The Tower of Babel story teaches some interesting lessons. Humankind was of a single language but when they spoke of God, they were faithless. So they came together on the plain of Shinar and began constructing a great city, a testament to man’s, not God’s greatness. At the heart of the city was the tower. This tower was constructed of “bricks like stone” for it was being built not only to last, but to reach Heaven itself. God, in His infinite wisdom reached down and scrambled their language, making it impossible for them to continue working together, so they scattered, leaving the tower and great city unfinished. Hubris aside, what else does this lesson teach?
Consider the moments throughout history when men have come together in secular (though very often wrapping themselves in God) common cause. The resulting purges, revolutions, crusades, jihads, wars and persecutions lead to, arguably, more death and destruction than all “natural” disasters. The argument can, and accurately, be made that many of these things happened to stop or address a greater evil, that if arms were not taken up a greater injustice would have taken place, history, and God, being the final judge.
Even so, clearly man has been employing the same secular answers (though often laying them at God’s feet) and reaping the same results since the days of Shinar. War has yet to stamp out war; Persecution leading only to new generations of persecutors and victims; Prejudice, of all stripes, teaching another generation to prejudge, to marginalize. We cannot get sick enough to cure one person. No amount of hate will ever create love or understanding. We cannot get poor enough (materially) to help those in need.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we take a different tack. Today we choose to live on the basis of trusting and relying on God. To be clear: Does this mean that we bury our heads in the sand, oblivious to this world’s realities? To leave our homes unlocked, our children unprotected, offering our neck to any who would threaten us? Without equivocation, no. Continue to protect and stand for those who are incapable of protecting themselves, keep good locks on your doors, stay informed and involved in the issues of the secular world, for the rain falls on the just and the unjust equally. Living on the Spiritual Basis has nothing to do with a Polly Anna approach to living; in fact, it is the opposite. It is not the way of weakness, but is in fact the only true path of strength. The Great Carpenter said the meek shall inherit the Earth, so it must be true. Being meek before God is to honor Our Father, it does not mean that we become servile or scrapping.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, standing in the light, the world needs what you have to offer, in truth Practicing the Presence of God demands it of us. The truth will set you free. Wear your faith as a loose garment, but wear it all your days, demonstrating it in all your ways, the Adversary, fear, be damned.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
HEAVEN ON EARTH
Babel: n
1. confused noise: a confused noise, especially the noise of loud unintelligible voices all talking at once
2. noisy place: a scene or place of noisy confusion (Encarta)
There are a few stories from the Old Testament that pretty much everyone has some knowledge of, Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain and Abel, Moses and the Ten Commandments and the Tower of Babel. Considering the tower, what would the world look like if we all spoke the same language, had complete access to unfiltered information? Everyone on the “same” page, nothing lost in translation, language barriers unknown, what a different world it would be, the good and bad of it making for an interesting thought experiment.
The Good News is we do have access today to a common language and Living on the Spiritual Basis is the root, for when we practice the Presence of God in all our activities, the heart speaks, and when the heart speaks, hearts listen. Regardless of the language employed for secular communication, the Language of the Heart is universal. Be the words in Russian, French, Chinese or Urdu, if we begin each day asking in morning meditation to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love we speak as one. If we are asking throughout our day to be shown how we may be of service to God and our fellows, we speak with one voice. When we consistently place the welfare of others ahead of our own, we demonstrate the universal language of Divine Love. What would the world look like if everyone spoke this language, the language of the Heart? Heaven.
1. confused noise: a confused noise, especially the noise of loud unintelligible voices all talking at once
2. noisy place: a scene or place of noisy confusion (Encarta)
There are a few stories from the Old Testament that pretty much everyone has some knowledge of, Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Cain and Abel, Moses and the Ten Commandments and the Tower of Babel. Considering the tower, what would the world look like if we all spoke the same language, had complete access to unfiltered information? Everyone on the “same” page, nothing lost in translation, language barriers unknown, what a different world it would be, the good and bad of it making for an interesting thought experiment.
The Good News is we do have access today to a common language and Living on the Spiritual Basis is the root, for when we practice the Presence of God in all our activities, the heart speaks, and when the heart speaks, hearts listen. Regardless of the language employed for secular communication, the Language of the Heart is universal. Be the words in Russian, French, Chinese or Urdu, if we begin each day asking in morning meditation to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love we speak as one. If we are asking throughout our day to be shown how we may be of service to God and our fellows, we speak with one voice. When we consistently place the welfare of others ahead of our own, we demonstrate the universal language of Divine Love. What would the world look like if everyone spoke this language, the language of the Heart? Heaven.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
IN THE BEGINNING
Genesis: n
beginning: the time or circumstances of something’s coming into being. (Encarta)
New beginnings. We have had and will have many in our lives: moving out from our parent’s home, going away to school, first job, new job, marriage, divorce, becoming a parent, etc. Though all are remarkable, the greatest of these however is the day we choose to live on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying on Power Greater Than Ourselves. This conscious decision to Live on the Spiritual Basis closes the chapters of our lives lived by self-propulsion and self will and opens the new, for we are in fact “reborn”. Our rebirth into the light is brought about in pain, just as our physical birth, made all the more difficult because we are fully conscious for all of it, unfortunately Pain is the only instrument sharp enough to cut away the excess of self. Is it any wonder this path is the road less traveled, the straight gate? Our carnal mind seeks and the secular world offers many “easy” alternatives to address our discomfort, a pill for every ill as well as book purveyor’s shelves and the airways chock full of “easier, softer ways”, all that is required is a few silver coins. Many pay the path lip service, few willing to pay the price required, a great sadness indeed. Pain is the touchstone of spiritual growth, we can wish it were not so with all our might, but in truth, without pain few, if any, would be moved to act, complacency one of the Adversaries sharpest tools.
The Good News however is that once moved to act, we tap into the power of the miraculous, taking a partner in living who has all knowledge and power, the Source of all. The promise is that once we have embarked on this new beginning, if we remain willing and refuse to be turned by the Adversary, fear, life will take on new meaning. We will comprehend Serenity and we will know peace, no matter what our current circumstances. We are reborn.
beginning: the time or circumstances of something’s coming into being. (Encarta)
New beginnings. We have had and will have many in our lives: moving out from our parent’s home, going away to school, first job, new job, marriage, divorce, becoming a parent, etc. Though all are remarkable, the greatest of these however is the day we choose to live on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying on Power Greater Than Ourselves. This conscious decision to Live on the Spiritual Basis closes the chapters of our lives lived by self-propulsion and self will and opens the new, for we are in fact “reborn”. Our rebirth into the light is brought about in pain, just as our physical birth, made all the more difficult because we are fully conscious for all of it, unfortunately Pain is the only instrument sharp enough to cut away the excess of self. Is it any wonder this path is the road less traveled, the straight gate? Our carnal mind seeks and the secular world offers many “easy” alternatives to address our discomfort, a pill for every ill as well as book purveyor’s shelves and the airways chock full of “easier, softer ways”, all that is required is a few silver coins. Many pay the path lip service, few willing to pay the price required, a great sadness indeed. Pain is the touchstone of spiritual growth, we can wish it were not so with all our might, but in truth, without pain few, if any, would be moved to act, complacency one of the Adversaries sharpest tools.
The Good News however is that once moved to act, we tap into the power of the miraculous, taking a partner in living who has all knowledge and power, the Source of all. The promise is that once we have embarked on this new beginning, if we remain willing and refuse to be turned by the Adversary, fear, life will take on new meaning. We will comprehend Serenity and we will know peace, no matter what our current circumstances. We are reborn.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
THE WHITE HORSE
The fourth horse of Revelation is the White Horse, the conquering horse. “Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity….” Words have power. To heal, to harm, to start a war or stop one, to spread love or condemn. Our words mark us and lay the foundation for the future, a future of either freedom or bondage. Am I willing to let others suffer, for any justification? Do I look down upon anyone for any reason? Do I believe in freedom for all? Do I trust God, Really? Am I willing to stand for truth, possibly at great personal risk or do I soft pedal it to save hurt feelings or myself?
