YouTube: The Spiritual Side of Morality

Do unto others and you would have them do unto you. Forgive those who trespass against you. Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you.

What do these statements share in common? First, they have to do with moral behavior. Second, and most important, they have to do with the spiritual side of moral behavior, which is letting go of any negative state of mind that binds us.

I’ve been talking about the creative life force and its inward-out direction of flow. If we plot to do harm to another, if we harbor resentment, if we declare war on our enemy, if we wish the worst for those who have persecuted us, we are hanging onto things that hinder Spirit’s natural flow in our life. It isn’t enough to simply go through the motions of performing morally commendable acts. We must also activate the spiritual component of releasing the negative energy we have invested. In other words, we don’t do it simply because it’s the morally correct thing to do. We do it because it’s the freeing thing to do. 

We are not required to excuse the behavior of those who have in some way meant us harm. When Jesus said, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), he was pointing out that God does not react to the good or bad behavior of people. Our negative reaction to others is a way of saying we are willing to withhold the sun and rain of our spiritual light, not from a given person, but from our own experience. Jesus is not saying forgive for the sake of others. He is saying forgive for the sake of you.   

You recall the wealthy young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments. The man said he did all that. What’s missing? Doing the right thing is not enough. Jesus told him that he must sell everything. He must let go of the value he was placing on his possessions and invest instead in the freedom he was missing.

So it is with us. Doing the correct thing is not always the freeing thing. We should also take into consideration the spiritual side of morality which always involves some form of letting go.

YouTube: Empowered By God, A Closer Look At Spiritual Power

In addressing this topic of empowerment, I want to go back to the river illustration I used a few weeks ago. There are two things about this river analogy that we need to be clear on. First, we are not seeking a destination on the river, upstream or down. The point of the illustration is to highlight the fact that the river flows in but one direction. In the spiritual context, this direction is from the inside out. To be empowered by God, then, is to know that our life can only be transformed from the inside out.

Both our religious and cultural training have programed us to believe the transformation, the fulfillment we seek lies upstream. Religion sees the current as a test of faith. Our cultural training says the hard work of paddling will get us to that satisfying place of success. So, why would Jesus question the logic of gaining the world at the risk of losing the soul? Did we really come here so we could spend our life paddling upstream?   

There is something more to what he taught. He said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). There is something wrong with the way this statement is translated. Who in the world would want to follow a way that is even harder than paddling upstream? A careful reading of this line reveals that he is saying the narrow gate that leads to life is hard to find, and few find it. He found it and he taught it. Nothing on this earth is our destination. We are here to enjoy this journey.

To enjoy the journey means that we have goals, we pursue interests, embark on careers, we make money, we buy houses, we get married, we have children. But none of these represent our purpose for showing up on this planet. We are here to solve this puzzle of living, to engage in all our activities empowered by God.

Go out in your yard and find a dandelion. This humble flower is doing fully what you and I are striving for. It is not paddling upstream or drifting aimlessly down. It is being who and what it is from the inside-out. It has solved the puzzle of how to live a successful life empowered by God.   

YouTube: The Truth About Karma

Someone raised the subject of karma, and whether we should consider it a factor in the way our life unfolds. In other words, should we think of negative conditions as karmic payback for something negative we may have done in the past? This is a good subject to explore, for a fair number of people in the West have adopted this Eastern concept. Mainstream Christianity’s version of karma is the sin and punishment model: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Jn. 9:2).

That which has the greatest impact on the quality of our life is that which occupies our mind at this moment. Whether we embrace the concept of karma, or the more traditional sin and punishment model, it is our faith in either of these ideas that make them seem true to us. In the case of the man born blind, Jesus drew attention to the importance of that which occupies our mind in the moment: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him” (Jn. 9:3). How we use our mind in the present has more impact than how we used it in the past.

We do not want to sidestep the consequences of past actions. There may be a bit of cleanup required. But suppose Jesus had answered the question by naming the sinner as the man, or the parents of the man. We would know where to point the finger of blame, but we would have no solution to the man’s condition of blindness.

If you are a hiker, you will occasionally find yourself walking over rocky ground. You know how important it is to be mindful of every step. Likewise, when you walk over the rocky terrain of a life condition, be mindful of every mental and emotional step you take. You know how you got on your rocky patch of trail. You wanted the hike. How did you get to this rocky patch in your life? You wanted to live. You did nothing wrong; this is simply a stretch of the path you are on. This is your opportunity to see the works of God manifest.

When you think about it, you can only take one step at a time. Lay down any baggage of karma you may be carrying and take your next step mindfully and gratefully.

YouTube: Peace of Mind, Freedom from Fear

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our nation, our thoughts turn to the meaning of peace and freedom. I have said, and it’s worth repeating, that the true goal behind most everything we seek is peace of mind and freedom from fear. The problem with our attempts to achieve these important states from the outside-in, is that our achievements rarely satisfy for long. So, it’s important that we learn to find peace of mind and freedom from fear in ways that are not dependent on what we do or do not have. 

Is this really possible? Yes, it is possible. But it requires a way of thinking that is quite different from what many of us practice daily. We want to solve the problem so we can have peace of mind and freedom from fear. Can we turn this around by learning to experience peace and freedom first, then, from this more stable state, work toward a resolution to our problem? Let’s find out.

 Think of that issue in your life that you want to resolve. Let’s pray about it. Does this mean we’re going to ask God to fix it for us? No. It means we are going to release all fear, all doubt, all stress that we have accumulated around the issue. This is denial, or the release of the negative energy. This is our first step in prayer. As we clear out the unwanted negativity, we affirm the truth of what we desire—peace of mind and freedom from fear. We speak words something like this: The peace of God fills my mind. I am free of all fear.

When David came up against Goliath, his companions loaded him down with armor. He felt so awkward that he had to throw it off. As a shepherd, he was most comfortable using his sling and stone. He accomplished the desired end, but with a method most comfortable to him. When we fear, we are responding to a challenge feeling we do not have the proper armor to succeed. But the simple sling and stone of the spoken word of truth should more than suffice.

As we discussed last week, if we think less in terms of conditions and more in terms of spiritual energy, the ball is always in our court. 

YouTube: Three Steps to Letting Go

What is the difference between ignoring an issue and letting it go? I once spoke to a woman who complained that her boyfriend often made demeaning remarks that she thought were intended to keep her in her place. “How do you handle that?” I asked. She rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed. “O, I just ignore him.” She may have given him the impression that she was ignoring him, but she obviously continued to carry the resentment.

Letting go is releasing the negative energy we hold concerning a person or a situation. This usually requires a very deliberate and conscious effort to actually experience the freedom of release. If the natural flow of the creative life force is from the inside out, then it is important for us to release the negative energy of fear or resentment we may harbor. Ignoring it is not really an option because, as the woman demonstrated, we carry it with us wherever we go.

Let’s look at three steps we can take to assure that we are letting go rather than just ignoring. First, we treat the issue as mental and emotional energy. We do this because, based on our inside/out model, we accept that we are the ones who decide how we use our energy. The outside/in approach says the world makes this choice for us. If I say someone else’s action makes me resentful, then I am giving them the power (outside/in) to control my energy. This is how most of us deal with the world, so it is important that we make a conscious effort to separate the outer appearance from our internal reaction.

The second step is to visualize this energy dissolving. I’m not trying to change a person or a condition, I am allowing my thought and emotion about the person or condition to dissolve. Think of the fog on your bathroom mirror after a shower. Point a hairdryer at it and watch it disappear. Hold a similar visualization.

When you feel some relief, some genuine detachment from the event, go about your business as if the situation is resolved in your favor. This, of course, is the fulfillment of Jesus’ advice to believe you have received what you ask for in prayer. Remember, do not ignore the appearance. Let it go. The power to do so is with us always.   

YouTube: What’s In A Name?

Our Unity teachings have encouraged us to think of the term Christ as the spiritual potential within all people. However, it is clear that all New Testament writers used Christ and Jesus interchangeably. Most people do the same today. Christ is a Greek term that means anointed. In the Old Testament, anointing was a ritual reserved for kings and prophets. In the New Testament, it is a title referring to the Messiah. Jesus Christ is intended to be understood as Jesus the anointed, Jesus the Messiah.

