Day 7: Honor the Divine with...PEACEFULNESSWorking Definition:
The principle we are working with today is PEACE. It is an internal state of harmony and tranquillity derived from the awareness of peace. Thought, word, and deed produced in response to a desire to create, promote, or maintain a state of peace.
Commentary on PEACEFULNESS
My friend Joia told me a story about a woman and some birds that gave me great insights on peacefulness. She heard the story from her guru, Swami Chidvilasananda (widely known as Gurumayi), a teacher of the Siddha Yoga tradition.
One day a woman went to the park to meditate. She found a quiet, sunny place, spread her blanket, and sat down. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and was prepared to begin an inward exploration of her thoughts and feelings. As her breathing became regulated and her mind still, she became aware of some birds chirping near her. At first it was a melodic and peaceful addition to her inward journey. Within moments, however, the birds began to squawk, almost scream at each other. As the woman tried to stay focused on her breathing, the birds seemed to squawk louder and louder.
The woman's eyes flew open. There were at least twenty birds sitting around her, screeching at each other. She looked around and the rest of the park was empty. Halfheartedly, with a flinging gesture of her hands, the woman shooed the birds away. Some left. Some remained. Those who remained became very quiet, until she closed her eyes.
It seemed as if the second she closed her eyes, the birds started screeching again. Quite annoyed, the woman got up and moved. The birds flew away. Upon finding another prime spot of grass, the woman sat down to begin the process all over again. As soon as she did, the birds came back. "This is ridiculous!" the woman said to the birds. "Shoo! Shoo! Go on! Get out of here!" The birds flew a little higher, but in a seeming act of defiance, they continued to squawk. Totally pissed off with the birds for disturbing her peace, the woman stood up and began to chase the birds. She would run to the left, and fling her blanket at them. The birds would fly away, but they wouldn't shut up. As soon as she cleared those on the left, a new crew arrived to her right. Changing directions, she would shoo them away. They would circle her, squawking, and swoop down a few feet away. Within moments, the woman was flinging her arms around like a lunatic, screaming at the birds who were squawking back at her. Realizing how crazy she must have looked, she snatched her blanket from the ground and stormed out of the park.
Later that evening the woman had an opportunity to relate her experience in the park to her guru, her teacher. Her exasperation returned even in the midst of telling the story. The guru smiled and asked, "Why did you not welcome them to join you?" "How was I supposed to do that?" she asked. "Om Nama Shiva," the Guru responded, "which means, 'I surrender to Shiva (meaning the God) within me.'"
A few days later the woman went back to the park. She went through the entire process again. The moment she became still, the birds began to sing. As soon as she heard them, she mentally affirmed, "Om Nama Shiva." The birds began to squawk. "Om Nama Shiva." It began to sound as if every bird in the state had converged on the very spot where she was sitting. She never opened her eyes. She continued to breathe deeply, affirming louder and louder in her mind, "Om Nama Shiva. Om Nama Shiva! OM NAMA SHIVA!" She thought the words faster and louder. So fast and loud in fact that she became so mentally exhilarated that she stopped. It was then that she noticed the silence. Either the birds had flown away or simply shut up. She did not open her eyes to determine which had occurred.
Why is it that we will walk into a room of screaming children and yell at the top of our lungs, "BE QUIET!" If you want peace, be peace. My grandson Oluwa, age five, is afflicted with a common childhood ailment. He cannot speak below 100 decibels. He yells as if he secretly believes that everyone in the room is hard of hearing. One day someone in the family (due to threats of being sued for slander, I cannot reveal who) became so frustrated with him that they yelled, "Will you please be quiet!" Other people present in the room chimed in by screaming, "Thank you!" His silence lasted for about three minutes. His next comment was made at the usual ear-piercing level.
If you want peace, be peaceful. Because I am the wise old granny, I have learned to take a completely different approach. When Oluwa screams at me, I crouch down to his level, put my nose directly up against his nose, smile, and whisper, "I can't hear you. You are talking too loud." He didn't get it at first, but I would stay there, staring at him eyeball to eyeball, until he lowered his voice. Now when Oluwa approaches me, he usually whispers so softly I must ask him to repeat himself. He and everyone else in the family still seem to have a problem hearing one another. I watch them and I smile. If you want to experience peacefulness you must begin from a posture of peace. One word of caution: Be prepared to stay in that posture for as long as it takes.
Commentary Journal
After reading today's commentary, I realize
The key phrase(s) I want to remember and work with today are
Morning PEACEFULNESS Affirmation
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
I am PEACE, PEACEFULLY expressing myself as PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
Nothing can disturb this expression of PEACEFUL PEACEFULNESS.
PEACE is the order of this day.
PEACE is the order of this day.
PEACE is the order of this day.
As I am, So It Is!
For this I am so grateful!
Let Me Remember...
To have peace, I must be PEACEFUL.
I can choose PEACE in all situations.
Nothing in the world can disturb the PEACE I create within.
I welcome others to join me in PEACE.
Evening PEACEFULNESS Journal
Today, I realized it is easy to remain PEACEFUL when
I find it is difficult for me to remain PEACEFUL when
As of this moment I am completely at PEACE about
Copyright © 1998 by Iyanla Vanzant
Day 21: Honor Others with...FORGIVENESS
Working Definition:
The principle we are working with today is FORGIVENESS. It is release. Letting go. The process of removing errors from the mind in pursuit of harmony. The release of what is false for what is true. Giving up of a thought or emotion in order to facilitate change of the thought or emotion.
Commentary on FORGIVENESS
"How long are you going to stay mad and hurt?" I didn't know, but I knew I was not ready to not be mad yet. What she had done to me was unforgivable! Besides that, somewhere in the back of my mind I actually believed that the longer I stayed mad, the more she would suffer. After a while, what she had done was no longer the issue. The issue was her suffering. She had to suffer! And I wanted everyone to know that she was suffering because of what she had done to me! I wanted to read about her suffering in the newspaper! Then and only then would I even consider not being mad at her anymore. She must have known I was mad at her, because one day she quietly died in her sleep. I wanted to say, "Good for her!" But I was too mad. Many, many years after her death I was mad, I was miserable. I was still hurt, and she was still dead. Now, what kind of sense did that make?
Most people believe that when you forgive someone, you are doing something for them. The truth is, when you forgive, you are doing it for yourself. As it relates to forgiveness, you must give up what you do not want in order to make room for what you do want. You must give up pain, anger, resentment, and fear in order to experience goodness, joy, peace, and love. For some reason, we believe that if we forgive someone they might get to the good stuff before we do. Offering another the forgiveness they need strengthens the spiritual nature in you. It is this nature and your consciousness of this nature that reaps you the benefits of life. When you withhold forgiveness or love from anyone, for any reason, it diminishes your awareness of the abundance of good in life. You are stuck in so much old stuff, new stuff has no way of getting to you. In essence, the good that you withhold from others will be withheld from you.
As long as you hold on to the belief that anyone on earth can do anything to you, you will be unable to forgive. People cannot change who you are and what you were born to be. They can create obstacles in your path. They can do things that make you believe you are other than what you are, but people cannot change, alter, or in any way hinder the truth of your being. The truth is you are divine. The truth is that the divine source of life made you perfect and complete, and nothing anyone does can change that. The truth is we all forget that we are divine and act out of our human fears, beliefs, and perceptions. In doing so, we offend one anothe...
