Miracles News

October - December, 2009

Soul Acceptance Is Being Truly Helpful

by Rev. Mary Gerard Lenihan

Our purpose is to accept our soul. That’s it! My mind does a flip as I am driving to the grocery store. What once seemed the easier way — talking about my Higher Self, reading about my eternal Spirit, analyzing the ego and writing about our true Nature — now seems a lot more difficult than just being it… being who I am.

I felt safe indulging in spiritual studies. While I was thankful for an occasional glimpse of peace, the thought of hanging out there indefinitely brought up fears of loss, loss of the life I live and loss of my identity. What if I disappear? For moments here and there I am experiencing the soul’s purpose — Self Acceptance and the undeniable peace it brings. I ask myself, “What more of a purpose could I desire than to be my Self?”

This appears to be easier said than done, yet to my surprise I am discovering that it is easier done than said! That is precisely because there is nothing to do — simply be willing to be. I feel safer being in peace than talking about peace; moving from distancing myself from peace to Connection. I have been misled to believe, by guess who (the ego), that if I only read, study, write and teach enough spiritual material, I will get to the bottom of this ego, figure it out and one day I will wake up! Not so, this misleading is the ego spiritual distraction program.

Certainly we read, study, write, teach and discuss spiritual material, and it is enormously helpful when we put into practice the purpose of doing all of this — to practice forgiveness with Holy Spirit and be at peace. At what point do we move from attempting to understand the ego and understand peace to being peace? Here we discover that in being lies the peace that passes all understanding which is the understanding we have been seeking. This is forgiveness.

One minute I am feeling a dark cloud over my head. I feel it, go within to ask for help and the next minute here I am driving in the midst of peace hearing the words coming from within me, “Self-Acceptance.” Yes, I have heard these words before, but how can I come to accept who I don’t know? Well, I observed, I have spent my life trying to come to accept who I thought was my True Self only to find out it is the false self I have befriended.

This took a lot of time, hard work and energy. I came to see who I am not, yet still didn’t know who I am. So then the ego tells me I will have to spend an equal, if not more, amount of time, energy and hard work getting rid of this darn false self before I can come to know my Self! I’ll be dead by then. And who knows how much havoc I will have wreaked in the process?

I see now why the ego is so anxious for me get a bachelor’s degree in Ego Science, because then it will send me on for my Master’s. Of course you know you have to go for the PhD after that. Then there is post-graduate work and a lifetime of, “guess what?” Research and independent study! If I become the ego’s star spiritual pupil, I will get tenure! Where is my Self in all of this?

It is one thing to have awareness of the ways of the ego and be honest about how its perceptions are running my life and use these observations to join with Holy Spirit for the practice of forgiveness. It is a whole other thing to be so focused on the ego and what I have to do to rid myself of this character, that I never become aware of my True Self, much less come to accept my Self. Here is where “Inspired To Be Truly Helpful” enters. Being Truly Helpful happens as I accept my soul’s purpose which is Self Acceptance. My soul is the spirit of God in me. It is my identity. I ask my soul, so how does Self-Acceptance operate in the world? Here is my conversation:

Forget about the world. Do not focus on physical manifestations in the world. Be your soul. It is not about the world.

How do I forget the world?

Stay connected with your soul.

How do I stay connected?

Listen. This is the peace you seek. The soul’s silence gets your attention. No matter the world, it never satisfies. Disillusionment is in the world. The soul is an illusion to the world because the world is without a soul. But you are not. Remember, the soul has no interest in the body. It had no need to incarnate. It was the mind experiencing itself without a soul, groping in gaping darkness, which needed a body for its sense of purpose. Jesus’ resurrection is the “savior,” if you will, from the belief in the world, the belief in unworthiness, the belief in separation from God. The resurrection was a demonstration of Reality, the Kingdom of Heaven within.

I have looked closely at the darkness and the more I try to understand it, the more food for thought it puts on my plate. What is the purpose of being here? What do I do?

Connect with other souls! Now, you have done some Real good.

It is the mind separate from the soul who is seeking physical manifestation for a sense of purpose and meaning — never will it be found — the split mind has no purpose. My soul is my Self and Self is my purpose for it is my creation.

Jesus shares, “I am in the world, but not of the world. My kingdom is not of this world. Why do you look for the living among the dead? The kingdom of Heaven is within.” Jesus demonstrated “Inspired to Be Truly Helpful” through his demonstration of Self-Acceptance. “Christ walked the earth and the trees arranged themselves around him.” I heard this from the Mentor Within several years ago. Now, I see what it means.

As one is willing to be brought into Self-Acceptance through the Holy Spirit, those around that one naturally move toward Self-Acceptance as well. Love attracts love. This is communion. This is the giving over of separation in exchange for coming into union. This is the meaning of Jesus’ words at Passover, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” He is saying, “Accept your Self as I have done to help you to remember.” This is Being Truly Helpful!

Since this experience I am finding myself smiling at souls I once judged and experiencing peace instead. Now, all movement in the world, our comings and goings, our bodies, our work, our play and our plans may truly respond to the calls for love. We are vessels of Self-Acceptance. This is the help that heals. This is the silence of my soul in action in the world. This is the peace that passes all understanding. This is my purpose. How would my everyday life be different, if I were to connect with my soul and the souls of all? Would not all my prayers be answered? Is this not forgiveness, as my Self shows up and the ego simply dissolves?

This is “Inspired To Be Truly Helpful.” Being in the world and extending the peace not of this world. Transcending our images, definitions and meanings of spiritual language because Spirit itself transcends such. Instilling peace, not fear. So, we speak of the “cubicle self heart ÷ mind (the divided heart and mind experiencing separation from peace), the “Inspiring Self Heart ∞ Mind (our infinite created spirit) and Inspiration (Holy Spirit). “Peace Instead of This,” is the practice of forgiveness.

The WNYHOO — NOW! programs, “Inspired To Be Truly Helpful,” “We Are All Customers In the Business of Living in the World,” “Which Relation Ship Are You Sailing?” and “Health and Healing Begins with Peace,” are an answer to a prayer. In my desire to share the Peace of God with the world, years ago I asked Holy Spirit how can I share and teach this peace with those who do not resonate with spiritual language? One day while writing Visions of Illumination, I looked up, I observed a person’s actions, I did not judge the actions (a miracle) and then I immediately heard, “We all need training on how to Be Truly Helpful.” My pen hit the paper and out came “Inspired To Be Truly Helpful.”

Only now am I seeing the lessons in all of this for me. A lover of spiritual language, little did I know the thoughts of separation I was harboring in my unawareness about this language until I was willing to go beyond the language and experience the Peace that is here and beyond.

Rev. Mary Gerard is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, Missouri. She is author of the books Visions of Illumination and The Mentor Within. To find out more about her workshop, click here.

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