Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A CHILD WILL LEAD US OUT OF OUR MORAL WILDERNESS


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Jesus knew that a state of loving soul consciousness that he had surrendered to, as an adult, was innately there in children and that they already knew what he knew. That they all had a part to play in a slowly evolving loving plan as 16 year old Pakistani Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is now most certainly doing: Allen L Roland, Ph.D

 
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Mathew 1-3

 
What did Jesus mean when he said ~ Unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Any person, such as myself, who has made the inner shift from ego consciousness to soul consciousness knows precisely the meaning of Jesus's words. When you see God as love, an evolutionary process with which we all participate as co-creators, then you begin to realize what we all deeply sensed as children ~  that the Kingdom of Heaven is within each one of us.

Until we completely surrender to love we cannot escape the matrix of ego consciousness and find our authentic vocation within a Unified Field of love and soul consciousness. A state of soul consciousness that exists not only beyond time and space but whose principle property is the universal propensity to unite. Once we fall through the rabbit hole of love we rapidly become aware that we indeed have a part to play in this loving plan ~ as I maintain Malala Yousafzai is surrendering to now.

 
For example, as a very young four year old boy, living in Newtonville. Massachusetts with my beloved grandfather, mother and twin brother, I was very aware that in loving that deeply I was tapping into a joyful state of consciousness that existed beyond time and space and that I was one with everything I saw around me. I knew ~ for one unforgettable instant ~ that I was a beloved and essential part of a loving universe.

 
There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in ~ Graham Greene

 
I was also very aware of this state of consciousness at 6 years old while still in Massachusetts, when I was taken away from my grandfather and was in deep grief ~ I had a clear and lucid vision of the Golden Gate Bridge and the immediate Bay (which I had never visited or was aware of) ~ but I never forgot it and knew it had something to do with my destiny. (It was as if that innocent loving child within myself was saying ~ just open your heart and you will meet me again and this is where it will happen )

 
40 years later I walked into that same exact precognitive event at Fort Mason in San Francisco and realized amidst tears of profound joy that precognitive event had seemingly gone backward in time and I had finally found proof of my Unified Field ~ for there was no time and space within this field of love, it was indeed the sole constant of the universe and I was now ready to own this truth with the world and demonstrate what I already deeply knew.

Malala is also obviously in sync with her destiny but please note the already subtle ways her true message has already been diluted by the mainstream press. Yet Ms. Yousafzai offers an emotional counterpoint to the grinding conflict in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. “With her courage and determination, Malala has shown what terrorists fear most: a girl with a book,” said Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general.

She said of her meeting with President Obama , “I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism… Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact.”  These deeply felt criticisms by Malala are seldom mentioned by the main stream media.

In Pakistan, she has come to symbolize the country’s existential struggle against Islamist violence. She rose to prominence in 2009 as the author of an anonymous blog that described life in Swat at a time when fighters, armed with Kalashnikovs, terrorized the valley’s residents and shut schools where girls were being educated.

Later, she became a national news media figure, speaking about the need for peace, which drew her into the Taliban’s cross hairs. In the summer of 2012, the insurgents hatched a plan to kill her, then put it into action that October.

See 11 minute NY Times documentary: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/world/asia/malala-yousafzai-pakistan-shooting-suspects-arrested.html

After the shooting, with life-threatening wounds to her head, Ms. Yousafzai was flown to Britain for treatment. But back in Pakistan, a news media-driven backlash had already started, some of it by crude conspiracy theories ~ accusations that the teenager was a C.I.A. agent, a blasphemer or a traitor.



But I maintain, that when Malala was shot she became aware (while on the verge of her own death and unconscious for three days) of her life's purpose and understood what her father saw in her soul through his love ~ that she was destined to be a politician/leader and speak her truth to the world from a place of intention, purpose and soul consciousness as well as an innocent victim of the violence around her.
I have witnessed the same reaction in combat veterans with PTSD (all having experienced the violence and atrocities of war) who once they touched the emotionally trapped child within themselves, have felt an overwhelming need to be in service from a place of love, joy and gratefulness. Here's an example ~

BAND OF BROTHERS #5 / The miracle of Heart Centered Self-Healing | 03/13/11 / Veterans Today  http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/03/13/86954/  

Five Vietnam and one Iraq veteran with PTSD faced their deepest fears and inspired each other to open their hearts, conquer their fears and find themselves in the process.

I told them that this was an action based workshop and if they did their homework they would reach a place of not only another choice but would open their closed hearts in the process. They would also begin to see through different eyes ~ eyes unclouded by fear, resentment and unworthiness. I also explained through my Cycle Of Life chart how psychic pain will override Joy to the extent that most people have no idea that beneath their deepest pain and aloneness is love, joy and connectedness ~ the Unified Field .

