Beyond The Clouds

Everyday somewhere a plane departs in the rain. The aircraft pulls away from the gate and takes its place in line for lift off. Soon the engines spool up, the brakes released the craft quickly gains speed, the passengers pushed back in their seats by the acceleration. The nose lifts and the cabin window is obscured in driving rain, then everything turns white as the plane enters the clouds. A few seconds pass and it happens, bright sunshine bursts into the cabin, momentarily blinding in its intensity. The rain, darkness and shadows replaced with brilliance. In truth the sunshine was always there, it was merely obscured for a time.

When we find ourselves in the midst of difficulty, though we may be standing in the shadow of difficulty, the sunshine of God’s love never ceases, the clouds merely an illusion created by fear. By raising our consciousness through prayer and meditation we demonstrate over fear, for in truth, regardless of conditions on the ground the sun is always shining behind the clouds.

Proper Perspective

“We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn’t do it. Avoid then the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence” (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 133).

 The only power that can hold us back, regardless of the challenge, is giving in to self-centered fear. Living on the Spiritual Basis does not mean that life’s challenges no longer exist or are any less painful in the moment, but instead of allowing ourselves to drift into sorrow and morbid reflection, we turn to Him who has all knowledge and power for strength and direction, demonstrating over fear. Circumstances in our lives are not spiritual impediments, just different paths of enlightenment. The truth will set you free: We are not this flesh. We are eternal spirit, existing in this form for only a moment, children of the Most High. Living on the Spiritual Basis affirms our connection to the infinite, puts all things in their proper place and perspective, triumphant over fear.

The Ink in the Pen

You are actively engaged in daily prayer, meditation and service, have given your will and life over to the care of a Power Greater Than Yourself, but some area or areas of your life are not improving and new troubles seem to keep appearing, why?

We know that God is all-powerful, all knowledge and intelligence, the one true source of all abundance, immanent, yet our pleadings are seemingly falling on deaf ears, why?

Through demonstration and adherence to spiritual principles our consciousness has risen, we have experienced the joy of standing in the light, seen the light begin to shine in others lives, yet we are struggling, why?

Time is a curious thing. Einstein demonstrated that it is flexible, affected by both gravity and speed, relative to the observer’s point of reference. God is unaffected by our relationship with time, its affect on us. The passing of the seasons, the marking of birthdays are human constructs, our time line of remembrance, not God’s. 

When in emotional or physical pain or struggling with some difficulty, we desire relief, answers now. The universe does not answer to our time line. Faith requires the willingness to trust the miraculous is working, unseen, to address the issues of our lives. I am reminded again of the hen and her eggs. The miracle of creation is happening inside the eggs, the hen’s job to have faith and care for the eggs, trusting in the unseen to do the work, in its good time.

So we answer the question of why by trusting in faith, trusting in the unseen. Remembering that this day is a single day in a very long existence, the spark of the Divine within eternal, having never been born, will never die, not limited by flesh, having always been and will always be, we strive to live beyond the present by being present in the moment for Our Father and our fellows. The past is written, the future the ink in the pen, in this moment the pen moves across the page, be present for the story of your life, stand firm in faith and in His time why evaporates.

Wishy Washy

We cannot have our indignation or “justified” anger and live on the spiritual basis. If we wish to comprehend serenity and know peace, we must choose our basis for living, secular or spiritual. There are many things in life where we can be lukewarm, wishy washy, kinda in and kinda out, take it or leave it. This is not one of them; it requires a wholehearted commitment on our part.

Living on the Spiritual Basis requires:

1) Turning our will and life over to the care and direction of a Power Greater Than Ourselves, as we understand it.

2) Study and work to develop a clear understanding of what this Power is and isn‘t, but at its minimum this power, God, must be loving, intelligent and available. Begin to clear away the debris from living on the secular basis; learning to value the welfare of others and the power of selfless service, of course, this is a lifetime endeavor.

 3) Give all power to our new friend God, in every sense, for every area of our existence is under His purview, nothing hidden, all secrets revealed.

4) Turn to God in prayer, holding fast to the belief that prayer can accomplish anything.

5) Destroy, with prayer, any negative thoughts as they surface, refusing to allow them purchase in our consciousness. Remembering that no one does this perfectly, so we do not berate ourselves if a wolf in sheep’s clothing creeps in, we just address it in prayer upon becoming aware.

6) Understanding “reaping and sowing.” That not only do our actions have consequences, habitual negative thinking does as well, what we focus on, we bring into our lives.

7) Practice the Presence of God, to the best of our current ability, in everything, in everyone, at all times, but especially with those we disagree with or dislike. To be clear: Seeing God in everyone and everything does not mean that we cannot or should not hold strong opinions or point of views, but instead of engaging in negative prattle and thinking, we seek the higher ground that Living on the Spiritual Basis provides. For in truth, “there is a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst”, such is being human.

8) We book end our days in meditation, starting each day asking to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindness and love, that our motives throughout the day be devoid of selfishness and self-seeking. Ending our day with constructive meditation on the day’s events, refusing to allow morbid reflection to infect this time in spirit.

In time, with practice, this way of life will become second nature, its benefits becoming readily evident.

Prayer Is Always The Answer

I have not always prayed. Sure, there were those furtive pleas of “please let me pass this (math, English, history, etc) test”, “please stop the room from spinning” (if you have never said this prayer, I hope you never have too), “please, don’t let her be pregnant, I promise to use a condom from now on”, you know, the get me out of this and I promise to be good/change prayers.

Prayer changed for me when I found myself facing a self-imposed crisis that I could no longer evade or avoid. With no place and no one left to turn to I was driven to my knees and said my first, of what has since become many, honest prayers: “God help me.”

Did a light shine down or angels pick me up and carry me away in that moment? Perfect enlightenment and the solution to all my difficulties presented on a silver platter? Nope, but the soul crushing weight I was under did lessen enough so I could breathe.

Many years have passed since that first honest prayer, and though far from perfect in prayer, I have watched prayer work miracles of healing in my life and countless others. Today I live in the absolute certainty of the Power of Prayer, when speaking to those unconvinced of prayers efficacy I offer: “If I could only show you the world through my eyes and experience, you too would be convinced, by demonstration, that Prayer Is Always The Answer.”

“Guilty with an Explanation Your Honor”

It is suggested that we “pray with a feather” for prayer should never be hard work; it is our time to speak with God. When praying we should not concern ourselves with choosing the perfect word, phrasing or long explanations. The longer the explanation or “set up” the more obvious that we are trying to "sell" God. Now in truth, who are we trying to sell, God or ourselves? “Guilty with an explanation your Honor.” God already knows our heart and mind, for He is closer than breath. Remember, His love is unconditional, grace freely given regardless of our transgressions, impossible to earn. Though there may be secular consequences for our past deeds, we are forgiven in spirit as soon as we earnestly ask. So pray simply, honestly, quietly from the heart, and you will receive openly and in great measure, for that is the promise.

Max Planck and a Hundred Forms Of Fear

Everything is connected. The belief that a problem or difficulty exists in one place and must be brought to God’s attention is false. God is either everything or else He is nothing. Nothing exists in the physical world or our consciousness that God is not aware of, for He exists everywhere, in everything at all times. 

Consider: Nobel Prize winner Max Planck in a 1944 speech on the nature of matter stated in part, “All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.” By the turn of this century quantum physics had verified that which Max Plank could only postulate. Since this is the bedrock of all creation, is this “matrix of all matter” the mind of God since it comprises everything we see, touch and feel? Beats me. What I do know though, through practical application, is once we employ the presence of Divine healing where our difficulties truly lie (our consciousness); improvement follows. God was never absent or unaware; our perception was skewed by fear. In truth we do not/cannot seek a Power Greater Than Ourselves without; we must seek within, for it has always been there, veiled by a hundred forms of fear.

How To Treat With Prayer

A treatment is a prayer directed at a definite subject, something that is a pressing problem. Unlike general prayers that are a visit with God, a treatment is a surgical operation on the soul. A difficulty has arisen in our life; the reasons for its arrival are a distraction, like spending time wondering who sold the nail we stepped on when a tetanus shot is the action required. Treatment prayers focus on solution, not causality while general prayers typically are “checking” in with God, affirmations of our love, trust and faith. The essential difference is fear. Treatment in indicated when perhaps you or someone you care about has become ill, possibly it is financial difficulties or some relationship, personal or professional, has begun to or has turned sour.

A simple form of employing treatment in prayer is:

1) Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Begin with a general prayer (something significant and powerful for you).

2) Now take a few cleansing breaths and picture the difficulty in your minds eye. Next visualize the problem passing from your hands to God’s. If the difficulty is hard to visualize, then visualize the individual (including yourself) free of the difficulty, surrounded by God’s creative love and healing.

3) End the treatment with a closing prayer affirming God’s love, guidance, limitless power and knowledge. Thank him for the healing you believe will come and then:

4) Leave it be. Do not try to visualize how God will work or how the outcome will come to pass. This is outlining and always leads to trouble. Do not repeat the treatment out of fear. If something happens or changes in regards to the difficulty and it feels appropriate, treat again, but do not begin from fear. If fearful, first address the fear in prayer and when it has subsided, then repeat the treatment.

Fear is not the difficulty being treated. Fear is what makes the difficulty seem overwhelming. Fear is the self-centered belief that God will not act, that somehow, someway we have traveled beyond the pale, so far from God that our prayers are not heard or worse rejected or ignored. Nonsense. No one, no matter what has transpired in his or her lives is separated from God. We build the walls; create the false sense of separation, not God.

