What if Lent is More Than Giving Up Chocolate?

This is a duplicate of a post from my Bjork's BLEEP Blog, which I am abandoning because there is some sort of glitch that immediately redirects someone who wants to read the post somewhere else.  Welcome to the reincarnation of Bjork's BLEEP Blog.

As I write this, tomorrow is Fat Tuesday aka Shrove Tuesday, 2010.  The day after lent begins.

Almost ten years ago when the book, "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz was published, I was right there buying my copy from my local bookstore.  Once in hand, I devoured every word.

Back then (and today) I felt if I simply followed the first agreement (be impeccable with your word with impeccable defined as without sin), not only did the first agreement seem to incorporate the other three, but my life had to change for the better.

Why?

For the most part, we can only think one thought at a time.  Every time I think about my self as being impeccable is a moment I am not thinking of my self as unimpeccable.   That probably sounds like a big, "DUH!"  Yet almost ten years later I realize how many of my thoughts of my self have been and continue to be unimpeccable in whatever way, shape or form.

Then in 2002 I made a written commitment to my self to become 100% impeccable in the way described in the book, "The Four Agreements".  I didn't really know how I would do this or how long it may take.  At the time, I also thought I somehow would not be allowed to consider my self...label...identify my self as impeccable until I was impeccable in manifestation 100% of the time.

In other words, I was functioning under the illusion that I look at the outer (physical manifestation) and review who I have been, what I've done, stuff like that.  Then in my mind if I wasn't perfect, I would not be allowed to declare my self impeccable without being considered a liar.

Since...I've come to realize (okay and granted I have no proof and can only speak for my self...yet I am so much more happy now than I have ever been...so, something is working/helping.) as I stand firmly in the power of the present moment to affirm and agree with the truth of who I am in the sight of Divine Love Intelligence (and in the sight of Divine Love Intelligence I am now and always have been impeccable); this practice is what allows the Universe to make this so for me as my physical experience.

Get it?  I can't continue to affirm, "I am unimpeccable" and have the Universe manifest me as impeccable.

I also like to think of it like the following:  You tell someone you love them and they are awesome.  You honestly feel this way about them and believe this with all your heart and soul.  Yet the person you share this love and sentiment with doesn't believe you are being truthful with them.  Or you love your teenager.  You know they are awesome, beautiful and talented...a divine, child of God.  You know with all your heart and soul this is who they are.  Yet they just don't see it.  They just can't buy it.  It doesn't mean you are wrong about them.

There are mantras like "om namah shivaya", which means "God is in me as me".  Or quoting Rumi, "We are the ocean in the drop".  Or the Bible, "Be still and know that I AM GOD".  Our Creator knows we are divine, impeccable, without sin.  This is how our Creator created us, "In His Image".  This is how our Creator sees each of us.  Yet imagine if our Divine Creator was human, how it might be hurtful (and unimpeccable) every time we thought, saw, agreed, defined or identified our selves as something less than we are in Divine Truth?

About now you may be thinking, "Lori.  Lori Bjork.  Girl, what does that have to do with lent?"

I feel it is a safe statement to make that for most who still practice lent it has become a time to give up something for the lent season (in 2010 lent is 46 days ending with the celebration of Easter, Sunday, April 4th) as a way of honoring what Jesus gave up as he prepared to go through the death/resurrection prophecy.

What if through the years we stopped seeing the story of Jesus the Christ as allegory/metaphor and began taking it way too literally?

"What do you mean, Lori?"

Let's say for argument's sake that the truth is we are already 100% impeccable.  Not convinced this is the truth, when lent begins we currently find our self identifying our self as impeccable about 20% of the time (to use a random number for the sake of example).  This means the other 80% of our present moments we are technically committing "self identity theft" by thinking/feeling/declaring/agreeing we are something less than the truth or om namah shivaya, God in Us as Us, Divine, ocean in the drop.

Let's say for argument's sake that on Ash Wednesday (the first day of lent), we are fairly attached to this 80% of our identity.  Often we find ourselves saying things like, "I would never do that.  It's not who I am!"

Are you still with me?

Now if you are, what if the true intent of lent was to give up during this period of time (as much as we are capable or will allow our self) our thinking/feeling/declaring/agreeing about our self in unimpeccable ways?  After 46 days of being focused on replacing unimpeccable with impeccable, in theory, our self identity MUST change from what it was when lent began.  That old way of identifying our self would have to die and be let go of in order for more of our truthful, Divine self to resurrect in its place in our physical manifestation experience.

I offer the following from the Catholic Encyclopedia for your consideration, "the real aim of lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ...the better the preparation, the more effective the celebration will be.  One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart.  The purpose of lent is to provide the purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God's will and to make His Kingdom come by making it come first in all of their hearts."

What if God's will is simply for us to identify us, our selves, as the amazing, blessed, beautiful, magnificent, wonderful, impeccable, children of God, healthy, wealthy, Well-Beings we are in truth?

What if instead of being afraid to let go of our "less than" self images feeling we must do this or that to "get better", all we ever had to do is be, declare and agree with the truth of who we are as Divine, impeccable, Children of God?  Because we declared it and agreed with it in consciousness, the laws of the Universe must make it so for us in manifestation?

I thought about all of this last lent season.  I set the intention to practice lent 2009 being more impeccable in every present moment.  I declared the image of the Laughing Buddha as my touchstone.  After all, I find it is a little bit funny or laughable that what I have been striving to be is who I always am and have been.  I also thought that this Buddha, upon achieving enlightenment, had to laugh (or else he'd cry) knowing how easy enlightenment may have been had he trusted in his true self-identity.

I'll be honest, in 2009 I didn't last all lent.  Maybe about two weeks.  And if I remember correctly, I only caught about 10% of my unimpeccable thoughts/agreements/ways I self identified me as "less than" the truth of my Divine self (spirit made manifest, spiritual being having human experiences).

I also had a simple mantra for my lent practice.

     "Thank You, God, for restoring me to the impeccability from which I emanated."

This year I added a mantra to my practice, which I say before the appreciation mantra.

     "I am the Glory of God in perfect expression in body, mind, emotion and Spirit."

It has been estimated we have about 60,000 thoughts per day.  If all you did was repeat this mantra once an hour 12 hours of each day...well, that may be 12 more times a day affirming, agreeing and declaring your true identity to the Universe than you had been.  And it is 12 more times a day when you are not affirming something negative about your self.

I don't know about you, but I find it exciting to think that this practice of giving up some of my unimpeccable self for the next 46 days of lent is not only harmless, but empowering.  And it won't cost one legal tender cent.  Only time and focus to change one's personal self consciousness.  Sounds like a win/win to me.  Sounds like a reason to celebrate my newly resurrected self Identity when Easter comes to pass.

P.S.  The Laughing Buddha photo is not one of my own.  Click the Laughing Buddha link above for photo credit.  Thank you.