Self deception

[Grahamsutherland]

At the recent assistance group AJ said that most of us havent had any interactions with God. I have since had the opportunity to clarify that with Mary who confirmed that most of us havent received any divine love. Considering that many of us have believed we have been receiving divine love when we werent it makes me wonder how much such self deception i am still engaging in on different subjects.

I have long felt that i have only received divine love the once and that was about five years ago. Ever since i have wondered why such a transformative experience hasnt motivated me to do what is required to get more. I now have two answers to that question.

Firstly the experience was facilitated for me by my guides who at the time also gave me the image that i was looking through a key hole at the experience. So it seems it was really about growing my faith by showing me what is possible.

Secondly at the assistance group AJ said most of us arent motivated by pleasure or happiness etc but by avoidance of pain (and we wont make progress until that changes). I had been so puzzled why wonderful spiritual experiences werent helping me to grow my will to change and that is the answer.

[Mitten]

Hi Graham.

At the recent assistance group AJ said that most of us havent had any interactions with God. I have since had the opportunity to clarify that with Mary who confirmed that most of us havent received any divine love

If God is the source of creation, I don't know how one could not interact with God. I have heard AJ use the divine love/natural love distinction, but I still have no idea what un-divine love is.

In the oneness movement I sometimes hear the distinction made between dualistic and non-dualistic love. All experience is dualistic, or the movement of something against something else. The love we have for each other is in the dualistic realm.

The idea of non-dualistic love transcends personal experience. That wouldn't be anything received but rather the love which allows one to feel/generate the emotional spectrum. Conditional happiness leads to sadness when the conditions of happiness change. It doesn't mean you are not receiving love when you are sad, but rather, noticing that 50% of your experience will always be better than the other 50%. The idea that you need to always be happy (or in the upper 50%) isn't loving to yourself because it isn't possible, logical, or true.

Secondly at the assistance group AJ said most of us arent motivated by pleasure or happiness etc but by avoidance of pain (and we wont make progress until that changes). I had been so puzzled why wonderful spiritual experiences werent helping me to grow my will to change and that is the answer.

If you avoid pain and aren't conscious of your avoidance, and that's noticed, you aren't the avoider, but what notices that. The idea that you are avoiding pain isn't likely to bring allowance of pain because who wants pain? Noticing avoidance, however, can lead to allowance.

[Sage]

Hi Graham,

I too struggle with this. I wonder if I have received Divine Love and wonder how much self deception I am in. I imagine a great deal or I would know whether I had received Divine Love or not. For me, I am really trying to focus my attention on humility, truly feeling what I am feeling, not what I hope to be feeling or what I prefer to be feeling, but acknowledging and feeling what is truthfully in my soul. This is a brand new thing for me and I am finding that I need faith and repetition. I am paying attention to my addictive impulses and working on confronting some of them. I am trying most of all to develop my relationship with God, but I can feel the huge blocks and resistances within me, so I try to feel the emotions associated with those blocks and resistances. I believe I am feeling through some of those, but again, I don't have much faith in myself and I wonder if I am deceiving myself.

I will be making the trek to Australia in June to participate in the assistance group and I am working on feeling the fears I have associated with hearing truths like you are talking about. It is an interesting journey learning to trust God and question myself, one that I am happy to be on.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience,
Sage

[Mitten]

Hi Graham,

I too struggle with this. I wonder if I have received Divine Love and wonder how much self deception I am in. I imagine a great deal or I would know whether I had received Divine Love or not.

If you don't know what something is, the idea that you do know would be deceptive.

I am trying most of all to develop my relationship with God, but I can feel the huge blocks and resistances within me, so I try to feel the emotions associated with those blocks and resistances. I believe I am feeling through some of those, but again, I don't have much faith in myself and I wonder if I am deceiving myself.

Noticing blocks and resistances sounds like quality spiritual work. Noticing the effort to feel can lead to a surrender of the effort, which allows emotions and blocks to express themselves. That expression is not the result of trying to feel things, but noticing that trying to feel things only gets in the way of the feelings.

[Nicky]

Hi Jason / Mitten

You are currently in breach of a couple of the sections located in the terms of use document. As a result, I have issued you with a warning.

Jesus has presented a couple of talks relating to the Oneness Movement as I had seen you reference in your first post on this thread. I have provided the links to these videos below if you'd like to watch/listen to them (if you had not already done so before):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdSXsQVtYGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dlYYWXJY80

Thanks
Nicky

[Anita]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing Graham,

I have had a half hearted - not even half hearted, and blurred focus on becoming at one with God, or rather becoming free of my painful emotions. I have had no real desire because how can I know how being at one with God is, how that state feels.

I would like to share that this talk, has been helpful to me.
Jesus explains how
Emotions is the Destination.

"When we see emotions as a process,
we are seeing it as something we have got to do in order to get somewhere else.

I remember when I heard that the first time, I thought - Yes, yes, I agree with that. And then I just forgot about it. When I listened again today, it hits home a little closer to my heart. I feel, yes I can do this, I can desire myself, to feel all of myself. When I desire to feel myself I will pay more attention to how I spend my time. With myself or with things that distracts me away from myself.

20140208 Relationship With God - Understanding Your Emotional Self S1P1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Jz7Dj ... 6E&index=1

In the second part https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syb9Zgi ... 5A00C1496E
about our tolerance, acceptance and then Desire for our emotions, to be a100% emotional being.
God created us to being happy to be joyful.

Anita

[Mitten]

Hi Jason / Mitten

You are currently in breach of a couple of the sections located in the terms of use document. As a result, I have issued you with a warning.

Jesus has presented a couple of talks relating to the Oneness Movement as I had seen you reference in your first post on this thread. I have provided the links to these videos below if you'd like to watch/listen to them (if you had not already done so before):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdSXsQVtYGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dlYYWXJY80

Thanks
Nicky

No problemo. Yes I saw a few talks where AJ mentioned the Oneness movement. I have a strong connection with Nisargadatta Maharaj, some dead Indian dude who is a big part of that movement, and didn't mean to break the rules. Thanks for not banning me. I'll make the necessary adjustments.

-Jason