Divine Grace - The Gift of Forgiveness

An Open Letter in Extension of Divine Grace - A Christmas wish for all.

Dear Friends and Readers, This is my Christmas wish for you …

"May you always find the Grace in your heart to be forgiving, for it is by Divine Grace that we are forgiven in the eyes of God."

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Grace is a little understood concept in Christianity - if we waited until people deserved to be forgiven for their misdeeds, there would be little forgiveness in the world at all.  Grace offers forgiveness at no cost to the individual being forgiven; hence we forgive the debt they "owe" for their trespasses and set them free.  Forgiveness frees us because we are no longer looking back in anger or holding on to grudges or resentment surrounding the individual who harmed us.  Instead, we choose to live in Divine Grace, and extend undeserved grace to our enemies or perpetrators.  

I have found that after a period of time mulling over someone's offenses, if no suitable act of contrition or apology is forthcoming, then I must actively work to extend the grace of forgiveness.  The most effective way I have found to do this is to sincerely pray for the health and well being of the offending party, and summon gratitude for their positive characteristics.  In quiet meditation I ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to redeem all offending acts as forgiven and then bless the offender.   I do this in the conscious knowing that we ALL fall short of perfection and because we are human, we err and make blunders and mistakes.  But for the Grace of God, there go I.

I have had some truly powerful results with this simple formula.  I have seeded peace in others and found an inner peace I did not know was possible.  I have grown in my inner capacity to love unconditionally and give without expectations, all because I have found this inner peace and tranquility is the substance of true miracles.  And in the process, I AM HEALED.

May the Light of Divine Grace be bestowed on you as my Christmas gift, and may you find the peace we all desperately yearn for as your constant companion.  May you forgive and be forgiven, and be blessed!  Happy Holidays my friends!

All Content Copyright 2019 LLCC  (originally published 12/16/19, pre-Covid 2020)

The Fear of Becoming - Transformation

Who Am I?  What Do I Believe In?

When you're in the middle of a transformation, it can all seem very confusing.  You are in a state of "becoming"; you don't know who you are anymore, your identity is under going reconstruction.  You only know that who you "were" doesn't work anymore, but who you are becoming or need to be is vastly unclear; especially if you are dealing with a lot of past trauma.  

The age old metaphysical questions of:  "Who am I?  What do I believe in?",  are central in your mind every day.  You are tempted to go back to the "old" you because it is familiar, safe, and something you know.  It is comfortable, even if it's destructive. It's your comfort zone, habitual and easy to slide back into.   But,  somewhere deep inside, you know you are just circling around the same old drain.  Getting the same unfulfilling results and living half a life, stagnating like a pond overgrown with weeds and toxic chemicals.

This is where you must trust that scary, uncomfortable, and living in the unknown is right where you're supposed to be.  Clear the debris from the past, and excavate your unconscious mind so that the unconscious behaviors, emotions, thought patterns, and perceptual filters running your life on autopilot and creating your current illusion are revealed.

The current Narcissistic culture does not support this type of internal focus, reflection and renewal.  It uses distractions of all kinds to keep us "busy", frantic, over stimulated.  It encourages us to look "outward" for validation, when in reality we need to look inward to find the clues we need to be happy and live a purposeful life.

What this means is that we must take down time, spend time alone in contemplation. Solitude.  We have only our intuition to guide us along, which is a good thing.  The still small voice within is given a chance to grow stronger and guide us along.  The beauty of this process in living by intuition is that people will emerge who support you in your "becoming".  People you didn't really know were there.  They offer all manner of support and encouragement, bring you books to help you, talk you through your emotions and confusion; but most importantly, they offer up a space for you to be entirely yourself, without expectations, for you to become who you really are - not what society or other people think you should be.

These are the people who will come forward with you.   They require nothing from you because they "see" you for who you really are and accept you for the space you're in.  And as you pick your way along this unknown path, you become less frightened, you relax, and surrender to this transition because it is inevitable and resisting is only more painful than just plucking your way through this maze of figuring things out.  You come to live and understand that, "To know is, not to know."  And this journey is actually a gift, and an adventure to embrace because you will never live more in the moment than when you are in a state of "becoming". And, as you are being led to "something" in the unknown, the upshot is learning to trust what's going on inside of you, instead of listening to the "noise" of the external world.  Know that you're in a good place, you're open.

Nightly Healing

Healing as a Meditation Practice

Before I go to sleep each night, I meditate - a healing meditation for certain people I know who are in need of healing.  You may not even know that you're on my secret list or you might be a close friend or associate or maybe someone I've had conflict with.  I do this practice nightly to offset the constant negativity of the news, politics, or disgruntled individuals I may encounter.

It is my choice to decide how I project my thoughts and intentions onto the world and no one can take that from me.  At the end of the day, it is my choice to bring thoughts of healing to my unconscious mind, instead of fear and agitation about things over which I have little or no control.  The World will be what it is, with or without me.  But the mantle I choose to carry with me in my being is my sacred possession and I alone am responsible for that energy.  My secret meditation list remains that, my anonymous gift to myself and others that keeps me free of the toxic negativity that can be so damaging in the World.  Try it.  I guarantee you will garner some amazing results.



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