Living on the Spiritual Basis we no longer hide behind generalities. When I marginalize you, for any reason, I marginalize everyone. To ride the White Horse to freedom requires more courage than we are capable of on our own, but with God all things are possible. So abandon yourself to God, ask Him to remove any lingering prejudices or sacred cows still holding you back, grab the mane of the conquering horse as it speeds by and hold on with all your might. Do not try to rein him in or guide him for he will toss you off if you do. His vision is clear, his sights set, his destination the heart of God, for it is none other than God himself who sent him to you and He will give you the abiding strength to hold on to freedom, if you are willing.
Living on the Spiritual Basis we no longer hide behind generalities. When I marginalize you, for any reason, I marginalize everyone. To ride the White Horse to freedom requires more courage than we are capable of on our own, but with God all things are possible. So abandon yourself to God, ask Him to remove any lingering prejudices or sacred cows still holding you back, grab the mane of the conquering horse as it speeds by and hold on with all your might. Do not try to rein him in or guide him for he will toss you off if you do. His vision is clear, his sights set, his destination the heart of God, for it is none other than God himself who sent him to you and He will give you the abiding strength to hold on to freedom, if you are willing.
Friday, August 27, 2010
HORSEMEN OF REVELATION
The four biblical horsemen in Revelation are tied to the end times but I will leave those discussions to others. Yet on a personal level, there is much we can learn from these examples. Consider the first three horsemen from an individual spiritual perspective: The Pale Horse represents the physical body and its destruction through all forms of addiction, the negative as well as the seemingly positive. The Red Horse brings destruction by our emotions and feelings and The Black Horse destruction through intellect.
To ride the Pale Horse means we have succumbed to addiction. Drugs and/or alcohol are obvious, but what of the person who is addicted to exercise or work or sex? The gym, running/biking trials or the office can become an escape from the world just as powerful as liquor or any chemical and equally spiritually destructive. The difference being the alcoholic or the drug addict has a difficult time “fitting” into polite society while the workaholic is often praised for their accomplishments, even as the other areas of their life and living are sacrificed in the name of success or “providing” for the family. The same family they are never present for, the estranged children seeking acknowledgment, often by acting out, the neglected spouse who files for divorce. Resulting in the workaholic’s lament, don’t they see I am doing it all for them?
Physical activity and exercise in moderation is always a good idea, but when it crosses over into narcissism, it becomes as sure a block to growth as any drink or drug. Sex is part of our nature, so it cannot be bad, yet the stories of lives and families ruined from unchecked sexual desires are legion. The problems come when sex and obtaining sex becomes the singular focus, living only for sensual escape, having lost sight of the true purpose, that of two people sharing the most intimate of experiences, the touching of two souls in embrace, a shared act of love. To be clear, hard work, the occasional beer or glass of wine or enjoying sex with a partner are not the problem, we ride the Pale Horse when these things become dominate in our lives and we eschew honest relationships or facing personal truths, both secular and spiritual because they have taken over.
The Red Horse represents destruction through emotions and feelings. How many lives have been lost or ruined when an individual or nation acted on overheated emotions or inflamed feelings? How many fights, confrontations and wars could have been avoided if cooler heads had prevailed? To be clear: We are emotional beings. Without emotion, this world would be a very drab place, bereft of music or art, possibly even love. It is when we are controlled, dominated by our emotions and feelings that we ride the Red Horse, and havoc, tumult and pain are the result.
The Black Horse represents complete reliance on our human intelligence. Consider how many worship at the alter of intellect. They would never see it as worship, but is there really a whit of difference in commitment or passion between the minister preaching from the pulpit or the righteous professor/scientist/politician speaking from the dais? Consider the textbooks of just 30 years ago, regardless of discipline, have had to be rewritten because of new discoveries or the proving of old theories wrong. History is very illustrative on this point, for every generation believes they have it right. A few hundred years ago, if you argued the Earth was not the center of the universe you could be put to death. A little over a hundred years ago, the scientific community believed man could never fly, and they had the data to prove it. Sixty years ago many of the most prominent scientific minds believed man would never survive a trip into space since crossing the Van Allen radiation belt would certainly be fatal. In the last forty years everything we thought we knew about dinosaurs has been turned on its head, while revelations in Quantum mechanics in the last twenty has shaken physics, the basic laws of everything, at its foundation. Is it not the height of hubris to think that “now” we have all the answers in any area of study or science? We ride the Black Horse when we close our minds, stop questioning, and begin collecting and herding sacred cows, shutting ourselves off the fresh winds that drive our higher selves, dismissing any contrary thought or belief out of hand because just like Galileo‘s jailers, we have nothing left to learn.
To ride the Pale Horse means we have succumbed to addiction. Drugs and/or alcohol are obvious, but what of the person who is addicted to exercise or work or sex? The gym, running/biking trials or the office can become an escape from the world just as powerful as liquor or any chemical and equally spiritually destructive. The difference being the alcoholic or the drug addict has a difficult time “fitting” into polite society while the workaholic is often praised for their accomplishments, even as the other areas of their life and living are sacrificed in the name of success or “providing” for the family. The same family they are never present for, the estranged children seeking acknowledgment, often by acting out, the neglected spouse who files for divorce. Resulting in the workaholic’s lament, don’t they see I am doing it all for them?
Physical activity and exercise in moderation is always a good idea, but when it crosses over into narcissism, it becomes as sure a block to growth as any drink or drug. Sex is part of our nature, so it cannot be bad, yet the stories of lives and families ruined from unchecked sexual desires are legion. The problems come when sex and obtaining sex becomes the singular focus, living only for sensual escape, having lost sight of the true purpose, that of two people sharing the most intimate of experiences, the touching of two souls in embrace, a shared act of love. To be clear, hard work, the occasional beer or glass of wine or enjoying sex with a partner are not the problem, we ride the Pale Horse when these things become dominate in our lives and we eschew honest relationships or facing personal truths, both secular and spiritual because they have taken over.
The Red Horse represents destruction through emotions and feelings. How many lives have been lost or ruined when an individual or nation acted on overheated emotions or inflamed feelings? How many fights, confrontations and wars could have been avoided if cooler heads had prevailed? To be clear: We are emotional beings. Without emotion, this world would be a very drab place, bereft of music or art, possibly even love. It is when we are controlled, dominated by our emotions and feelings that we ride the Red Horse, and havoc, tumult and pain are the result.
The Black Horse represents complete reliance on our human intelligence. Consider how many worship at the alter of intellect. They would never see it as worship, but is there really a whit of difference in commitment or passion between the minister preaching from the pulpit or the righteous professor/scientist/politician speaking from the dais? Consider the textbooks of just 30 years ago, regardless of discipline, have had to be rewritten because of new discoveries or the proving of old theories wrong. History is very illustrative on this point, for every generation believes they have it right. A few hundred years ago, if you argued the Earth was not the center of the universe you could be put to death. A little over a hundred years ago, the scientific community believed man could never fly, and they had the data to prove it. Sixty years ago many of the most prominent scientific minds believed man would never survive a trip into space since crossing the Van Allen radiation belt would certainly be fatal. In the last forty years everything we thought we knew about dinosaurs has been turned on its head, while revelations in Quantum mechanics in the last twenty has shaken physics, the basic laws of everything, at its foundation. Is it not the height of hubris to think that “now” we have all the answers in any area of study or science? We ride the Black Horse when we close our minds, stop questioning, and begin collecting and herding sacred cows, shutting ourselves off the fresh winds that drive our higher selves, dismissing any contrary thought or belief out of hand because just like Galileo‘s jailers, we have nothing left to learn.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
THE HIDEOUS FOUR HORSEMEN
Terror, bewilderment, frustration and despair. Terror: Does God exist? What if He doesn’t? Bewilderment: If He does, who or what is the path, and how can I ever hope to find it? Frustration: Is it Yahweh, Zeus, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, Zoroaster, Ganesha or some other deity or teacher that is the true path, how do I choose? Despair: If I choose wrong will I “burn” in hell as some strongly state, lost for all eternity, terrorized and tortured?
