The 7 Virtues Of Progress

During my initial mystical training in the Far East, I learned that The Law of Independence and Individuality does not embrace emotion. The way I was taught in Tibet was “tough love” which is free of emotions because emotions are not clear or understandable. The rate of progress I made from that point on was left up to me. To accept an event as your opportunity to reveal more self honesty is the issue for effective and efficient rates of progress.

What happens if I live with the courage of my conviction of who and what I am, and I do not modify that to satisfy other people? Do I have the courage to make proper choices based on spiritual values not what I am told by society? How am I to live in this world without consciousness and the planet splitting me apart? How willing am I to deal with me and at the same time deal with external situations? How do I identify myself? Who am I to me? This is not simply ego conviction that makes modifications to get along. This is my self identity. This is my life as a totality. No one can give me the answers. The world and the Universe had been vying for my attention. Now I wanted the meaning behind the words. The time had come to LISTEN and accept the Seven Virtues as my internal strengths.

#1 SELF BELIEF:

The most rewarding part of aging is the realization that you have gone through many difficult life experiences, and you are still here. It makes little difference if this awareness comes when you are in your 20’s or in your 60’s. The point is, you have established a personal track record that allows you to view your accomplishments and your failures. You have known the uphill and downhill of your life, a view which now gives you reason to arrive at self conviction. Perhaps you haven’t always come out on top. What is important is that you have come through, and now you can take great pride in knowing that even under the worst of conditions, you can survive.

Now is the time to take stock of that personal strength. Occasionally, there may have been helping hands that kept you from falling, and you may want to recognize that but, in the end, it was your own determination and self conviction that finally brought you through. These accomplishments, even if they were part of commonplace events, have set an indelible record of accomplishment that should cause you to be proud. The climb up the mountain has been yours. Every hand-hold and every footprint has been made by you. You have lived your fears and doubts, and you have carried yourself over the top. The cheers or criticisms of those watching meant nothing. In the final surge, it was your own fortitude that brought you to the pinnacle of success.

#2 SELF CARING:

You are your own responsibility. You know this to be true because you have watched yourself in health and in sickness, joy and sorrow, and you know that you have been a real part of those realities. Even when it has not been what you wanted, you have not been able to live apart from yourself. With every heartbeat, the pulse of life records itself on every fiber of your being.

You are the result of being you. You cannot turn away from your reality. You cannot dissociate yourself from your feelings. You cannot abandon yourself. And, why would you wish to do so? In all the clang and clutter of life, you are your dearest possession. Every thought you have moves the tides of life. Every motion of your body shakes the mountains of mortality. You are the powerful microcosm of Universal macrocosmic explicitness.

There must be caring and protection for this alpha and omega we call Self. You cannot ignore that which is the personal vehicle of life experiences. Self denial is the bearer of arms against your greatest good. Self neglect is a microbe of destruction eating away at the spirit of your totality. Your uniqueness does not give leave for others to enter your space to heal, to dissect, or modify. You are your own best physician, your own best companion, your own best lover. To accept the responsibility for your own structure is both a requirement and a gift. Nowhere else will you find greater demand or greater satisfaction than that which the bloom of self caring can bring to the Garden of Life.

#3 SELF COMMITMENT:

And what should one do with all this power? What if there were no outlets, no way for the creative waters to spill out of the dam and irrigate the fields of life? What would be the result? A barren wasteland? A jungle of misshapen entities? A haven of half beings or ghostly apparitions? Certainly, it would not resemble Life as the Creator foresaw it.

It is incumbent upon you to take up your role as co-creator with the Universe. It is the great gift of Manifestation. It is the sunshine of opportunity that warms and nourishes every acre of our existence. Immobility is the blade of destruction that cuts off our legs and arms and leaves us helpless to take possession of our infinite good. You cannot wait for others to do the work, as they cannot wait for you. It is necessary for each person to commit to their own creation. Everyone sees a color differently, or a shape in a different projection. It is your individuality that Life depends upon to fulfill its infinite Plan. If you do not do your part, then a color or a shadow, so necessary for the picture of humanity, will be waiting.

