A few years ago a close friend died. She got very sick and went into a coma for about six weeks. After this time she returned to consciousness and lived for another two weeks before finally passing. Over the course of her illness and coma, her heart had grown weak and finally gave out two weeks after she returned home from the hospital following her awakening from the coma.
During the two weeks she was with us after her emerging from unconsciousness, I went to visit her in the hospital. While in a coma, she had one of those near death experiences that people talk about. As she shared her memory of these experiences while she was in a coma she kept on repeating herself to me saying “It’s all connected, Steve, It’s all connected!” Apparently her experiences while she was in a coma were of the connection of all things beyond our ordinary experience of life. Whatever she experienced, it was urgent and all-important to her.
Personally, I am not concerned with whatever religion or belief system anyone has. Whatever you believe is fine. Rather, what is important is the experience of the connectedness of all things which is beyond any belief system. In my experience as a counselor over the past 25 years, what is healing is our personal experience of being emotionally connected to another human being in a positive way where we see beyond our own concerns even if only for a moment to experience the humanity and the essential beauty of another person. Those moments are the healing times where we can put aside our fears and our differences to experience our common humanity with compassion for the other’s person’s struggles and for their point of view. Those moments where we can perceive the essential goodness of another person and feel our intimate and loving connection with another human being are the moments of healing where everything can change. These are the moments where broken relationships are made right and seemingly impossible situations are resolved. As a counselor, I have the privilege of being a part of these moments with people on a daily basis over the past 25 years and I am deeply grateful for the chance to be a part of the healing process.
From the perspective of these healing moments, heaven is not a time or a place, but is rather a state of mind where we know the profound joy of our intimate connection with those in our lives and with all creation where we directly experience the remarkable beauty and goodness in ourselves and in those around us. It is something we can experience here and now when we release our fears and shift our perspective. From this perspective, the truth about humanity is that we are all in love with each other and we just don’t know it. Our fears have blocked the awareness of our deep connection with others around us and so we feel alone. Most of us on some level have got caught up in our fears and have lost sight of the divine spark of goodness that is at the core of every human being. Releasing these fears opens your mind to the perspective that all of creation is connected in one unified whole and we are all simply aspects of the One experiencing itself from different points of view.
So how do you start opening yourself to this greater awareness? Start with the relationships and situations in your life. All of your fears and unresolved issues are currently playing out in your life with your friends, family, spouse, children and others. Examine your heart and mind carefully and explore how your fears are triggered and are currently being acted out in your life situations. Take accountability for your issues and clean up the conflicts where you have acted badly with others. Look at where you have bought into negative messages about yourself and have treated others poorly or have allowed others to treat you badly. Release your fears and stop participating in your old patterns of conflict. This will create a greater level of success in your life in all areas. This is the path of growth where you can ultimately find inner peace and where your goals become more achievable. When you let go of your old patterns, your life becomes a reflection of the peace you find within yourself. You may believe finding happiness, a greater awareness and more success in achieving your life goals is easier said than done, and I understand that. However, it is possible and it is worth any effort you are willing to give to find healing and joy in your life. You can take that next step on your path to a better life and I invite you to take your next step in that process whatever it is.
Namaste,
Steven Fisher
