Have you ever prayed over and over for something and, seemingly, not had your prayer answered? I mean what if you know exactly what you want, what you think is the perfect answer to your prayer; you ask God earnestly for what you want – and then nothing happens? How could Spirit deny you this perfect outcome?
This experience of encountering obstacles and circumstances that seem to block our good can occur when we look outside ourselves to the material world for answers. Even looking to our personal past experience or to other people for answers can lead to a dead end.
Through the visioning process we look within to Spirit to tap into the realm of possibilities, infinite possibilities that go far beyond what we can conceive of with our finite minds and limited vision. Many of those possibilities look impossible as long as we judge them from our personal experience and ego-based beliefs. To experience something greater in our lives, we must go beyond what we can do on our own with our own willpower, knowledge and strength.
The doorway to step into the realm of infinite possibilities is releasing and letting go of beliefs, habits and attachments that no longer serve us. Michael Beckwith suggests that 100% of spiritual growth is in the letting go. This act of release creates room for something new to enter our consciousness and experience. It also removes obstacles and impediments that block both our vision and manifesting the Divine Intention, which is the highest and best possibilities for us and for all people in a situation.
One of my favorite Zen parables is about an important man who came to a Zen master and demanded that the master teach him about enlightenment. The master suggested that they have a cup of tea while they talked. When the tea was ready, the master began to fill the visitor’s tea cup. As the cup gradually filled, the master kept pouring the tea. Soon the tea cup began overflowing onto the table and onto the robes of the visitor. The visitor shouted, “Enough! Can’t you see that the cup is already full and the tea is flowing over?” The master smiled at his guest, stopped pouring, and said, “You are like this tea cup, so full that nothing more can be added. Come back to me when the cup is empty. Come back to me with an empty mind.”
If we think we know everything, there is no room for the Divine! Releasing and letting go of our limiting beliefs and expectations is like emptying our cup and making room for transformation.
Love and Light,
Rev Pam Cosby Brandman
