Long Way Round

Long Way Round

It is suggested that we “think from the end” when confronted with life’s challenges. Having embarked on the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis, we now know that at the “end” the solution for every difficulty or problem is God. We can turn to God at any point along the way, but the sooner the better. Think of it this way; wherever we travel there is the shortest, most direct route; any other path is taking the long way round. Sometimes when traveling the long way round is preferable, better scenery, more interesting sights, friends along the way, etc. When suffering however this is never the case yet it is exactly what most people do! They dawdle along rehashing and retelling their story of woe to anyone who will listen, engaging in angry recrimination and /or self pity while wallowing in morbid reflection. Only when we place our feet squarely on the path, raising our consciousness through prayer and meditation, resisting the temptation to outline the solution, seeking only the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out do we triumph. God can and will solve all our problems and difficulties, if we will rely upon Him, so when troubled we take the road less traveled and turn to God immediately in prayer and meditation, avoiding the “the long way round” of resentment, suffering, blame and morbid reflection. And always remember, if we find ourselves on the wrong road, the off-ramp is just a prayer away.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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What Is In Your Cup?

What Is In Your Cup?

When trouble or difficulty arrives the way out is to immediately turn to God in prayer. Praying for wisdom, guidance and strength to address the problem and most importantly pray for any other individuals involved, regardless of how they may have or are attempting to harm. By living in this way we raise our consciousness, building a bull work of peace and serenity, remaining free and unharmed in spirit. We never, under any pretense ask God to do harm or cause ill to befall anyone, for if we do we invite negativity into our consciousness and needlessly subject ourselves to suffering. Seek always the higher ground of raised consciousness, for each reaps as they sow and if we sow seeds of hate, anger, resentment and contempt we should not then be surprised when our harvest is comprised of these crops. It is the unwise man indeed who pours a cup of poison, drinks from it and then expects those he hates to suffer.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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32 Years Ago Today

32 Years Ago Today

Forgive me, but today's post is of a personal nature. 32 years ago today my life changed in a most dramatic way. Though at the time I didn't see it, but such is usually the way of such things. I was living of the world but not really in it, existing in a haze of self imposed intoxication, focused only in self, shut off, by choice, from all that truly mattered, all that was of real value, oblivious to the truth.

I was a young man, intelligent to the point of narcissism, sure of myself as only the clueless and spiritually immature can be. I found myself at a point of crisis, self imposed but a crisis none the less. Bereft of answers or direction I reached out in a way that was contrary to all I thought I believed and two men that I had never met before arrived at my home, bringing the good news I so desperately needed but didn't really want. Though quite hesitant, I did not want to continue the way I was traveling so I followed suggestions, did things like make coffee, give rides to people I had just met to gatherings of other like minded individuals and did I say follow suggestions?

As my intoxicant befogged mind began to clear I saw, for the first time, that all the trials and tribulations in my life had one common denominator, a central point of chaos and disharmony, that point was me and my thinking. I had been living on the basis of self will and my life reflected it. So it was suggested I find a new basis, a spiritual basis for living that would solve all my problems.

So I embarked on the most wonderful journey of all, that of self discovery. There have been many wrong turns and mistakes along the way, but oh what a ride, every day a holiday and every meal a banquet, if I am right sized and committed. Those "suggestions" given me by those who knew all those years ago still working, a plan for living that really works.

And to all those who have walked with me on this road of happy destiny, whether it was for only a little while or from the very start, thank you. I carry you all in my heart, my thoughts and am grateful to you for having been a part of my journey. So, onwards through the fog, a day at a time, hand in hand with Him who has all knowledge and power, no longer of the world but in it with my head in the clouds and my feet firmly planted on the ground for that is where life happens. Oh, and I still follow those "suggestions".

See ya around the coffee pot.

Rehearsing, Rehashing And Outlining

Rehearsing, Rehashing And Outlining

Difficult problems seem to have a life of their own. We have taken the indicated action (both spiritual and secular) to address the issue, seemingly putting it to rest but it then sneaks back into our consciousness, darkly clouding our thoughts. Typically these thoughts creep in silently, hidden behind a mask. One of the most insidious ways this happens is through outlining. Outlining starts out innocently enough, just weighing the pros and cons, talking it out etc but in short order we begin outlining how a situation or trouble should work out, in essence telling the universe how to solve our problems, on our terms of course.

