Author: J Douglas Bottorff

Doug is minister of Independent Unity, author of 8 books, musician and photography enthusiast. He lives with his wife and cat in western Colorado.

Trust Yourself

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“Who do you say that I am?” This question Jesus posed to the disciples may be the most significant of any that could be asked. We are born into a predefined religious culture that provides us with the answers we are expected to give to this, and countless other questions raised on our spiritual journey. The time comes when, after considering the abundance of perspectives available, we learn to trust ourselves to discern the truth about this life we are here to live.

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9) Jesus gives us excellent insight into why it is important to trust ourselves. Our consciousness, the sum of our beliefs, is the soil through which the seed of the soul is expressed. At the soul level, we find absolute perfection. At the level of expression, we find a mixed bag of good and not so good. The reason for conflicting expressions is that we try to answer the question, “Who do you say that I am” though the opinions of others. Perhaps we’ve graduated from the well-trodden path of mainstream thinking only to adopt a new improved system of belief that is still not our own.

Think of your soul as the bulb of an iris, and the iris flower as the life on earth expressed. Where does the iris get its wisdom, it’s very being? It is in direct communion with the bulb, the very soul of the flower. The bulb knows how to draw everything it needs from soil, sun, and rain. It does not seek the opinions of other flowers or study the wisdom of its predecessors. It’s very being is the answer to the question, “Who do you say that I am?”

It is good to study the works of others, especially when doing so brings clarity and affirmative support to our own thinking. In other words, we know and recognize a truth before we read or hear another’s version of it. It is good practice to dialogue, perhaps through journaling, with our own inclinations. We are a soul expressing through a body and it’s important to know that we’ve come equipped with the proper mechanism that allows for perfect expression. When thinking of yourself, the question, “Who do you say that I am?” requires an answer only you can give. It is an answer you were given even before you asked. Trust yourself.

The Gift of Jesus

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When I think of the gift that Jesus brought to the Jewish population of his day, I’m not inclined to think in traditional terms. What I believe he brought was a new way to think of God, man, and the relationship between God and man. He was born into a culture that believed God and man were separate. He taught from what I call the paradigm of oneness: we are one with God. To the average Jew, the kingdom of God was coming someday. To Jesus, the kingdom of God was not only present, but it was also centered within each person.

It is my belief that his message was lost in the movement that followed. A kingdom that can be described in observable terms is much easier to grasp than the rather abstract, inner-oriented model that we find throughout his sayings. With Jesus out of the picture, his original message took on an entirely different meaning that was more in alignment with the Jewish hope for a religious and political revolution.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were so adamant about the belief that God and man were separate that they threatened to stone Jesus for claiming his oneness with God. The Temple contained a sacred room called the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could enter this inner sanctuary once a year and offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. In other words, the people’s connection with God was made through the priesthood. The gift Jesus offered to the people was to tell them that God was not in a temple made with hands, that every person was, in fact, a temple of God. The connection with God was an inner one.

An important observation that I offer is this: The original teachings of Jesus were firmly grounded in the paradigm of oneness. The teachings of the entire New Testament are firmly grounded in a paradigm of separation. Jesus taught that the kingdom is present and found within each person, the early church taught that the kingdom was coming, and no one knows exactly when.

The gift of Jesus was a new understanding of God, and each person’s relationship of oneness with God.

The Simple Prayer

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“And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Matthew 6:7-8

Emerson described prayer as “the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view.” A great starting point is the one suggested by Jesus. The Father knows what we need before we ask. From this positive and accepting attitude, we engage in prayer as a two-fold action of releasing and affirming. We release all resistance, all fear, all doubt and we affirm that we have already received that which we ask for in prayer.

As Jesus points out, this activity does not require many words. Prayer is more of an acceptance, a conviction, a shift from want and doubt to a deep sense of knowing that our greater good, in whatever form we seek, is now coming forth.

It’s important that we understand that prayer does not cause God to act. Prayer brings us into alignment with the action of God. If we think of God as the creative life force, we see this as the river that flows in but one direction, from the inside out. Jesus said it isn’t what goes into your mouth but what comes out that matters. This creative process picks up on the frequency of our consciousness. A negative internal environment is a low frequency. As we release this energy and raise our consciousness frequency, things tend to go in our favor. We’re not being rewarded by God, we are being rewarded by working at a God-like frequency.

If your need is healing, release all negative appearances and begin to affirm the healing power of God is flowing in and through you. If you need greater prosperity, let go of your fear of lack and know the perfect abundance of God is pouring through you now. If you are seeking harmony in family or friend relationships, release all appearances to the contrary and affirm the perfect harmony of God is expressing through you and others this very moment.

