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136th International Peace Meditation “Preparation For the Next Step”
“Preparation For the Next Step”
April 6, 2008 — All of life is experience. Each experience prepares us for another life step. Only as we each look back over our life can we see this development. Life is a set of experiences–a curriculum of the soul–that prepares us for each step on our journey. When we fail to learn a lesson, experiences continue to occur until that lesson is learned.
What you have just read is a description of the evolution of the soul. Through lifetimes our soul evolves. The lessons left unlearned are repeated in our next. Highly evolved spiritual people are “old” souls, regardless of the linear timeline.
All of life is learning. The Institute, with its message of Love, is about Higher Education, or education of the human spirit. All empowerment is spiritual, whether in education, healthcare, or taking on one’s individual power, or collective power, such as described in “The Empowered Organization” (see United We Stand: Reflections on a True Democracy, by Sue Kidd Shipe).
A child learns and grows. As he develops, each step in learning is followed in rapid succession by other steps. Eliminating steps in that process is of concern because it can lead to other difficulties, especially as the child nears school age. Deficiencies may develop into developmental delays, and require professional attention in order to be adequately addressed.
This is also true of the spiritual sojourner. The development is similar. An infant is surrounded by a loving family. As they address his needs for food, touch, appropriate and secure environment, and emotional and physical comfort, he learns trust. He learns to love by receiving loving care. He learns to trust as his needs and cries are responded to. When a child is abused, neglected, or abandoned, the positive learning process is altered. In many cases it will require reassurance and re-learning for the rest of his life.
When we are surrounded by loving and caring family we learn to love and care for others. When we take this learning into our schools and jobs, we help to create environments where our peers and colleagues can thrive. However, most of us, as adults, would say that only a few of our working experiences merited praise for the work climate. Many of our schools have become large and impersonal and our students function without proper attention to emotional needs for a close supportive community.
Those unmet needs occurring in some families, and some school and community environments, can lead to adult behavior that causes unsafe communities. Going back to basics we can see: we learn love and caring in situations in infancy, childhood, and beyond that become the basis for our perceptions of the world, and how we act in it.
Education of the human spirit is essential for spiritual evolution. Human life is about the evolution of the human spirit.
What are some steps that we, as adults, can do to enhance our own evolution?
1. Examine our relationships one by one. If a relationship is not supportive, it can be detrimental.
2. Surround ourselves by loving and caring people.
3. Select work environments that are supportive. Hostile environments can lead to illness.
4. See life as it truly is. When we only see through the eye of Love, we often project positive motives on people who are not trustworthy. See with bi-focal vision: (a) See with Love. (b) See what really is occurring. Do not be blinded by one or the other.
5. Reflect. When going through difficult life periods, ask, “What am I to learn from this?” Look inward for answers.
6. Recognize that each life event, though painful, teaches us the lesson we need in order to evolve. “Letting go”, or loss, is probably our most difficult lesson. We will have many lessons in loss until our final one–the loss of this earth as home. Then, our final lesson is to let go and trust that the Universe will provide, and we will continue our spiritual journey in another form.
For those of us studying, or curious, about this final step, there are books that can help us. As with all reading, I do not recommend acceptance. Read, and if it “rings true” with Knowledge within you, continue to explore.
This Meditation is dedicated to all on a conscious spiritual journey. We will continue to learn, and to share our learning. The evolution of the human spirit brings evolution to the planet. Perhaps, eventually, we, as the human race, can experience the peace that comes from Peace.
‘Be with Peace, that peace may be with you.’
(Sue Kidd Shipe, from the memorial service for my Mother, Madelyn C. Kidd, November 1998.)
Sue Kidd Shipe, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Please join us in prayer/meditation during the 24 hours of Sunday, April 6, and again the first Sunday of every month. The International Institute for Human Empowerment, Inc. is in our 12th year of continuous International Peace Meditations. Forward our Meditation to all in your address book; make copies for your religious and spiritual brochures and bulletins.Important Dates to Remember:
May 10, 2008 Second Annual Fibromyalgia Conference
Please mark your calendars for our Second Annual Fibromyalgia Conference to be held at Price Chopper Community Room in Schenectady, New York. To read about the conference, and to register, go to https://www.humanempowerment.org/fibromyalgia.html.
May 21, 2008 Schenectady County Human Rights Commission Breakfast. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact: michelle.melnick@schenectadycounty.com for tickets.
September 11, Annually International Unity Day
Please join us in this essential annual commemoration. You can find out more by going to www.humanempowerment.org and selecting the globe.
The International Peace Meditation invites people of all faiths to participate. The International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc., a 501C3 charity registered in New York State, is not a member of any religion in order that it may serve all.
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International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc.
P.O. Box 3920
Albany, New York 12203 USA
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International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc.The International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc. is a
501 ( C )( 3 ) tax-exempt organization recognized by the United States Government. Your contribution within the USA is tax-exempt.
Sue Kidd Shipe, Executive Director
International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc.
P. O. Box 3920
Albany, New York 12203 USA
(518) 393-9491
sueshipe@www.humanempowerment.org
www.humanempowerment.org
