I have a mistrust of the word “no.” There certainly are times it is practical to use the word “no.” Skunks, rattlesnakes, porcupines, grizzly bears, tigers and cobras are all good reasons to say “no,” but they clearly warn you. They stink, they hiss, they growl & they rattle. But once we leave behind creatures that give distinct warnings, for me the operative idea should be “yes,” or at least “Why not?’
Imagine if you had a natural gift for painting or athletics or writing, and society discouraged you from using them? Imagine if you could sing or dance or make music and… whoops. Waitaminute… there are religions that ban those three, and even more. Many religious belief systems involve “no.” They claim enlightenment can be found with no singing, no dancing, no sex, no alcohol, no money, etc.
And many religions tell you to spurn your natural intuition, claiming it is the devil, or evil spirits whispering in your ear, tempting you. But I believe that when we listen to our inner self, when we tune in to our core, we have a moral compass in there. We do know our best path. We do know when we are being unreasonable to others. When we are unkind or unfair, we know we are responsible, not the devil.
Why do so many spiritual or intuitive systems see so much power in denial? If you believe in a divine presence like a “god,” why would a “god” give you gifts and then expect you to not use them? Seems awfully mean-spirited. Even more so, why would anyone worship such a mean-spirited “god?”
I believe, to be enlightened, you have to “see” more. You have to sense what is going on in the space between things. You have to perceive the flow of invisible energies all around us, and glimpse the entities and spirits that move among us all the time. And this skill does take practice, but denial is not the effective word here. What we need is “focus.” Focus does not require denial. It requires concentration and needs training. It requires additional sight, not less. That’s what intuition and meditation are, a different kind of focus. Some people fast for a few days, but that is just another form of focus, not ongoing denial.
So what are your intuitive gifts? Some of you have a strong psychic ability to read others, and tune in to their most likely future. Some of you may be able to communicate with the dead. Some of you are excellent at influencing & directing energy. Some of us may be extraordinarily empathetic and compassionate. Perhaps you have a gift for painting, or music.
I could extend this, but really, the point is, unwrap your gifts and use them.
I relate to what Susie said about “no” being motivating! Don’t ever tell me I can’t do something! Hee hee!
Thanks for this post. I feel denial, moderation and abundance are all useful tools in appropriate circumstances. Take the universe as an example. There are places in the universe that teem with abundance, such as Earth. But even on Earth, there is moderation, as not everything that exists appears everywhere at once. And there is such a thing as space, which contains nothing. I agree with you that too often our society’s institutions instruct us to deny ourselves when it is more appropriate to acknowledge what is naturally moderate or abundant.
As Benjamin Franklin once said… “All things in moderation… including moderation!”
Great words of wisdom. I do believe the folly of society are the religious systems which want to do away and control man’s talents and abilities.
Thank you for the reminder to use the gifts and the emphasis on focus.
😉
ivonne
Hi Tony
The word NO is my motivation . I only need to hear it and I gear up to the challenge. The path of your life cannot be followed if you shut the doors on yourself. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Saying this I must tell you, I am Taurus the Bull.
I really enjoyed this Blog
Susie