Freedom from Cult-psychology

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Thanks to Victoria.


You asked for 10 things better about my life.... What facts does one need to choose freedom? You should demand facts for sacrificing yours. But here are a few:

FACT: "Fear and Love CANNOT co-exist. (First John 4:18).
FACT: The truth sets us free. Only fearless truthseekers can even recognize truth.
FACT: The Jehovah's Witness cult exclaims that if people don't leave "false" religions (all religions but theirs) and follow the cult, they'll share in the fate [of destruction by their god]. If anyone dares a reply to such bold assertions, the cult-leaders cry "persecution!" or an arrogant air of dismissal, never paying serious attention to anyone outside their cult, judging from their lofty perches.
FACT: I am only now beginning to understand the negative effects [of cult-psychology and repeated cult-programming] on the mind from this. It keeps believers separate and self righteously above the whole world of "bad association"-- [any friendship with any non-cult or ex-cult person. This is] the opposite of spirituality. If you were conscious spiritually, you could see this, but they keep you unconscious.
FACT[written to a dearly beloved sister]: You are in one of the highest mindcontrol cults out there today [the Jehovah's Witnesses], ]notorious] for high numbers of suicides, depression, anxiety disorders, paranoid schizophrenia, etc. A truthseeker could verify this with research.
FACT: The Jehovah's Witness cult has earned its reputation for destroying families. Innocents have been hurt. Many, many good people are justifiably angry. There are 2 sides to every story. A real truthseeker hears both sides.
FACT: The cult has grossly misrepresented itself. They harbor dark secrets. They expel anyone who would expose them! A truthseeker would look into this.
FACT: They were NGO [non-government organization] members with the DPI of the United Nations for 10 years. They ended the relationship when they got caught (2001) claiming ignorance about the requirements for membership they signed every year. A truthseeker would find this interesting.
FACT: The policies [of the Jehovah's Witness cult] on paedophilia are no different than the Catholics who they've condemned publicly for decades. They are paying out millions in settlements. Easily verified.
FACT: The same problems you attribute to "Satan's wicked world" exist right inside [the cult] among you. No one wants her world rocked; so, the [leaders and followers] ignore these realities with an [implicit] "ignorance is bliss" cop out.
FACT: You will always be my sister. I remember you fondly. I love you. And [I] want only good for you. If you can't trust that because of Jehovah's Witness brainwashing about the "evil" of ex-Witnesses [those who have abandoned the cult], we lack a basis at this time for a loving, honest relationship.
FACT: I am confident that this will change. I await [this] with open arms.

To choose freedom from a cult, what facts does one need? To give up your [religion], given [the great gift of] freedom, you really owe it to yourself to demand facts! You have not, but choose to follow the [spiritually] "blind." Therein lies the biggest fact of all. Sorry. The truth hurts.
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You asked for 10 things better about my life today [after I have found liberation from the cult]. In a word, it's FREEDOM to live a truthful life in peace. I should be asking you for ten [ways in which your life is better as a cult-member[.
The cult teaches that "Believers stand ready to make a defense for their faith," claiming salvation. Freedom requires no defense; it's a basic human right to be cherished, never stifled by anyone-- certainly [not] by men who prove they're every bit as fallible as you or me.

1. Freedom to hold my head high. No more [pathetic] asking people for money to support my religion. In a separating work [, selling for the cult,] we encountered un-interested people ]whom we unlovingly labelled as "goats"] but kind souls supported our [sales-] work with their money. Embarrassing. Now, I can get involved in a community effort knowing one person at a time. We touch lives and make a difference instead of waiting for the mass destruction of all the "problems" [people who refused to convert and join the cult]. I'm part of the solution, not the problem.

2. Freedom from "divine requirements." I don't have to annoy people on Saturday mornings trying to sell them my beliefs, nor do I have to be at meetings and service [sales-work] when I'm tired or when my instinct tells me I need down time with my boys. ]And if I did spend time with my family,] I [would] be viewed/marked "spiritually immature" by my peers and elders. [They would then have an excuse to judge, avoid, and even condemn me and my whole family.] Spirituality has nothing to do with those "requirements." I don't measure myself by these works....

