NO THIEF CAN TOUCH IT

     The Eighth Commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). The laws regarding material theft are well known. Little needs to said regarding the secular price paid if one steals physical goods, but what of spiritual theft?

     Can anyone steal your serenity, peace of mind or surety in Spirit? Only if we allow it.  Can anyone truly steal a reputation or a good name?  The difference between secular theft and spiritual is eternity. Even if someone succeeds in sullying another‘s name, in the end God knows the truth. To paraphrase the Great teacher: Where do wish to build your kingdom? Here, where it is subject to time and deterioration or in Heaven, which is eternal? No one gets out alive. This flesh will fail. The work we have done to raise our consciousness remains with us by spiritual right, forever. Our relationship with a Power Greater than Ourselves is forever, beyond the reach of any thief or the ravages of time.   

     Those who have tried to demonstrate a connection to God for the sake of secular success never succeed in the end. Personal wealth, possessions or false pride never pass beyond the grave. You cannot steal or fake a relationship with God

GOD’S WILL & DROPPED PANTS

     The Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). Pretty straightforward. The Old Testament lays out a pretty harsh penalty for those breaking this commandment: death. That would certainly clear the dockets in divorce court, but what does this mean to us today in the light of Living on the Spiritual Basis? The case can be made that shall not also means can not. Clearly married people are and have been “sleeping” with people other than their spouses since the institution of marriage became accepted. The can not applies to the inner self, the subconscious, our soul, were we always pay the price for our actions, all secular justification and rationalization meaningless. When a student has approached with a question about infidelity, to date it has always been after the fact. When someone begins to have the stirrings, considering an affair or fling, the last thing they want to do is talk about it before consummation. When I am approached the conversation usually begins with something like “it wasn’t planned, it just happened” “I don’t know what I was thinking” “I never wanted to hurt my wife/husband” or some such other nonsense.

     Don’t know what you were thinking? You were thinking about sex with someone other than your spouse. It wasn’t planned? Your pants just happened to drop, in a secluded place, and you figured what, must be God’s will? You never wanted to hurt your spouse? So, if circumstances were reversed, how would you feel? To be clear: If it is time for a marriage to end, then it should, divorce is not wrong or evil. People grow at different rates, develop new interests that take their lives in conflicting directions or even falling in love (before having sex) with another are all valid reasons to end a marriage, the lying (to our spouse and ourselves) and the false flags flown are the problem.

     We make a commitment to another when we wed. We owe them, ourselves, and God the truth. Many an otherwise good relationship has been irreparably damaged from a passing sexual infatuation, the union crippled because of dishonesty, for had they been honest about their feelings and intentions before the act, though still uncomfortable, the death penalty (death of the marriage) may have been avoided. The death penalty called out in the old testament today plays out as the death of trust, love, peace of mind, serenity, the turning our back on spiritual principles we have come to know, seemingly shutting us off from the sunlight of the spirit, the crippling of a piece of our soul. A high price indeed considering the long road of forgiveness we then have to travel to regain the peace of mind so, in hindsight, casually cast away.

    The truth will set you free. The price of rigorous honesty may be steep, even painful, but we must be willing to pay it if we expect to reap all of our inheritance as children of the Most High.

MURDER OR KILL?

        The Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder (NKJV Exodus 20:13). The original King James translation is: Thou shalt not kill. (The New King James Version does away with the archaic idioms of speech from early 1600 England; additionally the original Hebrew and Greek texts dating to the 5th century used for the original KJV have been compared to the Dead Sea scrolls to provide the most accurate translation to date.) Murder was understood at the time of the writing of the old testament as the unethical or immoral taking of a life, the punishment of which was typically killing or maiming the offender in the manner proscribed by law (for perspective, remember this was 3500 years ago when the world was much wilder, requiring hard law to be tamed).

        Living on the Spiritual Basis, we look to the deeper layers of this commandment. No one can assassinate, murder our character, peace of mind, reputation or connection to God without our assent. To be clear: the assent is in our heart, others will say and do as they will, we know, and by extension God knows the truth, for it is written on our heart, in our hand. Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we stand in the light, fearless (though often trembling) of the world, for we are in, but no longer of this world, walking the road less traveled. Rejecting gossip, character assassination and condemnation of others sets us free, for we now know in our heart of hearts the truth of being: that we are all children of the Divine and all reap as they have sown, be it the whirlwind or serenity. Our job to be of service to all who earnestly seek and to pray in private for those struggling with truth, asking God to do for them what they cannot do for themselves, never answering the unasked question, but standing ready to help when asked, be it stranger, friend or even, and most importantly, someone who has demonstrated ill will.
      

PARENTS

        The Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12). If raised in a loving, respectful, two parent home this commandment is pretty straightforward, at least on the surface, but what about those who were not? Does God expect us to honor an abusive or absent/missing parent? Yes, since they are children of God just as we are, but that does not mean we have to invite them into our lives. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we recognize their shortcomings, defects of character, and release them with love. Do not misunderstand: releasing someone with love does not wipe the slate clean, absolving them of the work they need to do. If they were emotionally and/or physically abusive and show no interest in changing, releasing them with love does not require us to place ourselves in a position to be harmed out of “honor.” Additionally the absent parent who suddenly appears, their only passport having been a sperm donor or 9 months in their womb, must be weighed accurately in spiritual light since our first inclination is to allow them emotional access in a way we would never grant a “stranger.”

      To be clear since emotions run very high on these issues: Exercising forgiveness and releasing with love does not mean we forget and blindly place ourselves in a position to be harmed. Loving all spiritually, in Source, does not mean we have to like them or sit across the table from them on Thanksgiving. We must release all with peace, visualizing God’s love and guidance for them in prayer and meditation. However, never lose sight of the truth that the leopard, no matter how much we may wish it, rarely changes its spots. “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

      In light of the good news the carpenter brought to the world, this commandment takes on a deeper meaning as well. The greatest teacher of all cleared up any ambiguity about our relationship with the Divine when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount 1500 years after Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. We are all children of God, literally, and by honoring Him, Our Father, placing our will and life in His hands, do we find true place, freedom and long life in  spirit as we trudge the road of Happy Destiny, eyes wide open.

EVERY DAY THE SABBATH

      The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). 3500 years ago when Moses first delivered this commandment, people rarely enjoyed a day “off” let alone one day a week devoted to spiritual pursuits. Most worked dawn to dusk, their life expectancy less than 30 years. This New Testament (it didn’t become “old” for around 1500 years) laid out rules and conditions for living and conduct that for the first time applied to all, regardless of station or current circumstances. The Sabbath wasn’t just for the priests to observe, but everyman was to stop and rest, to take time to contemplate god, the commandment making it spiritual law, superseding the secular.
       For 1500 years, this stood as the model for those who embraced the new covenant, the covenant of a single God. Then Jesus raised the consciousness of man again with his teaching/demonstration removing the last bastion of any supposed separation from God, our true Divine relationship being one of parent to child, not figuratively but literally.
       Living on the Spiritual Basis, we pray and meditate through out our day, every day the Sabbath, every moment sacred, the truth of our relationship with Our Father demonstrated. Turning our will and lives over to the care of God invites His love and direction into our lives 24/7. Living in a raised state of consciousness we carry the message into all of our activities, practicing spiritual principles in everything we do and with all we meet, the Sabbath not a day of the week but the living daily expression of our connection to the miraculous.

