Dear Spiritual Companions,

My wife and I enjoy watching Wheel of Fortune.  For anyone not aware of the Wheel, it is a fill in the blank word game where one tries to discover the hidden message or words on the screen.  Contestants get to spin a wheel and unless they land on Bankrupt or Lose a Turn they get to choose a letter.  If correct they can buy a vowel or spin again.  They do this until they solve the puzzle or guess a letter that isn’t in the puzzle.  The wheel they spin has a number of blanks that have dollar amounts or other prizes.  I read recently someone saying the Wheel represents the way life is.  On the outer part of the wheel of life are the various things that happen in our lives, some good and some bad.  Most of us are driven by the outer parts of the wheel of life.  We feel good or bad depending on that is happening out there.  But in the center of the wheel is something else.

What is in the middle of life?  What is at the center?  To me it is God or whatever Name you find helpful in defining your Higher Power.  As long as we are looking outside of our center we are driven by what is outside of us.  This is fine when things are going well, but what about when we are bankrupt or lose a turn?  I am a big Boston Red Sox baseball fan.  When they are winning everything is well.  I am at peace.  BUT when they lose all those peaceful feelings fly away.  That is just the beginning!  Some days I feel like I have gained weight and some days I have feel like I am holding my own.  In truth my weight has been steady for years!  Same thing with money.  Some days I know I have enough and other days I am afraid I will not have enough.  Again like my weight I have always had more than enough!  My hunch is you have parts of your life that  vacilate back and forth.

I have spent some time reflecting on how my life is going when I feel comfortable with my weight or money situation.  Like the Red Sox it is usually when I feel I am winning in my outer world.  When the wheel of life is spinning my way I feel fine, but when it isn’t that “fine” feeling quickly alludes me.   Again my guess would be the same is true for you.  Like Paul said to the Romans, “I do the things I don’t want to do and don’t do the things I want to do!”  Welcome to the human condition!  No sense in fighting it.  Give up!  BUT isn’t that letting God down?  Shouldn’t we try harder?  We can, but it doesn’t do any good. Give up and you find yourself in the center of the Wheel of Life.  The battle is over.  To try and change that which is unchangeable is Self Defeating!  Notice the capital S.  The small self lives and dies with everything that happens in this lifetime.  The large Self realizes this life is just a heartbeat on the Eternal Screen of an everlasting journey.

Many have argued that there is nothing after this life.  If you are seeing this through the small self’s eyes they are right.  On the other hand many have simply said this life is a learning ground for our continuing spiritual development in God.  Usually large Self folks are the ones stating this truth.  They are at the Center of things so they see this life for what it is – this life!  Our failings and mistakes don’t go with us, but rather are seen as the teaching tools we needed to see God’s Love.  Same is true with our successes and accomplishments.  When we realize this in our hearts, the center of God, we have solved the puzzle of the thing called Life.  We win what has already been won.  We see all the truths that have been hidden revealed by us living them.  When we finish the game of life we drop this body, as the Buddhists say, because it has served its purpose.  The little self dies with the body and the large Self returns to the Center.

I like this Wheel of Eternal Fortune!

Peace

 Gary