There Be Dragons

On the old maps when a mapmaker reached the end of what was known they would often write in the margin “There Be Dragons” to denote the unknown along the edges of the known, fear inculcated as fact. Being a metaphysician, I find that margin note quite appropriate when embarking on any attempt to teach spiritual truth and principles. With over 1000 different Christian Churches, Islam with over a billion followers and radical disagreement among its adherents to the interpretation of the prophet’s words, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and God only knows how many other religions big and small believing in all manner of things, many of whom claiming they are the only, one true path or church, the appearance of dragons on this subject is guaranteed.  

 So, in order to continue, I need to fly my flag: I am a First Century or red letter Christian. In many bibles the words attributed to Jesus are in red, so my faith begins with those words, everything else filtered through them. I do not believe there is a need for anyone to “interpret” the Christ teaching for us since we are asked by the Great Carpenter to read with inner light, the spark of the Divine that is within all, regardless of station in life or current circumstances. Of course we should stay open to all teachers; the mistake is when we make them “sacred cows”, placed on a metaphysical pedestal, beyond question or error. As the Buddha teaches: “Embrace nothing: If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet your father, kill your father. Only live your life as it is, Not bound to anything.”
       
To be very clear: we will have many teachers in the course of our existence. We learn from them, but remembering in God’s eyes all are equal, student and teacher, and when we are called on to teach, and we will be, we rejoice. All that is required to become enlightened is an open mind and heart, coupled with a willingness to serve a greater destiny than our limited (secular) imaginations can conceive. So, listen to opposing viewpoints and engage in constructive dialog where appropriate (be very wary of dragons here and never argue with a closed mind, leave them gently with a silent prayer, for this is how we kill the Buddha) and filter everything through Spiritual Truth, as you understand it. If you’re not quite sure what your spiritual truth is, I’m sure there is a book around here somewhere with some red words in it, as fine a place to start as can be found. Checking my six for dragons.

GREMLINS

We all know someone, might even be someone we see in the mirror, who has a shelf full of self help/spiritual books. Most of them have probably been read, once, after which they took their place of pride in the collection. Now being a self appointed spiritual guru, enlightened being, Zen master and just a peach of a guy, I will now impart to you one of the grand secrets of the universe. Gremlins. Pick up any one of the books that touched you in the past, open it at random and start reading. Read a few pages. Go ahead, I’ll wait………………Pretty amazing huh. How could you have missed that the first time you read it? Yup, gremlins. When we get busy with life they move the words around to reflect our ever increasing level of spiritual understanding. The lesson is simple, stop looking for answers, you already have them. Study what you already know, what has already touched you for it touched you for a reason. Study that which has sung to you in the past, and you will be amazed that no matter how many times you have read it, those darn gremlins have got in there to reflect your increased insight. This isn’t to say that nothing new can come along, but first we dig our foundation deep by focusing on basic truths, revisiting the roots of our belief regularly, observing how the gremlins have brought new luster to that which we thought we knew and understood. Aren’t secrets cool.  

NO FRAKKING BRIDGE!

We are constantly treating everything in our lives by the thoughts we entertain, if we believe we are defeated, we are. We are asking for failure if we believe in failure, in fact treating for MORE failure, even though we may at the same time be praying, haltingly, for success! How can this be, no one wants to fail, it transpires because even though we pray, we spend the rest of the day entertaining negative fearful thoughts! “As a man thinketh" the lesson on reaping and sowing showcased. What we dwell on, spend our time reflecting on, we manifest in our lives, Period. We will never manifest peace, prosperity, health and happiness in our lives if we continue to focus on strife, lack, sickness and sadness. To be clear: All prayers are heard, but when we ask not really believing, for any reason, the prayer will be answered in the manner asked; our lack of faith rewarded. So, when we feel even the slightest twinge of doubt, we stop and treat the doubt with prayer before praying further! We do not allow ourselves the illusion that by pretending it is not there deals with it. So we pray with all our heart and expect to receive, but we don’t limit God by outlining in our mind how we think our prayers will or should be answered. When outlining we miss God’s will, we are so fixed looking in one direction we overlook anything that doesn‘t fit our will. Trust God’s unlimited vision and refuse to be limited by outlining.

A scene from a classic movie demonstrates this nicely: Indiana Jones is on the brink of finding the Holy Grail. He has surmounted monumental difficulties to reach this point but now finds he is looking down a chasm that appears impossible to cross, but he must cross or his father will die. He opens his "father's " book looking for inspiration and reads “Step out in faith.” Closing his eyes, with fear and trepidation, he steps out into space and discovers the bridge had always been there, he just couldn’t see it. Faith is like that. Trust in God and refuse to entertain the inner voice screaming: Are you nuts! There’s no frakking bridge!

ILL Health, As A Way Of Life.

Emotion is your friend. Get overly emotional about everything. Be outraged not only at perceived slights directed at you but at everyone else as well, even strangers.

Drink lots of caffeine and energy drinks. So what if it makes it hard to sleep. Sleep and rest are overrated anyway. Besides you’ll get plenty of sleep when dead.