When we allow fear domination, we operate on our soul with a rusty scalpel and a shaking hand. God can and will solve all difficulties, if, though perhaps trembling, we stand firm in faith.

Praying For Ourselves

Some hold that it is selfish and a waste of time to pray for ones self, but how could it be? “Praying for ourselves is the reverse of selfishness-it is truly glorifying God” Emmet Fox.

There is tremendous danger when we attempt to sort our prayers. When we attempt to gauge with our limited vision what is appropriate to pray about we embark on a fool’s errand. God does not need or want us to play prayer gatekeeper. Our job is to come to Him in prayer with anything on our mind or is troubling us. Additionally we do not waste time trying to construct the wording of our prayers to avoid perceived selfishness. Simply we speak from the heart, for when the heart speaks the heart listens. God knows our heart and the issues that flow from it, for He is closer than hands and feet, closer than breath. And that is most close indeed. A simple heart filled prayer delivered trembling can move mountains. “You must pray for yourself constantly. How could it be otherwise?”

Hens and Bumper Stickers

The hen lays her eggs and then keeps them warm and safe until they hatch. What would happen if half way through the process she decided to crack open the eggs to see how things were progressing? Chickens are not the sharpest tools in the shed, yet they understand their role in creation. The hen demonstrates faith in the process, knows if she does her job, the miracle of creation will follow, all by instinct alone (I may be wrong, but I do not think chickens spend a lot of time considering the mysteries of the universe). Living on the Spiritual Basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, when faced with trouble or difficulty we lay our concerns in His hands, take whatever secular action is required and trust in His promise for just as the wonder of creation that takes place inside the shell unseen, He works in us.

Years ago I spied a bumper sticker that summed it up nicely “Thanks, but I got this, I really don’t need your help. God.” Place your problems in His hands and let Him work. We can learn much from the hen and occasionally from bumper stickers.

“We answer to a higher authority”

Now that we have been on the path of spiritual living for a time, what is our course when faced with a serious problem or difficulty? Should we redouble our efforts, work harder?  Isn’t that usually one of the first thoughts to cross our mind in these times? That we will need to work hard on this, that it is going to require extra time and effort, spiritual toil to get to the other side? Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we do not ignore secular answers or remedies, but we do immediately employ spiritual principles as soon as we become aware of the situation. As an old commercial intoned, “We answer to a higher authority” (everyone does actually, some just don‘t realize it, yet). Remembering change is the natural course of living, we quietly and resolutely turn to God when faced with trouble and place the trouble in His hands. Having taken whatever action the secular world requires, having prayed and meditated in due course we stop, become quiet for the footwork is done, the results left to God. When we feel the “do something” urge begin to creep back into our consciousness we turn to God in prayer and ask if there is anything further that needs to be done, that He would have us do, for we are willing. If there is, we will have an intuitive thought, the action made clear.

Our problems and difficulties require trust for resolution, not spiritual hard work. Living on the Spiritual Basis we trust infinite Creation rather than our finite self. “God can and will solve this problem”, remember there are no small or large difficulties, spiritually size is non-existent; when in pain and discomfort, the ultimate solution is always found through our reliance on a Power Greater Than Ourselves. Save the hard work for the garden.

What is More Important?

Do you have to “find” time to pray and meditate? Really? What can possibly be more important than your time with the Miraculous? Now if you are praying and meditating regularly, are you doing it out of a sense of duty? Kinda like the dishes or the laundry? Secretly feeling relieved when done so you can get on with what you really want to do?

Praying and meditating out of duty is better than no prayer or meditation, but misses the true nature of why we do it. Understand this truth: Prayer and meditation is not for God, it is for us, for God is prayer and meditation incarnate. When we pray by rote, reciting them as a parrot, we reap as the parrot reaps, though fed and cared for; we remain caged, caged in the bondage of self, a cage constructed with our own hand.

If your prayers have become stale, your meditations tedious take a break from what you have been doing. Simplify your prayers to the point of asking only to be shown His will this day. A prayer of “Please Father, guide my hands, my heart and my mind today, so that I may best serve you and my fellows, Amen” said earnestly carries more weight than a dozen memorized prayers recited impatiently.

Concerning meditation, open any spiritual book that appeals to you and read a line or two, never more than a paragraph. Take a few cleansing breathes and then quietly consider what was just read. When your mind begins to wander, gently bring it back to the reading. When your mind starts to wander again, end the session and thank God for the time spent. There is possibly no more powerful prayer than “Thank you God”, said form the heart. Keep it simple.

In time, your prayers will change as your consciousness rises and you will begin to look forward to your quiet meditative moments. Always remember: Do not struggle. This is not work, a chore, something to “get done” so you can do something seemingly more important, for there is nothing more important.

So learn to pray with the lightness of a feather and meditate with joy, remembering you are not merely in the Presence of the Infinite, you are connected in Spirit, an integral part of all creation.

Fate?