Fortunately, there is good news for we found that "God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all-inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men." In my life, the saddest people I have known are those who insist that there is only one way to freedom, their way, and if you do not believe their way you will be “lost for eternity, oh, but God loves you.” The foundation of our true relationship to God is found in the opening two words of the Lord‘s Prayer: “OUR FATHER”. God is the Father of all, rich and poor, famous and infamous, believer or infidel and does not play favorites. All are provided with limitless opportunities to grow and learn, remember; we are not of this flesh but are as eternal as God for we are made in His likeness. Would a loving parent cast away a wayward child, forever, or would they continue to help in any positive way they could, forever? Would God, Our Father, do any less?
Cast off the fetters of constrictive thinking and embrace the whole of His love and guidance. Be quick to see where religious people are right and make use of what they offer, praying to be shown the truth of being, meditating daily on how to be of service to God and your fellows, trusting in your connection to the Infinite and acting accordingly. Keep an open mind, remain willing to learn and grow for the unexamined life leads to the bondage of self, for when we live in this way the riders are unseated, their horses turned out to pasture and we are free.
Fortunately, there is good news for we found that "God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all-inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men." In my life, the saddest people I have known are those who insist that there is only one way to freedom, their way, and if you do not believe their way you will be “lost for eternity, oh, but God loves you.” The foundation of our true relationship to God is found in the opening two words of the Lord‘s Prayer: “OUR FATHER”. God is the Father of all, rich and poor, famous and infamous, believer or infidel and does not play favorites. All are provided with limitless opportunities to grow and learn, remember; we are not of this flesh but are as eternal as God for we are made in His likeness. Would a loving parent cast away a wayward child, forever, or would they continue to help in any positive way they could, forever? Would God, Our Father, do any less?
Cast off the fetters of constrictive thinking and embrace the whole of His love and guidance. Be quick to see where religious people are right and make use of what they offer, praying to be shown the truth of being, meditating daily on how to be of service to God and your fellows, trusting in your connection to the Infinite and acting accordingly. Keep an open mind, remain willing to learn and grow for the unexamined life leads to the bondage of self, for when we live in this way the riders are unseated, their horses turned out to pasture and we are free.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
OUTLET MALLS
Happy, Joyous and Free OR generally content, feeling OK and somewhat unrestrained. Which would you rather be? Purchasing “seconds” at the outlet mall to save a few bucks is all well and good, but when it comes to our spiritual consciousness never settle for anything but the fullest expression of your inheritance as a Child of the Divine, to be Happy, Joyous and Free.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
WHAT AN ORDER!
Does God play favorites? Are some “chosen” for success while others for failure? Does God want us all to be “Happy, Joyous and Free”? Is He all “Our Father” or not? Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have chosen to live the examined life. Answering these questions defines what we really believe. When we were of the world, spiritual answers were of the bumper sticker or cotton candy variety. Short, easy to remember but lacking depth or sticky sweet with little nutritional value. Now being in the world but of God, by choice, we look beyond the easy vacuous greeting card answers to life and living and get down to causes and conditions. A price has to be paid and the price is the surrendering of self.
We alter our lives by taking the road less traveled. Here difficulty arises since we often find ourselves seemingly traveling alone, encountering questions and challenges greater than we see others facing. To be clear: everyone faces the same questions and challenges, the form they take alters for each individual, but they are all rooted in the same bedrock and we will either seek answers or live in denial or induced oblivion when the pain of living becomes too great. Selfishness, self-centeredness, self-seeking, fear in all its guises are veritable roadblocks to spiritual freedom.
A relationship with Source requires nothing and everything. There is no need to bring your wallet, but helping those in need, as you are able, is highly recommended. You do not have to join anything, but congregating with like-minded individuals is a plus. God is the same today as yesterday and promised to be in the future, yet living in the light we grow and change day by day, sometimes moment by moment. The path available to all, rich to poor, literate or illiterate, high born or born of the earth, the only impediment self centered fear exacerbating our separation from eternal truth. Everything needed to have a conscious contact with God is available to us now, if we are willing to go to any lengths for a spiritual awakening. Willing to go to any lengths, what an order, but in the light of truth, is there really any other choice?
We alter our lives by taking the road less traveled. Here difficulty arises since we often find ourselves seemingly traveling alone, encountering questions and challenges greater than we see others facing. To be clear: everyone faces the same questions and challenges, the form they take alters for each individual, but they are all rooted in the same bedrock and we will either seek answers or live in denial or induced oblivion when the pain of living becomes too great. Selfishness, self-centeredness, self-seeking, fear in all its guises are veritable roadblocks to spiritual freedom.
A relationship with Source requires nothing and everything. There is no need to bring your wallet, but helping those in need, as you are able, is highly recommended. You do not have to join anything, but congregating with like-minded individuals is a plus. God is the same today as yesterday and promised to be in the future, yet living in the light we grow and change day by day, sometimes moment by moment. The path available to all, rich to poor, literate or illiterate, high born or born of the earth, the only impediment self centered fear exacerbating our separation from eternal truth. Everything needed to have a conscious contact with God is available to us now, if we are willing to go to any lengths for a spiritual awakening. Willing to go to any lengths, what an order, but in the light of truth, is there really any other choice?
Monday, August 23, 2010
ALWAYS RECORDING
The price of continuing spiritual freedom is vigilance. Drifting into negative thinking and speech, typically happening without any conscious thought or plan on our part, is easy. The “good” natured gossip session with a friend or joining in(or worse, instigating) a bitch session about a disagreeable co-worker or boss, taking sides in any romantic or marital dispute or simply speaking about someone for any reason where we would be embarrassed if we discovered them standing behind us, we have strayed. If we are saying anything about anyone that we would be unwilling to say to them in person, we place ourselves at risk. Gossiping and tale telling rarely (if ever) embodies patience, tolerance, kindliness or love and those are some of the watchwords Living on the Spiritual Basis embodies. As far as taking sides in romantic squabbles, we have all probably done it only to become the enemy when they reconcile, so we have learned to be supportive but avoid engaging in character assassination, no matter how seemingly egregious their behavior appears to be. One of the great truths in life is there is always two sides to every story and they often only have a passing resemblance to one another.
Everything we say, do or observe is recorded. Everything. Not by God, or some heavenly scribe watching our every move, but by us. It is written upon our heart, in our hand, recorded, by us, in our subconscious. Every crummy or negative thing we have ever said or done (as well as the good, but the good isn‘t the problem) is still with us and it seems the Devil himself drags these things up into the conscious mind in an attempt to hold us back, to fill us with fear and negativity. We are powerless to control which thoughts float up from the subconscious but we have complete control over what action to take when we become aware of them. Our course is simple, we turn from the lower to the higher in prayer and meditation. We turn the sunlight of the spirit upon these discordant thoughts and assert the truth in being, that we have been forgiven, completely and forever, that Our Father’s love is unconditional, negative thoughts specters, insubstantial, powerless in the face of His love and guidance. So remain vigilant and avoid negativity towards others but above all never wallow in morbid reflection for we are now living on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon God.
Everything we say, do or observe is recorded. Everything. Not by God, or some heavenly scribe watching our every move, but by us. It is written upon our heart, in our hand, recorded, by us, in our subconscious. Every crummy or negative thing we have ever said or done (as well as the good, but the good isn‘t the problem) is still with us and it seems the Devil himself drags these things up into the conscious mind in an attempt to hold us back, to fill us with fear and negativity. We are powerless to control which thoughts float up from the subconscious but we have complete control over what action to take when we become aware of them. Our course is simple, we turn from the lower to the higher in prayer and meditation. We turn the sunlight of the spirit upon these discordant thoughts and assert the truth in being, that we have been forgiven, completely and forever, that Our Father’s love is unconditional, negative thoughts specters, insubstantial, powerless in the face of His love and guidance. So remain vigilant and avoid negativity towards others but above all never wallow in morbid reflection for we are now living on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon God.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A BUTTERFLY’S WINGS
Everything is connected. Every word, every action, every thought. Nothing happens without consequence, without touching everything and everyone else. Consider the still pond. Toss a pebble into the center and concentric rings from the disturbance begin emanating on the surface towards the sides of the pond. Observe carefully and you will see the rings rebound back from the shore at oblique angles, eventually touching even the seemingly hidden shores of the pond. This is the observable part of the reaction, what of that which happens beyond our sight? As our pebble falls through the water on its journey to the bottom of the pond it continues to send out waves, though invisible to the eye, touching every part of the pond and every creature that calls the pond home.
