Welcome back, Dear Friends
I hope you are doing Your Heart’s Desire with a buddy
or are willing to find one now.
The exercises over these next few weeks
will push you, perhaps, out of your comfort zone.
You will be examining yourself in ways
perhaps you never have.
And having a buddy to share what you discover
will be crucial not only to your healing,
but to finding and living Your Heart’s Desire.
In fact, the more you learn about yourself
over these next couple weeks,
the clearer the whisperings of God will become,
and the more you can share with someone safe, the better.
We all need other people to help us get clear
on why we do what we do.
We need an objective voice.
If these exercises get too much for you
take a break, but finish them as soon as you can.
What you do these next two weeks will be necessary
to completing Part 14.
Try and get started today on this week’s lessons.
There is a lot to cover.
You will need to work harder than ever
On Your Heart’s Desire.
Paragraph 15, by Emmet Fox
“We use our energy destructively whenever we think or talk fear and limitation; whenever we grumble, or give way to self-pity, or indulge in useless regrets, or in fact, in any form of negative thinking. Most of all do we use our God given energy destructively when we hold thoughts of criticism and condemnation of others. All bitterness, resentment, spiritual pride, and self-righteousness, are peculiarly disastrous methods of misusing the Great Power, and that is why such thinking causes the terrible havoc that it does in people’s lives.”
Commentary, Questions, and Exercises, by Joseph Anthony
I just want to say here that over the next few weeks we will be utilizing a great resource to discovering and living Your Heart’s Desire. And that is the book Alcoholics Anonymous
Isn’t it amazing to realize that we partake of the Divine Energy when we’re thinking? We really need to let this truth sink deep into our hearts and minds—our thoughts are a part of the Creative Energy of God—in the sense that God thinks (or sings, whichever way poetically suits you best) and we come into being. We think, and if we infuse our thoughts with feelings and actions, we manifest things too–we are afterall, “made in the image and likeness of God.” Our thoughts are crucial to the construction or destruction of the world.
In other entries on the Wonder Child Blog you can read about the power of thoughts and how thoughts are a crucial part to manifesting our desires. For our purposes here let’s just sit with the idea that our thoughts are powerful forces related to the very heart and mind of God.
Questions
1). Notice Fox says “whenever we think or talk of fear and limitation.” Do you talk about fear and limitation? Do you dwell on limiting, fearful thoughts? Do you complain a lot? Why?
2). Do you indulge in self pity? (That’s a funny way to put it isn’t it? We indulge in chocolate, but self-pity?)
3). Do you constantly think condemning critical thoughts of others?
4). Do you walk around an ego-maniac with an inferiority complex, or do you just think you’re better than everyone else?
5). What do you think spiritual pride is? Do you think you have it?
Exercises
1). Make a list of all of your resentments in a similar way as the following guide. It comes essentially from the AA Big Book, so if you have one take a look at pages 64-67 and read about resentments. If you don’t have a Big Book, just do the list as I suggest below. Try and think back as far as you can go—to childhood even. Use as many pages and columns as necessary. I suggest you do one column and go straight down before moving to the next column. If doing this inventory brings up a lot of difficult feelings remember to talk with your buddy or a counselor. You can also contact me via email (josephanthony@thewonderchildblog.com). Try and be as thorough as possible. Keep in mind that the more you can get out and rid of, the clearer the channel will become to hear God’s voice. Don’t worry if you forget something. Just put down what you remember. The list will never be complete or perfect. The main goal is to discover patterns in your behaviors—your motivations and ways of operating. Try and define resentment as any feelings of anger or bitterness that twist your guts when you think of them. Write for a few hours and then stop. You will need time to write other inventories, so just get down as much as you can and then move to the next task.
|
Who or what are you resentful at? It could be a person, place, or idea. Write it down in an incomplete sentence. Just name it. |
What is the reason for the resentment? What did that person, place, idea do? |
What part of you is threatened by this person, place, or idea? Is it your pocket book, social reputation, ambitions, prestige, relationships, sexual feelings, or self esteem? |
What is your part in getting the ball rolling? We all have a part in the vast majority of our resentments, even if it’s through holding expectations about the person, place, or idea that didn’t get met in the way we thought it should. Try hard to sincerely see your part. This is perhaps the most important column of the four. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2). Make a similar list for your self-pity, regrets, and limiting beliefs.
3). Reflect on the reasons you might indulge in spiritual pride or condemning criticisms. What are you afraid of?
4). Find someone you trust and read these lists to them. Take the risk of being vulnerable. The disclosure to someone safe will be crucial to your healing and ability to learn to listen to God’s Voice. If you can’t do this task this week due to logistical reasons, commit to doing it as soon as possible. The next few weeks depend on getting this part completed.
This week is a lot. It’s a bit heavy and possibly painful. Remember you committed at the beginning to doing whatever it takes to fulfill Your Heart’s Desire. Remember your commitment to see it through. Any pain you feel at doing this week’s tasks will be well worth it if you keep moving. I honor your strength and courage. Try and get started soon, there’s a lot to get through in seven days. Actually, I am going to use next week, Part 11, as a review week, so it won’t have any new exercises. That gives you 2 weeks to work on your list and read it to someone. I hope that helps.
Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog