Below are two excerpts from the new book, The Rest of Your Life: Finding Repose in the Beloved by John-Roger, DSS with Paul Kaye, DSS
ORDINARINESS: A PRIOR CONDITION TO GOD
Hopefully we’re all being teachers and lovers and the Beloved to each other and holding a loving attitude with each other, so if somebody goes to fall, we can support them. And should they actually fall, we can pick them up and be there for them until they get their feet back on the ground. In loving, we can handle life’s ups and downs without drama, in a natural, flowing, ordinary way.
I can recall a lifetime in India where I was being taken to see a great spiritual master. Although it was a lengthy boat ride to see him, I was being treated royally. There were garlands of flowers around me, and I sat comfortably at the back of the boat where there was shade and cushions, while several servants did the rowing. When we reached shore, I was helped up the mountain to where the master resided. My baggage was carried for me, and the place where I slept overnight was luxurious and I was fed a magnificent meal. I got to see the master the next day and he initiated me.
When it came time to return to the boat, I noticed that I had to carry my own bags. When I stepped into the boat, I was ushered past the shaded part of the boat to the front where I was given an oar to row the boat. I couldn’t believe it—they had me rowing the boat back to shore.
When we arrived at the shore they had me stay with the boat. Someone came on board, sat at the back of the boat, and was surrounded by garlands of flowers. I along with a few others had to row this new person back to the place where the master resided.
I had a lot of resistance and resentment going on inside of me, but when I looked at the other rowers around me, they all had a smile. As I looked at them, I spontaneously broke into riotous laughter for I suddenly realized why the other rowers were smiling. It was because on the return ride, this new person at the back of the boat, in the shade surrounded by flowers, was going to be rowing.
From that point on, I have never had it inside of me that one role in life is greater than any other. It’s simply that we’re all doing different things at different times. There are times when I fall and people pick me up. And there are times when others fall and I assist picking them up. But we are all, in one way or another, rowing the boat because we are all in it.
There is no need for comparison or envy when we encounter someone who thinks they’re so wonderful and great, because we can all smile in the knowledge that they are going to be part of the ordinariness before too long. The Beloved eventually reduces us all to ordinariness, because ordinariness is the prior condition to God.
TRANSCENDING FEAR
Fear is such a funny thing. You should laugh at it rather than stand back in awe of it, making it sacred, and worshiping it—because there is nothing there. Fear is an illusion. It’s just a word. Sure, a feeling goes along with it, but so what? Big deal. After you are done allowing fear to have power over you, you still have to go on with your life. You still go on living whether or not you are experiencing fear. So just drop the fear. One good way to do just that is to say, “I’d like the Mystical Traveler to handle that, please.” Or, if you’re really panicked, you can just say, “Traveler,” and that might work the same way. It’s been known to move fear out of the way and replace it with love and Light.
Fear can sometimes have a positive element, so it isn’t always to be disregarded. If you fear failure, you might create success because you will put forth great effort to overcome what you fear. If you are fearful of reincarnation, you might do your spiritual exercises and free yourself from this level. If you handle fear in the right way, it can be positive and uplifting. A spiritual principle that I return to often is that everything can be used for your upliftment, learning, and growth—that includes when you are feeling fearful.
You also do not have to allow the word fear to shake you up. Words are a form of expression, but they are not reality. You don’t have to let words upset you. Practically, however, I don’t suppose there’s anyone on the planet who can’t be a little shaken by words. But it’s how long you let those words shake you that needs to be your level of concern. It is an indicator of your spiritual growth and maturity when you can say, “Those words bothered me; I didn’t care for them,” and then move to the next thing.
The idea here is to transcend the consciousness of limitation. Whether limited by words or your own feelings, if you dwell in limitation, you dwell in poverty somewhere inside. To transcend, you draw to yourself what you need in order to see where you are inside, and then you lift above that. In other words, if you have been shaken by words in the past, you may continue to draw that level of hurt to you until you can learn to transcend and clear yourself of that limitation. That is why I recommend for you to reside in the Beloved. From there you transcend all limitations from a place of unconditional loving.
The Rest of Your Life by John-Roger, DSS with Paul Kaye, DSS is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble and in your local bookstore.
