I have often been struck by the parallels between Maureen Moss's teaching at World Puja and what we are trying to do with Marshall Rosenberg's model of Nonviolent Communication - this in spite of the differences between their approaches. I have shared Maureen's newsletters in this forum in the past because they give me so much power to live in my integrity. Today, I want to share two more excerpts with you. The first is from an article Maureen wrote for the April newsletter called "The Mind Gets Away With Murder."

While in the midst of a session with a wonderful new client, I quickly discovered that she lived her life led by her mind. I noticed that she referred to her mind often by way of making excuses for it. I began to challenge her because she was firing off answers to me as if they were preprogrammed responses. I started to guide her away from her mind and into her heart, and I got a completely different kind of response.

She acknowledged that she rarely consciously paid attention to what her mind was saying to her, and that most of the time, she felt very uncomfortable, but that it never occurred to her to question whether her mind was telling her a truth or a lie, or whether it was supporting her or hurting her. I heard myself say, "Your mind is getting away with murder." In the silence that followed, both of us had an awareness of the truth of that statement. "Oh my God," she said, "that is so true! I never thought about it like that before!" We continued to follow that thread of wisdom and uncovered a plethora of ways that the mind gets away with murder.

It kills our joy. It makes bold and boisterous statements that have nothing to do with the truth, and each time we accept it without question and run with it, it clearly gets away with murder.

It kills our passion as it burdens us with "what ifs" (always leaning to the side of failure) about whatever we are passionate about creating and manifesting.

It kills the present moment with predictions of our future, often paralyzing us from moving in faith.

It kills our self worth as it gives us its interpretation of where we have failed.

It kills our peace.

The saddest part of all of that is that we give it permission to get away with murder by not interrupting it or questioning its validity.

We have got to put an immediate end to this violence and violation perpetrated upon our lives by our minds. Every time we have a negative thought, we immediately alter the positive and healthy electrical flow of energy throughout our entire physical system. Additionally, we alter the chemical balance of the body and depress ourselves. It was written in "The Way of Mastery" that "depression can only occur in a mind that had been denying its pathway to joy."

Here are some actions that will help when you are in a state of uncomfortability when your mind goes in for the kill:

1. Pay attention to every thought your mind feeds you. If you feel any constriction anywhere in your body, stop, take three deep breaths, then ask yourself, "Is that the truth that I just heard?"

2. Become aware of what you do once you have a thought. Do you make a fear-based choice? Do you set up a situation that you know in your gut is going to betray you because your mind just scared you?

3. Don't just rush past a delivery from the mind. Open the package and see if it contains something truthful and worthwhile or if it's a package of trash that needs to be tossed out.

4. Don't let your mind convince you that you need to be right or that you are right. Go for being happy over being right and stop the ability of your mind to kill your happiness. You have nothing to prove - your mind just has you believing you do.

6. Consciously refuse to be defined by your mind. If you don't, it will try to kill off your true identity and have you chasing after all things and all people external to find yourself.

7. Birth the Mind of Christ or the Mind of Buddha or The Mind of Great Spirit and your thoughts will emerge differently and in support of you, always.

The other excerpt is from the upcoming May newsletter which is not on the website yet. It's called "Keeping Agreements." I love the way Maureen keeps her focus on what we can do about a problem, even though it may seem that since agreements so often involve another person, we might expect or desire some advice about "making" another person keep an agreement with us.

The breaking of agreements has to be healed in every one of us because it's creating a decline in humanity. This issue seems to be off our radar as we busy ourselves with things like learning to love ourselves or finding our bliss or our purpose or that perfect relationship (and neglecting the rest of the world), being in the moment (and forgetting agreements made two moments ago), helping those less fortunate than ourselves (and neglecting ourselves) - all of those important things that we do in our attempt to raise consciousness to a higher level. I sense that if we take care of this agreement breaking business, other things will take care of themselves.

As I watch the hurt and chaos caused by breaking agreements, I can't help thinking, Is it any wonder that hearts are broken, psyches are bleeding and the walls to protect ourselves are being constructed quicker than usual? We've been repeatedly duped or dismissed - and not just by another, but also by ourselves[emphasis added]. We have made "little white lies" acceptable, giant incongruities tolerable, and agreement breaking a matter of "Oh, I forgot" or "Oh, well, things change." (We do tend to have Master Degrees in excuses don't we?)

When we don't keep agreements, we live in a state of incompletion. Broken agreements establish weakness and mistrust, not just in the minds of others, but in ourselves as well. When we don't keep agreements with ourselves, we can go to the bank on the fact that if asked if we trust ourselves, our answer will be NO. Once we don't trust ourselves, it is impossible to accept ourselves. We need every reason to love ourselves back into wholeness.

It is time for each of us to understand at the deepest and highest levels how impeccable we must become with our agreements, whether it's to call when you say you will, send a person something you said you were going to, follow through on a business agreement, work out three times a week, honor what you promised your friends or your lovers, and in general do what you say you will do when you say you will do it. We need to take oaths of impeccability starting this day.

Agreements kept create a solid platform where others feel safe to stand next to us - a place where we feel safe to be with ourselves! Once we commit to no further agreement breaking, there can be no hypocrisy, no contradictions in thought, word or deed. Once we say we will, then we must, unless there is a reason so big that it's created an impossible hurdle. Then we are responsible to talk about it and work something out that feels right for each.

There is power in agreement completion. Keeping agreements elevates the human spirit into Divine Spirit. Agreements kept enrich every relationship we have. When we make our agreements, big or small, with ourselves or with another, we would each be wise to take them as sacred vows or say nothing at all.

Here is the action I have created. Perhaps you would like to entertain this for yourself.

Write down every single agreement you can remember that is incomplete. This is not to judge yourself - it is to become aware of what's left hanging open that's energetically taking you or another down. WARNING: Your mind will start to give you a thousand and one reasons to either not acknowledge something as an incomplete agreement, or make excuses for why you didn't follow through. DON'T PAY ATTENTION. Move forward.

Once you've written each incomplete agreement, go back through your list and just be with each one. Feel what you feel like when you notice each agreement that you didn't close (which includes ones you made to yourself). For me, this was like what I believe a life review would be like. It was very painful and it had a huge impact. Ask yourself, If I could do [this item from my list] over, what would I do to have kept this agreement?

One by one, if it's possible, contact any person you have made agreements with and let them know you have come to realize that it is important for you to acknowledge and take responsibility for incomplete agreements, and then ask them if there is something you can do now to provide closure. And then DO IT! You will be pleasantly surprised at some of the responses you will get. If you absolutely can't contact the person (NO EXCUSES), then create a sacred ceremony of completion around each one. Remember that you can always speak to another's soul.

When you are complete with the above, celebrate the power you have found in keeping agreements. Then write yourself a letter of commitment about keeping agreements. Here's mine: "I promise that from this day forward, I will not make any agreements until I have given myself 24 hours to incubate whatever I am going to make an agreement about. I promise that every agreement I make will be kept by the time I agree to do so. I will not make any agreements or promises based on guilt, shame, fear of punishment, or promise of reward."