Chapter 14

Make the commitment to never allow another moment of anxiety or worries enter your life. Only be. This is your key to freedom. This is the key to being one with your maker. When you realize the oneness with God, you will be the peace; you will be the happiness.

Become one with the energy within. This is God, this is spirit. Breathe. Take in all that God is around you. One of the best affirmations that have used in the past which produce this knowing is “I am one with God.”  

Need something? No need to worry about it, no need to think. Just be. Connect to your core. Connect to the God within. Allow him to shine through. He will show you the steps you must take to dispel the issue at hand. No thought. No worry. Just be, and become that direct connection to God. Become one with God by calming thought. No need to vocalize your wishes. No need to connect with God in any other way but through the silence.

When you reach God through the silence, you are in direct communication with God. You don’t have to think. Your thoughts, your wishes are in accordance with his, in the silence. His force will propel you forward into becoming all that it is that you want to be. Only be, and you will realize the God within. Affirm: “I am one with God” until the thought disappears, and a new calm settles. This is when you can guarantee that God within is working and is listening. Just be! Don’t think, be!

“I am one with God, I am one with God.” This is the only prayer you will ever need. “I am one with God.” Say it over and over again until you start to feel it. You will begin to see the direct connection. Miracles start occurring, thoughts turn into reality. “I am one with God. I am one with God.”

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Are religions necessary?

Are religions necessary? I was thinking about it earlier, and a lot of questions associated with it also came to my mind. Finally I felt my truth is that they are necessary. I believe that during the initial stages of one’s spiritual journey one needs an introduction into spirituality, and religions plays that part well. But as time goes on, if he closes himself up so that there is no space for any growth, then he becomes a religious lunatic, confined in the box of religion, who has no love or respect for a person from a different religion.

I feel it should be like a child being taken care of and taught things. When the child is small the parents have to be harsh sometimes with them, and sometimes punish so as to teach the child to learn things and later be a better person in life. The box of rules that is created around the child grows bigger as he grows up until the day come when the box is taken away, and the child (who is no longer a child) is ready to face the world on his own. The box was what paved the basis of the formation of character in the child.

The religions pave the basis for a person’s spirituality, but one should not let the religion be the end of the growth. If you notice that those with good religious growth reads and respects and believes that basically all religions teaches about virtues, and guides one to be a better person. Where does the confusion arise? Let’s consider the case of a parable shared in some scripture of a religion. One can take the story as it is and think what he want to think or, one can think about it and understand the deeper meaning in the parables. It does not matter if one is more educated than other to understand better. (It has been proved a 1000 times that education and intelligence is not always directly proportional). All one needs is an openness to accept something that we did not think was true earlier.

There is this Zen story about 2 monks and a woman. An old monk and a young monk were traveling together to a monastery far away. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her. The young monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her down on the other bank. The old monk was very upset, but said nothing. They both continued walking and when they were about to reach the monastery the old monk stopped the young one and told him, “As monks, we are not permitted to touch a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?” The young monk replied, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.”

This is what happens a lot of times in our life. We take things as we hear it, and do not think of the inner meaning. We burden ourselves by things we have no control over; and we judge others for their differences in beliefs. All the religions talks about good, being good, doing good; so where does the conflict arise? In the rituals?? Doesn’t in some part of the world people greet each other by hand shakes, while in another part they bow to each other with arms straight on the side; and yet in another part people put the palms together in from of the chest; and yet another part a hug is how people greet each other? Isn’t it all to greet each other? (Hope you got the point). All religions teach one to do well, and that should be a person’s basement of belief.

If we really take some time to sit down in calmness, and without preconception look at the world, we can see that a lot of problems in the present world are because we are not able to accept another of a different belief, or different color, or race. One has to rise above religions to bring this peace. The religions should not be the end of our growth. It should not be something that makes us hate another (and yes even if you say you don’t hate another, yet show anger and not being able to accept and respect a different person.. that is a form of hate). The religions are here, they are the truth, but that truth should not limit us to a point and then not let us love outside the circle it creates. We just need to understand the true meaning of what religions speak of.

Love and peace be with you all. 

Namaste.

Chapter 11

The mind loves to use the power of the past to keep itself busy. It uses it by making comparisons between the present and the past. If you are not able to sit in peace, then it is the mind that is the cause. By comparing one moment to a past moment, the mind is giving itself things to think about, rather then allowing you to sit in the newness of that moment.

Lilian went to Wheel’s restaurant to eat their famous Barbeque ribs. Once she got there she found out the recipe changed. Rather than enjoy the new recipe, which was really good, she dwelled in the past recipe instead. She was upset and bothered by the fact they had changed it.

The mind used its power to keep in control. If she had just enjoyed the new recipe, she would have left full and happy. Now she is unsatisfied.

This is how the mind works. It uses the past as a reference point on how happy you should be. Each moment is a new one. Keep your awareness open. Allow new experiences. Don’t shut them out because they are not a repeat performance of the past. Treasure the newness of this one. See it, recognize it. Be grateful for it.

By thanking the universe you are in that moment. You are fully there in appreciation allowing you to move forward to the next step to being the best that you can be; to connection.

Get in the habit of being thankful for anything and everything. Do you have a lovely voice? Be thankful for it! Do you have the ability to cook? Be thankful for it! Be thankful for anything that you are, and anything that makes you happy. Not only does this keep you in the moment, but it multiplies all that you have! God loves you. And when you thank him, he gives you more! He wants you happy! Just get rid of the over coming power of the mind to think negative, and be thankful for this moment! Recognize all of the beauty that surrounds you. Recognize that you have these things!

Go to the mirror. Look at yourself. Notice all of the things to be thankful for; your sight, your hearing, your hands for touch, and nose for smell.  We take so many of these for granted. Not everyone has all of the abilities. It’s important that you recognize that.

By being thankful for this moment, you guarantee more of them in your life. You show the universe that these things are important to you. Thank the universe for the glory that makes you you!

Thank you! Thank you for another great day! Thank you for my mother, my father, my sisters, and brothers! Thank you for my car and my house. Thank you for my television and computer. Thank you for this book!  Thank you for allowing me to hear my baby crying. Thank you for letting me see the sun rising! Thank you for the legs that take me where I need to go! Thank you, thank you!

Another thing that will help you through your day as you reduce the power the mind has over you is affirmations.

Affirmations are simply your best thoughts that you repeat to yourself either out loud or in your head, which keep you on the path to where you are headed. We are a product of what we read, see and hear. And by putting the best thoughts in front of you at all times, you are becoming the person that you want to be.

Ernesto was feeling nervous before the big exam. He felt anxious, and could barely breathe. Upon the onset of his anxiety he began to tell himself, “I am a success” over and over again. This calmed him, and he was able to remember what he studied and pass the test with flying colors.

Affirmations help to calm the mind by reminding you that all is perfect and you have no need to worry. They remind you that those negative feelings that you are feeling are due to the mind. Affirmations are great to help you along your way.

Whenever you are feeling down, just take your highest thoughts and write them down on paper. Try writing, “I am happy.” Go ahead. Get some paper. Write it down. Write it down as many times as you need to in order to believe it. You will notice that it will become your reality.

Do you crave peace? Affirm “I am peace,” or the exact opposite of whatever you are feeling, what you are stressing over.  Say it aloud until you start to feel the effects.

Many of the principles that I am trying to introduce to you in this book, are hard to believe at first. But in time, with practice, you will believe. Stay focused on the outcome. Put it into practice, and you will be happy with the results.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 10

Another important topic to discuss is the topic of following self. We must do whatever will make us happiest at each given moment. It is in keeping happiest that you are connecting to God. And it is through this connection, to peace, that the inner spirit is transforming your life. When we live someone else’s life, we never find our true potential.

Bruce and Mary wanted their son Isaac to go to school for Business, but Isaac had other things in mind. He was an artist, and this is what he loved to do the most. Although his parents asked him to major in business he chose art instead; he followed his inner guide and became one of the most well known artists in the country.

What would have happened if Isaac decided to follow his parent’s wishes, although he had those strong feelings to go ahead with the art major?