This type of thinking builds up expectations and feeds resentment for the level of our serenity is directly proportional to our expectations. Living on the Spiritual Basis our expectations and resentments are placed in God’s hands and on His shoulders, so when we find ourselves outlining we stop as soon as we become aware and thank God for knowing Him better. To quiet the mind we repeat some simple set prayers like “Be still and know that I am God”, “There is no power greater than God” or simply “God is with me.” When I ran the world I outlined constantly, for it needed my help. Living on the new basis, I leave the running of the world, and my life, in His hands for He does a much better job of it than I ever did, for today I have ceased fighting everyone and everything and know in my heart of hearts that “God is with me.”

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Discordant Thinking

Has someone said to you or perhaps you have suggested to someone else to “don’t think like that?” It is one of those silly things we say to one another without really having thought it through. Like “a watched pot never boils”, yes it does, every single time and without the origin understood for context it is just nonsense. When it comes to thinking, as soon as we are told not to think about something the first thing we do is think about it. No? OK, don’t think about oranges.... How did you do? We are powerless over the thoughts that float through our minds eye; however we choose the action to take upon becoming aware of these thoughts. Oranges and teakettles are not much of a problem, but there exists in all of us a voice of discord and negativity embedded in the subconscious that consistently looks for a reason to be upset or outraged. The origin of the voice is secondary, the action we choose to take paramount when it chimes in. Having embarked on Living on the Spiritual Basis the desired action is to turn from the lower to the higher by way of prayer and meditation.

Now when a negative thought is persistent, it also helps to engage in some distracting activity such as a phone call to a friend inquiring about them (do not speak of the negative thought), an engrossing book, exercise, etc. If possible find a way to be of service. Nothing relieves us of the bondage of self, and all negative thinking binds us in self, as being of service to others. The key is to substitute positive thinking and action for negative thoughts. Simple but not easy, but with practice, just like when we learned to ride a bike, if we are diligent and consistent, in time this will become second nature.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Discordant Thinking

What Does Our Face Say?

What Does Our Face Say?

Though many remain in denial of this truth, there are rules, or laws if you prefer, that govern our thinking, applying equally to everyone at all times, one of them is the Law Of Subconscious Activity. It is impersonal, always in force and cannot be appealed. Being impersonal this law is true for both good and bad ideas, when employed negatively, brings sickness, trouble, and failure; but when employed positively, brings healing, freedom, and success. We give the orders-the subconscious mind does the work.

We cannot, do not control the thoughts that enter our consciousness. We do control what path to follow when we become aware. When a negative or fearful thought floats up from our subconscious how we respond to it determines our future. So we train ourselves when confronted by these discordant thoughts to turn immediately to thoughts of God: His Love, His Power and His Guidance. In so doing the Law of Subconscious Activity works for us, not against.

Practical demonstrations always carry more weight than mere words. So begin by observing the faces of the people in your life. What do you see in the countenance of those who engage in gossip, hurtful or negative words and action? Compare them with those who are consistently kind, supportive and positive. The truth of this lesson will be as plain as the look on their face.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Camels, Tents And The Law Of Thought

Camels, Tents And The Law Of Thought

What we think upon grows. The thoughts we dwell on will be out pictured in our lives. Period. When we dwell on lack, perceived injustice (real and imagined), resentment or any of the other hundred forms of fear clamoring for our attention, they attach to our consciousness as surely as a barnacle to a pier piling. Though no one would say they wish to suffer, to believe we can think one way and then receive the opposite is the root of the trouble.

It would be a poor law indeed if it did not work in the reverse as well. When we dwell on the positive, on the Presence of God, on the truth of our relationship with the Divine, that all fear and negativity is false, God the giver of every good gift, then these aspects will be out pictured in our lives.

Remember the lesson of the camels nose and the tent? Camels will not back up so if a camel gets its head under a tent flap they are coming all the way in. However if their nose is smacked as soon as it appears they will withdraw, and no one wants a camel in their tent, they are bad mannered and rather smelly.

