Inner Calm vs Outer Calamity

Maureen: [00:00:00] Hi, I’m Maureen Whitehouse

[00:00:02] Christian: [00:00:02] and I’m Christian Camarena

[00:00:03] Maureen: [00:00:03] And this is Miracle Renegade.

 

[00:00:07] This is episode 2 of our special pandemic episodes that we’ve been recording during the unprecedented event of the world’s COVID-19 outbreak. In the first episode we discussed the ways the pandemic can be especially conducive to a miraculous outlook on life.  What we’re going to be talking about today is connecting to our Inner Calm versus Outer Calamity.

[00:01:48] Christian: [00:01:48] Awesome. Okay,  So I wake up in this pandemic world. What do I do?

[00:01:55]Maureen: [00:01:55] Yeah. Really kind of a great question that seems like, Oh my God, that’s different for every person on the planet, but no, truly there is something to do that will be very important and very tangible as something that connects you to this world of the miraculous we’re talking about.

[00:02:13] So you wake up first thing in the morning and before you even open your eyes, you know, some people are opening their eyes like a deer in the headlights, you know, big wide eyed now. Oh my God, I woke up and it’s still happening and they’re feeling this pandemic kind of come immediately into their life and weigh on them really powerfully.

[00:02:35] Anyone who feels that right now,  just take a big deep breath and have a lot of compassion for yourself. And don’t judge yourself. Don’t feel guilty.  Just let yourself do the very most important thing now. First thing, before you even open your eyes. Love yourself. Just love yourself for being a human being on planet earth right now. That means you’re a strong Soul or you wouldn’t be here at this time, and you want to resonate with what really feels most tangibly connected to that, that strong Soul that you are.

[00:03:42] And what that means is you’re allowing yourself to stay in bed just a little bit longer. And you’re keeping your eyes closed.  And the world of the Soul or Spirit of us is not the world we see with two eyes. So you can keep your eyes closed right now for a little bit, and you can go inward. And in many spiritual traditions, they’ll talk about seeing things with one eye.

[00:04:05] If you’re in that space with your eyes closed, you’re going to be looking within to the I, the “Real I”, “the Whole I”. That’s the inward vision of things, and you’re going to connect with that in a way that you can substantially feel that you just dropped down out of your head and into your heart. So feel that right now, if you’re listening in a place that you can do this.

[00:04:33]  Just feel yourself. Close your eyes right now so you can kind of mirror what you would be like if you just woke up in the morning and instead of jumping into the day or looking at the headlines on your phone or becoming part of being in the world, and in and of it, let yourself have a little break of Self-love where you just drop down now into your heart space.

[00:05:00] And the reason why I suggest you drop down into your heart space is because that is not a cogitating space that thinks and obsesses. That’s a place that feels, and you might feel now like your heart feels a little bit like it has cement or it’s feeling fear encased. And what you want to do is breathe into that and open up that hard space because love is an expansive experience. When we hold love to ourselves for any reason, you know, having had damaging relationships or being someone who doesn’t trust the world or trust other people, you can feel there’s a little cement on your heart or maybe a lot of cement. You might have a heart encased in cement, sort of feels like heavy.

[00:05:50] Go into that heart space. This is really important to begin to do. Now. We need open hearted people. We need people who have open minds and open hearts and that are led by their heart into the world right now. And I’m going to explain later on why that’s so important. So you get into this heart space and you let yourself to sink into it.

[00:06:12] And visualize that you’re melting any barriers to connectivity, knowing that love is an expansive quality. That means it has to move out from you and into the world to feel it yourself. It’s something that connects us so that unless we’re expanding it, we don’t feel it. So in this case, just let yourself drop in and say in a grateful way…

[00:06:41] Gratitude connects us to love. They’re kind of intertwined in the experience of being humans. When you feel really grateful, feel how you love your life, or you’ll love the circumstance you’re in. When you feel love, you automatically feel the sense of gratitude and fullness and happiness and connectivity.

[00:06:59] So you want to get into that space and don’t apologize for it. Especially now.  You might have rushed off to work in the morning every day and not given yourself this kind of time. That’s quality time with yourself, your True Self with a capital S self. The Real Self of us. , If you haven’t done this before, again –  no judgment, no guilt.

[00:07:21] Just let yourself know that this was an imperative to be able to live a happy life. And it’s absolutely an imperative now, when you’re in chaotic circumstances, every time you leave your home, that could quite possibly be chaotic circumstances, I’ll say that.  If you’re centered in this calm way, this connected way, you’re going to find yourself going on a lot different trajectory than you would have if you were disconnected.

[00:07:51] You might run right into the crowd that’s having a problem and challenges if you’re disconnected and being driven by fear. But if you’re connected to this voice of peace, you’re going to say, and very sincerely so, “I’m surrendering to you today.”

