The Labels we Cast Upon Another

Mony Dojeiji

Four years ago, we were living through a period of suicide bombings. Fear gripped us as we witnessed the horrors in countries around the globe. The entire world was on edge, not knowing how to respond or even contain these acts.

A good friend sent me a private message then, asking:

“What is going wrong with the world, Mony?”

Not a loaded question, eh?! 😄

I’ve taken my original response to her, and expanded on it. The focus is around the idea of LABELS.

Of course we know that today, even as then, we were going through a deep transformation, confronting the ever-fundamental questions of who we are, what we believe about ourselves and others, and what kind of world we choose to live in. And with each cycle of change, we face our hidden biases, our deepest fears and prejudices, perhaps even our shame and guilt at the feelings that these events awaken in us. We go through this inner reckoning individually and collectively.

Our mind loves to separate, to divide, to create bundles and pieces of information. It does this because it needs order. And with order, comes the belief that it is in control. And in its quest for order, the mind creates labels:

Terrorist. Fanatic. Radical. Extremist. Zealot. Maniac.

Even as I’m writing these words, I feel the energy shift within me. I feel the characterizations that these words carry. I feel them feeding the separation between me and the person, dehumanizing them, making them into an object upon which I can thrust all of my judgments.

These labels, however, are artificial; inventions of a mind seeking to understand what is often un-understandable…not with our human mind anyways.

The more we hold on to these labels, the more we keep them in our collective consciousness.

The more attention we pay to them, the more of them we see.

The more that we believe that “those people” are incapable of change or growth, the more we keep them where they are, and look for any action to support what we believe.

We do this individually, and collectively.

But we can change those labels, because what’s a label? Nothing more than an idea, a thought, a perspective… And an idea can always be changed. It can always be replaced by another idea.

So, let’s consider that “extremist”…

What if I choose to see him as a fellow human being, a brother, who has chosen terribly, whose life journey has led him to such desperation and hopelessness that the only solution he saw was this terrible act?

Would that influence what I say and how I act? I believe it would…

And what if I believe that there is nothing random in this Universe? That it is, in fact, a Loving Universe? That Love is the only Truth, and what moves all things? What if I believe that this person is a spiritual being having a physical experience, as I am, as you are, as we all are? How do I know how his actions affect his soul journey, the highest within him? Who am I to judge that? How do I know the sacred agreements involved with others? How do I know what their soul journeys are all about? What they have agreed to do? I have no idea… but again, this is all based on my belief that there is nothing random in this Universe, and only Love exists.

If I didn’t believe this, I couldn’t possibly make sense of this world.

And because I believe that the outer world is a projection of my inner world, that what I see “out there” is showing me what is happening “in here” (in the inner universe of my mind, my heart, my beliefs, my memories)…then I must also look within me to whatever has brought this event into MY awareness. If I’m aware of it, then it’s my task to take responsibility for whatever my part in it is – conscious or, more likely, unconscious.

How could I possibly contribute to the creation of a terrorist or extremist?

By holding on to any belief that violence is justified:

That the means justify the ends. That there is a “just” cause. That sometimes the only way forward is through violence, even the threat of violence. That I have a right to take out my anger, frustration, hurt and helplessness on another. That violence is the only way I can be seen or heard, my cause taken seriously. That my violent thoughts towards another have no effect, if I don’t act on them.

With ALL of these beliefs do I contribute to the “extremist”. And whenever I see their actions, it just confirms what I already believe anyways.

And so in this cycle I remain. Until I am ready to stop it at its root. Within me. How?

I take every thought of violence and attack; every judgment and label; every emotion; every act I may have taken (known or unknown)… and I bring them in offering to the altar of Love. To the place where all is forgiven. Where I can lay down my shame, my pain, my guilt. Where all the errors in my thinking and perceptions can be corrected. Where my heart can be healed. Where I can be transformed, by Love. Where I can finally be at peace.

And in that peace, I can see more clearly. Understand in new ways. Look upon “the other” as my brother. See the light and awakening arising in him, in the same way that it is in me. See him changing in every moment, as I have, in every moment becoming more and more filled with wisdom, with light…and acting in consequence.

But I can only see that in another if I am able to see that in myself first.

Could this be the meaning of the teaching by Jesus: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

I do this work for every person I’m tempted to label and judge. And I stubbornly hold on to my vision, no matter what others choose to say or do.

There’s also a lot RIGHT with this world. There are so many people working from a consciousness of love, bringing that into the world, building the world we want to live in. It is happening now, and gaining momentum. That’s why all that was hidden needs to come to light. So that we can see it, and liberate it. We’re ready for it.

Hugs, my friend. Just keep on keeping on!

Love, always, 🙏💖

Mony

#monydojeiji #consciousness #walkingforpeace #love #judgment #labels #peace #innerworld #healing #transformation #onlyloveisreal #awakening #lightworkers #violence #lightandlove

To Mask or not to Mask

Mony... and the Mask!

That seems to be the question these days, as the mere mention of the word brings up so many emotions, so many guttural reactions, so many beliefs!