After each session ~ part of their homework was to read each session in my book RADICAL THERAPY / SURRENDER TO LOVE AND HEAL YOURSELF IN SEVEN SESSIONS ( NOT SEVEN YEARS ) which reinforced the previous session with additional exercises and a pertinent story. In essence, I build a safe haven for them to become completely vulnerable and explore and connect with their deepest feelings. My role is that of their coach, versus therapist, who is guiding them to the real coach ~ themselves!

Of course, in that first session I shared my own heart’s journey or quest to find a lost and alone little boy within myself who not only wanted to fly, and became a Navy Fighter pilot, but also to love as deeply as I loved my beloved grandfather before I was torn away from him at six years old ~ emotionally shutting down my deepest feelings and became something other than myself in order to survive. We briefly talked about the war and all of them started to briefly share their heart’s journey and by the end of two hours ~ they began to feel a sense of commonality and purpose.  Their homework was to produce a life chart of the path of their individual heart’s journey ~ which they would share with the group over the next two sessions. The purpose of the life chart is to see their life as a quest versus a struggle to find their authentic loving self ~ and begin to see their war experience as part of that journey.

The Life chart is a wonderful vehicle to self-acceptance and compassion for themselves ~ for in the process of sharing their life chart with the group and others they are taking a major step of letting people into their self-imposed cocoon of aloneness and realizing, perhaps for the first time, that they are capable of being loved and understood. They also inspire each other to take greater risks in revealing themselves which is precisely what happened in Band of brothers #5.

After sharing their individual life charts, they did the Victim /Accountability exercise in session three ~ where they all had the chance to feel the lightness and joy of being accountable versus the heaviness and sadness of being a victim. Their homework was to take the people they had resentment towards off the hook and to realize that many of them they had deeply loved and were really gifts in their lives.

It was during this exercise that Abraham became the poster boy for Band of Brothers #5 by completely surrendering to his deep seeded anger, rage and body shaking hatred towards his past girlfriend, who left him while he was in Iraq, and then, with my coaching, took total accountability for his deep pain, realizing she could not have been any different than the way she was and that she was gift in his life ~ and immediately burst through his dark tunnel of resentment and anger (emotional wounding) and then exploded into almost uncontrollable laughter and joy beneath that pain and began weeping in joy . That was it ~ he had emerged from his self-imposed cocoon of fear and soon shared with us how everything looked different and that he couldn’t stop smiling which remained the case for the remainder of the sessions. Abraham wrote in his evaluation that this was the major fear he overcame in this workshop ~ “ My being in a cocoon of fear, anger and resentment and finally bursting out of it ~ I’m a different person now, I smile a lot more  and everybody has noticed the change.”

Abraham’s obvious deep inner joy inspired the whole group to take this all important step in finding their authentic and joyful self. Most of them had resentment issues with parents or ex-loves or wives and their homework was to take them all off the hook and see them instead as gifts on the path of their heart. Once that happened they were ready to finally meet the emotionally lost child within themselves ~ which is precisely what happened in session four.

The fourth session they met the child within by means of a powerful guided image visualization. Every one of them saw that long lost innocent child who told them what they needed to do to fully embrace him in their lives now. Their faces literally changed and became younger as they made that inner connection ~ they were dormant flowers suddenly blooming. I was moved almost to tears to see these Veterans suddenly claim their joy and innocence after years of self-doubt, guilt and despair.

Here’s some of the comments they heard from that child with the question being ~
 
What do I need to do to fully embrace you in my life?

Surrender to yourself

Love me

Believe in me

Accept yourself

Is there joy beneath my pain?

Yes!  ( that was the answer for all of them )

What’s my next step?

Surrender, go with the flow

Let go, surrender

Surrender, let’s visit

Get out of your cocoon

Open your heart

What’s the most important advice you can give me?

Be yourself

Let down your guard

Be me

Surrender

Own your joy

Stay with me

Meeting the child within was a game changing event for all of them especially Adrian who wrote in his post workshop evaluation ~ “The most meaningful aspect of the workshop was meeting the inner child and surrendering to love ~ which were two things that I thought might be an illusion ~ silly me! “

Gary also thought it was the most meaningful ~ “ Discovering that each of us possesses a rare and genuine inner self and that negative and anti-social behavior  ( that once troubled and frustrated myself ) is actually the end result of a lifetime of ego protection in reaction to the outside influences of others ~ my fear of opening up to strangers is now gone “

The Fifth session, one week later, was all about gratefulness and thanking the people who have been there for them their whole life ~ with the help of a guided visualization. Many of them had virtually not thanked anyone and certainly not themselves. That was their homework. As they did that their hearts began to fully open because gratefulness is the lifeblood of soul consciousness and is the only antidote for unworthiness.

