Our Blessings

The Secret, The Power of Intention, Bible, and most if not all religions and spiritual paths teach that there is an inexhaustible supply available to all, regardless of any or all present conditions or perceived limitations. The Source as unlimited as the ocean, the only limitation the size of the vessel we choose, a tanker truck or thimble, to carry our abundance. Secular thinking bombards us endlessly with talk of limited supply and dwindling resources, yet where is the real proof. We are promised, all of us, that God will provide if we are about His business. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we no longer rely on ourselves but upon the Divine, the Power Greater than Ourselves that only brings good into our lives for God and good are synonymous. So many, and I was one for longer than I care to remember or admit, pay lip service to this but continue to act in secular ways to answer life’s questions and challenges. God is either everything or else He is nothing, no middle ground. What size vessel will you employ? Will you fill it to the brim? I say throw the vessel away, strip off the clothes of limitation that we saddle ourselves with by secular living and dive in. Luxuriate in truth of being and shout to all that will listen, come on in, the waters fine.

         A man had lived a full life and at the appointed time found himself standing at the gates, Saint Peter bidding him welcome. Presently Saint Peter began showing him around and he was awe struck, speechless from the beauty. In time, they came upon a rather plain looking building that anywhere else would pass without notice but here stood out starkly. He queried, “What is that building?” Saint Peter responded that it was unimportant and the man should put it out of his mind and never enter it. The tour continued, each new vista more wonderful than the last, but the man could not get the plain building out of his mind. He asked Saint Peter about it again, and again was counseled to put it out of his mind. Nevertheless, he could not. He persisted and finally Saint Peter relented. As they approached the building, Saint Peter tried one last time to dissuade the man from opening the door but curiosity now had him in its thrall. The door opened and the man was greeted with seemingly endless rows of shelves lined with the most beautiful boxes resting on them. As he drew closer, he could see that each box had a name tag on it, arraigned in alphabetical order. His excitement rose, turning to Saint Peter he asked if there was a box here with his name on it. “Yes” replied Saint Peter but quickly added, “Please, let us leave.” The man hesitated for a second but there was no stopping him, just as there had been no stopping anyone before him. He ran down the aisles like a child on Christmas morning until he found his row. Racing now he found his box, it was beautiful. He opened the box and his heart sank, for it contained all his unrealized blessings. He looked up and there stood Saint Peter, tears in his eyes.

Our Music

   “Do not die with your music in you.” That feeling of dissatisfaction, the sense of something missing in life is God quietly but insistently attempting to get our attention. Your Heart’s Desire will never cease trying to assert it’s self into the forefront of your consciousness. We will never be truly happy or fulfilled until we listen.  Remember our true state of being:

We are not human beings in search of the miraculous, a spiritual awakening; we are spiritual beings experiencing the human condition.

There is a reason for each of us being here, now. Our Heart’s Desire, God's desire for us, is that reason.

Ultimate Truth

"When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change."

When we first embark on the path of Spiritual Living we are greeted with this truth:

If you knew who walked beside you, on this path you have chosen, you would never be afraid again.

Then as our awareness and understanding grows over time through application and demonstration of spiritual principles this transforms to:

When you know who walks beside you, on this path you have chosen, your fears fall from you.

Finally as we take our place as children of the light, understanding our true place, that we are spiritual beings experiencing the human condition, eternal, not limited humans seeking enlightenment, the ultimate truth resonates:

I now know who walks beside me on my chosen path and I no longer fear.

 

God Calling

Emmet Fox wrote, “Your real problem-the only problem you have-is to find your true calling in life. Everything else will fall into place. You will be happy; and upon happiness, health will follow. You will have all the supply that you require to meet your needs, and this means that you will have perfect freedom; for poverty and freedom cannot go together.”

Your heart’s desire has called to you. The still quiet voice, God’s voice, in you has whispered it to you. The thing you may have never said aloud for fear of ridicule. The thing the fear-based voice says: you are too old, you will never make a living doing it, what would your friends and family think, what about my responsibilities, and a thousand other “reasons” to stay locked into the role you have decided society would have you play. The first step to freedom begins here. You must answer this question: Do you believe God wants you to be happy, joyous and free? If you hold this as true, then what power on earth could possibly stand in the way?  