Creativity has no element of failure in it. Perfection is not a goal. Self commitment is the totality of manifestation no matter how small or how great the outcome. You must be willing to wield the brush, swing the hammer, and ply the needle. You have been designated the co-creative light giver. You are needed.

#4 SELF APPLAUSE:

If there is no one inside of you but you, then who is to judge what you do? If you keep your thoughts to yourself, how can we assess their worth? If you create a body of work that fulfills your dreams, how can we tell if it is right? Only you can judge yourself. The trumpets of praise or the resonance of disapproval has no basis in fact to what you are doing. Those who cheer our efforts today will soon be tomorrow’s naysayers.

Self reward is the sibling of creativity. What is there to be gained if you create in darkness and in a vacuum? Shouts of approval and waves of satisfaction are rightfully anticipated. But these responses must be self initiated. If you cannot be gratuitous to your own labor, why should others be under obligation to respond? After all, we are not part of your creative process. How then can we be held accountable to approve the results?

You need to understand that every act is an accomplishment of some value. Nothing you do is too small or too large to be excluded from the creative mix. Everything is compared in the eye of the beholder, and you are that person. You need not drown yourself in self praise, but the denial to any degree of recognition results in a self-inflicted wound that is unlikely to heal. If your creative stroke is the inhaling of Universal Power, then self applause is the responsive exhale. If this interaction is not here, then the breath of life is stilled.

#5 SELF WORTH:

Who determines the value of a product or service? Obviously, the person providing the product or service becomes the authority that levies the cost for that item. Who then determines the value of you? If you are self-made, then you set the price. If you are made by some higher Power, then It sets your value. If you believe that your father and mother created you, then they set your worth. Difficult to determine, isn’t it?

It is apparent that it is folly to claim to have established the value of a person. If there is someone you love, you cherish them and no value would be too high. If there is someone who is loathsome to you, their value, in some form or another, is clearly diminished in your eyes. What one is worth by human or commercial standards becomes a highly arguable sum.

It is not irrational to suggest that you and you alone, should determine your own value. This is not something that lends itself to an hourly rate or a yearly stipend. Your value is totally dependent upon how you asses yourself. If you think you are not worth much, you clearly send that message to the rest of us. If, on the other hand, you have a high sense of value, we will see it in everything you do and say. The elements and parts that determine self worth are multitudinous. Remember, you are irreplaceable. How much do you think that should be treasured?

#6 SELF LOVE:

Praise, exaltation, and honor! This is what we willingly give to that which we recognize as the Higher Power in the Universe. In some forms, it shows as religious belief with all the accompanying pomp and radiance. In other forms, it can be quiet and indwelling in a space of personal hermitage. In either case, it is personal and unique to each person. It cannot be explained outwardly or illustrated with any accuracy. That is why self love is seen as a centerpiece at this exalted altar. Its reproduction with any precision is impossible.

This is an issue of the deepest meaning on every level of your being. It is not something that is discussed at afternoon tea, or over beer with the boys. It encapsulates your spirit and weaves together your dreams, your visions, and your manifestations. It is the method by which you talk to the Universe and hear Its response. To deny its existence or entertain a disbelief in its reality is to devalue yourself to such an extent that you lose all reason for being.

Self love is your secret garden. It can be enjoyed unto ecstasy, but it cannot be shared. It is your ultimate sound in the symphony of the Universe. It gives recording to your being, and a musical score that is essential to the production of life itself.

#7 SELF SATISFACTION:

You are an unquenchable flame. There is nothing you can do to yourself that will eradicate you from the Universal fabric. There is no damage you can do to your life that will separate you from the energy of existence. This is the Truth. This is the Law.

There is no reward for denying yourself. You will not receive any kind of Divine punishment, nor will you be handed over to a mythic monster in some furnace of damnation. Despite the ups and downs, you are a good person, and you have the right to be here.

Be happy with yourself. The joy you experience provides an indestructible armor against any misfortune. Your voice was meant to be a lullaby giving comfort to the weary and security to the young. You were meant to be the giver and the gift. Do not attempt to take that from yourself. It cannot be done any more than you can take the stars from the heavens. You have YOUR place in the Universe. Accept it with grace and good humor.

The rates of progress you make with yourself occur by an imposition of your will that expands upon your self identity….Gregge Tiffen