God is Infinite Love. There is nothing else.

He knows nothing of judgement or condemnation; no guilt, shame or sin. These are the weapons of the ego, designed to keep us in fear and believing ourselves rejected by God. God, Who is Peace, Love, Joy and Freedom knows nothing negative. When He looks at you, He sees Himself reflected in glory as He created you. Created in His image you are perfect and perfectly innocent. Could God, who is infinite perfection, create anything less then perfect? You are a thought in the Mind of God. That Mind cannot hold a thought that is anything less than perfect. While the ego, (That seems to own all the news networks), urges us to get lost in terror, sickness and death, none of these things can change who you really are.

There is death as we know it where one is gone forever. I did not realize that there is such a thing as dying, in the spirit, by degrees of negativity. Something like death by a thousand cuts. My early life experiences had convinced me that I was damaged, not acceptable in and of myself. Much of my early life was an attempt to make up for my perceived shortcomings. I became an over achiever and eventually that led to addiction and compulsive behaviour.

I have since learned that any negative thinking turns us away from contact with our Higher Self. Sadness, fear, anger, doubt, anxiety, envy and any negative beliefs are all ways of experiencing sickness of spirit. They really take the joy out of living.

Here is a partial list that I hope shows why negative thinking robs us of peace:
· Envy says 'God gave 'them' more than me. I must be less than.'
· Fear says 'I don't trust God to keep me safe or healthy.'
· Anger and resentment say 'God you are not doing it right and I judge him/her/them to be wrong and deserving of condemnation.'
· Doubt says 'If I was loved by God this wouldn't be happening.'
· Sadness says 'My life is hopeless'
· Anxiety is the underlying cause of all compulsive behaviour and addiction. I'm alone, no one cares, even God. I'll drink, drug, sex, work etc. to make myself feel better.
· Note that all negativity is the result of believing that we can succeed in life without some sort of Higher power.
Feeling isolated or isolating emphasizes a sense of being separate, alone and vulnerable. The result is fear, which underlies all negative behaviour. In this state of mind, one is more easily led to compulsive and/or addictive behaviour to relieve the fear.

The Holy Spirit, that quiet inner voice, is God's gift to us. He is the Guide who helps us awaken to the reality that we're not lost and never have been separated from God.

His delight it is to enlighten us to the fact that God's world is a world of beauty and joy. All that is required is to accept that with the body's eyes we cannot see anything as it really is and to let go of judgement of our brothers and sisters. Let go and let God be in charge of the moment. Every moment.

When we turn our life and will over to the care of God, our Higher Power (and in a real sense), our higher Self, an amazing thing happens. Your life becomes God's life and your will becomes God's will. It is as if God says 'your pain and frustration is my pain and frustration'.

How do we heal from this seemingly hopelessness of mind and body? Healing begins when we accept powerlessness over our way of life. When we 'give up' and finally admit that we cannot do 'life' alone and ask God from our hearts for help, He always answers.

We discover that healing of the spirit is the result of like minds, gathering together and sharing honestly, from the heart, their fears and hopes, failures and successes.

Retreat centres, when properly focused on spiritual growth, are a good ways to kick start us in the right direction or refresh our outlook, (or inlook), on life.

Living from the heart, we give way and start to trust Infinite Love or God as we may understand Him and life takes on a whole new and healthy meaning. We begin to see without judgement that God's world is a beautiful world. We see God in everything and everyone. Remember, God cannot create anything unlike Himself. Therefore the world as we 'know' it is unreal. Jesus said 'all this will pass away, only Love (God), is eternal.'

As we learn to look at your neighbour without judgement, we perceive your own innocence reflected back to us. (All is One, there is no separation).

As co-creators with All That Is, what we now 'see' is a reflection of who we are. The ego sees only guilt, shame, sin and death. You are none of these things. God, in seeing you, sees only His own reflection, an extension of Himself.

"I am responsible for what I see. I choose the feelings I experience. And I decide upon the goal I would achieve.
And everything that seems to happen to me I ask for and receive as I have asked."
Course in Miracles

Bartholomew Craig