The Meaning Of Life

Life on earth is a miraculous blend of spirit and matter, an expression of the universal life force at the heart of creation. Whatever you call that force--God, All-That-Is, the Eternal, the Prime Mover, the Ground of Being, Allah, Yahweh, Shiva, Zeus, or an name you invent yourself--you and me and every living thing that ever was or will be is part of this infinite incomprehensible universe, like a cell in the body of God that has crystallized into your physical form to use its creative power to express your talents and abilities, and show you who you really are and how to make the most of your life.
Enlightened mystics and modern scientists agree that there are many dimensions of existence, most of which we can't see or touch. But at a fundamental level, all of the universe is one thing, an interconnected collection of vibrating patterns of energy. You are a deep and complex being, a collaboration between a human on a spiritual journey and a spirit on a physical one. You yourself radiate a magnetic field that interacts with the world and communicates with others on a subliminal level. Philosophers and prophets have described this state as God dwelling within you as you, or as the Goddess playing hide and seek with herself. If you quiet your mind, you can feel that energy inside you, like a hum in the background of your consciousness.
Beneath your everyday awareness is a wiser, clearer you--what you might call your essence or soul. Your experience of yourself is based on the interaction between those two states of being--the internal and the external. Even when you're still a baby, undeveloped in language and reasoning, your inner self is awake and has its own agenda.
Either you allow Spirit to flow through you or you get in the way of its flow. When you're out of touch with your true nature, you feel small, separate, and lonely. Being comfortable in your own skin starts with accepting yourself as you are--a spiritual being who is in every moment, every situation, every flash of genius and every stupid blunder, unfolding and expanding far beyond your understanding. Fueling the ride is your soul, the souls of people who love and support you, your guardian angels and spirit guides, all offering guidance as to which direction will take you where you want to go.
You are unique. Your DNA is like none that has gone before or will ever come again. No one else ever has or ever will affect the world as you do. With every act, word or thought, you are adding to All-That-Is. Making your dreams come true is a natural result of exploring your interests, talents and abilities. Finding meaning in your life lies in unraveling your obstacles. Instead of resisting, ignoring, or distracting yourself from troublesome situations and people, face the difficulties you meet along the way. Treat them as opportunities to discover where you're stuck and what you'd rather have.
How you think and act is the result of the events of your life, your every inborn trait, and the patterns you've learned from others in the course of life itself. Your genetics, experiences, skills, and preferences reflect both your highest hopes and your deepest fears, both of which are your tools for unraveling the inevitable trials Spirit brings you.
At heart, we all want to love and be loved, to make a contribution to society and build a world in which everyone can reach their potential. Your spiritual path has a theme--something to give, or learn, or accomplish, or teach, and your purpose is to find out what brings you joy and how to build your life around it. You are a unique being, in a particular place and time, with strengths and stumbling blocks. Sometimes you find revelation; sometimes you're stuck in confusion. But everything you do or that happens to you is always exactly what will bring you to express more potential, to realize the next dream. You, exactly as you are right now, have the capacity to change for the better.
We all have the same needs-- food, shelter, safety, love, and self-expression-- and the potential to be successful and happy. The key is to tune in to your natural instincts so you can uncover your innate wisdom and build a life you love. Take responsibility for your thoughts and feelings. Use them as signposts to help you set your own course, and be willing to make corrections if you find you've strayed from your natural progression. Beneath your surface are the vision, strength, compassion, and love that are your birthright. Approaching difficulties as opportunities to find your highest potential promotes healing by helping you locate a deeper reality, which permanently changes your perspective and deepens your capacity to love and learn in even the most difficult circumstances.
Beneath your everyday awareness is a wiser, clearer you--what you might call your essence or soul. Your experience of yourself is based on the interaction between those two states of being-- the external and the internal. Even when you're still a baby, undeveloped in language and reasoning, your inner self is awake, and has its own agenda.
Honor your own truth. Trust your intuition. Look for silver linings. Do what uplifts you. Figure out what brings you joy and build your life around it. Your mission is to fulfill your promise, open to your inner wisdom, follow your heart, create a meaningful life in tune with your natural instincts, and learn from the obstacles you meet along the way. Whatever row you find yourself hoeing can bear abundant fruit if you treat it right.
