Insight into Anger

View this email in your browser Dear Friends, This week's quote is from spiritual awareness class CC 46, which was published in Volume 3 of The Living Light Dialogue.  This teaching was selected in response to a request for more understanding regarding anger. Since the student's question, which is italicized,  and the answer is long, it will be continued next week.   "Speaking along the same lines, I've been doing a lot of thinking about anger, credulity, and, and . . ." "Suspicion, perhaps." "Suspicion and logic. And I found in myself that I have a kind of purist attitude that if I am going to be spiritual or spiritual in orientation, then I ought not to express any anger or recognize that I have it. And what happens is that I take it out on myself somatically and end up with knots in my neck and shoulders. And I've been trying to do a lot of thinking about it. I see a relationship between my own frustrations and my tendency to either totally believe something or totally suspect it, but I don't see the balance of it. And I feel like I'm just beginning to give myself permission to express anger. As you were talking about, I am human and I will experience anger now and again. Though the part of me that wants to be very spiritual says, "Oh no, I don't ever feel anger." And I would like to hear from you anything that you can share with me that would help me." "Yes, thank you very much. The lady is speaking on the function known as anger. Now we understand that anger, of course, is simply an expression from our magnetic or emotional field. Now, it's a release of energy. You know, there's an old saying that before you get angry, count to ten and you won't be angry anymore. Well, what it simply means is that you are making the effort to rise that energy to, of course, a different level of consciousness. Now, if a person, for some reason or other, finds some enjoyment or pleasure in expressing anger, then, of course, there is for them a need to express it. However, what does it bring to us? Now, many people like to express anger or temper or whatever you want to call it. What does it gain us to express it? Well, for one thing, after we've expressed anger, we're usually pretty relaxed. Some people think it's peaceful. I don't, myself, think it is, but, at least, they say they feel better. Well, of course, we feel better, because we've got the energy locked into that level of consciousness and once it finally gets expressed, then, of course, we do feel better, even though we're exhausted, usually, afterward. Now, we also know that it is merely and purely energy; that it can be directed by the power of our own will or self-control. However, when a person gets to release their energy through that level of consciousness known as anger and they feel so depleted of energy afterward, what it usually brings them, of course, is attention from someone. And when it brings some attention, they're getting their energy back, because, you see, energy follows attention. That is a demonstrable law of the universe. Therefore, if we as individuals give attention to people who express their anger and their emotional outbursts, then, of course, the only thing we're doing is to guarantee the continuity of it. Because, you see, they're depleted of energy when they have finished. And so, like a sponge, they're trying to absorb it back up again. And naturally, they're going to get it from any person, place, or thing that they can. So we must face within ourselves, "What is it within me that enjoys expressing my anger?"" To be continued next week.   It is difficult to control something that we do not understand. So, if we do not have some understanding of what is actually taking place, we will continue to express in ways that are often detrimental to ourselves and those around us. However, understanding is not sufficient to change an established pattern. Change requires repetition and redirection of our energy and our attention. Regardless of our patterns, regardless of our circumstances, a better, more harmonious life is possible for all. If you have any topics you would like addressed in these weekly emails, please feel free to email your request. To ensure that you consistently receive Serenity's weekly emails, be sure to add Serenity's email address to your contacts and your white list. This will help ensure that the emails are not treated as spam. Additional information on these teachings is available on Serenity's website: http://www.livinglight.org Sincerely yours, Russell Fitzgerald Vice President Copyright © 2021 Serenity Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Serenity Association PO Box 4187 San Rafael, CA 94913-4187 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

The Purpose of these Classes

View this email in your browser Dear Friends, This week's quote is from spiritual awareness class CC 198, which was published in Volume 7 of The Living Light Dialogue.   "Many philosophies and religions have taught you that all that you have, give away. They have taught you that that you may be free in your mental realms from the distracting forms that stand between you and the great void. But I say unto you, you can give all that you have and still not enter the void because you have yet to give the greatest gift. To give all that you think you have is to give nothing in truth. It is the very thing that thinks that it has, that must be given. It is the thought of I. All that you have gathered is not the gift. The gift to give is the thought of I. It is the thought of I that separates you from the universal principle of truth itself. The thought of I, the very principle of separatism, stands between you and that which is justly, divinely, and rightfully yours.  When you give the greatest gift of all, known as the gift of self, the thought of I, then you will enter the void. Courage will move you strong and firm. Character will rise supreme and faith will guide you on. Reason will light your path and love will be your constant companion. As you pass through the great void, then you will enter home and beyond all doubt the Light will shine. There will be no shadows. There'll be no doubts. There'll be no fears. There'll be no sorrow, for there'll be no self. But you will be you, you, the universal whole. Home. That's what home is. Everything, everywhere, the absence of want, the absence of need, but not the absence of desire. But not the desire of the human mind. Desire, the principle called divine expression.  This is what these classes are designed to do: slowly but surely, through the very Law of Change, called repetition, to take you on the inward journey, to pass through all the obstructions you have created in errors in the centuries past, that you may enter the great void and go home. And once you go home, it doesn't mean you're going to lose your physical body. It doesn't mean you're going to lose your mental body. It doesn't mean that you are forever going to lose the thought of I. But it means when you return, you will know that the thought of I is a tool to be used in a world of creation, but it is not you. It never was you. It never can be you."   I am certain that those of you who made the effort to try the 60-second a day exercise had some very interesting experiences. If you completed the entire week, congratulations. And if you did not, you still have reason to be encouraged that some effort was made, for no effort is ever lost. The self, the thought of I, was, at least initially for me, a very elusive teaching. That is, I just didn't know what it was. As I understand it now, self is everything that I believe that I am (but I can never be in truth), and the thought of I is my very belief. Of course, if you asked other students of the Living Light for their understanding, it could easily be quite different. As we make the effort in our spiritual exercises to still our minds, the void is something that we encounter. Again from my limited understanding, when we pass through the void we become consciously aware of our own divinity. And any effort to become more aware, to gain more control over our mind is another step on our eternal journey. If you have any topics you would like addressed in these weekly emails, please feel free to email your request. To ensure that you consistently receive Serenity's weekly emails, be sure to add Serenity's email address to your contacts and your white list. This will help ensure that the emails are not treated as spam. Additional information on these teachings is available on Serenity's website: http://www.livinglight.org Sincerely yours, Russell Fitzgerald Vice President Copyright © 2021 Serenity Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Serenity Association PO Box 4187 San Rafael, CA 94913-4187 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Tolerance and a Spiritual Exercise