If we are forced into doing things because of a set of rules, or what others want from us, rather than following our inner guide, we will never reach this peace or happiness that we want to maintain. We must be the ones to decide what is right and wrong for us. We must remember that we are all individuals. If we conform to other beliefs, Gods true wonders can never manifest in our lives.

No matter where you go in this world, there will be someone who doesn’t like what you do. They will take any chance they can to judge you for your actions, or for what you believe in. Most of the time, it is due to fear, fear in the unknown. Fear of separation. If you are doing something that they see as wrong, they don’t like it, and they look at it negatively. But don’t let that stop you. Even if it’s the most insane thing that you can think of, for e.g.: quitting your job to live in a monastery, then do it! Don’t let what others think about your actions rule you. For if you do, your highest good will never be attained; and not only that, you will never be happy.

Never let anyone stop you from doing what it is that makes you happy. Who said you can’t sit in a room and sing all day? Who set up those rules? Rules are set up in every aspect of life, including those that keep you from happiness. For e.g.: Some people find it weird that a person spends his whole lunch hour outside listening to music, all by themselves.  They disagree with it. But who cares what others think!! Do what it is that makes you happy. It is through this happiness that you will become the best you can be. Walk in that knowing that you are being led by you, and not the demands of those around you.

Find out who you are. Don’t be afraid to be open, and research new things, even if the people around you may not agree. Release inhibitions and be free!!

With billions of people on this earth the only thing that should be universal are the basic morals and values of life; honesty, integrity, trust. All forms of love. One of the reasons that we don’t do things that would make us happy is because of what we think others will think of us, if we do them. We are all individual aspects of spirituality. Each and every one of us has certain attributes about us that make us a little bit different from the next. It is important that when you are discovering who you are, that you remember this. Never deny yourself, or feel that you are strange. Never allow yourself to think that there is something wrong with the way that you are, or what you do. You are perfect just as you are. You are perfection. Remember that.

Part of finding out who you are is learning to allow your inner consciousness to manifest itself. Whenever you have something inside of you pushing you to do something, do it. Never ignore yourself. We all have a guide within that pushes us to greatness. The problem is, many times we ignore it due to people’s opinions as well as our own negative thoughts on it. Learn to become accustom to that feeling of that inner consciousness.
The best way to be accustomed to it is to listen. When you get a feeling to do something or not do something, then listen! Get to the point where you can trust your instincts because of the practice that you have.

Listen when your inside says, “stop and get gas.” Listen when you are told, “don’t go that way.” Stay away from those that give you that feeling, to stay away from. These examples are part of a plethora of life experience that can move you towards your highest good, if you only allow it. But the key is, practice. And yes, the thoughts of the mind may get mixed in there, especially in the beginning, when we don’t have the practice of understanding which is which, truth from lie. But with an eye on the goal, you can achieve mastery of your life. You can be all that you want. You can achieve happiness.

Please understand that I am not advising you to act on impulse, but out of consciousness. Impulse & consciousness are two different things. Impulse is seeing the number of a house at the races and betting due to having that favorite number. Consciousness is a feeling that comes from within. It’s like a child that pulls on the bottom of your pant leg & doesn’t leave you alone until you give him the attention he craves. This happens on a daily basis. Practice until recognize that feeling of guidance.

One idea that we give people is to go ahead and obtain a visual of what that spirit within looks like. This visualizing may make this guidance, or spirit within even more real to you.

Personalizing that inner God makes the connection stronger. It’s like meeting someone on the internet in a chat room. You meet them, you chat for a while, and you find out who that person is; yet, you never put a face to the person, because you’ve never seen them.

This is the point of those that set up pictures of God. Their connection to God is affirmed. To walk in faith at an onset of belief, is not an easy path. There must be something to push you forward. Faith is a great thing, but at times, faith can waver. Having that face can personalize it to the point where you feel as if he is more real. Whether it be Shiva, Buddha, Jesus, the holy spirit, or any other divine image, there must be a connection. And this connection will help to create that feeling of togetherness with God; Oneness.

When Amanda first started to connect with the spirit within, she came across a set of cards with a picture of a beautiful Goddess, Sita. She fell in love with Sita, and from then on she started to see her spirit within as Sita. Whenever she meditated and recognized that energy, it was Sita that she was recognizing- her own connection to God.

A piece of God is within you. By forming a bond with a picture of the God within, you are connecting not only in spirit, but with mind as well.

You don’t even need to choose a visual if you don’t want. Just allow whatever is natural to come through. It should be what allows you to feel closer to the God within. In the beginning, it will be so new to even think about. The visualization can help immensely. Whatever you do, don’t force anything; just allow whatever is natural to come through. When you see it, you will know.

It is only with a free mind that one will be lead to complete and true happiness. As you walk forward with your day, try your best to act out of self, rather than what others think is right for you. Strive forward in strength and power; feet firmly on the ground with the realization that you are in charge of your life. And there will never be any regrets. Only true knowing that you did everything you ever wanted to do. You were a manifestation of the God within.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 9

We remove pain and suffering from our lives when we remove those barriers that keep us away from who we truly are; peace and love.

When deep breathing doesn’t work, and the anxieties and stresses remain, do whatever you can to distract yourself. Try your best to make yourself happy.

One of the ways that we can do this is through the use of music. Put the radio on or pop in one of your favorite CD’s. At first you may not feel the effects of the music, but after a few minutes, you will notice the effects it has on you.

Alissa was having the worst time centering herself that day. No matter what she tried, she could not get back into the peace. The brain seemed to be in full control. Rather than dwell in the suffering, she decided to put her favorite music on and dance. Within minutes the pain went away.

When you are listening to music, and feel that happiness, that love, take it with you on your daily life. Don’t let it go when you’re not listening to it. Allow that happiness to continue, to become your very being.

Remain in your center in any way possible. Do you like to draw? Then pull out the supplies and get to it! When we start to become stressed, we forget the peace. We forget those things that bring us peace. It is then that you need them the most. Whether it is through the use of music, drawing, prayer, watching TV, singing, or dance, just “be.” And never stop “being.” Walk in spirit in all that you do, and you will reap the benefits. Pain and suffering will become less and less a part of your life.

Always remain happy. If it means you listen to music from the beginning of the day to the end, then so be it. If wrestling makes you happy, wrestle! If the internet makes you happy, then go online!  Just do whatever it is that keeps you connected. There are so many ways to connect to happiness, and it is up to you to find that connection yourself.

Anil loves to go on the internet as his source of fun. He does it in all his spare time. But his mother finds something wrong with this. She comments to him every time she sees him, ‘You are wasting away your life on that computer.’ Anil explains to his mother that that keeps him happy, it’s what he enjoys. ‘We should always stay happy Mom.’

Yes, life isn’t all about the internet, but we should try to always remain happy, no matter what we do. If you can practice happiness at least 50% of the day, you will see that 50% slowly becomes 60, and it progresses until finally, you see that you are nothing but. Just start. Start to be the best you, you possibly can be.
 With positive thinking, come feelings of happiness; that happiness is God. This is why we must strive to get rid of the hold of the mind if we are to ever connect fully to spirit.

Do not allow your mind to take a hold of you by producing thoughts of negativity. All this does is enforce the barrier between you and the divine spirit within. It is by paying attention to the tricks of the mind that we disconnect from God. Knowing this, we must make it a daily practice to reduce its power. We must strive for perfection, until one day, it is gone, and the real you is all that is seen, both inside and out. Its hard work at first, but you can do it! With time, positive thinking becomes automatic!

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 8

It is only when the outside world and inside world meet that the power of the mind is recognized. Once we recognize the tricks of the mind, everything begins to become clear. By putting the mind on pause, one will be able to experience bliss, or true happiness.  

Try to think about a time when you have experienced pure happiness. Some feel it when they pray, some when they are in love, and some when they are working on a project they love so much. Why are they happy? Why were you happy? You and they were happy because the mind was not at work at that moment. There was just silence, relaxation, love and peace at that time, all of which are connected to bliss.

