From Darkness to Light

This week is the last of my 12-week Foundations of Spiritual Living course.  I just completed my final project, and thought I would share it with you all.  It’s a visual representation of how the course, and other spiritual development work I’m made a priority over the last 6 months, has impacted my life.

The “before” represents what I was filling my time with prior to making the decision to intentionally “live in the light” (this pre-dates the course…it goes back to January when I was feeling extremely depressed and anxious).  While I had experienced “enlightened”/”aha” moments (maybe at a Sunday church service), it was not lasting and I had no spiritual practice in place to keep my mind focused throughout the week on the only thing that is real (God).  I made no time for myself, I was in back-to-back meetings all day and it was impossible for me to be productive at work, I was constantly comparing myself to everyone around me, I was wasting countless hours watching politics or reality TV, I spent way too much time on Facebook and Twitter (not that there’s anything wrong with either of these, but for me it was all-consuming and it was contributing to me comparing myself to others because I wasn’t centered), I didn’t feel like I had enough, I was pushing myself to be what I thought was “perfect” in all areas of my life (except for myself), I was eating whatever I could grab in between too many meetings (not good stuff), I wasn’t exercising…you get the picture.  Does this sound familiar to anyone? (I know it’s not just me ;-))

The “after” represents my life as it stands today.  It’s a representation of the love, peace, joy, and harmony that now fill my days.  It’s hard to say what my favorite teaching was from this course (which covered SO much material), but one of the major things that I got from it is how to train my mind to think like the ultimate master teacher, Jesus, and to use that to intentionally create what I want in my life.  I’m not talking about material things, but I’m talking about what experiences and feeling I want to create in my life and the good I want to express in the world.

“We are not here to collect things, but to evolve into our true selves as expressions of Infinite Good, to express our good, our talents, to be more than we imagine, to be more that we can imagine with God as our life.  And with God as our life, we’re fully equipped for the journey.” ~Ernest Holmes

In addition to the Foundations of Spiritual Living course, which is based on the teachings of Ernest Holmes (Philosopher, Spiritual Teacher & Author of The Science of Mind, The Hidden Power of the Bible, This Thing Called You, Words That Heal Today and more), I have spent a lot of time studying A Course in Miracles and have found it to be truly transformational (as noted in prior blogs)!    A number of people have recently asked me to tell them more about the Course since I reference it so much throughout my blogs.  A book that has been very helpful for my understanding of the Course’s teachings is “The Disappearance of the Universe” by Gary Renard (If you don’t have much time for reading in your life right now, check out the audio “Secrets of the Immortal“, also by Gary Renard, which covers a lot of what’s in the book).

“Perfect love casts out fear.

If fear exists,

Then there is not perfect love.

But:

Only perfect love exists.

If there is fear,

It produces a state that does not exist” ~A Course in Miracles

After this focused work on caring for my mind, body, and spirit, I am no longer worried or fearful because I now have faith in my Source and know that I am not separate from It (and neither are you!).  Just as a drop of water from the ocean contains all of the same properties as the ocean, so do we contain all the qualities of God.  I now believe with all my heart that fear and worry/doubt cannot co-exist with the perfect Love that is God.  In order to truly have faith, I have to be willing to release my fears and believe that ALL of the good of God is already mine…even if that’s not what I see in front of me with my body’s eyes.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be.” ~Mark 11:24

We can do so much more with our lives when we fully allow God to express through and as our very life!  When we learn to totally release any attachment to fear, doubt, worry, lack, limitation…anything that says “I do not have all that I need” or “I can’t”.  I am truly a living testimony of the fact that you can “change your thinking and change your life”!  My new found passion in life is helping others do the same.  For now, I am doing that through sharing my experiences via this blog and its Facebook page, but there’s definitely something else coming.  (More to come on that, as I continue to seek God first for how and when that should happen)

I’d love to hear from you all.  What does the photo represent for you?  Which side do you feel you’re on today? What do you think are the next steps on your journey to unlocking the peace, love, joy, harmony, and abundance that is available within you?  Until next time…

Keep shining!

~Kandace

P.S.  I took this photo yesterday when I was sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and I captured the “light” shining all around me!  Check it out…

About the Author: Kandace Jones

I used to live life shackled by fear, doubt, and worry. I put on a happy face while navigating my day-to-day duties, but I was emotionally drained, stressed, and unhappy. When I hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was determined to live life differently. I knew there had to be another way. Out of that determination, and guidance from Spirit, the "Living in the Light" blog was born. It documents my spiritual journey out of the darkness and into the Light. After nine months of publicly sharing my journey, and consciously releasing my attachment to the ego, I experienced a powerful spiritual awakening. I went from living in fear, doubt, worry, and stress to complete inner peace. My greatest passion has become assisting others on their own journey to inner peace. My spiritual memoir, From Stress to Peace: An Intimate Journal on the Journey from Living in Darkness to Living in the Light, is available now on Amazon and BN.com. Click the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about the From Stress to Peace 21-Day Challenge, Living in the Light Retreats, 1:1 sessions, and the Living in the Light Community - all of which are designed to support your journey to inner peace. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the blog and look forward to supporting you in any way I can!