View this email in your browser Dear Friends, This week's quote is from spiritual awareness class CC 211, which was published in Volume 7 of The Living Light Dialogue.   "I know that tolerance is indispensable to success. And that tolerance, that first soul faculty, which is inseparable from duty and gratitude, has to be applied within. You see, you cannot apply tolerance without, unless you've applied it within. People who have great difficulty in tolerance with other people have almost no tolerance with themselves. And there's no success in life without that soul faculty. It is not only the first soul faculty, it surely is one of the most important. Tolerance.  But what must we give up to gain in tolerance? I can tell you, and you all know. We must give up judgment in order to open up our first soul faculty. Can you imagine living in paradise one day? The one day that you give up judgment, you'll be in paradise right here on earth. That one day that you give up that king. Think of that. Think of the experiences you can have. Why don't you try it only, say, for sixty seconds? I know for a whole day that would be a phenomenal task for most students, phenomenal task. But try it for sixty seconds. Stop and become aware of how you feel in the one minute that you really give up that king called judgment. Why, you'll really be amazed at how you feel in that one 60-second time.  Now, if you're looking for a job or you have struggle with money problems or business isn't up to what your judge in your head says it should be or on down the list, try it for sixty seconds. When you think of your business, say, "Whoops! I'm freed from judgment." And just see what takes place in your head. Now, if you can do it for sixty seconds, you can certainly, slowly but surely, do it for a day.  Now, many people think, "Well"—and they've even mentioned to me—"Well, how am I going to do this and do that, if I don't make judgments?" Well, there's a vast difference between judgments and decisions. There's all the difference in the universe between the two. A decision has total consideration for everything.  Now, I'm sure we'll all agree, concerning our experiences to date, that judgment has been a very expensive luxury that we'd like to do without for at least sixty seconds. I tell you, it's a wonderful experience to make that effort each day to be free from judgment. Because it means you get free from the control of the mental world. Totally free. And that is really and truly something.  Now, we're here a very short time on earth. We don't know how many days it's going to be—or years, for some of us. So isn't it better to really make some daily effort, some daily effort? We can hear the philosophy throughout all eternity, but, you see, it won't help us until we apply it. It's worthless without application. You can listen to 200,000 tapes of this philosophy, it'll register in your memory par excellence to be of benefit in the day that you apply any of it. That's the only time it's going to do any good. It won't do any good otherwise. None at all. It'll just be recorded in your memory par excellence waiting for someday in eternity to benefit you when you apply it.  Now, if you're ready, you'll start on that path of freedom from the bondage of judgment and creation by taking sixty seconds once a day. That certainly isn't much effort and much time. Sixty seconds. You certainly can't be concerned about self-hypnosis with a 60-second effort. Sixty seconds to consciously be aware of freedom from judgment. Now, you'll have to work at it in those sixty seconds, because those thoughts will rise up and bombard you. And they won't be happy with the tiny, tiny bitty effort that you're making, because they know that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Those judgments are very aware. They have all of the intelligence of your mind because they were created by your mind. So they won't appreciate what little effort you're making, knowing what's yet to come. And so you'll have to be very strong to make a 60-second-a-day effort to free yourself from judgment.  Now that's your homework for the coming week. We'll see what it's like a week from today. Thank you."   A number of people responded to last week's email regarding the difference between tolerate and tolerance. So, I thought a follow-up on that subject might be helpful. To those of you who are unfamiliar with what "judgment" means in this philosophy, for the purposes of above quote, judgment can be the dictates of how our life should be and how we should behave,  as well as the dictates our mind makes regarding how other people should behave. The more judgments we have, the more intolerance we express, the more emotion we express, and the less joy we experience. The more we are able to surrender our judgments, the more goodness we become aware of. Sixty seconds may not seem like a long time, but to control our minds for sixty seconds takes considerable self-control. If you have any topics you would like addressed in these weekly emails, please feel free to email your request. To ensure that you consistently receive Serenity's weekly emails, be sure to add Serenity's email address to your contacts and your white list. This will help ensure that the emails are not treated as spam. Additional information on these teachings is available on Serenity's website: http://www.livinglight.org Sincerely yours, Russell Fitzgerald Vice President Copyright © 2021 Serenity Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Serenity Association PO Box 4187 San Rafael, CA 94913-4187 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.