Our troubles are just like the camels nose. As soon as we become aware of trouble or difficulty we smack it on the nose with prayer and meditation and its ability to drive us to despair, fear and morbid reflection will be short circuited. What we think upon grows. What will you think upon today? Beware camels.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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The Wonderful Enfoldment

The Wonderful Enfoldment

Death awaits all men but waits on no man. Everything, from the mayfly to the stars themselves pass away, but 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 building, 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 for we now know that this flesh is but 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. So we carry the departed in our heart, since no other structure can truly hold them. When they drift up into the forefront of our thinking, as they are wont to do from time to time, we  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.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Overcast Days

Overcast Days

Ever start a trip by plane on a cloudy day? On the ground it is dark, perhaps even dank, deep shadows lurking at every turn. Sitting in our seat we feel and hear the engines spool up, power vibrating through the plane. Then the brakes are released and we are pushed back in our seat, the plane lifts off the runway and climbs steeply through the clouds, for a time visibility is reduced to zero, then suddenly the craft bursts through the cloud layer into bright sunshine, the truth now evident, the light was always there, it simply obscured by temporary conditions.

When trouble comes into our lives the adversary, fear, works to cloud our consciousness, to instill in us a false belief that temporary conditions are permanent. Living on the Spiritual Basis we rise above the shadows by raising our consciousness through prayer and meditation, banishing false belief by demonstrating faith. Everyone occasionally has clouds obscure the light for a time, but Living on the Spiritual Basis there is no concern, for demonstration has taught us the light is always there, clouds a temporary condition and by staying the course we will break through the clouds of fear and burst into the light of peace and freedom, the truth revealed, that a cloudy day, is just a cloudy day.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Abiding In God

Abiding In God

Today the definition of abide is to tolerate, to put up with something. 150 years ago it meant to dwell, to live or reside in a place (Encarta). Living on the Spiritual Basis is a conscious decision. We choose to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, not in the Polly Anna sense but in a dynamic sense. We choose to live our lives, with all our defects of character and shortcomings, as demonstrations of His love, guidance and power. Knowing we will make mistakes but stepping out in faith regardless; forgiven as soon as we ask, the transgression forgotten if we are sincere in our desire to grow. Therefore, to abide in God is to live through and of Him, trembling and fearful though we may be, one day at a time. 

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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The Daily Barrage And Finding Peace

The Daily Barrage And Finding Peace

We live with a continuous barrage of information wrapped in fear. Fear this candidate or that, fear the end of the world in all manner of ways from plagues, climate, meteors even volcanoes. Even losing ones hair or developing a few well earned lines on the face should be feared. The list is legion. Read any newspaper, website, watch any news channel and the hammers of negativity begin doing their work on the 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.To wit:
       
         “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 Great Depression was in full swing, alcohol prohibition the law of the land, the heart of America was gripped in a “black blizzard” of dust that bankrupted thousands and displaced millions, the storm clouds of war gathering in Europe as Hitler rose to power. Economic hardship, unemployment, war on drugs, immigration, 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 so our mantra should become Let there be peace, and let it begin with me.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Radical Forgiveness A Day At A Time

Radical Forgiveness A Day At A Time

Radical Forgiveness requires we avoid participating in negative conversations on any topic, for this invites trouble and opens the door for negativity and resentment to slither into our consciousness. This does not mean we shy away from difficult conversations when necessary, but walking the spiritual path we find those times actually are very rare, unlike when we lived on the secular basis when it seemed we were more or less always at odds with something (thoughts) or someone (personalities). So the key today is to view everything and everyone through the lens of spiritual light, as we understand it today for we are growing in spirit, to the best of our ability and remember, no one does this perfectly, we are not saints.

When negative thinking surfaces turn to God in silent prayer, where the thought came from of little importance, our reaction to it of paramount importance. When we live in this manner we break the links of resentment and negativity while strengthening the links of love, love being the most powerful tool in our spiritual tool chest. Initially this will feel cumbersome, even odd but in time it will become second nature, the level of our serenity increasing dramatically and though negative thinking will raise its head from time to time as it does with everyone, we now have a way out of trouble that works, as long as we remain diligent and employ the indicated spiritual action.

 

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Radical Forgiveness

Radical Forgiveness

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 our 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 of resentment 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 free them from our heart, where all resentment truly resides, and give them over “root and branch” 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. We do this once and only once. If we repeat the action, we short circuit the process so when the resentment pops up again in our consciousness, and it most surely will, thank God for knowing Him better. We may have to repeat this action and affirmation many times, but it is worth the effort to be free. Avoid retelling the “story” of the resentment to others until you are sure it no longer has any power in your life and then only as a demonstration of a successful application of the process. Additionally do not volunteer any action or direction another should take in regard to a resentment unless asked specifically what you have done, for when we answer unasked questions we run the risk of creating a resentment.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Eternal Tides

Eternal Tides

Death, a topic routinely avoided yet we all have/will deal with it. First the death of those we have come to know and often love and finally, and I think you would agree the most important, at least to us, 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 week's 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.

