Great Throughts Treasury

"It's very difficult to look inside ourselves and see what's going on in there -- particularly to see what we're unaware of. That's why it's important to look at our relationships as mirrors of our inner processes. Used in this way, relationships become one of the most valuable sources of healing and teaching in our lives. To understand how this works, we need to remind ourselves that we each, through our individual consciousness, create and shape how we experience external reality. This is as true in our relationships as in every other area of our lives -- the relationships we create and shape reflect back to us what we are holding within our consciousness. We draw to us and are drawn to people who match and reflect some aspect of ourselves."

"It is no more possible for one of us to change without changing the rest as it is for a single wave to crest in the ocean without affecting the whole."

"Listening to your internal guidance system will lead to a rich, fulfilled, happy life."

"Many of us fear that we are not attractive or desirable enough to attract others. We have believed that we are "not enough." Today let's remind ourselves that we all receive our beauty, energy, and light from the same inexhaustible source. As we acknowledge this and begin to love and appreciate ourselves as we are, our channel opens and we have available to us the infinite vitality, beauty, and magnetism of the life force."

"Much of the Western world emphasizes rationality and reason, but overlooks or ignores the enormous value of intuition and instinctive wisdom."

"Most of us have considerable prosperity in our lives. Often, we are so busy pursuing our unmet desires that we are unable to enjoy all that we already have. Allowing ourselves to really appreciate the prosperity we have created is a big step toward opening to even greater fulfillment."

"Mind and intuition are at opposite ends of the same continuum and our goal is to strike a healthy balance between the two. It?s not a question of either/or? it?s a question of both/and."

"My primary relationship is with myself--all others are mirrors of it. As I learn to love myself, I automatically receive the love and appreciation that I desire from others. If I am committed to myself and to living my truth, I will attract others with equal commitment. My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another. As I learn to love myself, I receive the love I desire from others."

"No scoundrel is so stupid as to not find a reason for his vile conduct."

"My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another."

"My life has been dedicated to my growth and evolution as a conscious being... becoming more aware of all that was taking place within me and around me; how my inner world affected my outer world and vice versa. I realized that the more awareness I have, the more choice I have in how I create or respond to the circumstances of my life."

"Of course, it's important in any relationship to learn constructive ways to communicate honestly about our needs, our likes and dislikes, and so forth. However, along with letting the other person know our feelings, including ways we might wish they would change, we need to remind ourselves that we brought them into our lives to teach and inspire us to develop new aspects of ourselves. Our challenge, then, is to be open to discovering the parts of ourselves that they mirror for us, and to learn how we can express those parts of ourselves more in our own lives."

"On the path of transcendence, relationships are often viewed as impediments that keep us from evolving beyond the physical form. Because our relationships bring out all of our human feelings, needs, and emotional attachments, they are seen as distractions and thus detrimental to our spiritual journey. People who are seriously committed to the transcendent path try to stay as unattached as possible. Since sexuality is such a strong force physically and emotionally, involving our animal instincts and human feelings, it is often looked upon as the opposite of spirituality. Therefore, many devotees of the transcendent path either take a vow of celibacy and try to avoid sex altogether, or they try to transmute it into a "higher" energy, following sacred disciplines that keep the experience focused on its spiritual aspects."

"Once we begin to learn to accept the goodness of the universe, we naturally want to share it as well, realizing that as we give out of our energy, we make space for more to flow into us."

"On the path of transformation there is a further vital step we must take, one that allows us to have a different perspective on relationships than we would if we followed a material or spiritual path. On the transformational path we need to recognize that our relationships can be powerful mirrors, reflecting back to us what we need to learn. When we learn how to use these reflections, our relationships can become one of the most powerful avenues we have for becoming conscious."

"Oftentimes we find ourselves attracted to our opposites -- people who have developed opposite qualities from the ones we most identify with. In these relationships, we are unconsciously seeking to become whole, and drawn to people who express those energies that are undeveloped in our own personalities. On some level, we recognize that they have the potential to help us become more balanced."