3. Freedom to be okay with myself. Never do I wonder whether I'm "meeting the mark." [Am I living up to the standards of the cult? They taught that the only good use of time was to spend it in the sales-work.] Am I "whole-souled" enough? [Am I] "zealous" enough? Does Jehovah find me "lukewarm"? Did I relax by the pool instead of [selling] that stranger a magazine [from the cult]? Are my priorities straight? Am I too "materialistic"? Not "meek and teachable" if I don't accept the
"new light" [of new cult-teachings] like a robot? Is my name in the "Book of Life"-- or are my efforts in vain? After all, Jehovah reads hearts; and maybe I'm not worthy? But I am whole now.

4. Freedom to be in peace. The cult continually reminds us constantly about the urgency of the times: [They say,] "Do not tire out, don't lose the zeal you had at first, "stay busy, busy, busy in the "work of the Lord" [every act of Love is the true "work of the Lord"]. [They teach that we should] "always have plenty to do." [I am expected to] "save myself and those who listen to me." Jehovah is a god "exacting exclusive devotion" and it's a heavy burden to "please him well" doing these many things whole-souled, (while caring for families, jobs, homes, and health) all to "probably be concealed in the day of his anger." [This is when god murders all the "unbelievers."] That's pressure! There is no peace in that mindset. Today, I breathe easier.

5. Freedom to think for myself, and actually trust my mind and heart to lead me well. I don't answer to an exacting god who sees "the thoughts of man are bad all the time." I don't have to hide my reservations. I have a much better ability to think, process info, and study, free to accept whatever I find to be true or positive no matter the source....

6. Freedom from guilt about what someone else supposedly did centuries ago. I get to decide if I did something I think wasn't right, AND I decide what to do to make it right. Adam's and Eve's errors don't make me a sinner who needs redemption. God's perfect justice? No. I see things logically and fairly. No guilt here.

7. Freedom from the fear of death. It is the natural [end to the] cycle of life. Truth: 100% of all known living things do in fact die in the physical sense. [Only a few claim to] know what happens after that. Perhaps it's better than our physical existence? I'm not afraid that if I die tomorrow I won't have every "t" crossed and every "i" dotted in some arcane rulebook that I need to follow. [I need not follow all these rules] "just so" as to avoid consequences from an exacting god. Cult-members try to pass their Jehovah off as a "God of Love," free of fear.

8. Freedom from pretending to like people. Churches don't approve of conflict between members (though it happens all the time); if I don't like someone, I am free to tell her so and avoid her. It keeps me honest. Faking is an energy drainer. I remember elders who gave talks where they clearly missed the point of the outlined material, but we "owed them respect" simply because they were male. Many didn't have
wives or children yet they were in positions of authority, often misdirecting families. It's an arcaic idea that males are better leaders and should be in charge. I see people for who and what they are, no more, no less.

9. Freedom of choice about how I will think, dress, talk, act, do, who I like and associate with, as a unique person not trying to keep status quo with others. Conformity is not unity. People don't have to be clones, identical. Following human beings is a demeaning idea. [We are all] free to reject it.

10. Freedom to use my faculties intelligently. I don't have to twist logic trying to support absurd claims that violate known science and natural laws. Jesus died and is still dead. The earth was never covered 100% by floodwaters. No one ever lived in the belly of a fish. The list is long....Free to speak truth, it sets you free. Spirituality is about embracing interconnectedness. We all have the same questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Thousands of religions proceed to give people "the answers." "Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need." (QUESTIONS ARE GREAT!)

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I posed the same scenario to my Sandy and also Mom. -What are the 10 best
things about your current life/minsdset? They both chimed in below.

Sandy here:

1. Love.
Real love, including love for ourselves is unconditional. Jesus said you'll know them by their fruits. I'm sure this was his careful way of saying, "Check your religion." What are the fruits of yours? Fear? Divisiveness? Making sure to keep
yourself separate?

2. Mental Health
Every mental/emotional illness known to the human race can be traced back to low self-esteem; and when you have to share head space with a critical God who considers the thoughts of man to be "only bad all the time," who deems it appropriate to annihilate human beings in droves throughout the old testament and reserves the bulk of them for destruction in the new testament, you're never okay.

