The Law of Balance (Finding the middle way)
If gravity is the glue that holds the universe together, balance is the key that unlocks its secrets. Balance applies to our body, mind and emotions, to all levels of our being. It reminds us that anything we do, we can overdo or under do, and that if the pendulum of our lives or habits swings too far to one side, it will inevitably swing to the other. Find balance in your life and in all things. Honor this law and follow in the footsteps of the wise. Explore the range of human experience, but since habitual extremes create stress, always return to the golden mean, the middle way. Let your actions and words come forth softly, like the changing seasons. From that inner state of balance, you'll find clarity and peace.
The Law of Choices (Reclaiming our power)
We are both burdened and blessed by the great responsibility of free will ... the power of choice. Our future is determined, in large part, by the choices we make now. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can and do choose our response to whatever arises. Reclaiming the power of choice, we find the courage to live fully in the world. Realizing your power to choose and to change your directions in any moment, without regard to external pressures or ideals, is like rising up toward the surface of the sea after a long submersion. This power may intoxicate you as you see attractive alternatives to your present situation. You may feel tempted to change your relationship, your career or any area of life that feels difficult or frustrating. Some new choices may be appropriate or even overdue, but the heroic choice often means taking responsibility for where you are now and participating fully and intentionally, with greater presence and passion than ever before.
The Law of Process (Taking Life Step-by-Step)
Process transforms any journey into a series of small steps, taken one by one, to reach any goal. Process transcends time, teaches patience, rests on a solid foundation of careful preparation, and embodies trust in our unfolding potential. Lasting progress doesn't happen in a few dramatic moments, but hour by hour, day by day. And as time passes, every process includes repairs: The road to happiness is always under construction. Focus on taking life one step at a time until you get it right; set aside what you can do later. When discipline and patience join forces, they become a persistence that endures past the peaks and valleys to carry intentions to completion. Enthusiasm sets the pace, but persistence reaches the goal. Process, patience and persistence are keys that unlock the doorway to any destination. The treasure isn't only at journey's end, you see... the process itself is its own reward.
The Law of Presence (Living in the moment)
Time is a paradox, stretching between a "past" and "future" that have no reality except in our own minds. The idea of time is a convention of thought and language, a social agreement. Here is the deeper truth: We have only this moment. Embrace this moment, just one foot in front of the other, and handle what's in front of you. Because no matter where your mind may roam, your body always remain here and now. When in haste, rest in the present. Take a deep breath, and come back to here and now.
The Law of Compassion (Awakening our humanity)
The Universe does not judge us; it only provides consequences and lessons and opportunities to balance and learn through the law of cause and effect. Compassion is the recognition that we are each doing the best we can within the limits of our current beliefs and capacities. We are all going to depart this world and leave those we love. We all feel hope and despair; we all share dreams and loss. We are all joined without knowing why; in the mystery of life, doing the best we can. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
The Law of Faith (Trusting in Spirit)
Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied - that we have only to look, listen, and trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all. How can one experience that kind of faith in their everyday lives? By listening to the intuitive wisdom of the heart where Spirit speaks. Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark. There is no absolute security except in absolute faith. This doesn't mean that all circumstances will go your way or that divine justice is operating every time you injure or heal yourself. All sorts of events, both beautiful and terrible, can happen in this world. Our small mind cannot always see the bigger picture or know what is for our highest good. So despite the confusion and insecurity in life, when you can learn to live on faith, trusting Spirit working according to a higher will beyond the reach of your mind, you'll see Spirit operating everywhere, in everyone and everything.
The Law of Expectation (Expanding our reality)
Energy follows thought; we move forward, but not beyond, what we can imagine. What we assume, expect or believe creates and colors our experience. By expanding our deepest beliefs about what is possible, we change our experience of life. The Law of Expectation highlights the importance of examining your old beliefs and assumptions, replacing self-defeating doubts with vivid images and creating new beliefs based on clear intention. Real problems exist. But even as we address the issues that cry out for help, it seems wisest to focus on positive outcomes and on our human potential. The Law of Expectation teaches that what we focus on, expands; fighting problems only strengthens them by giving them energy. so focus on the solution, not on the problems.
