Eloquence of Action

Many believe that change and growth can come through discourse alone. That sounding off and speaking out actually accomplishes anything. Today, just as yesterday and the day before ad infinitum, impassioned speeches will be made from the bedraggled fellow in Hyde Park speaker’s corner to the United Nations. Chances are none of them will be remembered next week, or even tomorrow in most cases. There has always been, and will always be vibrant speakers. Eloquent and moving in the moment, their words perhaps even bridging time, to touch future generations. However, did their words alone result in or engender action? Consider: If Churchill had not demonstrated resolve along with his eloquence, would Britain have persevered against seemingly insurmountable odds? When FDR spoke on Dec. 8th 1941, he called for action. What would the world look like today if he had failed to follow through? John Kennedy did not suggest that maybe we should go to the moon; he said we would in the next ten years and put into motion the foundation to accomplish it. Mother Teresa did not merely speak about love and service, but demonstrated it by living and prospering in conditions that few of us can truly comprehend.

These individuals were dynamic. Yes, they spoke well, but what made them dynamic was making their words real, turning eloquence into action. Even if you and I never reach the levels of power or renown of these dynamic individuals, being dynamic is part and parcel of Living on the Spiritual Basis. Faith without works is dead, sweet words and promises mean nothing, actually becoming destructive, if the appropriate action does not follow. None of us walks the way we talk all of the time, but it is a goal worth shooting for. Strive to be dynamic; one day at a time, a speech demonstrated with ones hands and feet always carries more weight, and lasting permanent value, than words alone.

The Price Of Indignation

      “You can have either your demonstration or your indignation, but you cannot have both.”  We cannot look down our nose and salute the spark of divine simultaneously. We will never progress far on the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis if we harbor resentment and condemnation of any kind for any reason in our consciousness. By whatever measure we limit or subjectively dismiss anything or anyone as being beyond the pale, we distance ourselves from the path.

     The maxim of “equal and opposite reaction” is as true spiritually as it is physically. The Great Carpenter taught on this point when he spoke on “righteous” judgment. Many have misconstrued this teaching as to mean that we should never be judgmental, which is incorrect.

     To be able to see our brothers and sisters clearly we must first address our own shortcomings and clean up our side of the street, only then can our “eye be single.”  Once we have done this we see everything in a new light, the true light, the light of spiritual awakening.

    We all naturally have opinions and viewpoints on all manner things, additionally some people we will welcome into our lives, others not so much, and some for valid reasons will be kept at a distance. The key is the steadfast refusal to engage in self-righteousness and of becoming a spiritual imperialist. We must stay ever vigilant of these thoughts and when they creep into our consciousness, for they will often masquerading as wolves in sheep’s clothing, we gently turn to God in prayer thanking Him for our heightened awareness, asking Him to guide us on the path of patience, tolerance, kindness and love.

    Having strongly held opinions and viewpoints are never troublesome when filtered through Spiritual truth. The trouble arises when we fail to employ this filter for this filter is the key to self-control, the bar against becoming self-righteous and manifesting deadly spiritual pride. So the choice is simple but the price is high; God or indignation. Choose wisely.

Our Spiritual Garden

        When we first begin our spiritual journey in earnest specific and ritualized spiritual practices are important fundamentals. These set times and forms provide a foundation and the necessary discipline on which we build. In good time, as we become more adept, many of the simple guidelines and structure we began with will naturally fall away. This happens with no thought or conscious effort on our part. A simple guide: if you are asking yourself if it’s time to change your process, don’t. When it is time for change it will happen naturally, if we are asking the question, then we are attempting to hasten the process, which is not possible. Think of it this way: when we plant a garden would we expect the plants to grow and mature to our time table? Of course not, nor would we dream of harvesting the crop before it was ready. Water, sunlight, food, pests and the diligence of the gardener most of all, affect the health of the garden, the timing and size of the harvest.

     Our spiritual growth is just like all other natural growth in that it is affected by numerous factors. So we tend our spiritual garden diligently but refuse to concern ourselves with timing, focusing instead on the work before us this day. In time the fruits will present themselves at exactly the perfect moment of awakening.

    Our spiritual garden, unlike other gardens, is eternal and will continue to give forth nourishment unabated as long as we keep our eyes on God, the true source, avoiding the temptation to pull our crop up prematurely to check the roots for signs of progress. As time passes we find that our understanding and demonstration has reached new heights, our garden seemingly taking care of its self as we cultivate still greater faith and service, becoming closer, day by day in thought and deed to Our Father, the demonstration of our true coming of age spiritually.

Becoming Spiritually Superior

        The pitfall of self-righteousness has trapped and pulled down countless individuals. In most endeavors in life when we reach the top (think any Senator, sports star, billionaire, The President etc) there is a natural sense of awe surrounding the individual and their accomplishments. Accomplishments however do not elevate one spiritually “above” anyone else, regardless of how much money, power, fame or titles they garner. Additionally the destruction wrought by self-righteous entitlement thinking on those who were born into wealth and position would be cliché if its effects on them and those they touch were not so heartbreaking.