The effect of our pebble reverberating in the pond is akin to our thoughts, words and actions effect on our selves and the world about us. What we are reverberates throughout the world, mostly unseen or consciously noticed, but the effect is there nonetheless. The analogy of “a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa and a drought happens in China” has been used by climatologists to suggest that the smallest actions can influence major change is illustrative.
Never doubt your importance or connection with the Divine. You are the literal son or daughter of the Most High. Regard yourself accordingly and assert your true place in thought and deed as the demonstration of God’s love and guidance and the world rejoices.
The effect of our pebble reverberating in the pond is akin to our thoughts, words and actions effect on our selves and the world about us. What we are reverberates throughout the world, mostly unseen or consciously noticed, but the effect is there nonetheless. The analogy of “a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa and a drought happens in China” has been used by climatologists to suggest that the smallest actions can influence major change is illustrative.
Never doubt your importance or connection with the Divine. You are the literal son or daughter of the Most High. Regard yourself accordingly and assert your true place in thought and deed as the demonstration of God’s love and guidance and the world rejoices.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What are you waiting for?
Living on the Spiritual Basis moves us off the bench and onto the bus. Everyone spends time on the bench, rationalizing and justifying why they are not taking the trip, watching bus after bus stop and pick up passengers. Fear keeps us on the bench, a mustard seeds worth of faith gets us moving. The fare is willingness, open-mindedness and honesty, the destination salvation, serenity and freedom and the driver none other than God himself. Yes, it will be a long strange trip, oh but the sights and vistas along the way remarkable beyond words, breathtaking in the awakening, the driver providing pitch perfect commentary.
Friday, August 20, 2010
OUR SECRET ROOM
When I truly began applying spiritual principles in my life, not just paying them lip service, I had to address my “secret room.” Employing rationalization and justification, I had sold myself a bill of goods to neatly lock away the things I was not proud of, poor choices, bad behavior, secret fears, resentments, etc out of sight. When the time came to ruthlessly face my past, the reasoning that locked these things away melted like a late spring snow. The process required placing them on paper and then saying them aloud to a trusted adviser. When this was completed, it felt as if an actual weight had been lifted from my shoulders, it was a stunning moment. This happened many years ago and in the intervening years I have watched the same transformation happen in hundreds of lives, the only requirement for successful consummation of the process being that they were thorough and honest in clearing out their secret room, for The truth will set you free.
A few weeks after revealing the inventory of my secret room, I asked God to enter every nook and cranny of my life, to short circuit any false notion that there exists any aspect of my life that God does not know about. Looking back it seems foolish that I believed I could “hide” things from God, but I did. A wise teacher said to me many years ago “live your life as if it is being filmed, a permanent record available to any who would care to look.” In truth, no camera eye follows us around (thankfully), but the eye of God does (thankfully). Clear out your closet if you have not already, for God already knows what is in it. Tear the door of your secret place off its hinges, and live in the light, free of the fear that hides in the shadows.
A few weeks after revealing the inventory of my secret room, I asked God to enter every nook and cranny of my life, to short circuit any false notion that there exists any aspect of my life that God does not know about. Looking back it seems foolish that I believed I could “hide” things from God, but I did. A wise teacher said to me many years ago “live your life as if it is being filmed, a permanent record available to any who would care to look.” In truth, no camera eye follows us around (thankfully), but the eye of God does (thankfully). Clear out your closet if you have not already, for God already knows what is in it. Tear the door of your secret place off its hinges, and live in the light, free of the fear that hides in the shadows.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
WHO HOLDS YOUR LIFELINE?
“But honesty, open-mindedness and willingness are essential.” We triumph over life’s inevitable challenges not by the exercise of willpower and brute force but by tapping into the power of the universe. Many paths lead to our ultimate awakening, most, if not all begin with spiritual discomfort. Sickness (our own or a loved ones), addiction, financial stress, a failed relationship and death (a loved ones or contemplating our own) are all beginnings, for “the only instrument sharp enough to cut away the excess of self is pain.” The greatest gift we can give ourselves is a foundation in faith before the assault on self begins. The pain and discomfort of dealing with the ultimate questions of living will not be avoided, but we will have a clear-cut set of directions to follow out of the wilderness.
“Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.” Set aside any preconceived ideas and don a new pair of glasses. Listen and learn with your heart, for in the end, isn’t finding a way out more important than who provides it? If you were drowning and a rope appeared held by a long hated enemy would you refuse it? Put aside your prejudice against any spiritual path, make use of what they have to offer, take what you need and leave the rest (for this selfishness is God inspired) and join us as we “trudge the road of happy destiny.”
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
ASSURANCES
Some things in life are assured: taxes, death, corrupt politicians, less sleep and more bathroom trips after 50, at least one new diet a month that promises: better sex, drop 20 pounds in 20 days with no exercise, fewer bathroom trips and better sleep, etc. The newspaper/nightly news will lead with a scary story, Oh, and of course the Cubs sucking.
The world (man) is always presenting some new and improved way to solve problems, to address the issues of living. All that is required is your vote and/or your money/credit card number and everything will change for the better. In truth, nothing in the news today is new. Politicians may not technically belong to the worlds oldest profession (I have my doubts) but if not they have been plying their trade nearly as long. Additionally there was a time, and not that long ago, when leeches and blood letting where central to a patient’s care and most patent medicines would definitely make you feel better, considering they consisted mostly of alcohol and some form of opium, and little else.
We are asked to trust people and institutions, to place our faith in governments and “learned” experts. Yet the same problems that plagued the ancients still plague us today: healthcare, jobs, secure borders, taxes, immigration, elder care, safe and available food, education, road and bridge maintenance, etc. Studying the history of worldly assurances; both micro and macro, it becomes apparent that outer assurances have done little to fundamentally change the world.
What of spiritual assurances? Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have found the timeless assurances of spiritual teachers becoming real for us once we stepped out in faith and wholeheartedly embraced the work. By placing our trust in the miraculous, turning from the outer to the within through prayer and meditation, trusting in infinite God rather than our finite self, we found peace and the ability to meet calamity with serenity. Our new reliance based on the work done in raising our consciousness, expanding our conscious contact with God, not the assurances of others. The promise of eternal life beyond the limitations of the flesh real, for we are now in the world but no longer of it. Now if I could just cut down on those bathroom trips in the middle of the night, maybe if I change my diet...
The world (man) is always presenting some new and improved way to solve problems, to address the issues of living. All that is required is your vote and/or your money/credit card number and everything will change for the better. In truth, nothing in the news today is new. Politicians may not technically belong to the worlds oldest profession (I have my doubts) but if not they have been plying their trade nearly as long. Additionally there was a time, and not that long ago, when leeches and blood letting where central to a patient’s care and most patent medicines would definitely make you feel better, considering they consisted mostly of alcohol and some form of opium, and little else.
We are asked to trust people and institutions, to place our faith in governments and “learned” experts. Yet the same problems that plagued the ancients still plague us today: healthcare, jobs, secure borders, taxes, immigration, elder care, safe and available food, education, road and bridge maintenance, etc. Studying the history of worldly assurances; both micro and macro, it becomes apparent that outer assurances have done little to fundamentally change the world.
