Our Perfection Realized

Our Perfection Realized

Ever bowl a perfect game? Pitch a perfect game? Have 13 tricks no trump in Bridge? How about 21 in blackjack? A spade Royal Flush? When we start cataloging “perfection” it is a pretty short list all things considered, but what of spiritual perfection? Many religions hang their collective spiritual hats on an imperfect dogma of perfection; that we are imperfect at birth and though we should strive for perfection we will always fall short, requiring leadership and earthly direction from others for our ultimate salvation. To be clear: Religion and religious teaching and guidance have been indispensable in mankind’s climb up the ladder of Spiritual consciousness, but just as the student who must eventually graduate and take their place in the world, building on what they have learned by turning knowledge into demonstration, so must each of us in our relationship with Our Father.

Just as families have difficulties from time to time, usually rooted in misunderstanding, intercession of a professional can be helpful to work through an issue, to provide fresh perspective. In the final analysis however the real work takes place between the family members, the professional merely an aid. Just as in the secular, spiritually we make use of what religion and spiritual teachers provide and are quick to see where they are right, but we must never lose sight of the true nature of our relationship with the Divine and the ultimate responsibility in raising our consciousness lies with each of us.

By a wholehearted reliance on A Power Greater Than Ourselves, though none of us will ever be perfect in faith for fear is a powerful foe and the true adversary, our continued willingness to pray demonstrates a perfection in seeking and in this, our perfection is realized.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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The One True Answer

The One True Answer

As we live and learn, practicing our new way of life, Living on the Spiritual Basis, not only our perspective but our actions begin to change naturally. We begin to act from love, from God. Less and less do we see the world through the prism of the carnal, secular mind. Viewing existence through a new pair of glasses we have begun to experience life connected to Source instead of at odds with it. As our consciousness grows and expands the truth of the power of love becomes more apparent. 

 

Love is God, God is love and love is always the answer. 

 

Through the process of Living on the Spiritual Basis we have established a conscious contact with God, so when faced with any difficulty, problem or trouble the realization of God’s love and Divine presence will not only solve or correct the situation but remove it. Clearly this new way of living develops over time, so if our first thought is not always about God or love, do not be discouraged. When we become aware that we haven’t yet turned to God in a particular instance, we do so as soon as the awareness surfaces, and be gentle, under no circumstance do we allow our internal dialogue to turn negative. This is not a race, we are already in eternity and negative thoughts about our progress are always counter productive.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Easy Does It and Other Mottoes, A History

Easy Does It and Other Mottoes, A History

Today Easy Does It, One Day at a Time, First Things First, Live and Let Live and Think, Think, Think are mottoes that adorn the walls of AA meeting rooms and clubs around the globe. Few realize however these concepts entered AA’s collective consciousness most likely from  Emmet Fox. The early members of what would become Alcoholics Anonymous* residing in New York attended Dr. Fox’s gatherings in the 1930’s in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, Steinway Hall even The Hippodrome as attendance grew. This continued up to the start of World War II when large gatherings were suspended out of security concerns. The early AA members** who did not live in New York studied Dr Fox’s teaching through his best sellers The Sermon on the Mount, Power Through Constructive Thinking and Sparks of Truth which is a collection of teachings originally published as a series of 10 cent pamphlets. It is in these pamphlets that the mottoes later adopted by AA are found. Additionally in early pamphlets published by the first recognized AA group, King’s School in Akron, Sermon on the Mount is suggested reading.

*Though AA dates its birth from 6/10/35 the first AA meeting (the group broke from the Oxford Group (Moral Rearmament) and stood in singleness of purpose in helping those suffering from alcoholism) did not take place until 5/11/39 in Cleveland Ohio, the secretary Clarence Snyder, a few months after the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous) was published. Source: Bill and Lois Wilson‘s personal correspondence in archives.

**Bill Wilson sponsored (helped sober up) Emmet Fox’s secretaries son, Al Steckman. Al would go on to be the first editor of the AA Grapevine and has been credited with coining the phrase “I am responsible” at the first AA convention. Source: Igor Sikorsky Jr. AA’s Godparents 1990

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Responding To Trouble, A Third Way

Responding To Trouble, A Third Way

How do you respond to trouble? The typical response is to either square up and meet force with force or escape as rapidly as possible. Living on the Spiritual Basis provides a different path, a third way. As soon as we become aware of a troubling situation, whether it involves us directly or not, we immediately turn to prayer, seeing the situation and all involved in Divine Presence, bathing them and the situation in God’s love and direction, relying on prayer and spiritual enlightenment for resolution, knowing that if any action is required by us, beyond prayer, it will be made abundantly clear by Him who has all knowledge and power. In this way we tap into unlimited power and potential, rejecting human limitation, raising the consciousness of all involved for “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.” 