“Remember that this call is the call of God, and when God calls you to His Service, He pays all the expenses in whatever kind of coin. …Whatever you may require to answer that call, God will provide. Money, opportunity, introductions, knowledge, training, freedom, leisure, strength, and courage-all will He furnish, if you be about His business and not your own.
       
Your Heart’s desire is the Voice of God, and that Voice must be obeyed sooner or later.”

Growing Up On The Road To Siberia

Grow up! Whenever someone does or says something juvenile there is invariably an “adult” nearby to suggest this course of action. We have all probably been on either side of the “grow up” admonition at one time or another in our lives, but juvenile behavior is one thing, what about our spiritual maturity? Many who would be offended if it were suggested they were any thing less than a model of modern maturity in truth have static spirituality. Having struck upon a “sensible” structured slate of activity and repetitive prayer at proscribed times they are “comfortable” and self-assured in their path, their sacred cows well cared for. GROW UP! Our spiritual lives, and there really is no other, demands constant fresh input to be vital, complacency and staidness clear demonstrations of spiritual immaturity. GROW UP! We keep our conscious contact with the Divine fresh and growing on a daily basis by keeping an open mind and heart, ready to act and serve in whatever manner God would have us. Ready to go to any lengths, any extreme for our spiritual awakening, constantly moving forward, sometimes quickly sometimes slowly but always growing, never content to draw a line in the sand, plant our flag and say "no further." One of the hallmarks of spiritual maturity is willingness. Years ago when I was balking at taking some indicated action, my spiritual guide described his level of willingness: “If God wants me to go shovel shit in Siberia I’m willing, the only question I have is do I need to bring my own shovel.” Willingness is the key, how willing are you? See you along the road of happy destiny, perhaps strolling to Siberia, with or without a shovel.     

Law Of Attraction And Karma

Karma: n  

1.  Eastern religion, Eastern philosophy: the Hindu and Buddhist philosophy according to which the quality of people’s current and future lives is determined by their behavior in this and in previous lives 
2.  Atmosphere radiated by a place, situation, person, or object (informal) 
3.  Destiny or fate in general

The term karma became part of the general lexicon in the west during the 60’s. It is certainly more “modern” to say karma rather than “reap what you sow” yet it means exactly the same thing, the concept of karma actually predating Christianity by over a thousand years. This concept is a cosmic law, is never broken and there is no appeal. Think law of gravity. Same rules apply. The mistake many make when thinking on karma is that it is a form of punishment. Unlike gravity, our actions determine our karma, reaping what we have sown. The good news for all is that karma, The Law of Attraction works both ways. To borrow from Wayne Dyer: When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. To be clear: everyone faces trouble or difficulty in the course of their lives they did nothing to attract but these occasions are extremely rare, if we are rigorously honest with ourselves it is clear that by the choices and decisions we made, particularly before embracing the Spiritual way of living, we placed ourselves in a position to be harmed. We are blessed with free will, the ability to choose the path we walk, the choices we make determining the crop we reap. So we avoid  the deliberate manufacture of misery and suffering, Living on the Spiritual Basis we walk the road less traveled, trusting and relying on a power greater than ourselves to keep the adversary, fear, in its proper place. If you knew, who walked beside you on this path you have chosen, you would never be afraid again.

Why is reincarnation necessary?

Know anyone so set in their ways dynamite couldn’t move them off a position or opinion, whether it is a sports team, political party or issue? Most people by the time they have reached their 40’s have pretty much sorted out what they do or do not believe, are set in their ways, their mind effectively closed to contrary opinions or points of view, any new growth choked off by the weight of a “settled” mind, their character fixed.

Our spiritual schooling involves the development of every aspect of character, for who can truly say they understand another until they have walked a mile in their shoes?

IGNORANCE: n

1.  lack of knowledge or education
2.  unawareness of something, often of something important

Some where in the sands of time the term ignorance transformed from a simply descriptive word to a pejorative, to be ignorant simply means we are unaware or lack knowledge.