Fate, as a conscious power, is a convenient catch all for those confused or unwilling to do the work necessary to clear away the wreckage of living that accumulates when we chose to live the unexamined life. When we understand the law of reaping and sowing, fate is placed in its proper perspective.

To be clear: Many things are attributed to fate that are in reality merely aspects of living and life. Someone always wins the lottery. It not fate; they just bought a ticket and a random number generator kicked out their numbers. The car crash happened because a variety of conditions came together. Thousands of cars crash every day all around the world, not fate, just a result of a lot of cars on the road. Everyone misses opportunities, drops the toast, zigged when they should have zagged. When facing life’s inevitable questions, challenges and seeming random occurrences, what defines us is the direction our thinking takes when faced with them, do we turn within or without?

If you still believe fate is immanent, take a moment to investigate. Get a pen and a piece of paper. Say a quiet prayer to be shown God’s will for you and write down any aspect of your life or an incident you have attributed to fate. When finished read it through and ask for an intuitive thought. Employ some cleansing breaths, close your eyes and relax. Do not struggle or be insistent. Quietly review what you know about the Great Creative Life-Force. Do not tell anyone (the only exception being if you have a close spiritual adviser) what you are about. Many in our lives, though well intentioned, will not understand and will in fact retard your demonstration. Usually an insight comes in the first session, but if not do this as part of your meditation period for a week. If nothing seems to have surfaced after a week, put it aside. In time you will have an “aha” moment, so do not struggle or be in a hurry. Perspective is paramount regarding time, remember, the true YOU, the I AM, is eternal, let God work within you and the mysteries of fate will be revealed, in His time.

Another Unbreakable Law

What we dwell on defines the course of our thinking. When we dwell on thoughts of “my bad luck”, “I’ll never find a good job”, “the kids won’t…” “My (insert your favorite recurring pain or condition)”, “I hate…” or dwell on any thought concerning something we really don’t want in our lives, we open our consciousness and invite in exactly what we are trying to avoid! This is the Law of Unintended Consequences demonstrated. Being a law, the converse is true as well, when we dwell on thoughts of peace, kindness, love, and serenity, we attract these qualities into our lives.

To be clear; jobs are lost and found, money comes and goes, our children will act up (probably not as bad as we did at their age), our health issues will increase as we age (and one of them will be the last one) what matters is how we address these thoughts when they surface in our consciousness, do we dwell on the low or seek the high? Do we seek God’s will or wallow in the negative? The choice is always ours.

Dwelling on hate and its cousin resentment is 100 per cent effective in shutting us off from the sunlight of the spirit, their only purpose to produce more hate and resentment. Remember the analogy of one bad apple? Apples used to be placed in a barrel filled with liquid to preserve them through the winter. If a single apple in the barrel began to rot, the rest of the apples became tainted, inedible. Hate and resentment have the same effect on our consciousness, tainting every thing. Though we need to watch consistently for all negativity and limitation thinking, hate and resentment are particularly destructive.

The Zen of Bacon Avocado Cheeseburgers

We have decided to make a change in our lives. Perhaps it is quitting smoking. We throw away our smokes (or smoke them up) and announce we are now a non-smoker. What changed? If I just polished off a bacon avocado cheeseburger and then announce myself a vegetarian, am I? If I have a room full of exercise equipment or paid up gym membership does it mean I am physically fit? The question is demonstration versus intention. Our intentions may be noble, but nothing happens until we take action and follow through. The question is: what course of action should we follow to be successful.

Change is a process; the new man is not born in a day. Wayne Dyer writes in The Power Of Intention: When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. Embrace this spiritual truth and think from the end. While still smoking, see yourself free of cigarettes, not as someone “trying” to quit. You have either quit or you haven’t, trying is destined to fail for who wants to “try” hard things like quitting smoking when there are easy things like smoking. If you are persistent, soon the smoke free “new man” (or woman) you have built in your consciousness will emerge and you will be free of cigarettes. You did not quit smoking; you simply outgrew it. Think of it this way: when children we did not know that the last time we played hide and seek or made mud pies or built a fort was the last time, it just was. We could have made more pies or forts or organized a round of hide and seek, but we didn’t and we didn’t think about it, it just happened naturally, part of growing up, without thought on our part.

If getting fit is the desire, do not start by making “deals” with yourself or picking a time or date to start. Instead, before the first sit-up or minute on the elliptical, start by seeing yourself exercising in your minds eye, visualize yourself exercising everyday; picture your body as it will look after exercise, do this every day, throughout the day. Soon the urge to exercise will become overwhelming, as long as you refrain from negative out picturing (if 50 you will never look 20 again) and defeatist thinking (how hard it will be, pain, etc).

Train yourself to think from the end. Like any new activity, at first it will feel clumsy and unfamiliar. If you persist, it will become second nature, like riding a bike. Intention is the vision; you must provide the conditions within your consciousness for the ultimate success of your demonstration.

