Imagining what is possible if we focus on love as a solution to the many problems that society faces.
And of course,
I think that can be overwhelming for everyone.
You think,
Well,
There's no way out of this.
But we feel there is,
And we're devoted to going in that direction.
So what we're talking about is unconditional love,
When we're talking about love as the solution to the problems we face.
It is unconditional,
Where there are no barriers between you or anything and everything.
I often think of the phrase from Shakespeare,
Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.
Hard to get that one out.
Which actually is a very profound realization.
And I think a good way to understand what unconditional love is.
So the thing that happened for us,
We were actually in the 1990s,
Way back now,
We were budding,
Holistic,
Spiritual healers and practitioners.
And we lived in California where we still live.
And at that time,
A lot of people were saying that California was going to be falling into the ocean,
That there was going to be a big earthquake.
And so as spiritually minded people,
Which we were,
We thought,
Well,
We should start an earth healing meditation group.
So that's what we did.
We started an earth healing meditation group.
And we would all sit in a circle together and visualize peace and not having the world falling apart for us.
And so one time I was leading this group.
And what I did was I had the group imagine a world where love is the guiding force.
And as it turned out,
It was a life changing moment for me.
I think we can see those things kind of theoretically and say,
Yeah,
That sounds good.
But when we can just viscerally experience it,
It's a different thing.
So that life changing moment for me,
We have shared that over the years with many people.
And I'm going to do it now in a little guided visualization for you,
Which ends with what came from it for us,
Which we call Awakening's Dream,
The dream that actually became the guiding force for us to create Awakening's Institute.
So we'll start as we generally do with guided visualizations,
Just closing your eyes if you're in a place where it's safe to do so and starting to focus on your breath,
Just breathing,
Which amazingly can change things very quickly.
So just imagine breathing in positive energy and light.
And as you exhale,
Releasing anything that feels heavy or anything you don't need right now,
Which would include stress or just heaviness.
And so I already just intuitively put my hand in my heart center here,
Right in the center of my chest.
And if you do that and just open to love as you're breathing,
One very easy way of doing it is by focusing on someone or something you love.
It doesn't matter what it is.
It can be anything.
It could be a cheesecake or an animal.
It can be a person you just love unconditionally.
Just focusing on that and feeling that love all around you.
Love actually,
It has been shown scientifically to be very good for the body,
For your health and longevity.
So just breathing in love and allowing yourself to be in a place of love is very valuable.
So from here,
I want to just have us all imagine what that might be like,
Just being in a place where you can envision the planet,
Envision the world in front of you,
Like you're on outer space or just looking at a globe.
And imagine that this glorious world,
And imagine now that it is a more loving place,
Not restricted by divisions and war,
But really with people coming together motivated by unconditional love and living happily,
Enjoying each day,
Enjoying each other.
And just notice connecting with the world.
You might just tune in to what it looks like for individuals who are living that way all around the world.
Bringing out the best of each other.
I think that is one of the things that is so helpful,
Bringing out everyone's talents and gifts and allowing everyone to thrive.
So how would you feel if you were in this kind of a world?
How would you imagine people would interact with each other?
Again,
Just tuning in like you can go any place in the world,
To the North and the South and to the islands of the Pacific or to India or China,
To Alaska,
A world where everyone is guided by unconditional love.
And what comes from that?
What we see and what we experience.
And another important part is,
What kind of future would be possible in this place?
Just looking.
When I first saw this,
As I'm seeing it now,
It still touches me.
And it's a completely different world.
No cost to anyone.
And this is one of the most amazing parts of it as a solution,
Other than the fact that people have to cooperate.
Although I don't believe it takes the entire world.
It costs nothing.
Unconditional love is free.
So imagine the savings compared with all the resources that are devoted to dividing people,
And even worse,
To war,
Trying to repress people who may be viewed as different in some unfavorable way.
As if our creator favors any person or any place over another.
Which points to really what the truth is of who we are.
Who are we?
Are we those people who are motivated by division and hatred and fear,
Or just being fearful and not knowing what to do?
Or is something else possible?
From my perceptions of reality,
I don't know of anything that is possible more than looking at love as the solution.
What are the alternatives?
So,
Just having that experience,
Which I said,
It was clearly a pivotal moment for me.
It motivated us to put our perceptions of this loving world into writing,
And it became what we call an awakening stream.
So I'm going to read it for you because it still means as much to me now as it did 30 years ago,
Interestingly.
Imagine a world where love is the guiding force.
Where the unique gifts that each individual brings receive honor and respect.
Where all are nurtured in allowing their gifts to blossom.
To create the most completeful,
Joyful world possible.
And the joy of being,
Just being alive.
Imagine a world where all of nature is also honored,
So all may live in harmony and share an increasingly vibrant and beautiful environment.
What we imagine we can create,
Starting in this moment.
This vibrant world will come into being as each of us empowers ourselves to live the dream now and share it with others.
Playing a part in the creation of this dream is my dream,
And it is the mission of Awakenings Institute.
In this stream,
There is no poverty because everyone is nurtured and loved.
You can again look at that planet and just see these things yourself.
This love also eliminates the focus on fear and separation as we bridge the divisions created by race,
Creed,
And national borders to coexist together in harmony.
The environment synchronously benefits everyone as people all over the world shift their focus to a more holistic approach that creates balance rather than congesting our home planet with chemicals and toxic fumes.
Increasing our connections with our wholeness,
Which we may experience as God,
The creator,
Source,
Or simply the oneness,
Brings us closer to making this dream a reality.
We have an inherent connection with divine order.
As we evolve spiritually,
We unite with our inner wisdom,
Which in turn strengthens our connection with all that is.
This evolutionary quest is an upward spiral,
Taking us to higher levels of consciousness and wholeness.
So that was the vision.
That was how we described the vision.
And with this in mind,
Just noticing for yourself,
What does that mean to you in relation to how you want to live your life?
And if potentially there is the possibility that you could share the dream,
To share that vision with others and allow it to grow so more and more people can nurture it in their own minds and hearts.
And with this,
We can end our guided visualization,
Coming back into our bodies,
Noticing,
Feeling yourself in your seat,
And breathing in more active energy,
Preparing to come back completely.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