One can never find happiness if they allow them selves to be pulled and pushed by emotion. The only emotion that should ever be given attention is that bringing forth happy feelings; love. By allowing ourselves to focus on love at all times, we are putting forth God in all that we do.

Heart falls for emotion and mind falls for conditioning, but consciousness or spirit is above the two. It is the only pure thing that there is. To become one with that purity, that love, that happiness, God; we need to ignore all thought that doesn’t derive from love.

You must remind yourself that as you flow through your day. When you see yourself becoming negative about something, take a breath, and ignore it. Whatever you do, don’t argue with it. Allow yourself to just “be.” Be silence by walking in peace.

As I stated earlier, it is not easy, especially at first. But practice is the key. It is through this practice that you become one with happiness. Just let that negative thought leave as easily as it came in. Be aware of it, but don’t feed it. Allow it to be there, for now it is a part of living here in this world. Accept it, but don’t feed it. That is what allows you to heal. 

Whenever a thought comes to you that do not go hand in hand to the highest version of you possible then let it go. Just be still. Don’t feed it by arguing, don’t even pay attention. Just “be” and allow the thought to pass. If you don’t argue with it, you will not feed it, and it will not become part of you. It will stay as a passerby who took up space for a few seconds.

‘Daniel was in line at the convenience store. When it was his turn at the counter he hadn’t noticed as he was deep in thought at the time. The woman ringing him up yelled meanly, ‘Hello, your next!’ At first, Daniel felt rage for being yelled at, but he took a deep breath and ignored it. Within a few moments the rage was gone, and the rest of his day went beautifully.

When you feel any type of negative emotion come forth to take you over, just think, “love.” If it is a person that seems to be causing this disconnection, remember to go back to “love,” and stay there. Practice thinking this. Don’t lose that word in your mind. Don’t argue with the mind. Just allow yourself to feel that love within, and allow it to propel itself forward at that moment.

Kimmie was having a hard time talking to her younger sister. It seemed that everything she said to her was being taken offensively, rather in the loving way that she meant it. Finally her sister got so upset that began to rant and rave. Rather than focus on these things that hurt her, Kimmie followed her breath and kept in mind the love that her sister truly is. Her sister ended up calming down and later on apologizing.

When you realize that you are able to connect to God at all times, and that perfection is attainable, you will push yourself automatically when trouble arises.

Whenever you are stuck in a negative situation, remember that non thought is connection to the divine. Do not speak, do not think. Just “be” and you are allowing the connection to God to continue. Become one with the energy within. This is God. This is spirit. Breathe.

Peggy was having an awful day. It seemed like just everything was going wrong. It all started in the morning when her hair was not coming out the way that she wanted it to. It continued when she dropped her cup of coffee all over the kitchen floor. The brain began its work, and started producing thoughts of ‘I hate my life!’ Peggy recognized what was going on at that point. Before she proceeded to clean the coffee off of the floor, she went to the next room, sat down, and began breathing. She ignored all thought and focused on the love within. After re-connecting she went back in the kitchen and cleaned up the mess.

Breath is such an important part of connection. Breath puts us back into our center. When we are mad or upset, scared or even anxious; deep breathing reconnects us to the divine. We should make it a daily practice to take nice deep breaths as soon as we feel any type of negativity coming our way.  

What is peace exactly? Peace is contentment. Peace is a feeling of security and yes, even happiness. Peace is stillness. Peace is a knowing that there is nothing in this world that can affect you. Nothing in this world can go wrong. Peace is love, love of the self.

How does one experience peace? Just like anything else. In order to experience peace, you have to be it. You have to be the peace, you have to be the love, and you have to be the stillness. In order to experience God you must not allow yourself to think on lower levels.

So what does this mean? If you are being faced with an option to argue or sit in peace, sit in peace. If you are faced with pain and negativity, sit in peace. Just let your mind quiet down and remain in all that is left; stillness.

You will find that most of your thoughts are produced from a negative one. Try your best to only foster thought processes that are positive, or help you to grow. 

Stephanie and a bunch of friends went out clubbing on a Friday night. While inside the club, one of her friends started making negative comments about the dress another girl was wearing. At that point, Stephanie agreed. But in realizing that these thoughts were not her, she ignored them, and changed the subject to something else.

If you do think negatively, don’t beat yourself up over it. That is just something else the brain has to take a hold of. Just remember the technique; accept it and ignore it. It is in this way that you are allowing the greatest you to be shown.

Gerald and Cleo had an argument on their way home from work. During the argument, Cleo realized the tricks the mind was pulling at that moment. She decided to simply breathe and listen to what Gerald was saying rather then allow the argument to continue. After Gerald was done venting his frustrations calm settled between the two. Cleo did not allow herself to hold judgment or pain over the argument. Everything was back to normal within a few minutes of his outburst.

Do you notice how Cleo chose to be the peace, rather than anticipate it? If she had chosen to fight, or even hold anger towards Gerald, the fight would have gone on and on. Instead, it went as quickly as it came.

Ebony and her son got into an argument before school one morning. Thoughts pushing Ebony to cry and sit in pain began forming in her head. ‘Why doesn’t he love me? She thought to herself. Just then she remembered that these were all tricks of the mind to pull her away from peace. She reset her intention of peace, and remained centered within. When her son returned from school she and he had made peaceful resolution.

Keep motivational reads around you constantly. Stay away from negative energies. To be the best you that you can be, requires you to be immersed in the ideas that help to make you the best you. Keep it with you wherever you go. Whenever you have a spare moment to read, read it over and over! Whenever you have a disconnection, scan the chapters until you are reminded of what you need to do to get over it. Peace comes with practice.

Notice how hard it is to focus completely on what you are doing. Becoming fully immersed in whatever moment you are in. It is hard isn’t it? Even reading this book can be hard at times as the mind tries to pull you away into other things. Our minds are conditioned to be analytical. To figure things out, to always be at work. But it is not necessary for our minds to be working in that stage all the time; thinking. We are just accustomed to it.

Start practicing when you’re involved in your conversation. Focus on what the person is saying, rather than what the mind may be pulling you to focus on. Become immersed in all you do. In class focus on classes, when reading, be immersed in it. Immerse yourself in the act of eating, and drinking coffee. Notice the tastes, the smell. Don’t allow your mind to take you away from that moment.

It was dinner time and Dimitri had his plate all ready to go into the living room and watch TV as he ate. This day, he decided against it. He wanted to be immersed in that moment, practicing peace, so he remained in the quiet of his kitchen as he ate. Dimitri ate that meal at least a hundred times before. But for some reason, it had never tasted so good.
Be immersed in all you do. If you are outside working, or walking on your way to work, pay full attention to the sounds that you hear; the cars, sound of rain, people talking; everything. Take time to notice the birds. They talk to each other. Just listen and you can be a part of their conversation too. Watch as two dogs play with each other. You can see them smile.

Feel the textures of things; plants, animals, food, everything. Get immersed in the smells of the world. Just sit and be aware of all around you.

Have you ever noticed that at times when your mind is working you don’t want to do anything else? You just want to sit and think. I mean how can you? Your mind is focused on those things of the future, past or what ifs of the world. Either that or we are analyzing embarrassment, sorrow or fear.

When our time is consumed with thoughts, we cannot enjoy a movie, or the presence of our family and friends.
 It is when you have thoughtlessness that you have the time to stop and smell the flowers, gaze at the moon, watch a sunset or children at play. You can fully enjoy watching a movie, conversing with your children, lying down with a lover.  It is only when you don’t have anything to think about that you will have the room to focus on other things. If you allow yourself to do everything in peace, you will truly behold the wonders of the world, the joys of living.

Try to see the world as a stage, and become the actor in a play. Immerse yourself in whichever role you are playing at that moment. How does it feel to be a boyfriend/girlfriend? Are you immersed? How about your work role? How does it feel to be a cleaner, a teacher, a president? What about when its time to be a parent, or an aunt or uncle? Does it feel good to be a chef as you cook your daily meal? Enjoy every moment of every role that you play. Because that is all life really is- a role, an experience. Enjoy it. Make the most of it that you possibly can.