And in this space that appears so divisive, I see a grand opportunity for liberation, for transformation, for love to enter.

As always, let it begin with me.

At the core of these conversations seems to be our beliefs about FREEDOM:

That, as a free person, I have the right to decide what is best for me, and no external force can make me do anything I don’t want. The virus isn’t dangerous, we’re all going to be infected anyways, and even if I did believe in the virus, my faith/ immunity/ body are strong enough to handle it.

vs.

As a free person, what I do for myself impacts others – no matter what I believe – because with freedom, comes responsibility to the community that we all share. What affects one, affects all.

This is all – once again – the outer manifestation of an inner conflict that just happens to be playing out right now in the conversation about masks. I’m sure similar inner dialogues happened when helmets, seat belts, vaccinations, etc. were introduced.

As I now turn my attention away from the outer world of effect, to my inner world of cause, I ask myself:

Why is wearing a mask so triggering to me?

The answer to this question will be unique to the person answering it. I don’t know the original cause for it and, to me anyways, it doesn’t matter. Whether the original trauma happened in this lifetime or another, my childhood or adolescence… what matters NOW is that I acknowledge that the trauma is within me, playing out like a record-on-repeat, triggering emotions in me that are making me respond in one way or another.

It is at this level that I do the inner work. Again, today it’s a mask triggering me. Tomorrow, it will be something else. I’d rather do the work of healing now.

Freedom is the gift given to us by a God Love. Each soul here on this Earth is inherently free, because that is the nature of God. That is the nature of the universe and all creatures and creations. It is a universe that is in continual expansion fueled, in my opinion, by love.

I get that we don’t want anything that limits our freedom.

But if we look at our Mother Earth, at the wisdom of Nature, at the plant and animal kingdoms, we see that relationships among its members are often symbiotic. The members care for each other and, in so doing, ensure the health and well-being of all and of the ecosystem that supports them all.

Humans are no different. We are wired to care. We are wired to love. We are wired to look after one another. That IS our true nature, given to us by a Creator whose nature IS this.

What gets in the way of the natural expressing of that brotherly relationship are ideas that we have learned that somehow:

To love is to lose.

To offer is to be deprived.

To belong is to disappear.

Even if I don’t buy into the symbiotic nature of our existence and I believe myself to be the master – all on my own – of my own domain, then how can anything outside of me imprison or suppress me?

If I hold the idea that some outside political, social, economic force is trying to control me, suffocate me, silence me, lie to me, manipulate me…. then I have already muzzled myself by that belief. Not only by projecting that belief, but by interpreting everything I see through its lens. Of course this will be my experience. It’s what I believe. And what I believe, I will see.

I appreciate that removing the mask feels like I’m removing the very symbol of what’s trying to silence me.

But if I were truly free, no face covering would trigger me.

And all the outcries that we see are the acting out of the anger and guilt that we feel at our own self-imposed imprisonment.

There is nothing and no one in this world that can give – or take away – the state of being called FREEDOM. It is an inner state.

Freedom is of the mind that knows the truth, unwavering, of who it is.

Freedom is of the heart, awakened in love and compassion, which only wishes to extend itself into the world.

Freedom is of the spirit, which is already free, and doesn’t need to prove that to anyone else.

The ultimate freedom is freedom from the illusions of this world:

The knowing that I am always one with my Creator. That I am loved, and forgiven. That nothing in this world can bind me. That when I am bound to God Love, I am free, for nothing that is asked of me in this material world (be it a mask, confinement, social distancing, a vaccine, a law…) can affect the knowing that I am already – now and forevermore – free.

Alberto and I wear masks when we enter any indoor space. Why?

Because, to us, that is the most loving thing we can do at this time; to not add to the anxiety, tension and divisiveness that we see. We know who we are, and Who is with us, in every moment. A mask will not change that.

To us, this is the meaning of the teaching by Jesus: I render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s (i.e. the mask, what is of the world), and render to God the things that are God’s (my freedom, what is of the Spirit).

In fact, when we go into a store, we remind ourselves of that. And that we are here not to defend against a virus, but to leave seeds of light, of peace and love, of wisdom, of consciousness… with whoever we see and in every aisle that we walk. This is all inner work. This is all light-work, and has nothing to do with what we see in the outer world as a virus.

When we feel that we are losing that feeling of oneness and connection – because, hello, we are still human! – we go home. We go inwards again, and recommit to the inner union.

A grand opportunity for healing and transformation is before us once again. We can take up the task of clearing those beliefs that veil the light and love that we are. Or we can keep the veil in place, believing that something outside of us is trying to hurt us.

And while we decide, Love always waits. Ever patient. Ever extending a hand to help us walk through this “darkness” to the other side where only light exists. Where only love is real. Where brotherhood is the only truth.

Love, always 💖🙏
Mony

BTW, all credit to Alberto for the inspired Hamlet reference in this pic! 😁

And yes, please feel free to share!

#monydojeiji #walkingforpeace #consciousness #mask #COVID19 #love #freedom #free #WeAreOne #brotherhood #transformation #healing #light #lightworkers