VANITY

    The Third Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain… (Exodus 20:7) Per Encarta:

Vain: adj 

1.  excessively proud: excessively proud, especially of your appearance 
2.  unsuccessful: failing to have or unlikely to have the intended or desired result
a vain attempt at persuading them
 3.  empty of substance: devoid of substance or meaning 

[14th century. Via Old French from Latin vanus “empty, without substance” (source of English evanescent and vanish).]


     We always demonstrate our beliefs by our actions. Someone who speaks of love but acts with cruelty, the individual who professes honesty yet lies and steals whenever it suits them is vain. Their words devoid of substance, employed only in an attempt to enjoy a reputation they know they do not deserve, a mere tool to further their selfish desires.
      History is replete with those who spoke of God, their love of God, even preaching about God, only to be unmasked as vain, using God simply as a vehicle to further their own selfish ends.
     Living on the Spiritual Basis, we understand the necessity of walking the way we talk. Talking about a power greater than our self but failing, even refusing to change our ways leads to pain and suffering, how could it not? Having placed ourselves at odds, by choice, with the creative intelligence of the universe, struggle is the natural outcome. 
      The good, no great news for us is that as soon as we turn our will and life over to the care and direction of God the scales begin to fall from our eyes, our relationship with the Divine taking on substance and meaning as the result of the new demonstration, vanity replaced with true purpose.

ONCE UPON A TIME…

The Second Commandment: You shall not make for yourself a carved (graven) image… (Exodus 20:4).The passage goes on to state that we must (shall) not bow down or serve them. We all have a friend, acquaintance or relative whom has been retelling the same story, recounting in passionate detail a lost love, opportunity, when they were wronged or a medical procedure/condition, seemingly forever. We have heard it so many times that when we think of them their “story” immediately pops into our mind, their lives defined by it. Instead of applying spiritual principles, they have crafted an image that is dragged out at any opportunity and displayed, the eternal search for a sympathetic (or just willing) ear, any solution or moving beyond his or her “story” of no real interest, only the telling since “no one really understands.” Their identity so intertwined with their story the fear of letting go, moving forward, so overwhelming that rehashing the past, with feeling, is preferable. Living on the Spiritual Basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God, we have turned out our sacred cows and given over our “stories” our carved images of resentment, ailments and anything else that stands between us and the sunlight of the spirit. Living in this way we transcend ordinary levels of consciousness, placing aches, pains, and secular living concerns in their proper perspective, choosing instead to focus on our relationship with God and how we may be of service to those about us seeking help and guidance. 

WHEN I REMEMBER

        The first of the Ten Commandments states: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). Everyone worships something. The atheist who reverentially, with deep conviction preaches the religion of non-belief, the Darwinist speaking from the mount of science, painting all who disagree with the taint of ignorance, the evidence of their position clearly incontrovertible. The preacher condemning all who do not share their interpretation of scripture, certain in their self-righteousness, worshiping at the altar of spiritual pride, their mind closed to any contrary deeply held beliefs. The executive who worships at the alter of profit and success, the hedonist lost in sensual desire and fulfilling of self. Everyone worships something. Living the examined life we come to terms with what we worship, for our eyes have been opened, our consciousness raised.

      Often a student in difficulty when asked about their prayer and meditation life answers “when I remember” or “if I can find the time.” When we place anything before our relationship with God, we reap the crop we have sown. Our actions demonstrate where our heart truly resides, what we worship. Let nothing take a more prominent position in your life, place your full attention on your conscious contact with Him who has all knowledge and power, and everything else will fall into place in due course.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

       For me the vision of Charlton Heston in flowing robes with long white hair and beard coming down Mount Sinai with two stone tablets in his arms will always pop to the forefront of my mind when I think of them. In a practical way though, how can something that dates to the pharaohs have a sensible application in life today? Certainly in the last 3500 years we have progressed beyond these simple rules of conduct, haven’t we?  The next 10 installments will address these laws of life in the light of Living on the Spiritual Basis, Oh, and if you would like to check them out, they are found in Exodus 20.

GOT MOSES?

        Thought about Moses lately? Living on the Spiritual Basis the purpose of life has become clear, to establish and maintain a conscious contact with Our Father. Moses, according to the narrative, had a pretty stout conscious contact with God. The relationship so deep, God chose him to receive the Ten Commandments, the new blueprint for living. Moses was not chosen at random, God chose him because of the strength, unwavering faith and belief he demonstrated in every area of life. His willingness to go to any extreme for the spiritual experience; taking some pretty unpopular stands against recognized spiritual authority along the way, demonstrating his love of, and faith in God, the measure. The Moses narrative happened around 3,500 years ago give or take and amazingly he holds a revered position in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; no small accomplishment, but what significance could this have for us today, in the “modern” world?

      God was so moved He appeared to Moses in physical form! When we set aside prejudice and preconceived notions and study with our hearts as well as our mind, standing ready to kick sacred cows to the curb, we become more like Moses. The greatest barrier to spiritual growth is a closed mind. We must keep an open mind and heart, listen and learn daily, pray and meditate with joy, never out of a sense of duty if we are to grow and prosper in the light. In so doing we become more like Moses, admit it, though it would scare the bejezus out of you, a speaking burning bush would be pretty cool, so to borrow from a commercial tag line: Got Moses? 

SHINY NEW TOYS

           Often when someone is struggling, a “need to get back to basics” will be sighted as the solution.  I have searched high and low, mostly low, and have been unable to find the source of the direction to get away from basics in the first place, because if I could find the author I would administer a thorough pummeling. Here is a thought, if getting back to basics is such a good idea, than never getting away from them in the first place is even better! In truth, what happens to all students in pursuit of raised consciousness is the perceived (incorrectly) necessity of always seeking new information and paths to enlightenment, the search becoming the object, the destination of acquiring a consistent means of growth lost in the heat of the chase. “If it works, don’t fix it” should be our mantra regarding spiritual growth. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have come to rely on a power greater than ourselves for guidance and inspiration, for intuitive thoughts.

*Intuitive: adj

1.  known automatically: known directly and instinctively, without being discovered or consciously perceived 
2.  knowing by instinct: knowing things instinctively 

        Intuitive thought is God thinking. Living on the new basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon God we trust infinite God rather than our finite selves, yet we have all occasionally strayed when a seemingly “new and improved” path or teaching grabbed our attention, just as a new toy grabs the attention of a child. I am going to let you in on a secret, all paths lead to the same destination, our job to identify the one that works for us and stick to it; for once you have settled on a method that sings to you, you have arrived. Spiritual growth requires effort, a lot of “chopping wood and carrying water” as we trudge the road of happy destiny. Whether an axe or penknife, bucket or teacup is employed, the work must be done if we are to know freedom. So pick a path or teacher and stick with it, if it is time to change we will know in our heart, the thought coming intuitively, our job to stop looking for shortcuts and do the work at hand.

*Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

EASY DOES IT (history)

          Today Easy Does It, along with One Day at a Time, First Things First, Live and Let Live and Think, Think, Think adorns the walls of AA meeting rooms and clubs around the globe. Few realize however, these concepts entered AA’s collective consciousness courtesy of Emmet Fox. The early members of what would become Alcoholics Anonymous* residing in New York attended Dr. Fox’s gatherings on Wednesday evenings. Emmet Fox held his Wednesday meetings and Saturday services in the largest enclosed public venues available in 1930’s New York, the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, Hippodrome, Steinway Hall even Madison Square Garden 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 two best sellers The Sermon on the Mount and Power Through Constructive Thinking (both still in print) and Sparks of Truth (out of print) a collection of teachings originally published as a series of 10 cent pamphlets in the 1930‘s. 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

LAW OF SUBSTITUTION II

       How do we manifest clarity in our thinking when clearly we have no control over the thoughts that float up into our consciousness? Vigilance. There is no practical way of shutting down the flow of thoughts, so the course of action is to immediately recognize the negative and supplant it with the positive. Consider: If we decide not to think about elephants, we are in fact thinking about elephants, the subconscious then proceeds to remind us of elephants at every turn. The subconscious mind processes think (the action) and elephant (the subject) as the desired demonstration. Doubt this? Consider the last time a song or annoying jingle stuck in your mind. Try as we might every attempt to “not think about it fails,” it finally fading away when we become interested in something else, our attention diverted, the Law of Substitution in action.

       Now consider prayer. One of the eternal questions is why some prayers are seemingly ignored, yet we are promised that if “we knock, it will be answered, ask and we shall receive.” Now we have the key. Thought being causative (remember the jingle) if we pray but continue to place our interest, focus, on our lack, pain, discord, illness, the jingle etc is it any surprise that that which we place our focus on manifests? When we pray with joy, keeping our focus, our interest on the positive, we reap the positive. Simply put, any prayer that begins “I need” only reinforces the sense of need, not the hoped for solution. Wayne Dyer teaches this lesson when he asks us “to think from the end” so imagine what you will feel like when the prayer is answered and hold to that feeling. When negativity tries to worm its way back in, and it will, reinvigorate the positive feeling, expunging the negative immediately with the positive mental equivalent, like replacing that annoying jingle by substituting a tune you love, not fighting the negative, but replacing it with the positive demonstration we desire.
       

    

THE SECRET REALIZED

        Emmet Fox coined the term Mental Equivalent, explaining the practical application of the Law of Substitution. Simply, we take responsibility for the thoughts we dwell upon, understanding that whatever we entertain in our minds eye will be out pictured in our lives. This teaching is the core of The Secret. We place the order for what appears in our lives by our habitual thinking. When we focus on lack, failure, unhappiness and ill health, we attract them to us just as surely as a moth is drawn to flame, affirming the truth of the Law of Attraction. Does this mean we should simply adopt a Polly Anna attitude and just ignore conditions, essentially fiddling while Rome burns, affirming this and that, wistfully hoping for the best? Of course not. The Mental Equivalent involves focusing on what we desire in life, over writing the negative and destructive thoughts that lurk to hold us back, not ignoring conditions but operating at increased levels of consciousness. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we practice the Presence of God in all our activities, training ourselves to see His presence in everything and everyone, rejecting the negative, for we now hold the ultimate truth of existence in our heart: we are eternal beings, the conditions and challenges we face today merely opportunities to demonstrate His omnipotence.

       Through prayer and meditation, we have embraced a new basis of living, the basis of trusting and relying on God. In so doing our vision clears, our consciousness raised so we meet the inevitable challenges of living and life with a sense of serenity that only comes from having turned our will and lives over to the care of a Power Greater than Ourselves.  Focusing on, attracting what we desire in our lives by substituting negative thoughts and thinking with positive God centric focus and action, the secret realized.

TIMELESS JOURNEY

        Living on the Spiritual Basis our prayers take on a new flavor. Though all prayers are heard, we have come to know they are answered in the manner in which they are asked, putting faith in action. Trusting and relying on God, we expect to receive, for that is the promise, keeping in the forefront of our minds that “faith without works is dead.” If hungry, locking ones self in a closet and praying for a hotdog would be foolish, yet is that not exactly what many do in other areas of life? So we pray, but take whatever material steps indicated for the difficulty at hand as well, and if we are unsure on what steps to take, we ask God and they will become evident. The problem that plagues many, if not all, is the concept of time. We have a timeline in our minds eye for things to be done that is of no interest or concern to God. A Spiritual adviser years ago said to me “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” God provides exactly what is required at exactly the moment required, our difficulty arising because we have outlined a hoped for outcome and time frame (giving God a helping hand since we know how busy He is) and when our expectations are not met, we subject ourselves to needless emotional wear and tear. Hindsight being 20/20 we look back and see where God did for us what we could never have done for ourselves. Had we received what we thought we needed at the time we would have missed something wonderful, a valuable lesson that moved the story of our soul along its ever-upward timeless journey.

TRUE PROBLEM SOLVING

     We must be clear on what we worship, for everyone worships something. Many tragically worship at the secular alters of money, power, property, prestige, fame, the list  endless. Victory over the issues of life comes not from worship of temporary, passing things but from living the examined life, coming to worship that which transcends the secular, is the basis of all creation. By relying on a power greater than ourselves, the true source, our difficulties, problems and cares melt away. By really putting our trust in Him instead of outer conditions, the following equation becomes operative: our level of serenity rises in direct proportion to the expectation that God will provide. The opposite is true as well: the level of our serenity lowers in direct proportion to the expectation that secular living will provide. “God is everything, or else He is nothing. What was our choice to be?” Choose wisely in worship, for unlike man “God is bigger than any problem.”

OUR DESTINY

          Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have turned our will and life over to the care of God. The basis of trusting and relying upon a power greater than ourselves for direction and a sense of purpose was our choice. We made it when we faced up to the truth of being: That any life run on self will can hardly be a success. Plagued by unremitting waves of fear and an inability to live with any lasting sense of peace we sought a better way. We now know that fear wears a hundred masks, is insidious and was a corrosive thread that weaved itself through every aspect of our being and try as we might we were powerless to eradicate it. The final crushing blow coming when we became convinced that self-knowledge availed us nothing, in fact, self-knowledge only intensified the discomfort, bringing home a sense of powerlessness that was nearly overwhelming.

        From this seeming low point, we made a decision that opened the doors to a new way of living, to true freedom. Today we have come to rely on our connection to the miraculous for by our demonstrations in faith we came to believe. What used to be the hunch or occasional inspiration has now become a working part of the mind. Able to now meet calamity with serenity, we have come to know peace, our needs met for that is the promise of the new basis of living. We place the welfare of others ahead of our own, this contrary action the touch stone to true freedom of spirit. By relying on God to be the final authority in our lives, we have glimpsed our destiny, and that destiny is to be happy, joyous and free.

HIGH GROUND

        Everyone’s life is built on a foundation; many however will never take the time to inspect their foundation to see what it is really made of or the ground on which it is built until it is too late. Living on the Spiritual Basis our work begins with inspecting our foundation, for without a strong foundation well placed no structure, however finely constructed otherwise, will stand against the inevitable storms to come.

