Sometimes when the question is asked the answer is a superficial “everything is OK” in an attempt to relieve the anxiety of the questioner. Other times the questioner is overwhelmed when the answer comes back filled with troubles and losses that are unsolvable. Sometimes we “tune out” and ignore others rather than face the anxiety of not being able to help someone who is suffering,

In its most pure and universal form “Are You OK?” is an expression of love. Rather than a question, it is really a statement: “Even though it does not seem like it, all is well. We are with each other right now and can rejoice in this moment.” 

Love is a quality of being that is attentive, interested in being helpful and responsive to the present need.

Problems can arise with the question “Are You OK?” when it is translated into “How are you feeling?” or “What’s wrong?” Instead of a statement of assurance, it becomes anxious concern and an invitation to dwell in fear.

Even when we are frightened, the question, “Are You OK?” can be asked and answered with the awareness that one is reaching out to another with love and compassion.  Not necessarily with answers and action.

We don’t know what we will hear or what we will say. Beyond the thought that we “should” be able to help, have the answers, or know what to do, is the capacity of love to listen – to ourselves, to another and to Divine Inspiration.

The truth may be that in that moment we do not know what to do or say or what action will be helpful. Knowing that we don’t know, and that we don’t need to know relieves the anxiety of thinking we “should” know. This allows love to listen. And if there is a helpful response beyond listening, it will become clear.

Healthy existence is continuously open to learning. This orientation is a life based on wisdom.  Metapsychiatry states: “everything everywhere is already all right, even when we don’t know it.” This is a way of describing that we are much more than our current problems and dilemmas. At any moment, regardless of the difficulties being faced, we have and we are the capacity to learn and understand.

This capacity is possible because there is always something we don’t know and something we are not seeing.

The fact that we encounter problems in life and that we can find solutions to them is proof that God exists.

In essence, problems arise when our approaches to living have stopped working. Some new approach and understanding toward life is being called for.

The new approach that arrives does not come from us. It is not “ours.” It is a gift from the Divine Consciousness where everything everywhere is already all right – where there are no problems, only loving-intelligent responses to the moment at hand.

This is God – the ultimate awareness of infinite good that it is possible for us to know. And, the fact that there are solutions to life’s problems is proof that we exist within a larger awareness (God) that we are often not aware of.

Receiving solutions to our problems requires an expansion of perception and awareness beyond the current dilemma. We need help to bridge the gap between stuckness in a problem and openness to the solution.

This is facilitated by the two intelligent questions brought forth in Metapychiatry. The first intelligent question: “What is the meaning of my experience?” moves our attention to seeing that the problem is expressing a restricted view of life. Asking this question breaks the hypnotic spell of the limited consciousness from which the problem is arising.

The second question: “What is what really is?” opens our awareness to the ultimate consciousness where everything is already all right.  It is from this consciousness that the solution will present itself. While this consciousness is always present, it cannot be seen while the “problem” is believed to be reality.

Asking the “two intelligent questions” is a form of prayer. It is a holy and humble process of recognizing there is something we are not seeing.

Simply stated, instead of looking to solve our personal problem, we are open to ideas that will respond to the needs of the current situation.

While this seems like a simple step, it is a move from the finite to the infinite – from the narrowness of the personal view to the intelligence of the ultimate view.

If children were judged by how much they knew when first walking into a classroom there would be no hope. We’ve come to know that the child has potential and a capacity to learn. On the surface, this is unapparent.

To ordinary sight, the light of life is not seen and is not apparent. We judge ourselves by what appears – not on the invisible capacity.

We see what we are aware of. Being unaware of the Light of Being, we don’t see it. It seems impossible, fantastic, unbelievable that we could be something that cannot be seen with our physical eyes.

Yet, it is true.

The “Light” refers to qualities of being that are “enlightened.” They exist as potential, waiting to be seen, understood, valued and applied. Called “light” they are by definition, not dark. In other words, only good, only uplifting, only true.