The lessons we need to learn to become spiritually complete are legion. Consider: To become a good leader first the lessons of humility and to resist the siren song of corruption absolute power sings is necessary. To live alone and be at peace and to live amongst many and learn to view all as equals, children of a loving God, regardless of how they may offend. To live childless and as a parent, to learn these things and so many others, and to do it from both the male and female perspective is a task far beyond the capacity of any single lifetime clearly, so our long spiritual schooling is not constrained by our limited understanding of time or the finality of flesh. Our Father is eternal and so are His children.

So our job now is not to concern ourselves with past lessons or those yet to come, but to reside in the moment, for though He has been there in the past and promises to be there in the future, He resides in today, with us, His children.

Time's Inevitable Reckoning

Nothing says inevitable reckoning like birthdays. As children we eagerly looked forward to them with nearly as much anticipation as Christmas. Then imperceptibly one day we cross an invisible line and begin to view the upcoming date of our birth with something less than glee.This change in perception probably began when that first “friend” jokingly said, “hey, you’re getting old.” Sets in for real when we realize our music tastes no longer encompass any new artists, something we vowed as teenagers would never happen. Your 20-year class reunion notice arrives and the thought crosses your mind, “where has the time gone?” catching yourself looking in the mirror with a critical eye, wondering how you will measure up against your classmates and if that gym membership is still active.

The march of time does not take breaks and only moves in one direction for us, seemingly picking up steam the further down the path we travel. So what is one to do? Live in the day, for the only time we have in truth is this moment. The only time we can be present for life is in this moment, the only time we can be present for God is right now. Do not allow yourself to project into the future or dwell on the past, for they lead us inexorably into morbid reflection, regardless of our original intent. Make plans and set goals of course, but we do not hang our happiness or peace of mind on whether or not our script is followed, we stand ready to change direction immediately if and when it is indicated.

Live One Day At A Time, staying in the here and now and the tomorrows will take care of themselves. We must be about God’s business, trusting and relying on Divine Love and Guidance, for only in so doing is true peace, growth and serenity realized.

Reincarnation Or One And Done?

Reincarnation, this topic can be a room clearer and one I have spent a great many hours wrestling. For many years I struggled in contemplation with the “inviolate” concept held by some religions of "once and done." My struggles centered on our eternal consciousness versus the finite nature of flesh. Why would our Heavenly Father, who exists beyond the constraints of time, space and flesh, limit his children in this way? And if we are indeed children of the Most High, doesn't like beget like? How can we possibly learn all the lessons of living in a mere 70, 80 or 90 years? In the Old Testament life spans of hundreds of years are noted, but that was some time ago and even if we did live hundreds of years there are many lessons requiring a fresh clean perspective. How can one person, even if diligent from day one, learn the lessons of having lived a lifetime as a king and a beggar, of the courageous and the coward, to live as a criminal and a righteous man in the same life, and what of the reverse? Live a life devoted to self-indulgence and hedonism and one of asceticism and denial? To know the joy, and heartbreak of children and a life lived chaste? Handicapped from birth or born healthy, to learn all this and so much more, additionally from the perspectives of male and female, in one lifetime? Any man who says he understands childbirth is a fool and any woman who stands in judgment of the bond between warriors is unwise. Today I know from bitter experience that until I walk a mile in someone’s shoes, I truly cannot know their lessons and to think otherwise is rank hubris. Eternity is a long time, what sense would it make to limit our schooling to a single life since we are children of the Infinite, of “Our Father, who art in Heaven….”

The Big Bang And George Carlin

Cosmologically the “Big Bang” is the generally accepted starting point of the universe. The theory holds that at one time everything that exists, all 125 billion galaxies, all 70 sextillion stars (that’s a 7 followed by 22 zeros or nearly 18 times the number of grains of sand on Earth) was locked in an infinitesimally small point, a singularity. Then, and no one really knows why, the point began expanding very rapidly and some 13.7 billion years later, here we are. The numbers and vastness of the universe is clearly beyond my ability, or any other mere mortals, to comprehend.