Since God is good and "God is Love," these killings must be good and right since they are called for by God. [Actually, God has nothing to do with the support of violence and murder; that was not God, but the local deity "Jehovah."] That makes us fear our fellow man, but specifically and especially those we have been taught by the cult to label "unbelievers" or worse yet, apostates! This explains why, according to Wikepedia, ""Jehovah's witnesses are more likely to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals than the general population. Three times more likely to be suffering from schizophrenia"

3. Physical Health
God promises to "vomit you out" of his mouth if you are "lukewarm." (Rev. 3:16) When it comes to pleasing God, there's no room for doubting (Heb 11:6). In fact, James 1:6-7 bring out that anyone "doubting at all" should not "suppose that he will receive anything from Jehovah." If we bury the question mark, [ignoring these important questions,] we live with internal conflict. That conflict keeps us from having peace and that discord robs us of our physical health through its affect on our nervous systems.

4. Freedom from Fear
The cult would have us stay on guard and be constantly afraid. [In psychology, this state of continuous tension is called "hypervigilance," and is a mental illness.] If that weren't bad enough, you're told not to "lean upon your own understanding." [You are encouraged actively to mistrust your own mind, and everyone else; all "truth" comes from the cult-leaders alone.] "It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step," and "He that is trusting in his own heart is stupid." Stupid? (Prov. 3:5, Jer 10:23, Prov. 28:26)
Don't trust your head, don't trust your heart, and be wary of your internal guidance system! We shouldn't even meditate because if we sit in quiet stillness allowing our thoughts to enter without judging them, its a way for "Satan" to "get into our heads"!
Don't meditate, Don't isolate, Don't trust your head, Don't trust your heart and never be alone with our thoughts! (The "wisdom from within" could just as easily be the "devil"!) In the presence of fear, love is paralyzed. ("There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint.
Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

5. Free Will.
We think of the bible as this book that keeps us on some kind of moral track. [it can more likely move us] off a moral path. Solomon could have 700 wives. But don't touch or hold that Ark [an ancient Israeli sacred object[ wrong or it's curtains for you! [These ancient people had a superstition that to touch this wooden box would result in death, for it was too sacred to touch.] Once you no longer look to this book for your answers, you will be free to have peace extraordinaire!

6. Time
TIME is LIFE.
Always staying "busy in the work of the Lord [defined as the sales-work of the cult]," is a waste. That way, we stay unconscious. That way, we seek to confirm what we already believe. A belief is nothing more than a thought we practice. Your beliefs have been practiced because the cult makes sure of it! "That which you put your attention on grows in your Life." (Napoleon Hill) Think of that when you turn in your time! [Cult-members must fill out a form, once a week, to report how much time that they have spennt in the sales-work; this is called "turning in your time."]

7. Freedom from Guilt, Freedom from Shame. Freedom to Heal
Witnesses go through life like a kid covering it's ears screaming "La la la la la la la, I'm not listening!" You have no idea how beautiful the world really is until you can one day open your eyes, your mind and your heart to this "Truth" (with a capital
"T"!) These translate into moments of Joy and true Bliss, something you can only appreciate from outside of the fear you live under in the cult.

8. Free to Be Conscious
When you have your first taste of it you'll know what it really means. Jesus said it was the way to happiness and boy is he right! When I first got out of the headspace I had been in all those years, I was deliriously giddy. I went around thinking "Pinch me" just like in the movies. When something's that good, you just can't believe its real! I hope for you to experience this one day.

9. Peace.
Peace that excels all thought can only be had under the proper mindset. Everything is in the mind. Perception is everything. Where's the peace in knowing your God might destroy your loved ones? How is there peace in knowing He can read hearts, He could end suffering this minute but chooses to keep Satan around longer for more testing so He can see who's really with Him. Where's the peace without security? NO safety! You hope to "probably be concealed" when His anger blazes. Fear based living
cannot result in peace.

10. Happiness.
I know God, if God is Love, doesn't want me in a box limiting my mind and heart from natural interaction. I am not stuck in a bad situation, for example, a bad marriage, because it would please Him. I believe we all have what we need to be truly happy, It's only our self-imposed limitations which might block joy. There's happiness in giving. There's happiness in being conscious of our spirit, etc. It's all around us for the taking. We take it.

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Mom here:

Free to love animals as unique living beings deserving of our compassion, love and respect.

