“If you’re focused on the how, you’re getting in the way.”—Esther Hicks
Like most folks in this country, I’ve been in what you might call a state of shock. I have absolutely no idea what to say, what to do. Some of the things happening right now make NO SENSE to me whatsoever. None.
War? Really? Gun fascination? Why? It just doesn’t compute in my way of understanding the world.
So the three words I’m concentrating on right now are “I don’t know.” All solutions that make sense to me have been discussed before. All “answers” that seem obvious to me have been bandied about for decades.
I do know that most proposals involve “bad guys” and resistance. And that “knowing” what needs to be done never works. It just animates into our world more “bad guys” and more resistance.
“I don’t know” doesn’t bind time to the past. It doesn’t confine imagination and opportunities and solutions that are trying to find us. Peace, kindness, love and abundance for all mankind already exists as one of the possibilities in the quantum field. It’s there. But as long as we stick with Newtonian equations (where we anticipate and predict certain outcomes), we’re stuck with what we know, with what seemed to make sense in the past. And as long as we cast blame on someone out there, we restrict what is possible.
By admitting “I don’t know,” I’m leaving room for a miracle. By giving thanks for the existing quantum possibility of peace, kindness, love and abundance for all, I’m drawing it into the world for me and for all with whom I’m holistically entangled (literally everybody and everything).
I heard a story yesterday that really spoke to me. A guy named Dan Stevenson who lives in the Eastlake neighborhood of Oakland was tired of the impromptu dump growing on the median across from his house. People were throwing away old mattresses, trash, junk they no longer needed. Signs warning of consequences for such actions did nothing to alleviate the problem. So Dan, who had no idea what to do, simply superglued a stone Buddha on the median.
Little by little, people started leaving candles instead of trash. A Vietnamese family ended up building an altar. That tiny act (where Dan didn’t know what to do) literally changed everything.
So I will repeat “I don’t know” and give thanks for the love, peace and light possibility that is every bit as valid of a possibility as the one most others are focused upon.
Have a beautiful day, my incredible friends. #222 Forever
Pam Grout is the author of 20 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest, The Course in Miracles Experiment: A Starter Kit for Rewiring Your Mind (And Therefore Your World).
65 Responses
Thank you so much for this Pam.
You are so very welcome!
Thank You Pam. 🤩💟🦋
This resonates to me also. Also I listened to one biography of a Finnish singer and songwriter and He had this Finnish equivalent for Your Best Three words: ETS (en tiiä saa***a)
Rough translation: Don’t effin’ know. 😅😅😅
I love You, Love Everyone. I finished my second Pelonne Book yesterday ( I mean finished in the way that I can get it printed and published soon – 27th of September) 🥰🤩😍🦋🦋🦋💫💫💫
Pure Love to You, With Love, Teija and Pelonteet
Congrats on the new book! And I love “Don’t effin’ know!”
The Buddha of Oakland! I visited this awesome place a couple years ago- it’s wonderful!! Thank you for sharing this story. There’s a full-blown DIY but very nicely and authentically South-East Asian style small temple building over it now! With candles, decorations, a repeating chanting audio, and flowers. “I do know” that the Buddha of Oakland is awesome! As for many other things, “I don’t know.” And that’s great! I collapse the quantum wave of love and peace!!
That’s a perfect way to say it. Collapsing the quantum wave of love and peace–let’s do this thing!!!
Thank you, Pam!
I like to think that I know the solutions, and that if everyone would just get on board, we’d be okay.
But if that were the case, none of this violence, war, stuff that I don’t want happening (big contrast!) would still be happening.
I.DON’T.KNOW.
But I do love, and I do appreciate, and I do believe in possibilities.
Well said!! Thanks, Pamela Joy!
ACIM Lesson 25 “I do not know what anything is for,” might be applicable to our current situation.
Abso-frickin-lutely!!!
I needed exactly this message at exactly this moment, Pam. Thank you from the bottom of my entangled heart. I love you!
So glad that our hearts and minds are entangled!
Beautiful story and words to live by. I will spread the word
Spread the love!
Thank you, Pam. I, too, needed your message today.
Me, too! That’s why I write these posts! Because I need to remind myself.
A sense of the eternal divine in our lives makes a difference.
Yes!!!
Dear Pam, you always land in my in-box at the right time! I’ve been feeling sad and frustrated with so many things and have been thinking that I know how to solve all these problems. The reality is like you say: I don’t know, and adding my anger toward others in the mix only brings more negativity into the world. Thanks for reminding me that I know nothing, I will just focus on sending out love and trusting in the Universe. Much love to all!