[00:08:07] I’m surrendering to this part of me that feels connected and whole and peaceful. This takes practice, folks. That’s why people call it a spiritual practice, because it means committing to this kind of thing, but it’s not hard. It’s actually like, the one who relaxes the most wins, the one who relaxes into your heart space and let’s all that cement or ice melt that’s around your heart. You’re the one who can feel that there’s a sense of something more here. It also drives us in a more purposeful way. We don’t do things that are necessarily unconscious in their motivation or driven in ways that lead to more chaos.

[00:09:08] We’re driven inwardly to keep going and really towards further and further peace. So you’re getting up in the morning and you’re paying attention to what feels most peaceful. And that’s as simple as looking at how do you wash your face in the morning? How do you wash your hands? You’re becoming more mindful now because of this epidemic.

[00:09:28] You’re paying much more attention to the kind of soap and how you’re soaping up your hands and how you clean your physical body and physical space. It’s very symbolic. It’s like a cleansing of everything that came before this, the day before, the moments before, the hours before it’s all gone. Wash it away and let yourself be present moving this moment forward.

[00:09:52] That allows for you to give up that guilt and judgment. Just this moment forward. How can I live this moment forward? Feeling connected. So can you feel that? What that would look like in your life right now based on how you’re living right now? If you get up in the morning and you say,” I’m going to surrender to this bigger aspect of me that is always in a state of constant peace and equanimity.”

[00:10:19] It’s the Wisdom of me with a capital “W” – it’s the Truth of me. It’s the part of me that I’ve always missed when I rushed out into the world feeling disconnected no matter what the circumstances were. If you didn’t connect with this part of yourself first, you’ve always felt that life was a little precarious and scary. Because this is the Voice of True safety and security. This is the Voice of our own best interest. And I’ve said that over and over again, but what I mean by that, it’s the Voice of connectivity, that connects us to all the Graces and all of the things in life that are worth living. And at the same time, it’s the very same Voice that connects everyone else to what’s in their best interest.

[00:11:09] So feel that that unity and wholeness there, no one’s rushing to grab things or to be the only person that survives, or things like that. You don’t even think about survival when you’re connected to this Voice. You think about how beautiful it feels to be in a connected space.

[00:11:25] Christian: [00:11:25] It’s so important. Now more than ever we need people connected this way you’re describing.

[00:11:27] Maureen: [00:11:27] You’ll know who’s doing this now… truly a lot of the people who are the healthcare workers on the front lines right now. They’ve always been selfless. They’ve always been in a place where they knew that they could radiate that kind of love that kept them healthy and whole, because what emanates from that kind of a heart is this powerful, fiery love or passion for the work that they do.

[00:11:54] Those are the best people to have on the front lines. People who can really snap to it when it comes to a situation like this, because they feel compelled by something more, that Unifying Force.  It’s telling them where to go, what to do, and you’ll see that lots of them will come up with, you know, the perfect thing winds up in their hand at the perfect time as they need it. You’ll see it when heroes arrive in very dramatic situations. It just seems like they’re, they’re doing a ballet. Their movements are so fluid and they’re being moved by this Inner Grace, same energy that moves flocks of birds and migration and herds across the Serengeti.

[00:12:36] It’s that energy of the Divine that we all have within us, that many, many, many of us feel disconnected from. Society as a whole, typically finds lots of ways to distract us from being in this space with ourselves. This is really an amazing opportunity we’re in the midst of right now to see that as our foremost capacity to connect beyond what we did before.

[00:13:05] That seems weird – like a paradox – that this social distancing is having us hone our capcity to connect.

[00:13:06] Watch it. It’s just begun in, in the United States here, but it’s been making its way across the world from Asia and now it has been in Europe for awhile, but you’re seeing people singing off their balconies and sharing their talents and their creativity and  doing things online… making really funny jokes that everybody can resonate with that lighten up the situation. People who are doing creative things now online, the different applications that foster creativity are now blowing up and people are enjoying things that have, they haven’t had time for before.

[00:13:46] If we use this as that opportunity, we’re going to really hone this part of ourselves that lies dormant in many people.

[00:13:54] I advocate very strongly, for people who found themselves feeling bored or not knowing what to do with themselves if you are housebound,  to begin to -, no matter how hard it could be because it feels like the epitome of boredom to a mind that’s disconnected from this Source of us – sit down and just let yourself close your eyes and appreciate the Space within.

[00:14:23] Appreciate the Vastness within. When you close your eyes, you’re in a space with no boundaries. When you open your eyes, I’d like you to notice the spaciousness around you.

[00:14:34] Like we’re in a room right now with microphones and a table and  big white walls. And it looks like maybe the most important thing in this room might be the mics, cause we’re talking on them right now.

[00:14:48] But the most important thing in this room is the space that our voices can be carried on, that our bodies can exist within. If we had no space in this room right now, we would be dust. Everything would be dust. And so as people recognize this quality of space that they’re allowing themselves to be in now.

