by Larry Krantz
I would share an experience I had many years ago. When I was in ninth grade, a freshman in high school, I took the bus to and from school. I often sat with my friend Jill, who was quite attractive, a year older, and somewhat artsy—all of which intrigued me. We enjoyed each other’s company. One time, on the long ride home there was a fellow sitting in the seat in front of us who was a senior, and also the running back on the football team. He was a big muscular guy and, as I was about to find out, something of a bully with a mean streak. He turned around and grabbed Jill’s purse, searched through it, came up with a can of hairspray, and sprayed it in her face, a nasty thing to do.
I felt a bit protective and said, “Hey, man. That’s not cool.” His response was to haul off and punch me in the mouth hard enough to push my two front teeth back. They have been like that since, a memento of that day on the school bus.
I was shocked and stunned at this unexpected violence. It is one thing to know there are wars and murders out there in the world, and another when it comes up and punches you in the face. I was too stunned to react, which was probably a good thing, because if I tried to hit him back, he could have hurt me badly. It is the old story of bullying and intimidation; perhaps something of the sort is happening with Russia and Ukraine now—although it remains to be seen how that will work out.
For me, being punched was a stark warning that we live in a dangerous and unpredictable world, brought home to me very directly! It is said that in the U.S. there are more firearms than people, which is not very reassuring. Hardly a day goes by without a number of shootings, and sometimes mass killings. History is marked by wars and revolutions and coups, empires built and collapsed, the vanquished and the conquerors. Even the Bible is filled with violence, with innumerable people “smiting” each other. War is a horrible and irrational form of violence, which some have called “organized murder.” In this phony, fallen world, those in power send others to fight, and perhaps die, yet are often cynical and manipulative, giving reasons to justify their war for public consumption that may not be the real reason. What is going on in Ukraine right now is an example. Apparently, the Russian people have been told this “military action” is not really a war but a justified incursion to rid Ukraine of Nazis, which seems far from the truth of the matter. War is a dirty business. Violence is often rooted in a lust for money or power or land or revenge or envy—none of which reveal divine expression.
Hurtful actions are not only physical; but may result from words or emotions. Physical actions are the most obvious, but people do great harm in subtle ways, more so these days with social media, which can be weaponized to make a person feel shame or guilt or seem unworthy. Parents sometimes tell a child they are no good or useless or ugly and emotional scars may be carried by them their whole lives. Even marriages can turn abusive, physically, and in other ways.
People pray for world peace, say they are fed up with all the hatred and violence, but they do not know how to bring change. Some wonder if peace is even possible.
It is said there was once a time on earth without violence, when everyone lived in harmony with nature and with one another, a time without fear, when destructive behavior in any form was unthinkable. Apparently, it remained that way until Cain killed Abel, as the metaphorical story goes. There was the first murder. No one had considered anything of that sort before. Now, the possibility existed and people have been killing and hurting each other ever since. Consciousness fell to a new low, from divine function to savagery and chaos. People became fearful, and that fear persists.
So, is the answer to build bigger prisons or larger armies, as some propose? Should people suppress and bottle up their anger? I don’t think such actions will solve anything.
Peace is more than the absence of violence. It is a state of being. The only way to know peace is if human consciousness lifts up spiritually to a level where violence becomes unthinkable, where it is not even contemplated, when using force of any kind and striking others in anger simply no longer fits.
If there is to be change, it must start with ourselves, by being peaceful men and women, by allowing consciousness to rise to a higher level of function. There is no need to point fingers at anyone else or try to change them. We have the ability to choose, so we may eschew violence, physically, mentally, and emotionally. When we remember our divine nature, we find we are in harmony with the creative spirit of God and that our central characteristic is love, which is always creative and helpful, giving and uplifting, and never hurtful. The direction for our lives should emerge from within, not be dictated by external events—even if one is being punched in the mouth! This is how we live in a place of peace and serenity.
Here are some words I wrote, which are my words, but may be yours as well:
I am peace.
I abide in a place of peace. I could not think otherwise, no matter the shape of events, even when ugly words and feelings assault me. I do not react by striking out. I have no need to prop up a false ego identity, and I give no energy to envy or jealousy, nor do I have to defend this false front.
I know the deep peace that surpasses understanding. I abide in a place of stillness, a mansion of silence which is not empty, but filled with expectation, potential, and promise. Peace does not wall out others but invites them to share in the expansive space of heaven, for that is also their true nature. Peace does not separate; it is a place of joining together. In true peace, there is no hint of fear. In oneness, we know that to hurt another is to hurt oneself. Peace is a safe harbor for a loving heart. I speak and act through the assurance of peace.
I am peace.
Peace is not the same as pacifism, which is a human concept. In right identity, our actions are whatever is needed by spirit and come from a place of serenity and love. I once asked the great spiritual leader, Martin Exeter, what he would do if he was walking down the street with his wife and some man assaulted them. His answer was, with a twinkle in his eye, “It would be very interesting to find out!”
From a place of peace, our living expression generates an atmosphere. Chaos dissipates that atmosphere. The earth, our planetary home, has an atmosphere of air, but other forces extend far beyond, including the pull of gravity and reflected light. Likewise, those who are closest to us feel our atmosphere most keenly. Others, who are farther out, feel it less acutely, but our living expression generates radiation that has an effect well beyond our immediate surround. Each person’s atmosphere is unique; it is never static, but changes as our expression of life changes. This spiritually-made atmosphere cannot be counterfeited or produced synthetically. If our lives are roiled with anger and complaint, ruled by selfish interests, then the atmosphere will be thin and disturbed and our presence will be disruptive.
