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Topic: Loving Your Enemies!!!!!
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Solane Star Knowflake Posts: 3699 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
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posted September 17, 2007 10:27 PM
Loving Your Enemies Love your enemies as yourself is good psychological advice as well as sound spiritual counsel. You might not want to admit that you have enemies, but we all do. A friend is someone you like, while one who is not a friend is someone you do not like – perhaps because you do not know them. The word ‘enemy’ comes from the Latin in + amicus (not friend). The root of amicus (friend) is amare, ‘to love.’ So a friend is someone you love, and an enemy is someone you do not love. An enemy is someone who represents something negative within yourself that you do not know or do not accept. An enemy is someone on whom you project some unconscious aspects of yourself. You cannot like or love someone you do not know. In order to love your enemy you have to know them, and in order to know them you have to know yourself enough so as not to project onto them aspects of your shadow self. I recently spent several hours in a government office in a developing country trying to get some paperwork done. I was going through an inner struggle about the real situation I was in. I found myself alternating between thoughts of criticism about the inefficiency the clerks were demonstrating, and thoughts of me admitting that I did not understand why they acted the way they did. I wanted things to proceed more quickly and I could see how that could easily be done. I was projecting my mentality, expectations and attitudes onto the situation. On the other hand, these people had been doing this work for years in a culture and in a government department that was unknown to me. There was no way I could understand without learning much more than what I knew. But the situation did not lend itself for teaching me what I did not know. So often this is the kind of situation we find ourselves experiencing. We do not understand, and the situation does not lend itself to be understood at the time. And whenever we do not understand we always project our own thoughts and feelings about what we want and what we think. Projection is never about the situation, so it never reveals any further understanding to us. Projection is about ourselves. It comes from an unconscious place within ourselves where we feel unfulfilled or lacking in some way. That is, we want something and therefore impose our feelings and thoughts on a situation through uninformed judgement, criticism or making demands. It is very easy to make enemies in this way. Whenever we criticise or make demands based on personal desires, we alienate others. They do not feel loved or appreciated by us. And we obviously do not love or appreciate them. Anyone we meet – even in places like government offices – can be a friend, someone to love. But it takes an effort when they are different from us – when they act or behave differently, when they look different, when they have different beliefs or lifestyles, or when they do not meet our expectations. We must make an attempt to understand. If we do not succeed in gaining accurate understanding with our minds, we can then approach them in other ways. Understanding is also possible with the heart. The heart accepts; it does not judge. When we know something with our heart what we know is that there is a cause why something is the way it is, and that cause is valid. The heart accepts the limitations of a person or situation and values whatever efforts are being made. The heart is altruistic and therefore accepting and tolerant of others. It is not preoccupied with self-centered interests. When we open our heart to another we can transcend our emotional reactions and self-centered desires. Often, however, this is not easy because we feel those emotions so strongly. One of the qualities that turns on the heart significantly and strongly is appreciation. Appreciation is not an emotion that arises spontaneously, but a soul quality that we can choose. The more often we choose to be appreciative the easier this choice becomes and the more frequently is our heart open to give and receive love. Heart is a word that refers to many different levels of our being. Essentially, it is the love aspect of soul, capable of making direct, intuitive contact. Soul love is not emotional; it is highly impersonal and intelligent, capable of grasping the essence without any projection on our part. When we activate this centre through choosing to appreciate we simultaneously activate the physical heart’s intelligence which then resonates the brain’s intelligence, bringing our whole being into alignment with soul, with appreciation, with love. In this state of love we accept ourselves. In this state we then love our enemies because we have made a connection with their soul. The enemies are now friends because of our heart-centred choices. Exercises: 1. What situations or people do you find difficult to appreciate? 2. What expectations or projections on your part get in the way of appreciating them? 3. With eyes closed, and in a relaxed meditative state, focus on your heart and the quality of appreciation. When you have it, then visualize someone whom you have difficulty seeing as a friend, and direct this appreciation toward them. The Soul Journey
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silverstone Knowflake Posts: 1996 From: Registered: Mar 2006
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posted September 17, 2007 10:47 PM
Good article, but I think it's important to love yourself first.IP: Logged |
fayte.m Knowflake Posts: 8112 From: Still out looking for Schrödinger's cat Registered: Mar 2005
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posted September 17, 2007 11:18 PM
silverstone quote: Good article, but I think it's important to love yourself first.
Yes indeed! Until one loves self and is true to self, one cannot truly love others. One would need and take love rather than unselfishly give it. Just my two cents. ------------------ "Heaven doesn't want me and Hell is afraid I'll take over and start a rehab for the damned!" ~Judgement Must Be Balanced With Compassion~ ~Do Not Seek Wealth From The Suffering, Or The Dire Needs Of Others~ ~Assumption Is The Bane Of Understanding~ ~ if you keep doing what you did, you'll keep getting what you got.~ Everything changes. Fear not the changes. "My body is physically disabled, but I am not my body nor am I its disabilities!" }><}}}(*> <*){{{><{ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ IP: Logged |
Skyhawk Knowflake Posts: 46 From: Kansas Registered: Aug 2007
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posted September 18, 2007 04:50 AM
People always love others as they love themselves. Universal Law. You can only give of the same frequency that is yours.Here's a great quote that helped me knock off all criticism (friends and enemies both!): What I perceive in others I strengthen in myself.
