The other day when the events of the Middle East were overwhelming me, I questioned whether the work we have done regarding Peace was working. Spirit came very strongly to me with the following insight.

It is important that we strongly, yet Lightly, hold the Vision of Peace within ourselves, even when events in the outer world seem to be overriding our efforts. By continuing to hold the Vision of Peace, we are energetically creating space within this "reality" for Peace to grow. The current events of the world have an energy that has been set in motion (often many years ago), yet we do not have to feed that energy by reacting with fear and despair. Rather, by holding the Vision of Peace, we are creating an option for others to come to when they tire of war.

The efforts towards Peace are not lost. These efforts can be likened to the stages of building a house. Much of the initial efforts in house building are often not seen from the outsider or casual passerby. This is because much of the effort is focused upon building the foundation of the house which is out of view from the surface level. But as the durability of a house is predicated upon a strong foundation, so is the building of lasting Peace upon this planet. We are building the foundation for Peace on the planet by our inner desires and inner actions. As the momentum of war and fear begins to decline, then the "House of Peace" will be seen by all.

Peace is a state of being that has outward and inward manifestations. However, the focus must first be on the state of inner Peace. Peace on the outer world can only come about when it is birthed from a state of inner peace within each of us. When we war for Peace through demonstrations and political activism, it is doomed to fail if the birth of our actions is not firmly grounded in a state of inner peace. The axiom of "that which you resist, you empower" comes into play here. By aggressively attacking another's stance of war, you inadvertently give power to their warring actions. There always has to be a balance in the world, and aggressive peaceful actions have to balanced by aggressive war-like actions.

This does not mean that we are passive in our peaceful actions. We actively choose, moment by moment, that which brings us peace and joy. We give to others that which we feel we lack in ourselves, or we give to them that which will bring them true peace and joy. We recognize that on a deep level everyone is doing the best that they can given their life circumstances.

It is important that we realize that all warful behavior is fueled by the feeling of being unloved and powerless in the world. This is always at the level of the individual human being. War is based on the feelings of fear and that the world is an unsafe place. But deep down, behind all of the words and behavior, the act of war is actually a cry for love. We try to control our inner world of fear and confusion (which is often a feeling buried deep in the unconscious) by trying to control our outer world, which we also see as out of control and unpredictable. "If only I can take action to control events in the outer world, then I will feel safe and secure inside myself."

We also project onto others feelings within ourselves that we are unwilling to recognize. Our own inner feelings of self hate, unworthiness, and uncomfortableness are projected onto the perceived enemy, and we "see" them as different and untrustworthy. "They" become the target of our uncomfortableness So, if we can just get rid of them, then we will feel safe and secure. But the fallacy of this line of thinking is that once "they" are gone (ie., we win the war), then we will feel better. But the root of the problem has not been addressed. The problem is our own inner imbalance and lack of inner peace. This inner imbalance will again manifest in the outer world, and another "enemy" will be born.

In a funny kind of way, this is our misguided attempt to heal ourselves. Our bodies and souls seek balance and equilibrium on all levels. When there is an imbalance, the natural response of the body and soul is to take steps to bring about balance again. However, because we live on a planet of free will, we have the power to choose to stay in a state of imbalance. The choice of staying in imbalance may seem to be an absurd one, but the fear of change and the unknown is often stronger than the uncomfortableness of being out of balance. And this choice of imbalance is made out of ignorance of not knowing who we truly are. We have aligned with our minds and egos in terms of our identity. We have, through a series of steps throughout the ages, moved further and further away from our true identity as Spiritual Beings.

It is only by consciously acknowledging our inner feelings as they arise in the moment, and choosing to give energy to only those feelings or energies that bring us Peace, Love and Joy, that we can begin to move out of our misidentification with the "little self." This "little self" is mired in the world of the mind and ego, and literally cannot see beyond the end of its nose. This worldview is extremely limited in scope when compared to the "All That Is." It is based on reactions to perceived events in the world and in one's life that have often been hurtful or painful. It is based on believing that the world is a fearful and unsafe place. It compares one's experience only with itself, and the underlying purpose is to protect itself from current experiences or perceived future events that could bring more pain. This is the domain of the ego and mind, and our identification with these aspects of our physical experience has created much of the imbalance within ourselves and the world.