Eat anything that is quick and easy. Food is food and time is precious. What is more important, eating or working, texting, blogging, chatting, reality TV, online poker, partying etc? The body may be a temple, but it is your temple so decorate it anyway you want.

Vitamins are expensive, and some say they really don’t work anyway, so they must be a waste of money.

Stay busy. Even when “relaxing” do something constructive. God forbid you take any down time.

Avoid prayer and meditation, religiously.

Never walk if you can ride.

You will always have time to exercise later, when you have more time.

When you do get sick, make sure you research the condition at length. Speak of your malady with everyone (make sure you rehearse your speech, don’t want to leave anything out) and listen intently when they in turn share their experiences, especially the negative ones to see how they may apply to you.

Never follow a Doctor’s advice completely, it’s your body and who knows better what’s good for it than you.

And never, ever, turn to God in anything.

Recipe For Shallowness

Watch for trends and as soon as a new one starts, jump on board. It doesn’t matter whether or not the trend appeals to you, just that you follow it as soon as possible, since you must be on the cutting edge. Be the first to read the latest self help book and waste no time in telling everyone how life changing it is, of course always with an ear to the ground for the next book. Be sure to belittle and condescending to those who don’t share your beliefs, even if you aren’t sure what they are this week, since you know in your heart of hearts that they really are against you and will pull you down if given the chance.  Become a master of the backhanded compliment, point out the faults of absent “friends” or anyone you perceive as more successful than you since your wit demands it be shared and appreciated. Always have the answer, never mind those pesky details or facts. And above all crow endlessly on your ability to always get the best price. Let your pride shine brightly when recounting how you always get the best deal, how you are a master of the cheap. Keep up appearances at all costs, standing proudly on your dignity because clearly you are the master of your life, having all the answers, no spiritual assistance needed or required.

Recipe For Failure

Be sanctimonious. Pride yourself on being the perpetual devil’s advocate; always pointing out why something will never work, reveling in the potential pitfalls. Be sure to inject yourself into every conversation, whether invited or not, because you are providing an invaluable service. Develop your genius for predicting the worst at every turn. Have no focus in life. Spend your time gossiping whether in person or by endless blogging and texting about meaningless things, never missing an opportunity to point out the negative. Watch reality TV religiously and become emotionally involved. Trust in blind luck, every failure affirming the belief that life really is a crap shoot, and you just are unlucky. Always think of yourself first and never be of service to anyone unless there is something in it for you. And by all means never step out in faith, trusting in God, asking for His help and guidance

RECIPE FOR UNHAPPINESS

Reflect morbidly. Worry about everything. Tell yourself that time is running out and you aren’t getting any younger. Rehash the memories of all those times you zigged when you should have zagged. Visualize all the people who have ever mistreated you and relive the experience. Worry about your health. Go online and search medical databases to diagnose any ache or pain you have and what it might be a symptom of. Money? Have some? Will it be enough, will it last, what if some crook in a suit finds a way to steal it? Don’t have much? How will you get more? What if you don’t? Whatever your financial condition, dwell on all the possible negative outcomes. In short, think about yourself, relentlessly. Do not let any thoughts of God or good dissuade you from your mission and you are sure to be successful at being unhappy.

Settled Science And Sacred Cows

             Have you an open mind?  In the course of teaching metaphysics this question is often met with incredulity, a brusque “of course.” It is in the secret place of our heart where this query truly lurks. On important social issues, we must spend equal time studying both sides, to the point that we can intelligently argue either side if we wish to be truly informed. If we choose not to do this out of laziness we then form our opinions based on emotion and snippets of (unverified) information gleaned from a variety of sources lacking any systematic or logical course of study.

         In the 1970’s I was a member of the Futurist Society. Futurists predict the future based on what is deemed the best verifiable evidence extrapolated logically. I accepted their pronouncements at face value, since they had studied and researched the issues (I believed) at depth. I looked forward to the arrival of each issue for one particular writer whose articles were always well written and interesting. The new issue arrived and I attempted to read some of the other articles first, but soon turned to my favorite author. With a smile on my face I began reading. When finished though I felt a bit unsettled. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it continued to bother me. So after about a week I went to the library to do some research. Firing up the microfiche (remember microfiche and cabinets filled with microfilm) I located the statistics I was looking for and there was the problem. The author had reversed the stats that supported his position! I felt relieved and a little proud. I reasoned that some underling had provided the stats to the author incorrectly and a correction would be forth coming. The next issue arrived and nothing was mentioned. I surmised that by the time he became aware it was too late for this issue but would certainly be in the next. Well he did address it in the next issue. The response was one of the most over the top, vitriolic pieces of junk I, to this day, have ever read. Not only did he defend his position and facts, anyone who disagreed with him was an idiot! I was left stunned and breathless. I rechecked the stats to see if I misread them. Nope. A sacred cow died that day.

        Spiritually, sacred cows are everywhere. Many are inherited, some have quietly strolled in and we have not bothered to do the work to turn them out, usually because if we do we are afraid of what we will find when they are gone, since sacred cows are notoriously poor house keepers. We must not be afraid to ask questions and seek the truth, since: the truth will set you free. Trust, but verify.