"On the material path we see relationships as an end in themselves. We form relationships of various kinds in order to satisfy our needs for love, companionship, security, stimulation, sexual fulfillment, financial stability, and so on. Our focus tends to be on the external form of the relationship and on what is being exchanged, be it friendship, work, affection, respect, money, or security. Because we view relationships primarily in the light of getting needs met, we tend to try to control them,to try to make them the way we want them. Consciously or unconsciously, we try to manipulate other people in order to get what we want from them. The control we assert limits how we experience our relationships."

"Once you have identified the quality or qualities that bother you, ask yourself what the positive aspect or essence of that quality might be. For example, if you see them as lazy, what could be the positive aspect of laziness? It could be the ability to relax."

"Our "life education" has not necessarily taught us a satisfying way to live. We suffer from a vague sense that there must be something more, some deeper meaning. We must return to kindergarten and start to learn a way of life that is contrary to the way we approached things before-a way of life based on trust of our own inner truth. We can rediscover the child-like innocence and wisdom that knows that anything is possible."

"Once you have identified what quality this person is reflecting to you, imagine yourself having integrated more of that quality in yourself. Imagine yourself more able to relax, for example, or more able to show your vulnerability in close relationships, or more assertive, or more able to receive."

"One of the biggest differences between the path of the material world, the path of transcendence, and the path of transformation is in how we view our relationships."

"One of the most important aspects of healing ourselves and the earth is the willingness to face our ?shadow? - the feelings and parts of ourselves that we have rejected, repressed, or disowned. Our society has tremendous prohibitions against feeling too much. We are afraid to feel too much fear, hurt, sadness, or anger, and oftentimes we are also afraid to feel too much love, passion, or joy... If attempts to find expression fail or are blocked, the repressed feelings will eventually make your body sick. It is my belief that most illnesses are caused by repressed or disowned energies within us... Everything in the universe, including every part of ourselves, wants love and acceptance. Anything in life that we don?t accept will simply make trouble for us until we make peace with it."

"Our bodies communicate to us clearly and specifically, if we are willing to listen to them."

"Our primary relationship is really with ourselves. Each of us is involved in developing all aspects of our being and bringing them into relationship with one another -- becoming whole. Our relationships with other people continually reflect exactly where we are in that process. For example, for many years I yearned to find the right man to be my life partner. I created many relationships with men who were unavailable or inappropriate in certain ways. Eventually, I realized they were reflecting my own inner ambivalence about committed relationship and the ways that I didn't truly love myself. It was only after I did some deep emotional healing work, learning to truly love and be committed to myself, that I met a wonderful man who is now my husband."

"Our life is a reflection of what we believe we deserve. As we deepen our acceptance of and open ourselves to the Infinite love of the universe, a new power flows through us, releasing us from the bondage of our old way of life."

"People who express our opposite aspects can be our most powerful teachers if we allow them to be. But first we must acknowledge that they express what we need to develop in ourselves. Early in a relationship, we often sense that the other person is bringing us exactly what we need. It is, in fact, their differentness that is so attractive to us. However, unless we are able to acknowledge that this person is offering us a reflection of something we need to see in ourselves, the differentness that drew us to them can become a major source of conflict. After a while, we may begin to resent them for the ways they are different and begin trying to change them to be more like us!"

"Personal healing on all levels ? physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual ? comes when we get in touch with our disowned energies.... Through integrating all aspects of ourselves, we become whole."

"Problems are messages."

"Prosperity is the experience of having plenty of what we truly need and want in life, material and otherwise."

"Remember that you don't need to become like this person. They may be too far to the extreme or expressing themselves in a distorted way. However, you can use the discomfort of this relationship to help you discover the essential qualities you need to develop in order to feel more whole and fulfilled."

"Rather than blaming ourselves for the things we do not like in our life, we now realize we are manifesting our reality and have the power to change it."

"The more I love and appreciate myself, the more love I have to give to others."

"The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be."

"So often we look at the world around us and feel terribly helpless to effect any significant positive change. The world seems so big, and in such a mess, and we feel so small and powerless. The hundredth-monkey story helps us to see how powerful one individual, or a few individuals, can be in transforming the world. Because the world truly is our mirror, as we change, it must change. You can see this easily in your personal life. As you develop the habit of trusting and taking care of yourself, you will gradually release your old patterns. Soon you notice that your friends, family, and business associates all seem to be feeling and acting differently, as well. Things that previously frightened and upset you seem to have lost their emotional ?charge.? Even the serious problems of the world, while they still concern you, may not seem quite as scary as before. The reason for this shift is that you are beginning to feel the power of the universe inside of you. To the degree that you experience the presence of the universe in your own body, you don?t feel afraid. Of course, every time you open up to more power, more of the old fear gets flushed to the surface and released, so in the healing process, you will experience alternating states of power and fear. Gradually, however, a solid base of trust will be established within you. Others will feel this and in it will find the support to open up to more of their own power and truth. The people and things around you will reflect you in increasingly positive ways. The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be."

"Spiritual healing occurs as we begin to consciously reconnect with our essential being -- the wise, loving, powerful, creative entity that we are at our core."

"The key point to understand is that prosperity is an internal experience, not an external state, and it is an experience that is not tied to having a certain amount of money."

"The disowned parts of ourselves are what get in the way of us having the relationships we long for, the careers we don?t know how to create, and the goals we want to achieve. It is by getting in touch with ALL the parts of ourselves ? by having a gentle dialogue with all the selves we have inside ? that we integrate them into a more comfortable, peaceful way of being with ourselves."

"Spirit is the essence of consciousness, the energy of the universe that creates all things. Each one of us is a part of that spirit - a divine entity. So the spirit is the higher self, the eternal being that lives within us."

"The creative power within me is producing perfect results in every phase of my life now."

"The key to independence lies in knowing that at every moment, in every instance, we are creating our life. The more we acknowledge this truth, the more power and freedom we experience."

"The Law of Radiation and Attraction: This is the principle that whatever you put out into the universe will be reflected back to you. "As you sow, so shall you reap." What this means from a practical standpoint is that we always attract into our lives whatever we think about the most, believe in most strongly, expect on the deepest levels, and/or imagine most vividly. When we are negative and fearful, insecure or anxious, we often attract the very experiences, situations, or people that we are seeking to avoid."

"There is a universal, intelligent, life force that exists within everyone and everything. It resides within each one of use as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing. We can access this wonderful source of knowledge and wisdom through our intuition, an inner sense that tells us what feels right and true for us at any given moment."

"The people we are in relationship with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors, reflecting their beliefs. So relationship is one of the most powerful tools for growth... if we look honestly at our relationships we can see much about how we have created them ... also... The most powerful thing you can do to change the world is to change your own beliefs about the nature of life, people, reality, to something more positive... and begin to act accordingly... also... There is no separation between us and God-we are divine expressions of the creative principle...there can be no real lack or scarcity; there is nothing we have to try to achieve or attract; we contain the potential for everything within us."

"This is a rich universe and there is plenty for all of us."

"The more you are willing to trust yourself, and take risks to follow your inner guidance, the more money you will have. The Universe will pay you to be yourself and do what you really love."

"The union of feminine and masculine energies within the individuals is the basis of creation. Female intuition plus male action is creativity. Put the female in the guiding position - this is her natural function. She is your intuition, the door to your higher intelligence. The true function of the male energy is absolute clarity, directness and a passionate strength based on what the universe, coming through your female, tells you."

"The more we learn to operate in the world based on trust in our intuition, the stronger our channel will be and the more money we will have."

"This or something better now manifests for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways, for the highest good of all concerned."

"The process of change does not occur on superficial levels, through mere 'positive thinking.' It involves exploring, discovering, and changing our deepest, most basic attitudes toward life."

"The more willing you are to surrender to the energy within you, the more power can flow through you."