     The greatest and most damaging falls occur however when an individual garners a sense of superiority from the spiritual work they have done. Though they began with good motives, they succumbed to the trap. When we grow spiritually, unless we stay ever vigilant, we can lose ourselves in self and begin to “look down” on those seeking guidance from a self constructed tower of superiority to the point of even becoming unwilling to continue to experience new spiritual winds, losing sight of our role as messenger, our demonstration of spiritual principles the message, no one of greater import before God than any other. Entitlement thinking may be the dubious luxury of the rich and famous, with or without personal accomplishment, but spiritual entitlement thinking is deadly.

       Living on the Spiritual Basis we demonstrate the spiritual precepts we have learned in our daily life, for we cannot transmit that which we do not live ourselves. If we are attempting to teach a lesson we do not practice we will ultimately fail and fall victim to the dictum: “do as I say, not as I do” which is the golden gate of self-righteousness. We avoid this by staying vigilant and when spiritual entitlement thinking begins to make it’s self known, for it will, we turn to God and thank Him for knowing Him better, for keeping us “right” sized, our lives the demonstration of the new basis of living.

Your Inner Light

         Never turn away from anyone seeking help or guidance. Part of the progression in our spiritual growth is the rise in our natural or soul “luminescence” as we demonstrate over the issues of life. As we begin to Live on the Spiritual Basis, day by day, people will naturally become attracted. As your inner light shines ever brighter even complete strangers will be drawn to you, seeking something they cannot name but subconsciously know they need, feeling it, seeing it with their inner sight.  

       They won’t know why (and under no circumstance should we try to explain it) they are attracted, but they have questions and you appeal to their higher consciousness as someone with answers. We share openly and honestly our path with them, but under no circumstance do we evangelize. We answer the asked questions only and resist the urge to steer the conversation. Remember: real growth and understanding must begin within and though we have naturally grown into a guiding light, we must let them grow and learn at their own rate. We lead by example and teach by demonstration.

      Now the rub: many have reached this point in their development only to lose themselves in spiritual pride. This terrible trap has snared untold numbers over time. Remember: just as the light bulb is the focal point of the light, the demonstration, it is the invisible power electricity that lights it. We are the messenger, the shinning light; God is the message, the true source that powers our inner light. 

Spiritual Jell-O

          “The universe is run exactly on the lines of a cafeteria” Emmet Fox.  Just as at a self serve cafeteria, all of the gifts Our Father’s grace provides are laid out before us, but it is up to us to take the action to claim these gifts, for just as the cafeteria where we can sit waiting, watching others eating all around us, we remain hungry until we act. So we rise up, in spirit, and claim our spiritual nourishment through prayer and meditation, putting into action/demonstration the truths we have come to hold in our heart. We resist the alluring spiritual shortcuts arrayed before us that lead only to tears, for this would be akin to trying to exist on jell-o and desserts only. Though colorful, tasty and satisfying in the moment, it is ultimately spiritually deadly if we try to exist on these solely. Spiritual jell-o, you heard it here first, refunds available upon request.

Becoming A Tyrant

          Living by spiritual principles is not easy, no news flash there, and unfortunately many that do disagree on the path. Constructive conversation in congenial tones, on any topic, should be sought; unfortunately many are incapable of this. Their beliefs fall into the “my way or the highway” school of judgment, raised to Sacred Cow status, which leaves no room whatsoever for conversation, let alone congeniality. Spiritually, the “either get it my way or burn” club are individuals who have fallen prey to the temptation to exercise personal power over others. To make them toe the line, even to use others to advance their personal agenda, all for the greater good of course, the indelicate machinations of politicians notwithstanding, history is rife with those who may have started out with noble ideals, who then began to believe their own press and (often unconsciously) placed themselves on the pedestal of “I know better” transforming from teacher to leader to tyrant.

Tyrant: 1. Absolute ruler: an absolute ruler who exercises power cruelly and unjustly 
2.  Authoritarian person: somebody who exercises authority unjustly and oppressively. 

      To avoid this temptation is simple but not easy. It begins, and ends, with the absolute truth that all are equal in God’s eyes. “Our Father” states without doubt our relationship with Him who has all knowledge and power, all equally loved, the opportunity to live on the Spiritual Basis open to all, the key to freedom from this ignoble sin. When we look down on or speak derisively to or about anyone we open the door to the tyranny of spirit, hiding behind the straw man sentiment of “it’s for their own good.” To be free, we must salute their innate spirituality, recognizing the nobility of their spirit even though they are incapable of reciprocation.