[00:15:10] Or you know, it’s mandated that we have more space now. Really take this and run with it. What do you do when you allow for your mind to just be in space right now without all those people telling you you have to do things or show up a certain way to be approvable or that you have to perform in a certain way?

[00:15:31] Let yourself take these extra moments or things that are afforded you now to be able to connect substantially. Abide in that space – every so often when you close your eyes and you’re not beholden to anybody else, but you’re just appreciating the space that there’s nobody telling you what to do, and there’s no duality, there’s just unity unified space. Then you open them and you notice the space around you now too. Keeping a reverence for that space,  is what’s happening on a universal level right now on the planet. Now if we could continue this post-crisis and begin to be really reverent about the space, the space that we’re providing for nature to thrive, the space that we’re providing for each other that feels really respectful and purposeful.

[00:16:23] And when we come together, we’re doing it in deliberate ways that we’re enhancing the space that we share with other people. None of this stuff where we’re in other people’s business or other people’s personal space and in a way that assaults them or disrespects them. If we’re doing things like washing our hands mindfully, where we feel like this ability to wash away the past and show up now for the future, this moment on.

[00:16:51] If we’re really being genuinely and deliberately aware that we can drop into our heart space, and that’s much more connecting than being in our head space, feel how much more peaceful that all feels right now.

[00:17:06] So the beginning of the day you connect. Throughout the day you connect. This is about a world of connection. We can see now we’re all one. We’re all connected.

[00:17:18] So as you commit to being connected, then you’re gonna find that you won’t be noticing the calamity as much because if you show up to it, that means that you’re there as a connected person who must  have some resources, whether it’s a smile from across, you know, waving to somebody.

[00:17:37] Or whether it’s being able to see something that you tell somebody else about.

[00:17:43] Like I was walking in the park, very much alone, but I do that anyway, because someone who enjoys being connected to this spaciousness will take walks alone and that doesn’t feel boring. That feels like you’re connecting in a way that’s peaceful and self-honoring and honoring to what’s around you. But I saw a baby’s hat on the ground and happened a few steps later to pass parents with a baby in a stroller. And I said, I, I just saw that a baby’s had down there, is that yours? And they were really happy that someone was able to engage, but at a distance who was able to still see that we’re all connected in ways that we can show up and be kind.

[00:18:27] And there’ll be opportunities – ample opportunities –  to connect with people but not be in their personal space.

[00:18:36] Do you know how to do that yourself? That’s a question for everybody who’s listening. Is that natural to you? If it is, you know, there are a lot of people who abled themselves as introverts, who are kind of feeling very comfortable about this situation because they know how to spend time alone by themselves at home.

[00:18:53] They know how to read a good book and not need to have a sensational experience in order to feel alive. They know how to do things that are calming and centering to them unapologetically. Now  what if you come across people who don’t know this way of being, then it means that you don’t pay attention to how they’re perceiving you as much as you’re paying attention to the fact that when you’re connected this way, it’s like being someone who just plugged into a light source.

[00:19:28] It’s  like being a lamp and you know that you’re a lamp and you hold the plug in your hand and you plug into the source of power.

[00:19:35] Christian: [00:19:35] I like that analogy… it’s like plugging in…”

[00:19:36] Maureen: [00:19:36] It’s really literally as easy as that. It’s not any more mystical or things. It’s that, you know, there’s a bigger powerful Source that’s a Source of peace and it feels like light and darkness.

[00:19:50] It feels like hope and connectivity for all of humanity. And that’s what we really do want now is for humanity to evolve from this.

[00:20:00] Christian: [00:20:00] So back to what this looks like when you plug in first thing in the morning…

[00:20:01] Maureen: [00:20:01] So if you’re a person who does this in the morning, naturally spends this quality time with yourself, connects with that peaceful place, then what it looks like when you go out into the world is that you just know you’re the light and you have the plug in your hand.

[00:20:13] You have the Source in your own reach. It’s not something that you have to strive for or get outside of you. You have it in your hand and when every time you engage with any thing you plug in, you plug into the source and that allows you to just relax and be the light. Be the one who’s showing up and when it looks chaotic or dark, and say people who are having a challenge in a grocery aisle, if you’re the peaceful, calm one who knows how to connect, you know, you know how to connect in the morning before you go out… “Tell me where to go. Tell me what to do. Tell me what to say and to whom and I will to do it and nothing more” and you’re committed to that. You’re saying that your Truth and Divine Self, if you should find yourself in  circumstances or in circumstances that look a little unpeaceful or unrestful, which happens on a day to day basis to most people – they come in and out of peace.

