gita -- Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda

Freedom Through Inner Renunciation

[quoting]

(5:14) It is not God, the sovereign Self, who creates in mankind the consciousness of acting in this world. God neither causes people to act, nor entangles them in the (karmic) consequences of their actions. It is maya, the cosmic illusion, which acts through them.

This stanza might seem mere casuistry: God might be taken as trying to shift the blame elsewhere by saying, "He did it!" In fact, however, it can be a great aid to the spiritual aspirant to realize how much a puppet of delusion he is. God created the delusion, true. Yet God Himself remains unaffected by it, for in His Supreme Spirit He is beyond all vibration. The yogi must feel, at his center within, that he, too, is immovable and at peace. Maya (cosmic delusion) acts through him, but cannot define him.

There is another "angle" on this teaching, however, which seems to contradict what has been taught above. Yogananda used to say, "It is better, if you do commit an error -- whether slight or great -- to tell yourself, 'God did it through me.'" He continued, "God likes that! For you will find it easier, if you do, to release the feeling of guilt which makes people beat themselves, with thoughts like, 'I did that! Oh, how weak I am! How wrong of me! How sinful!'"

My Guru used to say, "The greatest 'sin' is to call yourself a sinner." Instead, if you don't want to blame God (which Yogananda insisted, however, is perfectly fine with God!), tell yourself, "Maya (cosmic delusion) committed this deed through me. I dissociate myself from everything connected with it. In my true Self, I am untainted and forever free!"

"Of course," my Guru added, "you must then act in such a way as not to commit that error again!"

Every time you slip, instead of moaning, "I've failed! I'm a fallen soul!" tell yourself, "I haven't yet succeeded!" If you do that, your words, instead of affirming negativity, will be an affirmation of eventual success.

"The best time for sowing the seeds of success," Paramhansa Yogananda used to say, "is the season of failure!".

[end quoting]

On our way up the mountain, as we work towards purification, we may stumble over what is not Real. We are advised to not get bogged down in self-chastisement, self-pity and hopelessness. Get up, dust off, start again. And again. And again.

~ g

The Crucible of Time

[quoting]

What is behind this plan now unfolding upon the Earth? What is the purpose of the schoolroom of Earth? What means all the tears, sorrow, death, misery, anguish? For personal development, yes, but what else? What is the grander plan? Only that a world will become a cinder through an atomic war? No! The lesson to be learned is that Spirit may come to know Itself, that man might be free from the blight of the great adultery.

One day on your Earth shall come a blinding flash of light. All the old shall pass away, burned as chaff on the altar of truth. Only the 'gems' shall remain. The 'gems' that can withstand the Eternal Flame. The Earth is a school for gods. Man -- the small harvest of man upon the Earth -- man who has lost the vestiges of the human -- there are those on the Earth today. It is written, not that the Harvest is great; or is it? Yes, it is written thus: and the laborers few. The Harvest is great according to the laborers, but from the total of the Earth's population, the Harvest is small.

It has taken millions of years since man has been upon the Earth to bring about this one small concentrated drop of life to evolve in the crucible of time.

The Earth is a classroom for godhood -- not Mars, nor Venus, nor Jupiter, nor magnificent Saturn, nor spiritual Neptune, Pluto nor Mercury, not even the Sun and its many bodies. The lotus rises from the slime of the Earth. And now there is a single bloom. The Father looks down from the blue of sky and the gold of sun and sees a single pure lotus opening from the slime, and shortly He reaches down to pluck it and to take it home again.

Therefore you and your fellow-men everywhere are being conditioned for the Great Transmutation. And then we march on to other universes and worlds that call for our help. When man achieves his graduation day and wins his godhood, the work begins. Over countless millions of years man has risen from animal to become angel again! Think of the lives and the intrigues, the battles, and the loves that have gone to to produce one drop of the eternal elixir!

Let us lose ourselves in this ever-expanding army, a living thing that shall one great dawn shine forth as a golden glow over all the Earth. Those that run to the rocks will find no shelter. No bomb-proof shelter will give adequate safety. No cavern is deep enough, no mountain top high enough, for this is the day of the Great Transmutation when all elements shall be changed. Not only are you being prepared for other atmospheres, but you are now changing dimensions. You are leaving the world, the kingdom of the third dimension. You are entering the dimension of understanding. Accept that which the Father has for you.

The physical, as it is developed, is only to serve for a brief time. Work as one, for even though you know it not, you stand at this moment before the Throne of God the Father.

From Secret of the Andes - Brother Philip, G. W. Williamson

[end quoting]

It's been a long journey. As the climax draws near, continue to remain focused on the New. Continue to prepare, continue to serve, continue to do what it takes to fulfill The Plan. A New World awaits all those who can open their heart center. The goal is to walk through this Gate together

...As One.

~ g

Thoughts Are Things

[quoting]

Our thoughts are actual objects, thought-forms that exist on the astral plane. Thinking bad thoughts and sending bad thought-forms can cause trouble.

