Are You Pregnant?

Ever felt pregnant?  No, not with a child pregnant, with possibilities pregnant.  It's like going through a gestation period of growth - say nine months of darkness.  You're sustained during those dark periods because you know its for your greater good.  Yea, that kind of pregnant.  I've felt like I was there.  Ironically, now that I feel like I'm about to give birth - I realize that my sister-in-law Sonia is in her ninth month and actually about to give birth too.  All minds are connected, right?

Well a lot has transpired in the last nine months for me.  As I look back over it, its transformational stuff.  Its interesting, because in the midst of these life changes we don't always recognize them occurring.  Just like a pregnancy we simply trust that the process is taking place as it should.  We plant the seeds of our desire into womb of life and await the manifestation of that desire.  The process often takes time to come to fruition because we are not always ready to receive what we want, so we wait.  

What's born  is a new vision, a new level of knowing, a new level of loving.  What's born is God in man, a new savior.  No not a savior for the world but a savior for ourselves.  If we each must be born again or anew then we are born anew in mind.  Consciousness lifted from where it was before into new levels of being.  We are empowered not to be better, but rather to recognize how good we already are.  

To begin let's start by seeing ourselves as God sees us.  The sky really has opened up and God really did say "you are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased."  I know, you heard the needle scrap across the record or someone yell "cut," but it wasn't God.  Your ego is trying to keep you in hell.  Where is hell you ask?  Its that spot where you believe God is not, where you think you are separate from God.  In reality it doesn't exist.  Your ego telling you you're not good enough, that something is wrong with you, that God has judged against you and found you wanting.  Trust me, if God loves you and sees you as good, all your little thoughts of inadequacy can't prevail against what God knows to be true.  

Funny, it just popped into my mind that Sonia says on her voicemail "don't forget to push, (pray until something happens)."  A pregnant woman telling us to push.  Good advice, if you want to give birth to your new self PUSH!!!

Separate & Not Equal

I was riding along in my car the other day listening to a broadcast of a Christian Talk show the name escapes me.  It seems that the focus of the show was to bastardize everything and everyone who didn't fit their definition of "Christian" including other Christians.  As a result my Sunday radio broadcast dealt with prejudice.

  

I think it is interesting how people pay lip service to not being prejudice.  Unfortunately, that does not hold true across the board with all forms of prejudice.  Most people hate to be discriminated against but fill perfectly justified when they project their opinions and prejudices onto others.  It is as if our ego plays this game telling us that it is alright.  I have to chuckle because at one of my discussion groups this man who was homeless talked about another man who was also homeless but came over and asked me for some change.  Both of them are homeless but the one before me felt superior enough to point out that he was not begging.  

You see our ego plays this trick on us.  It makes us believe that we are all separate and that we must compare ourselves to others.  So somehow you are better or worst, right or wrong based on some arbitrary form of assessment.  

The Christian broadcast spoke out against the homosexual community, against the evolution of family, and certain other denominations.  They have judged against various groups and found them wanting.  Imagine that!  Does that not totally go against what Christianity is all about?  Some Christians get into the habit of demonizing the rest of the world.  

Maybe one day they will come to realize that it is really them that are the wolves in sheep clothing.  Maybe one day they will see how they have castrated God and rendered him impotent by second guessing the order of it all.  Maybe one day they will discover the message of love that was being shared, not tolerance but love.  Maybe one day they will no longer need to see separation but will declare the at-one-ment.

Just a thought!

Bringing Meaning by Bringing You!

Have you ever asked yourself are you ready for something?  If you are like most people, I am sure that you have, about something.  Unfortunately, most people think that we "ought" all be on the same page, this is simply not possible.  Not everyone is ready or interested in the same paths of development.  Learning to be respectful of that can be a part of your own spiritual growth.  

We have a tendency to think that everyone should be a certain way, the way that we define spiritual.  When a person does not display the particular matrix that we see as spiritual, there's an inclination  to judge them as being the opposite.  

I was always intrigued by the idea that Jesus shared; not everyone will be able to hear what he was saying.  Certainly everyone heard the words, but for some the words would inspire judgment, in others fear and others unconditional love.  