Me too! When I’m feeling lost, up pops with a beautiful message of love and peace. I’m am so thankful!
So thankful for you!!!
Thank you Pam for your words of wisdom. You words help me to view things a bit differently. Not to focus on matter to matter but rather the quantum field which holds all solutions.
All solutions—bigger and more beautiful than I can conceive!
Thanks Pam, this has given me so much hope to leave my mind open for better things to come xx
Open minds and open hearts!
The answer is a glued on buddha…..to offer something lovely to something sad or ugly even if its only a kind thought. You brighten my day Pam Grout, I have been following you for years, recently with Mike Dooley too. Keep doing what you are doing, and I will keep reading and feeling and changing too. love and hugs to us all xxx
Love and hugs for everyone!! Indeed!
This post is the perfect reminder to us all. The words “I don’t know” are about choosing trust and faith over fear. It strengthens me and fills my heart my heart with peace. So grateful!
Thank you!!
But, I thought if you found Buddha in the middle of the road, you’re supposed to kill him? I don’t know.
Good one!!!
Hedgehog! it’s the 1st June. I also don’t know but then I never have. I thought at times I did know but found out I didn’t.
Here’s a miracle for you – our beloved grandson was “given away” because he was Bi-racial when he was 7 years old this was 35 years ago. Through the years I tried to find him and no good. On 26th May I found an email address with his name.
I wrote a short message and he answered! There is happiness – I learned this by letting go . Our daughter died and her son lives – miracles do occur! I send my love and happiness to all of you. Especially to you Pam. You have kept us uplifted through your blogs and you are SO loved………
Yay! You’re getting my messages! And so exciting about your grandson!!
So beautiful! Thank you so much! We love you, Pam! Your email arrived at 04:04 today!
I love you, too!!!
Oh, good Lord, Pam, we must transcend the Newtonian belief that we are separate bits of flesh and bones, labelled “good” or “bad.” All of “us,” are I Am, manifesting in our apparent roles. If only more recognized their essential nature, how could we ever lay a hand against one another? 🙏
That’s it! Wisdom just drips from your computer keys. Thanks!!!
Oh, thank you so much, Pam. I feel the same about what you’re sharing. Great work! Thank you!!
I always enjoy reading your posts but wow today’s came I think straight from Grace . Thank you ideas such as this are needed today.
Thank you, Pam. As always, your wisdom is always given in perfect timing!
The Divine works with perfect time–that’s why I always bow to it, surrendering the timeline I believe should happen.
Thankyou Pam, I love this. This idea is just what I needed to hear. So rather than giving in or up in despair to things that make no sense to me – like war – I can say “I don’t know” from a place of opening up to a completely different possibility that I’m not aware of or can’t yet imagine. We can “not know” and yet know at the same time that our thoughts of peace, hope, joy and love DO make a difference. We can let go of “trying to know” and just sit in the “not knowing” whilst also knowing that the answer/solution/possibility IS “out there” awaiting recognition. Amen. Thankyou. And thankyou for sharing the delightful story about Dan and his wonderfully creative “median strip dump” solution. These stories make my heart sing. 💖🎼 Blessings galore to you dear Pam – you’re such a blessing to all of us. 🦋🌺🌝
PS. I nearly forgot to mention that gorgeous piece of art you included in the post. It’s magical and also speaks to my heart. Thankyou for finding these pieces of beauty for us to enjoy. 🌟❇️✨
Your replies always make me smile. Thank you!!!
Thank you, Pam! So thoughtfully stated. I’m so glad I “found” you, thanks to Mike Dooley’s Magical Mystery Manifesting Playshop! I got E Squared and as soon as I finish “Illusions” (again) I’m eager to participate in your magical manifesting, too! I love your approach to the infinite possibilities!
Thank you!!!
What a beautiful story! Yes! Not knowing how leaves wiggle room for all sorts of possibilities. Years ago during a healing session I met my inner child and was struggling with how to help her feel better. When we asked spirit to come in and help, Archangel Michael showed up. His message to me was that it wasn’t my job to know how things would happen, that’s his area. And just like that my inner child let go of her pain and suffering and was happy. Magic! Any time I get hung up on the “how” of things, I remember it’s not my job to know how.
Couldn’t agree more. The “how” I know is always inferior to the how of the Divine.
