Living In Spirit

Monday, August 24, 2015

The Road Back

When we “decide” to dwell in the negative we place ourselves in a position to be harmed. Typically the thinking begins innocently enough with a news story, a letter, cough, phone call, e-mail or text, some random physical pain or tossed off comment often from a stranger that for no good reason we begin to dwell on. As we roll this around in our consciousness, beginning to entertain the negative aspects, we surrender ourselves willingly to another trip down morbid reflection lane, volunteering for what inevitably follows. Our internal dialog outlines all the negative, possibly bad/horrible things that can/will happen if our fears are realized. As we continue down the path, spiraling deeper into despair, planting ourselves deep into the fertile ground of depression and self based fear we often find ourselves physically ill. Additionally, remember the old adage: misery loves company? Now we can sink even deeper by eliciting comments and support from those of a like mind, fellow willing travelers who always answer the bell when morbid reflection calls.

Now the path leading away from this thinking is well lit, but requires conscious effort on our part. When we become mindful that we are drifting into morbid reflection or are already in its embrace, we stop and immediately turn to God in prayer and visualize the Presence of God where the trouble seems to be, affirming God’s love and guidance, rejecting the negative, holding this truth in the forefront of our consciousness: Nothing, no problem or seemingly hopeless condition can come into our lives that God cannot change or remove completely, if we are about His business, not ours. I can’t, he can. Let Him.

If you are new to Living on the Spiritual Basis this will feel odd and somewhat clumsy when first employed. In time it will become second nature and in truth is the only path away from morbid reflection and back to health, peace of mind and unlimited potential. Remember: progress, not perfection. So when we recognize we are traveling in the wrong direction we alter course back to truth, back to God, away from the adversary fear and limitation based living and thinking.

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

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Calling Fears Bluff

Morbid reflection is a switch hitter. It strikes not only when we rehash past events negatively, but when we project negatively into the future as well. We ruminate over the state of our health as we age, our aches and pains, our children's future opportunities, retirement, etc negatively. You know the voice, it chimes in with all the possible negative outcomes, never a silver lining in any cloud, which leads to anxiety. But what are we really doing? We are time traveling. Traveling to a future that is dystopian, where it is dark, getting darker and we better get that cardboard box now to live in before all the good ones are gone.

To be clear: morbid reflection is a bluffer, just like it's parent, fear. Fear truly is the adversary and morbid reflection is one of the children it employs that work to block us from the Sunlight of the Spirit. Fear never sleeps and is always hunting for an open door in our consciousness to slink through to steal our serenity, crush our spirit and turn us from the light. The good news is that once we stand up to fear through prayer, meditation and service it flees for in truth, fear is a coward and easily cowed by Our Father. God will provide the strength and direction, but we must ask and remain willing to act in whatever manner prescribed, standing firm in faith, that as children of a loving God, He will keep us safe and unharmed spiritually if we are about His business, calling the adversary's bluff.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Lion's Den Of Morbid Reflection

A form of morbid reflection is the act of rehashing and/or rehearsing the “story” of some past negative event or occurrence over and over again. When employed this practice takes us out of the moment and transports us back to a time when either we did or said something objectionable or something objectionable was done or said to us. Often it begins in the most nonchalant manner but quickly morphs into feelings of hurt, fear, loss, anger, resentment then graduating into condemnation of ourselves/them or both, finally leaving us depressed, feeling like crap (not the term a psychologist would use, but it does say it all).

When we engage in morbid reflection it is akin to hanging a big steak around our neck and stepping into a lion’s den. Not really surprising then what happens next, yet unless we are vigilant in our minds eye we will find ourselves staring at that drooling lion regularly, wondering how we stumbled into the den again and where the hell did this steak come from. We must not allow morbid reflection to gain even the slightest foothold in our thinking, so when we become aware of the lion, we immediately turn to God and ask Him to guide our thoughts. If the lion has already got a hold, we keep our prayers simple but insistent: Please God, help me to keep my head where my hands are, thy will be done or the simple yet powerful Be still and know that I am God. Depending on how far the lion has progressed with its meal, we may have to repeat the prayer or prayers numerous times, but considering the ultimate outcome of the meal if we don’t, the price is cheap. So when the lion roars, agree quickly that you are in the den, the only way out being swift and consistent application of spiritual principles.

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