        I didn’t renew my membership in the Futurists Society. Looking back, one of their predictions for 2000 (then 25 years in the future) was, that if we didn’t act immediately, the world was about to be plunged into a new ice age, one that we instigated. Beyond doubt. Settled science. All the top climatologists said so.

God Doesn’t Take Plastic

God doesn’t break cosmic law, to do so would establish favoritism. No one stands above another before God, all being loved equally. Most of us, unfortunately, go through life by self propulsion until some hardship befalls. Being nominal believers we turn to prayer in desperation and fear, asking for help. Now if we are loved by God, a love even greater than a parent has for their child, why does God seemingly not answer or as many have said “God answers all prayers, just sometimes the answer is no?”

Consider the fast food restaurant. We pull up to the speaker/microphone, place our order, drive up to the window and get our food. Oh, that’s right; we have to pay for the food before it is handed to us. What happens if we lack sufficient funds? No food, we go hungry. The person holding our order may love us and want with all their heart to give us the food since clearly we are hungry, in need of relief, but they cannot. To do so would be unfair to everyone else; other customers, fellow employees, the restaurant owner, share holders and the community at large would suffer, because if we get free food, why shouldn’t everyone? Providing something for nothing, based only on emotion, inevitably leads to anarchy, suffering and lack immanent.

God never says “no”, but He never will or even can answer a prayer that will give prosperity to one if it brings poverty to another, peace to one by causing turmoil to another. To do so breaks cosmic law, and since He is the author of the law, He never breaks it. All prayers are answered in the positive, but often because we have certain expectations, based in self, we are unable to see God’s hand at work.

God is never unfair. If we have been busy living life secularly, believing in God but doing little to demonstrate that belief, is it really any surprise when we fail to demonstrate spiritually? Once again, reaping and sowing in action. No real crop (practicing prayer and meditation, being of service) was ever planted and now winter (trouble) has arrived and the cupboard is bear. Since the Universe isn’t a fast food restaurant, where if you have a credit card you can get your food on the promise of future payment, God doesn’t take plastic. The promise of prayer and good works tomorrow is meaningless towards our demonstration today. Faith without works is dead. Start today to plant the crop you wish to harvest, to stock your cupboard for the inevitable winter days that come for all. To be clear: We cannot live off of yesterdays work, what our cupboard is stocked with is the truth of our relationship with and to God, that by doing HIS work well TODAY, all our future needs will be met.

So, just for today Practice the Presence of God in every area of life. Salute the spark of the Divine in all you meet. Forgive. Spend a few minutes each day in prayer and meditation. Carry the Good News on your face so that any who hunger can be filled. By planting and nurturing this crop, we will never hunger, our cupboard always full, our good works the demonstration of the Power within.

Tombstone

To recognize failure intelligently is the first step toward building success.
We all fail, often. Do we profit from the experience or reflect morbidly on it?

Recognize success with thanksgiving, and build more success on that.
Giving thanks for success and asking the same for all, guarantees further success, for all, if they are willing.

We can have anything in life that we really want, but we must be prepared to take the responsibilities that go with it.
Why do so many fail to demonstrate? God knows if we are prepared, but He never brings anything into our life that will overwhelm or harm us.

God is ready the moment we are.
We ready ourselves through consistent scientific prayer and meditation. Who would try to run a marathon without training or fly a plane with no instruction, yet spiritually many, if not most expect God to deliver just because they asked, asking to win the marathon and promising to train afterwards. To be clear: God can and does provide miracles without pre-requisite, such is Grace, our responsibility once aware, is to Practice the Presence of God, to consistently train ourselves to be of service, not only to God, but to our fellows as well.

God always knows the answer.
What more do we need to know?

The biggest fool of all is the man who bothers about outer things and neglects his own consciousness.
If you have no time for prayer and meditation, you will have lots of time for sickness and trouble.
Toward the end of the movie Tombstone, Doc Holliday is receiving last rites from a Catholic priest as Wyatt Earp walks in. Doc comments to Wyatt “I was just investigating the mysteries of the Church of Rome. It appears my hypocrisies know no bounds.” Hypocrisy had little to do with it. We all choose the course of our lives, many putting off to tomorrow their “investigation.”  For Doc Holliday, at least in this movie, better late than never but since we cannot rely on cards and a quick gun hand for our source and security, ultimately failing Doc in the end as well, we choose the sure bet today, to Practice the Presence of God daily, with prayer and meditation.

Keys To The Car

So many times in life we have thought we were ready only to find that a little, or a lot, more seasoning was needed. Typically this discovery happened after we were up to our necks. No? How about that position you thought you were ready for, so many want the title “Boss” until they get it. Or that home improvement project that looked so easy on TV. Not to mention, but I suppose I am, all those times when we were teenagers, convinced we were ready to be grown up, “responsible.” When our children go through those years all we can do is suggest they slow down and enjoy the time, since once you become “responsible” that horse has left the barn and will never return. They will probably listen as well as we did at that age.

