The Higher Self
Blog Post #7
“So God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
– Genesis 1:27
TWO WOLVES – A CHEROKEE LEGEND
Teaching his grandson about life, an elderly Cherokee said: "There is a fight going on inside of me. It is a fight between two wolves.
One wolf is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, lies, resentment, inferiority, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too."
The young boy reflected a moment on what his grandfather said, and then asked, “Which wolf wins?” The elderly Cherokee answered, “The one you feed.”
The Bhagavad Gita – India's ancient scripture – describes the inner battle of good and evil in great detail in an allegoric story on the historic war of Kurukshetra. In the first chapter, an introspective question is asked about this inner battle – "What did they?" The following Gita verses respond with the qualities of the higher Self.
Chapter XVI, Verse 1-3
"Fearlessness, purity of heart, perseverance in acquiring wisdom and in practicing yoga, charity, subjugation of the senses, performance of holy rites, study of the scriptures, self-discipline, straightforwardness;
Non-injury, truthfulness, freedom from wrath, renunciation, peacefulness, non-slanderousness, compassion for all creatures, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, lack of restlessness;
Radiance of character, forgiveness, patience, cleanness, freedom from hate, absence of conceit – these qualities are the wealth of a divinely inclined person."
The Soul:
The Higher Self, The True Self, The Positive Self.
Throughout the ages the egg has been valued for its life-giving, transformative ability. In ancient times it was even considered talismanic. For pysanky prayer writers, the egg is the symbol for the soul: the creative, intelligent life-force within; the joyful image and likeness of Divinity. White symbolizes the purity of the soul's changeless, immortal connection to God. Beauty and goodness spring from the soul.
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? – I Corinthians 3:16
A PRAYER by SAINT FRANCIS
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
A Prayer Writing Suggestion
Devote fifteen minutes to reflective writing, focusing on a divine attribute while writing it repetitively – "...an instrument of Thy peace, an instrument of Thy peace, an instrument of Thy peace..." – and see how, in unexpected ways, it manifests in your life.
Copyright © 2018 Nancy Kopack.
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