These are my answers to questions sent in by Aspire To Wisdom
subscribers. I hope you benefit from them too.



There is something that has been bothering me for quite some time
now and that is the role of self-sacrifice and spirituality. Is
it more spiritual to do something for the sake of others
happiness even if it forsakes our own? Is it selfish to want
something for yourself? Should our lives be about giving and not
expecting anything in return? Shouldn't it be fulfilling enough
to see the people we love and care about happy? It's an issue of
selfishness versus selflessness. Please shed some light on this
issue.
Debby Spencer

I think it depends where you are on the spiritual path in terms
of advancement. A Buddha or a Christ probably would act from
total selflessness, just as you describe. However, that arises
from a fundamental realization that there is NO SELF to begin
with.

From a cosmic consciousness perspective, one who is perfectly in
tune with the wealth of the universe, and whose consciousness
transcends material realms has no problem doing exactly what you
describe. Their reward is in heaven, so to speak.

As for the rest of us, well that is really another matter. If you
are talking, as I assume you are, about living in the material
world, maintaining the consciousness of the ego self, and working
from a spiritual perspective from there, then the answer is
somewhat different.

Although it is only my opinion, it seems to me that you are
describing the process of becoming a spiritual punchbag, so to
speak. Although you may begin this in a well-intentioned manner,
it might be very hard to maintain. This is not so much a matter
of "slaying the ego" so much as repressing it.

The danger is that in trying to be always the "spiritual nice
guy", you may end up gradually becoming more and more
dissatisfied at the reactions of others. You see, they probably
WILL take advantage, over and over again, without so much as a
"Thank You". That, sadly, is human nature.

Are you prepared to deal with that? Are you prepared to become
known as the person from whom favors can be asked, over and over
again, without the need for as much as a "Thank You"?

If you are an advanced spiritual being, then maybe you can stand
it and even thrive on it. However, this is not the way for the
majority of people.

I think there is a self-esteem issue here too. Sure, you want
others to be happy and abundant. But you too need to be happy and
abundant as well. It should not be an either/or. In fact, I am
not sure how any other decent person CAN feel truly happy and at
peace, knowing that you sacrificed your own happiness and peace
for them to feel that way. It doesn't make sense to me.

There is an element in this of the traditional view of
spirituality; that it involves sacrifice, poverty, sackcloth and
ashes. Nothing could be further from the truth. You cannot give
someone what you do not already have yourself. You cannot give
someone from the store of Love and Wealth and have it diminished
for yourself. A true spiritual view sees the store as infinite.
You cannot drain it, or diminish it. The more you reflect that
spiritual perfection in yourself, the more you can give of it to
others. The more you think that there is a lack (i.e. that you
should suffer so that someone else should benefit), the less able
are you to help others, because you are working from a
dysfunctional view of spirituality, happiness and abundance.

Hope that helps.

My name is Talmaci Cristina Beatrice. I want to ask you how can I
get in touch with my inner self. I've read something about that
…but I didn't understand very well how can I do that.
Thanks for answering my question.

Well, I'll give you a very short answer to that one. I wrote an
entire course on this subject. It's called
The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing Your Higher Self.

In brief, I would say seek inner guidance by awakening to your
inner realms. You can use journaling, meditation, dream analysis,
putting questions to your Higher Self and awaiting the answer,
and more. But my course really tells you all you need to know.

I have a question for you. How do you conquer fear, when you
think things are going just a little too smoothly? The reason I
ask this is because whenever I really wanted something in my
life, it seemed that it was such a struggle to achieve. This
time everything seems to be headed in my direction, and my dream
of opening a business is about to become a reality. Now all of a
sudden I'm feeling scared and unsure of what the future holds,
because it seems to good to be true. Do you have any suggestions
as to how to cope with this feeling? Thanks for listening.

Bev Onyschak

This sounds a lot like your subconscious conditioning getting
ruffled when things don't happen in the manner it is accustomed
to. You know, sometimes we can be our own worst enemies.

Inside of us, we have a sort of psychological thermostat that
measures our comfort level. Initially, it gets set by a variety
of factors; parental upbringing and expectations, society, our
own expectations of ourselves. Once the level of that thermostat
gets set, it can be pretty hard to shift.

The conscious mind can will one thing and desperately want it.
However, the subconscious thermostat is set at a much lower level.
Hence, we tend to shift to what our subconscious is comfortable
with. Any major deviation from that comfort zone will cause the
subconscious to act in order to restore equilibrium. This is one
reason why most lottery winners end up broke in the end.

If I were you, I would focus on what you want, and do not focus
on what you don't want. In other words, rather than dwelling on
the fear, and thereby causing that to grow, get a vision of what
you want. Make it even bigger and better than what you expect to
get so easily now. That way, your mind will be too busy working
on getting you what you want to start worrying about "bringing you
back into line" and giving you what you don't really want at all,
but are perfectly comfortable with.

Also, work to increase the level of that internal thermostat.
This means analyzing yourself a bit, and working on a
subconscious level, maybe with hypnosis and/or affirmations. You
can look back into your past and your life experiences to try to
understand better your expectations, and the level that your
thermostat has been set at. Ultimately, though you have to work
at this subconscious level, and that takes time and effort. The
work of a lifetime cannot be undone in a moment (despite what
some of the "famous gurus" are claiming).

The following is taken from Larry De Rusha's "Roar From Within" Life Purpose Course, and is on the subject of Destiny:

Everyone has a purpose and everyone is called by Destiny. Although
you may not think you have a purpose and certainly might not
understand it, you have a purpose. You can know it and understand it.

Some people hear Destiny's call when they're small children. You've
noticed them. They know what they're going to do when they grow up.
As teenagers, they chart their course and begin studying. Then,
never wavering, regardless of stormy weather or sunny sailing, they
singlemindedly pursue the goal.



Some hear it after they have just lost their job or during a
midlife crisis. Some Destiny calls loudly – perhaps through a
serious illness. Many people heed the call and prepare to take on
the duties and responsibility of a yet-to-be-revealed journey. Still
others ignore her.

Some miss Destiny's call completely. They're too busy. Their days
are packed with doing, doing, doing. They are enamored by stuff,
whirling around in circumstances, or at the mercy of the effects.
They are afraid to answer Destiny's call. Some are afraid to leave
the known for the unknown.

Unfortunately, others are never home to get the call! If they do
hear the ring, they're compelled to be in the company of others to
drown out the sounds of their deepest fear. They resist change and
bark at those who suggest new possibilities.

But if Destiny calls and you refuse to answer, a nagging sensation
will haunt you. Your life is somehow not what you expected. IF it
is what you expected, it's not fulfilling. Full, yet not
fulfilling. Your dreams? A simple escape from your current situation.

While you are unconscious, Destiny guides you though what appears
as chance circumstances. But it is hardly the case. Regardless of
your perspective, what you are doing is what you are supposed to be
doing based on your thinking/feeling world. You may be unconscious
of why and what the greater reason is but you are moving toward a
goal.

Copyright Larry De Rusha.

——————————————————-
Check out Larry's acclaimed Life Purpose Course…
The Roar From Within
——————————————————-