     We never shrink when confronted by tyrants, we stand firm, stating our belief with clarity and tact, resisting the temptation to reply in kind or worse, seek compromise using mollification of our belief as a method of avoiding the necessary confrontation. Tyrants only view this as weakness, our failure to stand strong in faith providing them license. An individuals demonstration belongs only to them, for all reap as they sow. Living on the Spiritual Basis we stand and deliver; without judgment or rancor, for flesh is ephemeral, the soul eternal. We will all fall short of this ideal, for such is the nature of being human, so we must always be gentle when dealing with ourselves, profiting from all experiences, sharing openly and honestly our highs and lows, successes and failures. Remember: liking or agreeing with someone is not a requisite for saluting their innate spirituality; it is our ultimate responsibility to one another as children of a loving God. In living this way we remain free of the temptation to exercise personal power over others.

An Open Door And Sacred Cows

Having life in the spiritual sense is different from just being alive. Even zombies have a form of life, limited as it may be. We have all met spiritual “zombies” as we have moved through life. They are easily identified by their clenched jaw when disagreed with, the blank stare when forced to hear an opposing point of view and the years of built up crusty contempt and condescension around their mouths. Possibly we have looked in the mirror and seen a zombie looking back. This state is arrived at when we close our minds to new information, refuse out of stubbornness (actually fear) to recognize a different point of view or even entertain the possibility that we may be mistaken. We have closed our minds to new experience and mount the twin sacred cows of arrogance and contempt. All spiritual zombies ride sacred cows; wait for it, now there is an interesting visual.

“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

The good news is that once they dismount and open their heart and mind to fresh winds their spiritual life returns. To be clear: Having an open mind and willingness does not necessarily mean we are wrong or need to change our mind or position, just that the door remains open. Our course is simple, but not always easy. Stay young at heart by a willingness to investigate everything that interests us. When we remain open minded and willing to learn, we open ourselves to the sunlight of the Spirit. In the light is where we find our connection to the eternal, know true peace and “experience life when you feel yourself to be free and useful and joyous, unconscious of either fear or doubt.”

THE THOUSAND FACES OF FEAR

No one but you and God know what is in your heart, nor can we ever truly know what is in the heart of another, for only God has that ability. We come to know the issues of someone’s heart by their actions, demonstrations, not their words. One of the most misunderstood teachings in the Christ message is on judgment. It is not that we are to avoid being judgmental, for that is impossible. In fact, we are instructed to employ righteous judgment, to judge based on action, not on words. However, we cannot judge rightly if our own house is not in order.

To put our house in order we take an honest, fearless and thorough inventory of our life. We identify the things that have been blocking us from fully accepting God’s love and guidance. Once we have done this we find they are all fear based in one manner or another, for the adversary, fear has a thousand faces. We risk our serenity when we pass judgment on another’s actions while ours are just as bad or worse. We clean up our side of the street first, sharpen our vision, and then we can speak to our brothers’ difficulties, if asked. Seeing the pitfalls and roadblocks in someone’s path is none of our business unless we are asked. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we never answer the unasked question. We practice patience and prayer, standing ready to go to any lengths to be of service when called, remembering that although we have great power in changing ourselves, by our reliance on God in all things, we have little power in changing others since their desire, just as ours, must come from within.

IN, BUT NOT OF

Reborn is the only term that accurately states the truth of Living on the Spiritual Basis. Day by day, step by step as we develop spiritually the old “man” dies and the new emerges. As with all births there is pain and discomfort along the way, quickly forgotten as the fresh new face emerges into the light of our consciousness. For those blessed with children there is probably no more peaceful or powerful moment in our lives than when we first held our newborn child. This same peace is visited upon us as our awareness and conscious contact with Source builds and grows, as we move from being in the world to being of the world, moving from the finite to the infinite, becoming a light of awareness and serenity, a beacon of hope. Is there any greater miracle?

Improving the World

“Bless a thing and it will bless you. Curse it and it will curse you.” Regardless of circumstances, to be free we must bless anyone or anything that is causing us difficulty. If we harbor any seemingly righteous or justified anger, we ask in prayer for the willingness to see the truth. Hate and resentment is never overcome with more hate and resentment, when we harbor these things in our heart the object of our ire suffers not; we sip the cup of discontent and pain and reap its effects. All reap as they sow and by blessing that which is unlovely and objectionable not only sets us free, the world improves as well.

PLAYING THE VIOLIN, NAKED

  “Living life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning to play the instrument as we go along” naked. No rational person believes they could play a musical instrument perfectly the first time they tried. Yet in our spiritual life we often expect perfection and then become disillusioned when our expectations are not met. The level of our serenity is directly proportional to our expectations of perfection. To be clear: We should expect great, marvelous things to arise in our lives when we Live on the Spiritual Basis, but we must also remember that our lives are works in progress. We seek “spiritual progress, not perfection.”