[00:21:12] Yeah

[00:21:13] If you find yourself dipping and you’re not in peace, then that means you’re not in your own business enough. That means you’re in somebody else’s business. Or you’re paying attention to things that are going on that don’t feel like they’re in your control. The only thing that you have in your control is the fact that you can choose peace anytime. You can close your eyes, you can go inside. You can choose not to judge. If you don’t judge and assess the outside world that you just say, “I don’t know what that is, but I love it.” Then that means you’re expanding that space in your heart that extends and evolves this world, and you’re staying centered within yourself at the same time.

[00:21:56] So on a practical level, when you’re listening to this kind of thing, what does that mean that you’ll do as you go out into the world and take steps. Into life during this crisis, this Corona virus crisis. What does it look like when you walk out into the world and you have this inner calm and connection versus the calamity of the outside world?

[00:22:30] For me it means that I’m going to go out and do something that makes me feel happy.

[00:22:38] Really good answer. Because people don’t realize that calm isn’t comatose and peace isn’t, you know, akin with no emotion or things like that. It’s happiness. It’s feeling like you’re  and it’s feeling like you’re really engaged with life, but not necessarily having to grab it or have it or consume it.

[00:23:04] It means you can actually appreciate it. Without doing anything to interfere with it. So what would that look like for you in the current circumstances?

[00:23:17] Well, I’m unemployed because I worked in the service industry and now all non-essentials are out. So I’m looking at all this extra time. So I have this little studio. It’s pretty much isolated. It’s alone in some industrial area. So I go there and I do that. I close my eyes, I create, I write, I do all these little things that make me happy.

[00:23:42] And that’s music that you’re creating. So isn’t that interesting that being someone who’s in the service industry as a chef and now not being able to work right now in that creative capacity…  that’s absolutely a creative occupation.

[00:23:58] Christian: [00:23:58] Oh Yeah.

[00:23:59] Maureen: [00:23:59] You’re now coming into a space… Where… What I love about this is that people who are in their own space doing their creative projects by default right now, you don’t have to care about the good or bad opinions of other people or an audience, because mainly a lot of people are doing things alone right now or with just a small collective of people and doing it from this inward space out.

[00:24:25] So much more genuine and authentic. It’s so much more real to show up in the world that way where you care about the quality of your own personal space. And then that isn’t a selfish stance when you know that this peace that you embody now, gets a chance to, as you plug in, shine, and emanate from you to touch the other lives, and you have to recognize that since we’re holding this personal space and the distance between us, that you’ve got to shine bright now.

[00:25:06] You know, wave and smile a little bit better than you would if you were being preoccupied and not showing up for other people because they won’t even notice you, if you’re six feet away. And if you’re intending to share it or spread it the more inwardly you go to that space, that feels really deeply connected like, wow, I just created that. I just composed that, you know, that it’s coming from that place that’s connected to everyone.

[00:25:34] Christian: [00:25:34] Yeah. Looking back at some music I’ve made, and the music I’ve made, it’s always been in a rush. You know, like I have a lot to do. I have a lot of responsibilities. I have to go here or there. So every time I would sit down, every time I would sit down, I would have just a finite amount of time to create this thing and not really think it through. And when I did, I would just put it down and walk away cause I had other things to do.

[00:26:04] Now I’m going back and seeing those creations and with the space, I’m really finding a new appreciation for the person I was during that time.

[00:26:15] Maureen: [00:26:15] And so, and who do you see compared to the person you are now showing up with this more intentionality and space leading the way?

[00:26:33] Christian: [00:26:33] I saw someone who, who was confused about a lot of things in his life and, but he knew that by just creating these things that one day I’ll have the opportunity to go back and really know myself. I can’t appreciate myself  at the time. Now I can.

[00:26:55] Maureen: [00:26:55] Wow. So this is the day! You know, that’s really interesting because I don’t know how many people are recognizing the opportunity here, but I hope in listening to this podcast, you’re going to get that from a Christian just said, that this is the very time to not put off anything that you truly love or resonate with. We all came here with a piece of this puzzle. It’s like a puzzle that doesn’t get completed until we own the piece that we are individually.

[00:27:23] Put it into place, and then the next piece can go in and the next piece can go in.  If we all do this, that we’re showing up to our own lives pretty happily. Like this is making you feel much more connected, isn’t it?

[00:27:35] Christian: [00:27:35] Yeah. Defintiely.

[00:27:37] Maureen: [00:27:37] If we all did that, that’s not selfish. That’s a gift because then we have smiling people walking around that we know you don’t even have to ask, how is your day today? It’s like, of course it’s great. You’re doing what’s your heart and soul’s desire?

[00:27:50] If that’s what comes out of this, that there’s no time like the present. That would be a massive gift for everyone on the planet. Win-win all around for everyone.

[00:28:14] Christian: [00:28:14] So what kinf of miracles, what kind of gifts are happening now that people might be missing? I know there are many… just like me being able to make music now.