        Speaking in high terms and glowing assumptions is easy when the sun rides high, the river low and the breeze gentle. Why do hard things like building on high rock, which requires commitment and forethought, when there are easy things like building on loose soil close to water. As the clouds gather, the water rising as the wind begins to whip it becomes clear that a spiritual foundation built on sweet sounding rhetoric and little real action is unsound. As the storm intensifies and the structure begins to fail, the foundation crumbling in the ever-growing maelstrom, what do we do? Just as all have done before, seek solid high ground and shelter from the storm.

     Had we built there first, a great deal of suffering would have been avoided, but building on rock requires effort and real work. When was the last time you inspected your spiritual foundation for materials and location? If work and relocation is required, it is much easier to accomplish on calm days than stormy. Set to work while the sun shines so when the next storm comes, for there is always another, you will not only be prepared but you well be able to provide shelter to those who desperately need it.

POCKET FISHERMAN

        Are you willing to go to any lengths for success? No reservations, no caveats only complete readiness to do everything required? 

      We are bombarded daily with claims of success in all manner of things, from the newest, latest, greatest exercise gadget, supplement/pill or diet to an author promising their new book/CD/seminar will solve all your problems, pay off all your bills, possibly even make you a millionaire with little or no money down. Considering how many of these diets, exercise gadgets, supplement/pill and life fixing authors we have witnessed in our lifetime it is a wonder that anyone is overweight or out of shape, bald, erectile challenged, pee challenged, don’t own a foreclosed home for pennies, are not an e-bay/green millionaire, solved their addiction problems and troublesome teenagers by simply ordering a book/CD or attending a seminar.

        Admit it, you have seen those ads and wistfully thought how nice it would be to have six pack abs for only 20 minutes a day 3 times a week or lose 20 pounds eating everything you love. Who wouldn’t? You know it is not that simple though, so you resist calling the 1-800 number with your credit card handy in the next 10 minutes so you could receive, at no extra charge, except S&H of course, the combination pocket fisherman survival radio microwave oven feng shui guide.

        At some point in our lives the old saw “if it sounds too good to be true, it is” overrides wistful thinking. The price tag for buying one of those “to good to be true” items usually is no more than the loss of a few bucks and something for the garage sale pile. Spiritually however the price is infinitely higher. No book, institution, movement, 12-step program, individual, religion or organization can raise our consciousness one jot or tittle if we are unwilling to take the necessary action. Reading about diets and exercise will not result in the loss of a single pound or the addition of an ounce of muscle. Spiritually a head full of knowledge means little; can actually be deadly if we are convinced self-knowledge is the answer, failing to put what we have learned into action.

    Seek those who have what you want spiritually, demonstrating it daily by the way they live and comport themselves, living in the light, happy, joyous and free. There is no substitute for demonstrated success. However, keep in the forefront of your mind this unassailable truth: you cannot build your spiritual house on another’s foundation. Keep an open mind and remain willing to go to any lengths, any extreme for a spiritual awakening, remaining ever vigilant over the issues of your heart for “Faith without works is dead.” 

MAKING CAKE

         We always demonstrate our spiritual understanding. Our actions, the manner in which we live and treat our fellows demonstrates our spiritual understanding. What we truly believe always manifests in our lives, how could it not? Remember the analogy of cake making, whatever we put in the mixing bowl will be in the final product. You would never put something inedible or spoiled into the mix and then not expect it to be in the finished cake, yet many do exactly that with their lives. Living on the secular basis, at ordinary levels of consciousness many speak in spiritual terms, but their actions betray them, especially in times of trouble, producing conflicts at the most basic level, the result inner turmoil, confusion, fear based living and decisions.

       Living on the Spiritual Basis, at raised levels of consciousness, we ask in prayer and meditation for direction and guidance, trusting in infinite God rather than our finite selves to restore and maintain our peace of mind. The result being serenity, spiritual understanding in living demonstrated, tasty cake indeed.

WILLING TO GO TO ANY LENGTHS

          Living on the Spiritual Basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon God, it would be foolish not to think of what the full impact of this means in our lives, or if you prefer to think from the end. Having been raised with or exposed to certain depictions of God, many of them rather frightening, and now being asked to surrender to Him might/probably/should give us pause. One concept that had always troubled me was, God loves you, but if you commit certain acts, you are damned for all eternity, seemed a little harsh. Eternity is an awful long time; a pretty high price for acts committed in the course of a life that balanced against eternity would amount to less than an eye blink in time. Of course there were others, but the answer was the same for all.

       As our consciousness rises, it becomes clear that many of the scariest aspects of God are human constructs, though possibly based in some scripture they require some rather interesting interpretations of very selective passages, while typically ignoring others that are contradictory or superseding newer teachings or interpretations. Today we do not argue with or contradict those who hold on to a punishing, rigid concept of God, a demonstration in love a much more powerful persuader, since we each walk our own path, ultimately standing for the issues of our heart. I believe, and believe this holds true for all, that God is “Our Father” and wants all His children to be Happy, Joyous and Free, as any loving parent would. That we are forgiven as soon as we ask as long as we walk the way we talk (much easier said than done). No sin so grievous that if we mean business, God will restore us to sanity, a demonstration of true grace (to be clear: grace does not necessarily erase the earthly consequences of our actions, it does however provide us with the strength and courage to face them). The realm of Heaven being roomy, all-inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding, is open to all who earnestly seek, regardless of present conditions or circumstances. All that is required is an open heart, an open mind and the willingness to go to any lengths for a spiritual awakening.

GREATEST ADVENTURE

        Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled opens with “Life is difficult.” Pretty much says it all doesn’t it. So what are we going to do about it? Most unfortunately, choose to go through life on self-propulsion, rudderless, seemingly bounding from one situation and crisis to another, never taking the time to consider possible alternatives, different avenues of living. Living on the Spiritual Basis we have chosen the road less traveled, the journey typically begun out of pain. The pain of addiction, of one failed relationship after another, death and/or illness of loved ones or looking at the pain and suffering of the world and knowing there must be another way, our pain that of all humanity. The Great Carpenter first described the road less traveled when he taught, “Enter by the narrow (strait) gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
     Because narrow (strait) is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV).

        Living at ordinary levels of consciousness, we take the broad way, seeking answers and peace by any means. We suffer and as a result, the world suffers for everything and everyone are connected. When driven by pain and discontent we choose a road to travel. To either blot out the truth of existence by any of the methods secular society and carnal thinking provides or to look within for our spiritual connection. The former being the path most chosen since who wants to do hard things like seeking spiritual answers and truth when there are easy things like alcohol, drugs (prescribed and illicit), “activities” and companions living only for physical sensation, surrounding oneself with those who will co-sign, justify or rationalize anything we choose to do.