In Metapsychiatry the Light of Being is understood as Love-Intelligence – the quality of benevolence: the benevolent force from which all good emanates. “Darkness” is understood as ignorance. “Ignorance” is unawareness of what is good.

The Truth of Being does not need to be created, developed, organized, managed or healed. It already is exactly what it is. It is the living potential expressed in existence. We awaken to it. It is the light in the room that darkness cannot see. It is the Loving-Intelligence that is available, yet, often un-received.

Like the “ugly duckling” that discovered it’s true nature through discovering its likeness, we too, awaken to who and what we really are by being in the presence of spiritual consciousness more awakened than ourselves.

Whenever we recognize something as inspiring, good, uplifting, it is the Light becoming aware of itself within the dark. This is how we learn discernment – this is awareness of good. When we recognize something that is not good, this too, is pointing out that we are aware of what is good, true and inspiring, even when it is not apparent.

In Metapsychiatry, this is the method of awakening. We ask: what is the meaning of my experience?  It is not what is occurring or appearing that is real – not what we are feeling or thinking. It is the light of existence, Love-Intelligence we seek to see that is being either ignored or expressed. We focus our attention on what has true value whether apparent or nonapparent.

First we hear about the light. Then we find out all we can about it. Then we seek it with all our heart. Little by little, the light is being realized within consciousness and it becomes all that is seen, loved and cherished. Then there is no more darkness, only moments when the light seems to be hidden.

The conditioned content of consciousness comes from judging by appearances, education and experience.This is referred to as the “sea of mental garbage” in Metapsychiatry.

Infinite consciousness(also known as God) is recognized as Love-Intelligence, the omni-active non-dimensional substance of existence. It is not perceptible through sensory perception. It can only be realized through awakened conscious awareness. PAGL (Peace, Assurance, Gratitude, Love) describes and defines the qualities of consciousness that we are aware of when awareness is spiritually awakened.

The problems that come from living, such as those involving finances, health and relationships, can provide the motivation to unlock our reactions enough to see the mental garbage we are living within.

In Metapsychiatry this is facilitated with the First Intelligent Question: “What is the meaning of my experience?” In other words, what is the false/conditioned thought about life that this specific problem is expressing?

The Second Intelligent question then asks: “What is what really Is?” This directs our attention to infinite Love-Intelligence.

Conditioned human life is like walking in a fog so thick there is only disorientation and confusion.  As we begin to awaken, we are still walking in fog, but now we’ve glimpsed the sunny skies and know that every step brings us closer to being fully in the sun.

We cannot make fog go away. We can, however, know that fog is a phenomenon of climatic circumstances and that it is temporary and harmless, if we are carefully aware of the dangers while moving through it.

Similarly, on the spiritual journey of awakening, we cannot get rid of the sea of mental garbage, but we can know that it is not the reality of existence. 

Metapsychiatry teaches us to use the difficulties encountered in life as stepping-stones to enlightenment. Each problem is expressing a specific mental thought, conditioned image or adaptation to circumstances that is not in harmony with the underlying spiritual reality. We learn to move carefully and mindfully through them, seeking to see the false messages they are conveying about life.

Just as fog appears when the temperatures of the ground and the air are in contrast, we live in a mental “fog” when our conditioned ideas about life are in conflict with what really Is.

What lifts the mental fog is the harmonizing of individual consciousness with Divine Consciousness. First we need to see what it is that we are thinking that is so out of harmony with what Is. Once we see how ignorant it is to live a conditioned life, we humbly open our consciousness to what really Is. Gradually the fog lifts, and we see increasingly clearly what it is to live in PAGL.

“What could be misdirected about wanting to be better?” You might ask.

It is not the desired thing or state that determines the outcome of a resolution, it is the  “wanting” itself.

“Wanting” expresses the state of “lack.” Something or someone is needed to fill what currently seems lacking: better job, more money, more love, less weight, more simplicity, etc.

How can one give up wanting? Isn’t it just another “want” to want to stop wanting?

Yes, that’s right. It is not possible to stop wanting when there is something we want.

Yet, it is possible to recognize that our true identity is not a personality that needs something..