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Wild Justice And Spiritual Jailers

Wild Justice And Spiritual Jailers

Wishing to get even, taking revenge, to balance the scales, to repay in kind are natural human sentiments, a wild justice, manifestations of living on the secular basis. Conversely, Living on the Spiritual Basis we have learned that “hatred ceases not with hatred.” Though the crimes and acts committed may be horrendous, even beyond the pale, we must take a higher road mentally or we will remain mired in limitation. To be clear: those who have transgressed society's laws and been found culpable should suffer the punishment society has decreed, the principle though of condemning the act, not the actor paramount if we are to remain free.

We must turn to God, and though the guilty may have committed acts seemingly unforgivable, we must give them over to God root and branch in thought otherwise we suffer along with the guilty. Remember it takes two to make a spiritual prisoner, the guilty and the jailer and is not the jailer as surely in prison as the guilty? The spiritual jailer having it worse than the prisoner, since they can leave the prison while the guilty are trapped, yet they chose to return of their own free will day after day, perpetuating resentment and condemnation in their hearts, choosing morbid reflection over spiritual freedom. Prison or freedom, light or dark, limitation or unlimited growth, the choice is always ours. “Let there be peace, and let it begin with me.”

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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The Heart Of The Spiritual Process

The Heart Of The Spiritual Process

 “We have ceased fighting everyone and everything, for we are on a new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God.” This principle is at the heart of Living on the Spiritual Basis. To believe that any of us have achieved perfection in this is foolhardy. Our time in this flesh is marked by progress not perfection in our spiritual growth, so we stay ever vigilant, day by day, occasionally moment by moment. We turn to Him who has all knowledge and power for the right words or action when we find ourselves in conflict either with the world or within ourselves, remaining open minded and though perhaps trembling, willing to do His will, not ours, for in this lies the heart of the process of Living on the Spiritual Basis.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

The Secret, Wayne Dyer, Recovery, Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, NA, Four Agreements, Chopra, Heroin, Einstein, AA, McRaven, Healing Path

 

God Doesn't Row

God Doesn't Row

Einstein remarked, “The most important decision you will ever make is whether you live in a friendly or hostile universe.” Spiritually, if we live in a hostile universe, then no matter what we do, there really isn‘t any hope for us. The hostile universe is dominated by a “score keeper” God, holding that we are full of sin, so all we can do is the best we can, knowing that when this flesh fails the piper will be paid. So, forgive the language but this lacks something without it: “Life is just one big shit sandwich, believing in God just means it comes with fries” pretty much sums up the hostile universe point of view.

But what of the friendly universe? When the Carpenter delivered the Sermon On The Mount, he summed up our relationship with God simply with the words “Our Father.”  The friendly universe then builds on a basic criterion: we are all connected, equal in His eyes regardless of circumstance or station, “the realm of Heaven roomy, all inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding; open to all who earnestly seek.”

We have all been touched by sin, however in the friendly universe we are forgiven as soon as we ask, if we mean business. The key being that we truly wish to change and grow spiritually, so past transgressions no longer bedevil us or are repeated. Forgiveness is meaningless however if it is only sought as a means simply to avoid or ameliorate consequences of our actions. For forgiveness to be operative we must desire to change with all our heart, finally realizing that though willing, the flesh is weak, we must have help and that help comes from “Our Father.”

Now, if we had to wait to be “pure” to become worthy of God’s love none of us would make the cut. To be clear: we are worthy right here right now; all that is required is a wholehearted commitment to seek a relationship with God. How is this done? Through prayer, service and meditation coupled with willingness and an open mind. When approached this way the path of our enlightenment naturally unfolds before us, but we must continue in the work. Visualize it this way: It is you and God in a rowboat and God doesn't row. His hand is on the tiller and we row with our back to the direction traveled, our eyes fixed on Him, lest we become fearful and try to steer the boat by pulling a little harder on one oar or the other, resisting God’s guidance. If we ultimately lose faith and grab the tiller He will not fight us, but He will not row. Lacking our demonstration, our rowing, our little boat is left to the mercy of contrary currents and swirling eddies of self-centered fear, ultimately directionless even though our hand is on the tiller. The good news is as soon as we retake our seat and pick up the oars, He will resume the tiller and though we may be fearful and trembling, we find freedom from the adversary fear by once again demonstrating trust in the infinite, rather than our finite selves. Oh, and He brings much better sandwiches.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Theoretical Skiing

Theoretical Skiing

Intellectual discussions of spirituality can be interesting, even invigorating, but have no real value without demonstration. Consider: someone decides to become a snow skier. They read books and magazines on skiing, attend lectures and seminars, learn about snow and meteorology, purchase the latest skiing attire and have custom skis made. Are they a skier? To the casual observer they seem to meet the criterion, they “know” all about skiing and have all the latest and best gear. Except they have never actually skied. Now, a seasoned skier would not be fooled for a moment, they would listen and know in short order that their “knowledge” was all theoretical, none of it based on actual experience. Clearly, being a lodge or “bench” skier has its advantages: they never get hurt (as long as they don’t insult an actual skier) and they stay warm and dry with minimal wear and tear on their gear and wardrobe. The only problem being the point of skiing is to ski, to experience all the wonderful things on the slopes they have only read or dreamed about.

Now most folks who decide to ski, do in fact hit the slopes. Spiritually however many choose to remain in the lodge, convinced that self knowledge is sufficient, taking the slopes unnecessary. Both cases of bench warmers demonstrate the same truths: Self knowledge avails us nothing that faith without works is dead and they wish to enjoy a certain reputation they know in their heart they don‘t deserve. Knowledge has little or no value until it is put into action/demonstration, for when we lack the faith to put what we “know” to work, we allow fear to dominate us. For faith to be vital we must leave the lodge and hit the slopes, and just like the beginning skier, regardless of how much we “know” we are going fall, make mistakes and end up a little sore. 

So we step out in faith and demonstrate over the challenges and difficulties of life, relying on a Power Greater Than Ourselves to provide what we need, employing prayer, meditation and constructive action to solve all our problems, proving the theoretical. Oh, and never ski on old wax.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Somersaulting Through The Eye Of A Needle

Somersaulting Through The Eye Of A Needle

It has been said that It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25). Well, I have yet to see a camel small enough or a needle big enough for this to happen, so I once surmised, wrongly, that it meant being rich was something to be avoided. Yeah, didn’t make much sense to me either. So clearly, I lacked some understanding. So a little context first: according to many experts cities at the time of this saying were surrounded by high thick walls with large gates to facilitate traffic in and out of the city. At night the large gates would be closed and small man sized doors were the only way in, these doors were known as the Needle’s Eye. So perhaps a clearer translation would be: It is easier for a camel to pass through the Needle’s Eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Now camels could be brought through the needle’s eye, but it required unloading them first. This is the crux of the teaching. Camels don’t care what they are carrying, rocks or gold makes no difference to them, only that it eventually comes off, the sooner the better.  In this the camel seems wiser than us. Whether we are rich in physical possessions or not, we carry all sorts of baggage, impediments to entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Selfishness, hubris, spiritual pride, condemnation, bigotry (overt and subtle), hatred, self-centeredness, fear in a hundred guises are all examples of “possessions” that keep us locked in the bondage of self. Living on the Spiritual Basis we have become willing and ready to be free of this bondage, setting aside our possessions, performing the work daily to become and remain “poor in spirit.”

Poor in spirit does not mean poor spirited, conversely it means we have unburdened ourselves of our baggage by a simple reliance on “Our Father”, turning in all things to Him who has all knowledge and power, finally realizing the truth of our connection and birthright as children of a loving Creator.

So if you are trudging the road of happy destiny weighed down by your possessions, cast off your pack and leave it by the side of the road, become truly poor in spirit, weightless, cart wheeling through the needle’s eye, somersaulting into the Kingdom of Heaven, free at last.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Spiritual Snakes

Spiritual Snakes

Some years ago I became very ill, but since I was still “functioning” I delayed going to my physician until I was essentially at death‘s door. The onset had been so gradual that my body and life had adapted to it, my life having shrunken to the point of work and commitments, nothing more. By Fridays I was so tired I would come home and only move for necessities, resting and marshaling my energy for the coming week. As my health returned it amazed me how I had allowed my circumstances to become so altered, how I had just accepted negative conditions, rationalized them without a fight because it happened gradually, under the radar of my consciousness.

