by José Luis Kutscherauer, Director of Cafh1
Though the address below was delivered to an assembly of members of Cafh in Olmué, Chile, in May 2017, Seeds believes that everyone who is dedicated to spiritual unfolding for their own good and the good of all human beings will find it inspiring and helpful. For information about the teachings and fundamental ideas of Cafh, go to www.cafh.org.
Audio Introduction
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Because of our space travels and our technological advances, we can no longer continue thinking of ourselves as a separate world. We often express this new consciousness by saying, "We're all in the same boat." However, humankind is still far from being fully aware that we form one mystical body. Although we realize that we can't do anything that doesn't somehow affect others, this awareness does not always prevail in our daily actions and choices. Large human groups coexist, but they compete and are afraid of being attacked by each other. The arms race and the political and economic strife in today's world are clear evidence of this. Yet we are convinced that in every human heart there is a deep and sincere desire for peace and harmony, a yearning to find a path to unity.
For this reason, we can't remain with our arms crossed, waiting to see what will happen next. Each of us needs to assume our responsibility for this situation and work decisively for union with all human beings.
Our teaching tells us that there is a Divine Plan, and that we have a joint mission to fulfill: to fully collaborate with that Divine Plan. No one is outside the law that must be fulfilled. Our mission, as a group within the greater human group, is to develop the Mysticism of the Heart. Let us focus on this task by expressing our love through concrete action: let us work to develop an attitude of inclusiveness in our souls that helps us consolidate that longed-for union. Let us generously open the door of our hearts so that no one is left out.
Let's remember that, in the first stage after we begin our journey on the Road, we are counseled to renounce our likes and dislikes. This renouncement is the first step toward inclusiveness. The fact that we like something implies that there are other things we don't like, or that we like less. Identifying with our likes and dislikes can cause us to exclude people with other preferences. Renouncing our likes and dislikes doesn't mean eliminating them; it means being aware of their place in our life so that they don't limit our decisions.
Our preferences define our acquired personality. Our preferences distinguish us, differentiate us from others, and somehow separate us from them. As a rule, we want not only to be different from others; we want to be better than they are. This leads to competitiveness, egocentricity, disdain, comparisons, segregation, and even wars and massacres.
If we really want to fulfill our mission as Sons and Daughters of Cafh, we can't allow ourselves to be limited by our likes and dislikes. We need to focus on the common good, making all other considerations subordinate to this objective. What if we were to do something every day that we don't particularly like to do, instead of doing something that we like? We would surely begin to discover positive aspects or qualities where we didn't see them before. This is a very simple way to develop a more participatory and inclusive attitude, to broaden our field of interest and expand our consciousness.
The second practice suggested to us on how to live renouncement is to renounce things. Non-possession is the basis for Providential Economy, or becoming aware that nothing really belongs to us. We are administrators of the goods we receive in life. This conviction naturally translates into an attitude of inclusiveness: nothing is ours to use indiscriminately. We take care of every single thing out of the awareness that it is part of a common legacy, out of the love that each thing deserves. This awareness creates a very different relationship with all things, and it enables us to give a better use to everything we use, whether it be material, mental or spiritual. By becoming aware that all things are not ours but belong to humankind, we neither use more than we need nor think ourselves generous because we give a portion of our time, energy and resources for those who need them. The continual practice of providential economy creates in us the ability and strength we need to work for the common good.
The third practice suggested to us is to renounce our life. How do we implement this renouncement; how do we practice it so that it leads us to be more inclusive? We practice it when we stop living only for the sake of fulfilling our personal objectives. This means that these objectives themselves need to change. We no longer seek only to feel well, or to seek a position of prominence in every sphere so we can feel superior to others or obtain power. Our yearning is to give ourselves without asking for anything in return; to love for the sake of loving. We don't expect anything else from life, which has already given us so much. We only seek to pass on everything we have received to others, hopefully multiplied and enriched by what we have learned and processed within.
Inclusiveness is a process. We begin to include to the extent that we discover and recognize that, more than once, due to prejudice, we have excluded others, discriminated against others, separated ourselves from others, and made differences between ourselves and others. This is evident in the way we treat people, in our thoughts and feelings, in the way we talk, in our judgments, standards and values. By being attentive, and through careful and fair-minded analysis, we can begin to recognize what we need to change and where we need to broaden our outlook. Inner honesty plays an important role here. It's the light that we shine into the darkest corners of our souls, so that we can advance in this marvelous process of unfolding.
If inclusiveness is not to be a superficial change, an illusion of our minds, a mere desire, the change has to be based on the soul's spiritual unfolding. There are things that separate us from each other—fear, for example. Being afraid of losing something may cause us to see someone as an enemy, a threat or a danger. To overcome this fear, let's base our life on intrinsic rather than extrinsic values. Health-care professionals can't be fearful of contagion if they aim to heal or care for sick people. This doesn't mean they don't take sensible precautions while they're working. But their desire to offer themselves to souls and to continue helping allows them to trust their own bodies to stay healthy enough to serve.
Inclusiveness is the path that allows us to move toward essential unity. This is not attained by an occasional awareness of who we are, nor does it take place in a moment. It requires us to transcend limits. We create limits when we allow ourselves to be carried away by impulses so that we will predominate over others, be superior to them, or stand out and be noticed.
Inclusiveness is a wonderful process that spontaneously multiplies all our possibilities. We have to become interested in something for it to become part of our awareness. This interest leads us to pay attention, which in turn encourages us to learn, to assimilate information that broadens our outlook. When we understand what we had previously ignored, a door opens that calls us to expand our love.
For a child who has not yet been shaped by the environment, what is different sometimes awakens fear or curiosity, pleasure or distaste, but never disdain or hatred. These feelings are created by our minds so that we can predominate over others. When we work to achieve egoence2, the mystical process moves us to appreciate and see an expression of the divine in all of creation.
We need to live in union, accepting each other as companions on the road with a single destiny: to fulfill our mission in the Divine Plan upon earth. There's no time to lose. Let's not wait for others to adapt to our idea of things. Let's begin by including those next to us. Let's shake off indifference, dislike, anger, impatience, arrogance, selfishness, and everything else that separates us from each other. Let's listen to the voice of our conscience that tells us very clearly that we are all in the same boat. Destiny has brought us together. Let us navigate wisely.
With conviction and trust, let's consecrate our existence so as to become an inflection point. Although humankind has and continues having experiences that deny life, spiritual unfolding shows us that it is possible for brethren to live together as one.
When done out of love, our actions take on new strength. Let's project ourselves into the future by visualizing what we wish to make of ourselves. Let's motivate ourselves by committing to take a small step each day to be closer to the Divine Mother.
© 2017 Cafh
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Notes
1. Cafh: The word Cafh has ancient roots; for the members of Cafh it symbolizes the effort of the soul to attain union with God. At the same time it represents the presence of the divine in each soul.
2. Egoence is the result of harmonizing values that promote personal progress with those that promote attitudes and actions leading to divine union.