Regardless of ritual or rites, 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, for in truth: We 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 and necessary as the gentle cycle of the tides.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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In But Not Of, Reborn

In But Not Of, Reborn

Reborn is a term that accurately states the truth of Living on the Spiritual Basis. Day by day, step by step as we develop spiritually the old “man” dies and the new emerges. In childbirth there is pain and discomfort during the act but is quickly forgotten since there is probably no more peaceful, joyful, powerful moment in our lives than when we first beheld our newborn child. This same peace is visited upon us as our awareness and conscious contact with Source builds and grows, as we move from being of the world to being in the world, moving from the finite to the infinite, becoming a light of awareness and serenity, a beacon of hope. And unlike that moment of arrival of our child, this peace and serenity can be ours daily, if we but remain teachable, willing to grow and change regardless of circumstance. Is there any greater miracle?

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Consciousness Building part 3

Consciousness Building part 3

“Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” Wayne Dyer.

Let’s look at this a different way. Many of my peers, including myself, are a little rounder than we would like. Now the weight didn’t appear over night. I didn’t go to bed with a twenty year olds twenty-eight inch waist and wake up with a sixty something’s 34. Yet when it comes to losing weight, typically if it can’t be lost in a week or two we lose interest and fall back into old habits, those deeply carved patterns of thinking. Diets are hard; requiring real long-term change and different thinking patterns, while cheeseburgers are easy, requiring only fries and maybe a shake.

We choose the path, the instruction sheet we follow. The choice is always ours. 

 

Our spiritual development is a mental diet, we choose the directions to follow, the nourishment we ingest, and though eating healthy is important, a healthy mental diet is of infinitely more consequence than waist size. Years of fuzzy thinking, false belief and fear driven action do not disappear overnight, the process continues for our lifetime and though our consciousness is eternal, assembly is required, so what instruction sheet will you follow?

 

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Consciousness Building part 2

Consciousness Building part 2

“Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” Wayne Dyer.
 

Consider those who suffer from addiction. Many who initially recover, seemingly having cast their “habit” out the window, a new basis for living embraced, then relapse and are often baffled as to why. They are fooled by the delusion those years of thinking and living in addiction now magically disappeared because the intoxicants are out of their system. In reality the “instruction” sheet they have been following for years is carved deep in their consciousness and will take years of positive contrary action and consistent vigilance of motive to overwrite, to learn how to live on this new basis of living, the Spiritual Basis, embracing a completely new set of directions, a day at a time. The price may seem high, but the rewards are nothing less than miraculous.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Consciousness Building

Consciousness Building

When we purchase something that requires assembly, it generally comes with instructions. I once purchased a teapot and inside were instructions, for a teapot! Now the instruction sheet for that Christmas morning bicycle years ago was considerably longer, and I still maintain wrong, both the bike and teapot instruction sheets had numbered steps, the teapot two with the additional warning that hot water is, well, hot, the bicycle four hundred and fifty seven, in Latin. 

Our consciousness requires assembly as well; the question is what “instruction” sheet we follow. With the exception of some notable examples directly touched by the Divine, most of us build our consciousness, for good or ill, step by step by the actions we take and the thoughts we entertain, our level of awareness and understanding waxing and waning dependent on what we say, do, consider and act upon, experience building upon experience, good and bad. Habits of thinking and living do not change by simply assenting to them as needing to be changed; it requires action and perseverance on our part. To borrow from Wayne Dyer: “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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Storm Proof Foundation

Storm Proof Foundation

The longest eighteen inches in the world lies between the head and the heart, the bridge from intellect to faith, embracing grace. But speaking about God and spirituality, practicing faith when the weather is calm is easy. Standing in faith when every fiber of the carnal mind screams in opposition is the challenge. The back of every American dollar bill reads “In God We Trust” but do we, really? The Great Carpenter teaches that those who demonstrate faith in action build their spiritual house/consciousness “upon a rock” while those who are nominally Living on the Spiritual Basis build their “house” on sand “and great was the fall of it.”

We can build a structure on any ground as long as the sun is shining, the wind nothing more than a breeze, but to do so in the belief that conditions will never change is a fools errand at best, yet many do this very thing with their spiritual house and then are devastated when the rains come and the winds blow and their structure collapses, then compounding the error by blaming God for the storm, forgetting storms are part of life, rain falling on the just and unjust equally.