During the course of our lives our circumstances and living conditions go through many alterations. Careers and children the leading causes early, aging and possibly becoming care givers more so later. Although we never fully understand going in how becoming parents or relocating/changing careers will impact us, growing older and some of these other things, typically, come with some foreshadowing, approaching head on unlike what transpired when I became so very ill which crept in silently as a snake.

Spiritually the same things happen in our lives. When faced with a definite problem or difficulty we react and take some form of action, preferably spiritual, but even running around shouting the sky is falling is action, a demonstration, albeit a poor one. Then there are the snakes. When we first begin walking the new path, Living on the Spiritual Basis, we are aware of everything around us. The scales on our eyes have fallen away; we are seeing life and our existence through fresh eyes, illumination all about us. Having had our first taste of freedom from the bondage of self we naturally believe that our days of slavery are behind us, never to return. If only it were that simple. The price of spiritual freedom is unrelenting vigilance.

Unfortunately many become complacent, in time becoming moribund, rigid in their thinking, no longer open to the fresh winds that constantly flow from source. Though once dynamic, free and open they have now unconsciously constructed walls built of the brick of righteousness set in the mortar of pride, living in the shadows where snakes reside, becoming slaves to self once again, though they often continue mouthing spiritual teachings and platitudes, these principles have lost any real significance in their lives, simply nice thoughts lacking any real authority.

Avoid then the deadly trap of complacency and spiritual pride by staying fresh through heartfelt prayer, service and meditation, unwilling to accept limitation in all its guises regardless of personal circumstances, for God truly wants all of us to be happy, joyous and free, our lives the demonstration of our true divine heritage, our connection with source affirmed.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Resting By The River

Resting By The River

Resting on our laurels. We have all done it; perhaps you are doing it now. Whenever I have, I find the leaves quickly dry out, becoming stiff with sharp points resulting in restlessness and discontentment, encouraging action. Living on the Spiritual Basis provides unlimited horizons for growth and the expansion of our consciousness, but we have to take the action. Think of it this way: Our consciousness floats in a slow moving infinite river, the river of connection to everyone and everything, Source immanent. When we made the decision to live on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon a Power Greater Than Ourselves we choose to move away from fear, selfish and self centered pursuits and toward increased awareness and purpose, our consciousness, our relationship/connection with source improving as we progress. This however requires steadfast and consistent effort on our part.

No one spends all of their time in the river. We all climb out from time to time for a variety of reasons, resting on the soft laurel leaves along the bank generated from the spiritual work we have done. The problems begin if we attempt to set up camp, losing sight of the truth that our growth rests in our willingness to continue moving forward in our spiritual demonstration and awakening. So, when the leaves begin to stiffen and they will, take note and get back in the river, for something wonderful lies just beyond the next bend.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Tennyson And Mountain Streams

Tennyson And Mountain Streams

Closer is He than breathing; nearer than hands and feet.-Tennyson. And that is most near indeed. In truth: we are always in contact with source. Why? Because we are of source, we are not human beings in search of a spiritual connection; we are spiritual beings experiencing the human condition.

The next time you find yourself looking at a small mountain stream take a moment to consider the waters journey. Every river and stream that empties into the ocean is connected to every other by an unbroken string of water molecules. These molecules will travel to the deepest recesses of the ocean, only to rise up again to the surface and evaporate, returning to the clouds to fall as snow or rain once more, a journey repeated countless times, source constantly renewed.

We are surrounded by wonder, the amazing complexity and interconnectedness of life in even the simplest things evident, if we will only take the time to consider. Though separated from one another by flesh, in truth, Spirit transcends all limitation and constraint. So when reaching out for source, for God in prayer and meditation remember: Closer is He than breathing; nearer than hands and feet, so drink deeply, for He is most near indeed.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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A Moment And Eternity

A Moment And Eternity

Our existence in this flesh is but a moment in parentheses. ETERNITY (birth-life-death) ETERNITY. Having embraced Living on the Spiritual Basis we know the truth: we are not this body, we are divine, eternal beings experiencing the human condition, we existed before this body was born and will exist after it has returned to the dust from which it rose. We grow, progress in this life, by our willingness to share, to teach the spiritual principles, the fundamentals we practice daily with those just starting in earnest on their journey. Remembering always that all are equal in Our Father‘s eyes regardless of current circumstances or beliefs, that though they may be terribly lost, living in the grip of the adversary fear, true redemption is just a moment and a prayer away.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

The Secret, Wayne Dyer, Recovery, Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, NA, Four Agreements, Chopra, Heroin, Einstein, AA, McRaven, Healing Path