I have described in this book include courage, sincerity, trust, yielding, curiosity, playfulness, modesty, appreciation, gentleness, kindness, patience, generosity, mercy, acceptance, compassion, equanimity, humility, and innocence. In this book, each condition is presented as the beginning of a process of transformation or spiritual germination, which ultimately guides us toward knowing and becoming available to a facet of divine love. The facets of divine love I have described are growth, support, freedom, creativity, gratitude, healing, abundance, forgiveness, grace, and truth. Every emotional condition that comes our way needs to be felt to be known and needs to be acknowledged to be released. If we cling to these conditions and refuse to release them for reasons of pleasure or pain, they hinder our ability to live well. The consequences are that of compounded suffering for ourselves and others. Every person that lives a long life will experience each of the conditions I have described in this book. Oftentimes, we do not wish to be caught in these conditions and may not even realize we are gripping to them, thereby compounding suffering in all its many forms. It is easy to judge others when we see them under the influence of such conditions. The truth is, it is often very difficult to release and overcome these states of being, even when we have committed ourselves to the great effort involved. So we must not be embarrassed or ashamed for being subject to these attachments. They are necessary to life. Each condition should be treated as a welcome teacher and to face them is to experience and be vulnerable to the emotional spectrum of our humanity. Learning to recognize and release these powerful influences is as necessary as accepting and yielding to the transition of the seasons. Each condition narrows our scope of perception, preventing us from assessing the present moment with wide- open honesty and clarity. Each condition is released through a process of sincere cultivation of specific attitudes. The reward is that we make ourselves available to divine love tangible to all beings. I believe that every person is capable, if they choose, to access all facets of divine love and in doing so liberate themselves and others from all forms of oppression. Each of the ten spiritual processes I have described in this book align with an elemental process observable within the natural world. I have invoked colors and corresponding images from the natural world to demonstrate how the processes that support life in the Universe can be read as embodied allegories for the processes necessary to support the full growth of our spiritual lives. Both the physical processes that support life and the spiritual processes that govern our passage through life are necessary in the journey of becoming and experiencing wholeness. Clarity and balance in the external world will only come to order if the inner world has already done so.
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