   For my Christian friends this may seem inconsistent with the Great Carpenters teaching. It is not. The perfection He taught on was the perfection of purpose. Being flawed, we abandon ourselves to Him, seeking guidance and strength in every area of life and living. In this we can achieve perfection, but to think that any of us will stand perfect in every thought, word, deed and action is a recipe for irritability, restlessness and deep discontentment. God is perfect, as is our Divine selfhood, living, being human however is learning how to play as we go along and to believe we can do this error free is a tragic error.

    We only see a great artist’s final product, not their preliminary attempts. How many versions of Beethoven’s masterpieces did he discard before the final renditions we know today? How many canvases did Rembrandt paint over? How many failures did Thomas Edison learn from on the way to his great discoveries? The perfection in their lives, and ours, is in being willing, willing to go on in the face of missteps, fear and doubt, trusting the inner voice.

    Living on the Spiritual Basis, we trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. Keep your eyes on God and capitalize those seeming missteps in your spiritual evolution as opportunities to demonstrate His omnipotence and when you err, and we all will, thank Him for knowing Him better and take whatever action is required to address the misstep.  If you don’t know what action to take or path to follow, ask in prayer to be shown and the right answer will come. By acting in this way we own the lesson and possible repetition of the misstep is greatly reduced, achieving perfection of purpose in action.

WINGS OF DESTINY

               “The truth will set you free.”  Ever watch a bird floating on a current of air or with practiced grace winging its way with no regard to speed limits, stop lights or any other natural or man-made impediment to travel, and thought how cool it would be to fly. How much more interesting the world becomes when we achieve a little height in our point of view, all the ground level restrictions gone, what was out of sight comes into view as we soar above it. We soar spiritually when we embrace the Great Reality, that we are the children of God, in fact and deed, limited only by fear. To soar we seek God first, saluting the divine in all our brothers and sisters, seeking to express our innate divinity, quietly, in all our affairs. As we Live on the Spiritual Basis day by day, our point of view changes, what was once hidden comes into view, becoming more distinct as our vision sharpens, though we are soaring ever higher. Place your trust in God, claim your wings and soar the heights of happy destiny.  

WILD JUSTICE

          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 of “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” or if something bad befell Osama Bin Laden I probably wouldn’t immediately turn to a prayer 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 and all whose path they cross, as well as the offender, are blessed, 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.

OUR 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 would 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 thinking 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 any remaining 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. Though this happened years ago, its lesson is as fresh today as then. Shalom. 

OUR TRUE SOURCE 4

          Lamentably many hold to the false idea that they can save up spiritual good will that can be drawn on later to get through some current difficulty. For the life of me I cannot find a 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”, they freeze up in much the same way my computer does when I click on too many windows. Prayer has power. We strip the power from 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 the Israelites following Moses. 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 nothing 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, doing so we receive Our Daily Bread.

OUR TRUE SOURCE 3

            “The longest 18 inches in the world is the distance 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.

OUR TRUE SOURCE 2

     When we place our trust in supply from anything or anyone other than God we are sure to be left wanting. There are many avenues that provide our supply, employers, a business, investments, if times are tough perhaps the government for a time, but all are simply temporary channels. In all our lives these channels alter and change over the course of living, but the headwaters, the true source remains constant. The Great Carpenter taught in the Lord’s Prayer that God would provide our “daily bread”, that “our daily bread signifies the realization of the Presence of God-an actual sense that God exists not merely in a nominal way, but as the great reality” that God “Our Father” is the only source. 

SORTA, KINDA, MAYBE

          Our greatest gift, free will, which which makes us unique among all God’s creations, is also mankind’s curse upon its self. Every criminal or evil act, whether committed by an individual or nation, has its root in selfish self centered thinking and fear. By turning our back on God, choosing the finite over the infinite, failing to be about “Our Father’s” business, choosing to ignore the Golden Rule, we open ourselves to all forms of poverty, sickness, sin, trouble, even death on the physical plane. “God is either everything or else He is nothing.” No middle ground, no gradations, no sorta kinda maybes; you are either all in or all out. The choice is ours. Free will. Choose wisely.

FREE WILL

       “God has a plan for every man, and he has one for you”, that plan is your “Heart’s Desire.”  Our only real job in this life is to identify our Heart’s Desire, placing the full weight of our consciousness to this task. Emmet Fox writes: “If you only can find out that one thing that God intends you to do, and will do it, you will find that all doors will open to you, and you will be gloriously happy.” What sets man apart from all of the rest of God’s creatures is free will; we choose the path we walk. The Zebra, the Dolphin and the Eagle are born, live and die fully expressing their essential nature, never questioning their purpose or concerned with being anything other than what they are. Only man creates, strives to be more and know more because of our unique relationship to God, since God is in fact “Our Father” in every sense.