A quick example would be to put 10 people in a room and have someone read them 2 sentences.  Now ask them what they heard.  It's likely each person would walk away with a different interpretation of what was said.  According to our experiences and our soul's intention we hear what we hear.  

Jesus said he who has an ear let him hear what spirit says.  We each hear the same message but bring meaning from our own perspective colored with our own experiences and interpretation.  We think of ourselves as right, and we are - from our perspective.   That is one of the reasons it is important for each of us to realize that the experience of God is not something that can be taught to us by another.  We are each responsible to go within.   To have that understanding for ourselves.  Not Sandra's experience, not your pastor's version, but your own.  

This weekend I had a wonderful experience with something just like this.  I went out of town with a friend of mine.  We each met the same people and we each saw our mission with them differently.  Sometimes our purpose is simply to show up and be who we are, nothing more, nothing less.  In our being-ness there is a lesson.  I have no need to make you see as I do or to convince you of my rightness.  When I do so, I am wrong.  Some people need what they perceive of as the "security" of traditional thought forms that tell you what to do or what not to do.  There is a comfort in that for them, I respect that.  When we learn to simply  be, we can inspire others through our actions, not just our words.  They may see that it is possible to be one with God, in good favor with God, without being boxed in by their thoughts about God.  

Talk truly is cheap when we don't know how to practice what we preach.  If we speak of non-judgment then that means to not judge against another's beliefs.  If we trust that God gives us exactly what we need, then that means She will send the examples, teachers and experiences necessary to get the job done.  That teacher may or may not be you.  Just know that there is no struggle, only love.  Everyone is not ready for what we think they should be ready for, learning to accept that is a part of our spiritual growth.  Trust the process. 

Judgments Kill

Are you judgmental?  You know most people don't like to own up to the fact that they are judgmental.  They either make excuses for it, "the bible says. . ."  Or try to justify it by saying it's necessary to discern to what they're being exposed.   Let's see, how can I put this clearly?  Judgment KILLS!

Most of us are caught up in this idea that all the extrinsic stuff matters.  So we evaluate people on "stuff:"  The problem is that we get deluded into thinking that the "stuff" some how matters.  I guess in this capitalistic society we put worth in things not in people.  Things like possessions, degrees, positions, you get the point.  Things begin to own us rather than our owning them because we project so much of our self definition into them.  

Now this is getting off into a different area, I'll deal with materialism another day.  You get the idea we judge not that all life has value but that there is a hierarchy of value based solely upon things that are temporal.

Our judgments don't hurt the people we judge against, they hurt they one that judges.  Judging keeps you trapped in the physical and block your own growth.  You will not recognize that you and your brother are one if you are judging him, you won't recognize him as your brother either.  

Judgment is one of the biggest games that the ego has going.  It keeps you stuck in your separateness.  It puts you in the position of the "all knowing" because you assign values and get to determine what has worth and what does not.

People who feel worthless are usually the ones who judge.  If they knew that they had an inherent value then they would look on everyone else as having value as well.  There would be no need to judge them because all is one.  If you are judgmental check yourself, it is not hard to recognize the divinity in you is in all of life.  Its just God experiencing God. 

The Choice

Where am I today?  Well, I was thinking that each of us are born with our own set of personal issues that we must overcome.  For some of us identifying those issues is the largest task of all.  Let me explain.  

I hear ministers quoting from the text about it being harder for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  Now we can talk about historically what that meant, (the eye of the needle did not mean then what it means today) but that would be to belabor the issue.  We could talk about values and money, but that would miss the issue too.  The real significance of that statement is how we relate to the physical as opposed to the spiritual.  (Remember, you are just ease dropping on my thoughts). 

It is in our triune nature (mind, body, soul) to try and reconcile our being.  Our mind trying to comprehend the fact that we are eternal with the temporary body.  If our mind totally focuses on the physical, we literally become the walking dead.  (I want to elaborate on that in a second.)  If we focus totally on the soul we miss the entire purpose of our incarnation.  So the reconciliation process is necessary.  

