Heard it on the News Today

It's getting impossible to stay away
From the reality of the world in which we play,
We're connected all the time
Cameras catch every single crime.

Used to be you had to wait to hear
The awful news we've come to fear.
But now that we're all plugged in
Check the iPhone before your day can begin.

So if I heard it on the news
No one can shelter any of our youth.
These kids have to grow up really fast
Hardly any time to learn from the errors of the past.

So all of us have to hear about
The senseless shootings, bullying and endless crime.
Floods, tornados, catastrophes to boggle the mind
Is Armegeddon coming from the flaws of mankind?

If we can't shelter the little one at play
What is it that we're supposed to say?
Yet just yesterday I also saw on TV
A young women telling the world that it doesn't have to be.

She was using the power of her voice
She had been poor and homeless, but had made a choice.
This young women shared a powerful idea
Nothing is impossible if you have love to share.

That message has been around from way before Jesus' day
But it was sure nice that I heard it on the news today.
Just like the Bible said way back when
Eventually we'll all hear the good news again.

Nostradamus, Kabbalah, Revelation too
Doesn't matter if you were born Muslim, Christian, or Jew.
Mankind has a light within that was born out of love
And we all have the freedom to tackle our ego and spiritually rise above.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved

Tolerance

All this war and blame
In each religion's name.
How can man against man fight
If God is all about love and light?

My religion tells it this way
No, mine says you can't be gay
Wait, mine says you're not going to heaven
Well, I'm going to die and get virgins, eleven.

Mohammed is right.
Jesus has the insight.
No, the Torah is older
But the Koran is much bolder.

How does anyone really know?
Have you seen a bush aglow?
Have you or you been to the other side?
I'd like to speak to one who's died.

Who gave us the right to judge one another?
Jesus said to show love to your brother.
The common thread was supposed to be love
But we're bogged down in push and shove.

Tolerance toward each other wouldn't be so hard
If we remembered that we all worship the same God.
We'd be teaching tolerance from the start
If we took each prophet's message straight from thier heart.

Each individual has thier own story
Some were taught to give God the glory.
Other's wonder if God even exists these days
Some let their own ego take all the praise.

Live and let live with love, not hate
Just in case there is a pearly gate.
If we could spend less time judging our fellow man
We'd have more time to see the bigger plan.

Yes, there is some true evil out there
There are some forces that we need to fear.
But if each of us could just see the big picture from above
We'd see how alike we really are when viewed through love.

Tolerance toward each other wouldn't be so hard
If we remembered that we all worship the same God.
We'd be teaching tolerance from the start
If we took each prophet's message straight from their heart.

The religions are all man made
Over time the message could fade.
Based on the prophet's word
Passed down from those alive that heard.

The light and love deep inside
That's what we shouldn't hide.
We're all just energy holding together each atom's glow
It's the individual spirit that we each need to know.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved.

The Secret is in the Sharing

Thousands and thousands of years ago
Ancient civilizations hid what they know
It’s really all about atoms and space
All born out of love and God’s grace

Religions were all created by men
The rules were written way back when
It’s the truth hidden behind the rules
That we can find with the right tools

Before it was all written down
Before mortal men wore God’s crown
It was already taught and known
But hidden from those with sins to atone

There’s energy within you and me
An energy that we cannot see
It’s in all things big and small
It miraculously connects one and all

We can’t see sound or radio waves
Or the sonar that bats use in caves
But we know this energy is definitely there
With a proper receptor it becomes very clear

Modern physics is first showing today
The secrets that were long hidden away
Science has already succeeded to prove
That thought can change the way atoms move

Many of the ancient stories tell
It’s not based on any magic spell
The energy from the beginning of time
Can make our lives quite sublime

The secret is in what you choose to do
With the energy you request to enter you
You can store it and use it for selfish needs
And suffer the consequences this now breeds

Or you can choose to share it as simple love
The way it was meant from up above
Share it and the world is a better place
You can see the result on each and every face

Everything that your heart desires
All the things that everyone admires
The world can be filled with peace
Let go of our egos and the evil will soon cease.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved.

What About Ego?

Ancient mysticism teaches that the ego was given to mankind so that the soul could have a reason to move forward, making corrections through acting upon desires. You see, there is no growth without change, and there is no change without the desire to move. Spiritual growth cannot take place if our desires are based only on selfish needs of the ego. So, here is my dilemma ... If we do things to satisfy our desires, how can we control our ego which is the very thing that feeds our desire. How are we supposed to control our ego while we grow?

I've often noticed that celebrities thank God when they are awarded for their success. Perhaps this is a clue to my dilemma. We need to remember where our talents come from. Judaism teaches that we are on this earth for "Tikkun Olam," to heal the world. How better to heal the world than to accomplish the very things that God has given us the talent to share while remembering where that talent originated.

For instance, I could ask myself why I am writing this blog. Naturally, I want as many people as possible to read it, but why? Is it to share my knowledge to help others or is it to get the satisfaction in knowing that people want to read what I have written. If it's for both reasons, how can I control my egotistical desires? The key is that I should always remember that my ability to write is a God given talent, and therefore I should use it to share with others in a way that will help the world. In this way, I am using the benefits of my writing ability for the good of others rather than for my own selfish reasons.

I sincerely hope that your ego will lead you to the ability to share your God given talents with others. Remember to trust your conscience as a guide to right and wrong ... both in your personal and in your private relationships ... and you can't go wrong. As long as your heart is in the right place, you will be using your ego in a way that brings you closer to a spiritual life.

© Sheryl Skutelsky, 2010. All rights reserved.