“...every one of you who generates an impure or revengeful or angry or sordid thought, sends out that thought into the world of society as a living force, as an active entity, which plays upon society, which is taken in by the weakest, by the most receptive, by the least developed, so that out of those thoughts of so-called respectable men there are scattered the seeds of crime through the lower masses of the people, and the sins of these which show out in actions belong very largely to the Karma of those whose thoughts have given them birth.

That is not known as widely as it should be known. It is not believed as it should be believed. Every man who feels revenge sends out into the astral world a power for destruction; and when some weak creature comes along with a bad Karma behind him, and bad circumstances surrounding him, with impulses which are not under his control and passions which are stronger than his mind, these evil thoughts come down upon him, all these angry thoughts from men living in respectable conditions in society, and if he be stimulated by some wrong, maddened by some injury, these impel him to strike a blow which we call murder; though he holds the knife in his physical hand, the blow is largely struck by the thoughts of many men whose revengeful feelings are of the essence of murder, although they appear not in outward form.

You will not get rid of crimes in the lower strata of society until you purify the thoughts of the higher classes, of those who are educated and can understand the nature of things. And when all this is seen and known, when the astral world lies open to men’s vision, there will be a new force available to help and to raise mankind; for men will no longer disbelieve in the power of thought, they will then appreciate their responsibility for the thoughts they generate, and will send out loving and helping influences instead of the degrading influences that go out so often today.”

From The Path of Discipleship - Annie Besant

[end quoting]

Perhaps after some contemplation and study one can begin to see how television programs, video games, movies, books, magazines, etc., all conspire to evoke certain thoughts and emotions from us. These thoughts and emotions we generally believe to be our own personal and private possessions, but they are not. So, when we view horror-slasher-Saw-type movies, or when we shoot up "zombies" in video games, or if we get angry at reality show participants, etc., the thoughts and emotions that we subsequently generate are sent out into the world, like pollen in the wind. They may, or may not, encourage us to act in any particular way, but somewhere in their travels, it is more than likely that these thought-forms will attach themselves to someone who will respond to them, and possible act upon them.

Our thoughts and emotions are our children, our creations. The problem is that man is unaware of the power of his thoughts, and the trouble that his undisciplined thinking perpetuates. Learn to mind every thought that 'pops' into your head. Learn to control your emotions. Not suppress, but control. Is it really necessary to get angry over this or that? Is it really necessary to think ill of the person before you, or far away from you, for that matter? For one to begin to develop, one must begin to consciously practice self-control. One can start by taking responsibility for that which one creates.

There is so much more to man than currently realized. Seek the knowledge that can release you from ignorance. Move out of darkness. Find out who and what you really are.

Man, Know Thyself.

~ g

"Groundhog Day"

Came across this movie today. Although it wasn't a first viewing by any stretch (try fifth or sixth), i gave it another go. The movie stars Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

Those who have seen it are familiar with the plot. A cynical weatherman goes to Pennsylvania on February 2nd, to do a story on a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil. The groundhog is supposed to predict how much more winter weather lies ahead, depending on whether or not he sees his shadow when he pops out of his hole. This is a quasi-event in America and it's known as Groundhog Day.

The weatherman's name also happens to be Phil. Long story short, Phil does his report, spends the day in Punxsutawney and then retires to bed, as he is scheduled to leave in the morning. Except that he doesn't leave in the morning. He wakes up and discovers that it's February 2nd...again. His whole day starts over. This happens the next day, and the next and the next. He is stuck at February 2nd.

Phil is horrified, and tries to figure a way out of his dilemma. Already crusty and self-centered, he becomes even more so due to his circumstances. At one point, he tries to kill himself (in a comic variety of ways), as he cannot stand the repetition of encountering the same situations day after day. When he realizes that won't work, he resigns himself to his fate and begins to use the knowledge he has acquired from living countless February 2nds in this tiny town to amuse and enrich himself. Even this begins to get boring after a while.

At some point, after some years, he changes. Instead of bitter grumbling and condescension, he begins to use his knowledge to help others. Because he knows what is going to happen before it happens, he manages to place himself in position to assist people before they are even aware that they will need help.

Eventually, he realizes that it doesn't matter where you are, but what one does while they are there that matters. When he began living in service to others, the gnawing desire to escape faded away. It was at that point he was finally released to move on to February 3rd. He had learned the lesson.

And so it is with us. Countless incarnations, encountering the same types of places, people and situations we've encountered in so many past lives. Moving through these scenarios over and over again, stubbornly refusing to "get it right". The moment we stop living for ourselves, stop indulging ourselves, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, that is when we begin our pursuit of what is Real. That is when we should begin to realize that it is not we who are important. It is our other-selves who are important, those souls with whom we are in unity, even if we are unaware of the fact.

Who is in need of loving assistance? Where can compassion ease a hurt? How can i help someone today? Live with these thoughts foremost always. Live to Give, and someday, February 3rd will dawn for you, too.

~ g