Now on the physical side.  Whatever is physical is temporal, meaning it is born into space and time and therefore subject to decay and extinction.  Follow me.  Put your faith in temporal things and you are headed for a let down.  Some folks determine their self-worth by a job, a car, a title, a house, a relationship or whatever.  Those things while not all physical are temporal and are subject to change or extinction.  That means your self-worth is always contingent on some tangible object over which you have no control.  How scary!

On the spiritual side, (I have to laugh because this woman told me one time that I was so heavenly minded that I was no earthly good.  Not true, I love my incarnation but I am not attached to it.)  Sometimes we can misidentify what it means to live a spiritual life.  I once told a friend of mine "that peace is not achieved through removing the noise that surrounds us, it is finding that place within that knows that eternality is the truth."  That in the face of all that is occurring around us we can not be hurt, attacked, or diminished because we are spiritual beings having a human experience and not the other way around.  So the statement that says if you seek to save your life you will lose it is so true because saving your life is believe that that life is the totality of your being.  

I don't know if that is clear, but let me move on, these are just my thoughts, remember?  

When I see people depressed about the "stuff" of life I can't help but to think that they've missed the beauty of it.  They get caught up thinking the "stuff" matters.  Sometimes its just about learning to maneuver through the mess that's the point.  Deciding and proclaiming peace.

I'll never forget when I was overseas there was this cocoon outside of my window that I watched daily.  Well, when I saw the cocoon starting to open I figured I would assist the butterfly in getting out into the world.  I didn't know that the struggle to squeeze out of the cocoon is how a butterfly pushes the blood back through its body to develop its wings and legs.  My denying him his struggle ended up leaving the resulting mutation unable to continue its journey properly.  

Some people may never get it.  They may die unhappy because they will have thought that happiness was an achievement rather than a choice.  Even that choice is a struggle that must be declared over and over again.  Looking for the easy way out could leave us with mutated lives.  Fortunately, spirit is so wonderful it wont let up, if there is something you must learn, learn it you will.  Now that's what I call peace being thankful for the ass kicking because you realize that in the end it's because you are loved, because you need to learn and its for your own good.  

Hey these are just my thoughts.  We don't own thoughts so feel free to share them.  If you lie and say that they are yours, you do yourself a disservice.  Life copyrights.  Thanks for reading this, your opinions are valued please share them.

Copyright© 2001 By Sandra Bishop Ministries

Clear Chanel

Where am I today?  We all evaluate our actions and the reasoning behind them.  I do, a lot.  Before the radio show I ask myself "what idea or feeling do I want people to walk away with?"  After the show I ask "did I communicate that point and make it clear?"  Did I convey my highest thought and if not why not?  Was the point one that everyone could understand even if they didn't care?  Believe it or not, this dialog is constant for me, especially on the radio.  Yes, I live in the present and doing so means that I accept my actions in that moment, however that does not stop the reflection process that follows.  

When I first began college majoring in philosophy I thought it was something special to use big words that tied up a thought nicely into a neat bundle placing it before my listeners.  Then one day someone said to me that the measure of intelligence is not how well you can confound your audience, its how well you can make them understand.  Anything short of that is pedantry.  I try, probably failing sometimes,  to make ideas so clear that the simplest mind can understand.  After all, what is the point of talking if you are not understood?  Inherent in the definition of Communication is understanding.  Using words and phrases that your listener cannot comprehend, is equivalent to speaking a different language.  He may pick up on your emotions, but not your ideas.

Now, we can make our ideas crystal clear in our own minds that does not mean they will be received that way.  We each have experiences or opinions that color our ability to hear without prejudice.  Certain words or thoughts may trigger associations to other ideas that have little to do with the situation at hand.  For example, in a past relationship whenever we had a disagreement or my feelings were hurt I would automatically go into the communication "model" known as reflection.  He would talk and then I would stop him and say "so what I hear you saying is . . "  we were both amazed at how poorly we understood one another.  I don't know that all women draw the conclusion that when a man says "my mother did it this way, or my ex did it that way .." that a comparison is being made, I did.  In my mind I heard a judgment be it good, bad or indifferent.  Using the reflective model I found that he was actually trying to justify eating all my vegetables that he told me he didn't like.  He thought hated vegetables, until he tried mine. 

