Choosing Peace

In meditation this morning, I was reminded of the phrase, "You can choose Peace". I first heard this in a Master Alignment reading years ago when the practitioner told me in an altered breathy pace, "Instead of this, I can choose peace."

So, today I reminded myself to find ways to choose peace. And why not! Dr David Hawkins, in his book, "Power Versus Force," where he reports of years of studying different emotional states and their relative level of consciousness, says that peace calibrates higher than any other emotional state. And wasn't it Einstein that said that a problem cannot be solved in the same consciousness in which it was created? So to help solve my work, home, personal and of course world problems, coming from the highest level only makes sense.

Then there's the practicalities around choosing a different emotion. It takes practice, it takes becoming aware of your first gut reaction. I heard from a dear teacher years ago that although we can't always control our first reaction, we can learn to chose our second and subsequent actions. Often our reactions are learned, conditioned, and socially programmed. In the moment, in the inhale or exhale after an emotion hits us, the challenge or charge, is to notice. Acknowledge what we feel, become aware of the thoughts that fuel the emotion, remember our intention to be an instrument of peace, and over time, the ability to choose the next moment into peacefulness will become stronger. With this framework, it becomes easier to allow the energy of an emotion (energy in motion) to just pass through you and not grab hold of your heart or throat or fists.

The biblical and liturgical greeting, "Peace be with you" takes on greater depth and meaning. As the saints have said, Peace be with you!