Oh, bacon avocado cheeseburgers? Don’t be silly; they are the food of the Gods.

Demonstrating Over Trouble

The world provides a myriad of answers and solutions for the problems and challenges in our lives.  Watch TV, listen to the radio or click on any of the daily spam messages in your in-box and an “answer” can be found for what is troubling you, usually all that is required is a credit card or bank routing number. This secular basis of living provides unlimited answers to life’s questions, the real question is how effective are they? If freedom is just a click or phone call away, why is the world still bedeviled?  Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have a new set of tools for addressing the conditions troubling us: We treat them spiritually. Just what does that mean and how do we do it? Glad you asked:

First: Do not package your concerns. General prayers are better than none, but provide only general answers and solutions. Be specific. Take the time to write down and separate out the things that are troubling you. What do you want removed from your life and what do you want to come into your life. Be specific.

Second: Now that you have your list, address each item separately. Consider your concern in the light of your spiritual knowledge. Claim the Great Creative Life Force, as you understand it, will address this concern, in its own time, in its own way in the perfect form for you. Avoid visualizing how you think things should progress, this is outlining and is counter productive, visualize only the power working in your life, providing, healing, creating, doing for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Third: When finished close with a simple prayer thanking God, as you understand Him, for knowing Him better. Do not allow yourself to become tense or demanding in these sessions, for this only retards progress. Do not discuss what you are doing with anyone, this is between you and the universe, keep it private. Do not look impatiently for signs of progress. Faith is trust; trust is faith, Trust in the Miraculous, for miracles are our birthright.

Follow these directions for 30 days. If you are persistent and consistent in your demonstration, some remarkable changes will be taking place in your life. Few, if any will be in the manner or following the script we would have written, but they will be exactly what we need, at precisely the moment needed, arriving typically without fanfare. We will intuitively know what to do and how to do it with the needed strength, if we remain willing.

After 30 days feel free to share the method and what happened to you in a general way with any you think ready to step out in faith, but it is imperative that you keep the specifics of your list and prayer private, encased in the secret place of your heart where no one but you and the Creator have access.

Daydreams

Everyone daydreams, of what do you dream? Thoughts are causative, the thoughts we entertain will find out picturing in our lives. Now, I know what you are thinking: cool, I will think about having robust health, a boatload of money, healthy happy relationships or stopping smoking and poof, problem solved. Unfortunately wistfully dreaming about something without a basis for generating the change in conditions is actually destructive, counter productive. Consider: many who want to stop smoking don’t dream of being smoke free, but how hard it will be to quit. If lacking financial abundance they don’t dream of following their heart’s desire, money and abundance coming by virtue of doing what they love, but on the reasons for not following their heart (too old, too young, need schooling, what will people think, etc). If experiencing poor health they do not see themselves as healthy, free of the restrictions ill health places on them, instead focusing on the limitations, dwelling on their “ailments” various symptoms. When thinking of others, they daydream about past encounters, imagining all the things they should have said, dwelling on how they will do better the next time, even fantasizing to the point of rehearsing whole future conversations in their minds eye.

So if you wish to be miserable, dwell on getting even with those who have hurt you (real or imagined), for dreaming of revenge slams the door of serenity, installing resentment as your best friend. Focus on every medical condition you hear about and wonder if perhaps you have some of the symptoms. Never waste an opportunity to join any discussion dealing with conspiracy theories, for later when alone this will provide great daydreaming fodder. Watch and read everything you can dealing with end of world scenarios and daydream on how you will cope or die as a result. Spend your time dreaming about what is missing in your life and how it will never happen. Above all, dream darkly; as soon as the slightest ray of sunshine tries to enter your thoughts snuff it out, for the world is a hard, sharp place.

We choose the course of our lives by the thoughts we entertain, reaping what we have sown in our consciousness. We choose the dreams we dwell on, will we stand in the light, free from the bondage of self or dream darkly, wrapped in anger, limitation, fear, pain and resentment? Our God given free will leaves the choice in our hands; choose wisely.

Yeah but...is there cake?

Having been a spiritual mentor for many years, there is no more painful word to hear from a student then but. It matters little whether the student has been on the path 10 weeks; 10 months or 10 years this word is a nearly impenetrable barrier to progress.

The new student listens impatiently, waiting for a chance to chime in, then an opportunity presents its self they begin their comment with yeah, but…

The student who has been on the path for a time, faced with something uncomfortable attempts to make their case for avoidance of the required action with yeah but you don’t understand…

Finally, those who have traveled the path for a significant period are attacked by but obliquely, in their quiet moments. Having persevered and done much work spiritually, they “believe” but doubt has crept in. They are attempting to come to terms with some seeming inconsistency and are looking for answers or some action to engage in for specific direct relief. One of the most difficult spiritual lessons to take to heart is when to stop. When you have consulted with those whose spiritual counsel you value, have taken all the secular steps indicated, have prayed and meditated on the difficulty, the next indicated action is to be still.