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Solane Star Knowflake Posts: 3699 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
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posted September 18, 2007 07:26 AM
SKYHAWK you do Fly High!!! Better view from up there!!! IP: Logged |
anhalak Knowflake Posts: 15 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted September 18, 2007 07:44 AM
Solane star somewhere u were talking about duality or advaita now my time to say how culd one can love to anybody because love comes when there is already anyother feeling exist means hate ,as everything is exist in opp like happy-sorrow,sky -earth,black -white soif y talk about love then there shuld be hate , U have reed a lot of buks might possible u can recall Rabia's incident when c ask to remove some words from holy books as per Rabia how anybody can ask to someone to be in love because to be in love u need counter emotion which cannot be there IP: Logged |
tuxedo meow Knowflake Posts: 677 From: Texas Gulf Coast, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 18, 2007 08:51 PM
In Christian Churches folks tel me I should strive to be a bride of Christ-I always say that is very hard and feel being a bride of Peter would be more to my style- It is very hard to love all people-easy to do in righteous thought but oh, the tough reality of the guy who eats all your food that has to last a month or steals your rent and leaves you homeless or rapes and kills a child! Yet love, forgiveness, and being thankful for everything is how we transcend, right? Peter is the guy that used his sword to cut the ear off one who was arresting the Christ- christ replaced the guys ear and called Peter on his self righteousness by telling Peter he would betray Christ 3 times before the night was over! And..Peter was the rock the church is built on-! So at least we get the message that it is okay to blunder in the spiritual quest and only human to do so-but to seek and intend betterIP: Logged |
Skyhawk Knowflake Posts: 46 From: Kansas Registered: Aug 2007
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posted September 18, 2007 09:10 PM
Dear dear Solane Star! I merely aspire to fly high! I'm just here doing my forgiveness work like everyone else. And if I can raise my frequency even the tiniest bit, it can help raise the vibration of the energy field for the entire planet. And that makes it easier for everyone to climb. That is my ultimate inspiration. The things you post here tell me that is part of your goal too. Thank you! IP: Logged |
Solane Star Knowflake Posts: 3699 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
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posted September 19, 2007 09:23 AM
No, THANK-YOU!!!! Quote: What I perceive in others I strengthen in myself. IP: Logged |
fayte.m Knowflake Posts: 8112 From: Still out looking for Schrödinger's cat Registered: Mar 2005
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posted September 19, 2007 09:29 AM
More responses here folks. http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/008819.html ------------------ "Heaven doesn't want me and Hell is afraid I'll take over and start a rehab for the damned!" ~Judgement Must Be Balanced With Compassion~ ~Do Not Seek Wealth From The Suffering, Or The Dire Needs Of Others~ ~Assumption Is The Bane Of Understanding~ ~ if you keep doing what you did, you'll keep getting what you got.~ Everything changes. Fear not the changes. "My body is physically disabled, but I am not my body nor am I its disabilities!" }><}}}(*> <*){{{><{ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ IP: Logged |
SattvicMoon Knowflake Posts: 783 From: Universal Citizen Registered: May 2007
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posted September 19, 2007 09:36 AM
quote: Good article, but I think it's important to love yourself first.
Right on SilverStone. Loving oneself also means understanding or realizing one's strength and importance. Once that is achieved, who have space for enemity? ------------------ SattvicMoonz Home Page and Blog IP: Logged |
Solane Star Knowflake Posts: 3699 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
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posted September 19, 2007 10:01 AM
Sattvic I think you have the secret ingredient!!!!
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SattvicMoon Knowflake Posts: 783 From: Universal Citizen Registered: May 2007
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posted September 19, 2007 11:29 AM
quote: Sattvic I think you have the secret ingredient!!!!
The quest ws right from an young age, but the journey was not easy - but it rocks since I have found! ------------------ SattvicMoonz Home Page and Blog IP: Logged |
Solane Star Knowflake Posts: 3699 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
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posted September 19, 2007 12:17 PM
To SKYHAWK!!!!" I should like to be a sunflower most of all” „Well, if you want to sing out, sing out And if you want to be free, be free 'Cause there's a million things to be You know that there are And if you want to live high, live high And if you want to live low, live low 'Cause there's a million ways to go You know that there are.” (1) Cat Stevens IP: Logged |
Solane Star Knowflake Posts: 3699 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2005
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posted September 19, 2007 12:23 PM
SunFlowers for Alfred Roy!!!!! Thank you for forgiving Hurtful things Ive done as a child Adolescent or woman Thank you for embracing a flaxen-haired baby Although Im aware you had doubts I guess anybodyd have had doubts Please be at peace father Im at peace with you Bitterness isnt worth cling to After all the anguish weve all been through Thank you for the mountains The lake of the clouds Im picturing you and me there right now As the crystal cascades showered down Strange to feel that proud, strong man Grip tightly to my hand Hard to see the life inside Wane as the days went by Trying to preserve each word He murmured in my ear Watch part of my life disappear Father, thanks for reaching out and lovingly Saying that youve always been proud of me I needed to feel that so desperately Youre always alive inside of me Now youre shining like A sunflower up in the sky Way up high Mariah Carey
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Skyhawk Knowflake Posts: 46 From: Kansas Registered: Aug 2007
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posted September 19, 2007 06:08 PM
OMG, Solane Star!My husband and I love that Cat Stevens song! We've nearly worn out the CD that has it. Harold & Maude is such a classic. Here's to you beautiful Sunflower! IP: Logged |