The Law of Integrity (Living our truth)
Integrity means living and acting in alignment with spiritual law and with our highest vision, despite impulses to the contrary. From the heart of integrity, we recognize, accept and express our authentic interior reality, inspiring others not with words... but by our example. The Law of Integrity falls forth a genuine expression of our internal reality. It also recognizes that if envy, greed, and manipulation influence our actions or expression, the consequences are "inevitable," built into the mechanics of the universe. In breaking spiritual law, "the act itself is the punishment," setting into motion subtle forces, whose consequences we cannot escape any more than we can escape the law of gravity. Integrity means being "integrated," knowing ourselves and being ourselves, so that our actions are authentic, consistent with our highest intentions - so that our body, mind, emotions and attitudes complement one another, forming a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. It's meaningless to speak of integrity until we understand our innermost drives, values and motives - until we accept who we are, rather than who we hope or pretend to be. One person may give to the poor out of love and compassion; another may give out of guilt or the need to impress others. Each shows clarity; only one shows integrity. Motives and intent make a vast difference in the lives of both givers and recipients, because we give far more than coins; we give the currency of the self. Everything is difficult until it becomes easy. It takes courage and openness to achieve authenticity - to be able to say to yourself and to the world, "Like it or not, this is who I am" ... and then live to that truth. It's not about being perfect or infallible; we've all made mistakes. We can only do our best and learn from our mistakes, so we can do better the next time. Alignment with the Law of Integrity means acknowledging our weaknesses and drawing on our inner strengths, so we become examples who light the way for others.
The Law of Action (Moving into life)
No matter what we feel or know, no matter what our potential gifts or talents, only action brings them to life. Many of us understand concepts such as commitment, courage and love... but we truly know only when we can do. Doing leads to understanding and actions turn knowledge to wisdom. All living beings act, but most people react - and then only when compelled by pain or fear, when relationships break into warfare or when bodies become ill from stress. The Law of Action teaches us to overcome both inertia and impatience by acting out of courage, clear intention and commitment. By acknowledging three fundamental realities, we overcome inertia. (1) By accepting our humanity and our physical presence in the world; (2) by realizing that no one is going to live for us and that we only grow stronger from our own efforts; and (3) by accepting that action may entail discomfort - and then getting on with it! We no longer have the luxury of waiting until we feel safe and secure, inspired or motivated - until fear or doubt is looking the other way. We can no longer wait for someone to give us permission to act. The time has come to act in line with our highest ideals, despite fears, doubts or uncertainties that arise. We can only show courage in the face of fear. Every day we need courage, because every day we face fears - not necessarily in dramatic ways like tackling a bank robber or saving a drowning person... but in expressing our feelings, breaking an old habit, or taking the risk to be different. There is a time for action, and a time for stillness. You can sometimes show the greatest courage, patience and wisdom by remaining still, even when compelling desires or impulses urge you to act.
The Law of Cycles (Dancing to Nature's song)
The world of nature moves in rhythms, patterns and cycles - the passing of the seasons, the movement of the stars, the ebb and flow of the tides. The seasons do not push one another; neither do clouds race the wind across the sky. All things happen in their own good time - rising and falling and rising like ocean waves, in the circles of time. Change itself isn't difficult. It happens as naturally as a sunrise. But most of us seek familiar routines to create a sense of control and order, so change can feel like a blessing or a curse, depending on our desires; the same rain welcomed by the flowers is mourned by picnickers, wishing for sunny day. The Law of Cycle reminds us that as the seasons change, so must we, that our old habits don't have to run our lives, that our past doesn't have to become our future, and that the momentum of change ultimately leads us toward greater awareness, wisdom and peace. Gardening through the four seasons reveals other lessons of the natural world; that seeds only reproduce their own kind; that you reap what you sow, that when you gather the harvest you need to save some seed for the next planting, that you have to end one cycle in order to begin another... that there is a time for all seeds to grow, change and eventually die; to be plowed under for a fresh planting. As with seeds and cycles, so go our lives. Enjoy each season of your life. Patiently prepare the soil, sow the seeds, and do the work, and you'll harvest the abundant fruits of your labors. Accept both good fortune and adversity as you accept the shifting seasons. Enjoy the glazed beauty of a winter's day and the sultry days of summer, for soon enough, each season, each day, each moment... passes into history, and its exact likeness shall not be seen again. So rather than longing for summer in the midst of winter's chill, or wishing for cool in the dog days of summer, embrace each season for its own gifts. Align yourself with the cycles of time and transformation, riding change as ships ride the waves.