When we want something, our attention is focused on what we are lacking. What seems necessary is out there somewhere.

It is possible to turn our attention toward the substance of being. Instead of looking to fill ourselves up with something external, we can become interested in asking, “Who are we? and what is the purpose of our lives?” Suddenly the focus of attention is on discovering what constitutes what already is – our being. While we may not be  aware of answers  right away, whatever it is is not lacking, and it’s not “out there” somewhere.

Metapsychiatry suggests that our substance is the qualities of being that constitute the wholeness of reality, such as: harmony, clarity, inspired wisdom, integrity, joy.

And, the purpose of our life is to be the best expression of these eternal qualities that is possible at any moment.  This is an Every-Moment-Resolution that flows from the awareness that we are aspects of what is perfectly whole already. We just don’t see it all the time.

The interesting “side-effect” of this commitment is that as we turn to these qualities as guides for living, these qualities begin to express themselves in the circumstances of our lives, and our lives become inspired.

Singing, decorating, gathering with others and celebrating can be fun and beautiful, yet can also host uncomfortable, underside feelings of loneliness, depression and inadequacy.

Metapsychiatry tells us that while we have been taught to think that happy experiences will make us happy, this is not true.

The fact we are unhappy when we attempt to be “happy” by partaking in “happy holiday festivities” points to our mental health. Within our awareness is the uncomfortable realization that we are participating in a fantasy.

So, what is one to do? To partake in the fantasy leaves us with unhappiness, and to reject holiday spirit with a “bah, humbug” approach is also filled with unhappiness.

The truth is that partying, socializing and holiday celebrating cannot make us happy because happiness cannot be created. Goodness and happiness do not come from what we do or from what happens to us, but flows through us with the awareness of the wholeness that already is and of the living soul we already are.

Happiness is a quality of being we can become increasingly aware of.

Celebrating is something we experience. It will come and go, and be both good and bad.

Each day, each moment is a “holy day,” a real moment, when it is possible to awaken to the underlying reality that the fantasy is merely seeking to imitate.

The path of intuition has an end. Like the runway that allows the airplane to build up enough speed to take flight, intuition speeds perception to a point where we are lifted beyond the limits of the road. There is a point of awareness when the end of intuition is recognized – where intuitive insights have completed their job.

While intuition bridges the analytic world of facts and data with the subjective world of hunches and good guesses, they share a common purpose. Analytics and Intuition are both seeking an answer to a specific problem. The problem, whether involving people, places or things, needs a solution.

The circumstance that made the “end of intuition” clear to me was an unsolvable problem.

The details of the situation are not important but the gist of it was that my husband and I lost all of our material wealth and were so in debt that there was no way it could ever be paid back within our lifetimes.  To find a way through this was impossible. There was no solution.

Previous to the onset of the above unbearable problem I had been introduced to the study of Metapsychiatry – a helpful guide to understanding the truth of our being and the purpose of our lives.

With the help of this study, I grew to understand that it was not the “problem” that was in the way.  The “problem” exposed the breakdown of all my misconceptions about life. There were a host of thoughts that had conditioned my view of life that I was not even aware of. One by one, each came to the surface of awareness to be confronted and seen clearly for what is was.

This is beyond intuition, as this holy healing process can only occur when the main interest is not in solutions to problems, but in understanding the spiritual nature of who we are.

Who we are has a double-reflecting capacity. We can reflect through our experiences and ambitions what we have learned and absorbed through others. We can also become aware of and reflect the infinite Wholeness of what Is.

Intuition bridges these two reflections and allows glimpses of wisdom, insight and clarity to come into our awareness when our minds are open to it. Most often this is when we confront problems.  But, sooner or later the awareness that looks to intuitive insights for solutions to our problems will evolve and turn it’s attention toward full receptivity to what really IS, and to the realization of the spiritual essence of our being.

The Whole is not concerned with problems. The Whole is continually revealing what IS.  What already and eternally IS, by definition, is never a problem.

Of course we are grateful for all the insights that have led us to the place where we are no longer contained by the problems of life, but lifted into the infinite expanse where “problems” seem smaller and smaller until they disappear altogether.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil. . .