The mind and the ego extend this imbalance to the whole "outer world," and they exist in a self-created microcosmic interpretation of life. By design, the mind and ego are meant only to help our Spiritual Selves to negotiate 3rd dimensional, physical experience. They were never designed to be the boss, but this has become the role of the mind and ego for most of us. They help to create a feeling of separation and isolation from others because by design they cannot see the whole picture. They are only tuned in to the frequency channel of the 3rd dimensional experience. They cannot see or sense all of the channels or frequencies of the All That Is. In a very real way, the mind and ego are blind to the majority of existence, and thus make decisions and choices based on limited information. They are fine tuned to sense danger to the physical self, and have done a really good job over the ages of protection of the physical self. However, this role of protector has become more and more distorted until the mind and ego have become mini-tyrants that interpret any new experience as a threat to not only the physical body, but also to the little self's own existence. The mind and ego have literally taken on a life of their own. As a result of their self-protective strategies, there has been a cutting off of the connections to the larger, Spiritual parts of who we are.

Seen in the light of the perspective of the mind and ego, the actions of those who advocate war are quite understandable. Self-protection by controlling others is a logical extension of the protective and fear based strategies of the mind and ego. The more power that you can amass to control others, the better. At the basis of this strategy is the belief that everyone is separate and alone, and under this is the intense feeling of lack of being loved and being separate from all Life and from God.

There is a difference between the energy and feeling of Peace, and that of feeling powerful and safe by attempting to control others or events external to ourselves. When one chooses peaceful actions, it tends to be inclusive in nature. In other words, others are included in the action. All are one. All benefit. It is a win-win situation. When one garners power in order to feel safe, the action is exclusive. Its underlying energy is fear. Certain people or events are considered to be taboo, and are to be banned, attacked, or excluded. The energy of these two actions--inclusion vs. exclusion--have two different energy dynamics. Inclusion expands energy, whereas exclusion contracts energy. Inclusion is grounded in Love, and exclusion is based on fear. Peaceful thoughts and feelings are inclusive in their energy. Others are exclusive and promote feelings of separateness.

So what can we do in regards to creating Peace in our lives and in the world?

First, ask the question: "Does this action (or thought or feeling) create peace within me?" By asking this simple question hundreds of time a day, you will bring power to your decisions and actions throughout the day. You bring choice back into your life. Know that what is loving and inclusive expands you, and you become bigger. When you choose to be a peace loving being moment by moment, you enrich yourself and the world.

Second, ask: "What can I give this person (or situation) in this moment that will express love and joy?" Look beyond (or behind) the overt words and behavior to what is really being said. What is it that this person seeking? Remember anger and hate can only come from a sense of lack within a person, so give to the person that which they lack. This is usually love in the form of honor, respect, inclusion, etc.

Third, ask: "What are this person's actions and words telling me about myself?" All people that we come into contact with can teach us something about ourselves. In fact, people often mirror back to us those very characteristics that we find hard to accept in ourselves. We attract into our lives people and situations that reflect imbalances within us, and thus situations or people who are a challenge to us on the surface, actually offer us an opportunity to bring to our conscious awareness pieces of ourselves that we have disowned in the past.

Fourth, keep your attention in the present moment. Be aware of what you are feeling, what sensations are going through your body, how you are breathing, and be aware of what thoughts and reactions that you have to what is being said or done. Become a fly on the wall as you watch yourself react to the situation in a myriad of ways. Those reactions that are full of energy and emotion are a key to hidden areas that are in need of healing.

And fifth, move towards, into, and through that which separates you from others or life situations. In each moment choose to engage your fears without giving them energy. When we fight or flee from life, then we have given our power away to fear. It is the energy that we give fear which keeps it alive and strong in our lives. The mind and ego's first response to fear is to fight or run away from that which it perceives to be a source of fear. In doing so, the situation is never resolved, and it will crop up again in the future.

There are times when it is appropriate to let the body keep you out of harm's way by quick action, but what is being addressed here are the energies caught within us that keep us from living life in love and joy. By using the barometer of your inner peace as a guide, you have a powerful tool that overcome fear and lead to increasing love and joy in your life, and for the planet.

SK, 04/2003