What of spiritual assurances? Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have found the timeless assurances of spiritual teachers becoming real for us once we stepped out in faith and wholeheartedly embraced the work. By placing our trust in the miraculous, turning from the outer to the within through prayer and meditation, trusting in infinite God rather than our finite self, we found peace and the ability to meet calamity with serenity. Our new reliance based on the work done in raising our consciousness, expanding our conscious contact with God, not the assurances of others. The promise of eternal life beyond the limitations of the flesh real, for we are now in the world but no longer of it. Now if I could just cut down on those bathroom trips in the middle of the night, maybe if I change my diet...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
PROMISES
Living on the Spiritual Basis promises much: “We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past or wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace…That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear…Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic security will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us…When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned…As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His Presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.”
“Are these extravagant promises? We think not…They will always materialize if we work for them” (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 63, 83, 84 & 100 respectively).
If this and more is promised to those suffering from addiction, could you expect anything less in your life? Place your will and life into His hands and this and so much more is yours, for it is the promise and God keeps all His promises.
“Are these extravagant promises? We think not…They will always materialize if we work for them” (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 63, 83, 84 & 100 respectively).
If this and more is promised to those suffering from addiction, could you expect anything less in your life? Place your will and life into His hands and this and so much more is yours, for it is the promise and God keeps all His promises.
Monday, August 16, 2010
THANKS, BUT I GOT THIS. GOD
Living on the Spiritual Basis we now trust and rely on God for guidance, strength and direction but it is up to us to demonstrate our belief. If we pray but do not really believe we deserve to receive or that somehow the difficulty we are in was delivered by God to “teach” us a lesson than our prayer is answered accordingly. What do you believe? Living in grace we are forgiven in spirit our transgressions as soon as we ask, the pain comes when after having our consciousness raised we choose to act in a manner we know in our heart is wrong. God does not punish us, we do. He does not keep score, we do. Everything we have ever done or said is written on our heart, in our hand, not God’s. God wants us to be happy, joyous and free, if I am not it is because I have taken back up the reins of my life and am running the show again for God is a gentleman and will always hand the reins back when I reach for them.
Our deliverance comes from trust and demonstration. Trust in Him who has all knowledge and power and you will demonstrate the life you desire, continue outlining and attempting to run the show and you will demonstrate more of what you are praying to have removed! Avoid lending God a hand in the running of your life; He really doesn’t need your help.
Our deliverance comes from trust and demonstration. Trust in Him who has all knowledge and power and you will demonstrate the life you desire, continue outlining and attempting to run the show and you will demonstrate more of what you are praying to have removed! Avoid lending God a hand in the running of your life; He really doesn’t need your help.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Tour De France
What do you believe in? We believe in all sorts of things but typically fail to take the time to consider them. Everyone lives by a set of values, has a code, things they will and will not do but rarely stop and examine what they are. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we choose to examine our beliefs, become clear on our values and the code we live by. In so doing we build the structure of our mentality, our consciousness a stone at a time. Our decision to live the examined life builds the fortress of our faith, provides sure footing in times of trouble, protection from the vagaries of random wild negative thoughts and raised ramparts to better view the landscape of our lives.
All structures require maintenance, lest they fall into ruin. When Lance Armstrong began dominating the Tour De France I became interested in the race, one of the things that brings me back every year is the stunning pictures of France. Much of the race is followed with helicopters, showing panoramic shots of famous structures in proximity to the race route. France is dotted with castles/fortresses, typically situated on a prominent high point overlooking a village or critical choke point along an invasion route. A few are still occupied, but most have been allowed to deteriorate, their walls crumbling, moats overgrown, testaments to a once vital defense, now merely reminders of what once was. Just as physical walls fail without care, the fortress of our faith will suffer as well without consistent prayer and meditation. If we fail to do this and rest on our laurels the seeds of fear will find their way into the stones, take root and eventually breach the walls. Having done the work in faith to build your fortress, stay vigilant for the beginning shoots of fear, negativity and depression and when they appear, for they will, address them immediately reaffirming your faith and trust in God.
All structures require maintenance, lest they fall into ruin. When Lance Armstrong began dominating the Tour De France I became interested in the race, one of the things that brings me back every year is the stunning pictures of France. Much of the race is followed with helicopters, showing panoramic shots of famous structures in proximity to the race route. France is dotted with castles/fortresses, typically situated on a prominent high point overlooking a village or critical choke point along an invasion route. A few are still occupied, but most have been allowed to deteriorate, their walls crumbling, moats overgrown, testaments to a once vital defense, now merely reminders of what once was. Just as physical walls fail without care, the fortress of our faith will suffer as well without consistent prayer and meditation. If we fail to do this and rest on our laurels the seeds of fear will find their way into the stones, take root and eventually breach the walls. Having done the work in faith to build your fortress, stay vigilant for the beginning shoots of fear, negativity and depression and when they appear, for they will, address them immediately reaffirming your faith and trust in God.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
THE SUN IS ALWAYS SHINING
When things are going well there is a natural tendency to slack off a touch in our spiritual work. The sun is shining, the clouds decorating a peaceful sky, perfect for watching lying on a soft bed of grass, peace immanent. Life is good. We enjoy these times but must remain wary of complacency. Like the athlete who trains daily for the occasional competitions, we pray and meditate daily to keep our connection to the Divine fresh and open for the inevitable storms that visit every life. Living on the Spiritual Basis we now understand the rain falls on the just and the unjust equally, we are not being punished. Living on the new basis, today when a storm comes we gently step back into the shadow and shelter of the Almighty, out of the wind and rain, continuing to pray and meditate until the storm passes and the sun returns. Having embraced eternity we understand the truth of being, that behind every cloud, the sun still shines.
Friday, August 13, 2010
OUR FOREST
Within as without. What we believe at our core always finds it way into the light. The thief, liar and cheat all eventually fly their colors and become known for what they are, in spite of their best attempts to stay hidden. As disconcerting to life as these individuals are, those who speak of God yet act godless are the saddest of all. They recognize the beauty and importance of a spiritual connection only from the viewpoint of exploiting it for their own gain. If there ever was a creature that deserved our pity, they qualify. They truly “miss the forest for all the trees”, their focus self-centered, the majesty of our connection to the author of all obscured.
Only you know your heart. When our relationship with God is right, all other relationships can and will fall into place. The secret place of our consciousness is where we lay the foundation and place our order for the future. With God as our partner the foundation is sound, the future secure in the knowledge that we have tapped the universal mind for guidance and strength. Unfortunately the clamors of the world insistently attempt to invade our serenity, to infect our heart with fear, to turn us from the miraculous to the mundane. If your heart is troubled, turn off the news, put down the newspaper, switch off the radio and let the phone go to voice-mail. Pick up whatever spiritual tome is at hand or appeals to you and spend some time with it. Read a few lines and quietly reflect on what they mean to you. Continue doing this until it is time to stop, you will know. Your heart will be filled, peace re-established, perspective restored. This all happens in your secret place, your soul, your connection to the Divine cleansed, the forest in clear view, the beauty of the trees evident once again.
Only you know your heart. When our relationship with God is right, all other relationships can and will fall into place. The secret place of our consciousness is where we lay the foundation and place our order for the future. With God as our partner the foundation is sound, the future secure in the knowledge that we have tapped the universal mind for guidance and strength. Unfortunately the clamors of the world insistently attempt to invade our serenity, to infect our heart with fear, to turn us from the miraculous to the mundane. If your heart is troubled, turn off the news, put down the newspaper, switch off the radio and let the phone go to voice-mail. Pick up whatever spiritual tome is at hand or appeals to you and spend some time with it. Read a few lines and quietly reflect on what they mean to you. Continue doing this until it is time to stop, you will know. Your heart will be filled, peace re-established, perspective restored. This all happens in your secret place, your soul, your connection to the Divine cleansed, the forest in clear view, the beauty of the trees evident once again.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
WHO IS YOUR PARTNER?
How different would the fabric of the world look if all business embraced spiritual principles. All the justifications and rationalizations for poor in spirit decisions regarding layoffs, exorbitant salaries, pollution, leaving communities they have been a part of for decades just to improve the “bottom line”, etc would evaporate like morning dew on a desert flower. To be clear: change is natural. People who perform at exceptional levels should be compensated accordingly. If a business is not profitable and healthy, it should and must change. It is the manner and choices in change that matter. Hinduism taught over 3000 years before the Great Carpenter: “One should always treat others as they wish to be treated.” This simple, straightforward spiritual principle, the Golden Rule, is central to the spiritual path and, though first recorded over 5000 years ago, is routinely ignored. If business and governments employed just this single spiritual pillar, the world would be transformed overnight.