Spiritually it is impossible to demonstrate beyond our understanding. Many have tried and great has been their fall. Conversely as you grow in spiritual understanding new horizons and opportunities naturally unfold. God, “Our Father” waits in readiness for our advancement. Truly the keys to the kingdom are in our hands, the timing ours. As we grow, day by day, in understanding by Practicing the Presence of God, raising our consciousness one day at a time, we embrace the Truth of Being; that we are timeless children of the Great Creative Lifeforce; connected to all, God immanent. So, just for today, pray gently and meditate on God’s love and guidance, and if your teenager asks for the keys to the car, try not to dwell on what you did in your parent’s car when you were out of sight.

Our Duty

“If you have no time for prayer and meditation, you will have lots of time for sickness and trouble.” Pretty much sums it up. Our duty, now that we have placed our feet on the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis, is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us. We do this by whole heartedly out picturing our belief in God’s perfect love and guidance in every area of our existence, holding to the bedrock truth that God will not, cannot, ask us to do anything beyond our present reach, to sacrifice our integrity, our spiritual growth or cause us pain and suffering of any kind. “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 once was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn’t do it.”  We hold to God‘s love, and though trembling, stand; demonstrating the truth of being, fulfilling our duty.

Yankee Fans And Sacred Cows

Sacred cows, we all have them, the obvious ones being sports teams, political parties and religion. Ever try to talk to a Yankee’s fan about the Red Sox, a liberal about conservatives or a Lutheran about Catholics? Of course the reverse is true in all examples as well, clearly little chance that a meeting of minds will occur. A “die hard” fan or true believer is not interested in anything that does not agree with their “belief.” Recently there was a newspaper story of two baseball fans converging in a bar. Their “conversation” ending in a knifing and death, two lives forever changed over meaningless sacred cows. Is it any wonder that many wars have started over little more? Millions if not billions of lives, since man began keeping score, have been sacrificed at the alter of one sacred cow or another. Write this on your heart in bold letters: NO SACRED COWS. Clearly, there is nothing wrong with rooting for a team, holding political beliefs or belonging to a religion. The error comes when we let emotions over run our common sense, objectifying those we disagree with. To be clear: common sense, when one is Living on the Spiritual Basis, is the knowledge that the only sacred thing is our relationship with God. Root for your team, participate in the political process as much or little as suits you and practice your religion but never lose sight of the truly sacred: the love of “Our Father” for all His children, even if we believe they root for the wrong team. Go Dodgers.

Rhetorical Sledge Hammers

Do you know anyone who has “tried everything” but has failed to demonstrate much success in life? Some of the obvious “everything’s” are: “I’ve tried every diet but nothing works for me”, “I exercise but nothing seems to happen”, “I just don’t have the time to (fill in the blank)” all of which are nonsense since even though a diet’s food regimen may be unrealistic, every diet works if it is adhered to; I don’t care what the ads say; 20 minutes a day 3 times a week is not going to give us ripped abs; and we always find the time for the things we really want to do. Picture a perpetual bricklayer, toiling to build a wall, and then tearing it down at the end of each day, working very hard but accomplishing nothing. The previous examples may be troublesome but they only set the tone for the truly destructive. “I’ve tried to get sober, went to rehab and 12 step programs but they don’t work”, “I’d read the Bible but how do I know who wrote it and besides it’s contradictory”, “I’ve prayed but nothing happens, so either God is punishing me, doesn‘t care or isn‘t there” are all rhetorical death traps, entire crews of perpetual bricklayers at work.

The 12 step path requires not only turning ones life and will over to the care of God but a great deal of personal commitment and effort, simple but not easy; if we begin studying anything with a fixed idea of what we will find, our fear will find a way to provide it, sabotaging the effort; and all prayers are answered in the manner they are asked. If we truly believe in God, we demonstrate it. “Faith without work is dead.” By inviting Him in and then slamming the door in His face, dialing His number and hanging up as soon as the connection is made, is it any wonder we fail to demonstrate? Surrender the yeah buts, the you don’t understands, the shoulda, coulda, wouldas, the contempt prior to investigation and all the other bulwarks of self centered fear that justifies in our consciousness using that rhetorical sledgehammer to tear down our work. Pick up the bricklayers trowel and build a relationship with God and when you find the sledge hammer in your hand, drop it immediately and reaffirm God’s love and light by practicing the Presence of God where the fear is. Soon a wonderful spiritual structure will take shape to sustain you, the sledge hammer all but forgotten.

Hot And Thirsty

Remember the scene in the old westerns where the tired, dusty and thirsty cowboy rides in, dismounts his horse and walks over to the pump by the water trough? He sticks his head under the spout, grabs the handle and starts pumping. For the first few pumps nothing happens, it is only after priming the pump, acting seemingly without demonstrating any real result for a time, that the water finally appears and his thirst is quenched. What if he had stopped pumping after one or two strokes? He would have remained thirsty for he lost faith that his actions would demonstrate the desired result.

Faith: n. 1) Belief without evidence. 2) Confidence, trust. 3) Belief in God.

