Lucy said: Now, I'm not good at focusing my attention, but every now and then I do manage to focus it just a little. And I found that when I do, things change. Things get better. But it is hard to focus. It takes a lot of work. But when it works, it works!

I don't think that my way of standing in the Light is necessarily for anyone but me. We each have to find our own unique way of standing in the Light. What is yours?
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thanks for directing the thread here Lucy, Aurora I believe would fit right in here with the rest of us as she mentions the imagination. recently had a meditation where I saw if I could not for some reason imagine something, for sure I was not in the right space to pull that into being.
I knew, or had a clue years ago, I had 'picture it' before it actually happened.

this standing in the light reminds me of an exercise spirit led me to do once back in 2001 I believe. I was just beginning to do conscious retrievals while participating here on the board. I knew they were real, that we all could learn to do them, so maybe this post is sort of what you asked me for awhile back, as well some others.

Even though I had done a real spontaneous retrieval and was the reason for coming here to join the others, still, the ones I now practiced in 2001 seemed like mere imagination practices, even if they sort of took on their own life; still I needed something more to continue on this course.

Since I was not a meditator and still don't meditate in the usual sense of sitting down and saying I am now going to do a meditation. more or less meditation creeps up on me these days.

but back then I got this sense I should do this exercise we labeled NEW. Both Robert Bruce on another forum, and Bruce Moen had a version of this energy gathering exercise which were similar.

Bruce has the 3 breath exercise, and draw imaginary up from beneath, like through the feet, circle this light out the top of the head a certain amount of times. the breath, I see as this light also.

I encourage any to investigate this exercise and try it as the first time I tried it, I had another retrieval take place in the night which I did not doubt was real as I did not fall asleep, but simply exited my body before I had a chance to fall asleep, I accredit the retrieval and a peek at the future directly to doing the "standing in the light" exercise we call NEW. that stands for new energy ways. (or waves)

it occurred to me either by guide input (my first thought) or possibly accredit the thought I should imagine sitting on top of the world. out in space.

this was naturally a bit difficult to imagine. nonetheless, feeling agreeable to experiment, I imagined floating out, to, ah, yes, the top of the world for a bird's eye view. feeling a bit small, I had to imagine myself as larger. I thought I heard someone say, now, we want you to hug the world. what did you say? hug the world? do I have to?    it was funny. you should have been there. maybe you have.
just try seemed the voice to say. so I did but still I could only reach around part of the world with my whatever, rubber band arms...   they just wanted me to get a feeling of PUL for the world and it's inhabitants. once that was accomplished, I did feel shall we say, more friendlier towards the world in general.  I think the exercise, standing in the light is similar effect to NEW.

the point being we self empower ourselves to stand in the light so each individual can get beyond their suffering. but it seems we get self empowered to rise above suffering by aiding another to get beyond suffering..we sort of climb on each other's shoulders in that sense, to get a higher view.

retrievals in this sense is alleviating the suffering in the world..it's just that it's working behind the scenes, quietly, effortlessly, the movement gathers momentum, one by one.

thanks again Lucy, being here all these years, I've gained from you, however I just can't put that into details for you right now, just that you're my friend.

love, alysia

My own take is that we are closer to God when we follow his way of love; love of others and love of God.  The converse would be true - that we drift further away from God when we act out of hate toward others or God.  Suffering tends to be a sign that our earth life is out of balance.  Some suffering is brought on by natural disasters, and energies out of our control.  However, much suffering is brought about by our interactions with our fellow human beings in the world.

I, for one, do not believe that suffering makes us holy or follow God's path.  I believe that our lives may be full of love, richness and abundance, if we keep these concepts in our minds and hearts.  When people arrange their thinking around axioms such as "money is the root of all evil," is it any wonder that poverty is seen as being a state of nobility?  When one hears expressions such as "the suffering of a saint," our subliminal mind picks up on this and says that somehow we must do without material things, and suffer to be closer to God.

Rubbish.  We are our thoughts, and our thoughts tend to create our real life situation in the physical world.  Follow the path of love, of caring for others, acting not out of the desire to merely pleasure oneself, but out of compassion.  Can we act this way, and avoid suffering?  Can we still find abundance in life in terms of wealth, and surroundings?  Of course we can.  Abundance in all forms can be seen as our birthright, founded in scripture.  

We are closer to God when, without thought of our ego or secondary gain, we act with compassion, kindness, thankfulness, and love for each other.  This is truly a state of grace.

Matthew

well said Doc

I so much relate to the "nonattachment" idea that you are promoting here, Justin. I think people can misinterpret this as "hating" the world, because we have heard that word used in Christianity. But I don't see how we can "hate" and "love" at the same time. So, I think it is okay to love the world, in the sense of having concern for the world, and appreciating the world, for the gifts that it offers. And, at the same time, we can remain conscious enough not to cling to any particular circumstances.

We can see the wisdom in this by looking at people who seem to naturally "fit" into any circumstances. Looking at it from a Christian perspective, as I see it, I think of how Jesus was said to have encouraged his disciples to eat whatever was given them when they entered the houses of strangers who hosted them. In other words, participate in the "culture" of any family who would welcome them. He was criticized for eating and drinking with all sorts of people. And yet, he was capable of secluding himself and depriving himself from "civilization" for long periods of time.

So, I think it is useful to be able to participate and interact in all sorts of settings. As well as to let them go when appropriate. I think that is true freedom, and allows a person to enjoy the benefits of having been born human, with all that comes along with being human.

This must mean different things to different people. For example, some people might consider two bowls of rice, rather than one, to be riches.

While others must have their cake, and eat it too.