Then there is the whole dark matter/energy curiosity. It seems that only a little less than 5% of the universe exists in the visible spectrum, over 95% of everything is invisible to us, comprised of roughly 25% dark matter and 70% dark energy, depending on who is doing the goesintas (you know, 2 goes into 4 twice). OK, take a breath. Kinda gets the head spinning doesn’t it. The good news is we do not have to have it all together to figure (as if we could) it all out in order to have a relationship with a Power Greater Than Ourselves.

 To borrow from the great metaphysician George Carlin: " People talk about getting their shit together. As soon as they get their shit together, they will be ready. Ready for what? If they got their shit together, what would they do with it? Most people have a lot of shit, so it would be too heavy to carry around, so they would have to find a place keep their shit. I guess you could put the shit in storage. But how will anybody know you got your shit together if it is in storage? Kinda defeats the whole purpose of getting ones shit together doesn’t it? You gotta show your shit off or what’s the point? You could get a really big truck to haul your shit around with you, but that’s a lot of shit to find parking for. And what about the trouble makers? All those who haven’t been able to get their shit together will get shity when they see you and your shit together. Then there are those assholes who try to give you shit. It is their shit, but they try to pawn it off on you. Look, I know my shit, so don’t give me any shit. My shit is over here; your shit is over there. Don’t try to mix the shit just because you can’t get your shit together, shithead."

It is not required to have all the answers or our "shit" together to have a relationship with the miraculous. Start at as simple a level as you need to begin. It can be as simple as: there is a God and I am not it. Keep an open mind, from this mustard seed of faith a powerful spiritual experience can, and will grow. No shit.

A Wonderful Enfoldment

Death awaits all men but waits on no man. Everything, from may flies to the stars die. Death is the change that brings renewal. Sadness at the passing of a loved one is natural; they have left our sight and are absent from our lives. Difficulty arises though if we refuse to let go of the departed, to allow them to rest in peace. When we build shrines and visit them regularly, whether they are of stone or in our heart, we open ourselves to morbid reflection. Consider the pyramids. The Pharaohs spent most of their time and energy focused on death and their “final” resting place.  Millions of man hours spent erecting, countless lives lost, treasuries emptied and for what? None of them succeeded as inviolate temples to the afterlife, what could the ancients have accomplished had they channeled that energy and resources into the living?

There is no death in the sense of personal finality, for death is just an altering of consciousness, a change in condition. Living on the Spiritual Basis, in conscious contact with a Power Greater Than Ourselves, death is part of the wonderful enfoldment of divine love that marks our spiritual progression. How could it be anything else?

We do not seek death, for it will come in due course, but we no longer fear it either. We release those who have left the mortal coil with love, sad because they have temporarily left our sight, but excited for their translation into the miraculous. This flesh is a temporary conveyance, never conceived or designed to last for eternity. Our consciousness, the I AM that makes each of us unique in all existence is eternal, untouched by time, space or physical concerns, has always been and will always be.

We carry the departed, our loved ones, in our heart, since no other structure can truly hold them. When they drift up into the forefront of our thinking, as they are wont to do from time to time, we smile and say a silent blessing, sending love, and then get on with the business of living, for the dead will take care of themselves.

Hypocrisy And Forrest Gump

“Handsome is as handsome does.” Sounds a bit Forrest Gump-ish but it fit’s the bill. Many wish to enjoy a certain reputation they know in their heart they don’t deserve. The ill-tempered person may indeed wish to be loved and favored but their very actions make it impossible. How often have we heard a friend or acquaintance (or even ourselves) attempt to sell the idea that even though someone is acting or has acted badly they really meant well, are basically nice people, having a heart of gold. Nonsense: Handsome is as handsome does. Living on the Spiritual Basis our serenity is measured by our actions. We must walk the way we talk or risk suffering mightily at the hands of hypocrisy. We can wish to be spiritual, we can wish for peace, we can wish to be happy, joyous and free but unless our actions match up with our wishes, we will never demonstrate our hearts desire.

