Last
summer I set out with a group of friends on a sailboat
excursion to camp on the mystical island of Molokai. En
route we met a tropical storm during which we treaded
water for an hour amidst imposing swells. Quite a few
of our retinue made pilgrimages to the rail, and by the
time the squall abated and we reached shore, numerous
would-be sailors had waxed green-faced and swore to take
a plane next time. Fortunately, the weather improved and
we went on to enjoy a magnificent sojourn on the exotic
isle. As we prepared to leave the next day, several people
were anxious about the prospect of hitting bad weather
again. Someone suggested we gather for a group prayer
for easy passage, and I spoke a strong affirmation that
peace was indeed with us. Together we visualized a smooth,
easy, and delightful trip, and we came into the vibration
of positive expectation until the anxiety had lifted.
As soon as we opened our eyes, a young man in our midst,
new to the spiritual path, blurted out, "Yeah, and let's
hope we don't hit any more storms!" His statement crashed
awkwardly against the vision we had just co-created. Afterward
I took the fellow aside and explained to him an important
principle:
Once we have prayed for something, we must
step fully into the new vibration and not go backward
into thoughts, words, or actions that affirm the condition
we were praying to heal. We are always affirming what
we want or what we don't want, and everything we think,
say, or do is directing our energy in one direction or
another.
When I was studying with master healer Hilda
Charlton, during a class we prayed for a woman named Loni
who was seeking to be healed of a particular disease.
After the prayer session a man approached Loni and suggested
she try a certain herbal treatment. At the following week's
class Hilda passionately admonished the fellow and the
group: "How dare you undo the healing work we did! We
spent a long time and a lot of energy bringing this woman
into the consciousness of wholeness, and you speak to
her as if she needs help! If she is not sick, as we declared
her to be, why would you tell her what to do to erase
her illness? Don't you ever do this again!"
Hilda was
not against medicine (on many occasions she recommended
that students take it), and she was extremely compassionate
with people who were suffering. That night Hilda was using
the incident to underscore an important point, one which
has stayed with me and helped me immensely over many years:
To be an effective healer, speak to the place in your
client that is whole, and treat each person as if they
are already who they would like to be. As Dale Carnegie
advised, "Give them a reputation to live up to."
In the
famous biblical story, God advised Lot and his family
to leave Sodom because the city was about to be destroyed;
God told the family to leave quickly and not look back.
On their road to freedom, Lot's wife turned to see what
was happening back there, and she turned into a pillar
of salt. Certainly this did not happen physically‹the
story is a metaphor, a grand piece of advice for all times:
Don't get involved with what you are leaving behind. Your
past may be loaded with pain, suffering, and difficulty,
but you are trying to build a new life. Leave the past
where it was, and turn your attention fully toward where
you are going. Jesus advised simply, "Turn the other cheek."
This is the time of rebirth, signified in the legends
of our major religions. In Judaism we've just commemorated
Passover, representing the ascension from slavery to freedom.
In Christianity we celebrated the resurrection of Christ.
We have paid far too much attention to scenes of slavery
and crucifixion; we have played them out time and again.
Now it is time for us to focus on what happens next. The
more we delve into how we got where we are, the more we
stay where we were. The more we analyze what is not working,
the more things do not work. And the more we consider
how we would like it to be, the more things become as
we would have them. The choice is ours.
Real spirituality
is beyond hope. Hope means there is a chance things may
turn out as we wish, and if we are lucky we may get what
we want. Inner knowing, on the other hand, proceeds from
the awareness that love is present now, well-being is
our natural state, and all is really well.
Yes, we may
have hit a storm on the way over, but that does not mean
we have to hit one on the way back. Our history is not
our destiny, and our destiny begins now.