Consider cake making. You have mixed all the right ingredients, in the correct proportions, placed the batter in a baking pan and the pan has been placed in the heated oven to bake. While it bakes we leave the oven closed for opening the door repeatedly to see how things are progressing upsets the balance. The cake batter has its job, the oven its task and neither requires our assistance. Let God do His work, you have put together the ingredients for healing and placed them in His hands; give Him time to cook. Tasty cake and faith require patience, neither have buts in them. If truth is true, there are no buts.

Lucy Van Pelt is not God

Do you believe God wants you to succeed?  Or do you harbor some lingering belief that God is a trickster waiting to punish or harm you, to pull the rug out from under you to make a point? If we are children of Divine Mind, extensions in spirit of the miraculous, than God is not Lucy van Pelt with a football. Unlike Lucy, God always holds the football steady and wants us, encourages us to kick it as hard as we can, to succeed in every area of life and living. Fear however often holds us back to the point of approaching the ball with trepidation or worse walking off the field without even attempting a kick, fear triumphant. Though perhaps trembling, run as hard as you can, trusting in God and kick the ball with all your might for God is not like Lucy, though she may think so, now Linus…

The Great Spark

When considering our relationship with God, one of the simplest and best-known metaphors defining that relationship is man is the spark from a great fire. If you touch a piece of kindling to a roaring blaze, it sparks to life. The spark has the same composition of the blaze and can be used to start a new blaze, if sufficient fuel is available. Unlike the blaze, a spark is extinguished easily if mishandled and will in fact soon burn out if new fuel is not added. Living on the Spiritual Basis is our kindling, daily prayer, meditation and service the fuel that keeps our fire burning. The good news is that if we have failed for any reason to keep our spiritual fire lit, the Great Fire, being eternal, inextinguishable, it is always available to relight our fire. The only requirement is we must provide the kindling.

Late Night Musings

What is beyond God’s purview? Money? Healing? Peace of mind? Love? Serenity? Anything? There are many avenues of delivery but there is only one source, God. This truth has been related in a myriad of ways by Spiritual and religious teachers, but what if we set aside for a moment any religious or spiritual conceptions we may hold concerning “God”. In the last few decades science, particularly physics and quantum mechanics, has uncovered some interesting things. For instance, at the most basic levels of existence, the sub-atomic, particles with names like quarks, leptons and bosons demonstrate “intelligence” in the way they react. Now these particles, and others with even more interesting names, comprise all matter, from quasars to mayfly’s, grains of sand to super massive black holes, you and me. What if embodied in these particles, the observed “intelligence” was the mind of God? If that is the case, then God is not only everywhere but He is everything. That everything and everyone are extensions of Divine Mind, the Universal Creative Life Force. Sounds kinda spiritual. Just a thought, can’t prove it but it does keep me up at night, in a good way.

Active Electronic Inactivity

Set aside some time each week to be disconnected from the world. Turn off the phones (all of them), put the computer in hibernate and turn off the monitor, no TV’s, radios, mp3 players, iPods or any other sound producing device left on. Turn around or cover any clock that may catch your eye. Now read a book, a real one, no electronic readers, play a game (nothing electronic), write (with pen and paper) or just sit quietly experiencing the peace of the moment. Depending on your circumstances, small children, roommates, uncooperative spouses etc you may only be able to do this for a short period, but make the effort. It is an exercise in active electronic inactivity, disconnected from the electronic world, a demonstration in willingness to walk the road less traveled, a simple affirmation in action of our true connection to the miraculous.

Last House on the Block

When facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge in life, finding our back against the wall, all secular answers and escape routes tried or closed off, beset on all sides by fear and perceived negative outcome, we become willing. From this nadir of spirit, a spark of faith bursts into life. In truth it was always there, buried beneath conventional thinking and secular belief. When faced with the insurmountable, having exhausted the conventional, we are left only with what was once unthinkable and we begin to pray. Perhaps we have not prayed in years or ever prayed in a religious sense. Perhaps we believed ourselves to be agnostic or a conversational atheist effectively leaving the question of God simmering on a back burner, only to find life has turned up the heat and the pot is bubbling over.
    
Though perhaps surrounded by people mouthing the usual platitudes, we feel alone, lost, trapped, the walls closing in, no apparent way out. So we begin to pray. We make sure we are alone, unseen. We may even feel guilty, a hypocrite for all those times we disparaged those “holy rollers”, for having felt superior to those weak willed church goers, having gleefully engaged in schadenfreude when a religious figure fell from favor. Having found ourselves at the court of last resort, bereft of any more “good” ideas or plans, we finally turn to prayer.
   
