UMS Founder on "EXPERIENCES"

This Sunday, August 26th, our discussion will focus around the topic of Experiences. If you'd like some food for thought on this subject, below you can read the chapter on Experiences from Perceptions, a book written by UMS founder Damien Simpson.

EXPERIENCES

"If I must go through this experience, this condition, thank God it is with a friend (not because of a friend)."

There is no greater fool than one who does something wrong and thinks it will come out right.

Experiences are not so much what's happening to you, but how you are happening to them. In all you experience, remember your perception governs your reality. If you say the word, REACT, you will feel it in the solar plexus. If you say the word, RESPOND, you feel it in the heart. To me, the word EXPERIENCE itself, indicates EXPIRE - death to limitations - be they good or bad. Experiences bring new understanding.


Think on these sayings in regard to experiences:

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine."  ~Emerson

Clouds in our lives are sent many times to bring showers of blessings.

No man has yet hurt his eyesight by looking on the bright side of things.

Some experiences bring a tear to the eye and are often the holy water of the soul.

If the outer world is more important than the inner world, growth usually comes through pain and struggle. Don't be a victim in all experiences. Search for a truth where there is no victor nor victim.

Remember, there are good reasons as to why things happen. Your experiences are not by chance. Correct your relationship to the higher self and the wisdom of a lifetime is yours. The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.

Experiences usually occur through friends or close acquaintances. If I am to go through a hard and difficult experience, or trial of self control, or even mastery of life situations, God grant me the grace to go through it with friends.

Too often in these times we blame our friends! Remember, in true enlightenment, we never blame anyone outside of self for what is happening to us.

Begin to affirm, "If I must go through this experience, this condition, thank God it is with a friend (not because of a friend)."


SURVIVAL IS HURT DIVIDED BY TWO.

I used to keep my hurtful experiences to myself; even worse my fears as well. One night the inner pain and fear of a certain situation was too great. I decided - in reality - I HAD to tell my close friend. I realized I didn't have to keep up the facade of perfect control, enlightenment, or whatever.

I guess it's what a friend calls letting him in - adding to his insight of you, which he then may use on your behalf. The moment I spoke of my troubles, it seemed like half of the weight of my problem fell from me.


"SURVIVAL IS HURT/FEAR DIVIDED BY TWO."

I remember a particularly hard time in my life. I was experiencing problems far removed from my consciousness or my law-of-attraction, if you will. All I could do was hold strong to the thought, "Respond, don't react."

The experience included a close friend and was even harder and more trying for him. I remember his words to me in a kind of blaming tone; "These things don't happen to me as a metaphysician. I don't attract these kinds of things."

My answer to him, "Well, neither do I ." I told my friend that if we had to go through this, we need the strength and COMFORT (com-with-fort, strength) OF FRIENDSHIP.

Friends often blame and separate when they share a difficult and hard experience, when what they really need in these times is each other. Don't look for blame, it might be neither person at fault, but a lesson of growth for each. A lesson to make both better for it, not worse.

Later proof was given to show that the trial we were going through was caused by our involvement with another person, whose jealousy was beyond control, and this third person needed to inflict suffering and create a total break in our friendship.

I repeat again, the key word here is THROUGH. What we are going through. Often you will hear someone say, "You don't know what I am going through." Remind him of the word "through" - you will get through it unless you care to stay in it. You can even determine how long you can stay in IT, even forever if that is what you choose.


Experiences are for the benefit (bene in Latin means good) so it is a good fit - if you don't become fit to be tied. It is okay to hurt but not to suffer from your experiences. Suffering is bitterness, rejection, remorse. Hurt is wisdom, tender understanding.

There are some things I've done that to this day as I think of them I hurt. That hurt (tender wisdom) assures me that I'll never do anything like that again. Hurt, yes, but now too wise to ever do or have done to me those experiences again. I don't suffer for I don't need to get even - you see, I get it (wisdom, I mean.)

The Scripture states, "Be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves." Experience does not cancel innocence. You can still be experienced, wiser and yet innocent in the peace from where you are coming - a perfect heart.

If we care to stay emotionally upset over our experiences, it must be because they have a secondary gain more important to us or our ego than the primary cause. That's another story, isn't it?

Each experience has a message sent from heaven. Don't pick up earthly static.

UMS Founder, Damien Simpson

Misconceptions, Preconceptions, and Assumptions

Sunday Service Discussion Notes for August 5 and August 12, 2012

Over the course of two weeks we discussed the ideas of Misconceptions, Preconceptions, and Assumptions.

We started the discussion by reading some brief definitions of these words:

• Misconception: a mistaken view, belief, or wrong idea.
• Preconception: an opinion formed before obtaining adequate evidence, especially as the result of bias or prejudice.
• Assumption: the act of taking for granted, or supposing a thing without proof; a supposition; an unwarrantable claim.

The root of all evil is fear. President Franklin Roosevelt's famous quote was cited:

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

UMS founder Damien Simpson was quoted as saying:

"Prejudice is being down on something that you are not up on."

One of our participants talked about a discussion he was having with a Muslim coworker not long after the tragedy of September 11th. As they discussed the idea of preconceptions about groups of people based on the actions of a few, or even one person, his associate said to him, "If Al Queda represents Islam, then the KKK must represent Christianity."

Another participant related stories of how she grew up in a time and place of very prevalent racial prejudice. She talked about all of the negative things she would hear one group saying about another, and that she had to always try to make decisions about others only after consulting with her heart, because if she were only to use the ideas of others to guide her then she would be likely to misjudge people.

If we have an opinion about something we owe it to ourselves to learn as much as we can about it, and to do so with an open mind. We said that we should not make generalizations because they lead to unfair blame, stereotypes, and scapegoating.

What do we do about hatred based on fear? It starts with ourselves. We must look within to change what we see without. What we think, we manifest.

It was noted that sometime, we, as a people can become stuck in a rut, and certain assumptions can become so ingrained that sudden, jarring events of great magnitude, such as the recent shooting at the Sikh temple, or a tragedy such as September 11th, become the only means to wake people up. People are forced to examine their beliefs. We talked about the need to be aware that many of the things we fear are sensationalized by society and the media for ratings and profits. We must take the time to examine what we perceive within the grand scheme of things, and realize that what is being suggested to us may not be as bad as it sounds.

We observed that Fear and Excitement are very similar energies.

God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind.