Attachment To Life

THURS., DEC. 6, 1990, 6:55 AM
FARM, STUDY

Within this lull between having all papers read and graded and facing three sets of finals, you should be organizing and even writing the Ruminations for this season. Oh, it would be nice just to relax for a few days… even get these Teachings of Ours in some better order… but you do have this ongoing responsibility, and I don’t want you bumping up against the end of the month. It isn’t an onerous task, but one you do rather easily, once you set yourself to it. Now is the time.

The theme, as I suggested some weeks ago, will be non-attachment, which is the positive side of attachment, which hinders your spiritual progress. So, what is attachment, and how does it adversely affect spiritual growth? Attachment is hanging on to some person, some “thing,” even some idea when it becomes obvious that it is time to “move on.” And, importantly it can also apply to a state of being, here in the earth, and even to earth life itself.

In contrast, non-attachment stems from the realization… the enlightened realization… that the essence of life is spirit, and insofar as possible, you should “skip lightly” through earth life. The means enjoying every moment possible and “treading lightly” upon this plane. Accept that I, the Holy Spirit of the Triune God shall guide you and even shall provide for you, either by opportunities or by rather direct means. And yet there also can be joy in non-provision. Non-attachment means you are not bothered as some expected opportunity is not realized. Rather, you look for the value in what you have, in place of what you expected to have.

It could be called not being serious about life, but I say that it is cosmic seriousness, which includes the realization that spirit can grow in any circumstance, and therefore, with a smile at how the earth and your culture’s attempt to “bind” you, you move on to what is possible, even what is part of your destiny.

The theme for today, you see, is attachment to life. You are, at this moment, between the ending of one Death Education class and the ending of the other. It is hard for you to decide that one was better than the other. You need not so decide, for each was a unique good experience. Death, your basic subject, is, by definition, the end of earth life. Earth life is good and to be prolonged, even, in your culture, at great expense. So what do I mean when I recommend non-attachment to life? You are beginning to pick it up. I mean that too much attachment to this life can hinder your readiness for the fullness that you will experience when this one is over. BUT be not attached to what comes next either, for that diminishes your capacity to live this earth life fully. You remember that sentence that went something like, “No one will get to heaven unless he’s willing not to go.” The truth in that is that attachment to heaven and to life with Me when you escape this vale of tears is equally undesirable.

The more you enjoy life as you have it the more it will actually be a blessing… and these feelings do enhance positive secretions in the body which prolong life and enhance healing. Science is now calling this the action of the mind, but eventually it will be accepted that spirit is the main source of these positive bodily responses. Now note that it is not clear that all those who live long have highly developed spirits, and that all who die “prematurely” have no spiritual power. Heredity, environment, and chance are the other factors that influence. Yet I can say that as your attitude is non-attachment to life, with enjoyment of every possible moment you shall live longer than you would have without this basic perception.