From this moment of trepidation, one book closes and a new one opens. We quickly find that the universe does not make too hard terms for those who earnestly seek. That God will make himself known to us, if we ask. The Great Carpenter taught that upon this mustard seeds worth of belief, a deeply rooted strong spiritual life can be grown. Our job to remain open minded, honest and willing to learn.

Having stepped on to this path, does it mean our prayers are answered in the manner we outline? Doubtful. All prayers are answered in the positive, but our vision is limited while God’s is not. Spiritual hindsight has shown that many of the things I prayed for, had they been delivered as I ordered them, would have caused more trouble and problems down the road. Prayer will never cause pain or unintended consequences, so it is not that the universe says no, but it will not say yes to anything that may cause harm, intended or not.

 There are many questions about life and living that are beyond our ability to comprehend. So pray softly, form and style of little importance, speaking from the heart of paramount importance. God will Deliver, if asked, for our birthright is to be Happy, Joyous and Free.

Tending Our Garden

The spiritual principle of reaping and sowing is universal. I cannot think of a single spiritual path that does not teach this lesson. Our thoughts, words and actions are the crop we plant and to prosper must be watered with love, patience, kindness and willingness. Regardless of the individuals crimes or offenses committed, it is our garden of life we work in, not the other mans. Here is a specific instance to reflect on: Bernie Madoff stole billions of dollars. Many of those he stole from were wiped out, having gone to bed one evening thinking they were comfortably invested, their future financial needs well met only to awaken to the horror of a lifetimes worth of saving gone, their financial future cast into doubt with little recourse, or more importantly time, to recoup their loses. Feelings of fear, anger, confusion and retribution are all natural responses, but what is the road less traveled, the spiritual path? Does walking out into our garden, kicking at the plants, cursing the ground they are planted in, denying them water and nourishment have any direct effect on the object of the derision? Losing our peace of mind, our serenity, cutting ourselves off from the true source, citing “justified” anger and resentment as our passport, punishes the transgressor how? The only garden we will ever work in is our own.  Does this mean we should blithely regard those who commit crimes, harm others? Of course not, but we cannot get angry enough to bring peace. No amount of condemnation ever restores serenity. Seeking revenge will never lead us out of the soul shattering darkness of resentment and condemnation.

So what is the spiritual course? Simply, prayer and meditation: we pray for the accused, the transgressor, for God to do for them what they cannot do for themselves and then meditate on pity. Pity for they will reap as they have sown, all books are balanced in the end, for good and ill, the justice those unrepentant ultimately receive far greater than any secular court can hand down. Pray for the aggrieved, the transgressed, for God to do for them what they cannot do for themselves and then meditate on forgiveness. If we are the aggrieved or the aggrieved are close to us, make the prayer specific, personal. To be clear: Forgiveness does not mean we forget the transgression or wish to ameliorate the punishment the accused brought upon themselves by their actions, we leave them to their demonstration, to tend their own garden just as we can only tend ours, we invoke in prayer God’s love and guidance for them and ourselves while refusing to engage in resentment and condemnation.

Do not combine these sessions. Allow for a small passage of time to elapse, a few moments are sufficient. Let each stand-alone, a clear demonstration, we do this so our consciousness does not get muddled in conflicting purpose. Finish each session with a prayer of solicitation, asking for the strength and willingness to accomplish whatever God would have us do to be of service to those suffering as well as those who committed the act, for above all we desire freedom from the bondage of self, our garden lush and vibrant. If the necessity for this closing prayer is unclear, please read again from the beginning. Peace.

I Have the Right to be Angry!

Justified anger and righteous indignation. When angry, outraged, indignant, upset or offended, who pays the price? We do. Sure, we may vent at the source of our displeasure, but our face becomes red, our heart beats faster, our blood pressure rises, our serenity is lost, our peace of mind replaced with turmoil. Even if we get the chance to give them “a piece of our mind” what was actually accomplished? Then there are those occasions when the object of our ire is beyond our reach, speeding away down the road, on the other side of the TV screen or radio speaker or try as we might we just cannot get through the maze of voice mailboxes to get to a real person and ranting e-mails are wholly unsatisfying. There are few laws that are truly immutable, here is one: we reap as we sow.

Immutable: adj

Unchanging or unchangeable: not changing or not able to be changed (Encarta)

We cannot get angry enough to instill peace, in ourselves or anyone else. No one has ever been moved for long in a positive way when anger is the sole motivation. No world leader has ever changed their mind because I yelled at the TV.

Does this mean we should go through life with a Mona Lisa smile cemented on our face, never taking a stand or pointing out mistakes, having no opinion on anything, floating along on some form of spiritual (or actual) Valium? Of course not, Living on the Spiritual Basis is not about disconnecting from life, floating above it all, but connecting in new and profound ways, for we are living on a new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God.

