Saturday, September 14, 2024

The Four Great Passions

Combating deceit is a challenging journey that requires strength. But remember, the antidote to deceit is honesty. While the truth may be complex and difficult, it's also a reassuring guide. Like the story of the yogi, the truth is a complex path. Combating Greed requires flexibility. The antidote to Greed is generosity—not just with your money but also your time, words of kindness, and a helping hand. Combating Anger requires balance. The antidote to Anger is kindness. It takes balance to remain still amid a storm and wait for calmness to return. Pride is the fourth great passion. The antidote to pride is humility. Pride is a false sense of self-worth. It is good to be proud of yourself for your accomplishments, but when these become means for believing we are better than others, we experience the great passion of pride. Practicing humility can sometimes be difficult in a world of inequality, exploitation, and injustice. Humility is the ability to look deep within yourself only to realize that we're all the same at the core of our existence. It means to remove judgment. Humility calls upon us to question ourselves, our motives, and our actions. In this way, it teaches integrity and honesty. When we look inward and observe the workings of our minds, we don't always like what we see. Our minds can be downright infuriating, irritating, and humiliating. It takes great courage and humility to look deeply and own up to what we see. But the rewards are tremendous: cultivating honesty, integrity, kindness, and discernment. How we relate to ourselves and the people in our lives directly impacts our happiness level. Being humble requires that we trust ourselves enough to live out each day as if it were our last and, at the same time, be the change we wish to see more of in the world. Let's start working on strength, flexibility, balance, and peace. END: Be proud of yourself. There is a big difference between having self-worth and being prideful by comparing yourself to others with a sense of superiority. Remember the humble dirt of the earth. Without the dirt, we could not exist. Pride can often be seen as arrogance and conceit or believing oneself to be better than others due to status, money, or material gains. Just remember that things of the material world can come, and they can go. It takes courage and humility to look deeply within and own up to what we see. But the rewards are tremendous: cultivating honesty, integrity, kindness, and discernment. We are all different, but we are all equal. EGO: Flip your palms up and extend out the index finger, the symbol of the ego. When the ego rises in self-importance, inequality, exploitation, and injustice will increase; if the ego subsides, these will subside. The more profound our humility, the deeper we connect with the core of our being. We realize that we are all the same. We should pass through this life with one mission – to master our existence by finding joy and peace. You can't find true happiness and peace with inflated self-importance and at the expense of others. Pull your finger in and place your thumb on top. Take a deep breath and surrender to the soul. In mythology, Shiva is an image of the higher self, who slays the prideful ego for the sake of compassion. Through infinite compassion and understanding of the higher self, Shiva forgives the ego. How we relate to ourselves and the people in our lives directly impacts our level of happiness. Being humble requires that we trust ourselves enough to live out each day as if it were our last and, at the same time, be the change we wish to see more of in the world. Be honest, generous, kind, and humble, and remember not to fall into D-GAP – deceit, Greed, Anger, and pride. Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace. Doctor Lynn For books, classes, consultations, and more http://www.doctorlynn.com

Saturday, September 07, 2024

The Four Great Passions

Combating deceit is a challenging journey that requires strength. But remember, the antidote to deceit is honesty. Like a reassuring guide, honesty may lead us through the complex and difficult terrain of truth. It's not always an easy path, but it's a path we can trust and lead us to a better understanding of ourselves and others. Combating Greed requires flexibility. The antidote to Greed is generosity—not just with your money but also your time, words of kindness, and a helping hand. Combating Anger requires balance. Anger is probably a passion with which we can all identify. It is something we have all experienced. Although no one likes to be angry, it is easier to admit this passion than the other three. Perhaps that is because Anger is seen as a worthy passion if used to right an injustice. However, practicing the right amount of Anger at the right time for the right reason is tough. Balance is the key, for Anger will surely throw you off balance. But remember, balance means returning to the present moment, being still and calm, and acting in ways that produce compassion and understanding. It's a skill we can all learn and master. Anger is a part of human existence. We all have felt Anger from another person or within ourselves. Be compassionate and understanding. Today, let's fully embrace the transformative power of balance, strength, and flexibility. These are abstract concepts and powerful tools that can shape our lives and relationships. They inspire us to navigate our emotions and relationships with grace and understanding, motivating us to be the best versions of ourselves. END: The antidote to Anger is kindness, compassion, and understanding. It takes balance to stop and be still when the storm of Anger is brewing from without or within. Anger is like a storm. It comes and it goes. After the storm, there is also calmness. Seek to find that stillness within. It takes balance to be still, compassionate, and understanding. Remember the value of balance, strength, and flexibility as we navigate our emotions and relationships. EGO: Flip your palms up and extend out the index finger – the symbol of the ego. The ego is good at placing the blame on others by projecting the emotion of Anger. Anger is often its defense mechanism, yet Anger is precisely what throws the ego off balance, and when off balance, we subject ourselves to falling and getting hurt. Pull the finger in and place the thumb on top, the symbol of the soul. Take a breath and surrender to the soul. The soul is the observer. It watches us react to life's emotions. Anger is one of those emotions. Connecting with the soul is about awareness. It is the realization that we can solve more with kindness. Be aware of the nature of existence – we are here to learn, know, and master our lives. Mastering life is best done with honesty, generosity, and kindness. Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace. Doctor Lynn For books, classes, consultations, and more http://www.doctorlynn.com