Believing without evidence, trusting what cannot be measured or explained in secular terms. On the dollar bill it reads “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Writing it or saying it out loud does not make it so any more than sitting in a parking space provides us a car. Only by quietly walking in faith, often trembling, do we demonstrate our trust in God. So work quietly but steadily; never struggle for struggle guarantees failure in our prayer life. We quietly demonstrate faith through our actions, for has it not been said that actions speak louder than words? Walk through life acting as though you have faith, priming the pump, for in so doing we are demonstrating true faith and in due course the water will flow, our thirst quenched.

Prophets Of Doom And Gloom

“If you really believe in the existence of God you should be happy and cheerful.” So, if we are not (today) does that mean we don’t believe in God? Of course not, I really believe in God, really. But I am not happy and cheerful every moment of every day, hard to believe I know. There are pills that make for 24/7 happiness and joy but I don’t think that is a good long term strategy (tongue firmly in cheek). Some might even ask how anyone could be happy or cheerful in these trying times. By keeping SPIRITUAL perspective makes it possible.

Mankind’s history is replete with dozens upon dozens of boom and bust cycles. Additionally, there have been prophets of doom and gloom stating with absolute certainty the world was ending soon and we 1) are screwed and there is nothing we can do about it, or 2) better all pull together to save ourselves before it is too late. These joyless individuals have been around since man first started keeping records. The one thing they all have in common is their perfect batting average: 0. Every single one has been wrong, the world hasn‘t ended, their dire predictions not with standing. Today’s doom and gloomers are as wrong as those who stood in the center of Rome prophesying the end of days 2000 years ago. How do I know? I believe in God. As the Great Prayer states so clearly, He is “Our Father.” Would you allow your children to be exterminated if it was in your power to avoid it? So, just for today, when I feel the sadness and fear the secular world dishes out unremittingly I turn to the truth: We are all children of God, and God has all power, bringing only good, that negative conditions are but passing illusions that dissolve when the shutters of fear and doubt are thrown open and the sunlight of the Spirit streams in. Just for today, when the next “expert” delivers solemnly the latest prophecy of doom, I will smile because I really do believe in God.

Dropped Toast

 “But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection.” Times when we have been hurt or the times when we were not at our best or memories of just plain old screw ups are all relatively easy to dredge up, but those times when we were at our best, when we did the right thing (which in truth is the vast majority of the time) takes real effort to bring into our consciousness. Additionally when we do focus on the positive that negative little voice in our minds eye typically chimes in with its two cents to downplay it, curious how the reverse doesn’t regularly occur. It seems the old newspaper maxim holds true in our consciousness as well: if it bleeds it leads. We do not, cannot control the thoughts that float up into our consciousness but we have full control over how we deal with them. Incorporate the golden “5 second rule” (you know, the dropped toast rule) into your thinking. When you become aware of negative thinking, of morbid reflection raising its head, within 5 seconds of becoming aware turn your attention to the positive, place the Presence of God where the negative appears to be, refusing to entertain it. Do not be discouraged if initially this is a bit of a struggle; just remember to be gentle with yourself in thought and deed. In time this will become habit, second nature. Soon you will not only note that your overall thinking has become more upbeat but you feel better and the people around you seem to be more upbeat as well. To be clear: If we wish to reap the positive, which is our spiritual birthright, we must sow positive thoughts. As with any garden, when we see a weed, we pull it, giving the crops we wish to harvest room to grow and flourish, not only enriching us but the world as a whole, for in truth, everyone and everything is connected. 

Oh, Not Again!

We all know someone who never misses an opportunity to retell the story of some past injustice, real or imagined. If they are close to us (family), we have heard the story so many times that we know it by heart, resisting the temptation (hopefully) to finish it for them. The tale explains why they haven’t or can’t and never will demonstrate over or put behind them some incident in their lives, finishing with almost a sense of triumph and justification in their voice with the retelling. Unfortunately many choose to hold on to past injustices and hurts to the point of shutting themselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. If we are to be free we must set free all who have harmed us, leaving their final disposition to their demonstration before God, getting us out of the retribution business. To be clear: there are those who have committed grievous acts beyond the pale, they will reap as they have sown, but harboring hurt and hate in our heart stunts our growth and limits our demonstrations, forgiving does not mean forgetting. Our job, since embarking on Living on the Spiritual Basis, is to forgive so that we and the whole Human race improves, but it is does not mean we have to place ourselves in a position to be harmed again.

So we forgive all who have harmed us, setting them and ourselves free, but we don’t have to go to lunch with them. If for some reason they do appear in our life or they are someone whom because of family or some other reason we will have to face, ask in prayer to be shown the way of patience, kindness, tolerance and love toward this individual and to be kept safe and free of new resentments in their presence. By saluting the Presence of God within them and releasing them you will be amazed by the results. To state the Great Teaching once again: simple but not easy, a price has to be paid and that price is the surrendering of self. 

