The Essential Doreen Virtue Collection Part 5

First, you must know that all that gives pain is mere illusion. It is a diversion designed to turn your attention away from G.o.d. There is no divide between you and your Creator that can rob you of happiness for even a little while. All is G.o.d, and that which is not G.o.d is impossible. In this respect, then, unhappiness is impossible.

You ask, then, if this is true-which we a.s.sure you, it is-why do I ache within my heart, mind, and body? Why do I feel a longing so deep that I would throw away all that I value in exchange for a moment of peace? And we answer you, if you will listen within your heart. Suspend all your doubts a moment, and you will hear what we say.

The second imperative for you to understand is that all of the wretchedness that you witness to is just a mirror of that which you do not see residing within your own mind. The willingness to see the truth is the first solution out of the teeming cauldron of horror you see around you, dear child.

Do you seek to escape this so-called pain? Then stop a moment, and consider that you may have invented the whole thing. And laugh if it comes naturally to you, at the insanity of it all. For only the truly insane could want the ant.i.thesis of G.o.d at the price of their sovereignty.

Return to your true place of holiness, upon the throne within your heart of peace, dear one. Abide no longer in foreign subst.i.tutes to your true kingdom, which lies before you. Witness not to pain, and desire no longer for heralds outside of your holy self. For happiness is your home and your being, and you are driven to return to it in one simple realization that is upon your breath. Do not seek for happiness within a mind that hunts for escapes outside of yourself. Instead, be content with the simpleness of our prescription to rest within your heart a little while.

In your imaginings, you believe that happiness is a thing that you must chase and wrestle to the ground before its capture. This beast that you imagine is but your own idea that your truth is illusive in nature. It is not, we a.s.sure you! Rejecting that which seems too simple, you ignore the rea.s.surances that easily guide you to your home.

Do not think that you need to guard your body or situation from harm while you search for truth outside of yourselves. For in your thought that you must exchange something that you fear for that which you desire, you bring about continual terror upon your mind. There is nothing real that you can lose, dear child! Nothing as precious as you could have hards.h.i.+p, except by your choosing. And this, too, you can undo with your mere wish to stop and be renewed.

There is no complexity in happiness, for simplicity is its one essential ingredient. Rejoice, then, in the factual nature of your true essence. Rejoice in the living spirit that is you, and which G.o.d created for holy purposes. And in your rejoicing, be bathed in continual wonderment at the gifts that are of you and by your wish. There is nowhere else to go but here, and a simple breath and prayer are your pa.s.sports to the place that for so long has seemed to evade you.

Breathe deeply and pray thus, dear one: "Heavenly Creator, I ask your blessings upon this moment when I seek to return home in my heart. I know that You are very near, and I pray to feel heaven within my heart. Lift me now, dear G.o.d, and bring me home."

Honesty.

Who is there to be honest with, but yourself? There is G.o.d, Who sees every thing that is true within your heart. Yes, He sees your love continuously, and His Holy Spirit casts your cares away with your call for help. We angels and your spirit beings see your thoughts radiating from your mind, and as you will soon see, there is no thought that can be privately held for no eyes to behold. All is in the open, here in heaven, and we do not seek to control your thoughts, but to help you guard them with your loving heart.

If you could see what we see within your heart and mind, you would take special care to monitor your thoughts with great love. You would no longer cast your thoughts upon the wind, where they are carried away to create as a seed blowing across the plains.

Oh, gardener of great and small creations, take a moment to see your tendered cares from our point of view. You fear that we will force the pitchfork and shovel from your busy hands. Yet, we only seek to reinforce the beauty of your garden and help you sow no weeds. The fence that you stake around you is helpless in restraining the very things you plant within your soil. For there is no sorrow that comes from G.o.d, but only that which you toil beneath your feet.

The ripened love that stands before you, ready to be picked, enjoyed, and shared, is as beautiful as any blossomed flower that can be imagined upon this Earth. Behold the love that you have planted and successfully grown from moments of sweetness you shared with one another! Do not delay in enjoying this fruit, precious child, for your bounty grows more plentiful as you harvest its life-giving offspring in your thoughts and deeds. There is no diminished supply of this love, and the bounty is yours to feast upon and to share.

The weeds that are now the focus of your attention are easily gardened through your honesty, holy one. Look lovingly upon all that you have planted, and do not use force to pry them free. Instead, gently take them in your arms and release them to us angels who stand ready to bring the garden to beauty. Give them to us, dear one! Hand us your weeds! And we will bring them gladly to the Creator, who can rectify all that was planted in error. He can miraculously transform the barren leaves into bounties of plenty as we return them to your awaiting arms.

Hold no weed back, guarded with thoughts of secret longings or of harbored shame. There are no weeds that you want for yourself! There are no weeds that you could mistake for thriving flowers, if you will share your uncertainties with He Who Knows. Give them all away, and rest in full a.s.surance that all that is real and beautifully blooms eternally at your side.

Jealousy.

Do you believe that another has more than you, precious one? Do you imagine his crime that prevents you from acquiring that which your heart longs to hear and hold? These teemings of the mind hold you in suspension, and all the while you swim in the midst of everything that is dear. For the imaginings of the ego-mind are what the world focuses upon, and all the while the love goes unnoticed and unenjoyed.

Let us explain jealousy to you this way, holy child: There was a time when you enjoyed total solitude within the Mind of G.o.d. Your heart and His knew no longings of separation, for all that you needed and wanted was near. Then, a brus.h.i.+ng of the ego-mind caused you to stir and look around you. Suddenly, you noticed that you were not alone. And in this moment of your imagination, you believed that your brothers and sisters were vying with you for the attention of G.o.d.

In this compet.i.tive moment, you gave away the knowledge of your holiness, in exchange for the imaginings of terror. For who without his holiness could not be afraid and feel vulnerable to mishaps and misdeeds? Yet, this mad imagining is but a night dream, dear one. Look around you again, and notice the heartbeat of G.o.d that has never left your side and that now beats within the breast of every stirring creature upon the planet Earth.

Your soul comes in all shapes and sizes, for that of a flea and that of a rat are nothing but the imprint of G.o.d upon the visual impression of flesh. Seek no longer for hards.h.i.+p, sweet child. But instead, cover your wounds with the salve of His love. Dress yourself in the refreshment of returning to home in your heart. And center yourself within truth, which is the steady prescription for all that seems to ail you. We have never left your side since the nightmare began, holy one. And while you believe you are suffering, we constantly nurse you at your side.

Sweet and precious child of G.o.d, you were never nearer to heaven than at this moment. For the truth is that you never have left, except in your imagination. We welcome you home with our enfolding wings, asking only for your forgiveness of yourself. For we do see that you are much too hard upon yourself, and mercy is given to you, but which you oftentimes do not accept. Show consideration to your sweet soul at once, dearest child, and come before your truth within your s.h.i.+ning light.

For now you see the illusory nature of imagining that one could have more than another. There is no one but yourself, in truth. No one but the one soul that s.h.i.+nes in faceted sparkles of light from the one jewel, which is G.o.d. And none but you could He love more! He bestows His entire kingdom of love upon you now, sweet wonder that you are. You have earned the keys to His s.h.i.+ning kingdom. No one can pry this key from your grasp, save you. Only by your decision are you deprived or disgraced. Only by your choice to suffer in misery are your needs withheld. And by your very choices, you restore to yourself all that you never left behind!

We pray that you resurrect your truth and open the kingdom to your waking experiences upon this earth. Heaven never leaves you wanting, nor brings you suffering. G.o.d wills for your soul and your flesh to be restored in truth and in love. Stand no longer outside the door, suffering in the rain, when the choice is yours to step into the shelter and sweet covering of His mighty love. The end of suffering is here!

And when you step inside, reach out your hand to your brother and sister who suffer in silence a breath away from you. Smile the s.h.i.+ning light of G.o.d as you firmly take their grasp and lovingly show them the shelter that awaits you both. The pouring and flow of the love from your hand into another's is your heavenly Creator's way of reaching through and cradling you both! Do not hesitate when a stirring rustles within your heart, urging you to take steps that bestow your beloved siblings with the love that you share. Hesitate not a moment, and instead fearlessly reach with a hand that plainly says, "My sibling, we share G.o.d's love as one. As I help you, may we both be blessed with eternal peace."

For there is no compet.i.tion that seeks to win the Maker's love. All is shared in the instant you decide to give it away. Fill your heart longings completely with this love, and as you share this overflow into the awaiting hands of another, your replenishment is resupplied again and again and again. Like a waterfall that spills its savory victory in a splendid show of beauty, your overflow of love from the Creator's heart, through yours and into another, is a marvel and a miracle for all to see. Do not seek for what you can have, but seek only for what you can give. And in this way, you shall have everything and more.

Job Search.

We know that at times this situation brings you nervousness, and yet there is much reason for it to bring you great joy! We accompany you in your quest for true harmony. For that is our job, after all, and we swirl around you in happiness when you mix your happiness in and amongst our own. Let us find peace together in this world, in simple happenings that occur on a daily basis. You are the core of what is essential on this planet, as there is only one being after all. Together we undertake the holy job of creation, and that brings us to our topic at hand.

When you race and rush headlong into any job that seems to suit you, you run immediately into a wall within yourself. For where there is a race, there is also a hard finish. We want what you want for yourself, dear one: that is, gentleness and grace with a timelessness that transcends all earthly fears. So settle down within yourself and really hear our words on the deepest level. Let our love resound within you as we surround your energy aura with calming influences that slow the pulse of your body to the level of the sweet whisper of wafting wind.

You are essential to this world. You must hear this message in the very depths of your soul. There is no time to waste in getting started in a.s.suming your rightful role, and yet when you rush headlong into side detours where certain jobs will take you, we wait patiently. Still, we know a greater joy is awaiting you elsewhere within you.

You believe that a well-fitted job for you is hard to find, yet we believe a match for you exists this very minute. There is no delay between a.s.suming G.o.d's plan and the creation of right opportunities for this plan's fruition. Bow down within yourself, gentle one, and hear His loving voice, which now calls you into the service of His perfect plan. His voice awaits those who mark their time with service, yet in heavenly timeliness, this service does not exist as we know it now. This grace which is inward, marks you as His humble servant, which to all who would hear these words, is a lofty position indeed. For all who would bow to His grace and a.s.sume His humble servicehood will find themselves with joy aplenty.

There is no lack in His room, and all who dine at His table feast forever in His eyes. He who watches over you is in servitude to you, as well. This communing together of you and He is the essence of what your job is for: the eternal circling of love giving back and together with each one. Let the love flow through you now, dear one, and as it guides you like a silk thread upon the path, your opportunities become enriched with golden grace from others who beckon you to join Him in His humble servitude.

You see yourself with a calling, and you are exactly correct, beautiful angel of the earth. You are called, indeed! And He who calls you beckons you further with gentle a.s.surances that there is great reason for your gladness. Do not err by seeking for it outwardly; for it is within you even now. Your great job provides in many ways, and you who seek for holy grace in lowly places shall not find it beneath hidden covers. For His light s.h.i.+nes brightly within each one of us who turns to face the light bravely.

Humble servant of G.o.d, a.s.sume your partners.h.i.+p with those who roam the earth in search of His gentle grace. Your job lies not outwardly, but in a.s.suming the hand of yourself who walks in costume as another brother or sister. For everyone you meet in every way is but a reflection of your own servitude. Serve Him well, and you will see His mask in the mirror within all whom you meet. Hide lowly from His grace, and you will see the face of fear within all others, just as you see it within yourself.

There is nothing to fear, dear one, and trust that we lead you to perfect positions that fulfill your heavenly tasks. Let the wrong doors close easily, and do not struggle to force them open. They waste your vital energy while you are on earth, and we needn't slam anything upon ourselves as long as we abide by His gentle wisdom, which wafts within us like a summer breeze.

You are eternally guided-know that with great certainty. For surely He who opens circ.u.mstances to you will lead you gently all throughout the way. You can attest to His greatness by holding His hand as He leads you across alleyways where you are blinded to the outcome. He who is wholly worthy of your trust will not betray you now or ever. As you feel your grat.i.tude pulsate beneath your feet, let us a.s.sure you that it carries you like wings of Mercury to new vistas.

G.o.d will never leave you hungry or let you live with what is scarce, you dearest and precious child of the One who eternally loves you. Count your blessings and watch them multiply in every way. Your right job is here for you now, and we will lead you there with your permission. We sing merrily as you float with us in the gaiety of life's dream. Enjoy your essence, dearest one! You are a sweet child of heaven put upon this holy earth, and there is much that warrants your rejoicing!

Seek for joy, and we will follow not far behind you, urging you onward along the way. Recall always that you are very loved. The love is your job, of which you are well adept. Amen!

Judgment.

When we see you hurt yourself with judgments, we wish to remove the sharp splinters from your hand that cause you agony and pain, dear one. We wish that you could see the eternal picture of yourself holding judgments, like a child with sharpened sticks who pokes and prods and wonders where the wounds are from. Your incessant picking upon yourself through the eyes of others gives us wonderment at your holy power, which, misused in the name of protection, endlessly only hurts yourself.

Put down your sharpened sticks, dear one! We urge you to hurt yourself no longer, for your needless suffering stirs us with care. Certainly, we care for you and judge you not while you play with the sharpened toys of your making. We wish for you only eternal happiness, and though we seek to pry these judgments from your mind, we see that your intentions for making them are different from the finished results.

We see that you take great care to fas.h.i.+on the swords for your own protection. Perhaps you do not know that every end you hold of a sharpened blade cuts the very hand that seeks to pierce another. For there is no earthly way to a.s.sume the owners.h.i.+p of such a sword and not have it wound its owner.

a.s.sume no owners.h.i.+p of this earthly prize, beloved child! It is unworthy of the holy child who you are in truth. You are worthy of only that which is holy as yourself, and this holiness needs no defense. Though there may seem to be others who act in foolish ways, you know that their longings are mirrors of your own. For they, like you, are seeking home. That home of heaven that their heart yearns and aches for even now. If they a.s.sume you've got it, they may cut a path through your heart to attempt its meager owners.h.i.+p. Yet, the rightful owner of the heavenly home is the One who lives within you now. He has never left His home, and it cannot hurt you that you think you may have left, in your heavenly slumber.

Do not push your siblings away from you with your lofty judgments! They are eternal friends who seek to join you on the path to heaven, although we see that they are confused much as you are yourself. Have compa.s.sion on this child of G.o.d who seeks to find his way to heaven! Do not cut him with your sword, but instead hold firmly to his hand as you join together in a holy alliance built upon grounds of hallowed love.

Your Creator calls to both of you to hurry home, and you needn't wait for tomorrow to bring you additional compromise before you return. There is nothing to add or fear about the moment when heaven's touch is within your grasp. Reach with hands clasped together, and the s.h.i.+ning light of heaven encircles both of you.

You are home truly, evermore, and as you let His s.h.i.+ning grace melt away all of your concerns, you find your judgments removed from your hands like a gentle breeze causes ripened leaves to fall. Use your swords no longer once they fall to the ground, holy one. Step upon their brittleness and feel them crack beneath the weight of your partners.h.i.+p with another. You are the one who stirs grat.i.tude in heaven each time you let a judgment fall wordlessly to the ground! Be glad along with us that you are here in heaven while upon this earth!

Loneliness.

The portal in your heart that allows the love to flow in can seem empty when you forget its flow is in occurrence. When you look away, you may long for it to be refilled with more substance, which you believe can quench its ache. Yet, this longing is your thirst for our heavenly Creator who resides eternally in every s.p.a.ce. And that which you believe is empty is in fact entirely filled beyond its capacity, even now.

Dear one, do you think G.o.d would leave you comfortless while you believe you walk among the trees and people of the earth? Do you believe that He would not lead you in every instant to the very person who needs your loving comfort that comes from He who loves you both this instant and always?

You are so mightily loved that your awareness is just a glimmer upon the smile that is within your heart. You do not understand your greatness, and so you turn away from beholding it, for fear of having awe of the light that is s.h.i.+ning there within you. Behold your greatness, precious one! Do not turn from the light that will dazzle away your emptiness and fill it with a love that is so real and eternal that nothing can compare in any place or in any time! Hold its substance in your arms in warm embrace for that which can only fill your emptiness with love, eternal love, pure and rus.h.i.+ng through you, through and through.

Dear holy being of G.o.d, look around and you see reflections of His love for you everywhere. See not the stain upon the doorway that has marred your enjoyment while you are on the Planet Earth, but see instead the open door of eternal brotherhood with everyone you meet. There are friends for you here in every way, and you only need to look for them and they are with you here.

How many friends do you want? Ask, and they are given you this very day! The partners.h.i.+ps that you seek begin within you, in partners.h.i.+p with your holy self. Unite with yourself, and commit to this partners.h.i.+p now. Then take this solemn promise you make within yourself, out into the marketplace when you go, and s.h.i.+ne its holiness at everyone you meet.

The wafting of this great and s.h.i.+ning light is unmistakable to all who gaze your way, and they return His gaze of love in your direction. Hear the voice that calls you as your own, and join with your siblings in glad remembrance of your holy partners.h.i.+p.

Be still an instant, and feel all emptiness melt away. For you bring nothing into this world that does not call you your own. That which is owned, in turn owns you, and so we bid you caution in claiming that others are witness to anything but your love. See in them only what you will to see within yourself, and choose carefully when spoken words are exchanged.

Mark a spot within your holy heart for friends.h.i.+p, and it will come. Exhume from your closet all fences that guard against love, for you are willing to let love enter in exchange for agreement of its cost upon your territory. You now rest a.s.sured that His eternal safety melds with your concerns for protection, dear one.

Love can never hurt, and your cries for friends.h.i.+p are heard. Give way for grace to take over, and it will mirror a friend to you who matches your resonance. You are a friend to us all who in heaven sorely appreciate you in every way. We send you perfect companions.h.i.+p to mark this holy occasion of opening your heart further to His holy and blessed love.

Love.

What can we say about Love, for it is the very power and essence of the all that is all, the wafting of the universe, the pull of the heart string, the sound that a violin makes upon a cras.h.i.+ng crescendo. It moves mountains and shakes trees, and yet so much is unknown and feared about His great and mighty power.

For us to explain the heart of love, we must take you to a moment of stillness. Even now we feel your excitement mounting, and we ask that you sit in stillness while we quiet your longings with gentle respite. There, there, a moment longer, and yes, in stillness the gentle moment of recognition arrives.

You see us in blissful surroundings, illumined with light from within. We a.s.sure you that this illumination is from the candle of love that is within us. For we know that love is a single power with a singular direction, which can only carry greatness in its quest for reaching outward. It grows as it is given, yet this is indeed why so many of you see it as fear-full. Yet, what takes away from the greatest singular power of them all? There is no thing upon this planet or elsewhere to extinguish the flame of His being.

When you mistake those who come near you as those who would take from you, you confuse the two for love. For they are drawn near you in a quest for mercy for themselves and others. They seek to extinguish their guilt and quench their thirst within the pool of G.o.d-love they see within you. Yet their drawing nearer haunts you with memories of your own, of those times when you stood longing and hungering at the sidelines while witnessing others drinking of the pool of love.

Have mercy on yourselves, gentle ones, as you witness this erratic behavior born of confusion and longing for the love. For it is true that you will find your longing quenched within another, and yet the quenching does not douse the flame. Quite the opposite! For as much as you give in the name of love to another, you witness that direction growing and growing within yourself. The fire burns stronger and higher with each spark that you give.

There is no power that could extinguish the eternal flame burning within each one of you! The mark of friends.h.i.+p upon your heart only ignites additional flames to burn further and further.

Perhaps you fear losing control of these flames burning within your chest. Yes, we share with you the intensity of the love, and we know at times that this feels indistinguishable from a loss of control over your emotions in your heart. Yet, in stillness, this pa.s.sion that you feel for G.o.d and all others is the very essence of true control upon this earth. For its power is immeasurable in capacity, and it draws others to you who wish to drink of its beauty.

Their presence may cause you to wonder if they are throwing sand upon your flame. Yet, their presence is cause for awe and celebration, for it reveals the holy power of the flame to remove from the atmosphere all that would bring in darkness. Your power exceeds your wisdom at times, it is true, and you can push others away by lowering the intensity of your flame. Yet, it is impossible that you or another could entirely extinguish it in any way.

The fact that they seek to drink at your well gives credence to the law that exists throughout the universal plane: That which you seek is always found, and that which you give is always replenished.

Therefore, do not dim your flames so that you may live more quietly, dear one, for you were put upon this holy earth as a s.h.i.+ning example to those who would love you. Your control over your brothers and sisters is within your reach, but would you seek to control that which stirs joy and which extinguishes all poverty? Would you choose to silence the beautiful music of heaven that stirs upon your soul?

Do not fear that the raging fire within you will cease to exist, or that its flames will consume you in a final show of madness. There is nothing of value that you can possibly lose! Your flame is eternal, and you are here to show it to all who would see. It stirs them beyond all reasoning, and marks the holy alliance for others to see. So like a flame that you would pa.s.s from torch to torch, have gladness as you set your brother's heartfire aflame. See him pa.s.s your fire from his torch to another, and as it builds in strength and endurance, be glad that you did not fear to touch him so. For this is love, through and through.

Money.

Would it surprise you to hear that we hold no opinion about money? For it, like all of matter, holds no usefulness if it thwarts your direction away from holiness. Therefore, we simply view money for what it is: a tool for destruction when misused, and a stepping-stone to greatness when properly applied.

And how would you come to know the difference, you may ask. Yet, even as you say these words, the answer comes readily to you from the same Source that guides you in all directions. This Source is the very knowledge that provides you with ready answers in all of your days.

Seek answers from this Source, instead of money, and see the difference of this internal focus upon all of life. The view that money is essential comes from grinding teeth that snap and snarl to make their way. This is simply one point of view, dear one! To seek another way, we ask you to merely turn around and see another dance in which materiality is not the sole partic.i.p.ant.

So do you see the choices that lay before you, and the many avenues your earthly life can fas.h.i.+on? Which of these choices gives you greatest joy, then? And will you pay yourself with this greatest of rewards?

It is not money, but its rewards for which you have sought these many years. Could you not wander straight to this reward, so full of riches that shall never be denied you? What could give you joy but yourself? Money cannot. People cannot. Time cannot. Only your simple decision, born of freedom, calls forth the answer of this richest reward. Do not push away this answer for its obvious simplicity, dearest one. For, the answer that resides within your very essence, awaits you in ever-patient company at this moment. The answer is simple. The answer is joy.

Opportunity.

Dear one, do not put a stake into the ground and call it "mine." This being that you call "Earth" is tender and gentle, and yet not unwilling to surrender to your will. Your holy will seeks not to dominate upon the earth, but to tread softly among your brothers and sisters.