Making Cake And 12 Steps

Students who find the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis through the 12 step process have an advantage, the advantage of clear cut simple directions. The directions found in the “Big Book”, Alcoholics Anonymous, are straight forward and concise. Even so I have had students relate all kinds of curious interpretations of the process they heard someone (often an old-timer) relate in an AA meeting. The problem is that many, instead of actually reading and studying the path, chose to base their recovery on people and gatherings rather than on their own work and effort. Faith without works is dead. I understand, why do hard things; like studying the path and really working towards enlightenment, when there are easy things like going to meetings and sober activities, relying on others “easier softer way” interpretations as gospel. Eventually spirituality by osmosis (lots of activity, little real work) wears thin and they are faced with a crisis they can no longer evade or postpone, that no amount of “sharing” or talking about will help; they begin to think God has abandoned them. They truly believe they have been “working” toward a raised consciousness, but this perception is based on wishful thinking, not the path laid out in the Big Book. In truth they have been doing some of the work, but not all, like trying to make a cake but leaving an ingredient out or purposely altering the recipe because we think we know better then blaming the recipe when the cake is inedible.

The good news is we can change our point of view and start reaping the benefits immediately. Kinda like going on a diet and losing five pounds just by deciding to go on the diet, pretty cool. The 12 step process isn't about not drinking or using, it is about learning to live on a new basis, the Spiritual Basis. Alcohol (drugs) is but a symptom, the bottle (syringe, pipe, pill bottle, etc) only a symbol. For those who do not sufferer from addiction, substitute life and living for symptom and fear for the symbol and if you have the willingness, this path of enlightenment will provide answers to all of life's problems, but a price has to be paid, that price is the surrendering of self. Cheers.

Deadly Comparisons

Many modern offices are comprised of large rooms divided into cubicles employing partition walls. Typically these walls of partition are head high and unlike permanent walls are easily moved. When we are frightened and feeling lost it is if a wall of impenetrable stone has risen between us and God. In truth the “wall” is nothing more than the flimsiest of partitions constructed of fear and false belief. It appears solid and robust at first blush, but just as the partition walls found in an office, with the right tools and a little effort is easily removed. The tools: Prayer and meditation. The effort: Being of service to others.

Prayer is pretty straight forward; meditation however seems shrouded in mystery and false expectation. If you aren’t meditating regularly, start. Keep it simple, begin by finding someplace where you can be undisturbed for fifteen minutes, if your living situation makes this difficult, take a walk. Yes, you can meditate while walking. Whether sitting (no need to fold yourself into a pretzel unless your into that sort of thing) or walking, be comfortable. Sit in a comfortable position or walk at a pace that does not affect your breathing. Now, think about nothing but spiritual principles and truth, as you understand them at this point in your development, or if you prefer read a paragraph or two from a spiritual book or teaching and then contemplate on it. When your mind wanders, and it will, gently bring it back to the task at hand. Do not under any pretext speak to yourself negatively or condescendingly. Meditate daily, No excuses. If you are persistent, soon meditation will become such an integral part of living that when you find yourself caught in a situation where meditation is not practical (happens occasionally) you will miss it. Congratulations, you are now officially a meditator and yes, it really is that simple. There are many forms and styles of meditation, do not at this point go out and buy books on meditation or search the internet. Keep it simple, when it is time to investigate other forms, you will know. Most importantly do not concern yourself with becoming “better” at meditation, just do it.

Service work can take any number of forms. It can be as simple as dropping a coin in the random parking meter about to expire (I know, in some places this is illegal but a little civil disobedience is good for the soul) or even just picking up a piece of trash off the street or sidewalk and disposing of it, to volunteering time and resources. The key here is just as with meditation is consistency. A kindly act once in awhile won’t fit the bill.

You may have sensed a theme here. To remove the illusionary partition wall that fear and false belief raises between us and serenity, we stop thinking about the trouble and think about God and spirituality instead, backing it up with unselfish, constructive action. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of thinking you need to do any of this perfectly or that anyone does, the deadly trap of comparing our insides to others outsides.

I Don't Know

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 unheard or worse 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 limited sight, remaining unfathomable, at this time. Why does one child miraculously recover from a serious illness and another succumb? Or someone who worked hard all their lives, played by all of society’s rules only to find all they worked for gone through no fault of their own. 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 for God and Good are synonymous. 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 a little more. 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. Since flesh is ephemeral, perhaps that is the answer after all.