It was Thanksgiving and Natalie was in charge of cooking for twenty people. Her mind kept bringing her to the point of ‘Why me!?’ But Natalie was well aware of its power. She ignored her thoughts and decided to immerse herself in the role of being a chef in a restaurant. She ended up having a lot of fun.

You can be anything you want to be. People feel as if they must have a label or a degree in order to practice things. For example, ‘chef’, ‘reporter’, ‘writer’, ‘painter.’ The world wants you to have a label before you can do anything. This stops us from trying those things that sound appealing because, we are not “qualified.” Yet, people find the most happiness in those things they least expected.

One day as Rafael was cleaning out his car he started receiving inspiration on taking a few sets of pictures to put into a collage. His friend Jay was there as he told him about the idea. Jay asked him, ‘Have you ever taken a photography class before?’ Rafael realized that he had absolutely no clue how to take pictures, but he decided to go ahead and do it anyway. He changed his career that year and turned out to be a good photographer.

Just do whatever you want to do, and do it at the moment you want to do it because the motivation to do it may pass. You may find that you enjoy something, and can do it so much better than you ever imagined.

Our minds are always on thinking mode. But it doesn’t need to be. We just don’t remember how to put it in peace, how to allow it to rest for a while. So let it rest! The more we allow it to rest, the more we sit in the love and peace that we are. Choose peace next time, and put your brain on pause!

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 7

The mind is never at peace, as it is a wonderful tool and is always working at top condition. It is like your heart, always beating. The problem is it works too well. Not only does it love to dwell in the past, but it loves to set up the future. The worst part about setting up future scenarios is that most of the time they are bad scenarios, focusing on the worst. Remember what I said earlier. The mind loves to center around thought processes that are negative in order to work at its full potential.

Janet goes to a job interview on Friday morning. Everything went well. Her interviewer told her that she would get the call in about a week or so to let her know if she is hired or not. That week was one of the slowest Janet ever experienced. She sat anxiously waiting a reply. Janet’s brain started working full force, coming up with various scenarios to what would happen should she get rejected. Rather than allow herself to think of only the best, she thought of the worst. Worry, fear and doubt began to settle in. the entire week was one in which she sat in pain. The next Friday came around, and the call came in congratulating Janet on her new job.

Do you see that happened? Janet’s disconnection from peace was an entire waste of time; it always is. Nothing was accomplished with her thinking, and she ended up getting the job anyway.

In order to remain in peace and love, we must maintain a positive outlook in all that we do. Negativity is not of god, it is of the mind. Practicing positivism in all you do is allowing yourself to trust that all is well.

Why should we allow ourselves to dwell in lower energies; in energies of sadness, worry, or doubt? What comes out of that? Nothing; and yet we waste our energy in it. The only thing negativity does is disconnect you from the divine, with feelings of pain and worry. It leaves the world and happiness up to a source that will never come through for you.

In order to remain at peace with yourself, you must stay at your highest being. You must remain in spirit, at all times. Try to remember that as you walk forward through your day. Release fear, sadness, and doubt. Release the negativity. Just remember, whenever you have thoughts of negativity in any way, these are not thoughts that are of god. These are of the mind. Take that thought and change it in to a positive one.

The future is never guaranteed. Rather than dwell on these negative what ifs, change them into positive ones, and sit in peace knowing that only good things are to come. That knowing, that trust makes the big difference.

Whenever you feel that the mind is taking control, and you can’t seem to get it back, take a deep breathe and center yourself. Try your best to calm the mind by letting the feelings pass. Just listen to them, but do not conduct dialogue. If you allow a discussion to go about in your mind, you will notice that you will remain in suffering. The way to come out of it is to allow it to pass. Just ignore it. It is not easy at first, but with practice it gets better.

The easiest way to get in the habit of putting the mind on pause is to make it a daily habit to become aware of the mind as a separate entity from your true self. The mind is not conditioned to be paused; you have to show it. Become aware of the fact that you are not your thoughts. You are something more, the spirit. It only needs to be recognized. Throughout the day make it a habit to be aware. Watching, listening.

Next, once you have recognized that you are not your thoughts, you can work at pausing them. The best way to pause your mind is to never ever feeding it. Never discuss, never argue. Just allow it to be, but ignore it. Know that it is there To analyze. That is its job.

The mind is there to work at critiquing, making judgments (both good and bad), and to digest information. It is needed for several tasks, but it is always your choice which tasks you want to use it for.

Most of what you do can be done in silence; in non-thought, as most actions that we do have been learned and are produced automatically. Do you have to think about putting your key in the ignition when you start the car? No, it is automatic. What about eating your breakfast? No, that is automatic too.

Use your mind for those things that are necessary; learning new languages, reading a book, inventing algorithms. Let the mind do its work when it is meant to. Then let the spirit take over, every other time.

Depression, sadness, loneliness, unhappiness; all negative emotion is brought about from disconnection from the divine. The mind will grab at anything and everything to create stress over. It is never at peace unless you force it to be. You must condition it to become still. It takes practice. Without this practice your mind will work full force creating the barrier that separates you from god.

As you go through your daily life, keep one thing in mind; practice is essential. Becoming still will not happen over night. Your mind has practiced the exact opposite for years. Always needing something to think about, something to work against. It takes hold creating upset as much as it can. The key is to accept that moment, and let it pass. Spirit will calm you, it will come through.

When we center within ourselves, we connect to peace. That is the objective. We want to make sure that emotion never takes control. When an emotion, or fear, or sadness is presented, close your eyes, take a breath and blank out. Do not think. Just feel the peace. Focus on the peace.

Practice by putting your mind on pause those moments you are in line at the store, while you are in the car, and in traffic. Anytime that the brain is not necessary, put it on pause. The only reason we need it is to run the body, and to analyze things. Know that most of what we do is automatic. There is no need to be analytical to sit in peace.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 6

The constant states of peace and happiness are natural within us. But to be in the state of constant happiness, is not an easy task. It takes hard work, and a knowing that it is possible.

In order to be completely connected to spirit, we must get rid of the notion of conditional love. Conditional love is not of God. Love is love. The mind is what sets up conditions for love. Conditional love is a treaty, and love is never a treaty. Love is divine; it is direct connection to the Supreme Being. Love is what gives energy to our lives.

For example, many think that with love comes complete obedience. As long as we follow the rules set up by our family, religious teachers and any other within our society with out question, then we love those people.  But this is not the case.  Love does not put forward any conditions.

Laura has a daughter, her name is Susan. Susan falls in love with a man from another country. Susan lets her mother know that she intends on marrying this man. Laura forbids it. Susan marries him anyway. Laura gets upset and stops talking to her. They don’t talk for years, as Laura’s mind has caused her to believe that Susan does not love her, for if Susan loved her, she would have followed her rules.

Do you see how her brain made her believe in something other than the truth? That Susan does not love her mother. Laura’s mind was in full control in this situation. This “lack of love” happens everywhere. The mind is in constant control. To get out of its grasp and fall back into spirit, what you really are, you must learn to love purely. For if you love with conditions you will never find true peace and happiness.

To love someone means that you don’t need to agree with that person. It means that even if that person hurts you, does not agree with your truth, you still love that person.

Loving is the simple act of loving. You don’t need to know a person to love them. Why? Because this signifies that you have to be in agreement with who they are, and what they believe in, in order to love them. This is not the way you naturally are. The mind is what gives you the illusion that you are this way.

Notice how good it feels to love someone, or to be loved by someone. How do you feel when you feed your pet, or hug your sister? It feels good doesn’t it? It raises your spirits, and it brings you into a state that you enjoy being in. This state is God. No matter what part of love that you happen to be sharing, this love is God. Remember that; God is love, and love is God. Love brings us close to God as it is direct connection to spirit. This connection requires no use of the mind. When the mind comes in between, it takes us away from that being. To decrease the power of the mind and in turn increase the power of our natural selves, spirit, we must sit in this love as much as we possibly can.

Try your best to become as a child. Be innocence, purity, and love. Realize your God self, and go with it. If you fall, get back up. The road to perfection is never easy. But knowing that you are being the best you, you can possible be, keeps you walking with your head up.