       Living at raised levels of consciousness is the strait gate. Living on a new basis, the basis of trusting and relying upon God, the Spiritual Basis we place our feet on the road less traveled. The good news is this road does not have a lot of traffic, the sights and sounds along the way remarkable, amazing, beyond the human minds true ability to comprehend. The bad news is the road does not have a lot of traffic. Often we will feel as if we are alone on the journey, thinking perhaps we have made the wrong choice since the work seems so hard, others seemingly to prospering without doing the work. The adversary, fear, would have us judge by outward appearances, not inward reality. Take heart, for you are on the greatest adventure of all, the raising of your consciousness, which not only benefits you, but the whole world, all humanity because of our connection, one to another. Let there be peace, and let it begin with me.

THE GOLDEN RULE

        “Treating all in the same manner we wish to be treated in.” If, for any reason, we can justify treating anyone in a manner we would find objectionable if that same treatment was visited upon us, we are wrong and have placed ourselves in conflict with the Spiritual Basis of Living. Period. 100% of the time. Living on the Spiritual Basis our consciousness has risen. Today we look upon all as children of the Creator, possessing the spark of the divine, equal. This is the Golden Rule, we all reap as we sow, by denigrating or objectifying anyone for any reason the reward is clear, the consequences spiritually assured. Living at levels of raised consciousness, we recognize this, salute the divine within all with prayer, recognizing that pain is the only instrument sharp enough to cut away the excess of self. To be clear: on the surface, many appear to skirt this truth, living seemingly at odds with Divine truth and prospering. Death is the great equalizer, no one immune. At the moment of translation whom would you rather be, the individual who caused suffering and pain for pleasure and/or profit or the person who stood firm in faith? Consider the words of Victor Frankl "We have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

      The Golden Rule entreats us to demonstrate the same love, tolerance, kindness and patience we wish to know, to all, regardless of circumstance, for we are truly children of eternity.

FEAR, THE ADVERSARY’S VOICE

            What do you believe, not intellectually, but in action. Thinking or saying something does not make it so. Only by our actions, our demonstrations in truth, do we fly the flag of what we really believe. Is the man who speaks of, espouses honesty an honest man if his actions are dishonest? Those who preach peace of mind but are the first to be offended at trifles, what basis of living are they demonstrating? The road less traveled, Living on the Spiritual Basis, is not for the faint of heart. It requires our all, complete commitment, body and soul to be successful. Fortunately, God knows our fears and weakness, smoothing the way for us by asking us to place the burden on Him, to trust Him to carry us to freedom. What is required of us is to keep our eyes on Him; even as the world seemingly spins out of control around us, walking the way we talk in faith, regardless of the adversary’s chattering voice constantly trying to pull us from the path.

        By trust and belief in a Power Greater than Ourselves, Our Father, we are promised freedom. By standing in faith, refusing fears relentless ever clawing fingers, we demonstrate over negative conditions. What do you believe, really? “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). What are you asking for? On what doors are you knocking? “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:8). The universe responds to our actions, for good and ill, we reap as we have sown. The gifts of heaven are ours for the taking if we will only step out in faith, trust in God rather than our finite selves, truly living as His children, heirs of Our Father’s kingdom

SACRED COWS ADRIFT

         Getting older is not all bad, which is good considering the alternative. When I wore a younger mans clothes I was much surer of worldly things than I am today. If a scientist or leader made a statement, it must be true, for they had done the work and would never take a stand on an issue or make a scientific pronouncement without fully thinking it through, facts in hand, double-checked.
        Years ago, I belonged to the World Future Society and truly enjoyed reading their periodical The Futurist, one regular contributor I particularly looked forward to reading. My copy arrived and though I tried to restrain myself from going straight to my favorite author I was soon reading his piece.  It was written with the usual flair and style I enjoyed but something left me unsettled. I dismissed it and decided to reread the piece later with fresh eyes.
          I did and the feeling was still there, something was wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it and decided that something must be lacking in my ability to understand the points being made since the author was a learned man twice my age and I “liked” him so it had to be me. 
          In the article, a number of government statistics were cited so I decided to do some research since clearly the problem was mine and not the authors, so off to the library I went. Being a regular, yep, once a geek always a geek, I went straight to the reader/projector, plopped in my fifty cents and asked the librarian for the appropriate microfiche (how’s that for dating oneself). In just a few minutes the problem became clear, the author had transposed the statistics! I felt proud that I had caught it and sad at the same time for the poor schlub who had obviously provided the author with the bad information he had based his assumptions upon, the actual statistics proving his conclusion false. Feeling pretty good about myself, I surmised the next issue would address it and all would be right in the world.
        When the next issue arrived, I went straight to his column. Nothing. He had written on a completely different subject, I was stunned. Then the thought came to me that the article addressing the error probably was not ready in time for this issue since I am sure he was double checking everything himself, making sure he got it right. Satisfied I read the issue and pretty much forgot about it. 
         When the next issue arrived, I again went straight to his column. Well, I was right. He most certainly addressed it in no uncertain terms. The article was a particularly hard-edged attack at all the people who had questioned his facts! The entire article was a rant attacking anyone who questioned him. No retraction or comment from the editors was ever forthcoming. I did not renew my membership when it came due.
         I did not realize it at the time but this moment was a coming of age. There have been many others since. Coming of age spiritually requires turning out our sacred cows and staying fresh for new experience and knowledge. Keep an open mind and heart, stay on the firing line of life and if something does not sound or feel quite right, trust your instincts and do your own homework.     

LOVING, INTELLIGENT & AVAILABLE

       Either we are all children of God or none of us are. Many paths lead to the raising of our consciousness. When we limit God, believe “our” way or any way is the only avenue to enlightenment, God is not limited, we are. Having had the opportunity to learn from a variety of souls, the first thing consistent from one path to another is the connection to the Divine; additionally when we take the time to study the various paths what becomes apparent is they have far more in common than they differ. However, what we need to concern ourselves with is our consciousness, our demonstration. Much time has been wasted in debate about one paths truths over another, when that time could have been better spent in finding areas of similarity. Resign your seat at the spiritual debate table, do not worry, someone will fill it quickly, and focus instead on your demonstration. Lay aside arguments, preconceived ideas about God, and don a new pair of glasses.

     The starting point can be as simple as: God is Loving, Intelligent and Available.

Loving: if not, than what is the point? Without love, none of us would be here. Doubts? Visit a maternity ward, for there you will see unconditional love. If you are a parent revisit the feeling you had the first time you held your child in your arms and know that Our Father feels the same way about us, and infinitely more.

Intelligent: the creative life force at the heart of everything, creation itself, kinda defines the term.

Available: if our prayers and meditations go nowhere, accomplish nothing than all whose lives have been changed by prayer, regardless of faith or belief, for all of recorded history are what? Deluded? Mistaken? Rather self-centered of us, to dismiss the testimony of millions isn’t it?

    Keep it simple. Live one day at a time in raised consciousness, leave argument, debate and fault finding behind, concern yourself with your demonstration, study and practice the Presence of God to the best of your ability today, walking the way you talk and remarkable things will happen. Serenity no longer merely a concept, but a way of life, the things which used to drive us powerless, not forgotten, but powerless, for the first time we are truly free. On the other hand, you can sit around and debate. The choice is always ours.