If you have not invited God into your business, do not lose any more time. Living on the Spiritual Basis you have tapped a resource of unimaginable depth and power, yet many who adhere to spiritual principles in their personal life allow themselves to waver when it comes to business. The reasoning is simple, the competition does not employ these principles and the fear is that if we do we will lose out. Is it really any wonder then that spiritual principles like the Golden Rule are absent from “secular” business decisions? Once again, there is no secular. Everything and everyone is part of the Divine, everything and everyone connected in Spirit. All supposed divisions are merely convenient illusions to perpetuate the false belief that there are areas of our lives that God is not involved in or a party to. Seek then His guidance and love in the workplace as well. Whether we clean the executive washroom or rule the boardroom, deliver the mail or pass judgment from the highest court in the land, weigh every decision and choice in spiritual light, lean on the greatest partner you will ever have because In God We Trust is not situational, but the way of life.
If you have not invited God into your business, do not lose any more time. Living on the Spiritual Basis you have tapped a resource of unimaginable depth and power, yet many who adhere to spiritual principles in their personal life allow themselves to waver when it comes to business. The reasoning is simple, the competition does not employ these principles and the fear is that if we do we will lose out. Is it really any wonder then that spiritual principles like the Golden Rule are absent from “secular” business decisions? Once again, there is no secular. Everything and everyone is part of the Divine, everything and everyone connected in Spirit. All supposed divisions are merely convenient illusions to perpetuate the false belief that there are areas of our lives that God is not involved in or a party to. Seek then His guidance and love in the workplace as well. Whether we clean the executive washroom or rule the boardroom, deliver the mail or pass judgment from the highest court in the land, weigh every decision and choice in spiritual light, lean on the greatest partner you will ever have because In God We Trust is not situational, but the way of life.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
“I am what I am and that’s all that I am.”
Popeye could have saved himself a great deal of wear and tear had he embraced spiritual living. Living on the Spiritual Basis is about unlimited potential and growth, our connection with the infinite. Popeye chose limitation, that what he is is all he is and that is it. Living on the new basis the question must be asked why Popeye chose fear over freedom. Was he locked into a cycle of failure because of his overbearing father, Poopdeck Pappy, always trying to impress him but invariably falling short? Was it because he feared losing Olive Oyl if he flew his colors as a man of God? The condescending personal attacks from Bluto/Brutus if he announced his faith or his inability to say no to Wimpy’s endless requests for support of his burger habit a demonstration of his weakness, not trusting in God to provide? Or was it the fear that to truly live on the spiritual basis he would have to surrender his spinach addiction? Sadly, we may never know. But we can learn from Popeye’s suffering and choose to live an unlimited life. Trust in God and carry the good news of His love and light into all your affairs, your life a demonstration of the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on Him who has all knowledge and power. The hope is Popeye in his final days, out of the limelight, his days of beating Bluto/Brutus senseless behind him, having released Poopdeck Pappy with love, finally free of the co-dependent relationship with Olive Oyl, no longer enabling Wimpy, free of the ravages of spinach, he found peace and serenity. Toot Toot.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
GOD IS THE SOURCE
The Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet…anything that is your neighbor’s (Exodus 20:17). From Encarta:
Covet v
1. Want somebody else’s property: to have a strong desire to possess something that belongs to somebody else.
2. Yearn to have: to want to have something very much.
How many wars have started or crimes committed because of coveting? How many billions put to the sword because someone coveted their land and/or possessions? Alexander, Caesar, Genghis Khan, Hitler and Stalin all coveted the world. The purse-snatcher to the well-spoken individual draining the savings of thousands with outright lies all covet.
Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we now know the truth of coveting. To covet is to be in fear. Fear of lack, of not getting what we “deserve”, of failure. None of the “Great” conquerors died fulfilled. They all expired with plans on the table for further conquest, coveting still more. The thief, whether it be the few dollars in your pocket or billions in trusted investment, still covet more. They are like the damaged vessel, regardless of how much water is added is never full, the water draining away nearly as fast as it is added through the hole in its base.
However, what of those who never act out to realize that which they covet? To covet is to allow fear to reign in our lives, whether we act on it or not, to countenance shortage and lack. Living on the Spiritual Basis lack and shortage are exposed in their true light, that God is the only source and all lack and shortage illusion. God is infinite supply and nothing is lacking or missing. When we covet, we place our finite selves ahead of infinite Source. To covet is to deny God’s “allness”, God is either everything, the true Source or else He is nothing, what is our choice to be?
Covet v
1. Want somebody else’s property: to have a strong desire to possess something that belongs to somebody else.
2. Yearn to have: to want to have something very much.
How many wars have started or crimes committed because of coveting? How many billions put to the sword because someone coveted their land and/or possessions? Alexander, Caesar, Genghis Khan, Hitler and Stalin all coveted the world. The purse-snatcher to the well-spoken individual draining the savings of thousands with outright lies all covet.
Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we now know the truth of coveting. To covet is to be in fear. Fear of lack, of not getting what we “deserve”, of failure. None of the “Great” conquerors died fulfilled. They all expired with plans on the table for further conquest, coveting still more. The thief, whether it be the few dollars in your pocket or billions in trusted investment, still covet more. They are like the damaged vessel, regardless of how much water is added is never full, the water draining away nearly as fast as it is added through the hole in its base.
However, what of those who never act out to realize that which they covet? To covet is to allow fear to reign in our lives, whether we act on it or not, to countenance shortage and lack. Living on the Spiritual Basis lack and shortage are exposed in their true light, that God is the only source and all lack and shortage illusion. God is infinite supply and nothing is lacking or missing. When we covet, we place our finite selves ahead of infinite Source. To covet is to deny God’s “allness”, God is either everything, the true Source or else He is nothing, what is our choice to be?
Monday, August 9, 2010
GASOLINE CAKE
The Ninth Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16). If we bear false witness, we will invariably reap as we sow. Dishonesty will infect every facet of living, the ultimate price being the inability to differentiate the true from the false at the most critical junctures of our lives. Many in modern society accept the concept of compartmentalizing, believing they can be ruthless, arrogant, even dishonest in business or career matters but then shift gears and be loving and gentle in the rest of their lives. This false belief is deadly to our spiritual growth. We are all the sum total of OUR ACTIONS, treating anyone for any reason in a manner we would find objectionable if it was visited upon us shuts us off from the sunlight of the Spirit.
We would never pour gasoline into the cake batter and then be shocked when the finished cake, regardless of how well it is decorated, is unpalatable. By telling tales, even engaging in seemingly innocuous gossip, brands us accordingly, treating anyone poorly for any reason, any justification, demonstrates our true spiritual state. By our fruits, we shall be known or to quote Emerson: “What you are shouts so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
We would never pour gasoline into the cake batter and then be shocked when the finished cake, regardless of how well it is decorated, is unpalatable. By telling tales, even engaging in seemingly innocuous gossip, brands us accordingly, treating anyone poorly for any reason, any justification, demonstrates our true spiritual state. By our fruits, we shall be known or to quote Emerson: “What you are shouts so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
Sunday, August 8, 2010
NO THIEF CAN TOUCH IT
The Eighth Commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). The laws regarding material theft are well known. Little needs to said regarding the secular price paid if one steals physical goods, but what of spiritual theft?
Can anyone steal your serenity, peace of mind or surety in Spirit? Only if we allow it. Can anyone truly steal a reputation or a good name? The difference between secular theft and spiritual is eternity. Even if someone succeeds in sullying another‘s name, in the end God knows the truth. To paraphrase the Great teacher: Where do wish to build your kingdom? Here, where it is subject to time and deterioration or in Heaven, which is eternal? No one gets out alive. This flesh will fail. The work we have done to raise our consciousness remains with us by spiritual right, forever. Our relationship with a Power Greater than Ourselves is forever, beyond the reach of any thief or the ravages of time.