[00:29:02] Maureen: [00:29:02] The main gift that I’m seeing in this is that if people can get out of their heads and find themselves in the space where they really know that they are more deeply connected to something that’s infinitely more fulfilling than just obsessive thoughts that seem to be chronic in the condition that we live as human beings, that we can’t stop thinking so much about so much all the time. I think everyone can feel that if you’re doing that right now especially, you are feeling burnt out and tired and fearful and that is not good for anyone’s immune system at all.

[00:29:43] So I just want to read a poem that I think is so valuable at this time from a beautiful mystic poet, Jalal Udin Rumi, that was around in ancient times, but it’s so apropos. This is the other thing about things that come from the source of us or the Spirit of us, that even though this was hundreds of years ago, that he wrote this poem, it’s completely applicable right now for everyone on the planet who’s finding themselves in that mind that can’t stop thinking about the calamity and the chaos and let yourself just sink in right now and listen to this as a, as an opportunity to see that there’s another way to be within this.

[00:30:39] This is the Guest House by Jellal Udin Rumi

[00:30:41] “This being human is a guesthouse. Every morning, a new arrival, a joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes  an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all. Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture. . Every morning, a new arrival, a joy, a depression, a meanness. Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all. Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture. Still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice. Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whatever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

[00:31:56] Christian: [00:31:56] Oh, that’s that’s beautiful. But it takes me to my next question, as a virus is a very scary thing, as best really, especially to our species.  What is the role of the virus? What is the role of the chaos?

[00:32:14] Maureen: [00:32:14] So you can hear from that poem you’re inviting all these feelings in because so many people are used to dismissing scary thoughts by preoccupying themselves.

[00:32:27] Now, you can’t run out and do the things that you typically would do to distract yourself from your feelings or thoughts. So the most powerful thing you can do during this experience, during this opportunity, this worldwide opportunity, is to get into your own space like we were talking about. And, and start to pay attention to your thoughts.

[00:32:46] They’re just thoughts. They, they aren’t even real until you make them real by taking action on them. So if you could just let yourself sit quietly and see these thoughts coming and going and coming to go again to come again, just like clouds in the sky and you don’t identify with them, just welcome them. Like you’re in a guest house and you’re the guest house and they’re just showing up doing what they do. Guests arrive at a guest house and you let yourself see that the scary thoughts, even if they’re scary, you can welcome them, but what did they have to teach you? Is it something that comes from the great beyond the greatness of us? The beyond just the situation that you’re seeing at hand? And these thoughts that we’re all having is, “Wow, I get a chance to create my studio when I normally would have been in a rush and I really get to follow these thoughts full circle – start to finish – and I get to be with the people I love and let the kids kind of run the show a little bit here.

[00:33:50] These great kids that are super aware that are coming onto the planet right now, want it their way. We’re getting two parents at home at the same time. That’s pretty amazing. That hasn’t happened for a long time, and they’re showing that fun is a priority and that delight and joy is a priority. And they’re going to learn on their own terms too by the way.  This world has evolved too much to keep things the same way they were, to have kids sitting in a classroom kind of dormant , and then try to spark their minds when their bodies aren’t active in moving. They’re learning in another way that’s going to be much more captivating and, and amazing.

[00:34:39] So all these are great, but how’s this not the result of God punishing us?

[00:35:02] You can see just by what we’ve said. When you focus on the beauty, like in that poem, that all of a sudden a new reality arises.  Wow, I have these thoughts, but  before this, they were tormenting me and I felt like I was going mad, but now I realize that’s the human condition.

[00:35:16] We’re all guesthouses. They’re going to come and they’re going to go so. Once you feel that there’s a rhyme or reason to something, there’s a sense of security and comfort in that. So look for the bigger picture here.

[00:35:33] So the kind of God that we have as a model for many of the world religions, is a Being that separate from us that looks at this crazy human condition from aloft, with a lot of judgment, and is not necessarily completely happy with his “children”.

[00:35:57] And we are the children that just do the best we can in the dark. And yet we don’t have the capacity to do what I just said we can all do, plug in to the Source, and instead of seeing that as the reality of the divine, I’d like to paint a new picture. Give us a new working model for this.

[00:36:18] That in my experience of having left my body and coming back, I had a firsthand experience and that’s the only thing that gives me the right or the authority to be able to speak about this. I saw a compleltey new  reality from what I had thought, having grown up in a religious tradition that saw, a God that was more like a Monarch.  That we were the subjects to. I saw that we are all at One – and don’t know it.

[00:36:52] It’s like dreaming a dream that’s not true. That could never be real. That we’re separate from Love itself, that’s unquantifiable and unconditioned in any way.