THIRSTY HORSES

         Living on the Spiritual Basis the old saw about “leading a horse to water” becomes clear. So many say they desire to change their conditions of living but sabotage themselves because fear has dominance. They remain in a job that is clearly not for them out of fear of change, stay in a relationship that is long past its expiration date out of fear of being alone or getting in an even worse one. Years ago in conversation, someone who had just finished lamenting about their relationship, wishing for a change, then chimed in as a way of justification, “well it may be shit, but at least it’s my shit and it is warm and familiar, so I know what to expect.” The adversary, fear, is a formidable, cunning opponent.

      Wisdom comes from learning from mistakes. As our consciousness rises through the application of prayer, meditation and service it becomes clear that wisdom is a combination of experience, intelligence and love. As we live, day by day in the light, demonstrating the truth of being we become an attraction to those seeking answers. By walking the way we talk, consistently willing to stand for truth, everything and everyone improves, for everything and everyone is connected. So never proffer the answer to the unasked question, but stand ready, your conduct the attraction, to share your wisdom with any who seek to quench their thirst from your cup.

TRANSCENDING KARMA

         Having come to an understanding of the Law of Reaping and Sowing or if you prefer the Law of Karma, does this mean the universe acts automatically, has been left to operate mechanically, with no chance to alter a path or outcome once action has been initiated? Yes and no, it depends on our basis of living, were our heart lies. If we go through life responding reflexively to situations and conditions as they occur, speaking about God and praying but ultimately relying on the secular basis of living to address problems, then the answer must be yes.

       When we choose to Live on the Spiritual Basis cosmic laws remain as immutable as ever, the difference is we have touched the source, connected with intention and through prayer and meditation we do not skirt the law but reap and sow at increased levels of consciousness. By practicing the Presence of God in everything we do we rise above limitation and transcend ordinary levels of consciousness, of carnal thinking and secular living. Do not make the mistake of thinking that a perfunctory prayer will save you from reaping the consequences of your actions, only by a sufficient raising of consciousness do we transcend error and free ourselves from limitation. By raising our awareness, our consciousness, the path narrows and the truth of living becomes evident, that only by a wholehearted reliance on God do we rise above the natural and perfectly logical consequences of Karma.

       Living at raised levels of consciousness the costs if we stray come quicker and with more vigor, but we give thanks for knowing Him better for we are indeed on the road less traveled, the only road worth traveling, for it is the only road that leads to ultimate freedom, freedom from the bondage of self and all limitation.    

THE LAW OF BEING

          “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). There is nothing new under the sun. The Secret (Law of Attraction) and The Power of Intention are two of the latest variations on the reaping and sowing truth. The Carpenter codified the lesson but it was known long before Jesus changed the world. This teaching comprises the whole of the Law of Being and once we have truly learned it, the keys to the kingdom are in our hands. To wit:

To be respected, be respectful toward all, especially those who may not deserve it, for it is our demonstration, our serenity at stake, not the other person‘s.

To experience God’s love, demonstrate love toward all. Love and like are not the same thing, and though we may strongly disagree with or find another’s actions beyond the pale, we must salute the spirit of the divine within, for they are a child of God as well and we must stay willing to be of service if asked, like of no importance.

To be abundant, we must refuse all thoughts and talk of shortage or lack. Living on the Spiritual Basis, we now know that words and thoughts are causative. The things we say and ruminate on will find outsourcing in our lives, so we focus only on what we wish to have out pictured in our lives, turning from the negative to the positive as soon as we become aware, for thoughts are elusive.

For peace to manifest in our life, we cannot speak or think of conflict. If we plot attacks of any kind, we will find a reason to launch one. Nations war for many reasons, we cannot countenance conflict in our lives for any reason, if peace of soul and mind is desired.

Humility comes from being humble, and we are humbled by the realization of God’s grace.

If I treat you in a manner I would find objectionable if the same treatment was meted out to me, for any justification, I am wrong. For With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Simple but not easy, requiring nothing less everything we are, surrendered in Spirit, willing to go to any lengths for our ultimate awakening.

JUDGMENTAL

         Ever stop to consider how many varieties and types of laws affect us? Traffic laws, tax laws, criminal laws to name a few. There is one set of laws though that directly affects all and is the least understood, cosmic law. Unlike Man’s laws, cosmic laws are never amended or appealed. The law of gravity, the law of unintended consequence, the law of attraction and the law of retribution are some of these. They are totally impersonal and impervious to all the methods man employs to avoid, evade, or amend the laws on the books. The law of retribution comes into play when we pass judgment. Some teachers have postulated that all judgment is bad, an actual bar to spiritual progress, judgment only identifying the person passing it as someone who needs to judge, but we need to look deeper.

      We have known people who seemingly pass judgment on everything and everyone, never missing an opportunity to say something negative, and they are always negative, even when trying to be “fair.” To be clear: We all pass judgment, passing judgment is unavoidable, as is the law of retribution but make no mistake, the law cuts both ways. When we judge well we reap the benefits. Consider this oft-misconstrued teaching on judgment: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). The teaching is not about avoiding judgment but to address our own shortcomings first. “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Living on the Spiritual Basis, we first address the planks in our eye (consciousness) and our vision clears.

      Judge well and the universe responds, judge poorly and the universe responds. Living on the Spiritual Basis our judgments are consistently better. Our consciousness has been raised, and on those occasions when we judge poorly, and we will since no one does this perfectly, we have a clear-cut set of directions for cleaning up and clearing out our mistakes, then sharing the lessons learned, humbly, with any who seek our help

CAMPFIRE EMBERS

          Living at raised levels of consciousness our harshest critic is always ourselves. As our awareness rises, we naturally hold ourselves to higher and higher levels of conduct, not only in demonstration but also in the very thoughts that surface in our mind! No one who steps, by choice, on the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis has control over the thoughts that float up into their awareness. No one. What we do have is a tool kit, a spiritual tool kit, so that when negative or destructive thoughts materialize in our minds eye we address them in the light of raised consciousness. The mistake routinely made is one of comparison. Somehow, the thought is born that we should be further along the path, that these thoughts are in someway an indication of lack of progress on our part. Nonsense. A cloudy day is just a cloudy day unless we decide the clouds are an indicator of impending doom. A thought only has power if we choose to empower it. Self-condemnation empowers the negative, invites into our consciousness needless suffering and restricts, stifles growth. Do not let impatience drive you to despair, to needless wear and tear in your psyche. This isn’t a race. When a “curious” thought surfaces do not waste time trying to figure out where it came from or why it appeared, for to do so opens the door to morbid reflection, which should be avoided like the plague. Upon becoming aware of the thought, gently give it over to God in directed prayer. Later in meditation, if you remember because you may not, remember the cloudy day, ask God if there is anything additional He would have you see. Do not go to any lengths whatsoever to document or remember these random thoughts. Most of them will just come and go with little notice if we are diligent in applying spiritual principles as soon as they surface. Remember the lesson of the campfire ember: when a burning ember from the fire lands on our shirtsleeve if we brush it off immediately no harm will be done. If however we stop to contemplate on it the shirt will have a hole in it and a welt on our arm to mark it. The only embers we remember, the ones that caused damage, are the ones we “thought” about. With God’s help brush off those embers reflexively; remembering the sun is always shining behind the clouds.