You have heard the saying “you can’t love someone, if you can’t love yourself” right? Well there is plenty of truth to that. Love is something that is pure and untainted. Love is God, and God is pure, untainted, happiness, pure motivation, and pure positivism. To have that true pure love you must be able to let go of all negativisms, towards self, and towards others. Keep on your guard to stopping them in their tracks when they do appear. This drop of love is within all of us, but because of the mind it is never allowed to remain pure and true, with only the happiness that is created from it.

When you can love yourself, you can truly love another. How can you not see the “imperfections” of another, when you see them in your self? And look at that vice versa. How can you see the perfection within yourself if you only see imperfection within others? There are differences in all of us, uniqueness. Love yourself through every stage you go through; fat, skinny, student, or teacher. Enjoy each and every experience. How is it to live life as a boss? A worker? A student? A Christian? A Pagan? We are all actors on a stage. Love it! Treasure it! Embrace it! Embrace change. Embrace life. This is God within expressing himself.

Experience yourself as you truly are; allow yourself to love with all that you are, everyone you come across, no matter their beliefs, their cultures or their races. Love freely. This is the love that God has for you.

The true state of being is love. That love includes happiness and peace. When we are living life free of drama and upset, free to do what we want without inhibitions, then we know that we are walking in spirit. Right now suffering is natural to many, but with the practice of putting the mind on pause, we can over come this pain. 

Pain is caused by the minds reactions to so many things, including guilt. Because of guilt for things that we perceive to have been sinful, or frowned upon by God, we look for forgiveness. Asking forgiveness of God is a way of getting rid of putting the mind on pause; a way to connect to God. Think about it. When you repent from your sins, you are telling yourself, I am not that person any more; I am not that “evil doer.” The thing is God doesn’t judge us. He doesn’t care. What he wants is for you to experience this life. But because the mind is so strong, we need an outlet to release it, a way to let go. We believe that we are sinners and need forgiveness. But in reality, forgiveness and love are one in the same. With true love, there is no need for forgiveness. It plays no role in our lives from the view point of God. In Gods eyes, he sees us as he is; pure love. The only difference, we are guided by falsehood with the allowance of the mind and its tricks to step forth. So all that we can do, and all others do in regards to sin, is try to calm the brain.

We conduct rituals, and pray for a release of the guilt we hold inside of our selves. But, if God is love, is there need for forgiveness? Is there need for repentance? How can there be if God’s love is unconditional? Let’s not forget our purpose here, to experience and grow. Why would we need to feel guilty about something we have done? Guilt is yet another of the brains most powerful allies in keeping its self busy. When we realize that we are here in order to become the best that we can through experience, we realize that there is no need for guilt. If we do something that goes against who we are, we simply remember not to do it again. Unconditionally loving ourselves requires the release of that guilt.

Forgiveness serves to connect us to the divine through the use of release, and calming of the overworking of the mind. When we can truly love our selves, we will see that forgiveness is an automatic. There is no such word in Gods vocabulary; only love. And love holds no negativisms, only pure light. We must walk in light with ourselves, before we can walk in light with others. By realizing that there is no need to be forgiven, you are allotting yourself true love; love that will not allow guilt or anxiety, a love that knows only peace.

But until then, make it a daily habit to forgive yourself for doing those things that you deem wrong in you or Gods eyes. Allow yourself to walk through it without pain. Forgive yourself for the past. Why bother thinking about it? It does no good for you to stress something that’s already happened. Just let it go!  You will see that the connection grows stronger, day by day. Until one moment forgiveness becomes automatic.

Remember why we must turn to peace in order to stay connected. God is peace. He holds no thoughts of guilt, fear, or negativity.  And for one to be love, he must foster peace. If you have wronged yourself, don’t sit in guilt. Forgive yourself, and walk forward, telling yourself that is not who you are. You won’t do it again. But, let go of it.

Not only must we let go of guilt or resentment of self, but we must let go of resentment towards others as well. Forgiveness comes easy once you realize that holding resentment towards someone is the trick of the mind to hold control, and you practice automatic release of that resentment. Realize that that person was doing what he or she thought was right at the time, and let go of it. Before you let go, just make sure you let them know that they hurt you; never hold back on communicating with the people around you.  That person must know how you feel, so that they have the chance to act upon it. The majority of the world does not know how to read minds. How will we ever forget the past, if that person has no clue, about how we feel? It will sit and ferment into hate eventually. Does that make sense? Think about it. This person did something that caused you pain; inadvertently, not meaning so; simply reacting to their own minds reactions to a situation at that time.

Craig and Joshua are best friends and work together in a high rise apartment building in Manhattan. Every day Joshua picks Craig up on his way to work in order to save money on the gas. For weeks this is done, and Craig contributes nothing to the gas fund. Day by day, Joshua gets more upset. He talks to his wife about it and she advises him to talk to Craig about it. Joshua feels he shouldn’t have to, as this is something that a person with common sense should know. Finally Joshua can’t take it anymore, and asks Craig why he never contributes anything towards the gas bill. Craig apologizes to him, and lets him know that he is completely broke right now, but he planned on paying him for all the weeks he was taking him with his bonus check coming up that Friday. Craig tells Joshua that he simply forgot to tell him about it, as so much is going on at home with the divorce he’s going through.

We are perceivers of the world, through our own eyes. Half of the time, we are so involved in our thoughts that we never take into account, the feelings and thoughts of the other person at that time. This would make things so much clearer, if we could just sit in their shoes, and try to figure out why it was done in the first place.

But even if you don’t want to go through all of these processes, make sure you release that pain, and allow yourself to move on. You can write a fictional letter to the person and then tear it up, or you can get into some active visualization in order to let it go. I will discuss more about active visualization later. Just remember who you are. You are love. To be love, equates to lack of guilt and lack of resentment. Practice the power of putting the mind on pause when ever negativity comes creeping in.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 5

Each and every one of us is born in love and bliss. But as we grow, we start to forget that bliss. It is sometime between the time we are born and 3 that the minds power is first introduced. The child experiences this power for the first time and the first layer of barrier is placed between him and love. As the child gets older, the barrier’s strength gets enforced.

It is those around that child which teach that child to listen to the ‘brain’ and thus to the thoughts, the mind; they show the child that it is proper to live in that division. But, it is not their fault. They are only following the example given to them. With each experience where the mind is allowed to overpower spirit, that very power is strengthened. As the power grows, so does the barrier to love. The barrier gets stronger and stronger, and harder and harder to bring down.

Following the mind, seems the natural state of consciousness to many. Everyone is doing what everyone else is doing. So the power of the mind remains. With exception to those that are introduced into a different way of living; a different way of being. Something, or shall I say someone, that pulls him away from this way of living.

One example is Jesus. Jesus is a prime example of one who lived in spirit. Other examples are Ramana Maharshi, and Mother Teresa. These are those that know what living in love is. And the irony of it is these people weren’t super heroes, they just chose love. Whenever faced with the power of the mind, they chose love. They knew the natural state of being, they knew the truth. They remembered, and they practiced.

One of the strongest enforcers of the mind is the belief that adhering to a set religion, or universal truth is the only way.  When you realize this fact, then you will have no where to turn, but within. It is then that you will truly experience God; fear will be dissolved, and you will truly experience the bliss.

One can not find the way if he already has all of the answers. The search for true connection, true knowledge, begins with an open heart; open to whatever comes its way, and a willingness to test it in ones daily life to see if that is part of his or her own individuality.

Try your best to remember that living for others will never allot you true happiness. You are an individual version of God. If you are to follow others beliefs or guidance, without fully believing in them yourself, you will walk disconnected. You will never be able to connect fully to your divinity. You will never reach your highest potential, your highest good. By living a life of solitude and guidance all of your own, you are able to make choices which benefit your highest good, rather than the good of those around you. In turn, your connection to God will be mighty and strong; not partial. And you will be able to grow in love, and in happiness.

There are certain experiences that you must go through before you can truly connect to God; events that must happen in your life, which bring you closer to understanding. When you choose to follow someone else’s idea of happiness you are stopping your self from experiencing what you are supposed to experience while you are here. You are halting your growth, and understanding of the world.