Prayer as the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view invites us to lift up our spiritual eyes and see the greater good that we seek is flowing in and through us now.

Tapping Into Universal Wisdom

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The Lord created me [wisdom] at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up,
    at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

Proverbs 8:22-23

The Old Testament is broken into categories by genre. The OT books that fall into the genre of wisdom literature are grouped together as Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. In this passage from Proverbs, the “me” that the Lord created at the beginning of his work is Wisdom. The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia. If you delve into the Christian Gnostic literature, you find they regarded Sophia as a feminine figure comparable to the human soul. They considered Sophia the female twin of Jesus, the Bride of Christ, the Holy Spirit of the Trinity, and a direct emanation of the godhead.

These metaphors point to the truth that there is no place where God leaves off and we, as individuals, begin. As emanations of the godhead, we are literally infused with the wisdom that was set up before the beginning of the earth.

Emerson said it this way:

“There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall hear the right word. . .. Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which flows into you as life, place yourself in the full center of that flood, then you are without effort impelled to truth, to right, and a perfect contentment.”

Wisdom is that which is in alignment with the natural way things work. What Emerson calls “lowly listening” is intuitive or soul-based knowing. It is the harmony demonstrated through the natural world, through the birds of the air and the lilies of the field whose needs are met and who live in perfect peace with their environment.

We tap into universal wisdom by seeing ourselves as an emanation of the godhead. In moments of quiet withdraw from the world, we envision the wisdom of God radiating from the center that is our soul to the circumference that is our life. This simple, heartfelt act opens the natural channel for the light of truth to shine in and through us.

Desire, Expression, Attraction

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Much has been written about the so-called law of attraction. This usually involves techniques of setting one’s intention on a positive mental and emotional environment that will draw success and riches. On the other end of the scale, there are also spiritual disciplines that consider desire as a negative trap inside the maze of materiality. Expression, as we’ll consider it here, is often the piece that is overlooked.

Desire can be a two-edged sword, especially when it is disconnected from its spiritual source. In short, we desire more in life because our spiritual essence continually calls us to rise above restrictions we have accepted as normal to the human experience. At the root of all desire is our need for freedom. If we connect freedom with the acquisition of things, we may get the things but not the freedom. This is where expression comes into play.

Expression is the actual experience of the freedom we desire. Is it possible to experience freedom when there are material restrictions in place? This is the question we are challenged to answer. We are called to look beyond what we think of as material solutions to our desire for freedom, and we seek to experience freedom itself. We turn from material appearances and release attachment to specific outcomes until we express internally the freedom we desire. This inner experience and expression of freedom is the governing influence of the law of attraction.

We do not invoke the law of attraction. Like gravity, this law never ceases to operate. We work with gravity by achieving balance, setting objects of value in places they will not fall and break, and by putting aerodynamic wings on our airplanes for lift. We do not invoke the law of gravity; we cooperate. Likewise, we become internally that which will reflect externally as the types of conditions we desire. Freedom within attracts conditions of freedom without.

Desire should not be suppressed; it should be understood. At the root of all desire is the soul seeking greater expression. As we let the light of the soul shine, the natural law of attraction becomes our friend.     

Tribute to Our Son

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I decided to present you today with a video tribute to our son, Ashley, who passed unexpectedly from this plane on January 30. Beth, Audrey (our daughter), and I are doing much better, but we’re still grappling with the emotional instability of grief.

When I stood before you last Sunday, I felt such an outpouring of love and compassion that I knew I couldn’t continue speaking. And I knew you’d understand. I know that most of you have lost loved ones, and you know the storm of emotion that this stirs. We want you to know how much we love and appreciate all of you.

And we extend this love and appreciation to our internet audience. Though we can’t be together in person, love really knows no distance, no barriers of time or space. Your comments are precious gems to Beth and me. . . .

The Passing of our Son

Dear friends,

I want to let you know that Beth and I, and our daughter Audrey, were informed last Tuesday that our son, Ashley, passed from this plane. He lived in the Los Angeles area. The cause of death appears to be heart related, though the coroner’s report is inconclusive at this point. This is the kind of news no parent or sibling wishes to receive, yet here it is on our doorstep. This news has triggered an emotional journey ranging from shock and grief to feelings wafting in like a warm breeze that carries the promise of a new Spring of comfort and meaning.

Over the last forty-five years, I have conducted many funeral services, but always as the comforter, the pastor, the counselor, the one whose purpose was to inspire a higher vision of this sometimes baffling experience of life in a body. It has been my role to help others navigate through what can feel like an earthly maze, with each turn often leaving us with more questions than answers. I have done my best to show others there are answers, to step back and see life as the soul sees it–eternal, beautiful, meaningful, and lived with purpose.