I love to read books or listen to people who challenge me expand my mind, but this is not true for everyone.  Confounding your listener can often leave them feeling alienated or intellectually inadequate.  If the purpose is to communicate, then we must do so with the thought of sharing in mind.  Whenever possible, pay attention to who you are talking to making sure you are speaking to them and for them, not just for yourself.  That's my thought for today.  I hope you got it!

The Sparkle

Did you see that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "Terminator 2" I think it was?  There was this scene where the Terminator had gotten trapped in a huge press and you could see its eyes that had a red light in the center, remember?  When the press came down on him and he got crushed the light dimmed and then went out.

It's sad but most people I see are walking around like that, no light in their eyes.  I often wonder what makes it go out and at what age?

I was sitting in a restaurant with my girlfriend Vel having lunch one day.  This man walks in the door that I nodded a hello to and went on with my conversation with Vel.  I thought where do I know him from?  It started nagging me in the back of my mind .  I could hear his voice but I didn't remember a conversation.  He got his order and was headed out the door I suddenly remembered.  I said "I know you, you're an actor I saw you in. . " I named the play it escapes me at the moment.  

You should have seen the instant transformation.  A light came on, his posture became erect and he even held his head differently.  We watched this man go through a metamorphosis right before our eyes with the mere acknowledgement that he was an actor.  

I don't know what that man was doing that day but it was clear where he got his joy.  If we would just do what gives us joy, we would have that light on all the time.  We would live our truth.  Our purpose.  Our passion.

Copyright© 2001 By Sandra Bishop Ministries

Who am I? - What brings Joy?

I don't know what year this was written in originally but here is the first of many. . . 

"Birds do not sing so others will applaud . . .so we sing"  Larry Bey

Seems as though I've been away for a while and unfortunately I can't say that I am totally back, I'm back for the moment.  This hiatus has been wonderful for me.  I've done a lot of reading, writing and introspection.  I finally finished the book I'd been working on, the editing should be done by the end of April and then off to print.  I'm really excited.  

Over the past few months I've given a lot of thought to what I do and why.  I am a speaker, a teacher and a writer who focuses on spirituality and self-development.  I do this because it gives me joy. 

A Course in Miracles says that man is generous out of his own self interest and in this regard I would agree.    I get great joy from what I share with others.  

Its been my belief that we each have talent, some of which are more marketable than others, and we each have a purpose for being.  I know that I've found mine simply by following what gives me joy.  (If it gets any better I might pop.)  I know that others can find that same joy by doing what makes them happy.  Realizing that the onus is upon the individual to speak to what brings them joy and to follow that.  

The ultimate question becomes "who am I and what makes me happy?"  "What gives me joy?"  This is the only path leading to a truly authentic life.  To find that central referential "I" and begin work from there.  

I remember when I first started doing my radio show.  I would listen to other shows to see what other host did. At the same time realizing that I had to find my own voice, my own way of being that spoke to who I am.  It is important that we each seek and find our voice.  I know the saying that "imitation is the best form of flattery" but copycatting is demeaning.  Your uniqueness certain.  Play your part because only you can.  Don't simply  pander to the ideas and fears of others by doing what you perceive is tried and true. 

Life requires that we shake from our minds the shackles of other people's ideas and opinions.  We must decide what it means to be who we are in this space and time even if we must do so defiantly.  There is nothing glamorous about "blending in."   Don't get me wrong this is not about glamor as much as it is about pushing the limits placed upon you.  

Let me not leave this manifestation with the idea that I simply traveled new roads.  I want to be like Star Trek or Daniel Boone who went where no one has gone before.  I'll cut a path and leave a trail for others to follow and not so that I can beat my chest and say look at what I did, its not about me its about ME.  Since I know its only one of us here.  It reminds me of when Jesus went into the garden to pray just before the crucifixion.  He came out and found all his disciples asleep.   How symbolic.  At the risk of sounding trite - "if not me, who?  If not now, when?"

Wake up we need you too!