As mentioned previously, connection to God is inherent within each and every one of us. But we must distinguish the unnecessary processes of the mind, for without truly letting them go, we will never truly be happy.

You are an individualization of God, and to be this, to walk in your true form, you must follow your inner guide; your consciousness. Open your mind to possibilities behind your range of thought. It is only then, that the spirit within can work its true teaching. Get into the excitement of life, and become one with God! 

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 4

There are three states of being that keep us in constant connection to God; love, peace and happiness. Love, peace and happiness; reminds me of the movies showing the 60’s when hippies walked around showing the peace sign everywhere they went. It was a beginning to realizing the importance of just walking in spirit; although not many realized it at the time.

To be at peace with yourself and everyone around you becomes possible when you don’t allow your mind to tell your body how to react. To remain in peace is to remove all negativity from thought. To truly experience the power of peace, is to know that you are not your mind, and you never let your mind convince you otherwise.

Those that walk in peace are those that stay in higher levels of thought; those higher levels meaning non-thought, or positive thought. In order to experience God you must not allow yourself to think on lower levels.

All thought removes you from peace. This is one of the biggest reasons that many monks or ascetics live in silence. They recognize that spirit within, and they know that talking and thought remove them from it. They have made a choice to be in this stillness on a permanent basis.

Always remember the goal; to walk in peace, stillness and contentment with the world. Don’t let things bother you. Live life knowing that all is well with the world; notice the truth that all is perfect just as it is.

To better help understand disconnection from God let’s look at those major things that take us away from peace. One of the strongest disturbances to our peace is the concept of separation.

The illusion of separation is one of those things that the mind loves to create! Why? Because it creates mountains upon mountains of thoughts! The mind causes the illusion that we are separate in one way or another. Whether it is through race, religion, birthplace or school, the topics are innumerable!

One topic is the illusion of “truth”. Is there such thing as a set truth? The mind tries its best to convince us there is. I mean think about it; Each and every one of us is taught a certain way of being, a certain set path of beliefs during childhood. As we grow, we tend to believe that this belief system is the only way to live. This is the only correct path.

There are two problems with this. The first is it creates the illusion that one person is not equal to another person because of the beliefs that he or she has. Many people allow their mind to create this illusion of division without realizing that it comes as a result of the power of the mind to overcome who you really are; one with all that is around you.

One thing you must remember as you walk forward on your path to connection is that there are no concrete truths. What you believe is what you believe, and what others believe is just as true to them as your truth is to you.

Believing that you are the only one that holds the truth causes separation from others which in essence, causes separation from self. Can you honestly say that you love someone, if you feel that you are inferior to them? Believing that your “truth” is better than their “truth” is a statement that you are better then they are because your thought holds more weight.  Life is not about comparing and exacts. Life is about experiencing. Your experience is different from theirs. Does this mean its wrong? No! It’s just theirs. Remember this. Don’t let your mind convince you otherwise.

The second problem created by this concept of a set truth, is that it stops you from growing to your full potential. Believing that there is only one way of being prohibits you from becoming the best that you can be. And that is the point isn’t it? To become the best that you can be while you are on this earth?

If you don’t hold an open mind, then how can you ever test all that life presents you? How can you ever truly know who it is that you are, if you hold on to your past, and never allow yourself to go thru a new set of being? Not that there is anything wrong with who you are. You are perfect! Your beliefs are perfect. What I am saying is don’t let the mind be in control of your spirit. Many times we have inkling to try something new, but because of the fact that we have learned something already, we stop ourselves short. Growth is halted. The mind uses its analytical power to stop us from doing what we want to do. Most of the time, this is due to fear. But I will get more into that later on.

Life is about experiencing and exploration. In order to find peace, we have to break down the walls of conditioning. We have to explore within. By allowing ones self to become closed to listening to another’s experiences or truths, a conclusion is formed.

‘Jess, I was studying some methods from Buddhism that I think is so cool. They talk all about ways to feel at peace. Jess replies, ‘My religion teaches me all that I need to know.’

How can you ever experience anything if you have a set of beliefs that you go by? On your journey of becoming the best that you can be, don’t allow the mind to prohibit you from experiencing all that life has to offer. Remain open minded. The mind loves to make you believe that you have learned the “truth”. This way, you don’t grow. Growth is change. Growth is trying new things. Growth is becoming one with everything around you. Growth is becoming the best that you can be.

The mind is its own entity. Remember this. In order to be spirit, you have to allow spirit to come thru. Break down the barrier to God by exploring your inner self; your spirit, who it is you really are.

When you explore your inner self, allow yourself to be whatever it is spirit is pushing you to be. Find out who it is you are, and don’t allow the mind to interfere. You are a creature of God. You are capable of doing miraculous things while you are here on this earth. In order to do these things you need to follow your inner self.

When you do look within, do so without any single set of beliefs; because what you may find within may be completely against what you have believed previously. Explore your true self with the innocence of a child. A child doesn’t know anything and it learns things with an open heart. That innocence is very important to a person’s growth. So try to drop all beliefs; drop all of the things that others have taught you, and look within. Keep looking. Look until the day you die. This is how you learn. This is how you grow.

Most “truth” is truth that has been passed on from generation to generation. Each generation is just going by what they have heard from another because it makes some kind of sense. Either that or they are afraid to think differently (more about that later). Many don’t learn these truths on their own, thru experience. This is the pitfall. This is why many never experience oneness with God. Because they themselves are stopping themselves short.

Everyone on this earth has to discover his or her own truth. Even the truths that you are reading about right now can not be truths to you unless they are tried and tested. They are simply borrowed from me. But they can guide you to finding your truth, as long as you allow yourself to test it. How will you know if this is truth if you don’t allow yourself to apply it to situations?

Do you need proof that this can be done? Just look into the lives of Jesus, Ramana Maharshi or Buddha. These people found their spirit and allowed it to push them forward into greatness. They are proof that oneness with God is possible! They put their mind on pause, and let the spirit be the guide! They became the spirit; the god.

Those that allow the mind to stay in control will never experience oneness with anything, or any one. How can you ever be at peace on a constant basis if you allow the mind to continue with its illusions of division and separation? You can not. The barriers remain.

Another concept we must look at that removes us from our peace is the concept of fear.

What exactly is fear? Fear is a state of being which causes one to worry about the future, which in turn creates anxiety and stress; disconnection from peace, which in turn disconnects you from spirit. Fear can be created by almost anything and everything; financial issues, relationships, work, religious, and life in general.

Fear is state of being that does nothing for you. Rather than allow you to grow, it takes away from that process, creating anxiety and worry. It causes you to sit in idleness, or to regress into a past state of being. Fear is one of the most common causes of separation. You cannot be one with God, as you sit in fear and getting over fear is one of the hardest things to do, if you don’t know how to do it.

Before we work on taking fear out of the equation, let’s touch upon some of those topics in which create it. The first topic is the topic of religion.

Most of what people believe is a result of how they are brought up. If a person is born into a Christian family, then he will be raised with Christian beliefs. If he is born into a Hindu family, then he will be raised with Hindu beliefs. These beliefs can be wonderful tools to bring you into knowing God, but they can also pose as a hindrance. They are a manifestation of one individual who found the path to happiness from his own perspective. But one thing we must remember is we are all individuals. We can not set one set of rules for everyone. Religions separate you from your true self because it imposes rules on you that you may not want to follow. Rather than allowing you to grow, this religion actually keeps you in idle. Religions actually stop you from experiencing life. How do we grow if we don’t experience?

If you don’t have an open mind, you will never become one with God, at least on a permanent basis. You may have your moments, especially when you sit in love, in peace, in silence. This set of beliefs gives the mind plenty of thoughts which in turn set up pretty strong barriers to the God within. I mean think about it. We are used to thinking a certain way. In order to become one with God, one must have an open mind.  Many are born into beliefs and follow it all thru their lifetime without opening themselves to other ways of thinking. How will he ever truly experience this way? How do you know that that other truths are not your truth as well, if you don’t even allow yourself to experience them?