Beyond The Flesh

Do you know of anyone who remembers the Gettysburg Address because they were there? How about Washington crossing the Delaware? No? Of course not. This flesh we inhabit will one day fail. No amount of money, resources, exercise or just plain “good living” will alter that. This truth raises the eternal question, am I this body or something more? Living on the Spiritual Basis the answer is clear: We are Spiritual beings experiencing the human condition, not Human beings in search of the spiritual. The spark of consciousness that is unique to us is timeless, was never born and will never die; has always been and always will be. To attempt to grow from without, change the consciousness by artifice only lasts as long as outer conditions remain unchanged, however life has taught us that outer conditions are forever changing. A glance in the mirror or at our investments should provide any further proof required. Lasting change only comes from within, within our consciousness. By raising our consciousness through prayer we effect  permanent change beyond the vagaries of this flesh, secular living and thinking. So our job, the only real task in this life, is too practice the Presence of God every day in every area, with everyone, to fully forgive all who have trespassed against us, to hold fast to the truth that the only aspect that translates from this life is our raised consciousness and the only universal measurement of our time here: how much love did we give away, unconditionally.  

Spiritual Caution Tape

Remember reaping and sowing? What we dwell upon is out pictured in our lives. When morbid reflection raises its head and we allow it to remain in our consciousness (“sowing” the negative thoughts with feeling), we reap the harvest of self centered fear, shutting the door on the sunlight of the spirit, causing us needless wear and tear. When we find ourselves drifting into morbid (negative) thinking we must stop immediately and “quarantine” the trouble by refusing to consider it and invoke, through prayer, the Presence of God where the trouble was. By doing this consistently we break the habit of focusing on the trouble (sowing negativity) and replace it with the habit of recognizing God (sowing truth) where the trouble seems to be. By refocusing we reap peace of mind instead of fear, serenity over confusion. Remember, everything we consider becomes imbued with power in our life, for good or ill, so get out the mental yellow caution tape and tape off destructive thinking, quarantining our troubles with prayer.

Half Measures

Spiritual half measures avail us nothing. Not a little, not some, zero. Having entered into a secular endeavor half halfheartedly, what was the outcome? Any unfinished “projects” lying around? Exercise equipment serving as a clothes rack or taking up space in the garage, perhaps a shelf full of dusty self help/diet books? On the secular plane we can go to work half halfheartedly and still draw a paycheck, at least for a time. A poorly built deck is still built, a badly painted room still painted. Our spiritual life however requires total commitment, half measures resulting not only in our failure to demonstrate but instilling the false belief that we tried and God didn’t deliver, probably because we are unworthy. Nonsense. NONSENSE. God is source, “Our Father.” We are His children and all the gifts and blessings that relationship represents are ours for the asking but we must ask without reservation, consistent in our prayers, meditations and actions.

When traveling by sailing ship if all sails are not set progress suffers, the ship possibly even left to the mercy of contradictory tides and currents. If only a few sails are set there is some progress, but invariably a stronger influence comes along and blows us off course. When we travel in this manner is it any wonder we never arrive at the port we desire? To progress all sails must be set and a firm hand placed on the wheel. We do this by turning to Him in all things, being consistent in practicing the Presence of God in all our affairs. In so doing, regardless of the storm clouds that may be gathering around us, we sail on with peace of heart and the knowledge that ultimately we are protected in His hands and will arrive safe, enlightened by the voyage.

An Affirmation

Having placed our feet upon the path, embracing the Spiritual Basis of Living, we know today that God is the only power. Having begun to feel His power flow through us, the true meaning of serenity has begun to take hold in our hearts. Our Great Desire is to bring the Good News to all, so that all may be finally and forever free of the selfish desires that have kept us in bondage, so that all may become fully realized, accepting the gifts that are ours by right of our divine heritage. Today we know the Omnipresence of God is working through us, guiding us without error to the undreamt of tomorrow, the Lord’s Prayer the outline, the road map as we trudge the road of happy destiny. Amen.

Temptation Revealed

The Lord’s Prayer suggests that we can be lead into temptation, so the question is: Would God lead us into temptation? Having been taught and shown again and again that God is the giver of only good; God’s love for us greater than our love of our children, how could He? Since Living on the Spiritual Basis removes gray areas and contradictions from life, what does this clause really mean?

Living on the spiritual basis the temptations of lying, cheating, stealing, etc have become obvious, the price paid in serenity if we transgress clear. Having demonstrated over these base  temptations new temptations arise from spiritual pride. The natural desire is to bring the good news we have learned to those still suffering, a noble desire to be sure, but fraught with this new form of temptation. Write this upon your heart in capital letters: DO NOT ANSWER THE UNASKED QUESTION. 

This is the temptation we are asking God in the Great Prayer to lead us away from. When speaking about spiritual principles we must ask ourselves if we are engaging in attraction or promotion. We will attract those who are ready to learn by our actions, our demonstration of Living on the Spiritual Basis. If we have to sell it, promote it; convince others that they should want what we have, than there is something wrong with our spiritual house. Attraction is the true path; promotion opens the door to the temptations of self glory, self aggrandizement, a sense of superiority and infallibility which are all aspects of spiritual pride. When we consider how many evils have been and are perpetrated by those promoting their beliefs to the extreme, the clause “lead us not into temptation” becomes crystal clear. We must remain ever diligent, and though it may break our heart, we never enter unbidden into another’s spiritual house.

