Thoughts
On Justice And Renewal
by Cristin Snyder
Much talk has gone on recently about a need for
Justice. There is no doubt that we must put an end to terror, but what I
want to talk to all of you about today is how all of this effects us on a
personal level. What does justice mean to you? We are all at a time where
we must face this question, not only in regards to dealing with wartime
tragedies, but also with dealing with personal spiritual and emotional
wounds which are also crying out to be addressed.
We have been given a wakeup call. Judgment times are upon us, not in the
apocalyptic sense of fire and brimstone, but in the personal sense of
battles within. Now is a time to make peace, not only globally, but also
on a personal level. Jesus taught us that in order to remove the splinter
from our brother’s eye, we must first seek to remove the beam from our
own. We are being called upon, each of us, as children of the Creator, to
look deeply within ourselves.
It is easy to blame all of the Worlds troubles on Osama Bin Laden and his
group of radical extremists. The truth is this act was not the only act of
terror. All over the world, among all faiths, and all races, countries,
and paths there have been horrific acts of war and terror throughout the
course of our history.
Fear and Ignorance have caused countless atrocities throughout the eons of
human existence. The United States of America has also been the cause of
many other atrocities. No one on this planet is immune or above the
effects of terrorism, anger, hatred, ignorance, greed that create the
blackness of Spiritual Poverty and disease all over this world.
We live in an age now where ignorance is no longer excusable. In the
information age, we have the ability and the obligation to learn from one
another, and to look within ourselves.
Our outer World is a reflection of our inner one as well “As above so
below”, other great spiritual teachers have taught us about seeing
reflections. Look to what you see in the world and then address that issue
also within your own soul. This is a way in which you can make a great
difference in this world. Many feel helpless now, saying “what can I do
about it?” or “I don’t have anything to do with it because I am
right and they were wrong.” Yes, perhaps that is true, but no one on
Earth is without error. Look to correct your own errors despite your anger
and you become a truly empowered individual.
In the face of tragedy, we are now being given
an overwhelming opportunity to undo a world filled with hate, greed,
animosity, acts of cruelty and unresolved pain—all of these are the many
masks of fear which is the true evil of the World.
God, the Masters and Angels of heaven say to us now “Wake up and Listen.”
Go to the calm place in the center of your being where the Universe lies
and listen to its wisdom. People of faith from all places, seek God within
your hearts and do what the Masters have taught us to do even when it’s
difficult. We are all one, equal in the eyes of the Creator who breathed
life into all things.
We often find it easy to be “good Christians, Muslims, Jews” etc. when
times are easy and things are going our way. The true test of being a
servant to God and Humanity is when we are able to rise above our desire
for revenge, our anger and tears and say “Enough, I have had enough, I
am going to change myself to reflect into the Universe the type of World I
want to live in. I am going to release limiting belief systems and old
habits that don’t work, take my personal power back, and emulate the
Holy ones and do as they would have done. I am going to be like Buddha or
Mohammed. I am going to do what Jesus would have me do. I am going to show
the compassion of Goddess, Magdalene, and Mother Mary. I will rise above
because Humanity, and I—all my brothers and sisters deserve to live in
peace and walk in freedom from hate and ignorance and fear and pain."
All the great masters taught us this. We no longer need to give our power
away by saying, “They were Divine and I am not, because truly they all
taught us that we can be as they were/are. The great Masters did not teach
us to give our power away, we did that to ourselves, because it is easier
to believe that we are powerless and push our evils off onto Satan and
demons and the Hitler's and Bin Laden's of this world.
Light and Dark exist within all beings to varying degrees. If you want
your darkness to go away you must learn to walk in truth, even when it is
difficult. You must learn to remove your blinders and see all things in
circles and not only as you want to see them. You must learn to take
responsibility for your own actions and not seek to only blame others for
life’s troubles. That is how we learn to shine our light through the
darkness and illuminate it in ourselves and then into the World. You
can’t wrestle with shadows; all you can do is shine light on them. There
was a saying I read this week that said, bless the shadows when you see
them, because it means light is nearby. I also remember in the Gospel of
Thomas where Jesus taught us that a light should not be hidden under a
bushel, but placed where all can see it and take comfort in its warmth.
Look at people in history who made a difference by taking accountability
and using their personal power, their light. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther
King, Gandhi, and many others. All human beings who reflected Divinity
through the love in their hearts, and the desire to effect changes in this
World. Now is a time to say, “I am going to heal myself so that I might
be an effective leader, not by title or for recognition and other purposes
of the ego, but through humility and a true desire to be the change I want
to see in the world.”
This time of upheaval should be made into a blessing. It has given us all
a tremendous opportunity for growth, both on a personal level and a global
one. When we seek justice for these atrocities, let’s remember not to
substitute the word “justice” for vengeance, because they are two
different concepts.
Justice is a tricky word right now in this situation, because the
“enemy” is elusive. I believe in stressing the importance of not
allowing ourselves to become again that which we condemn.
Face the demons within yourself. Forgive those who have hurt you in the
past, make peace with yourself, love and honor your neighbors, and most of
all temper justice with mercy on a personal level by loving and accepting
yourself, recognizing your own Divinity, and by showing others by example
how to recognize their own greatness.
There is no excuse for the atrocities that have been committed against the
American people. It is extremely important that in eliminating the
source of evil, we take care of it at the root, which is healing on all
levels. In the garden, when we seek to rid it of weeds, we have to remove
the root of the weed that chokes the flowers or it grows back.
If we only seek vengeance and “justice” by killing Osama Bin Laden and
his group, we have killed the weed perhaps, but the roots of hate and fear
still lie within all the hurting people.
When we send bombs and missiles, we kill flowers along with the weeds,
destroying the whole garden. The result, more cruelty, more anger, and
more room for more weeds to take over. One day our sons and daughters will
harbor more anger and resentment if we do not address the root cause of
the pain that has afflicted the various parts of our World. This is not
only in the Middle East, but in all regions.
Let’s not forget that right now many areas of the Middle East are
suffering also. When thinking justice, remember that their innocent will
suffer. The Taliban will not hand over only the guilty parties, they will
sacrifice the innocent so that they may die as Martyrs. This is how they
continue to feed their hate filled propaganda to their people.
Feel the fear of their innocent, who had nothing to do with this as they
sit and hold their children and cry, waiting for our “justice”. Hold
them in your hearts as they sit in the cold of winter unsheltered and
starving, because they are also your brothers and sisters. When you
weep and pray for your brothers and sisters here in your own country, say
some for them also, because the slaughter of the innocent is a brutal
price to pay for all of us.
None of us are born to our mothers as killers, or with hate in our hearts.
We grow up and learn fear, feel pain, and allow evil to take over. I
appeal to all of you while we wait through these uncertain times—weed
your own gardens, remove the root causes of the weeds of your life so that
your gardens might grow and flourish and bring peace and beauty to all who
come to find rest in them.
______________________
Cristin Snyder is a Spiritual
Guidance and Personal Empowerment coach who offers a wide variety of
Spiritual and Personal Growth Resources through her website Mystical
Treasures. Visit Cristin today at www.mysticaltreasures.net.
Email her at MysticalTreasures@hotmail.com. |