Thank you my dear teacher. Also thank you my dear teachers in the replies. Because of everything happening right now I was indeed thinking about solutions and there were some not nice at all concerning some politicians in the US and concerning the war in Europe. You remind me to let go because I don’t know, and not knowing brings back peace to my mind and heart. Love you all.
Love you, too!
Ugh Pam. The story about the man and the Buddha statue is beautiful but I still keep wondering if it is enough to go behind the “I don´t know.”…Should one not act? I am thinking about Thích Nhất Hạnh and his buddhist activism. He did not sit in the meditation hall but went out to do practical things and to make change. To say “I don´t know” is a way to release resistance but is it enough to just repeat it? Because we do know! We know that guns are not needed and wars must end! To honor the families who have lost their children to gun violence or to Russian rapists in Ukraine we surely must do something else than say “I don´t know”! I am full of rage and want to channel that energy somehow but how? Well, I don´t know. So here we are in the abyss of not knowing….
I completely hear you, my friend. And what I noticed is that the rage, like you, I initially felt only created a distorted field within my being. And I also notice, over and over again, that even if “my side” wins, the underlying tension is still there. Back and forth. Back and forth. So, yes, I wrote to my Senators and I contributed money to certain causes, but I feel, the most important action I can take is to radiate peace. And I feel that once the blocks and resistance are removed, I’ll be guided with the exact next steps I need to take. Hope this makes sense? Again, thanks for your provocative response.
It’s so great to hear from you, Pam. Up until now I’ve somehow managed to cry and pray for the victims and families of school shootings over these many years, and then walk away since there’s nothing more I can do. This time, however, my usual tactic didn’t work. Oh, I’d gotten depressed and angry over them before, but this one wouldn’t let me go. I’m hearing this is true for most of us, as if we’ve *finally* hit critical mass and are done allowing “the powers that seem to be” to sacrifice our children for their greed. When I read your much needed article and how you’re saying, “I don’t know,” it felt right, and then, thinking about The Dude, I realized that I don’t need to know, I just need to understand that Beloved cares and is guiding the solution in various ways through Love, and She always wins. I believe I feel a change coming on. Namaste, lovely Angel Teacher.
Feeling that change coming on is a really important action we can all take. Saying thank you for that change helps draw it to us.
Sigh. I don’t know either. Sending Love to all.
So uplifting, and such a relief to read this, Pam, thank you so much. I too often forget that I don’t NEED to know what Mike Dooley calls ‘the cursed how’, but to just relax into trusting. And I agree that not knowing doesn’t mean not doing. Just taking steps towards the best thing that we can do to help – whatever peaceful action that may be, big or small – happens more easily if we release ourselves from the stress of thinking we ought to know, and allow ourselves simply breathe, give thanks, listen and feel. Please keep reminding me!
With love and gratitude to you and everyone here xx.
More than anything, I want to be guided by the something bigger than me. And I find when I give up resisting, I’m better able to listen to that guidance.
Thank you, Pam, this has helped me today. We don’t know in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and we know our PM has just made a visit to USA and is talking about gun control. It isn’t going so well here, regardless of what our pm might say, and many of us are still struggling to make sense of mandates which are still in place which are preventing people from working and studying. It’s weird time here at the moment – more and more strict laws are coming in – like now if you want a mask exemption you have to apply to the Director General – businesses can still refuse to serve or employ people who are not vaccinated, more and more people here are starting to live outside the system as much as they can. It’s difficult to know what to do – and we are looking for spiritual answers because we sure up to ‘I don’t know’ in the physical world.
Thank you for opening a dialogue about what seems so negative in our world; I understand that it is all God and that even perceived misunderstandings and suffering are still a part of God. Though painful to see and experience what is going on doing a small act of kindness bring it all back to the center and it can help transform it. Namaste!
My deepest thank you…
Fabulous! There are many things I don’t know. But this I do know: I walk with God I walk in perfect holiness. I light the world. I light my mind & all the minds which God created one with me.
Wow…..just wow! With reference to gun violence, which has really been bothering me, I now realize I was in the space of, “I don’t know”. And now, after reading your blog, I feel comfortable there. Thanks
I love this … thank you for a Monday fix. I think it works on all days that end with Y ❤️
I love his inspiration to place the Buddha at the site and that the neighbors responded so beautifully. However, I’m wondering if the city ever came and removed the trash pile? Dan wanted the trash gone. Or, is his answer still in process? Thank you, Pam. I feel batter about saying, “I don’t know.”