It Was A Form Of Adaptation

FRI., MAY 16, 1997, 12:52 PM
FARM, STUDY

You knew I would comment on the incident of yesterday late afternoon, that which, if you were up to being dramatic, could have been called a near near-death experience. It wasn’t, of course, but you know enough about allergic reactions that manifest themselves in your mouth region to realize such swelling can cut off breathing. I heard your prayer on the way to the hospital. I appreciated it, even as I knew it was not yet your “time”.

Whatever combination of “intakes” caused those rashes and swellings, it/they did push your body to some forms of adaptation. You weren’t quite willing to let your body do it on its own, and that should make you wonder what you will do in any future obvious signs of distress. Oh, you were willing not to spend money on a prescription drug, and you refused the anti-histamine this morning. You know your body has fine powers of adaptation, and this, you everlastingly teach, is an indication of good health. And, you also know and teach that the best way to keep your powers of adaptation high is to make them “work”. “If you don’t use ‘em you’ll lose ‘em” is another way to say it… (and that could have been Scripture.) (1:08 / 1/10)

Anyway you’re back to functioning well again, with just a bit of a lesson in… how much do you trust your body to adapt, with only what you do to keep yourself healthy. Each person comes into this earth scene with certain strengths and also some weaknesses. Each of these are developed or recede during infancy, childhood, and teenage. Then comes adult life, with many opportunities to increase your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. Part of life, healthy life, is making good decisions about how to utilize… and therefore increase… strengths, and about which weaknesses to counter and which to just “live with” or ignore. You have done rather well with your “givens”, but more of such decisions lie ahead, as you age.

It is a correct premise that physical adaptations diminish as you live in your 70’s and 80’s. I also have told you that your spiritual adaptations can become stronger. I’d say, with reference to your “encounter” yesterday, that your spirit adapted well. There was no panic, even as you knew of the general danger, and your prayer was not a demanding, frantic one. Your spirit was exercised, and it became even a bit stronger.

You have some academic adaptations ahead, and you see these mostly as choosing among approaches and activities for this workshop that all are potentially good. Let your spirit be the selector as you look forward to each class. And don’t overlook the “talent” in the group itself. You know that this is a way for them to learn from each other… and from self. Yet be sure and revisit, again and again, the basic facets of this Wellspring. In using videos be sure and have them look for ways spirit is evidenced… different ways. This will require some adapting by you, in introducing the activity and in encouraging specific kinds of perceptions.

(Yes, you should be sorry, but My thoughts triggered some of ours, and you left Me.) Be sure and introduce the two words, which represent big concepts in this spiritual domain: Awareness and Appreciation. You are more aware today than you were yesterday afternoon of the spiritual dimension of this allergic incident, and thus you can appreciate it more. You see… you are aware… of how easy it is to let the physical, the emotional, the intellectual, and the social dominate. Remember, always, the wisdom in that little story of Swami Ramdass: after greeting his friend which he saw as a blessing, he stepped on a thorn, and he also saw this as another encounter with Ram, one of My other names… and I do have many.