Becoming A Target, For All The Right Reasons

There is a spiritual axiom that“When we raise our head above the crowd, we place a target on our 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 on the matter, especially with someone so emotionally attached and easily offended.

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. When moved to, we present our beliefs with tact and confidence, as one of God’s children we stand and rejoice at the opportunity to be of service and if persecuted or attacked we do not shrink. But we must remain calm while standing tall and when the conversation ends we wish them well telling them we understand their position and perhaps they will consider ours. We then 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 spiritual target on our back for there is no clearer indicator that we are on the right path.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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

 

SERENITY

SERENITY

“We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.” 

Serenity: calm and untroubled: without worry, stress or disturbance.

Consider a world where this is operative. A thing worth fighting for, no? Fighting for serenity, now there is a fight worth picking, perhaps the only fight that truly matters. We fight this fight by ceasing to fight everything and everyone. It begins with each of us, the path and process clear, requiring the ultimate sacrifice: the surrendering of self and our sacred cows as well as the belief that altering outside conditions, while leaving the inner untouched is anything less than madness. So we choose, just for today, to Live on the Spiritual Basis, embracing spirituality to the best of our current ability and understanding, for when we begin to comprehend serenity we become the true peacemakers, achieving not only peace of soul for ourselves, but ultimately for all for serenity in contagious.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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

Peacemakers And Pigs Wearing Red Suspenders

Peacemakers And Pigs Wearing Red Suspenders

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9). In contemplation some years ago I began thinking on the “enlightened” teachers of the East and elsewhere. Initially the thought was of how I would love to grow in consciousness, to attain the level of awareness they seemingly have attained. Then, out of the stillness a question formed, “why”? It’s amazing how a three letter word can raise the proverbial metaphysical devil. Why is a curious little word. In metaphysics, why is typically the booby prize. When a new student asks why this or that happened or why they need to follow directions they are usually looking for the “easier softer way”, a loophole to slip through to avoid the heavy lifting consciousness raising requires. My usual response to this is “because pigs don’t wear red suspenders, now you now why, now quit stalling and get to work.” Talking about building a house has never raised a single roof, deciding to go on a diet has never resulted in the loss of a single pound, it is only when we take action that change happens.

So in contemplation I began to consider the enlightened ones and the condition of the world in general. What has really changed in the last 2,000 years? Technology, general health and hygiene, transportation, better and more efficient ways of killing one another have all improved, but what of the state of our consciousness? Consider: Buddha, Jesus and other enlightened teacher’s message has been with us; in some cases thousands of years, yet we still act and think in much the same way we did during the time they lived, except now with smart phones, smart bombs and big screen TV‘s. How many have come to sit at the feet of a master in the last 2000 years? How has it changed the world? An argument can be made that without their and their student’s meditations and prayers the world would be worse off than it is today, but I find that sentiment at best suspect.

So, who are the real peacemakers? Look in the mirror. The enlightened teachers have much to offer, but it is the raising of our consciousness by daily Living on the Spiritual Basis that transforms and improves the world. Through our raised consciousness the world approaches, one day at a time, one person at a time, the tipping point when it will metaphysically slap it’s self on the forehead and say: “what were we thinking!” finally assuming our true place as children of God. So today, Let there be peace, let there be love and let it begin with me.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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