I have also acknowledged the pain of loss, the feeling that even the broadest perspective of life and death cannot sooth. And now I am presented with this side. The mind floods with a mix of memories and the overwhelming sadness that we will never speak to our son again, never hear his voice, or feel the warmth of his hug. It is a void nothing can fill. The comforting words of family and friends are a much needed and appreciated healing balm that is so important on this unexpected journey. Ultimately, however, this is a path that every person in our place must walk alone. Beth, Audrey, myself, our family, and those who were closest to Ashley are, in one sense, walking through this together. Even so, we are each called upon to find within ourselves that fountain of strength, wisdom, and vision that enables us to rise from this darker pain of loss to the bright light of joy of what has been gained by knowing this beautiful soul.

It was at the moment of conception that Ashley announced to me that he was on his way. He arrived on April 20, 1978. I felt him as a very warm and peaceful presence, unlike anything I had experienced. At the time I did not know what had happened, but I soon found out. I experienced it once again when Audrey announced her coming. This time I knew our family was growing. When I think of this, I am reminded of a line from James Dillet Freeman’s poem, The Traveler: “Our life did not begin with birth, it is not of this earth.” I’ve always had the sense that our children intentionally joined Beth and me on our journey. Ashley now continues his life in another way, another dimension, and we will miss him terribly. But we are also grateful that he stepped in and shared with us this part of his eternal life. He leaves us with a gift we will always cherish.

Beth and I thank you for your prayers and positive thoughts in this challenging time. Ashley has moved into his next experience in living, and we see his every step lighted with the love of God.

The Key to Overcoming Fear

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I recently listened to the story a woman told of her childhood, explaining how she was taught to believe she was never enough. As she grew into an adult, she adopted the Christian faith as a way of making sure that she was enough to be saved and enter heaven. During a surgical operation she “died” and had an incredible near-death experience. What she learned was that she was not only enough, but she was also far more than anything she had ever imagined.

Most fear rises from the belief that we, in some way, are not enough. We don’t have enough faith, courage, knowledge, goodness, strength, or love to meet some demand. We note that this woman did not become enough to overcome her fear by practicing the teachings of a religion. She became enough by rising above her body-based self-image and seeing the truth of who she really was. She literally had to lose everything before she awakened to the reality that she was not given a spirit of fear but one of love and power.

The experience of fear is foreign to the soul. Most of us know what it is to be pushed to the point of not knowing what to do. And we most likely experienced fear with every step it took to get to this place. Then, almost unexpected, having lost hope, we discovered strength we did not know we had.

This brings us to an important point to consider. When we fear, we are, in one sense, protecting a weakness. When we find our true center of power, we turn the table on fear by expressing from a place of strength. The thing we need to remember is that this strength is inherent to our being. Like the woman who spent her early life believing she was not enough, we make the shift into realizing we are so much more. In other words, regardless of how things appear, we are enough right now. And the good news is that we do not have to have an NDE to find the strength to overcome any fear. We affirm it until we know it is true.

I Am the Door

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In the Gospel of John, we find Jesus saying, “I am the door” (Jn 10:9). Mainstream Christian theology teaches that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is the only way to God. In truth, God is accessible to all, regardless of their religious orientation. John is using the voice of Jesus to lend credibility to the teaching of the church.

When I read John, I have found it helpful to think of his voice of Jesus as the voice of my own soul. When he says, “I am the door,” for example, or “I am the way,” I read this as my soul, my spiritual essence as being that door, that way. Our spiritual essence is our only way to God. When Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice,” the sheep represent that part of us that recognizes the genuine inspiration that rises from the depths of our being. It begins as a still small voice but becomes more pronounced as we learn to listen and know.

The door is a powerful metaphor. The front door of your house opens to the interior of your home and it also opens to the limitless outdoors. In Revelation, Jesus is quoted as saying,

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

 In this case, Jesus is not portrayed as the door, but as the one who is knocking and would like to come in. Again, the voice of Jesus is the voice of our soul. The knocking we hear, or actually feel, is our natural urge to open our mind to greater possibilities of being. This is an intuitive knowing, very natural but not widely understood. Jesus says there are thieves and robbers that will try to steal your sheep, meaning there are all kinds of distractions that can take us down paths that lead nowhere. We want our sheep to find rich pasture, or open the door to true spiritual nourishment.

For me, this is the real message coming from John. When we begin to understand our oneness with God, then it becomes clear that the door to God is within us. This is not about Jesus; it’s about each one of us and our developing understanding of the guiding promptings that bring us into firsthand knowledge of our unity with the Infinite.