[00:37:05] Now, if you’ve ever fallen in love or felt love, even if it was when you were a little kid, having a puppy come up to you, if you’ve even felt the teeniest, tiniest bit of love, that is a small minute particle, in your separate perception of you being a separate body, of what it feels like to become One with Love.  That’s what I mean when I say that’s what I mean when I say we all came here to evolve to a new reality. When we come to a place that we realize what this really is about and who we really are, we see that there is no big, bad separate God running the show here.

[00:37:49] We see that at the core of all of this is absolute perfection that is motivated by unconditional love, more love than anyone’s been able to experience in a physical body. Most people who know this love have had in your death experiences have gone out and come back. They’ve had mystical experiences that’s made time and space standstill.

[00:38:14] They’ve had vertical insertions of the Divine into our very linear, horizontal experience of life, time, and space driven life. This is out of time and space in a way that when we’re trying to plod our way through an epidemic and a virus, we’re counting minutes and days to how we get to the other side of this.

[00:38:38] In the realm of the Divine, that’s in timelessness, there’s only perfection happening and the end is already sure. We’re already perfect. We came from perfection, evolving to perfection. But we’re in this world that is of time and space, so we think that we have to get somewhere there, space here.  In the world that is of the Divine, it’s only benevolent perfection. And that is what we came in from with our first breath, and then plopped into a human form, that has all these vulnerabilities that are based on separation from that Source, in our perception of things. And then we leave and move out of this physical form back into that unity and perfection and benevolence and love- utmost love.

[00:39:27] Christian: [00:39:27] That’s reassuring, but it’s not everyone’s expereince. So how do we get closer to knowing that kind of peace and love that transcends our fears? Since most people think of their bodies first when they think of their fears.

[00:39:29] Maureen: [00:39:29] So our whole idea of life around death, that is really the driving force in a lot of this panic around something like a virus would be, “I’m afraid to die. I’m afraid to be sick. I’m afraid of the things that are tied to an experience of being in a human body.”

[00:39:45] If we think of ourselves now more in terms of being connected to That – the Great Reality of things – and our Greater, Vaster Self –   that’s more than just a body. We’ve talked about this in other Miracle Renegade episodes, how our physical body is really only the smallest fraction of us. The small fraction of the 99.9 plus percent of us is the Spirit of us, the Vastness of us.

[00:40:14] Think about it. You can’t grab your thoughts and your mind, and that’s what’s animating you and motivating you in the midst of these things.

[00:40:21] Think about like a song and the memories that come back that is nothing physical, nothing physical about it.

[00:40:27] How can you quantify love physically unless you’re embodying it or unless you’re noticing something being moved by it. So all of this is unquantifiable and and indestructable. And absolutely, infinitely indestructible.

[00:40:43] So when you get an idea of what the real motivation and driving force behind this life is…  You know, most of what I have come to realize came as a result of intensive study of a A Couse in Miracles, that was the impetus for an awakening experience for me. So I love A Course in Miracles as a beautiful, viable path to awakening because that was my path to awakening.

[00:41:13] And there’s a place in A Course in Miracles where it says that this whole world is a mad idea in which we said, I want it thus, and forgot to laugh.

[00:41:26] So we were at One with this Great Creator –  the benevolent most Vast being that we could ever, ever, ever have imagined. That’s Absolute Perfection. We are One with That. That’s what our breath  is still connected to, and we think we’re this physical form that has this temper tantrum going on,” in which we think we want it thus”, and forgot to laugh. So these very things like a Corona virus is waking us up to the fact that we can’t feel happy if we’re separate from Love.

[00:42:05] We can’t feel happy or content or well and feel a sense of wellbeing that transcends viruses. And physical challenges, unless we’re connected to that Source. That is the truth of us, the capital “T” truth of us. So this whole life we live – to condense this experience of this Corona virus into what this whole experience of why we came here to begin with…

[00:42:32] Just everybody listening know this. This is the fundamental foundation of what we speak about in the Miracle Renegade podcast, there’s no big bad God that’s separate from us. There’s only the Utmost Love that runs the show, and we forgot because we put some name or label on something that was quantifiable in order to be able to perceive it.

[00:42:57] But once we perceive it, we have to be in the world of duality, this and that. In order to have a perception. The world of knowledge – with a capital “K”  –  is you know what? You know what you know when you know, that only Love is real and nothing real can be threatened, and herein lies the  peace of the Divine. And the Divine is in, of and through that.

[00:43:21] So where are you going to go that you’re ultimately hurt? Nowhere. Except when you’re in this physical experience of being a human being on planet earth, we can really get sucked into the feeling and identification of being a body separate from everybody else.

[00:43:40] And now this is sort of pushing us all to recognize our Oneness, because that’s the way out of this dream of separation. When we think we’re first of all separate from the Divine –  that we’ve been severed, just by taking that first breath in a human body.  We think we’re separate and we have a really hard time not thinking that.

[00:44:00] And that’s all those thoughts that are coming through that “guesthouse”

[00:44:03] Christian: [00:44:03] Yeah.