Those who have tried to demonstrate a connection to God for the sake of secular success never succeed in the end. Personal wealth, possessions or false pride never pass beyond the grave. You cannot steal or fake a relationship with God
Can anyone steal your serenity, peace of mind or surety in Spirit? Only if we allow it. Can anyone truly steal a reputation or a good name? The difference between secular theft and spiritual is eternity. Even if someone succeeds in sullying another‘s name, in the end God knows the truth. To paraphrase the Great teacher: Where do wish to build your kingdom? Here, where it is subject to time and deterioration or in Heaven, which is eternal? No one gets out alive. This flesh will fail. The work we have done to raise our consciousness remains with us by spiritual right, forever. Our relationship with a Power Greater than Ourselves is forever, beyond the reach of any thief or the ravages of time.
Those who have tried to demonstrate a connection to God for the sake of secular success never succeed in the end. Personal wealth, possessions or false pride never pass beyond the grave. You cannot steal or fake a relationship with God
Saturday, August 7, 2010
GOD’S WILL & DROPPED PANTS
The Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). Pretty straightforward. The Old Testament lays out a pretty harsh penalty for those breaking this commandment: death. That would certainly clear the dockets in divorce court, but what does this mean to us today in the light of Living on the Spiritual Basis? The case can be made that shall not also means can not. Clearly married people are and have been “sleeping” with people other than their spouses since the institution of marriage became accepted. The can not applies to the inner self, the subconscious, our soul, were we always pay the price for our actions, all secular justification and rationalization meaningless. When a student has approached with a question about infidelity, to date it has always been after the fact. When someone begins to have the stirrings, considering an affair or fling, the last thing they want to do is talk about it before consummation. When I am approached the conversation usually begins with something like “it wasn’t planned, it just happened” “I don’t know what I was thinking” “I never wanted to hurt my wife/husband” or some such other nonsense.
Don’t know what you were thinking? You were thinking about sex with someone other than your spouse. It wasn’t planned? Your pants just happened to drop, in a secluded place, and you figured what, must be God’s will? You never wanted to hurt your spouse? So, if circumstances were reversed, how would you feel? To be clear: If it is time for a marriage to end, then it should, divorce is not wrong or evil. People grow at different rates, develop new interests that take their lives in conflicting directions or even falling in love (before having sex) with another are all valid reasons to end a marriage, the lying (to our spouse and ourselves) and the false flags flown are the problem.
We make a commitment to another when we wed. We owe them, ourselves, and God the truth. Many an otherwise good relationship has been irreparably damaged from a passing sexual infatuation, the union crippled because of dishonesty, for had they been honest about their feelings and intentions before the act, though still uncomfortable, the death penalty (death of the marriage) may have been avoided. The death penalty called out in the old testament today plays out as the death of trust, love, peace of mind, serenity, the turning our back on spiritual principles we have come to know, seemingly shutting us off from the sunlight of the spirit, the crippling of a piece of our soul. A high price indeed considering the long road of forgiveness we then have to travel to regain the peace of mind so, in hindsight, casually cast away.
The truth will set you free. The price of rigorous honesty may be steep, even painful, but we must be willing to pay it if we expect to reap all of our inheritance as children of the Most High.
Don’t know what you were thinking? You were thinking about sex with someone other than your spouse. It wasn’t planned? Your pants just happened to drop, in a secluded place, and you figured what, must be God’s will? You never wanted to hurt your spouse? So, if circumstances were reversed, how would you feel? To be clear: If it is time for a marriage to end, then it should, divorce is not wrong or evil. People grow at different rates, develop new interests that take their lives in conflicting directions or even falling in love (before having sex) with another are all valid reasons to end a marriage, the lying (to our spouse and ourselves) and the false flags flown are the problem.
We make a commitment to another when we wed. We owe them, ourselves, and God the truth. Many an otherwise good relationship has been irreparably damaged from a passing sexual infatuation, the union crippled because of dishonesty, for had they been honest about their feelings and intentions before the act, though still uncomfortable, the death penalty (death of the marriage) may have been avoided. The death penalty called out in the old testament today plays out as the death of trust, love, peace of mind, serenity, the turning our back on spiritual principles we have come to know, seemingly shutting us off from the sunlight of the spirit, the crippling of a piece of our soul. A high price indeed considering the long road of forgiveness we then have to travel to regain the peace of mind so, in hindsight, casually cast away.
The truth will set you free. The price of rigorous honesty may be steep, even painful, but we must be willing to pay it if we expect to reap all of our inheritance as children of the Most High.
Friday, August 6, 2010
MURDER OR KILL?
The Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder (NKJV Exodus 20:13). The original King James translation is: Thou shalt not kill. (The New King James Version does away with the archaic idioms of speech from early 1600 England; additionally the original Hebrew and Greek texts dating to the 5th century used for the original KJV have been compared to the Dead Sea scrolls to provide the most accurate translation to date.) Murder was understood at the time of the writing of the old testament as the unethical or immoral taking of a life, the punishment of which was typically killing or maiming the offender in the manner proscribed by law (for perspective, remember this was 3500 years ago when the world was much wilder, requiring hard law to be tamed).
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we look to the deeper layers of this commandment. No one can assassinate, murder our character, peace of mind, reputation or connection to God without our assent. To be clear: the assent is in our heart, others will say and do as they will, we know, and by extension God knows the truth, for it is written on our heart, in our hand. Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we stand in the light, fearless (though often trembling) of the world, for we are in, but no longer of this world, walking the road less traveled. Rejecting gossip, character assassination and condemnation of others sets us free, for we now know in our heart of hearts the truth of being: that we are all children of the Divine and all reap as they have sown, be it the whirlwind or serenity. Our job to be of service to all who earnestly seek and to pray in private for those struggling with truth, asking God to do for them what they cannot do for themselves, never answering the unasked question, but standing ready to help when asked, be it stranger, friend or even, and most importantly, someone who has demonstrated ill will.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we look to the deeper layers of this commandment. No one can assassinate, murder our character, peace of mind, reputation or connection to God without our assent. To be clear: the assent is in our heart, others will say and do as they will, we know, and by extension God knows the truth, for it is written on our heart, in our hand. Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we stand in the light, fearless (though often trembling) of the world, for we are in, but no longer of this world, walking the road less traveled. Rejecting gossip, character assassination and condemnation of others sets us free, for we now know in our heart of hearts the truth of being: that we are all children of the Divine and all reap as they have sown, be it the whirlwind or serenity. Our job to be of service to all who earnestly seek and to pray in private for those struggling with truth, asking God to do for them what they cannot do for themselves, never answering the unasked question, but standing ready to help when asked, be it stranger, friend or even, and most importantly, someone who has demonstrated ill will.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
PARENTS
The Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12). If raised in a loving, respectful, two parent home this commandment is pretty straightforward, at least on the surface, but what about those who were not? Does God expect us to honor an abusive or absent/missing parent? Yes, since they are children of God just as we are, but that does not mean we have to invite them into our lives. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we recognize their shortcomings, defects of character, and release them with love. Do not misunderstand: releasing someone with love does not wipe the slate clean, absolving them of the work they need to do. If they were emotionally and/or physically abusive and show no interest in changing, releasing them with love does not require us to place ourselves in a position to be harmed out of “honor.” Additionally the absent parent who suddenly appears, their only passport having been a sperm donor or 9 months in their womb, must be weighed accurately in spiritual light since our first inclination is to allow them emotional access in a way we would never grant a “stranger.”
To be clear since emotions run very high on these issues: Exercising forgiveness and releasing with love does not mean we forget and blindly place ourselves in a position to be harmed. Loving all spiritually, in Source, does not mean we have to like them or sit across the table from them on Thanksgiving. We must release all with peace, visualizing God’s love and guidance for them in prayer and meditation. However, never lose sight of the truth that the leopard, no matter how much we may wish it, rarely changes its spots. “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”
In light of the good news the carpenter brought to the world, this commandment takes on a deeper meaning as well. The greatest teacher of all cleared up any ambiguity about our relationship with the Divine when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount 1500 years after Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. We are all children of God, literally, and by honoring Him, Our Father, placing our will and life in His hands, do we find true place, freedom and long life in spirit as we trudge the road of Happy Destiny, eyes wide open.
