Calming the Inner Storm

Once again, the seasons are changing, summer is slipping into autumn, the birds are heading south and soon to follow, many of our friends. The world always is in constant flux and flow, expansion and contraction, death and rebirth; but there is one thing which always remains the same, the unchanging, never-ending love of God-within and all around us.

This divine center of constant calm is seat of our soul and the ground of our being. It is the still, but powerful voice of God-within which keeps us centered through each and every change we experience. Eventually, we learn to embrace the changes as a necessary part of the divine flow, instead of losing our balance each time change comes.

I remember a time in my life when the seasons changed from summer to autumn, I would always experience some sort of upheaval in my life. I would see relationships come to an end, I might contract an illness or get into some kind of accident. I would suddenly be struggling with money problems or have to find a new place to live. The list went on and on, and this continued for many years, well into my thirties and forties. You could count on my catastrophes as regularly as the change of the weather. What was going on within my sub-conscious mind that I would experience constant conflict when the world around me changed?

What I came to understand is that I based my reality almost exclusively in the world outside me instead of within. Consequently, my inner state was reacting to the outside world instead of the other way around. When the changes came, my thoughts, my emotions and my reactions were already programmed by past experience of separation, fear, anxiety and even personal trauma. It seemed like it had control of my life, not the spirit of the living God within me. What could I do?

The first step in calming the inner storm was to admit it was there. Accepting the appearance of conflict and confusion consistently showing up in my life. I had to admit I was not happy, not living up to my highest potential and greatest good. The second step was humbly asking for help and turning my will and my life over to my higher power. Miraculously, I discovered that power also lived in me. So, the third step was the big transformation, allowing the Christ in me to lead my life instead of the ego.

The ego is by definition, a separate self, born of fear and based in the world of conflict, perpetuating that conflict by projection of it. The Christ in me is the child of God, created in love and creating more of the same by extension of itself. The second principle of Unity states that this Christ light is within each and every one of us, therefore we are inherently good and inherently God.

Here is the shift which calms the inner and the outer storms. Since the third principle is the fact that we create our experiences by the activity of our thinking and feeling or inner state of consciousness… then it becomes apparent the only way to experience peace in the world is to find that peace within. Easy to say; but not always easily done.

This is why I have been on a spiritual path and have adopted many spiritual practices over the years. The transformation of the human mind requires continuous forward movement. The teachings of truth have to be lived and experienced on a moment by moment basis. Yes, I can say it is my predominate way of life; but the spiritual life is not a static condition. In order to maintain heightened spiritual awareness and experience, the Christ has to be in control of our thoughts, words, actions and ultimately extension of love and creation of the world we live in. The words we use, “From the pure substance of Love, I bring into manifestation, my world according to divine law,” has now become my inner response and direction of my creative energy in this world.

No longer do I experience these great unexpected disruptions in my life. I truly experience a divine flow, divine order and grace and ease in through the most difficult of times. I have a secret formula for living through the Christ within rather than the ego. Well, it’s not so secret, but it is something many people disregard as a way of life. Here it is… step back and let the God in you lead the way. The ego usually speaks first. So, stop and take a breath, go within, pray, meditate and ask with humility and patience before taking the next step. Allow the Holy Spirit of all good and all peace and all power to have full control of each and every decision you make. Relinquish the idea that you must act upon that fear, that anger or that “logical” conclusion. Remember the miracle is a shift in perception from fear to love, so acting out of love is always enough. It is my experience that when I teach only love is when I truly experience that love is what I am, not a moment sooner. When I teach only love, I discover God is love. When I teach only love, I discover that my brothers and sisters are also inherently good. When my inner storm has been calmed, the storms of the world will also subside.

^“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” (Mark 4:39)

Be blessed and Be a Blessing

Rev. Tony