Free to be a voice for them, without so called "spiritual" people looking down their noses.

Free to view the furry friends as God's creation, be responsible for them, it brings me joy.

Free to use my time as I see fit. Busy, busy was killing me. I enjoy my free time now so much.

Free to buy something I want for me or a stranger in need instead of donating to the [Kingdom] hall. [Meeting-places or "churches" in the cult are never called "churches," for the cult is against all other religions; these buildings are called "halls," or "Kingdom Halls."]

Free to like a wide variety of people with no urge to judge them. I am losing the urge to judge.

Free to pick my own friends. I have more in common with animal loversthan with pioneer gossipers. [A "pioneer" is a full-time worker in the sales-activity of the cult.]

Free to speak my mind, say what I really think to a man or anyone. I'm not subservient.

Free to be heard, My opinion is worth as much as anyone's out there.

Free to like myself for who I am, rather than being measured/compared to another living soul.

Free to feel pride for taking personal responsibility for my life and happiness. No more waiting.

Free from fear of Armageddon thinking my kids would be destroyed by Jehovah.

Free of this and all fear based teachings designed to control the flock.

Free to make personal choices; who I live with, my friends or a lifelong mate.

Free to call a spade a spade. Recognize wrong and not wait on Jehovah but make a wrong right!

Free of being labeled by my "friends and brothers." ("let him who is without sin cast the first stone")

Free to find my personal fulfillment and happiness. Alas, it has always alluded me as you know.

More than 10 but here you have it.

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Desire: A Careful Analysis

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In our society and culture, we are powerfully, repeatedly programmed to believe that the way to happiness is, "Desire much, get much (fulfill your desire), and be happy." But a careful study of history demonstrates that there is no relation between material wealth and happiness (contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment, joy). But the entire advertising universe is based on this premise. And it involves millions of people and many billions of dollars.

We have all received of, or have been imprinted with, this program. The average teen has heard over 150,000 commercials during her short life.

The advocates of increased desire are everywhere, and every store, every bank, every financial institution, supports them. "Desire more and more" is the universal message.

That is why people actually expect that more dollars mean instant happiness. But interviews with lottery-winners prove that they are often stunned and shocked due to their disappointment at profound feelings of unhappiness after having won major lotteries! With all the money that they could ever spend, they have not found happiness.

Our entire society is a witness to the failure of this program. For unhappiness is ubiquitous and pervasive. Even chronic depression is common, the number one psychological disorder in this very wealthy country.

Radical problems require radical solutions. So, in a quest to understand the very, very important connections between desire and happiness, we must take a very careful look at alternative views.

One of these is the view of people of the Enlightenment Tradition
(mysticism) down through the ages. Whether Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, or from nature-traditions, all mystics agree about this. They all say:

The Way to full happiness is the turning away from, the decrease, even the final renunciation (rejection) of desire. This seems so very odd that it deserves closer examination.

What is desire? By definition, it is a state of dissatisfaction, unfulfillment, incompletion. These factors are more readily associated with unhappiness than with happiness. Advertisers, for example, have only one job: They must make you feel dissatisfied, incomplete. Then, they say, buying their product will make you feel satisfied and complete!

So, desire creates unhappiness. For a person who is completely happy and utterly fulfilled, absolutely satisfied, desires nothing. Desire is a "wave" upon the placid mirror-lake of the calm, tranquil, happy mind.

Let's look at a parable: A little girl was given a red wagon for her birthday. She had been wanting, and hinting, for many years that she wanted a blue bicycle. When she received the wagon, she was miserable.

But the wagon did not make her miserable. It was a fun, fine toy. No, what made her miserable was the desire for the blue bike.

So, events in themselves do not make us unhappy. Instead, it is the desire for them to be different that creates misery. So, if you train yourself to accept whatever occurs in your life, you will have one of the greatest secrets to happiness!

Another parable can illustrate: Two women were born in the same neighborhood on the same day. Each married at age twenty. Each climbed the ladder of "success" to a moderate executive position. But the one, always focused on what she did not have, and what she could not do, was always miserable and complaining. Impressing others, she thought, was a key to "happiness," and she struggled endlessly to impress everyone-- including strangers whom she would never see again! The other, who always thought and spoke about what she did have, and what she could do, was a study in happiness and serenity.