If our lives are based in the truth of love and harmonious with life, then our atmosphere will be full and radiant, and potentially helpful to other people. When we are still, we may perceive other people’s atmospheres. It affords us a sensing of that person, regardless of surface appearances. Some people are very good at putting up a false front, but are shifty and deceitful underneath. If we sense the quality of their atmosphere, we will not be fooled. When a person’s atmosphere is peaceful and serene, it is a joy to be with that person, for we may be at ease with them. In this shared space of heavenly presence, there is an opportunity for collective creative action, enhanced by agreement in spirit.
This ability to perceive a person’s atmosphere opens the possibility for attunement, to consciously extend a helping hand to smooth out rough areas, to assuage disturbances. In this way, blockages to the flow of life may be augmented and healed. It is only a temporary fix, the lending of our substance in this way, like a band-aid over a wound. But that person may have the experience of greater wholeness, and thus the opportunity to sustain that state by living in a more harmonious way with life, and that is significant.
If we exemplify peace, others may be reminded of the profound stillness of heaven. If we do, then we are lights shining in darkness, not bound by outer events, but free to be divinely present. Many people are looking for a way to rise up in consciousness. There is increased pressure these days to awaken to one’s true nature. The light of truth presses to come forth, to shine in the craziness of the dark, ego-driven state.
Fear often rules people’s lives. Even the traditional views of God are disturbing, in which God is envisioned as angry and jealous, a vengeful God—as if God has nothing better to do than point out our mistakes, judge our actions, and punish us. This notion of a severe God is Old Testament stuff, but has been carried forward and many are still told it is good to be afraid of God, to be God-fearing, as it is put. Fear separates us from reality and causes us to retreat. Two thousand years ago, the one we call the Master, put forth the idea that God is loving and kind and that we may act likewise. Not many people have taken him up on that, and war and violence persist. Where there is love, fear cannot abide.
To take this a step further, it is rare for a person to think that God has a sense of humor, or is joyful. Perhaps the Buddhists have it right, with images of a laughing Buddha. We are in human forms to enjoy the creation and enhance it. There is nothing heavy or dour about that! Fear is the killer of peace. We may be at ease, for heaven is a vast place and is without judgment or blame. Why not delight in being alive and enjoy the wonders all around us.
If humankind is to rise to a new level of understanding, the subconscious mind must be purified. This is the repository of memories and habits, which provide context for the conscious mind, so we know how to act in a given situation. The subconscious is like a computer, in a sense. The files and pictures we use most often are easiest to retrieve. Those we use rarely are in there somewhere, but we may have to dig a bit to find them. Our personal computers can connect to the internet, which links to all human knowledge. Likewise, the subconscious mind lifts up what is often used, but can pull up past experiences that are less used, and even reach into the mass subconscious of humanity. It is a divine search engine, magically bringing up thought forms and feelings linked to similar circumstances. If we are habitually reactive and defensive, those are the kinds of forms that come into conscious awareness, and expressing them will likely be destructive and harmful, bringing us down.
If we establish patterns of behavior that are in harmony with life, then forms will come to hand that make it easy to live in a creative manner. We can choose how we act. If old destructive forms are lifted up, we can discard them. To move upwards in consciousness requires a shift in identity. If we acknowledge that we are divine beings in human form, we will choose to be noble and act in harmony with life. If we see ourselves as fragile, fearful human egos, then we are subject to irrational thoughts and actions. Most people react to events, propelled by raw feelings, especially fear, and never know true peace. We may move higher in consciousness by cooperating with this sorting-out process. When we have a “feel” for our true nature, this new identity, it becomes automatic to lift up creative forms. Life, when not thwarted, knows what it is doing. Purification of the subconscious allows us to be consistent in right expression and see clearly.
Divine men and women know peace, for they do not live in fear. Their worlds are expansive and exciting, and they know the inner fire of love and the deep peace of heaven,
On the news, it has been reported that some people see this conflict in Ukraine as “just wrong” or that they don’t understand why there should be war “in the 21st century,” or that “killing each other over land is crazy and insane.” I see these statements as indications of consciousness lifting to a higher level—at least in some. Killing and violence no longer makes sense; such behavior seems out of place in today’s world. Violence is an old and destructive way of thinking and acting. A new way, a new earth, is being born, a place of peace, where old patterns of hurtful behavior cannot take hold. Let us rise up to a level of conscious function where the harmful and vicious patterns of human nature, prevalent for millennia, become unthinkable, as it was before the time of Cain and Abel. Violence is not part of divine function on earth.
The re-creation of humanity begins with ourselves. Let us live in heaven now, in a place of peace and wonder.
A comment after the talk.
Laura Fisher: Larry I appreciate your words a great deal. It is wonderful to hear that some people think war is outdated! It’s a brilliant thought. I am this peace when I come from a place that lacks opinions and judgments. You can’t be peaceful if you have thoughts and opinions about everything that happens because an opinion leads to the notion that this is good and that is bad. When there is this duality working, you can’t be peaceful. It is a big job, and I have to give up all desire and attempts to figure out what’s going on. You can never figure out human nature. It makes no sense, and war makes no sense. It is so beautiful to return again to know peace, not because I’m in a great situation, but because I am peaceful inside. That is where the power is.
Larry: We have the opportunity to help uplift humankind, beginning with ourselves. In that way, we know the spacious wonder of the heavenly state. It is a great privilege to be alive at this crucial time and lead the way to higher understanding. When we exemplify our true stature, we are peace.