AN AMAZING 24 HOURS

          Ready to step out in faith, to take some concrete action? For the next 24 hours, you are to act as if you really do believe in God. Relax, your belief is not in question, this is an exercise in raising our awareness, our consciousness. We begin by practicing faith in all our actions. Demonstrate patience, tolerance, kindness and love towards all and this area will be addressed; piece of cake. Now for something a little harder, watching our words. Speak only in accordance with your belief in God. No negativity, gossip, sarcasm or cute cutting little remarks (regardless of how funny or clever they may be) when asked a question, whether it be from a loved one, friend, child, employer/employee or stranger frame the answer as if God was speaking through you. Finally, and the most difficult aspect, as if it wasn’t hard enough already, is to guard our thoughts. Stay ever vigilant of your thinking, measure each thought against the absolute truth of living life in His presence, at higher levels of consciousness. Pretty simple huh. Easy? Probably the hardest thing you have ever attempted, but the rewards are immense. You will not do this perfectly, far from it, but that does not mean you should attempt this with anything less than full commitment for half measures avail us nothing. It is easy to see why the experiment is only for 24 hours. Finally, if you can, keep a small note pad and write down your thoughts through out the day but don’t get caught doing it or tell anyone what you’re about. If there is a chance someone will see you writing, then don’t. Guard this experiment as if it was your most valuable asset, for in the end it will pay dividends that will last a lifetime, for once our consciousness is raised, we are changed forever.  

HOW TO PRAY, SCIENTIFICALLY

       Praying on or “treating” a problem or difficulty is simple, but not easy. First, get quiet, do not try to control your thoughts, anyone who says they control the random thoughts that float up into our consciousness is selling a book or seminar. We do not control thoughts, what we do control is our response/action when the thought surfaces in our consciousness.

      We do this by turning our attention to God, contemplating on what we know about His Love, His Guidance, and our connection to Him as Father to child etc. Do not under any pretext think about the issue you are treating, praying about at this time. Read a short passage from any spiritual tome that appeals to you and then take a few moments in contemplative meditation to consider what you just read. The purpose of this is to center our thoughts in God, to place our attention there, to raise our consciousness. Now take two or three breaths, breathing in deeply through the nose, exhaling through the mouth. Now claim quietly that which you need or the situation/condition requiring healing. Of paramount importance is to always ask in the affirmative. If we ask thusly: “I need” money, health, peace, serenity etc what we will demonstrate is more need. We will be affirming need, not abundance. If money or resources are lacking ask that your life be a demonstration of abundance. If it is employment, ask to be of service to God and your fellows, for the perfect position for your unique set of abilities. Health, in general, ask to demonstrate a healed and vital radiance, for a specific ill or condition ask for a healing, visualizing the body free of the condition. If the demonstration is to assist another, frame your words carefully so that only positive and affirming actions are employed. Remember, words have power. As you are making your demonstration see it from the end, as an accomplished fact and thank God for accomplishing it.  Under no condition discuss the treatment with anyone; it is between God and you alone. When you find yourself drifting back into thinking about the difficulty, and we all do, stop as soon as you become aware and give it back to God with thanks, for prayers of thanksgiving are the most powerful of all.

HOUSE IN ORDER

       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.

DIVE IN!

             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, 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.

YOUR 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 your 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 a spiritual connection. We are spiritual beings experiencing the human condition.  There is a reason for each of us being here, now. Our Heart’s Desire is that reason.

TRUE FREEDOM

           Emmet Fox writes, “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 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.”

GROW UP!

           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 was suggested they were any thing less than a model of modern maturity 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 religiosity. 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 a 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

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: the atmosphere radiated by a place, situation, person, or object (informal) 
3.  Destiny: 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 actuality 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 this law, 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 some 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.

REINCARNATION

      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: lack of knowledge or education
2.  unawareness: 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 needed to learn to become spiritually complete are legion. 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 this 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.

RIGHT NOW

         Nothing says inevitable reckoning like birthdays. As children we looked forward to them with nearly as much anticipation as Christmas. Then imperceptibly one day we cross an invisible line and much like the dread of January credit card bills Christmas represents for some, we view the upcoming date of our birth. I think it begins when the first “friend” jokingly says, “hey, you’re getting old.” Sets in for real when we realize we are listening to music five years old or more, unable to get into the new stuff no matter how hard we try. You receive your 20-year reunion notice and think, “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, 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 the 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.

JUMPING THE SHARK

      Reincarnation, being Christian 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 of once and done. My struggles centered on our eternal consciousness versus the finite nature of flesh. Why would our Father, who exists beyond the constraints of time, space and flesh, limit his children in this way? How could we possibly learn all the lessons required to learn spiritually 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 then as a righteous man in the same life, and what of the reverse? Live a life devoted to self-indulgence 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, 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, for me, is 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: “Our Father, who art in Heaven….”

THE UNIVERSE

       Cosmologically the “Big Bang” is the generally accepted starting point of the universe we live in. The theory holds that at one time everything that exists today, 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, comprised of roughly 25% dark matter and 70% dark energy, depending on who is doing the goesintas. OK, take a breath. Kinda gets the head spinning doesn’t it. The good news is we do not have to figure (as if we could) it all out to have a relationship with, a conscious contact with a Power Greater Than Ourselves, God.

                 Perhaps the great metaphysician George Carlin said it best. To paraphrase: 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 with 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.



           

THERE IS NO DEATH

       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, nor fear it. We release those who have gone before 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. Carry the departed in your heart, since no other structure can truly hold them. When they drift up into the forefront of your thinking, as they are wont to do from time to time, 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.

LESSONS LEARNED

         We all know people who make the same mistakes repeatedly. Perhaps you have seen them in the mirror. The alcoholic, who forever is swearing they will do better, yet is all lit up again. The smoker, who has talked about quitting for years, yet continues to smoke. The friend or loved one in a bad relationship, but cannot leave, perhaps your own child who, even though they know the consequences, cannot seem to get their homework done on time or meet that curfew.

      It is a curious thing that once we begin profiting from these lessons life improves. Start showing up on time and tardiness as an issue disappears, fill the gas tank when the gauge dips below a quarter tank and never run out of gas again. Last roll of toilet paper, make a physical note to go to the store, putting it somewhere prominent, avoiding a rather awkward lesson later in supply and demand.

       The Source, that Power Greater than Ourselves, God is always quietly urging us to learn, to grow, to progress along the path of enlightenment. So revisit the book on the table next to the bed that meant so much to you the last time you read it or start that one in the “going to get around to” stack. Living on the Spiritual Basis meditation is required if we are to progress, to learn in any real way. If you are not meditating daily, why not, what could possibly be more important than spending a few minutes with God?

      The spiritual lessons we learn today stay with us, becoming part of the fabric of the whole cloth of our eternal true self. Therefore, focus on what is in front you today, learn from what is at your fingertips now and let tomorrow take care of its self.

