YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT . . .

"Healing depends on listening with the inner ear – stopping the incessant blather and listening. Fear keeps us chattering – fear that wells up from the past, fear of blurting out what we really fear, fear of future repercussions.

It is our very fear of the future that distorts the now that could lead to

a different future if we dared to be whole in the present.”

~ Marion Woodman

When we are in fear, it becomes more difficult to hold to the spiritual truth that our good arises from within us and not from the world around us. In fear, we seem to automatically transfer our sense of what we want and need to the external world. We fear that some person or entity will take away what we need or keep us from realizing our good. And while that possibility exists, we still have dominion over our responses, over our inner life. We can attain and maintain equanimity if we do the work to train ourselves as spiritually realized beings – as Adults of God.

“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.”

~ C.G Jung

There are many things to be aware of in our world – this is always the case. Climate change, a poisoned political climate, racism, sexism, misogyny, anti-LGBTQA actions, violence, and more and more. In addition, we all have our personal issues of family dysfunction, personal victimization, health issues, financial issues, and more and more.

By the way, this has always been the case with human beings, but it doesn’t help much to know that, does it? In determining WHAT to do about things, we do well to determine WHO WE ARE in relation to our actions. When we attack, hate, or otherwise lose our spiritual poise we make things worse, not better; when we go into our shell and refuse to participate in life, we do the same. Like a sound building needs a strong foundation, a healthy human being needs a foundation of inner wisdom, strength, poise, and love.

"If we do not know ourselves, we cannot stand to our own truth

and are, therefore, in constant danger of invasion by others."

~ Marion Woodman

The world as it is today calls us to develop our inner strengths, to be clear about who we are, our own divine nature, and that we have access to all of the wisdom we need when we need it. The apparent chaos around us is the effect of everyone working that out for themselves in a time when there is little commonality of purpose or philosophy. We are in the liminal space between the more certain times of the past (that certainty being an illusion, of course), and a new unexplored time where a new nature of humanity will emerge. This is frightening, but we have our strengths at hand if we do the spiritual work to call them forth and keep them with us.

"Life throws up around us these temptations, these distractions, and the problem

is to find the immovable center within. Then you can survive anything. …

This doesn't mean you shouldn't go out on picket lines about atomic research.

Go ahead but do it playfully. The universe is God's play."

~ Joseph Campbell, Myths of Light

The playfulness of which Campbell speaks is the ability to maintain a distance from negativity – to refuse to identify with it too strongly and expect storybook endings whenever you engage. The people on different sides of issues from you are not simply going to change their minds – you have to have a longer strategy in mind.

There is much to be done at every level of what it means to be a human being living on this planet at this time. Every one of those things, big or small, close to you or far away, will require spiritually realized people to actualize solutions and transformative answers into being. No one can prepare your inner being but you. And, if you do your spiritual work – practices and actions – regularly and seriously, you cannot fail.

“Our spirituality should not infantilize us or make us whitewash evil.

Spiritual seekers should be the biggest grownups in the room.”

~ Marianne Williamson

Maybe it’s time that more of us become adults of God.

“YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT . . .

but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.”

~ The Rolling Stones