In truth we chose the materials our house is constructed of, the construction practices employed, how well we adhere to the blueprints, for it matters little the quality of the materials if they are poorly installed, the blueprint ignored or altered out of fear. The Good News is the Master Builder will step in at any point and set the project (our consciousness) right if we will only place our trust in His guidance and unconditional love. By this simple, but not easy reliance on a Power Greater than Ourselves our structure is solidly built, able to not only withstand life's inevitable storms, but to stand as a beacon of hope and resolve to those who chose poorly. Remember always that Living On The Spiritual Basis is not about weathering storms, but learning how to dance and sing when the rains come.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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The Scales Of Thought

The Scales Of Thought

What we think on out pictures in our lives; write this on your heart in bold letters. To think we can entertain certain thoughts and not have them influence us in other areas is not only foolish but spiritually deadly. The concept of “compartmentalizing” portions of our lives or thinking is patently false and leads ultimately to tears. What we think on becomes part of the mix, always. Thoughts of vengeance, assenting to any form of suffering, reveling in schadenfreude all mark us, shutting out the sunlight of the Spirit. The baker would never add something to the mixing bowl they do not want in the finished cake, but unlike the baker who has complete control over their ingredients, we have no control over the curious thoughts that float up or into our consciousness, but we do choose the path when we become aware of them.

The price of spiritual freedom is vigilance and our consistent positive response to negative and destructive thoughts and ruminations. Living on the Spiritual Basis today when we drift into morbid reflection we turn immediately in prayer and meditation back to Source, for we can no longer fool ourselves as too the cost these thoughts carry with them if we choose to entertain them for any reason. Those who may appear to "get away" with negative thinking and actions don’t in fact. "The mills of the gods grind slowly but exceedingly fine, next to every mill is a mountain of sand." We all reap as we sow, so we must stand vigilant, weighing the thoughts seeking purchase in our consciousness on the scales of Divine guidance, service and love.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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In Truth, Gently

In Truth, Gently

Words have meaning. Sounds like a “duh” kinda thing to say but bear with me. Many speak of spirituality and God, of our connection to the “Father” and how God is everywhere, at all times, always available, wanting to and will solve all our problems if we will only trust in Him. Yet they live at odds with these genuinely voiced beliefs. Belief is only theory, a nice thought or sentiment unless demonstrated in action. We cause ourselves much needless discomfort and unease when we fail to walk the way we talk.

So pray expecting to receive, banishing the idea that prayer is simply a tool employed to weather the storm, to buck up our spirits so too speak, but is in truth a direct plea to God. Understanding our good thoughts and intentions are meaningless unless we are willing to step out in faith and fly our flag as believers for all to see, losing our fear of the negative judgments that will be cast our way, for it is always easier to criticize and denigrate, for who is without blemish? than to stand in the light and be counted, so many wish to breathe free but choose to remain stifled for fear of ridicule or to curry ultimately meaningless favor with others.

Words have meaning, and we must mean the words we use, otherwise we suffer greatly at the hands of the true adversary, fear. When we speak without true conviction our being becomes lost in polite sentiment, in affirmations routinely recited with little feeling or honest belief, the prayers said with no real expectation of relief producing results commensurate with the conviction voiced.  

To thine ownself be true, so pray from the heart, expect to receive a miracle for we live in an age of miracles, measure your words and strive each day to walk the way you talk. No one among us does this perfectly, and though perhaps trembling, what matters is that we do it to the best of our ability today, for isn't life really a series of  todays strung together in Spirit?

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven

Dusting And Serenity

Dusting And Serenity

Everyone likes a clean house, but who enjoys doing the cleaning. In the physical realm a little dust on the shelves, a cobweb or two high in a corner or a carpet that could use a visit from the vacuum are one thing, but of much greater importance is our spiritual housekeeping. When we allow the dust of negative thinking and morbid reflection to accumulate in our consciousness the consequences are dire. A glass breaks, an egg slips our grasp, the new kitten or puppy has an “accident" are all things we address immediately, in much the same way we get busy spiritually on the big problems of life. But just like the upper shelf that could use a dusting or the baseboard that could stand a little scrubbing, we put off addressing or entirely ignore life's little hurts and small fears and they accumulate in the quiet corners of our consciousness. Left unattended they nibble away at our serenity, our peace of mind slips allowing the adversary, fear, to gain purchase in the forefront of our consciousness coloring every aspect of our lives.