We humans are intuitive beings, so even if we're not told, we can sense what people want from us. Being also naturally loving, we want to give it to them. We accept their beliefs, and adapt to the rules of the game as it's already being played, letting others dictate how we live. But by adopting behavior and attitudes to get along with the people closest to us, our natural inclinations become distorted. If instead of being nurtured and supported, we're ridiculed, ignored or abused, we feel afraid, cynical, or depressed. We become focused on doing whatever will stop the pain. We divert all our energy into figuring out how to protect ourselves emotionally and get our basic needs met, doing things we don't want to do but can't stop. We forget there was ever anything we liked or wanted in life, that we have innate talents and interests that are fun to explore and express. Instead we end up mimicking or rebelling against the patterns passed along to us.
Yet this is not an excuse to blame your family for wrecking your life, even if you believe that to be the case. In difficult situations, it's easy to lose touch with your original intention. Repressing your natural instincts for the sake of superficial harmony is the basis for most interactions in what we think of as polite society. But as soon as you try to show that you love someone by pretending to be what they want you to be, the trouble begins. Cutting and pasting your behavior or beliefs to suit others is unnatural. Your authentic expression can't find an appropriate outlet, so it squeezes itself into an available alternative whether it fits or not. Even the most noble or worthy substitute can never be as satisfying as the original objective. It feels false, and is often physically painful. Your significant others may feel better temporarily, and you may look like you fit in, but keeping up an artificial front creates a split between your behavior and your experience which makes you feel desperate and worthless.
Peace of mind and well-being come from putting your faith in yourself rather than convention or history. Simply acknowledging your own truth heals you. Deep within, you are powerful. You didn't come here to find and problem and fix it. You came to identify and share your gifts. You are good. You are free to do what you want with your life. You are valuable. All is well.
Clearing your stumbling blocks and building your dreams go hand in hand. If you neglect either side, you're destined to relive your unworkable patterns over and over. The longer you ignore their call to action, the more strongly they demand your attention. You feel more pain and your circumstances get worse. Either you face your limitations and act in alignment with what feels right to you, or you blow off steam in ever worsening self-destructive and anti-social behaviors.
The Chinese pictogram for "crisis." combines the symbol for "danger" with that of "opportunity," offering a useful way to look at difficult circumstances. Like road signs on the road to fulfillment, problems can become the source of their own healing. The content and origins of our obstacles provide essential clues to solving the puzzle that is our lives. The symptoms are not the issue. The patterns that created them show us both the real root of the problem and its solution.
Whose life works perfectly, with nothing arising to disturb them? Having personal problems is universal, an essential part of human development. If we had no difficulties to negotiate, how would we learn anything? What we call "mistakes" are not necessarily failures. They can bring great insight.
Buddha's first noble truth is that life is suffering. This is not a statement of hopelessness, but a starting point for understanding how life works. Even the most trying circumstances can help us to release dysfunctional patterns and find our true direction. Experience is the greatest teacher, whether we label any particular situation as good or bad.
Seeing your distortions is the first step to clearing them up. Your reactions to the people and situations that either attract or repel you shape what happens with them. Through inspiration or frustration, they help you clarify your dreams and passions. The things that push your buttons provide clues to what keeps you from having what you want, highlight the areas where you have the most to learn, and give you the impetus to find the mess still left inside and transform it.
Don't be afraid of your emotions, even the so-called "negative" ones. Anger, grief, envy and the like are simply energy that needs to be examined to uncover the truth and good intentions beneath the situation that triggered them. This doesn't mean you have license to indulge your dark side or inflict your moods on others, which are both ways to avoid your true emotions. Instead, go into and beyond them to find the treasure hidden there.
When you examine the tangles in your mind that limit you, you dismantle them. Meeting the challenges within your problems and recognizing your buried emotions and unconscious obstacles frees up your energy to find more satisfying ways to live. Only when you bring your inner life to light can you come to terms with and transform it.
Set aside ten or twenty minutes a day, go to a private place and sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Breathe slowly and deeply. Think of your inhale as bringing in peace and relaxation, and the exhale as releasing tension and distortion. Notice what you think and feel. Allow emotions to arise and pass through you like clouds across the sky, then let them go. Picture yourself healing, and imagine your fondest dreams coming true. When you feel complete, jot down anything you want to remember, then get up and go on with your day.
To have happiness, peace of mind, and well-being, put your faith in what lights you up rather than in conventional beliefs or history. Recognize your dreams and best intentions as a message from God, and take action to make them real. Simply paying attention to your own truth helps you awaken to the reality of spirit, and glimpse the meaning in your own life. Then you begin to see others' lives as meaningful, which enables you to forgive and tolerate difference and difficulty. Being willing to investigate your stuck places can revolutionize your life and society as your transformation reverberates in those around you, making the world a better place one heart at a time.