[00:44:04] Maureen: [00:44:04] They’re all fearful thoughts and they come and they go and some are happy and  you’re connected for a minute, but then you’re disconnected. And Oh my God, I thought I was going to have a good day today. I intended a good day when I woke up in the morning, but next thing you know, I saw a headline or I had somebody cough on me or something out there that touches your body from a world of separation that’s threatening and dangerous. None of that is the reality of the Divine.

[00:44:28] It’s a little bit of a mixed message. ‘Cause if God is in everything and we are God, right? And that’s the message. Then why our separate bodies think that we’re separate?

[00:44:41] Because we forgot to Love as the default. You know, we knew this as little kids. You see a little kid eat a plate of spaghetti when they’re a year old, they are loving that spaghetti so much. They have to put it in their eyes and in their ears and they have to squeeze it up their nose and they love it. They want to become one with it. And then we were like, no, no, no, that’s not, you don’t do that. And, and I’m not saying that that’s wrong to clean up a baby when they’re a mess, but to love and enjoy this full -throttle living that we… you said it yourself, when you were creating music, you did it as though there was a timestamp on it and that you had to rush through it to get to the thing that was really important. Why? Because that’s what was your living, you know, your source of income. Now, if we can intertwine  full out living, that’s based on an experience of connectivity and and driven by joy, to our wellbeing and to our way that we bring resources into our lives, now we’re onto something.

[00:45:56] That means that we have to start with ourselves first, following this voice of our own best interest all day, every day, beginning with the first time you breathe a conscious breath in the morning.  And then every so often just stepping into that space where you’re touching base- “Am I connected now?”

[00:46:19] And you’ll know you’re connected if you feel peaceful, because that is the essential quality of the Divine. That is where we came from –  utmost peace, utmost love, utmost joy, infinite, so much that a body can contain it.

[00:46:35] I think many people listening have felt this and I really know you probably have where even as a little kid, if that was the last time you felt this, where you felt so much joy or so much gratitude, something great happened in your life, but you couldn’t contain it, or you felt so much love that you were just like, “Ahhh  my body’s too small for this.”

[00:46:55]Christian: [00:46:55] Yeah.

[00:46:56] Maureen: [00:46:56] That’s touching what this is. That’s being fully plugged in and recognizing that you’re letting this come through you, and as you extend it, you receive more of it. As you shine it brighter, you receive more of it. We all want to be in the light, especially in these dark times.

[00:47:12] Admit it right now without any false sense of humility, that this is not for you, that you’re not a Miracle Renegade, that you don’t deserve this or you don’t get this. That’s a bunch of bull.

[00:47:24] We all know in our heart of hearts that there is a part of us that’s better than this, than what we might’ve been experiencing on earth. There’s a part of us that’s completely immune to this chaotic dysfunction. There’s a part of us that’s immune to the chaos of life, of all kinds, and yet we’re looking outside for answers?

[00:47:47] Go into that space. Now folks, take this as the opportunity to go inward and tap that space that’s completely immune to the chaos of the world, where you find only connection and peace and ease and calm. And then deliberately really commit to that. Just commit to that. That’s not going to harm anybody.

[00:48:09]People right now want that smiley person and want that calm person to show up in their life. We all need that now.

[00:48:17] We’ve had way too much polarization. We’ve had way too much judgment and and guilt promoting circumstances happening. We’ve had way too much divisiveness in the on on the planet. We’re ready now for this kind of connectivity, but I love that we have to do it in a very respectful way, that it’s not really necessarily about a body.

[00:48:39] If we have to connect without touching other bodies, that’s amazing. We have to learn a new acumen. How do I connect with you across that six foot barrier. And really connect.

[00:48:54] Christian: [00:48:54] Yeah.

[00:48:54] Maureen: [00:48:54] That takes a lot of creativity!

[00:48:57] Christian: [00:48:57] It’s going to evolve everything. It’s going to involve the internet… Cause it’s not going to be so flat anymore. It’s going to be how do you connect with somebody who needs all more than one sense, you know?

[00:49:08] Maureen: [00:49:08] Yeah. And, and be respectful of the fact that everyone’s coming from a different orientation. But guess what, we all need the same thing. We all need love. We all need that calm, centered, connected stance in order to feel that everything’s okay.

[00:49:28] And I have to say, when you are connected to that Voice, you’re going to feel this and maybe, hopefully even hear an Inner Voice that’s saying,” This too shall pass. This too shall pass. You are eternal. You’re connected to the Allness of creation”  See this differently, see this from a stance of connectivity, and you’ll know exactly how to show up in a world of chaos, and you’ll know exactly what to do that’s most honoring and respectful and promotes calm, and all of the good things that we really do need all of us on the planet right now.

[00:50:08] Christian: [00:50:08] Hmm. Well thank you. Thank you, Maureen.