Avoid the distraction of being offended. There is always something to be upset or offended by, from the inconsiderate driver/cell phone user to world leaders acting badly, but our peace, serenity, must never be the victim. When we allow the world to get the better of us, we suffer the pain we try to inflict on others. We drink the poison of resentment and discontent, we become upset and irritable, we close ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit and not only do we suffer, but those closest to us do as well. The next time the thought “I have the right to be angry” crosses your mind ask yourself: Who gave you this right? Bottoms up.

K.I.R.K.I.S.

We are constantly building up or tearing down our mental structure by the things we ingest, books, magazines and the newspapers we read and conversations of all stripes. Then there is the almost unconscious ingestion via television: sports, news, talk shows, sitcoms, dramas, movies, history and learning, “reality” shows (I always wonder whose “reality” these programs are based on) and of course, infomercials and commercials.
   
All input affects, colors our thinking and world view. We choose the type of structure, materials and practices that compose and build our consciousness, usually without much thought or discernment on our part. Consider: would we knowingly use defective building materials or stand for shoddy workmanship in our home? Haphazard repairs done to our vehicle or place our life in the hands of a cut-rate doctor? Our consciousness or soul if you prefer, is more precious than any home or vehicle repair or even bodily health, for just as the structure we dwell in, the car we drive or even our body is a temporary construct, while our consciousness is eternal.

So, beginning today, take a moment and consider your mental diet, but do not rush off willy-nilly making changes or taking vows, we have all done this in the past when “deciding” to lose weight, eat better or begin an exercise regimen for though our motives were sound, we placed unrealistic expectations on ourselves virtually guaranteeing failure. As our awareness grows, we quietly and gently in prayer and meditation ask to be shown what changes and action should be taken, asking God for guidance and the needed power to carry them out. Keep It Real Keep It Simple.

Peace of Spirit

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future” Fulton Oursler. When in the grip of fear, it convinces us a ravenous beast is waiting around the next corner to attack and rend us asunder. So we tremble and attempt to hide, all the while depression slowly squeezes the life out of us, freezing us in inaction. Fear is a liar, but it is an implacable foe, an adversary beyond our ability to defeat alone. It never sleeps, is always vigilant, waiting, cunning, baffling and powerful and though we may rally and occasionally win a battle, the outcome of the war is never in doubt when we rely only upon our limited resources.

Regret opens the door to morbid reflection. When we reflect morbidly lament and depression become our traveling companions, forgiveness in grace replaced with self-centered fear driven negative introspection. The adversary never sees the future brightly and with hope, but always dark and hopeless, stealing the moments of peace and serenity that are ours by birthright.

Living on the Spiritual Basis we rely on the Creative Life Force at the heart of everything for our strength. In so doing we face fear with faith, which enables us to meet seeming calamity with serenity, in action, in purpose, grace realized, the thieves barred entry into our consciousness and we are free, our peace of spirit restored. 

 

Superpowers

If you could receive three gifts, what would they be? Riches? A perfect body unaffected by any food consumed or lack of exercise? Your children healthy and prospering? Mosquitoes extinct? Probably we have all dreamed of what we would ask for if Aladdin’s lamp came into our possession. How about the ability to fly? To make all politicians and car salesmen tell the truth? Now that would be scary. Along with flying, there are a whole myriad of superpowers that would be pretty cool. Strength, telepathy, breathing in water, invisibility, etc, all make for an interesting thought experiment. I have pondered on this and today if I could have a super power it would be the power to instill common sense. I would walk through crowds brushing against people, striking them down with common sense, and just like the popular end of the world virus scenarios once infected every person  touched in turn would become infected as well (insert diabolical laughter here). Soon the entire world would be infected and there would be nothing that could be done to stop it, common sense would rule!! (More diabolical laughter).

Diabolical laughter aside, if common sense was, well common, consider how the world would be transformed. No one would talk or text, apply makeup, read the newspaper, shave, consume a three course meal or any of the other thousand things some folks do while piloting a roadway missile.  Politicians and leaders would actually be concerned about those they serve, working for something other than their legacy, their bank account or a cushy lobbyist job upon leaving office. I may be naive, but I believe that common sense would resolve conflicts in a twinkling, all parties working toward the welfare of all involved. Terrorists, once infected, would slap their foreheads saying, “What was I thinking?” and then do something constructive with their lives. Admit it, wouldn’t you love to be watching TV when some self obsessed personality or politician became infected on air? Professional athletes salaries would become commensurate to the reality that they play games for a living, while front-line teachers pay would reflect the importance of the role they play. Reality TV and infomercials would cease to exist over night. No pollution or litter, for no one with a lick of common sense would poison his or her environment or throw trash on the ground. Kinda gives one pause to wonder doesn’t it.

I know, Common Sense Man does not have the same panache as Wolverine, Batman, Daredevil, Hulk, Thor, Superman or Ironman but in the real world, clear thinking is of much greater value than Admantium retractable claws or going through life saying HULK SMASH!. My other two wishes? Common sense dictates I keep some things to myself. Excelsior!