 To be clear, the converse is true as well. When someone asks, we must be willing to stand and be counted in the face of any perceived earthly consequence, personal or otherwise, the temptation of self centered fear denied, whenever or wherever we are presented with an opportunity to share the Good News, for we have been put to the question and faith demands we must not shrink. 

How To Forgive

So, how do we forgive? Pray, the manner of prayer not nearly as important as its location of origin. Did it come from our intellect primarily, because we see the payoff the Law of Forgiveness provides and wish to reap the benefits or from our heart because we truly desire freedom for ourselves and for the offender?

Consider carefully, if we hold in our hearts even the slightest doubt that the object of our resentment deserves forgiveness than our demonstration will be stunted. Take heart though since prayer will address this as well. Begin by finding a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, then take a few moments to quiet yourself. One method is to take three or four deep breaths, eyes closed, slowly exhaling. Then quietly ask God to remove from you any anger that still resides in your heart toward the offender, asking to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love, in your life and the offenders. Now that you have quieted yourself, releasing any lingering anger, read or recite out loud any prayer that has particular significance to you, then quietly say that you now forgive them completely, that you desire every good thing you desire in life to come too theirs as well, and if there is anything that God would have you do to be of service to them, you are willing. Finish with “May I do Thy will always. Amen.”

Do not under any pretense repeat this treatment. If we do we repudiate the demonstration and short circuit our growth. To be clear, they will float into our consciousness in a negative way again. When this happens we immediately say a blessing for them and turn our thoughts to God. In time we will need to do this less and less. Do not be afraid to offer yourself to be of service, for God will never place us in a position to be harmed if we are about His business, so if you are called to service something truly remarkable will come of it. By obeying the Law of Forgiveness, not only are we set free, but all whose lives we touch improve as well.

A Feather Stronger Than Steel

When we harbor resentment, we slowly die spiritually. Fortunately through forgiveness we are reborn. Nurturing resentment binds us to the object of our ire by a mental chain stronger than steel. Holding on to resentment is like having a cut on your arm that never heals. Every time it begins to heal we scratch at it until it bleeds again, pointing out to any who will listen, reliving the injury. Living in the injury is slow insidious spiritual suicide; we must turn away from our injury and allow it to heal. How? We decide finally and forever to forgive, with God’s help, the cause of the resentment by naming them and asking God to do for them everything good that we wish to have happen in our life. Visualize them receiving God’s grace, His peace upon them. In time a scar will form but resentments are tenacious and our subconscious mind will whisper that perhaps we should scratch it again, just in case. Do not react negatively when these thoughts surface, but turn in prayer immediately and thank God for knowing Him better, that you and the author of the resentment are free. Do not for a moment rehash the memory of the hurt; focus only on seeing the Presence of God where the hurt was. Having just begun incorporating this new way of thinking into our life, eventually it will become second nature, we do not berate ourselves when we discover we have drifted into morbid reflection examining an old scar, instead we quietly turn to God in prayer. As with all things spiritual (and life as well) condemnation stunts growth, so we are always gentle in prayer, especially with ourselves, praying with a “feather.”

Working Anonymously

We have all had “miracles” happen in our lives. That time we needed money and the phone rang or a letter arrived and source was provided. We were thinking about someone and the phone rang and it was either them or someone who knew of them, bringing unprompted news or we turned a corner and there they were. We find ourselves facing a difficulty and it either fades away or turns into something positive.

Are these occurrences “an answer to a prayer” or simply “coincidence?” It matters little, for Coincidence is just God working anonymously. Perhaps the most difficult part of this is why sometimes it happens and other times not. Those times when the person remained an enigma or that which we deemed needed did not appear, a prayer seemingly ignored. In looking back on my life, inventorying the past with raised consciousness, many of the things I thought I needed in the moment turned out to be the last thing I needed, had I received them, my spiritual development would have been delayed or even derailed. As our consciousness rises, our spiritual vision corrects and clears, however even with corrected vision, some questions are beyond our sight, remaining unfathomable at this time. Why does one child miraculously recover and another succumb? Or someone who worked hard all their lives, played by all of society’s rules and find all they worked for gone? I don’t know. Perhaps when this flesh fails and we are launched into eternity, the answers will become known.

In Faith and Truth, God only brings good, He does not, cannot bring suffering or strife.  Today my spiritual vision is longer and clearer than yesterday, if you prayed and meditated today so is yours. We see the world through a new pair of glasses, our understanding broadened, our empathy revealed, the path illuminated. Even so, I still have no good answers in the moment for those experiencing seemingly inexplicable calamity, only a shoulder, a quiet ear and a silent prayer. Perhaps that is the answer after all. 