[00:50:12] Maureen: [00:50:12] Thank you, and thank everyone who’s out there listening now. Because what you’re going to do is spread some of that Light that we all need. The only thing to remember to do is take that time, that heartbeat in the morning to connect with your heart and to really tangibly feel that, and when you do, then you can go out and take the next step and the next action.

[00:50:34] See that everything you do feels that it’s coming from that same quality, that same integrity of connectivity. And then if you are, and this isn’t an admonishment, this is an opportunity that we all have, to go out in that calm, peaceful place and know that that’s you with your plug plugged in, that you’re being the Light of the world today and that the world really needs this. And then just keep on shining. Keep on shining. We all need you now.

[00:52:26] Christian: [00:52:26] Alright, nice.

[00:52:43] Hey All… This has been great, we’d love to see what you took away form this episode. So come over to www.MiracleRenegade.com

[00:53:50] Maureen: [00:53:50] And then just leave a comment or any questions you have and just connect with us right there. We’d love to hear from you. Thank you. And see you soon on the next

[00:54:30] Christian: [00:54:30] episode.

[00:54:40] Bye.

 

[00:54:42] BONUS MEDITATION

[00:54:45] ** You can find a beautifully produced Bonus audio recording of this meditation at: Patreon.com/miraclerenegade

[00:55:06] Maureen: [00:55:06] Let’s just settle in now and have a brief meditation that’ll help us center on all of these thoughts and concepts we’ve been talking about in the podcast. It’s important to incorporate this so that was entertaining our minds and being able to shift our perception about things. But now we want to incorporate this and really matrix it.

[00:55:26] So the first step is to go into Miracle Mindedness, where we shift through listening to the podcast. But Miracle Matrixing is when you actually begin to embody this. So first step would be, say through a meditation to really feel this sink into your physical body. Another step in matrixing it would be going out and living it, putting it into practice so that you start to see that this is real in your life. That the more you’re calm and the more you’re centered, and the more you engage with life from a hopeful, happy stance, that things start to arrive that feel much different than when you go out into the world that’s chaotic and start to focus on the calamities at hand.

[00:56:04] So begin to settle in now. And as you do, just begin to notice and focus on your breath.

[00:56:11] You came in with your first breath into this lifetime and you’ll leave with your last. And every breath in between is a connection to the Spirit of you, to the nebulous part of us that’s really truly connected to the Allness of us, to the Divinity of us. So right now, breathing deeply and deliberately. Feel yourself. Just settle in and relax into this breath.

[00:56:44] Let yourself breathe in. Deep, deep, deep breath, and exhale, very deliberately. On this next breath inward feel yourself expanding beyond the confines of your physical body. And as you exhale, just feel yourself. Let go, let go, let go. Nowhere to go, nothing to do.

[00:57:15] Just listening to my voice now.

[00:57:21] And just feel this thought, “My higher self is with me all the time. The connection to my higher self is this very breath. My higher self is with me all the time.

[00:57:49] The Divinity of me is in perfect peace, even when my life isn’t.

[00:58:02] I can relax and receive the Divinity of me now. My Higher Self is with me all the time.

[00:58:17] And now just let yourself move inward for a moment. Touch the space of your heart with your mind’s eye. Let yourself notice your Heart Space. Does it feel unsettled or agitated? Or do you feel a sense of ease and peace as you breathe right through your Heart Space? Opening and expanding and feeling a greater capacity to connect with your heart right now.

[00:58:54] Allow yourself to open your heart.

[00:58:59] And come from a kind and reverent place as though you’re moving into a sanctum, into an inner altar. And you’re laying all your gifts on this alter now. All of the things that you experience in life that you feel are your greatest gifts. All of the many things you’ve yet to experience in life because you’ve been keeping your gifts to yourself

[00:59:39] Let yourself exhale now. Exhale fully and completely with the intention to share your gifts. Breathe in deeply the Divinity of you.

[00:59:57] My Higher Self is with me all the time. My Higher Self is with me all the time. My higher self is with me all the time.

[01:00:15] And now as you exhale, let yourself give those gifts to the world. If just for now with your mind’s eye, see yourself sharing freely, your gifts. Expressing with gratitude, all of the many gifts that you have.

[01:00:30] Expressing with delight and gratitude, all of the many gifts that you have. Feel yourself engaged fully with life. No sacrifice, no suffering, no discontent, no ill will, no competition, no striving, just fluid peace. An ease and connectivity, propelling your creative gifts out into the world.

[01:01:11] The Divinity of me is perfect even when my life isn’t. I can relax and receive the Divinity of me now.

[01:01:24] Peace, grace, wisdom, and joy are mine.

[01:01:58] ** You can find a  beautifully produced Bonus audio recording of Maureen guiding us through this meditation on Patreon at:  www.patreaon.com/miraclerenegade 

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