UNGRATEFUL PAST

     Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have learned to live in the moment. This does not mean that we do not make plans or look to the future, but we do keep our head where our hands are and do not allow fear to drive us. If we do the adversary, fear, leads us into morbid reflection. Morbid reflection insidiously pulls us into the past, to negatively rehash, even relive times when we were at our worst, when our lives were at their seemingly lowest ebb. Living this way is akin to having a cut on the arm, then as it begins to heal scratching at it until it bleeds anew. In this way, the wound stays “fresh and alive” indefinitely, then pointing it out, recounting the “story” at every possible occasion to anyone who will listen, and doing it with feeling, building into our consciousness an almost impenetrable barrier to serenity.

     Living on the Spiritual Basis we do not hide from the past or deny it, but we keep the past in proper perspective through the application of spiritual principles, turning a seeming negative into a positive, freeing us from the deadly dance of morbid reflection. Today we can recount even the worst moments from our past, without fear of drifting into morbid reflection, if it will help the new man or woman gain a foothold in this new way of life, for we are living on a different basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God.

SAME OLD SOLUTIONS

       We live with a continuous barrage of bad news. Read any newspaper, watch any news channel and the hammers of negativity begin doing their work on our psyche. Living on the Spiritual Basis is a choice, it is the road less traveled. History is an invaluable tool that few truly employ. There is nothing in today’s headlines that has not happened before,  nothing.

        “The world is not going to the dogs. The human race is not doomed. Civilization is not going to crash. The captain is on the bridge. Humanity is going through a difficult time, but humanity has gone through difficulties many times before in its long history, and has always come through, strengthened and purified.
           Do not worry yourself about the universe collapsing. It is not going to collapse, and anyway that question is none of your business. The captain is on the bridge. If the survival of humanity depended upon you or me, it would be a poor lookout for the Great Enterprise, would it not?
            The captain is on the bridge. God is still in business. All that you have to do is to realize the Presence of God where trouble seems to be, to do your nearest duty to the very best of your ability; and to keep an even mind until the storm is over.”

     When Emmet Fox wrote this in the 1930’s the depression was in full swing, prohibition the law of the land, the heart of America gripped in a “black blizzard” of dust that bankrupted and displaced millions, the storm clouds of war gathering in Europe as Hitler rose to power. Economic hardship, unemployment, war on drugs, global warming, Iran, Iraq, North Korea. Sound familiar? Politicians and leaders have been applying the same answers and solutions to mankind’s struggles for thousands of years, with the same predictable results. Nothing changes if nothing changes, but when we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. Living on the Spiritual Basis we trust infinite God rather than our finite self or the world for salvation, for if we are ever to truly walk a different path as a people, the change must begin within each of us. Let there be peace, and let it begin with me.

POWERFUL LINKS

          There are many things that link us, one to another, the two most powerful being love and resentment, one we embrace, the other we must be free of. When we think on those we love we feel peace, calmness, brings a smile to the face. Conversely when thinking on resentment the blood pressure rises, the jaw tightens, our thoughts taking on a decidedly darker tone. To be free of resentment requires work, for nothing will retard, even stop spiritual progress more than resentment, and it is deadly.

       To be free, we must embrace radical forgiveness. Many confuse forgiveness with having to like the object of the resentment. Fortunately it is not required, not a bad thing, just not required. We do have to “love” them in the sense that we loose them from our heart (where all resentment resides) and give them “root and branch” over to God’s care. We do this by saying a definite and specific prayer giving over the resentment and all attached to it to God. Do this once and only once. When the resentment pops up again in the consciousness, and it most surely will, thank God for knowing Him better (as many times as necessary) and under no circumstance retell the “story” ever again, even if prodded by another who may have been part of the “story” or shared in the resentment. Additionally do not volunteer any action or direction another should take in regard to resentment unless asked specifically what you are doing, never answer the unasked question.
     Moving forward avoid participating in negative conversations on any topic, for this invites trouble and opens the door for negativity and resentment to slither back into our consciousness. When negative thinking surfaces turn to God in silent prayer for Everyone is subject to negative thinking, where the thought came from of little importance, our response of paramount importance. When we live in this manner we break the links of resentment and negativity, strengthening the links of love, love being the most powerful tool in our spiritual tool chest. Initially this will feel cumbersome, in time however it will become second nature, the level of our serenity increasing dramatically and though negative thinking will raise its head from time to time, we now have a way out of trouble that works, if we are diligent.

BEYOND THE FLESH

        Want a daunting task; try tackling eternity and death in four to five hundred words. Let me know how I do. Having worked with many approaching the transition, typically most folks have given it some thought, but usually have kept the subject at arms length for obvious reasons. Remind you of anyone? A wise man said centuries ago that the first true step in enlightenment is when we embrace our own mortality.

      Where were you before you were conceived? One moment there was no you, and then there was. In that single cell, the fertilized egg, everything about you was there: your eye color, the shape of your fingernails, hair color, final height, sex, your blueprint of freckles, everything that makes the physical you, all in a point of protoplasm so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, pretty amazing. Then you began to grow and nine months (give or take) later you made your appearance on the world stage. Fast forward a few decades and we arrive at another seminal moment in life, when the flesh fails. Where’d you go? Consider: Before you were born you were nowhere. You are born, and now you are now here. You die and you are nowhere again. Same word, just a little different spacing: no where to now here to no where again. (Tip of the hat to Wayne Dyer, though I may have thought it, he said it very clearly and on point.)

        You see, we have always been “here”, part of, connected to the Source, the flesh a tool, a conveyance for our eternal consciousness. We didn’t arrive from anywhere and we don’t go anywhere. Our birthday and death day are points on a relatively meaningless calendar, since God and our consciousness are eternal. Living on the Spiritual Basis we spend this life applying spiritual truth and understanding to everything in our lives to the best of our awareness at the time since our awakening is an ongoing process. In so doing the answers to the eternal questions come if we are diligent. So don’t concern yourself with what is on the other side of the line, for the line really is immaterial, for death waits for all men but waits on no man.  Keep your eyes and thoughts on today’s demonstrations and the morrow will take care of its self. In living this way we will approach the transition in peace, embracing the change, bidding farewell to the limitations of flesh, going nowhere, being here now, just in a different and altered consciousness.


    

ETERNAL TIDES

          Death, now here is a topic guaranteed to let the air out of a room, a polite conversation killer. Yet we all have/will deal with it. First the death of those around us and finally, and I think you would agree the most important, our own. It is curious how differently cultures mark/celebrate a passing. Westerners typically make the event a clean straightforward affair handled almost exclusively by professionals, family and friends provided with a regimented schedule of events leading to a final “farewell” usually all taking place in a weeks time. Other cultures leave the departed in their beds for a year or longer, the family handling everything, finally throwing a huge party where the departed are honored, cremating the remains at its conclusion, again all handled by loved ones.

     Death is inevitable. What happens to our physical remains after we have translated from the mortal coil matters little. What matters is everything that takes place right up to the moment we somersault into eternity. You are eternal. The spark of the divine, the connection to all that is, our consciousness, our soul has always existed. It was never born and will never die. It has always been and will always be. We are not human beings in search of the miraculous, we are spiritual beings experiencing the human condition, this flesh a mere conveyance. So we mourn the passing of those we cared for, for they have passed from our sight for a time and we miss them, but celebrate their transition as well for it comes for all and is as natural as the rising/receding tide.