Editor’s Note: This guest post is by John J. Patton, a spiritual seeker I am good friends with. He doesn’t have a blog, but writes and compiles many beautiful articles. In this double post, John presents two things. First – a series of statements, to be kept near as a reminder, or perhaps a mantra. Second – a series of steps, for when we are overwhelmed by a potential problem. Thanks John! If you are looking for someone to discuss spirituality with, please email John.

A Light Unto Yourself

I make the conscious choice to be free, and to hold my freedom as a priority, not to be compromised.

I take full responsibility for my happiness and know that it is never dependant on anyone or anything outside of myself.

I prefer my essential & intrinsic happiness to the temporary fulfillment of desires.

I value my inner peace more than I do winning, defending my identity, proving my point, or reactively expressing momentary emotions.

I refuse to be reactive, and to let my emotions be controlled by others.

Anger does not guide my hand. Fear does not inhibit my action. Desires do not govern me.
Attachments do not bind me.

I do not engage in self defeating behavior.

I accept that which I cannot change.

I have no need to control or possess others.

I do not depend on others for validation or approval.

I understand that my feelings are natural, and so make no apologies for them.

I make plans for the future, but remain open in order to respond to each moment directly.

I make no attempt to appear different than I am, regardless of who I am around.

I do not define myself in terms of material.

I allow others the freedom of being themselves, without judging them or attempting to change them.

I can forgive others because I understand that we all act according to our current level of consciousness & understanding.

I am my own authority.

I am complete in the present moment & therefore do not look to the future for fulfillment.

I am free to give love, without condition or expectation.

I know that my identity is self defined and self imposed.
My only binding identification is with consciousness, through which all else is experienced.

I participate in the things in life without becoming attached and identified with them.

I realize that my separation from others & from the environment is conceptual only.

I have no strict idea of myself in which I must conform to.

I see the impermanence of all things and so do not cling unnecessarily to them.

I realize that all perspectives are fragmentary & incomplete.

I do not need an external authority to tell me what is right and what is wrong.

I allow others to be free by dropping all demands and expectations of them.

I learn from the past, but do not allow it to interfere with the present.

I am neither above, nor below anyone, and so make no comparisons.

I realize that anything that I don’t know from direct experience is hearsay and speculation.

Though I cannot always control my thoughts, I can control which ones I pursue and give energy.

I understand the difference between what exists in thought and what exists in reality.

When I am alone, I am not lonely, my presence is all pervading.

I respond to reality according to the circumstances instead of depending on readymade answers.

I see that if my thoughts have no correlative in physical reality that they are little different than imagination.

I know that all answers lie within and that they can only be obtained through experience.

I know that there is no such thing as second hand wisdom.

I will help anyone that I can knowing that ultimately the responsibility is theirs alone.

I realize that when I become disturbed that nothing is missing. Instead, something has been added and is obscuring my inherent peace and stillness. That my attention has deviated from the present moment.

I am a light unto myself.

In Case of Emergency

• Guide your attention to your breath, and follow it as it goes in and out. This can create space, provide some relief from the relentless thoughts & return you to the moment.

• Try to zoom out and expand your perspective. Sometimes seeing our problems within a larger context can give us a different outlook on them .

• Take a moment to consider how others feel as well, as we are all under stress for varying reasons. Remember that your loved ones, spouse, children, etc. are also dealing with life’s difficulties. (This helps us to take the spotlight off of us and step out of the exclusive mindset we often get trapped in.)

• Realize that your problems and the emotions that accompany them are temporary. They are impermanent. (We tend to view things with a high degree of severity, as if they are eternal, when in fact most of them will be soon forgotten.)

• Make sure you are not engaging in self defeating behavior by feeding the fire with negative thoughts and energy. Become aware of your internal dialogue.

• Remember that acceptance is another word for freedom. Acceptance is a choice we must first discover is available, in which the psychological pain of inner conflict may be eliminated. If something is already the case, or is inevitable, acceptance is the only intelligent response to it.

• Is the way in which you are handling this problem conducive to the goals you have on your spiritual path? (Can expose hypocritical behavior as well as be a good reminder.)

• Is your resistance to what is happening more valuable to you than your inner peace?

• Is what is occurring directly causing your emotion, or is it your position towards what is occurring? In other words, is it your expectations that are being injured, rather than you yourself? What would you lose by accepting rather than opposing? Is it even possible?

• Become a witness to all that is occurring without identifying with it. Observe as choiceless awareness only. Drop all opinion and judgment and just watch. You are not that which passes before awareness, but awareness itself.

Lastly, a few words from Eckhart Tolle

You feel yourself to be alone again, struggling against something or trying to achieve this or that. But why did anxiety, stress, or negativity arise? Because you turned away from the present moment. And why did you do that? You thought something else was more important. You forgot your main purpose. One small error, one misperception, creates a world of suffering.

Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now is intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. It you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences. No excuses. No negativity.

John J. Patton