Again, material things do not create happiness. Nor does status, position, or power. Happiness is an attitude, and is internal; it cannot be created by anything external.

Those who, like the happy lady in the parable, diminish and lessen desires require less to satisfy them. They are more easily happy. So, as a rule, those who minimize their desires tend to be happier, while those who follow the dictates of our crazy society, amplifying desires, multiplying them, are more miserable.
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When Life is "No Fun"

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Many activities, people, events, and even things can contribute to joy. But nothing can "make us happy" if we are subconsciously "refusing delivery" on joy, if we reject it. Psychologists have even described a very serious condition called "anhedonia." This is the catastrophic, tragic inability to enjoy anything.

There can be several contributing factors to the inability to enjoy events, things, and people. If we seriously ignore our spiritual needs-- never read anything spiritual, never meditate, never practice Love or compassion, that can and will lead to anhedonia. So, continually be reaching out to others, multiplying friends and acquaintances! The only way to "love God" is by loving people!

But there is another, related, cause of which people rarely think. This is the absence of forgiveness. For forgiveness is the interior "door to joy" in our hearts. Forgiveness is the factor that allows joy to be planted within the heartmind, and to grow, and to thrive.

So, if we are failing, or refusing (out of pride) to forgive anyone, we are cutting way back on our internal joy. In fact, we are helping to create depression-- in its most serious case, anhedonia.

This is an act of ignorance and real selfhatred. So, the heartmind punishes itself by creating interior "hellstates"-- conditions of agony, suffering, and pain-- when we refuse to forgive ourselves or others.

What can we do? One thing that can be done immediately: Take an honest and thorough interior inventory. Scan and search through the "records" of your memory. If you have found that there is someone from your past that you have never forgiven, immediately email or phone that person, and make sincere, honest peace with her/him.

This will have an immediate and palpable healing effect on both your body and your mind. It will make you feel renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated! So, don't think about it too long, and do not put it on a "back shelf" in your head! Do it now! You will be very glad that you did!
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"Select Thought" Cognitive Therapy

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The quality of happiness in your life often depends on the types of thoughts that you choose to emphasize and allow into your mind. This seems so obvious and selfevident that it almost seems unnecessary to mention.

Nevertheless, much misery is created because we neglect the process of thought-selection. We behave almost as if thoughts have a kind of "will" of their own, that if we begin a negative chain of thought, or thought-train, it has an inertia of its own. One negative thought leads to another, then, to another, and so forth, until we have an entire train or chain of negative thoughts.

But once we become aware of the very beginning of a negative thought-chain, we can arrest it at the start. We can then alter our conscious thought-content from the negative to the positive.

Here's an example: The thought, "No one loves me," leads to, "I'm unlovable," or, "I don't deserve Love," and several other negativities. Before we know it, we can fall into a negative thought-chain; later, this can lead to anxiety, stress, or even depression.

But with "select thought" cognitive therapy, here is what can happen: The inadvertent thought, an inertial and "automatic" one, comes into the mind, "No one loves me." If we are aware, we can immediately correct this thought with a more rational one: For example, "I do have one real friend. This is the best friend in the whole universe, and She loves me deeply, entirely, and unconditionally." This is the Goddess within the heart. She is the best friend in the universe, and is willing and eager, at any time, night or day, to surround you in her warm, sweet Love.

So, instead of allowing a negative thought-train to take off on its own, you "arrest" it as soon as you are aware of it. Take a deep breath, try to relax, try to sink into meditation, and then, replace the negative thought with a positive one. Visualize your body being surrounded and filled with a bright healing light, and visualize this healing light also filling your head. Feel its healing Love.

Here is the simple but often neglected secret of "select thought" cognitive therapy:

If you think about what you do not have, and what you cannot do, you will tend to drain yourself of positive energy, bringing yourself down.

If, on the other hand, you choose to think about the things that you do have, and the things that you can do, you will give yourself a positive boost. This can be astonishingly healing to our feelings and mood.

Even the richest person in the world can choose to think about what she does not have, and bring herself down. Even the poorest person in the world can choose to think about what she does have, and bring her spirits
up.

