The Bridge of Grace
By: Boyd Martin
Tags: Choices, Parallel Universes, Grace, Imagination

Our reptilian brain in a state of fear will paint some of the most outrageous worst-case scenarios, fully engaging the fight-or-flight adrenal response, seemingly beyond our control, leaving us exhausted, defensive and constantly on guard.

On the other hand, in a state of love, the reptilian brain recedes into the background, and all responses to life events and the information about them always points to positive outcomes, leaving us hopeful and inspired.

Although it seems impossible sometimes, there is a choice point, where we can choose to take the high road to hope and harmony, or the low road to depression and oblivion. I believe which way we choose depends on how much love we have for ourselves.

The sage and spiritual master, Wei Po Yang, when asked about what he had learned from a lifetime of meditation, said, “To worry is preposterous.” He said this because life unfolds for us in the way we are being. If we are steadfast in loving ourselves, our life reflects this as support, ease and joy. And, even if we are overwhelmed by negative thoughts and feelings, these can be neutralized by the simple act of seeing love in the world. Worry in and of itself is a fruitless exercise that does nothing but remove joy from life.

There is something called “grace”, that is a sort of “bridge” — that no matter how fearful and deprived we are being, grace always provides a way to lift ourselves out of fear into love, should we choose it.

This gets to the importance of emotional and mental hygiene. When we get continually exposed to fearful and negative information and all the negative responses of others to that information, it is much easier to be triggered into fight or flight. When in this state, the mind engages the imagination negatively, incessantly constructing further existential threats, as it then begins looking for evidence that it is right.

The remarkable case of an overblown viral pandemic, wildly promoted by mass media and bought-and-paid-for “experts” at the behest of election-year political interests, is a perfect example of this. Even though there is a cure for the virus, and even though cool and sane heads point out facts that debunk the fearful narrative, the damage has already been done, with people freaking out, searching frantically for any kind of validation that supports an existential crisis. If that crisis narrative is challenged by knowledge-based facts, for people in fight-or-flight, it just further threatens the imagined existential crisis, because they no longer have the capability of calm and rational thought.

This all gets back to self-love, self-esteem and the certainty of grace in the world. This certainty is constantly challenged in a highly connected society built on a debt economy and fear-based blackmail politics. And yet, rising to this challenge by seeing love, compassion and inspiration in our lives is that bridge of grace available to all of us.

Quantum living provides the option of non-duality, where a negative state is the evidence of a simultaneously existing positive one. This guarantees that violence implies peace; anger implies compassion; fear implies safety; and so on. It is making the choice to allow this spectrum of duality that leads us to the fundamental reality of Universal Love underpinning all states of being.

As spiritual adept, Matt Kahn, has pointed out, every choice we make — even those choices about how we feel, are the portals to parallel worlds. We jump from one world to another via our choices. To the degree we can embody love, kindness, compassion and joy, literally determines the positive outcomes for the world we live in.

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