Practicing Self-Compassion

[Penny L]

First of all, thank you, David, for AUTHENTICALLY sharing your self with us. I appreciate your amazing integration of all the various topics from so many different aspects in such a way as to consistently show our inter-connectedness with all that is. I've been all over your website, thoroughly enjoying myself.

The part I appreciate the most is your sharing of your personal stories and insights--I can SO relate to most of it. Years ago I read a biography on Edgar Cayce, and I've got a tremendous appreciation for his work and for the human being that he was--I know it's got to be some tremendous-feeling pressure to be the reincarnation of him. And it shows--you expect so much from yourself (as did Edgar).

Back in the early nineties I took Jesus's statement, "Judge not, lest you be judged," very much to heart. I saw that everyone around me was a mirror reflecting myself back to me--and I saw that the really irritating ones were just showing me aspects of myself that I was judging as the "wrong way to be." So I tried extremely hard to monitor myself and NOT be that way--a very hard road, and not very successful, at that.

One day while standing at the sink washing dishes, I found myself once again in the midst of judging some friends of mine, and out of frustration with myself for doing so, I asked God, "Why do I keep doing this?"

A warm, tingling sensation came through with the understanding of these words, "Penny, how do you expect to love everyone else in this world without condition if you don't FIRST LOVE YOURSELF? Love yourself first--and the rest will be easy. I have loved you always, in all ways."

The tears flowed to beat heck after that, increasing with every realization of His/Her love for me even in moments when I really thought I'd failed miserably as a human being, even when trying to do my best.

Later, the same voice within would tell me, "Apologize not for your own, or for another's, existence; for it's out of LOVE we ALL come, and it's unto LOVE we ALL return."

It's one thing to tell oneself to love yourself COMPASSIONATELY and UNCONDITIONALLY; it's quite another to actually learn to PRACTICE it. It took me a number of years to get here.

With utmost love and appreciation for all that you are, David, and for all our fellow human beings who are all here out of love...

Penny

[soup]

I was recently reading Reiki for Beginners by David Vennells, the part where Mikao Usui became disillusioned by those he lived with in the slums - as if they lived without the will to improve their lives. To me it seemed remarkable that this humble man experienced the revelation of Reiki healing along with corresponding miracles though spent years learning this important lesson in the slums - that of free will. Out of it Mikao Usui emerged with the five Reiki principles - affirmations as baby steps that might ease a person on a path toward what seems to me, like that of self compassion. Here the act of reciting the Reiki principles with earnesty can grow a desire to live in congruence with them - it can spoon feed the will in a subtle way, help a person break out of a stagnant state of lower potential then they may be aware of, to help them ascend into greater bliss as their divine birthrite.

for today, be without worry
for today, be without anger
for today, be loving toward all
for today, be honest in work
for today, be grateful

[soup]

...it seemed remarkable that this humble man experienced the revelation of Reiki healing along with corresponding miracles though spent years learning this important lesson in the slums - that of free will. Out of it Mikao Usui emerged with the five Reiki principles...

Given the possibility that one of Mikao Usui's important life lessons related to the concept of free will, this may indicate that Mikao Usui's life was an example of that of a sixth density wanderer...

I'm interested in learning other people's opinion in these regards, as if the lessons that people struggle with somehow give indication of their evolutionary progress.

What sorts of lessons might act to delineate the densities?

[Penny L]

Hi, Soup! Thanks for the additions to my post.

Regarding your query as to whether life lessons correspond to the density of the individual--I have a sense that that's a question to ask and then sit with oneself and await the answer's arrival from within yourself. I've been seeing the beauty of my own life unfolding in such a way that I find myself excited for others to share the treasures they are finding, each in their unique stories--and within every moment (past, present, future).

It truly is an awesome time to be here as humans on earth, isn't it?

It was interesting you made the Reiki connection--I've heard of it and delved into about every tangent you can imagine (even massage therapy), but I have never looked deeply enough to read up on Reiki's origins. I love, too, that you made the connection to the self compassion part in it. I've been finding personally that once I practice self-compassion, then it naturally flows out as compassion with the world/universe.

I'm honored to connect with you...

Penny L

[MarkM]

Another thought in regards to life's lessons as an indicator of attainment or density level: once while I was downtown I happened upon a homeless beggar who was lying on the sidewalk. He was very dishevelled and dirty and apparently high or drunk, and I thought to myself, this must be an example of a very unevolved person. I was being judgemental without knowing anything about this man's background.

Then I recalled that Edgar Cayce had said that there are many facets to one individual soul, each one can be likened to aspects of personalities or past life situations that exist at varying levels of evolution. My street person friend might, for all I know, have chosen his situation in his present incarnation in order to meet a very large amount of catalyst for evolution. He could be bravely facing challenges that you or I couldn't even fathom. You just can't know. This is why you can't judge a person. You can't know what they are facing, and how possibly just by still being alive they have been wildly successful in their present incarnation.

David Wilcock had two past lives as John Bainbridge, a gambling, womanizing 'wastrel'. Then his next two lives were as Edgar Cayce, and David Wilcock!

Perhaps you can't accurately gauge your own overall level of service to others polarity based upon just this one lifetime? Or perhaps this is augmented by the fact that catalyst is sped up to such a large degree in these times that we each see in ourselves now catalyst reflecting more of the sum total of our third density experience, that we are more of a composite of all our past lives and thus can more accurately gauge?

Does anyone wish to add to these thoughts?

[soup]

i remember feeling strongly called out one rainy night - i put on my rain jacket and walked the streets to find out why. i went to "pizza my heart" and ordered two slices and then a woman with a black plastic bag resembling homelessness came in - i understood what the second slice was for and i slipped it to her as she dozed. later i would meet her, on a clear day - she would read my mind aloud like an open book. i wanted to help her, felt terrible about her condition, though she held such a ferocious independance - she wanted nothing to do with me. the next time we met i encouraged her to attend to her nutrition, she needed care put to her eyes; and she accepted $100 from me for that and somehow i felt vindicated. the next time i saw her we didn't stop to talk, we just passed by, walking opposite ways, she looked well and i felt okay with how it was with her. There's many amazing crones out there such as her, walking the streets...i remember now that first rainy night, how strongly i felt to offer her shelter.