Love God and love what God loves: everything, including you

[BethM]

So I have been spending this snowy weekend here in PA browsing Geoff's site and Spiritual Journey forum. And came across this:

In May 2013 a reporter for TVNZ quotes this about [some other] teachings: "Jesus teaches that God’s divine love is the best thing you’ll ever experience - and it’s available to everyone. However you’re not going to tap into it unless you can first clear your 'soul' of anger, fear and pain."

And this is the basis of our major objection to these teachings. They are making Father’s unconditional Love conditional ... We know from personal experience that there is only one barrier, an inability to express natural love by the human.

Well, Al knows how much I like to get hung up on semantics, but doesn't that barrier make Divine Love conditional? Not on God's part in terms of willingness to give, but on the ability of the person to be able to receive it?

Geoff refers to this barrier on a 2012 How to Physically Experience Divine Love post on his forum, saying:

Are there any blockages? Yes an inability to love yourself means you can't love God. The solution there is to pray to solve that problem first. The more you can love, the greater your ability to FEEL this Love. But the Love itself will solve all of the problems you might have, if you can just get started on a trickle. Over the years it will become a torrent of Love.

I don't know that there are a lot of people who are completely incapable of expressing natural love or loving themselves. But some of us have more baggage than others in that space, and perhaps any issues are related more to fear and less to ability. I bet that having had your own child and/or a loving relationship with a spouse/partner is a huge help in terms of opening that heart/love space ... missing one or both may be a clue that some other work may be prudent here as one prays for Divine Love.

I had asked previously about using things like reiki, since it seems to me that this kind of thing has energetic or material underpinnings in the body ... largely because it's may well be due to some kind of early trauma, whether of physical or psychological origin. But I suppose that asking for help from God via prayer is always going to be the fastest, most practical solution?

Anyways, in the post I didn't link to, Geoff referred to this great message from Augustine on releasing soul wounds:

[God's] Love displaces these blockages, hurts, wounds, the imprinting of experiences from your path that are within the soul. ... So these conditions, these thoughts, these emotions, rise up into your consciousness, and when one truly acknowledges these things, and does so in love, there is a release to God, and often a feeling of relief as another burden leaves your being.

My latest practice is to add to my daily prayer a slightly modified version of the great commandment I read somewhere else:

Love God and love what God loves: everything, including you.

Just wish I had realized the importance of this long ago. But I guess that's part of the journey!

[Geoff]

Dear Beth,

I am impressed. Its pretty hard to find that page on my site. I deliberately hid it and its generally only found via a direct Google search.

Actually there are dozens of potential blockages to completing the rebirth process. What I was really referring to was "getting going". Its impossible to complete this process without total commitment by the human to finding and releasing and changing their errors. But the issue is folks who are discouraged in the beginning, and this is where its particularly hard.

hugs
Geoff

[AlFike]

Yes, I agree. The journey of soul purification leading to soul transformation is a very long one indeed . Rarely completed on this plane of existence. Jesus had a leg up being born without soul impediments. We're not so fortunate. The best we can do is soldier on, be good and pray a lot. The great advantage of starting this journey here and living it as best we can is that we will reap the rewards of landing in a good place on the other side with lots of soulful experiences, personal challenges, tests and rewards. God can use us as His channels of Love too in the process so the rewards are both here and there. I's a choice of what is important in your life and what you wish to accomplish.

[Geoff]

Just wish I had realized the importance of this long ago. But I guess that's part of the journey!

LOL. This is what I had on my web site maybe 15 years ago, maybe longer:

But how long is this New Birth going to take, and has anyone we know of done this, and what might be the sign posts along the way? All very valid points. If we are to commit the rest of our mortal life to this process, surely you want to know that you are doing it “right” as it were.

It has been thanks to Al alone that I learned there were indeed major issues. The original P messages pretty much say "Pray for the Love lots and you will be fine." And there are still a whole bunch of very long time Divine Love folks that believe that. But its not enough. And my web site now makes clear:

Another big issue for us are the results of living on the Earth and getting all the bad examples of unloving behaviour that surrounds us. That results in learned reactions or “triggers”, where we react unlovingly to things we perceive as unloving that are done to us. This must be dealt with on Earth if we are to have any hope of completing the new birth on Earth. In theory the Divine Love will chip away at everything except that which we, through our free will hold onto. And sadly many of us have aspects of our personality that we characterise as “being us.” That means we value negative aspects of ourselves, and these are the hardest to recognise and let go of. But if we do not, we will not make the progress necessary while on Earth. We will in effect stagnate.

Source: The Soul Transformation Process

hugs
Geoff

[BethM]

I think this is spot on:

Actually there are dozens of potential blockages to completing the rebirth process. What I was really referring to was "getting going" ... the issue is folks who are discouraged in the beginning, and this is where its particularly hard.

I have found a similar issue in the centering prayer movement (I started there a year and a half prior to finding out about Divine Love). I'm part of a Facebook CP group with 10K members, and not a day doesn't go by when there's not at least one person who posts something related to frustration in the early (and not quite so early) goings.

My new theory is that the major thing at play is one's relationship with God going into the effort. If you already feel like you know and love God, then whether it's prayer for Divine Love or practicing centering prayer, you may well make quicker progress. But if you don't, then as Judas says in this message:

In the beginning it is wearisome, then you become used to it, but after some time, when progress seems so small and you are still so far away from your goals, you may even despair. However, when you manage to overcome this and carry on, you will be greatly rewarded, and prayer will be like an addiction, a cheerful moment you may enjoy at any time of the day.

