Sunday, October 23, 2011
-Breaking Your Agreements-
It's not always what you think it is.
~ Rev. William M. Heller
It's not always what you think it is. What's the meaning of this title? I was raised with that as major "no-no." Something else must be going on here. Let's find out..
Let's start by a brief review of what we've covered to this point, and how these tie into our discovering our True Self. The first 3 agreements all occur within your consciousness, your thinking. Don Miguel has focused on the term "virtual knowledge" as the basis of our belief system we use to operate in the world, to go about living our lives. The source of this virtual knowledge has been drummed into us over these past 3 weeks; it is the belief systems we have programmed into our manner of living, of operating in the world. Whether the source was our parents, our family, our teachers, our friends, our culture, we have had the final say in how we hold our beliefs.
And it has come up short for us. How can I say this? Because I know you are the Divine Expression of God, and that is your True Reality. As it is your truth, it is the truth for everyone else as well. Throughout your day, do you walk in that awareness? Do you experience love for everyone, and when you don't are you able to see them with compassion, a desire to understand them further?
As God's Divine Expression, Your Holiest Divinity is within you always. When I say our belief systems have "come up short," I mean these belief systems that we've developed inhibit our awareness of our Divinity. Instead, these belief systems further a belief in separation, aloneness, differentiation; all of which have their roots in fear.
The first 3 agreements are disciplines we can use to revisit the virtual knowledge we have used to develop these belief systems. Being impeccable with your word, Don't take anything personally, and Don't make assumptions call for inner work; inner direction towards our means of perceiving the world and life. Again, if you or I are not experiencing love and wholeness in every minute, with everyone in your life or who you think of, our belief system has gone amuck.
For myself I know I have plenty of work to do on myself still. And I've yet to meet anyone who does not. Gratefully, however, we have many teachers and guides who are pointing us towards the inward correction we are looking for: The Dali Lama, Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, Joel Goldsmith, Charles & Myrtle Fillmore, Deepok Chopra, Jesus the Christ, to name a few. And of course, Don Miguel Ruiz; all differ only in the means by which they describe the work we need to do.
That work is BREAKING AGREEMENTS! The breaking agreements that Don Miguel refers to is the breaking of the agreements we have made with ourselves that have not worked; the agreements that we've made that stop us from striving to experience love, of ourselves and of others. Let me read a direct quote:
The Four Agreements are actually a summary of the mastery of transformation, and the mastery of transformation is the process of unlearning what you have already learned. You learn by making agreements, and you unlearn by breaking agreements. Every time you break an agreement, the power of faith that you invested in that agreement comes back to you because you no longer need to spend your energy to keep that agreement alive. [page 92]
Can you see how that sits in with our discovery of our True Divinity? We are here to undo our MISTAKEN BELIEFS; those that block us from knowing the eternal truth for all of us! That we are love!
The Fourth Agreement goes a different route: Always do Your Best! The previous statements speak to our mental work, our thoughts. The Fourth Agreement is about action; the taking of action associated with our discovery from the first Three Agreements. This calls for putting into action the discovery that we have found in our search, our questioning our thoughts our beliefs. Through taking action, we fortify a new belief, we find an awareness, a accomplishment; we release our old belief that has not worked for us. We are fortifying what we have realized in the present moment, and are thereby accepting this. NOW!
When you do something for the first time, what happens when it doesn't work? Do you make the correction you need to in order to succeed? Do you strive forward until you learn what to do? This is doing your best! This is choosing in the moment as to how to go forward, now!
Don Miguel- this is the taking charge of our life; it calls for our highest consciousness available being used in the present moment, and to live from this perspective, rather than your beliefs. For the most part, your beliefs were formed at a earlier stage, when different objectives were in place. Studying this material, and being here in Unity, you have said you are looking for a higher consciousness; one that enables you to experience more love, more wholeness, more grace for yourself. Face it. By and Large, the Consciousness you have today is at a higher state than it has ever been in your life. And it certainly is more closely associated with your intent in your life now, more so than any other time. Now is the time to use these practices to focus on your creative Self.
That Creative Self is the Artist that Don Miguel is identifying. Each of us is an Artist, and we are creating a work of Art: that is our expression in this world, whatever that may look like, being derived from you. His referring to you as an Artist is his means of extending his love to you; it' his means to let you know how much he honors you. Think of the expression an Artist focuses on: is it not their best? Is it not what they want to express at the deepest level in that moment? This is your invitation- to live fully by expressing yourself fully, both internally and externally- ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST!
Here's something else to consider: Breaking Agreements is about breaking agreements you have told yourself and locked into your thought patterns. Don Miguel points out that when we break these, we open ourselves to a higher consciousness: his way of saying this is we free up our energy to look again. To make a new agreement, now!
What stops us from this work, this journey? Within that story we carry is the fear of the unknown; the fear that stops us from questioning a belief. And what underlies that belief? Let me offer a suggestion: the belief that whatever we are going to find is going to be worse, or darker than what we have today. We might be saying, "I'm comfortable with the beliefs I carry today, so why rock the boat; why put myself at risk?"
Let me simplify that for you: You are greater than you think you are! You are God's Divine expression, and you have within you all the magnificence within you to live life as a master. This is accomplished through your willingness to go forward, to take those steps to know your divinity! This is your journey of awakening.
You have the power, the capability, the strength within you to take those steps; to practice the 4 agreements of every moment of every day! You are learning through Unity the Presence of God is within you, and working through you to continue to move through all fears, all uncertainty, to your deepest and greatest truth. And this is what Don Miguel is inviting you to do, when you ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST!
I invite you to practice these 4 Agreements; when you find yourself uncomfortable or uncertain of trying a new route, a new direction, and new means of thinking, that you deny that voice that wants you to hold on to the past beliefs that have not worked. Trust yourself: I trust you! you know those matters where you can look for doing your best, based on your highest consciousness available to you now. Return to Insights Index Page
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