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Without a doubt, we do live in a world of opposites. And unquestionably, it's the tension between them that makes our reality what it is. From the charges of atomic particles to the conception of new life, it's all about pluses and minuses, "on" and "off," male and female. In theology, these opposites take on names and appearances that translate into the forces of light and dark, good and evil. While I'm not denying their existence, I am describing how it's possible to change what they mean in our lives and redefine our relationship with them.

If we see life as a battle between light and dark, then we must judge everything through the eyes of opposites -- and the world looks like a really scary place.

While the effects of our beliefs play out in our relationships and health, ultimately, we're talking about what we've viewed historically as an ancient battle -- the struggle between light and dark forces -- manifesting in our bodies and in the world. For millennia, we've been conditioned to polarize these forces in our lives -- to choose one and destroy the other.

As with any conflict, we've got to ask ourselves, If we're using the right strategy, then why hasn't somebody claimed victory? What if the secret to this battle is less about winning and more about how we change the core beliefs that hold it in place?

I've known people who say that they only associate with others who are "of the light," or that the "forces of darkness" have taken over their friends and families. When they do, I invite them to draw the line between the two -- to show me where the light ends and the darkness begins. In the instant they begin to make that distinction, they've just fallen into the ancient trap that keeps them locked into the very polarizing beliefs that they tell me they're trying to escape!

Here's why: It's their judgment about good and evil -- that one is better or more deserving of its existence than the other -- that assures that they'll remain in the very condition that they've told me they want to change. I'm not suggesting that my friends condone or agree to what darkness can bring into our lives. There's a huge difference, however, between judging these forces and discerning that they exist and what they represent. And it's in this subtle yet significant distinction that we find the secret that allows us to rise above the polarity and heal the conflict between darkness and light.

Does it make sense to remain engaged in an ongoing battle between light and dark by seeing one as a friend and the other as an enemy? Or does it make more sense to recognize that both are necessary, and in fact are required, for our three-dimensional world of electrons and protons, day and night, male and female, and life and death to exist?

As I healed my judgments with respect to light and darkness, that healing was reflected in every relationship: from romance and partnerships to business and finances. It was immediate, and it all began with a simple shift in a belief that runs so deep in our collective subconscious that we may not even recognize it, yet is so universal that it affects all of us in each moment of every day. And it comes down to the Great Question of whether we believe there are two separate forces (one that likes us and one that doesn't), or there is a single force that works in many and varied ways to give us our experience.

This article was excerpted from:

The Spontaneous Healing of Belief: Shattering the Paradigm of False Limits
by Gregg Braden.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Hay House Inc. ©2008. www.HayHouse.com

For more info. or to order this book: Hardback; Audio CD; Kindle edition.

About the Author

New York Times best-selling author Gregg Braden is internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science and spirituality. To date, his work has led to such paradigm-shattering books as The Isaiah Effect, The God Code, Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer, and The Divine Matrix. Now published in 15 languages and 23 countries, Gregg's work shows us beyond any reasonable doubt that we have the power to reverse disease, redefine aging, and even alter reality itself by embracing the power of belief as the quantum language of change. Visit his Website at www.greggbraden.com.

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