Our Cup Of Poison

Forgiveness is the key, to everything. Until we understand this, carve it into our heart, no real progress can be made. When we think about it logically this makes perfect sense. Have you ever prayed and then wondered why you did not demonstrate? In order to fully demonstrate we must be free of self-condemnation and remorse, forgiving ourselves, which happens only after we have fully forgiven others, ridding ourselves of all resentment and condemnation toward them. Though repeated ad nauseum, this truth cannot be repeated enough: “simple but not easy, a price has to be paid. That price is the surrendering of self.” Search your heart, in the secret place of your consciousness is there any “justified” anger or an old resentment lurking that you feel is warranted for any reason? If so perform an act of forgiveness and mean it. If for any reason we cannot do this, by holding on to old hurts, real and imagined we are essentially raising a cup of poison to our lips, believing that by drinking it we are punishing those we hate/resent. We must put down the cup and forgive today, for our sake.

No Longer My Job

 There is a part of me, and I’m pretty sure you have it too, that keeps score, chiming in with its own sense of justice. When someone does something unthinking or illegal while driving the thought pops up “where is a cop when you need one” or something bad happens to someone we think deserves it and “serves them right” or “they deserved that” crosses our mind. In the same vain occasionally we think we know what’s best and actually wish something bad (serves’em right dontcha know) to befall someone are all examples of self centered thinking, thinking that retards our spiritual growth. It does not matter whether or not the offender rightly deserves to be punished, we can never engage in negative prayer or wishful negative thinking, for to do so invites resentment and morbid reflection to take up residence in our heart.

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all our activities, thy will, not mine be done.

It would be less than honest of me not to acknowledge that when I have been cut off or watched someone do something stupid behind the wheel only to see flashing lights appear, the voice in my mind (sometimes out loud) chimes in with “ALRIGHT”  and when bad things happen to bad people, my first thought is typically not of forgiveness. The wild justice of the carnal mind that the Old Testament addresses is alive and well in most of us, certainly in me. So, just for today I will ask for God’s help to pray rightly, to pray that the person driving selfishly arrives safely as well as all whose path they cross, to leave justice to God and ask to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love, that I stay out of the retribution business, remembering that all are connected in Spirit, that there is a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst and it is no longer my job to measure it.

My True Face

One of the keys to freedom in life is when we finally understand that all sin is rooted in selfishness, born of thinking that we can show the world one face while hiding our true feelings and motives. Somehow we convince ourselves that our thoughts are separate from God, that He does not know what we are thinking, that only when I speak or act will He be aware or even pay attention. In light of what we have learned about the Presence of God, this thinking is weak at best and downright delusional at its worst. The natural outcome of this thought process is to shut us off from the sunlight of the spirit as surely as burying our head in the sand cuts us off from sunlight.

I need to get a little personal here, so please forgive me. When this truth hit me, it sent me into a tail spin. All those things that I thought I had so neatly hid from God, in truth had been always open to Him. Fortunately I was saved, though new to the path at the time I had learned enough to know that I would be forgiven as soon as I asked, that the only unforgivable sin is to turn ones back on God and deny Him, and that sin is erased as soon as we turn to Him with an open mind and heart. As the truth and import of this rolled over me I found myself on my knees, asking God to remove from me my illusions that there is anything about me that He does not know or is separate from Him.

This marked the point in my life when “forgive us our trespasses” from the Lord’s Prayer became known to me in my heart. I began to accept His forgiveness in my life that day and the process of understanding how important it is to truly forgive others began and though this happened years ago, its lesson is as fresh today as then. Shalom.

Spiritual Savings and Loan

Lamentably many hold to the false idea that we can save up spiritual good will that can be drawn on later to get through some future difficulty. For the life of me I cannot find a branch of that spiritual bank in my neighborhood. When pressed on who opened this bank and what’s required to open an account, the usual response is “God and prayer.” When it is pointed out that this runs contrary to the Lord’s Prayer, where we pray for our “daily bread”, most freeze up in much the same way my computer does when I click on too many windows. To be clear: Prayer has power, but we negate the power of them when we pray one way but fail to hold in our heart the essence of the prayer. To pray the Lord’s Prayer but believe that somewhere, somehow we can save up for ourselves spiritually to address future problems strips all meaning from the prayer. If we hold to the belief that we have some form of spiritual savings account, than “daily bread” is unnecessary so why ask for it? The Old Testament first taught this truth when God provided manna for those following Moses out of Egypt. Those wandering in the wilderness were told that heaven would provide for their daily needs but on no account were they to save or horde it for what was dynamic today would turn inedible, even poisonous tomorrow. Having been honest, selfless, loving and forthright yesterday means little if today we are dishonest, selfish, hateful or devious. Living on yesterday’s demonstrations; even though they provide valuable experience, leads to futility and failure. Today is the day to demonstrate God’s presence, in so doing we receive Our Daily Bread.

Claiming Our Daily Bread

 “The longest 18 inches lies between our head and our heart.”  So many speak of God and spiritual principles with intellectual assent believing that talking about the Presence of God is akin to practicing it. This is like believing that looking at a meal, discussing it, dissecting it intellectually is the same thing as eating it. Clearly no stomach has ever been filled looking at or talking about food, just as an intellectual understanding of God has never answered a single prayer. “When the heart speaks the heart listens.” No one can eat a meal for us.  No one can practice the Presence of God in our life for us. God is not a concept, an aspect to be discussed politely with little or no feeling or personal commitment. To “Claim our daily bread” God cannot be intellectual, but must become practical.