“All Are One - Twenty-five Steps Toward Unity”
Dearest Beloved Ones,
As we endeavor to put the principle “All Are One” into practice, the embodied self may feel uncertain as to how to do this. The soul knows without any uncertainty that All Are One. The embodied self, accustomed to a history of separation from Divine consciousness and of self-protection, may feel unsure and even afraid to take steps forward in this regard.
Yet, because we are each souls, created with a Divine core, the truth of unity is not far from us but very near, as near as our own deepest self. Therefore, we may reach toward it and try to disengage from any fear that may tell us that it is unsafe to believe that All Are One. This fear is not real. It is based on an undermining of the truth of love as our essential nature, the essential nature of each embodied soul.
Here, therefore, are some examples tor putting into practice the principle of divine Unity:
1. Monitor your speech so you do not say anything critical about anyone’s inner character. Speak about behaviors or policies, not about persons.
2. Monitor your thoughts so you do not judge or feel contempt or disdain toward anyone, including toward those whose perspectives differ greatly from your own.
3. With those with whom you feel uncomfortable, practice kindness instead of avoidance or rejection.
4. Be willing to stand for the truth you hold most dear and allow others to do the same.
5. Practice kindness daily. Practice with those more distant from you at first if this is easier, then with those who are closer who you may have greater difficulty with.
6. Take no form of love for granted. When someone asks you how you are, ask them how they are and listen.
7. When someone asks to speak to you, assume that this is a message that has a deeper purpose than may appear. Ask to be shown this purpose. Ask from your heart.
8. Take no one and nothing for granted. Be grateful for everything. Let all roles disappear. Recognize the ‘personhood’ not the role of each being.
9. Affirm the Divine essence of every living being every day. This is often done through a prayer/meditation practice, but also can be done throughout the day. Affirm the Divine essence of every living being.
10. Welcome to your heart animals that are pets and animals that are wild. The birds flying by or the squirrels scurrying by, or the ants busy with their own mission – invite them into your consciousness as living beings with a purpose of their own that they are uniquely created to fulfill.
11. Practice communing with a plant or tree as often as possible. Thank the plants or trees that are near you for the gift of their presence. Thank them in person. Thank them with your love.
12. Assume that all that lives, whether in plant, animal, mineral, or human form is becoming more conscious. Welcome this, and seek to live in relationship with it.
13. When you hear about the death of a person you did not know well, honor that passing. Bow to the life that has been lived. Pray that it continue in light. This need not take much time, only the inner acknowledgment of a soul.
14. Look around you. Remind yourself that everything you see exists in relationship with you. Birds singing, geese calling, the sound of rain falling – all this exists in relationship with you in the wholeness of each moment in which you experience it. To know this is to perceive Divine life.
15. Treat each person you meet as your brother or sister. Bow to your human family as you say “Namaste.”
16. You may not yet know how to love each person well. Ask to be shown.
17. Be kind to yourself. You are part of all that is and were created by the same Oneness that lives in all. Do not exclude yourself from love, for in excluding yourself, you are likely to subsequently exclude others.
18. Sanctify the specific Day of the Divine that may be set aside for this purpose or that may be each day of your life. Sanctify each Day of the Divine by giving it to God.
19. If someone expresses anger toward you, know that they are feeling hurt beneath this anger. Allow yourself to offer love as a balm for this hurt so that you diminish the amount of anger in the world and act as a force for healing.
20. Forgive yourself for those things you may think are unforgivable. You may think that these only have to do with you, yet in reality they affect all else, acting as roadblocks to love.
21. Give something that you may have wanted to keep for yourself to someone who needs it. You have only ‘wanted’ it, whereas someone else may ‘need’ it. Practice generosity and letting go.
22. Take nothing for granted. Allow yourself to respond with wonder toward the life of each soul you meet, as well as to the earth, the sky, and the delights of the senses.
23. Take no one for granted. Express gratitude for everything, even for the smallest token of love and devotion. Even the smallest token of love can grow larger when it is seen and appreciated. So, too, can your own heart grow larger in the presence of gratitude.
24. Hold all unconsciousness of others with compassion, not only because you have been there at times as well, but also because each one is learning how to be more conscious and must learn from the step they are at.
25. Believe that everything you do matters. Allow yourself to take responsibility for your own consciousness so that you act in ways that uphold life. The One Who is All blesses all who share in responsibility for Creation in this way.
With deepest blessings – Julie
Please Note: The above "All Are One - Twenty-five Steps Toward Unity" may be reprinted with credit given to the source of the writing.
These twenty-five steps will soon be a book available on Amazon.com for those who might wish to order it.
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