Spiritually we must keep our house clean for the adversary is relentless. Where a dusty shelf or a floor that could use a good sweeping may be distractions, small resentments and unaddressed fears left to fester in our spiritual house have real power to harm. So we work to address them as soon as they crop up, as we become aware of them and do not under any circumstance or pretext put off our cleaning. By employing daily prayer, taking responsibility for our actions and admitting when we are wrong, employing daily meditation and selfless service those "corners" of our consciousness are liberated from the spiritually corrosive effects of the adversary and we stand free, serenity at play, peace of mind realized.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven,

The Art Of Life

The Art Of Life

How do we progress spiritually? Is it by studying every new book or teacher that comes along, casting aside yesterday’s book or teacher in the hope the new information or teacher is superior? Perhaps never even giving a particular teaching time to work because of jumping from one to another, and there is always another. The student of mathematics progresses logically forward, as do students of all secular studies. They learn the basics, building upon this foundation as their understanding advances. In mathematics every new theorem, every breakthrough from Pythagoras to Newton to Einstein to Hawking began with understanding 1+1. They all began with the basics, thoroughly understood and employed, which then lead in time to inspired new demonstrations.

The study of metaphysics requires not only the logical progression of thought as in mathematics but the Artists Way as well. Consider: we can befriend artists, visit the finest galleries, study countless books on art and though we may have a wonderful appreciation and even love of art, we will never be an artist until we place pencil to paper, brush to canvas, chisel to stone, etc. Our peace of mind, serenity develops as we practice, demonstrate what we have learned about spiritual principles in our lives daily. Knowledge is fine but without demonstration possesses little power to change. As we practice what we know spiritually daily (the amount immaterial, remember 1+1) our heart and mind becomes more attuned with the spiritual basis, through this demonstration we grow in understanding by action, and there is no other way to truly learn how to Live on the Spiritual Basis.

Our lives are our canvas, the brush willingness, the paint our spiritual understanding, so we apply what we have learned of living spiritually and let God guide our hand. The emerging picture is truly miraculous, but requires a lifetime of diligent effort to complete. Oh, and art is messy, so don’t worry about the paint under your finger nails, on the floor, the walls or your clothes, the Great Artist understands and it puts a smile on His face.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven

Forgotten Riches

Forgotten Riches

Ever find some forgotten cash in the pocket of a pair of pants or jacket you haven’t worn in a while? Always puts a smile on the face doesn’t it. Ever consider ignoring it or even decide it really has no value? Of course not, that would be foolish, yet many do exactly that with the found riches of faith. Students, and not only new ones, of the path will be going along swimmingly for a time and then inexplicably take the reins of their lives back and then wonder why they are struggling. Having begun to Live on the Spiritual Basis and to reap the riches of the new life, for reasons often obscure but usually rooted in some form of fear, they fall back into old ways of thinking and solutions, the pain and spiritual discomfort that brought them to the path in the first place forgotten, the new solutions which had value now seemingly valueless. The way back is simple if not easy, when we become aware of old ways of thinking and action creeping back in, we stop immediately and reengage with the prayer, meditation and service that had previously worked so well. By rejecting fear and acting in faith we find our lives always contain exactly what we need, when we need it, in perfect measure.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven,

Happiness And Fresh Bread

Happiness And Fresh Bread

What makes you happy? Finally meeting that special someone, wedding day, divorce day, birth of a child, landing “the” job, graduating, watching your child graduate, doing something nice for somebody and not getting caught, etc. The key here is that just as fresh bread is only fresh for a short time, feelings of initial happiness fade, becoming memories.

So, what would provide long term, permanent happiness, permanently fresh bread if you will? Wealth? Good health? Satisfying career? Begs some consideration. Money is good, having been financially flush and broke, having money is better, but happiness? Some of the most miserable, unhappy people I have known were financially set, so money by itself clearly isn’t the answer. Perfect health is great, but since no one gets out alive, good health ultimately is terminal. Careers are important, but intrinsically suffers the same shortcomings as wealth.

If we make our happiness contingent on outer things, including people, we will never be truly happy. In truth, happiness can only be found within. Experience demonstrates those who have a deep and abiding spirituality have a sense of true happiness at their core.  Trouble still comes, as it does for all, but they meet calamity with serenity for they have a conscious contact with Source, and through prayer, meditation and service meet all of life’s downs and ups with faith, for only by faith in demonstration do we receive the divine guidance and strength that provides lasting inner peace, paving the way of true happiness. Something to consider while enjoying freshly baked bread.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven,