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Hugh Prather. Morning Notes
INTRODUCTION. What I Need to Hear
1. To choose love is to begin again
2. I know what to do. The only question is, will I do it
3. The answer is to let go of pressure, not add more
4. To free myself from useless battles, I put all things in God's hands
5. Because the truth is true, letting go is all there is to do
6. Instead of trying to force the day I want, let me embrace the day I am given
7. To be in God is simply to be connected
8. Oneness is not cooperation. It is experiencing the familiar in another
9. The only cost of forgiveness is to again be whole
10. When I see your heart, I want what you want
11. Kindness is the touch of God
12. All around us is a welcoming Presence, but only by being kind can I feel it
13. When I submit to Truth, I submit to harmlessness
14. By letting go, I fall into God
15. The ego is always up to something. Unless I remain conscious, I will act it out in some way
16. We can accept one another and enjoy life, or judge one another and be unhappy
17. Closeness to God is first experienced as closeness to others
18. A gentle and accepting mind always feels close to God
19. Make your state of mind more important than what you are doing
20. Inner peace is letting go of being right
21. Acceptance is the way I bless myself
22. Our core is already positive. Choice is made possible by seeing how we routinely betray our core
23. If we are each in God's hands, judging another is an act of arrogance
24. How could one person's way possibly be superior to another person's way if God is leading us all?
25. All thoughts are equally a part of the mind
26. I release you from your past, that I may see you as God sees you
27. We each journey on a path of mistakes
28. True helpfulness comes from connection, not from words
29. Trusting a greater Reality makes relationships easier
30. Only love can discern the bridge that stretches between two hearts. In love it is seen, and in love it is crossed
31. Dare to be ordinary
32. God knows the way to my heart
33. Discouragement is not helpful
34. Whatever I worry about is not worth worrying about
35. There are no questions in God
36. Adding light to darkness solves the problem of darkness
37. Fear is my responsibility because fear means that I am conflicted
38. The means I use to change my mental state becomes my new state of mind
39. Just one thought of blessing recreates me in its image
40. Awareness disarms my ego
41. My mind is a gift. Its nature is pure
42. See your ego's plan for you clearly and you can't help but laugh
43. Wallowing in guilt is self-indulgent
44. Attack is the problem, not the answer
45. I cannot betray myself by “loving too much.”
46. Love is a preview of heaven
47. The jailer is also in jail
48. If I don't need anything from you, I am free to think of you in peace
49. Every hour I am focused on the future, I suffer an hour's loss of this life
50. The longest strides come from standing still
51. I will give peace with my thoughts and cause no harm with my words
52. If God holds me, why am I holding on?
53. My mind is like a hand that can open or clench. The choice is mine
54. God's light shines in all directions
55. Wherever I go, God is already there
56. Repeatedly assessing past performance is failure to concentrate on what can be done now
57 “Trust yourself” and “Trust God” are not conflicting ideals. I must trust what I am, but what I am is never alone
58. Today I will see through the eyes of Love
59. When I extend what I am, I broaden my happiness
60. Blessed are those who try again
61 “I am completely at peace with the way you are.”
62. The one I hold myself superior to is a part of me
63. Today I will do two things: shut up and mind my own business
64. Is it likely that what God wants will be thwarted?
65. Today I will remember God
66. Faith is the willingness to rest in the arms that already hold me
67. Faith can be redirected
68. Faith is a willingness to rest within the present
69. The way Home is greater than me
70. My precious opinions never made anyone happy—including me
71. Happiness is peace, not comparison
72. God holds me in light
73. God is peace
74. The choice is always between my quiet mind and my busy mind
75. The answer to prayer is not withheld until later
76. Resistance to stillness is attraction to conflict
77. My perceptions reflect their source
78. God made me whole and God is everlasting
79. Being tolerant is healthier than being separate or controlling
80. Treat your body as you would treat your beloved pet
81. Without forgiveness, I live in a hostile world
82. Your comfort is my own
83. I alone block my ability to see Beauty
84. There is no love without acceptance
85. Today I will discard a few problems from the list of the ones I think I need
86. Awareness of God doesn't give me a charmed life. It gives me awareness of God
87. If I am a part of God, I must do my part
88. Let my first response be stillness
89. True solitude includes connection
90. I can't have the life I want, but I can be at peace with the life I have
91. Love is the mind of God— and it is my mind also
92. If there's a question whether to say it, don't say it
93. The heart can listen better than the ears
94. Empathy is not a behavior; it's an inner necessity
95. In stillness I will ask what God sees
96. I am at liberty to notice God's presence wherever I look
97. A still mind cannot create chaos. A conflicted mind can create nothing else
98. God's gifts are given in gratitude
99. Problems do not justify unkindness
100. Pour time generously over all your tasks
101. God's holy peace is all around me. When I am still, it is reflected within me
102. Make the peace of God more important than daily tasks
103. I will remember the One who holds my hand in love
104. Simply stop a moment and stand in God's holy light
105. God's voice is within me
106. Time is always put to some use
107. No matter how often or how long ago I made the mistake, it's never too late to correct it
108. Because God is with me, it is possible to know peace wherever I am
109. It never stops being now
110 “I am finally flexible,” will be my affirmation for today
111. An untried moment is an unlit candle
112 “Be not afraid” can only be practiced now
113. Connection and fear cannot be experienced together
114. A generous gesture is never made alone
115. True righteousness is a path of unlimited options
116. Giving a spiritual gift proves to my mind that I already have it
117. The moment before and after a miracle is no less miraculous
118. This day is blessed
119. I am as God created me
120. The mind can ruminate, but it can also relax and smile
121. My mind, which is a gift from God, will never die. It is my responsibility and in my care forever
122. From my peaceful mind, I will speak gently to the fearful part of me
123. Spiritual growth is merely learning what makes us happy
124. I am not healed alone
125. Simply being happy includes within it all spiritual effort and all divine potential
126. Everything I do matters
127. There is only one kind of love — the uncalculating kind
128. A gentle vision makes a gentler world through which to walk
129. If today I set all things free to be as they are, the earth can't help but dance, and my heart dance with it
130. I already know enough
131. My behavior reflects my state of mind. My mind, not my behavior, is the appropriate focus
132. I am not a victim of my childhood
133. Let the comments I make come from my heart, not my “honesty.”
134. The one meaningful choice we have is whether to receive our life as a gift or to judge and fight it every step of the way
135. The world doesn't work. Trying to make it work is the root of my distress
136. Tolerance and understanding transcend “right and wrong.”
137. Any attitude, technique, or philosophy helpful to another person deserves my support
138. All I can do is try my best
139. Peace dissolves the grip of time
140. Do I want the question, or do I want the answer?
141. By judging, I surrender self-control
142. Anxiety does not improve relationships
143. Disagreements cannot diminish love
144. The Voice within all hearts is the same
145. Only by loving can I feel and have the experience of being loved
146. I am not being “nice” if I am conflicted about it
147. My state of mind is all I truly give to another
148. What I see is what I get
149. To learn something new, I have to resign as my own teacher
150. The voice of the past is not the voice of God
151. Spiritual emotions are limitless and ever present. Ego emotions are limited and bound to the past
152. Judging judgmentalness is still judging
153. Forgiveness is spontaneous and does not require “good judgment.”
154. To forgive is to reconnect with God
155. Happiness begins with increased awareness of others
156. Love sees without interpretation
157. The egos I encounter today do not have to affect my sense of self
158. Take others into your heart, not into your self-esteem
159. Oneness is the experience: “Here is someone I know.”
160. Until I pause and feel my wholeness, I will continue searching
161. Which voice am I listening to this instant?
162. Because God is love, I am never alone
163. Anxiety signals how I am using my mind
164. Ego emotions are manufactured by thoughts
165. Fear of stillness is the desire to remain confused
166. I see the reality that most interests me
167. How I use my mind determines my experience
168. All inner shifts are reflected outward
169. The images my mind keeps returning to inform me of what I rely on
170. Whenever I stumble, let my response be to wait in stillness on my God
171. If I will release it, my mind can gently rise above chaos
172. I will not resist my happiness
173. Forgiveness is the willingness to be happy
174. Do I want to be guilty or do I want to be innocent?
175. What I believe I am is what I give to another
176. Acknowledging inner conflict is the first step to making better decisions
177. Until I am consistently honest with myself, I will never know consistent peace
178. I am never a victim of my thoughts unless I want to be
179. I put myself in a position of weakness when I cherish a grievance
180. Unhappiness requires a past. Happiness needs only this instant
181. My past is not present unless I draw it into my mind
182. There are no discrete attacks. I can't love myself while judging another
183. A state of longing blocks the experience of wholeness
184. Acknowledging my problems is a positive sign of willingness. It is not negative thinking
185. Peace and perfection cannot be found in the body
186. Freedom is a quiet state of mind
187. Wholeness is first seen in others before it is felt within
188. To bring healing to my relationships, I will remember that God is joy
189. Love cannot be restrained
190. In God there are no needs
191. The ego speaks first, but in stillness I will listen for the voice of sanity
192. So that I may remain open, I will practice divine doubt
193. To accept responsibility for everything I think and do — but guilt for nothing already corrected—is humility true and pure
194. If I compare myself spiritually to another, I see oneness. But if I compare my ego to theirs, I do not see
195. Today I will acknowledge the obvious
196. Forgiveness is always possible — in the present
197. To forgive another I must first be honest with myself
198. Let me not be afraid to relax and be happy. I can't put myself in jeopardy by resting a moment in God
199. Remain in the present. Walk in peace. Love and laugh easily. What more is there to do than this?
200. God knows the question before I ask
201. What I want from you is what I deny I have
202. To listen with peace transforms discord into melody
203. Freedom, like all spiritual treasures, must first be given before it is received
204. Comfort with myself, not war with myself, is the agent for change
205. Do I want to be my ego, or do I want to be my self?
206. If I try to force a picture of oneness, I destroy oneness
207. The external can't be made to reflect the spiritual
208. Oneness does not see degrees of inequality
209. Until I take the time to see them clearly, I will continue to fall into the same behavioral traps
210. To become aware of God, first I must become aware of what I find more interesting than God
211. Let me not be afraid to look, to be aware, and to be deeply honest with myself
212. Whose dwelling is without dust? Whose mind is without litter?
213. Because the world is a place of war, the path of peace must be intentionally practiced
214. When I am happy, I don't need to look over my shoulder
215. Worrying does not protect me. Intuition is born of peace
216. God's love is trustworthy and unchanging
217. Home is found in my heart, where God placed it. Thus opening my heart expands my home
218. Love completes what Love begins
219. Attack thoughts shrink and harden my mind
220. Commitment does not preclude peace, and peace does not preclude commitment
221. Embarrassment can block peace, but it adds nothing to my life
222. Being interested is a decision, and what we love, we find interesting
223. If peace is my priority, then I must protect my mind from what poisons it
224. Communication is a function of empathy and can occur with or without words
225. A still mind is inherently tolerant
226. Today I will judge no one by their behavior
227. The experience of oneness is wordless and still
228. Oneness is the willingness to think without fear
229. When I am defensive, I choose to protect the wrong self
230. All differences dissolve when I fall back into my broader self
231. Never be afraid to expand the definition of who you are
232. Since at our core we are the same, understanding another person is essentially an act of self-acceptance
233. The divine does not “test” us or give us “trials” before blessing us
234. Today I will not rank the activities I engage in
235. God gave us our mind to make us happy
236. Happiness is easy. It's letting go of unhappiness that's hard. We're willing to give up everything but our misery
237. I must become familiar with how I make myself unhappy before I can know consistent happiness
238. Do not allow the body to reflect your attack thoughts
239. A watched mind never boils
240. My ego chatters like a monkey, but its thoughts fade in importance when I am still
241. Each moment of the day, I decide the direction of my life
242. To be right is to be separate
243. The mind can focus either on what it has or what it thinks it doesn't have, but it can't do both at once
244. Desire is the root of suffering because its focus is on the absence of God
245. I am in heaven or hell depending on what has my attention
246. Where does this thought come from?
247. Harmlessness is proactive
248. Attacking back, even if only mentally, duplicates the original mistake
249. No one can be judgmental without wanting to be
250 “The easy way out” is to be mentally honest
251. Do I suspect that what I am about to say will make this person unhappy? Then the urge to say it is from my ego
252. There are no limits on the effects of happiness
253. It's impossible to feel our connection with others and not be happy
254. It is good and right to be happy. It is also the only way I can be consistently kind to myself
255. I am free of the nature of the world, until I try to control it
256. When the mind becomes as still as the divine, it becomes as happy as the divine
257. Peace rests on a foundation of understanding, and happiness is sheltered by a roof of tolerance
258. In every kind heart is a place of bliss
259. Despite the world's shrill objection, simply being good is enough
260. How do I want to respond to what just happened?
261. When the heart's preference is heard, there is no fear
262. There isn't anyone who can't be treated kindly, because how I treat others is up to me, not up to them
263. Today I will not disregard my intuition of what this person wants from me
264. Life is lived in the pauses, not in the events
265. The joy within us is very still. It is not physically slow; it is simply at peace
266. Prejudging any situation blocks the possibility of being present
267. What meaning do I wish to give this event, those words, that person?
268. Looking at my day dispassionately is an act of love
269. When the focus of my thoughts shifts from separation to connection, my entire world shifts with it
270. Is this thought a source of pain or a source of comfort?
271. All thoughts are circular
272. Let me be done with guilt. There is a song to sing. There is life to live and people to enjoy
273. Nothing has to “turn out well” for me to be happy. People don't have to “behave themselves” for me to love them. I am free
274. All I need do is make the effort
275. Simply start over
276. Pause often in stillness
277. There is a place in me that is already Home
278. Don't be afraid to look at fear
279. Spiritual efforts often seem phony and irrelevant. Today I will pass through this resistance and do what will be helpful
280. What I want is what I get. To be conflicted is to want the usual chaos
281. Letting the day dictate my mood is a decision
282. I will listen to my peace, not to my ever-changing ego emotions
283. I alone choose to look at what “has my attention,” and to look away from everything else
284. What I anticipate rarely happens. How I choose to respond to the present always happens
285. Today I will nurture happiness
286. Deciding to be happy doesn't change external circumstances, but it will appear to
287. There is no spiritual necessity to master any given aspect of the world
288. Today I will avoid being self-willed. I will set no goals that are not shared with the divine
289. Happiness is flexible
290. I will never know peace as long as I condone attack thoughts
291. If I choose the present, within that instant I cannot choose the past
292. Today I will remember the Self I share with others and with my Source
293. When my mind focuses on a failure, it's imbued with the sadness of the subject. When it focuses on Truth, it heals and grows strong
294. Today I will look at how far I have come rather than how far I still have to go
295. When I wallow in a mistake, I merely get more of it all over me
296. There are many ways to a peaceful mind
297. Deciding how an event should go does not control the event
298. I can chase the future, but only the present can be caught
299. Row gently down the stream
300. I will not disregard the symbolism of my behavior
301. Truthfulness is within the heart, not within mere words
302. To be comfortable with other people's lack of understanding, I must first acknowledge my own
303. The perfect outcome can be sought only in the future — where it is destined to remain
304. My ego focuses on eventual improvement. My deeper self focuses on my present state of mind
305. Forgiveness is vision free of the past
306. Simply forgive and be happy
307. Laughter unites
308. As the ego shrinks, joy expands
309. I have a past, but only I can bring it into the present
310. Be as willing to be happy as a little child
311. Wear not your spiritual beliefs like jewelry. Cherish them secretly within your heart
312. When our gaze is on the present and our eyes laugh, we shine on the world we see and the light of our heart goes before us
313. A fear-free mind heals because it gives hope. Without a word spoken or withheld, it encourages and calms
314. If I know how to make an individual angry, I certainly know them well enough to make them happy
315. Be single-minded
316. The answer is quietly heard and quietly held
317. To know truth, practice truth
318. My anxiety always indicates a conflicted purpose
319. Today I will see no one unlike myself
320. I seek your peace
321. Happiness is our job
322. Held in stillness, any form of fear will dissolve
323. Destiny can only be seen in peace
324. Only decisions made in peace can be carried out in peace
325. All that is right, all that is meaningful, resides in God
326. Anger is never justified
327. Forgiveness is never dishonest
328. There is no anger at our core, which is joined with God
329. Do I want the identity formed by my past or the identity created by God?
330. Blessings are never comparative
331. The goal of happiness and the means of happiness must be congruent
332. The longer I judge, the more I become like the person I am judging
333. When a judgmental line of thought ends, the damage it caused the mind ends with it
334. To look so carefully at our anger that we see through it to our heart is to use the mind's most powerful corrective force
335. The kingdom of heaven is within
336. God's creation is one. Nothing can divide it
337. Simply keep a place in you where it is welcome, and peace will come and abide with you
338. To let go is simply to rest from sacrifice
339. Those who don't forgive have not yet begun to live
340. In trying to convince someone of the truth of Oneness, I only demonstrate my belief in division
341. Where does the light of God end and I begin?
342. Heaven on earth is up to me
343. I always get what I want, provided I want it without conflict
344. Annoyance and impatience are indicative of a loveless mindset that requires immediate correction
345. Peace, not perfection, is my goal
346. Honest and specific acknowledgment of my own fallibility allows connection with others to come more easily
347. God calls us to consider our freedom, not our guilt
348. Never think of a mistake you made without remembering the loving presence of the One who was there at the time and did not judge you
349. Awareness, not guilt, is the healing response to painful patterns
350. If my goal is peace, then meeting my ego needs must serve that purpose
351. Look for your willingness and you will find it. Wait on your strength and it will build
352. Progress is measured in the number of times we try, not the number of times we fail
353. Organization and planning are more spiritual than nonchalance and chaos
354. God cares about me, about everyone, about everything. To do all things with care is to do all things with God
355. When I approach any task indifferently, I abandon God and I abandon who I am
356. Do all things as if for your Beloved
357. Within Love, nothing is lost and no one is far away
358. The past is God with me. The present is God with me. The future is God with me. It's always the same time
359. The loveless sounds of the world recede before the song of God
360. Walk in gentleness
361. All that is needed is a leap in faith
362. Don't be afraid to gaze into God's loving eyes and know that you are cherished
363. What is there to feel but the touch of peace? What is there to see but the face of God? Where is there to go but into the arms of Love?
364. May I offer God's gifts in joy
365. I stand in God. I stand in Love
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