Miracles And A Flat Earth

MIRACLE n. 1. An act or event that seems to transcend or contradict all known natural or scientific laws and is usually thought to be supernatural in origin. 2. Any wonderful or amazing thing, fact, or event; a wonder.

God does not break cosmic law. The laws of retribution, of unintended consequence, of reaping and sowing, of attraction, of intention, of gravity, and like begets like are never broken or contradicted. Our limited (human) ability to comprehend may leave us with the impression that miracles seemingly break these laws, but this is false. What happens is that by raising ones consciousness into His presence a higher law is tapped, transcending the lower. In the secular sense think of it as appealing a judgment from a lower court to a higher, if a judgment is reversed, the reversal is based on some missed, overlooked or ignored precedent, not a rewriting of the code (at least that is how it is supposed to work).  Secular appeals progress through the system, ultimately arriving at the court of final appeal, the Supreme Court. Supreme Court decisions, since it is populated with humans who can be and often are contradictory in their actions and thinking, can be arbitrary in interpreting secular law, God is not. Cosmic law is applied equally, for God does not, cannot play favorites, His Love abundant and equally weighed to all His children.

Not long ago the accepted orthodoxy was that the earth was flat and the center of the universe and anyone who disagreed branded a heretic, suffering greatly for voicing a dissenting view. Yet every age continues to believe they have the answers, the laws of the universe understood, humankind's hubris on display. Years from now our future selves will look back on this time in much the same way we look back on those "scientific laws" that held the earth was flat or man would never fly or stand on the moon, with the same incredulity.

Without miracles, our appeal to higher law, how could there be faith? The performing of miracles demonstrates a level of our Fathers love and law, that here to fore had not been known or can be scientifically quantified with our limited human mind. Miracles can, have and do happen, a higher law beyond our limited understanding accessed, the supernatural transcending the natural. Don’t think so? How’s that whole flat earth thing working out?

Letter Or Spirit, One Kills, One Gives Life

Head to heart, from letter to spirit. The journey from one to the other is the longest 18 inches in the world. When we began questioning life’s orthodoxy; as we all do too some degree usually beginning in our teens and early twenties, we could never dream where the thread would lead. As we age, and hopefully grow a little wiser, the fire to question unfortunately dims. It would be hard to imagine a world full of middle aged teenagers where the trains ran on time. Unfortunately advancing age often brings complacency, it overcomes us silently, like late night fog creeping in, and we slowly become staid in our thinking and lives; the fire all but extinguished. Having become invested in the status quo, it becomes easier to go along than to address hard questions.

How do you live today? By letter or spirit?

The secular world operates on the letter. The spirit begs: Is it “correct or right” to refuse help to someone because they don’t have or fill out the right forms, though otherwise meeting all qualifications or specifications? To “control” the amount of food grown in order to maintain pricing structures while one child starves? To maintain the myth of water shortages on a planet covered in water, because we choose not to spend the money to remove the salt, as our brothers and sisters die of thirst? The letter answers all these questions with rationale, while the spirit weeps.

Who has also made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for letter kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6)

Red Letters And Dragons

On ancient maps when cartographers would reach the end of what was known they would often write “There Be Dragons” to denote the unknown existing beyond 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 thousands of 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 if you prefer. 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 our 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 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 dialogue 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 daily, who has a shelf full of self help/spiritual books. Now, they probably have all been read, once, after which they took their place of pride in the collection. Being a spiritual guru, enlightened being, Zen master, world class pistol shot and just a peach of a guy, I will now impart to you one of the great 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 page or two. Go ahead, I’ll wait………………Pretty amazing huh. How could you have missed that the first time? Yup, gremlins. When we are not looking 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 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 and with your expanded insight deeper meaning has surfaced. This isn’t to say that nothing new can come along, but first we set 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. Gremlins, who knew?

Are you nuts! There’s no frakking bridge!