The media is filled with frightening information. The economy is tanking. Social security is threatened. Jobs are not being created at the rate we need, and our leaders seem to be dysfunctional. It is easy to become frightened. Fear is uncomfortable. And, with the amount of fearful events reported every day an underlying fearful state of being seems normal. “Be frightened about your money, your health, your family,” seems to be the constant mantra of the news and advertising media.

To recognize that we are experiencing fear is to know that we are walking “through a valley of dangerous shadows” and this is the first step – the beginning of wisdom.

While it is not possible to just stop being frightened, it is possible to stop being frightened of fear. After all, it is just a very uncomfortable feeling – not the real stuff of life.

. . . I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

Who or what is the “Thou” that is “with me” and not frightened of fear or evil?

Thou preparest a table before me in the midst of mine enemies.

Fear, the emotional and physiological reaction to being threatened, is the “enemy,” as living a frightened life is self-destructive. When frightened we cannot be aware of the “table of good” laid before us. We cannot see the “green pastures” we are being led to.

It is not panic that will safely guide us through difficult situations – it is creative inspiration that flows from Thou into us, just as the river feeds the trees.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This capacity to see real choices, to know the difference between what is fearful and what is good is wisdom – the real stuff of life.

The apparent choices seem to be either disgust with the values of our leaders or, ignoring their indiscretions. This puts us in the position of being at the effect of someone else’s behavior. We are forced to accept bad behavior as “normal” and thus lower our expectations of leaders or live in a state of outrage.

The suffering in this situation is plentiful. Yet, the only suffering any of us can address is that which is in our own consciousness: wanting the world situation to be different than it is. And who does not want that? But the truth is that living in a state of wanting has the constant side effect of frustration. And, this frustration hurts us, and does not help the situation.

There is a way out.

When we do not like what we are seeing there is an urge to stop it. Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” He was addressing this human tendency to blame and punish the person who is offending us. The truth is that it is not the “person” who is offending.

Being offended is our reaction to what we are seeing. We may hate the behavior we are seeing, yet have we not in some way, at some time, done something below our own standard of behavior? In other words, who can throw the first stone?

Metapsychiatry suggests that it is possible to cultivate compassion – the understanding that there is a lack of understanding.

Instead of judging an offending person or accepting bad behavior we can learn something and perhaps heal something.

We can realize that we are all here to learn and grow from our mistakes. This neither condones nor condemns but sees that some behaviors do not lead to good.

The good news is that the purpose of life is to wake up. And, waking up begins when we see that it is possible to have compassion for our selves and others.

Pleasure and pain are life experiences, but they are not the truth of being – and the endeavor to pursue, or avoid them place our attention into the future with the fantasy that there will be “pleasure” or the cessation of “pain.” But, the future never arrives. And the present remains hungry.

Our capacity to be attentive is a great gift of life. Life experiences follow our attention. To give attention to a future fantasy leaves a void in the present moment. This emptiness is experienced as dissatisfaction.

To be attentive to the truth of ones being brings with it the awareness of the source from which existence flows and our oneness with it. This is peace. A peace we are assured of, as it is infinite. And we are grateful for being aware of the love that is so freely available. This awareness is PAGL (Peace, Assurance, Gratitude, Love) – the human awareness of the presence of God.

The “narrow gate” is a phrase used by Jesus to describe the path of attention to full awareness of our Oneness with the All that Is and he juxtaposed it to the “broad way” of existing solely within the human condition that is compelled by social norms, cultural conditioning, current fads and fears.

The “narrow gate” is actually the infinite way to be exactly what we are created to be and not what we want or pretend to be.

The image of the “narrow gate” points to the fact that it is easy to miss the truth of our being. We need to seek it, love it, and be fully attentive to living in it.

It’s good to know that the “narrow gate” is the backdrop of our being, and at any moment when the futility of the “broad way” is seen, we can find ourselves in front of the narrow gate – the glorious infinite joy that far outshines any material or sensual pleasure.