Living In Spirit

Monday, August 3, 2015

Piercing Ourself With Sorrow

Who has not heard, or some variation of, this quote: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10). Well, at least the first part anyway. Consider how many “successful” people throughout history have attempted to translate wealth into a position of power, to impress their will on others because of the false belief that financial success equals spiritual success. The supposed entitlement that wealth conveys unfortunately for many builds a barrier to enlightenment that often becomes insurmountable. To be clear: money is not the problem, the love of it is.

If our definition of success is based solely on possessions and wealth, we will have “gained the world but lost ourselves”, remember, he who dies with the most toys still dies and as much as we may wish to, we can’t take it with us. Many have tried and all have failed, we find them, disinter them and then parade them and their cherished possessions about, kind of creepy if you really stop and think about it, this grave robbing. Clearly it didn’t work out so well for them, did it? Additionally we all know or know of a family torn apart over an inheritance, money trumping love and family.

Living on the Spiritual Basis we learn to use money as the tool it truly is, to live well, enjoy life and praise God through our actions, demonstrating the path in every arena. God wants all His children to be happy, joyous and free and if we have been blessed with substantial resources, we seek ways to help others, preferably anonymously. For in this way we steer clear of the trap of love of money and avoid piercing ourselves through with many sorrows.

The Secret, Wayne Dyer, ACIM, Serenity, Enlightenment, Zen, Emmet Fox, How To Be Happy, Golden Key, Addicts Today, Chopra, Jesus, Healing Path Recovery, Einstein, Marianne Williamson, Sayeh Beheshti, AKUA

Sunday, August 2, 2015

The Way Of The Tyrant

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

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

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

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

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Becoming A Target

“When you raise your head above the crowd, you place a target on your back.” Ever toss out a casual comment concerning a sports team or politician and find you have struck a nerve? When it happens we usually try to find a simple and quick exit since we had no intention of initiating a serious discussion or debate, especially with someone so emotionally attached and easily offended. Then there are those occasions when we watch the verbal battle lines being drawn, combatants square off and the war of words is joined. Most observers will remain quiet, silently rooting on their surrogate, choosing not to openly fly their flag (unless you pay attention to the little head nods). Why? Isn’t it because few enjoy being at the center of the storm, choosing the path of “silent assent” instead? Even believing possibly that others are better equipped to make “the” case than they are? And besides, what if we make a fool of ourselves? Then what will people think. It certainly won’t help if we look FOOLISH! Fear is a most powerful impediment to growth.

Secular discussions are one thing but the real devil jumps up when it comes to spiritual matters (politics a close second) for nothing engenders more passion than when we speak of God. By Living on the Spiritual Basis we cultivate peace, joy and harmony in our lives becoming beacons to others. Living in this manner we avoid gratuitous debate or attempt to answer "unasked questions", we let our life serve as the demonstration and when questioned we answer clearly and directly about what we are doing and how we live and avoid drifting into the “soft” sell in an attempt to avoid conflict with the questioner, remember, they approached you. We present our beliefs with tact and confidence, as one of God’s children we stand and rejoice in the opportunity to be of service and if persecuted/attacked do not shrink. Remain calm, stand tall and when the conversation ends, typically by letting them talk themselves out, we wish them well telling them we understand their position and perhaps they will consider ours. We withdraw, thanking God for knowing Him better; praying for continued enlightenment of all, and though we don’t look for trouble, we rejoice in the target on our back for there is no clearer indicator that we are on the right path.

When we know, who walks beside us, on this path we have chosen, our fears fall from us.