Journey to Enlightenment Part 01

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Chetana Catherine Florida, Nirmala Hanke, Raksha Penni Helsene
Publisher: Create Space

Page 26

August 1994: Inner Enemies
Many Blessings of Love and Light to all of you.
Many Lighthouse members and students who have studied together have a basic understanding of what "inner enemies” are and of what to do with them. The newer meditators and non-meditators often get confused about inner enemies, so this message is written with them in mind.
At one time or another we have all had inner enemies to conquer in order to move forward. What are inner enemies? They are those emotions inside our minds that keep us from growing up spiritually. The more inner enemies we conquer along the way to Enlightenment, the greater happiness and fulfillment of desires we experience. Some of the inner enemies most of have had are: fear, anger, resentment, bitterness, hate, greed, deceit, jealousy and a prideful ego. If these mental states occupy any part of the mind, they become known as inner enemies. These then are enemies to be conquered. When the inner enemies are conquered, the people, situations and places that we considered our enemies out in the world will also be conquered, and they will be gone from our lives.
The important concepts to realize, to keep in mind are: “As above, so below" and "As within, so without”. In other words, the enemies we experience in our outer world will also be experienced in our inner world. Our inner world reflects our outer world, and vice versa. For example, if we have an inner enemy of anger, we will attract LIKE A MAGNET, all things, people, and situations that will trigger the anger within us. This means we can never be free of anger by just removing it outside ourselves. In order to be free of anger we must remove it internally, by conquering the anger.
Often I hear people say, “If only I didn't have to work with that person, I wouldn't be so angry all the time.” This is really a misunderstanding of the truth. The truth is: If you didn have any inner enemies of anger, you could not experience feeling angry. No one person can make us angry unless we have accepted the invitation to get angry. This means that at one time or another we have accepted having the inner enemy of anger within us. This anger can then stay and grow, magnetizing more and more people and situations to be angry about. This can go on for lifetimes if we do not choose to conquer the anger.
It is very important to become aware, to become conscious of one's inner enemies, because only then can YOU exercise your power to choose to conquer them. As you do this, the corresponding outer enemies are no longer magnetized to you. Thus your outer world is no longer filled with angry people or situations, since your outer world is a true reflection of your inner world at all times.
For me, mantra meditation has been first and foremost a basic tool in helping me discover and conquer my own personal inner enemies. It is important to keep on meditating, so that the experiences of inner Love, Peace and Harmony can grow within you. Then you will attract “Like a magnet” those beings who are loving, peaceful, and harmonious into your outer environment. When enough of these individual experiences are collected together, we can all truly begin to share a “Heaven on Earth".
Namaste Chetana
On the Wings of Light and Love - 27