But I came across another message that kinda gobsmacked me. It's one of James Reid's Richard messages on the subject of desire (emphasis mine):

Earlier today we were communicating about desire and developing longing for what you desire and I spoke with respect to Divine Love. ... Most have learned to feel longing as a sense of lack and seek the object of the desire in order to fill this lack. This is a common attitude and one which many are encouraged to develop. Unfortunately this attitude often serves to actually distance one even further from what is desired. This way of longing projects the sense of lack outwards. This attitude serves to diminish faith in God and in the ability or power that all have to manifest their desires. When Our Father is sensed to be distant then Divine Love is also sensed to be distant and difficult to obtain.

What struck me about this was how much the language about feeling matches what the New Thought people have written about wrt affirmative prayer ... and that this same language is being promoted by the modern New Thought people like Joe Dispenza or Gregg Braden. I suppose it's a form of Law of Attraction?

Anyways, I think that there is in fact a difference between the kind of yearning that a beginner has compared to someone who already has a good measure of Divine Love. So to just say "you need to yearn with your soul" is probably not the whole story. More like "you need to yearn with your soul in a loving manner towards God with confidence that you are deserving of His great gift of Divine Love." And depending on where you are starting from, it may take some time before you can do this.

That's why I think Geoff is also onto something with this:

You don’t need to “do” anything to feel the Love, excepting having a strong DESIRE, and doing that from your HEART, not mind. That's the hardest part, coming from heart. ... A trick I used to play on myself, was to think of the one thing I loved most in the world, and from that heart space, switch to Father and Ask for His love.

Sorry for the rambling (?), but I suspect it may be helpful for other newbies. And that part of that is that we're all starting from different starting points ... if you are angry or fearful at God, it's probably going to take a lot longer than for someone who already loves God and is just finding out about Divine Love. But I also think that some of it is that our language is not particularly good at describing inner practice/state. I'm sure I thought I was 'yearning' for Divine Love from the get go. But the idea that the feeling state matters and that being in a loving state (or one of gratitude perhaps) is important is making a lot of sense to me now.

I'm not there just yet, but am feeling more optimistic.

[BethM]

I woke up this morning thinking again about the similarities I see in praying for Divine Love and learning to ride a bike. When you are learning to ride a bike, the most important thing to learn is balance. But as it turns out, it's nearly impossible to balance a bike that is standing still ... the bike is much easier to balance if it is moving. But if you can't balance, it turns out to be pretty difficult to keep the bike moving in order to balance!

So it seems to me that there's likely something at work in praying for Divine Love. And perhaps it's this inner feeling of love for God ... a la the Cloud of Unknowing's 14th century admonition to "lift your heart up to the Lord, with a gentle stirring of love desiring him for his own sake and not for his gifts."

Without being materially aware of this Divine Love, it seems more difficult to have this "stirring of love" ... but if one spends their prayer time focusing more on the lack of this awareness or having fears of being unworthy or being angry with God, one is cutting off better access to this Love.

I take solace in two things. First is that the good news is that God and His angels and guides are helping even if it doesn't feel like it. The other thing is this message from Keea Atta Kem via Al that Eva shared on the FB group when I mentioned something related to this there:

For many of you beloved souls, who have travelled through your life experiences utilizing the faculties of your material mind and moving through the conditions of this world that are not altogether conducive to this sensitivity. It is understandable that some will not feel this gift so intensely or know even that they have received this gift.

But I tell you, beloved souls, each of you has indeed received this blessing to some degree. Your souls yearn and long to receive more, to know this blessed union with God in prayer, in love, in deep peace, in a way of knowing that goes beyond the mind. Beloved souls, as you continue to make efforts to be in this flow of Love, to release all conditions that may obstruct and divert your attentions from this gift and this experience, you will come to know this beautiful gift as a reflexive experience from your prayers and longings of the heart.

Yes, some are more gifted than others, more sensitive than others, or able to know and to recognize the cues that are a part of this experience. But, for those who do not feel the inflowing of the Divine Love within their souls, this does not mean that they are not receiving this Love, for indeed they are. The yearning of the soul, which each and every one of you are well aware of, is what brings the Holy Spirit to convey this gift of Love. God answers each and every prayer that is sincere and as this great yearning that is expressed to God, so there is a response. This is the law in action, the Law of Love.

So for those who struggle with this conscious awakening of the soul, I tell you that as long as you are sincere in your efforts, your prayers, and your desires that God will find a way to bring to you a conscious understanding, some powerful experience, some form of awakening that will confirm to you this Truth. Nothing will hold God from reaching you and bringing you to a close rapport and understanding of your Heavenly Father.

So as Geoff mentioned above, while it may be a challenge for some to get past initial difficulty, perseverance is the key. At present, I may not be aware of the "unmistakable" presence of God's Divine Love, but I am aware that I am being transformed. And perhaps there is a good, loving reason why it feels like a long time.

[Geoff]

I think thats an excellent summation Beth. Totally excellent. Well done.

hugs
Geoff

[Eva]

I have only just read this thread, but thank you Beth for your research and insightful musings.
As you conclude with, transformation is the key -- whether or not there are clear physical feelings or not. Are we becoming better people? Are we experiencing love, faith, joy, peace, and generally responding kindly to annoyances (rather than reacting in kind)? Are our main desires and what we spend the most time on for the things that the world seeks -- money, power, fame, pleasure, etc. -- or are we more interested in spiritual pursuits and helping others? If we can look back on our life and see the changes and evidence of becoming "new creation/creature" to use Bible language, than we can be confident that we are on the right track.