The Law of Surrender (Embracing a higher will)
Surrender means accepting this moment, this body, and this life with open arms. Surrender involves getting out of your own way and living in accord with a higher will, expressed as the wisdom of the heart. For more than passive acceptance, surrender uses every challenge as a means of spiritual growth and expanded awareness. This law is not about pretending anything or denying your true feelings; it's about transforming them. You learn to surrender by shifting your perspective. Spirit is your coach, life is your training. In its truest sense, this law guides you to surrender to the moment - to accept whatever rises, including your response to whatever rises. It means accepting not only life's ups and downs, but also accepting yourself - your body, your thoughts and your feelings. Life will continue to provide you with challenges and tests... but as you relax into life, even your difficulties will have a pleasurable aspect, like playing a challenging game or solving a puzzle. So begin in little ways: When you have a minor disagreement, acknowledge the other person's point of view and see what happens. Shrug off small disappointments. Follow the guidance, "Learn to wish that everything should come to pass exactly as it does." The Law of Surrender honors the sanctity of each soul with its divine spark of individuality. You need not give that up; you need only get out of your own way. Surrendering your smaller will to a higher will is not a common practice. Life doesn't always give us what we prefer, so our desires lead to attachments, anxiety and frustration. Following your small will may lead to temporary satisfaction, but not to lasting happiness. When you see clearly, that life is not only about getting what you want, but also about learning to what what you get, you'll align your life with the Law of Surrender. You practice this law by asking, in any situation, "What is for the highest good of all concerned?" True surrender can be expressed in the heartfelt wish, "Not my will but thy will be done." Offering the prayer, "Thy will be done," does not require that you believe in an external God, but only that you speak from your heart and ask yourself, "If a wise, loving, compassionate God were guiding me now, what would I do in this situation?" Then feel your heart, and listen to your higher self; you will know what to do, and you'll find the courage and love to do it... because Spirit does indeed work through you, whether or not you are fully aware of it. In time, you will come to see everyone and everything as an aspect of Spirit - accepting on faith that, despite our difficulties, everything in the universe is unfolding as it must. Life is God's Novel... let God write it.
The Law of Unity (Remembering our connection)
We appear on Earth as separate beings with diverse destinies; but as each separate raindrop is a part of the sea, so are we each a part of the Ocean of Awareness, THE BODY OF GOD. We are God's body. Find love and inner peace deep within the highest truth that we are all One family. Leave behind the baggage of fear, envy, and resentment; fly aloft on wings of understanding, to enter the boundless Land of Compassion. The Law of Unity isn't easy for the small self to grasp because it doesn't coincide with everyday perception. So let's first acknowledge that at the level of everyday reality, we do indeed have separate bodies, minds and emotions. The Law of Unity is a paradox, you see... both false and true, depending upon our state of awareness. Whether we are One or many, depends more upon our perspective than any objective reality. Conventional knowledge tells us that we are separate; higher wisdom informs us that we are One. A shift of perception reveals that we are all the same Consciousness, manifesting in different bodies, in the way leaves are part of the same tree. Humanity forgets to notice that higher truth, however, focusing instead on our differences, on our separation. If we examine the Earth, we call it "one" - yet, it's actually made of earth, air, fire and water - including thousands of species, billions of living beings and countless trillions of atoms. And since that is so, you can choose how you will view reality - from a smaller or larger state of perception. We are Soul, we are Higher Self... that has a body or lives in a body. And "you" who speaks through the body, who refers to "my" house, "my" body, "my" soul, "my" higher self... is, in the truest sense, pure Awareness.
The Awareness that looks out through a billion eyes is the One Consciousness of infinite Love and Wisdom that we call God, who watches life unfold with mercy and compassion, and who is life itself.
And as you go about your daily business, with your personal desires, concerns and dreams, you are the Awareness which also manifests as all of these bodies and minds and trees and birds. A part of you, a place deep within your heart, knows this higher truth; that is why you can, in any moment, align yourself with the Law of Unity by choosing to perceive other people (loved ones, friends and adversaries) alike - as aspects of your larger self. So the next time you argue with someone, ask yourself, "What if I chose to see others as an aspect of me - chose to perceive us as One?" The world is only now growing ripe, nearly ready to understand - not just a few idealists, but a multitude of realists who recognize that human evolution, even human existence, depends upon this expanded vision of humanity as One.
And as you begin to see friends and adversaries, loved ones and strangers, through the eyes of the One Being, then all dilema and conflict are dissolved. All wounds are healed, and all paradox is resolved in the light of this essential truth. This is the end of all seeking, because you "are" everyone and everywhere. You are the Light that shines through the eyes of all beings, truly One. Since we are One, we share "all" past lives which are occurring now, since past, present and future are also One. You don't have to remember these laws, you only have to live them.
