AOM Meditations: 081720

by Konstantin Somov

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As you know, one of my reasons for blogging AOMMD is to help inspire others to take a more active role in adding positive energy and Love into the world by helping others. It is why I do what I do through AOM. It is my attempt to give to others, to help others, to spread Peace and Love to others. This is the mission, the reason for AOM - it is why I do this for you (and for myself.) It is my example of loving you, loving others because I see loving others, taking care of others, giving to others as the reason for our being.

The first step in loving others is to love ourselves first. The more love we have for ourselves, the more love we have to share with others. Today's Meditations relates to this by helping us understand the importance of ACCEPTING ourselves as we are - warts, farts, shits and all.

I post this to get us thinking outside of our safe little boxes that we feel comfy in. It is not an easy thing for me to accept this view of myself, but something inside me tells me it is true:

All the very best 

and all the very worst of humanity 

is within each of us. 
Each of us possesses the capacity
To be a Jesus or a Buddha
Or
To be a Hitler, or a Mussolini, or a Trump.
As horrible as that sounds
We all have positive traits and negative traits within
Given the right circumstances
We could live a life doing good or a life doing bad
I don't like the thought that I could live a life 
of doing negative things in this world
But given the circumstances 
(my parents, my upbringing, my environment)
I could well have turned out living my shadow self

Only by accepting our 'shadow or darkness' can we learn to fully accept ourselves and fully integrate ourselves in wholeness. It does not mean we act upon our 'dark' thoughts, feelings, impulses. It means that we accept ourselves warts and all. When we can fully accept our WHOLE self, then we can learn to accept, understand, and be compassionate with ourselves and others. Rather than judging and condemning ourselves and others because of our flaws, we accept them and see them as a natural part of our whole being - parts that have in their own way contributed in positive ways. As stated by Alan Watts in the quote below, "The manure is contributive to the perfume of the rose".

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"The Recognition of the fact that behind the social role that you assume; behind all your pretensions to being either a good citizen or a fine scholar or a great scientist or a leading politician or a physician or whatever you happen to be - that behind this facade - there is a certain element of the unreconstructed bum. Not as something to be condemned and wailed over, but as something to be recognized as contributive to one's greatness and to one's positive aspect; in the same way that manure is contributive to the perfume of the rose."

~Alan Watts, discussing the work of Carl Jung

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"We cannot change anything 

until we accept it. 

Condemnation does not liberate, 

it oppresses." 

 “Only he 

who has accepted himself completely 

possesses  ‘unprejudiced objectivity,’ 

that ingredient without which 

he will be unable to help others 

nor even himself. 

~Carl Jung

~*~

Let us accept the "shit" that is within

So that it may do its work in bringing forth

The fragrance of the flowers
Makes me remember that my shit stinks, too
And so does yours
Accept it
We all shit
And it all stinks
Accept that
And know that it eventually becomes
The fertilizer that brings forth 
the beautiful fragrance of spring flowers

~*~

“Stop judging, so that you won’t be judged, 2 because the way that you judge[a] others will be the way that you will be judged, and you will be evaluated by the standard with which you evaluate others."

~Jesus (Matthew 7)

 "...for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God"


~Paul (Romans 3:23)

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“You, yourself, 
as much as anybody else in the entire universe, 
deserve your love and affection.” 

~Buddha

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“To fall in love with yourself 
is the first secret to happiness.”

~Robert Morley

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“Give yourself a break. Embrace and accept yourself for who YOU are. Love yourself and be kind to yourself. See the best in yourself! Be brave and have courage to be comfortable in your own skin. Knowing your self-worth is everything.”

~Stephanie Lahart

~*~

Y'all be your own best friend. Ya hear!
:  )

~AOM

AOM Meditations: 061720

The Boxer by Konstantin Somov

Thanks to a Friend for sending us this beautiful art

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EMERSON

One of my favorite wise men

Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.

He is rich who owns the day, 

and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded 

with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, 

tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Collected Poems and Translations)

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“What lies behind us and what lies before us 

are tiny matters 

compared to what lies within us.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“The glory of friendship 

is not the outstretched hand, 

not the kindly smile, 

nor the joy of companionship; 

it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one 

when you discover that someone else 

believes in you 

and is willing to trust you with a friendship.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

~*~

“Make your own Bible. 

Select and collect all the words and sentences 

that in all your readings have been to you 

like the blast of a trumpet.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson