What if Lent is More Than Giving Up Chocolate?

As I write this, tomorrow is Fat Tuesday aka Shrove Tuesday, 2010.  The day after that lent begins.

Almost ten years ago when the book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz was published, I was right there buying my copy from my local bookstore, devouring its every word.  (FYI!  I am not so much trying to sell you a copy of the book as I wanted a way to legally include a copy of what the book looks like in this blog post.)



Even back then I felt that in truth, if I simply followed the first agreement, (Be impeccable with your word.  The word impeccable was defined as "without sin".) not only did the first agreement seem to incorporate the other three, but my life had to change for the better.  Why?  For the most part, we can only think one thought at a time.  Every time I thought about my self being impeccable was a moment I wasn't thinking of my self as unimpeccable.  That probably sounds like a big, "DUH!"  Yet almost ten years later I realize how many moments I thought of my self as unimpeccable in whatever way, shape or form.

Then in 2002 I made a written commitment to myself to become 100% impeccable in the way I felt was described in the book, "The Four Agreements".  I didn't really know how I would do this or how long it may take.  At the time, I also thought that I somehow would not be allowed to consider my self impeccable until I was impeccable in the physical 100% of the time.

In other words, I was functioning under the illusion that I look at the outer (physical manifestation) and review who I have been, what I've done, stuff like that.  Then in my mind if I wasn't perfect, I would not be allowed to declare my self impeccable without being a liar.

Since I've come to realize (okay and granted I have no proof and can only speak for myself.  Yet I am so much more happy now than I ever have been.  So something is working/helping.) as I stand firmly in the power of the present moment to affirm and agree with the truth of who I am in the sight of Divine Love Intelligence (and in the sight of Divine Love Intelligence I am now and always have been impeccable), this practice is what allows the Universe to make this so for me as my physical experience.

I can't say I am unimpeccable and have the universe manifest me as impeccable.

I also like to think of it like the following: You tell someone you love them and they are awesome.  You honestly feel this way and believe this with all your heart and soul.  Yet the person you share this love and sentiment with doesn't believe you are being truthful with them.  Or you love your teenager.  You know they are awesome, beautiful, smart, talented, a divine, child of God.  You know with all your heart and soul this is who they are.  Yet they just don't see it.  They just can't buy it.  It doesn't mean you are wrong about them.

There are mantras like "om namah shivaya", which means "God is in me as me".  Or quoting Rumi, "We are the ocean in the drop."  Or the Bible, "Be still and know that I AM God."  Our Creator knows we are divine, impeccable, without sin.  This is how our Creator created us, "In His Image".  This is how our Creator sees each of us.  Yet imagine if our Divine Creator was human, how it might be hurtful (and unimpeccable) every time we thought, saw, agreed, defined or identified our selves as something less than we are in Divine Truth? 

About now you may be thinking, "Bjork, what does that have to do with lent?"

I feel it is a safe statement to make that for most who still practice lent it has become a time to give up something for the lent season (in 2010 lent is 46 days ending with the celebration of Easter, Sunday, April 4th) as a way of honoring what Jesus gave up as he prepared to go through the death/resurrection prophecy.

What if through the years we stopped seeing the story of Jesus the Christ as allegory/metaphor and instead began taking it way too literally?

"Bjork, what do you mean?"

Let's say for arguments sake that the truth is we are all already 100% impeccable.  Not convinced this is the truth, when lent begins (Wednesday, February 17, 2010) we currently find our self identifying our self as impeccable about 20% of the time (to use a random number for the sake of example).  This means the other 80% of our present moments we are technically committing "self identity theft" by thinking/feeling/declaring/agreeing we are something less than the truth or om namah shivaya, God in Us as Us, Divine, the ocean in the drop.

Let's say for arguments sake that on Ash Wednesday (the first day of lent), we are fairly attached to this 80% of our identity.  Often we find ourselves saying things like, "I would never do that.  It's just not who I am."

Now if you are still with me, what if the true intent of lent was to give up during this period of time (as much as we are capable or will allow our self) our thinking/feeling/declaring/agreeing about our self in unimpeccable ways?  After 46 days of being focused on replacing unimpeccable with impeccable, in theory, our self identity must be changed from what it was when lent began.  That old ways of identifying our self would have to die and be let go of in order for our truthful, divine self to resurrect in its place in our physical manifestation experience.

I offer the following from the Catholic Encyclopedia for your consideration, "the real aim of lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ...the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be.  One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart.  The purpose of lent is to provide the purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God's will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first in all of their hearts."

What if God's will is simply for us to identify us as the amazing, blessed, beautiful, wonderful, divine, impeccable, children of God, healthy, wealthy, Well-Beings we are in truth?

What if instead of being afraid to let go of our "less than" self images feeling we have to do this or that to "get better", all we ever had to declare and agree with is the truth of who we are as Divine, impeccable children of God?  Because we declared it and agreed with it in consciousness, the laws of the Universe must make it so for us in manifestation?

I thought about all of this last lent season.  I set the intention to practice lent 2009 being more impeccable in every present moment.  I declared the image of the Laughing Buddha as my touchstone.  After all, I find it is a little bit funny or laughable that what I have been striving for I always have been.  I also thought that the Buddha, upon achieving enlightenment, had to laugh (or else he'd cry) knowing how easy enlightenment may have been had he trusted in his true self-identity.

I'll be honest, last year I didn't last all lent.  Maybe about two weeks.  And if I remember correctly, I only caught about 10% of my unimpeccable thoughts/agreements/ways I self-identified as me "less than".

I also had a simple mantra for my lent practice.

"Thank You, God, for restoring me to the impeccability from which I emanated."

It has been estimated we have about 60,000 thoughts per day.  If all you did was repeat this mantra once every ten minutes (6 X 16 = 96) of your waking hours (or six times once every hour)...well, that may just be 96 more times a day affirming, agreeing and declaring your true identity to the Universe than you had been previously.

I don't know about you, but I find it exciting to think that this practice of giving up some of your unimpeccable self for the 46 days of lent is not only harmless, but empowering.  And it won't cost you one legal tender cent.  Only time and focus to change your self consciousness.  Sounds like a win/win to me.  Sounds like a reason to celebrate my newly resurrected self-Identity when Easter comes to pass.

Now that I have presented the above amazingly brilliant and compelling arguments for practicing lent,

"What less than stellar way do you identify yourself that you may be willing to give up and replace with the truth of your identity? You are Divine.  
Always have been.  Always will be.  Unconditionally.  For there is no condition in the physical that can change this truth about your true identity.
You may believe this is not the truth about your Self and thus have this experience.  Yet, like the sun is always present even if it is momentarily obscured by clouds, your divinity is always present even if it is obscured by your momentary disbelief that divine is your true identity."

P.S.   The laughing Buddha photo is not one of my own.  To read more about it, click here.

Would You Call The Police?

I was walking down Rose Avenue in Venice barely a block from the Ocean Front Walk when I noticed someone on the roof of this six-stories what looks to be residential building.  

Intrigued.  I continued to watch.  

 

Very soon I remembered I had my camera with me. I was walking around the Venice beach area to get digital images of Venice locations as seen in the movie, "I Love You, Man!"; which I felt would coincide nicely with my Best Sights L.A., Hotel California Tour and Valentine's Day I've been writing about for my CaliforniVacation Blog and sister gig, as the L.A. Sightseeing Examiner for examiner.com.

I started filming.  Video below.  Without giving it away or revealing what I did, after viewing the video I again ask, "Would you call the Police?" And I don't mean that singing trio that included Sting.  I'd love to have you share your comments.  Thank you in advance.