To be clear since emotions run very high on these issues: Exercising forgiveness and releasing with love does not mean we forget and blindly place ourselves in a position to be harmed. Loving all spiritually, in Source, does not mean we have to like them or sit across the table from them on Thanksgiving. We must release all with peace, visualizing God’s love and guidance for them in prayer and meditation. However, never lose sight of the truth that the leopard, no matter how much we may wish it, rarely changes its spots. “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”
In light of the good news the carpenter brought to the world, this commandment takes on a deeper meaning as well. The greatest teacher of all cleared up any ambiguity about our relationship with the Divine when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount 1500 years after Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. We are all children of God, literally, and by honoring Him, Our Father, placing our will and life in His hands, do we find true place, freedom and long life in spirit as we trudge the road of Happy Destiny, eyes wide open.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
EVERY DAY THE SABBATH
The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). 3500 years ago when Moses first delivered this commandment, people rarely enjoyed a day “off” let alone one day a week devoted to spiritual pursuits. Most worked dawn to dusk, their life expectancy less than 30 years. This New Testament (it didn’t become “old” for around 1500 years) laid out rules and conditions for living and conduct that for the first time applied to all, regardless of station or current circumstances. The Sabbath wasn’t just for the priests to observe, but everyman was to stop and rest, to take time to contemplate god, the commandment making it spiritual law, superseding the secular.
For 1500 years, this stood as the model for those who embraced the new covenant, the covenant of a single God. Then Jesus raised the consciousness of man again with his teaching/demonstration removing the last bastion of any supposed separation from God, our true Divine relationship being one of parent to child, not figuratively but literally.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we pray and meditate through out our day, every day the Sabbath, every moment sacred, the truth of our relationship with Our Father demonstrated. Turning our will and lives over to the care of God invites His love and direction into our lives 24/7. Living in a raised state of consciousness we carry the message into all of our activities, practicing spiritual principles in everything we do and with all we meet, the Sabbath not a day of the week but the living daily expression of our connection to the miraculous.
For 1500 years, this stood as the model for those who embraced the new covenant, the covenant of a single God. Then Jesus raised the consciousness of man again with his teaching/demonstration removing the last bastion of any supposed separation from God, our true Divine relationship being one of parent to child, not figuratively but literally.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we pray and meditate through out our day, every day the Sabbath, every moment sacred, the truth of our relationship with Our Father demonstrated. Turning our will and lives over to the care of God invites His love and direction into our lives 24/7. Living in a raised state of consciousness we carry the message into all of our activities, practicing spiritual principles in everything we do and with all we meet, the Sabbath not a day of the week but the living daily expression of our connection to the miraculous.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
VANITY
The Third Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain… (Exodus 20:7) Per Encarta:
Vain: adj
1. excessively proud: excessively proud, especially of your appearance
2. unsuccessful: failing to have or unlikely to have the intended or desired result
a vain attempt at persuading them
3. empty of substance: devoid of substance or meaning
[14th century. Via Old French from Latin vanus “empty, without substance” (source of English evanescent and vanish).]
We always demonstrate our beliefs by our actions. Someone who speaks of love but acts with cruelty, the individual who professes honesty yet lies and steals whenever it suits them is vain. Their words devoid of substance, employed only in an attempt to enjoy a reputation they know they do not deserve, a mere tool to further their selfish desires.
History is replete with those who spoke of God, their love of God, even preaching about God, only to be unmasked as vain, using God simply as a vehicle to further their own selfish ends.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we understand the necessity of walking the way we talk. Talking about a power greater than our self but failing, even refusing to change our ways leads to pain and suffering, how could it not? Having placed ourselves at odds, by choice, with the creative intelligence of the universe, struggle is the natural outcome.
The good, no great news for us is that as soon as we turn our will and life over to the care and direction of God the scales begin to fall from our eyes, our relationship with the Divine taking on substance and meaning as the result of the new demonstration, vanity replaced with true purpose.
Vain: adj
1. excessively proud: excessively proud, especially of your appearance
2. unsuccessful: failing to have or unlikely to have the intended or desired result
a vain attempt at persuading them
3. empty of substance: devoid of substance or meaning
[14th century. Via Old French from Latin vanus “empty, without substance” (source of English evanescent and vanish).]
We always demonstrate our beliefs by our actions. Someone who speaks of love but acts with cruelty, the individual who professes honesty yet lies and steals whenever it suits them is vain. Their words devoid of substance, employed only in an attempt to enjoy a reputation they know they do not deserve, a mere tool to further their selfish desires.
History is replete with those who spoke of God, their love of God, even preaching about God, only to be unmasked as vain, using God simply as a vehicle to further their own selfish ends.
Living on the Spiritual Basis, we understand the necessity of walking the way we talk. Talking about a power greater than our self but failing, even refusing to change our ways leads to pain and suffering, how could it not? Having placed ourselves at odds, by choice, with the creative intelligence of the universe, struggle is the natural outcome.
The good, no great news for us is that as soon as we turn our will and life over to the care and direction of God the scales begin to fall from our eyes, our relationship with the Divine taking on substance and meaning as the result of the new demonstration, vanity replaced with true purpose.
Monday, August 2, 2010
ONCE UPON A TIME…
The Second Commandment: You shall not make for yourself a carved (graven) image… (Exodus 20:4).The passage goes on to state that we must (shall) not bow down or serve them. We all have a friend, acquaintance or relative whom has been retelling the same story, recounting in passionate detail a lost love, opportunity, when they were wronged or a medical procedure/condition, seemingly forever. We have heard it so many times that when we think of them their “story” immediately pops into our mind, their lives defined by it. Instead of applying spiritual principles, they have crafted an image that is dragged out at any opportunity and displayed, the eternal search for a sympathetic (or just willing) ear, any solution or moving beyond his or her “story” of no real interest, only the telling since “no one really understands.” Their identity so intertwined with their story the fear of letting go, moving forward, so overwhelming that rehashing the past, with feeling, is preferable. Living on the Spiritual Basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we have turned out our sacred cows and given over our “stories” our carved images of resentment, ailments and anything else that stands between us and the sunlight of the spirit. Living in this way we transcend ordinary levels of consciousness, placing aches, pains, and secular living concerns in their proper perspective, choosing instead to focus on our relationship with God and how we may be of service to those about us seeking help and guidance.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
WHEN I REMEMBER
The first of the Ten Commandments states: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). Everyone worships something. The atheist who reverentially, with deep conviction preaches the religion of non-belief, the Darwinist speaking from the mount of science, painting all who disagree with the taint of ignorance, the evidence of their position clearly incontrovertible. The preacher condemning all who do not share their interpretation of scripture, certain in their self-righteousness, worshiping at the altar of spiritual pride, their mind closed to any contrary deeply held beliefs. The executive who worships at the alter of profit and success, the hedonist lost in sensual desire and fulfilling of self. Everyone worships something. Living the examined life we come to terms with what we worship, for our eyes have been opened, our consciousness raised.
Often a student in difficulty when asked about their prayer and meditation life answers “when I remember” or “if I can find the time.” When we place anything before our relationship with God, we reap the crop we have sown. Our actions demonstrate where our heart truly resides, what we worship. Let nothing take a more prominent position in your life, place your full attention on your conscious contact with Him who has all knowledge and power, and everything else will fall into place in due course.
Often a student in difficulty when asked about their prayer and meditation life answers “when I remember” or “if I can find the time.” When we place anything before our relationship with God, we reap the crop we have sown. Our actions demonstrate where our heart truly resides, what we worship. Let nothing take a more prominent position in your life, place your full attention on your conscious contact with Him who has all knowledge and power, and everything else will fall into place in due course.
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