As mentioned, the mind will try its hardest to be always working. This working keeps you separated from the God within.

The mind covers all bases. It will find anything and everything to work on. Most of the time, it chooses thought produced thru guilt, sin, pain, and most of all fear. These are not easy to touch upon topics. Fear is one of the most painful causing emotions produced.  When we speak of fear, we must remember that it is a method of disconnecting from God. And that is all that it is.

The use of religion is one of strongest holds on disconnection from spirit, because religion advocates fear; fear of hell, fear of condemnation, and worst of all fear of lack of love from God. How can we ever be at peace if we are scared? Without this fear, one will eventually open their minds up to other things out there.

We tend to look at God as a parent figure. Parents always set up rules, and punish us if we don’t follow them. So many believe that God will deny them if they break his “rules.” But how can this be? How can God be of love, and say, “you are not my child?” Do you tell your child that he is not yours because he broke curfew? How is God any different? How can God deny you due to something you with your free will that he has given you, chosen to practice? How my friend? How? It’s such a vicious cycle.

When you do things that are against your particular religious practice, you are creating an imbalance within your happiness, because on one hand you want to, let’s say, have a drink of beer. But your religion tells you, “no!” To be pure, you must abstain from alcohol. So then what happens? You decide to take the drink anyway, and as a result, guilt forms. Guilt stemming from what you perceive to be a disconnection from God, because now, how can God love you if you are breaking his rules?

You end up liking the beer, all the while drinking and staying disconnected from God because you think that he won’t love you as a result. Eventually as time passes, you don’t even go to church anymore, you don’t even call his name. The grandest version of you can never be released.

You are at the nexus of reality. You hold on one side; God. God with rules and regulations, and on the other, you see a world full of emotional and physical happiness, but no spiritual. All because of religious dogma that has been instilled in you from someone else’s truth. And now, now you don’t even have a God. All because of the guilt received from following your true nature, your true self; your true road to happiness. At that moment you chose beer, and in your subconscious you equated that to denial of God. But beloved, this is not so. You must not think this way. For God loves you and he do not want you to leave him. He will love you no matter what you do.

Many times we follow these rules blindly with a hidden resentment towards them. What sense does it make to live within religious structures that you are angry with? You have to constantly lie to yourself just to free yourself from the guilt associated with living the life that your natural state wants to live. All this because of the fact that these religions are not who it is you are. And lets just say that you don’t lie to yourself, you do what you want, but still go thru the guilt of “knowing,” that you are going against your religious practices and laws. You live the life that you want to live, yet something in the back of your mind is constantly berating you and making you feel as if you are doomed to hell. Never can you grow from these experiences for you are like a starving child, grasping at food as if there will never be another morsel.

Just as God, you are love. The only reason for this life is to experience. It is to find the individual god within you; to find out who you are. You are meant to be a beacon to the world, an example for all.

It is your responsibility to be the best that you can be, so that you can be that example for the rest of the world. We need to come together and make the changes to shift our selves to a new consciousness.  We need to create a world of peace, a world of love, happiness and mercy.

It is only through the experiencing of all situations that we can find out who we are. It is your responsibility, it is your duty, and it is your goal. The only thing accomplished by borrowing someone else’s truth is suicide. You have wasted your life. You never even gave your self its’ chance to shine. You locked your inner self away from the world without ever even opening the door, to see what lies on the other side.

And what a door it is; one leading to truth, to love, to pure consciousness. Once you have crossed the threshold beloved, you will never turn back. But the thing is you must muster up the courage to see all that is in store for you! You must see it from within!

Now let’s turn the table for a minute, and look at it from a different point of view. Let’s say you live in peace and happiness. You have God without the borrowed rules. Following rules that are all your own. You decide that you want the beer without feeling guilt, unhappiness or separation. You enjoy the beer without one trick from the mind.

You are doing what will make you happiest at that moment, all the while staying connected to God. You have chosen to experience life, to find out what it is that makes you you. You may be a bit tipsy, but happy tipsy; content in the knowing that God loves you, and he will never abandon you, no matter what it is that you do. Because now, now you know what your purpose is. You know that it is to find out who you are. It is to be the best you that you can be.

And the only way to do this is thru experience. How can one learn from reading about experiences and borrowing their beliefs? How? It can not happen. You will be destined for failure. You will never grow. And what good is that? What good? Where will your life lead you? To a path that is not yours, but rather that is taken by millions of others. Create your own path, write your own book, and be the individual you that you are meant to be. Do not allow your brain to scare you into thinking otherwise.

Experience life! Experiencing life is the biggest gift that you can give to God, the biggest gift that you, can give to you. Find your rules, find your morals, and test your life; test everything.

Find out who you are, and if you find out that what you test is not you, then pass it. Don’t continue. Live your moment, live your now, not someone else’s. 

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 3

One has to get past the mind, in order to pass fear and emotion. Remember, God is all that the body is not. Right now, as you read these very words or my earlier words, your mind may be working full time to discredit these teachings. The only way that we can open our eyes truly, is to realize that the mind is the disconnection we have with spirit. The mind is not who you are. You are spirit. The mind loves to analyze, it loves to work. Mind is God’s miracle, definitely. But it works too well.

The reason is because we have trained it to be this way. Since childhood we separated our selves from spirit. The mind started off with a thought, and we unknowingly, allowed it to continue analyzing that thought. We allowed it to keep working. So now, many years later, the mind is conditioned to analyze to the point of no return.

A thought enters, and bam! There goes our attention for the next several minutes. That very thought will be dissected to the point where every possible possibility has been analyzed. The mind, does not forgo thought. It utilizes every single opportunity to be the center of attention. Why? Because we taught it to! It is only doing what we allow it to.

The worst part is, the mind chooses the easiest and most substantial route to thought; negativity. Whenever we think negatively about something, we can sit for hours on end with that thought? Why? Because once a negative thought is formed, another takes it’s place.

Maya is on the way to the store. As she takes the steps from the car to the store she passes a window and takes notice of her reflection. Upon seeing her reflection, she notices that her hair has come out of place. She can not turn back as the store will close.

The mind has begun its work. Maya’s first thought, “Oh gosh! I look terrible!” The entire time she is in the store, all she can think about is how terrible she looks. She passes a couple and hears them giggle. Her brain automatically assumes they are laughing at her hair. In reality they are giggling about a scene in the movie that they just got out of. Now she is experiencing hate, (for those supposedly laughing at her) and worry, about those that haven’t seen her and she just knows will laugh. The entire time in the store is spent in pain. Now, she leaves the store and experiences nothing but embarrassment for what has gone on. For hours she sits in this pain.--

Do you see how the mind did that? It chose to think in the negative. This is how it gets the most work done! Imagine if she had thought positive? Here’s the alternative.

Upon noticing her hair not as perfect as she likes, Maya thinks to herself, it’s really not that bad. Not perfect, but not bad either. She goes into the store, hears the couple giggle and smiles to herself as it reminds her of when she and her boyfriend are together. She walks out of the store and heads home with a smile.

You see my point? The mind thrives on negativity. If it were to sit in the positive, it gets so much less working opportunity.

The mind can be placed on pause whenever we choose. If the mind is being used only when absolutely necessary, for those things requiring the use of the mind, the mind will sit by with nothing to do! What does that mean? You will experience the only two states of being that are left; peace and happiness. Connection! When the mind has nothing left to do, spirit is the only thing that comes thru.

Thought is necessary only when it works toward helping you or helping others; only when it allows you to grow.  Remember this. This is your key to connection; connection to the God within.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 2

Ok, first things first. When you envision God, what do you see? Do you see God as a physical form, such as you and I appear? Or do you envision purity, non-form, only spirit? Perhaps when you think of God, you don’t picture him as anything specific, but everywhere, and in everything. Spirit within you and in all that is around you.

No matter what you envision, no matter what you see, the one thing that we know for sure is, God is the purest form of any vision that we can ever have. He is love, light, peace, and happiness; perfection, whole and complete.

As I said earlier, one of the best things is each and every one of us is part of that perfection; we are all whole and complete. We are all God walking, as we are directly connected to God.

