Ah Man Blog

The Secret of Being Human

The secret of being human lies in discovering who we really are.  While on this journey of life, it is easy to get caught up in this body.  I am referring to the so-called designations of the body.  I am a man or a woman.  I am black, white or yellow.  I am a father, a daughter, a son, a mother, a dentist, a lawyer, an executive, a firefighter, etc.  I am rich or poor.  I am fat or skinny.  I am an alcoholic; a survivor of incest; disabled.  I have cancer; I have ADD; I am blind, etc.  Yes, these are all description or designations of the body, but we are so much more!

Most people on this planet will not discover the secret of being human.  They will get caught up in the world and die thinking that they are those designations, that that is their “legend.”

Every religion refers to who we are: “You are made in the image of God” or “You are part and parcel of God” or “You are the essence of the Creator.”  Over and over, the scriptures of all religions talk about us coming from God, being part of God, or that “I Am Pure Spirit witnessing all of this as God.”

There is an old Sufi story.  It has been changed a little, but the essence of the story goes something like this: 

One day, God and the Angels were discussing where to put the Secret of Being Human.

And one of the Angels said, “I know where….put it on top of the highest mountain.”

And God said, “No.  They will climb the highest peak just for the sake of climbing it; not in search of the secret of being human.” 

Then another Angel said, “Let’s put it in the depths of the forest.  They will never find it there.” 

And God disagreed. 

Then another Angel said, “We can put it at the bottom of the ocean.  They can’t get there.” 

And God assured the Angel that they would someday. 

Then God said, “I know where to put it, I will put in their hearts.  They will never search there.”

There’s something you have to understand.  The reason why it is difficult to find the secret of being human is because to make it easy would cheapen it.  Like all good things in life, we have to work for it.  For most of us, if we are just given something, we don’t value it as much as if we worked for it.

And it is said: “The longest journey is the one to your heart.”

In the Vedas, they talk about spiritsoul being in your heart.  In Catholicism, they talk about the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  In Sufism, it is “the secret chamber of the heart.”  In all religions when they refer to the heart, they are not referring to the physical heart, but the secret chamber where only you and God can go.  It is not open to anyone else, not even your most beloved person here on earth.  This place is for you and God only.  It is where you discover who you are and why you are here.

So, in life, if we can understand the difference between our bodily designations and that of our true Self, we will not become so entangled in attachment to all the “designations” that will surely come and go.  The idea is to become the witness to them, rather than attached to them.

The Prophet Mohammad said, “Be in this world as a traveler, one who is just passing by.”  Lord Buddha tells us that the nature of life in this world is suffering until we become whole, meaning that we need to experience ourselves as both the outer aspect of the body and as the Inner Self and understand our true Self.  And Jesus of Nazareth said, “Be in this world, but not of this world.”

You can find out more about the Secret of Being Human in my book I AM Ah-Man, Man-Heart-Trust or at one of my upcoming Retreats scheduled in the New York area.

To learn more about Michael Hoare and Ah-Man, visit here.

Acceptance

“Acceptance is the portal to peace which I found through the ability to trust and forgive God, self and others. It will lead you on your path to Ah-Man.”

"When I first thought about acceptance, what came to mind was the thought about doing something without question.  But I understand acceptance to be so much more.  Today when I am in a state of acceptance, I will do something regardless if I have knowledge to validate going forward.  Acceptance is absolute trust, absolute faith.  When I am in “my” acceptance place, outside events can occur but they don’t trigger old reactions.  When I am tapped in and turned on to my acceptance, I am in a place where I instinctually make the right choice about God, myself and others.  Why?  My primordial man is balanced with my Ah-Man.  I do not even have to think about it.  It truly is a state of peaceful resolve about all that comes into my life."
--Excerpts from I AM Ah-Man, Man-Heart-Trust

Here are some of my favorite quotes about “Acceptance:”

“The first step towards change is awareness.  The second is acceptance.”--Nathaniel Bransen

“The quickest way to change your attitude toward pain is to accept the fact that everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth.”-- M. Scott Peck

“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief is in denying them.”--Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”--Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation. Then deciding what you're going to do about it.”--Kathleen Casey Theisen

And, of course, the best of the best . . .

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”--Reinhold Niebuhr

For more information about Michael Hoare and Ah-Man, visit here.

Forgiveness

Here’s what I know about forgiveness.  When you forgive someone…or ask for forgiveness…as long as it comes from the heart, without any ulterior motives, it will bring more peace into your life.

For some of us, there is always the 500-pound gorilla in the middle of the room:  a resentment we thought we can’t quite come to terms with . . . an old wound that doesn’t quite heal completely, no matter how much we try.  We’ve tried so hard to let these things go, so they can’t still be affecting us . . . can they?

Whether we realize it or not, some of us like to hold onto this old “stuff,” because they are familiar to us.  We become comfortable with being uncomfortable with them.  Fear is a significant factor behind our inability to forgive.

In the Ah-Man Workshops, participants are guided through a process that enables them to receive and/or bestow Forgiveness.  Workshop attendees have shared how enlightening and helpful it is for them to see others work through resentment and forgiveness issues similar to their own. 

Some of my favorite Forgiveness quotes are:

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.” --Unknown

“Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.” --Cherie Carter-Scott

“Resentment is like a glass of poison that a man drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die.” –Author Unknown

“Forgiveness is giving up the possibility of a better past.” –Author Unknown

“Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.” --Mahatma Gandhi

And I love this one:

“Forgiveness is . . . accepting God's sovereign use of people and situations to strip you of self importance, and humiliate your self love.” --Martha Kilpatrick

To learn more about Michael Hoare and Ah-Man, visit here.

Trust

Some of you may know that I created and conduct The Ah-Man Freedom Workshops, all-day sessions that address the three principals of Trust, Forgiveness and Acceptance.  This month, I’ll be focusing on each of those principals.  First up…Trust.

Let’s face it; we have all experienced losing trust.  When someone we love or respect or just know, breaks the trust we had for them, it taints the relationship and, on a deeper level, it taints us.  As life goes on, incidents of broken trust have a negative influence on our thoughts and decisions and creates a life of shadows for us.

Our view of life becomes more distorted after each incident.  The mistrust that becomes part of our lives is so deceptive that we really don’t realize it’s there until it has consumed us.  And then we wonder how we ever got to this place; this merry-go-round of life and feelings.

Someone once said “Trust is like a vase….once it’s broken, though you can fix it, the vase will never be the same.”

I can see why many would agree with this, but let me tell you that it does not have to be your truth.  Because I have gone through the fire and can see life differently, the mistrust that I once had doesn’t consume me as it did in the past. The Ah-Man process I used will also help you escape the mire of mistrust.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes on Trust:

“I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle; I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” --Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“We’re never so vulnerable than when we trust someone-but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy.” --Walter Anderson

This is a simple, but good, one:

“Trust yourself; you know more than you think” --Benjamin Spock

Finally, this last one might take you longer to reach, but if you attend the workshops, you will get there faster.

“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart” --Author Unknown

For more information about Michael Hoare and Ah-Man, visit here.