We are constantly treating everything in our lives with the thoughts we entertain, if we believe we are defeated, we are. We are asking for failure if we believe in failure, we are treating for MORE failure, even though while praying, haltingly, for success! How can that be? no one wants to fail, but if we pray and then spend the rest of the day entertaining negative fearful thoughts, we are in fact treating for more failure. “As a man thinks.” 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. All prayers are heard, but if we ask not really believing, for any reason, our prayer will be answered in the manner asked; our lack of faith rewarded. When we feel even the slightest twinge of doubt, we must 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 should be answered. When outlining we stifle God’s will, we are so fixed looking in one direction we overlook anything that does not  fit our imagined solution. So trust God’s unlimited vision and refuse to be limited by outlining.

The movie Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade provides a nice visualization of this teaching: Indie is on the brink of finding the Holy Grail. He has surmounted monumental difficulties to reach the point where he finds himself looking across a chasm that appears impossible to cross. He reaches into his pocket and retrieves his father's note book, looking for inspiration he opens the book to the page were "Step out in faith"  is written. Closing his eyes, with fear and trepidation, he steps out into space and discovers a 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!

How To Be ILL

Emotion is your friend. Get overly emotional about everything. Be outraged not only at perceived slights directed at you but at everyone else, 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 are 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 Stagnation

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 those beliefs are this week, since you know in your heart of hearts  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 perceived as successful since your wit demands to be shared and appreciated and you are providing a service. 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.

How To Fail At Everything

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, your every failure or others success affirming your belief that life really is a crap shoot, and you just are unlucky. And by all means never pray or step out in faith, trusting in God, seeking 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. Reflect on 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 on-line 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. 

Sacred Cow Death

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 logically extrapolated. I accepted their pronouncements at face value, since they had studied and researched the issues (I believed) at depth. I looked forward to each issue of their magazine for one particular writer's articles, they were always well written and interesting. The new issue arrived and I attempted to read some of the other articles first, a small stab at delayed gratification, but soon turned to my favorite author and with a smile on my face began reading. When finished, I felt a bit unsettled. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it continued to trouble 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 identified the problem. The author had reversed the statistics that supported his position! I felt relieved and a little proud. I reasoned that some underling had provided the statistics to the author incorrectly and a correction would be forth coming. However 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 facts to see if I misread them. Nope. The sacred cow of blind trust died that day.

Sacred cows are everywhere. Many are inherited, some 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,  beyond any doubt, no further discussion required, 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, a pecking order. No one stands above another before God, all are loved equally, even though it may not appear so at times. Most however go through life by self propulsion until some hardship befalls. Then, being nominal believers they turn to prayer in desperation and fear, seeking immediate relief. God will always help so never hesitate to pray, for such is the nature of grace, but if we are loved by God, a love greater than a parent has for their child, why does God seemingly not answer instantaneously in the manner we have outlined in our prayer?

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. To be clear: All prayers are answered in the positive, God is always present, the question is are we and have we been present for Him?

God is never unfair. If we have been busy living life secularly, following our will and desires, believing in God but doing little to demonstrate that belief, is it really any surprise that our selfish and self-centered prayer seemingly falls on deaf ears? Once again, reaping and sowing in action. No real crop (practicing prayer, meditation and selfless service) was ever planted and now winter (trouble) has arrived and the cupboard is bear. 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. Remember, 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 this 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 truly hunger, our cupboard always full, our good works the demonstration of the Power within and our prayers will have wings.

A Few Sure Things

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

Recognize success with thanksgiving, and build more success with gratitude.
Giving thanks for success while asking the same for all guarantees further success.

We can have anything in life we really want, but we must be prepared to take the responsibilities that go with our desires.
Why do so many fail to demonstrate? God knows if we are prepared, ready, but He never brings anything into our life that will overwhelm or ultimately harm us. Fear is the author of all negativity and suffering.

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, kinda like asking to win a marathon while promising to train afterwards. To be clear: God can and does work miracles without prerequisite, such is the nature of Grace, but our responsibility having become aware is to Practice the Presence of God through prayer and meditation, consistently training 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 the 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 through prayer, selfless service and meditation.

Ready Or Not?

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 as teenagers we were 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 True 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.