So, we need to cultivate the good habit of allowing ourselves to think about only what we do have, and what we can do. When you start to feel down, remind yourself of the following: You have a functional if imperfect body; you have a functional if imperfect mind; if you have any moments that are pain-free, feel gratitude for those, and remind yourself of what a blessing each pain-free moment is. If your digestive system works, celebrate the fact. If your nervous system works, celebrate. Do the same re your respiratory, muscular, and other systems.

If you have a place to live, remind yourself. Many, many people on this planet do not. If you have enough food, be grateful; again, many do not.

If there is a food that you especially like, give yourself a little treat, and eat it in moderation. If you enjoy bathing, take your time and bathe at a leisurely pace, again reminding yourself of what a great blessing this is.

If you have friends, remind yourself of what a treasure they are. If you feel betrayed or let down by a friend, do not allow yourself to "recycle," "rerun," or endlessly, exhaustingly to review the event. Instead, push it out of your mind, and replace it with only pleasant thoughts.

You can also treat yourself to aromatherapy. Many find that floral fragrances (hyacinth, rose, lilac, etc.) are mildly euphoric (contributing to a positive mood or feeling). Many use sage specifically for this purpose, including clarey sage.

Count your blessings, literally. If you have a hobby, celebrate it. If you have employment, be thankful for it. This applies to any interests that you might have-- sensual, intellectual, artistic, scientific, spiritual, or other. Consciously, deliberately distract your mind from your problems by focusing all attention on your hobbies, interests, or passions. Never just allow your mind to "drift" into the negative thought-chain.

You can also sing. It matters not at all if you have the world's most "terrible" voice; the act of singing is itself therapeutic, whether you are "good" at it or not.

So, next time you start to feel "down," sit down, take some deep breaths, and remind yourself of all that is good, or positive, in your life. Your mind, in its illness, might even tell you that you have nothing positive. This is simply a symptom of the illness. Ignore this message, and continue to search your mind. Look for positive memories, for these exist in the now, and even if they come from the past, are parts of your life-treasures in the NOW.

Nature, God, our friends, our families, and our own hearts all contain beautiful jewels that can help us to make it through the rough times. Also, feeling "bad" once in a while is not a disease; it is normal and natural, and does not require drug-therapy. So, if you start to feel "down," don't panic. Instead, take a step back from your life, and look for the positive. Insist on thinking only positive thoughts about positive events, situations,and things. Demand this of yourself! Do not compromise, or allow the mind to drift into the negative! Try "select thought" cognitive therapy! You will be glad that you did!
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Happiness and Money

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The text quoting Jesus as asking, "what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" is a warning. It is telling us that life with only material riches ("the whole world") is a dead-end life. For riches cannot bring happiness, joy,fulfillment, contentment, or real satisfaction.

Very poor people often fantasize that, if only they had enough money, all their problems would be solved, and they would be completely happy. This perspective reflects only the desperation of their poverty. It does not reflect truth. As evidence, most winners of the lottery selfdescribe their lives as "unhappy" all the way to "utterly miserable."

If money cannot "profit" one, create real happiness, what can? The very question betrays our spiritual lack. For we all already know, deep down, that happiness arises from friends, Love, companionship, interaction, work, and play. A person who is truly happy does even work, not simply to earn money, but to better herself and the world.

Finding the "Soul," the deepest personal Mind, creates true peace and happiness, for it is this that we are designed to do. For the same reason that water satisfies thirst ("we were made to drink water"), only wisdom and spiritual understanding (gnosis) can make human beings content.
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Bread and the Bread of God

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The text, "Man shall live, not by bread alone, but by every utterance of God," was used by Jesus, in the Wilderness Temptation, to refute a temptation to profit personally from the Powers of the universe (miracles). It is implied that Power is never to be used selfishly or personally. And it is never to be used to show off.

It means also that "bread"-- all material things-- are not enough to sustain human beings emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually. People of our society are always trying to live by "bread" alone. Most will do anything to earn more "bread" or money.

Yet depression is the most common malaise of our time and culture. It is depressing to the Soul (deeper interior Mind) to try to live without the words of God (Love). Not only is it true, as the ancient song says, that "money can't buy you Love," but the attempt to live without Love is a hell of utter depression and pain-- no matter how much money you have.