For some, this concept seems impossible. It is hard to connect God to more than just being in church, prayer, or special holidays. For us to say that we have a direct connection to God is simply unbelievable. Even those that see us as spirit can not accept that that is direct connection to God, as most people tend to think of God as being on the outside, and never within; never who we are.

Those that do recognize that spirituality within either don’t fully understand it, or don’t want to accept it. Rather than accept that we live in God at all times, they prefer to allow the separation. Separate our spirit world, from the world we live in. And sometimes, people can’t allow themselves that.

Others correlate church or other religious places with God. If I go to church, then I am with God. Never would they even think that God is within.

The reason lies in the fact that people perceive the world on the outside to be radically different from the world within. Never putting two and two together; never making the connection. Those that contemplate spirit that is.

Many tend to see God as an outside influence, staring back at us as we pray to him. Never fully realizing that we never have to look far for God, for he is within.

Others prefer the world of practicality, to the world that can be felt and only seldom seen. This is the way the world works nowadays. The proof is in the pudding isn’t it? You’ve got to see it to believe it. So they never attempt to relate the world outside and inside as one, or as two sides of the same coin.

It is upon first experiencing the world outside that we should start experiencing the world inside too, rather than completely abandoning what is within. If things were allowed to be as a natural force, without outside influences, the majority would experience this inner world on their own, never once needing the idea to be introduced. It is only natural that you would look within. It is the society that teaches us otherwise.

Unfortunately that is what most people do nowadays. They experience everything outside, but don’t even acknowledge the existence of a world within.

Although becoming one with the divine has been sought after by people since we started walking around on this beautiful planet of ours. We all know that there is something else out there, yet because of the fact that we don’t put two and two together, we remain disconnected. We continue our search for something else; a lover, best friend, group, or organization. We always want to connect with something or someone, all the while, never fully satisfied.

Why though? How is it that we can be around so many people, and yet still feel so alone? Why are we never at peace? Why does it always seem like something is missing?

It is because, we feel our true self, our spirituality inside of us, but due to several reasons, we don’t accept it, or even realize that that spirituality is what we feel. Our surroundings have conditioned us to forget who we truly are.

So as a result we continue to be disconnected from the true self within. The only thing clear to us is what we see; cars, houses, and any other material that drive us. If we are lucky we have children or some other loved one that we can put to the forefront of our lives. Maybe, if we are even luckier we love ourselves enough to know that we are just as important as another would be, and begin to work on being the best we can be. But sometimes, we don’t even have that. We walk a lonely world, looking for that something to make us feel whole, to take us back to whom we really are.

Many turn to alcohol and drugs to remove the loneliness. These things tend to take us away from the dramas and anxieties of life. They allow us to sit in relaxation and happiness for a short time. This is great, but it is only for a temporary amount of time. It never lasts. You can be in your most tranquil state after having a glass of wine or two. But the second the alcohol wears off, you are back to the same position that you were in, before you drank. Not that I believe there is anything wrong with drinking or drugs; everyone is on their own path to becoming the individual that makes them them. But the fact remains we are constantly searching for a different state; a peaceful calm state that is not arisen normally on a day to day basis. This state is a peaceful knowing, everyday bliss. It is a state of continuous peace that comes when we are directly connected to God.

So what stops us from connecting? What is it that keeps us away from the peace that we are? Why are we suffering?

There is one thing to blame for this; our mind! It causes the illusion of disconnection in the first place.  The mind is a part of you that is not part of you. It is far separate. It is that part of you that argues and projects negativity. God is not mind. God is nothing negative. God is of love; god is love.

Lack of love can equate to fear, anger, anxiety, depression, and hate. All attributes which come from the mind, the body. The mere utterance of these words produces negative feelings within the body. This is of the mind. The mind takes one thought and turns it into feeling. Disconnection comes when one forgets who he really is and allows the mind to take control.

God is not a person. He is not body or mind. He is spirit, a state of being. He is peace, he is love, he is happiness. And we are a piece of that happiness. We are spirit, just as God is. The only difference is we are composed of a bit more. We have body and mind, where as God does not. He is pure spirit. We have just forgotten along the way. We only need to remember, and then we can connect.

We have mind and body, but God doesn’t need one. Spirit lives on without all of the extras. The mind and the body are necessary miracles for living in this world. They are even more of a miracle if one can integrate spirit into that miracle. Problems lie in the fact that we separate these attributes.

Our mind is the reason that we think we are not connected directly to God. Some call it the ego, but I prefer using the term ‘mind’. The mind’s importance is of great magnitude. It is so powerful, so strong, and so important. It can be so good, yet so bad at the same time. I mean, come on. We need our mind. Our mind allows us to do everyday necessary things; things such as homework, our jobs, walking, talking, eating, and any other thing that requires body. Yet it can go from one place to another, anywhere, faster than anything else. One of Gods greatest glories! But it can also be our biggest downfall. For with the mind, comes sorrow, fear, and disconnection from the only true thing there is; spirit.

God is spirit. Some find this statement hard to believe. The concept of a God without a mind or body is not fathomable. But God doesn’t have a mind or body because he doesn’t need one! He just is; pure spirit.

One of the reasons some do not fully understand this concept is because, we tend to bring God down to a human level. We say he is angry, jealous, and hateful. We put these emotions on him because we just figure, if we are these things than that is he as well. But this is not so. The mind and the body are necessary for the human. They are necessary in order to live in the physical.

As I stated earlier, the mind is a wonderful tool to deduce, systemize, and contemplate. It is necessary to do the every day things that humans do; eat, sleep, and exercise. But to be that image that we were made in, body and mind is not necessary. Remember, these elements are only necessary to live in this world, the physical.

The purpose of the mind is for deduction, systemizing, and contemplation. Why would God need to contemplate? Deduce? Systemize? Only humans need to do these things. God is pure. To be unconditional love, you must not include the mind. The mind is a hindrance.

Let us use Jesus as an example. Many agree to the fact that Jesus was God walking. Jesus did things without thought. He never needed to think about things. He just did them. As Jesus, God doesn’t react, he just is. When one reads about Jesus, all you see are attributes of peace, love and compassion. We are that as well.

Our mind has the power to analyze anything put in front of us. We look at someone and right away, place a tag upon them. We think to ourselves, gosh, “she’s pretty,” or “gosh, those pants are too tight.” Regardless of whether these thoughts are as termed “positive,” or “negative,” it is the mind that creates them.

The mind is working all the time. It never stops. The only time that it stops its analytical function, is when you are sleeping. When you sleep, the mind has no power to analyze. It is resting, along with the rest of your body.

This is why a lot of times, when we are suffering due to whatever reason, a break up, death, embarrassment, we always tend to want to go to sleep. We always want to make it so the mind stops working.

Although we have forgotten who we are, we seem to understand a little bit of what’s going on. Sleep equals peace. What we don’t know, or understand, fully, a lot of times, peace equals God; direct connection to God.

Does that make sense? I mean, peace equals God. When we are at peace, we are one with spirit. Being one with spirit, is being one with God. The mind is no where to be found. At that time, we are one with peace. There is no worry, fear or suffering.

For it is the suffering that disconnects us from who we really are. The problem is the mind never allows us to be at peace. We are lucky to have a few moments, without any type of suffering. Whether it is due to a quarrel with our lover, money problems or something as simple as having to clean our house, peace is not experienced all the time.

In order to connect with God, one must be what God is. What is God again? God is spirit. What are the attributes of spirit? Spirit is love, peace and happiness; stillness. So in order to connect with God on a constant basis, one must always sit in love. No matter what facet of love you choose, being in love is being in God.

You’re probably thinking, “Ok, so what you’re saying is that a person can be without suffering? One can live without experiencing fear and anger on a daily basis?”

Yes! Remember what God is not, and strive to be all that God is. God is love. Become one with God, by becoming one with love. Once you master this, you are no longer a victim of your body, but a product of your own choices, your own resolutions. There are many ways to get in the habit of being one with God all the time. And being one with God, removes pain from the equation.

It sounds wonderful doesn’t it, the fact that we can remove suffering from our lives on a permanent basis?

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).