Katherine Mitchell, M.M.Q.
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Free Will or Destiny?

4/28/2018

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A reader asked how destiny and free will can possibly work together.  She thought that free will was causing her to stray away from her destiny, to forget its direction.  This question brings up two topics of conversation.  The first is free will.  Free will is your divine right to choose.  (Incidentally, choice is the first of the Five Words.)  We were given this privilege in order to better understand the entire breadth of experience that is possible.  Free will is that which has helped to create the extremes of dark and light that we see in the world.  Bear in mind that dark and light, good and bad, in other words, opposites are really neither good nor bad.  They just are. 
 
Good and bad have great weight in our society because of the value judgments tradition has placed on them.  In another society or culture, the good or the bad of something may be completely different.  Opposites (good/bad, light/dark) are simply an expression of a whole which, when seen as a whole, teaches us to reach for higher spiritual goals.  Reaching for higher spiritual goals doesn’t really have anything to do with religion.  It has to do with working to reflect more of that essential love that creation was born out of in our actions and life. 
 
The second topic is, of course, destiny.  So many people ponder what their destiny is.  They look for far reaching, grand plan goals to fulfill and are confused when their path to saving the world just never becomes clear.  Destiny is also called dharma in India.  Dharma is duty.  Many times, your destiny is best fulfilled by diligently performing your duty.  What?  Not important enough?  It is my contention that your highest duty is to create of yourself the closest embodiment of love that is possible.  This is very hard work and takes constant monitoring of attitudes, prejudices, habits, and thoughts.  Beyond that, your destiny may be to, as they say, chop wood, carry water until you are enlightened, and, after you are enlightened, to chop wood, carry water.  In other words, do what you do.  Your part of destiny may be as simple as spreading a smile and gratitude as an example to all you meet.  Even a humble destiny is divine.  Not all need to save the world and very few can do so all alone.  Imagine, however, if we had a world full of people who were dedicated to being true embodiments of love. Wouldn’t that, in and of itself, transform our world?

Some people feel pretty sure what their destiny is.  My reader is one such person and she was convinced (concerned?) that she needed to give up her free will in order to fulfill her destiny.  The short answer is no. It is not natural or beneficial to give up your ability to choose, your free will.  Free will is part of our agreement with the divine.  Trying to divorce your free will is, I believe, impossible.  Taking a vow to stop making the choices just isn’t going to get it done.  Part of fulfilling your destiny is choosing, again and again, to honor it, no matter if it’s mundane or grand, to make it the priority, and to let that awareness from your highest self, fulfill it naturally.  As hard as it may be, as much work as it takes to fulfill, your destiny is what drives you, sometimes kicking and screaming, toward a plan you put into motion long ago. 
 
And still, it is a choice.  You can just not.  If you choose.

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Before You Were Born

4/21/2018

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Love is not an extreme emotion.  (see the Five Words Perspective blog post of 4/14/2018.)   All light and shadow is the love of God expressing and teaching. So, how did everything get so out of hand?  How is there so much suffering in the world and in day to day life?  The answer is free will.  Free will means you get to choose what your actions will be.  You get to decide what to do in response to other people’s actions: action, reaction, choice.  With choice comes consequence!  Balance needs to be maintained. When choices are less than loving, sooner or later, consequences follow.
 
An all loving God even lets you have a say in what consequences you will encounter in your life.  As is explained in the Five Words, “Before birth, you make binding soul agreements to set up conditions for the experiences you wish to have while on earth.  Agreements are made in order to populate your life with the cast of characters needed to experience your lesson plan.  These agreements, or sacred contracts, may be for a short time or a life time.  That is to say, they include everyone from the person you see for only moments whose smile encourages you, to your friends, your boss, and the people of your family. These agreements are made from the level of love only, purely love.  All parties agree to the plan.”
 