For the human mind (nature) was not created to be satisfied by money. The truth is that, in the history of the whole world, not a single human being has ever been "made happy" by the possession of money and things that money can buy!

The wealthy, who are often consistently miserable, are proof of this premise. This applies to those who, being very rich, seek escape in sexual promiscuity and carelessness, or in alcohol or other drugs. Money and its offspring, business, make a very shoddy and tawdry "religion." For it does not create warmth, friendship, Love,family, fulfillment, or satisfaction.

Buying sports-cars, indulging in trips and travel, or engaging in various sports, are simply ways that miserable people can use to try to "lose themselves" in kinetic outer activity. These expensive pursuits never bring peace or tranquility.

We are designed to "lose ourselves" in the vast interior Mind of Love. What people truly need-- the "bread of God"-- is Love. It can be available to the poorest person, if she is willing to give Love. To trade Love for cash-- by using our time to earn money instead of developing spiritually-- is like trading goldust for dust.
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More about Personal Desire

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Personal desire does not lead to happiness, even in its fulfillment. For, when people get what they want, they always want more, or something else. Running around trying to satisfy personal desire is an endless treadmill which leads only to exhaustion and then, inevitably, to depression. Trying to fulfill human desires is like trying to quench thirst by drinking salt-water: The more you drink, the thirstier you get, and so, you keep on drinking, until you are dead.

The enlightened want to turn their personal wills over to, or into, the "will of God." How can we best do this? It is not complex. But to do it successfully, we must learn a new pattern of thinking: We must learn to accept things as they are. For, with strong personal will, the impulse is always there to change everything, to make the world, and everything in it, the way that "I want it to be."

As we work to erase the powerful ego, replacing its total selfishness with the interior Love-nature, we see just how it clings, attaches, and sticks to its craving, with strong "Velcromind." (We then work to cultivate its opposite, Teflonmind.:)

How do we recognize the desires of Love ("will of God")? The old wisdomasters said that God's will came in two varieties: God's active will and God's permissive will. God's active will is for each and every one of His/Her children (creatures) to live in perfect Love, peace, joy, and harmony. But God's permissive will allows Her children to suffer in order to learn. It is never God's active will that we sow the seeds of negativity and harm, but Her permissive will allows for free will. And so, if we choose, we can choose any kind of negative or harmful behavior. But if we do, we create future suffering for ourselves.

So, looking at these two aspects allows us to see that everything that is is "God's will." So, even negative situations and events are embraced in serenity.

A practical example: Let us say that you visit your doctor, hoping and expecting with all your might that you are in perfect health. But the doc finds something (blood-sugar, blood-pressure, etc.) wrong. You are crushed and shattered, and the rest of your day, or week, or month, or year, is ruined. Your wish for perfection has massively screwed up a part of your life.

Let us say that an enlightened being goes to the doc. She goes without expectations, without personal desires, and finds that she has the same problems. Since she knows that she is an imperfect creature, she is neither disappointed nor surprised to find that her body is imperfect. So, because of her lack of personal desire, she leaves the doc's in perfect serenity and profound tranquility. She is literally undisturbed, in "transcendence."

Is it really possible to develop and cultivate such amazing and powerful detachment, from even your own body? It takes loads of practice, but, yes, it is possible.

Another example: A young woman sets up a date with a stranger. She expects him to be Prince Charming-- wealthy, generous, intelligent, good-looking, friendly, fascinating, and fun. When they meet, he is a fairly average human being-- not so hot! She is crushed and shattered. Why? Because of her many personal desires and expectations.

Let's say the enlightened person also has a date. She goes into the experience with no expectations, no desires. She reasons that all human beings are imperfect in many ways. So, when she meets exactly the same guy, she feels no disappointment whatsoever. In fact, she tends to note his (few) good qualities, and can honestly celebrate them! Her date is a megablast, and a great success! Why? Because she approached the event without expectations, demands, or personal desires.

You have probably noted that personal desire is strongly bonded with a second factor-- expectation. While no one can live without expectations, we create a more full and beautiful life as we minimize our expectations. For where expectations are fewer, disappointments are also fewer. If we could live completely without expectations, we could also live without disappointments. For we create our own disappointments by expecting.
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