This exercise really touched Roger who leaped on the homework to fully open his heart and emerge from his cocoon of fear and is still thanking people who have touched him in his life ~ “I learned that my fear has held me in a holding pattern most of my life but I’ve now learned to listen to myself inside ~ that little guy with the happy face.”

By now the Band of Brothers were inspiring each other on their common journey through fear ~ they were beyond the point of no return. Their homework was to thank at least 25 people who had touched them before the next session. We still hadn’t dwelled on the war for there was no need to. Their military experience was now a stepping stone versus an obstacle on their path to self-healing. They were already healing themselves by taking responsibility for love and sharing their gratefulness with others. Their hearts had opened and they were seeing through different eyes ~ which Abraham and Chuck merrily confirmed each remaining session.

Soon they were at session eight and celebrating the completion of a successful mission to open their hearts and find themselves in the process. The ultimate fire fight as Adrian confirmed is the battle with fear on the inner journey to open the heart and the last step is always the same ~ surrender and let go to the joyful magnificence of yourself and all of them had succeeded.

Doug, the gentle giant, closed our last celebration session ~ with many of the past  Band of Brothers attending, but his comments on his post workshop evaluation probably summed up the feelings of band of brothers #5 ~ regarding Did the workshop meet your expectations ?

Doug answered ~ “Yes, it more than met my expectations ~ it changed my expectations."

What personal changes have you overcome from this workshop?

Doug answered ~ “My compassion for others is overcoming my fear and mistrust. I have opened my heart and gained an appreciation for myself at the same time ~ I have progressed further in this eight week workshop than I have in 25 years of on and off again private therapy.”

Doug has finally come home from Vietnam and the miracle of heart centered self-healing became obvious again for there can be no true healing without the heart ~ which is precisely what happened with Band of Brothers #5. The gift I gave them was myself ~ not being afraid of their pain or anger and totally owning the joy of who I am and what I know and caring enough to not let them settle for less than all of themselves.

Roger thought it was what he enjoyed most about the workshop ~ “ The gift was you, Allen ~ you are so full of life, love and truth. It helped push me to surrender and break down the walls inside of me and find the joyful little boy. “

The beat goes on, the Band of Brothers continues to grow ~ and I, in turn, continue to be deeply moved by the most spiritually satisfying work of my life. I’m also grateful to Sal Ueda, LSW with the Concord Vets Center in California for not only setting up these groups but preparing these wounded warriors for this life changing heart centered work
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So now back to Malala ~ who is simply fulfilling her life's mission by being in service from a place of gratefulness, compassion and love and telling her truth from that place of soul consciousness. I'm sure her father originally saw that purpose in her eyes.

 
It's also interesting to note that the Poster Boy of band of Brothers #5 Abraham is now studying to be an MSW and is clearly in service from a place of love, joy and soul consciousness.

 
Can it really be this simple?  That  deepest within each one of us is an emotionally trapped child longing to be seen and to share their gift within a rapidly evolving loving plan.

 
I most certainly am living my life's destiny, which I sensed as a child, and later felt with my heart centered work with clients and shared with my Ph.D dissertation The Unified Field in 1998 ~ and then clearly demonstrated with my soul centered work with combat veterans with PTSD over the past five years.

 
Malala Yousafzai is living it, Jesus lived and preached it and I have lived, proved and written that beneath our deepest fears and resentments is not only love, joy and a state of soul consciousness (the Unified Field) but also our authentic vocation within a constantly evolving loving plan.

 
A child will lead us out of our moral wilderness ~ but that child is also deepest within each one of us waiting to be seen and activated through love.

 
“I told myself, Malala, you have already faced death. This is your second life. Don't be afraid ~ if you are afraid, you can't move forward.”
~ Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban


 
Allen L Roland, Ph.D
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-child-will-lead-us-out-of-our-moral.html
 



Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and heart centered spiritual counselor Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private Skype consultations at allen@allenroland.com

Allen L Roland is also a lecturer and shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net

 

 

1 comment:

  1. “I reassured my mother that it didn’t matter to me if my face was not symmetrical. Me, who had always cared about my appearance, how my hair looked! But when you see death, things change. “It doesn’t matter if I can’t smile or blink properly,” I told her. “I’m still me, Malala. The important thing is God has given me my life.”
    ― Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

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