While you are deciding what plan you want for your life, you forget what it is like to be in a physical body where pain hurts!  Fortunately, there are beings with you whose job it is to temper your enthusiasm for making things right.  They are tasked with making sure you do not take on too much.  Of course, after birth you forget the plan. Even though you do not remember what you put in store for yourself, your plan is in play and unfolds beautifully according to your will.  In all things, your choices are honored.  What you willed before your birth and your choices while here determine your path toward joy.
 
What are your difficult times?  What have you learned from your difficult times?  Do you respond with love to yourself and the people involved?  If not, why not?  What good do you get from holding onto difficulties?  How does it pay you? Does holding on bring you joy?
 
Love always,
Katherine
 
If you enjoy this blog, please like and share on Facebook.  I also welcome your comments and questions.

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the Five Words Perspective

4/14/2018

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Last week we talked about the difference between happiness and joy.  I suggested that joy has a more divine origin. Joy expresses the peace you feel when you understand the infinite you: that part of you that is divine.  Of course, the Five Words is about getting through extreme emotions in the search for joy.  So, what are extreme emotions?

Extreme emotions, the really big ones, are:  fear, grief, worry, shock, and anger.  All of the other emotions we have are some variation on these five principal ones. In other words, frustration is anger, depression is anger turned inward.  Emotions running wild are what block your understanding of how to be full of joy.  That being said, it is important to understand that all emotions are sourced in love, the great creative life force that is God. 

Love is not an extreme emotion; it is the original state of being. It is the impulse of creation.  Gradually, as love expressed into light and shadow, yin and yang, all of creation came into being, as did the whole range of emotion.  In God there is only love, all light and shadow is the love of God expressing and teaching.  There is no intention from God for the soul to experience suffering.  On earth, however, we have stepped beyond the understanding of what is true.   Instead we struggle with what we have created from what is true and suffering happens.  Free will allows us to manipulate this beautiful creation and we do not always act in love. We have created the energies that compromise Eden.  Our work on the planet is to bring those energies back into balance, back to that original state of being: love.
 
Yes, it’s a tall order.  We give a lot of energy in our lives to that which we believe will bring us joy when, in fact, the results of that energy expenditure may not even bring us happiness.  Where are you putting you energy?  Is this expenditure of energy bringing you closer to joy?  Does it bring you lasting happiness?  What else could be done?

Let’s talk about it.
Katherine

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April 07th, 2018

4/7/2018

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In taking up this blog, I am following my own advice from my book, The Five Words.  I am stepping out of my comfort zone.  I wish to be present for the people who, after reading the book, still have questions or issues.  Other details of my life and experience are documented elsewhere on this website but this is what we are all after, JOY.

What would it be like to command and befriend profound, extreme emotions?  Joy is the goal. Happiness is the impetus for every action taken by every being on the planet.  In other words, at any moment, armed with the understanding we have, each of us behaves in the way we believe will bring us the most happiness.  Many times the quest for happiness is misguided.  Motivators (money, power, love, or trying to end pain, etc.) lead us to act or act out. 

Joy and happiness are not the same thing.  Happiness has much to do with the external world. Joy, on the other hand, expresses the peace you feel when you understand the infinite you.

Year after year, session after session, I am reminded of many years of personal struggle with emotions that trampled and misguided me.  Year after year, session after session, I find beautiful souls struggling with emotions and feelings of helplessness in the face of crushing fate.  Bound up in the injustice of what the world is doing to them, these people are consumed by external relationships and what might happen or, what might happen “if only.”

The truth is, a focus on relationships to lovers and employers is not only fruitless and frustrating, it is beside the point.  Please understand, our relationship to ourselves is that which provides every advantage or disadvantage we have.  Life
is a self-directed adventure.  We choose the adventure.  We decide to empower the correct parts of life, and we determine what those parts are. We are the ones to set boundaries that safeguard our energies for that which is most important.  We get to commit to our own adventure as we determine it to be, and we learn compassion to guide our way.  At the end is ultimate Joy.

The how and why this is all accomplished is the matter of my life’s work.  I teach how to put yourself first and still maintain a loving, generous, and life supporting personal relationship with all those who populate your space.

Please join me, like and share if you are guided to do so.
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    Katherine

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