The associations we make with Christ may make our attainment of Christ Consciousness seem like a remote possibility. Evidence suggests that Jesus himself avoided the title. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make (anoint) him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (John 6:15). The focus of his teaching is directed toward the spiritual awakening, not for the purpose of attaining an evolutionary advancement of the soul, but for the purpose of living a fuller, freer life right now.

I have been asked where I got the idea that our soul is evolving. It is a generally accepted belief in New Thought that was adopted by Charles Fillmore, cofounder of Unity:

“As death has no power to help anyone, the condition of the Adam man is not bettered by dying. Therefore, when people are re-embodied they ‘come forth . . . unto the resurrection of damnation,’ in other words, condemnation or correction. Everyone begins where he left off.”

I once embraced this belief. With the abundance of NDE research now at our disposal, I’ve wondered if Fillmore too would have exercised his declared right to change his mind. It is important for us to embrace this life, this journey on earth as our own. I do not think Jesus held himself up as the example for us to follow: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). I am inclined to believe he taught that the soul is complete, and his mission was to help us learn to let this light of completeness shine through every aspect of our daily life.

YouTube: Going With the Flow

The deeper I go into what I see as the authentic teachings of Jesus, the simpler they become. A river flows in a single direction, but we can paddle our canoe in two directions. We can take the easy way of flowing with the current, or we can take the more difficult way of paddling upstream and going against the current. The river does not punish or impose our struggle. Struggle comes with our choice to paddle upstream. As a teacher, Jesus tried to help people understand the nature of the river and then learn to recognize which way they were paddling their canoe.

Because of the inherent difficulties of life in a body, it is easy to believe that paddling upstream is the intended human condition. The mainstream Christian assumes we’re being tested by the current to see if we’re worthy of reaching that place of eternal rest and peace upstream. The alternative Christian believes there are lessons to be learned from the struggle, but all will be worth it when we reach that great moment of enlightenment, also upstream.

It does not seem to me that these were models Jesus had in mind. His prodigal son spent the first half of his journey paddling upstream. When he reached his point of absolute failure and exhaustion, all he was required to do was turn his canoe and flow back into the everlasting arms of a loving father. We could, in one sense, think of this as grace.

To say that we cannot worship both God and mammon is another way of saying we can’t travel in two directions at once. Either we are paddling against the current, or we are going with the flow. This can be a helpful image for us to consider. The river flows in one direction. Am I paddling against the current, or am I flowing with it? To find out, I only need to look at how I’m handling my life. Am I stressed out, fighting for every inch I gain? Or am I relaxed and enjoying my journey? Am I praying for the river to help me win my upstream battle? Or, am I affirming the natural flow of the river is now carrying me to my greatest good?

While our prayers are often attempts to change the course of the river, Jesus seemed pretty clear that our priority should be to seek first an understanding of the river’s natural flow and the rest would be added as well. The scenery is just as beautiful upstream or down, but we are more likely to enjoy this journey going with the flow.  

YouTube: A Still Small Voice

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”

1 Kings 19:11-12

I’ve always thought this was an interesting way to call attention to intuitive listening. The New King James version footnotes “a still small voice” with a delicate, whispering voice. The point seems to be that the Lord does not speak in a booming, earth-shaking voice from heaven, but in a way we might describe as quiet knowing. Be still and know that I am God.

The still small voice is not a voice at all. It comes as a breath of inspiration, a knowing that we are more than whatever challenge we may be facing. I also like to point out that this voice can present as a gnawing dissatisfaction. This is probably the way most people experience it, though we do not necessarily associate it with the voice of God. If we pay close attention to the feeling of uneasiness, we will find that a running internal dialogue, or mind chatter, is going on. Regardless of what the chatter is about, it is blocking the free flow of Spirit. Thus, the feeling of uneasiness. Rather than tying ourselves in emotional knots, we can release this negative energy and return to our natural flow.

 The mind chatter is the wind, the earthquake, and the fire that so easily get our attention. In whatever form this comes, recognize that you can let it go and experience the calm of the delicate, whispering voice. That is, you can tap into the calm peace of your soul. You notice the chatter is loudest when you have an issue that needs a resolution. Even if a resolution is not in sight, remind yourself that one will come soon, that maybe later in the day or even tomorrow things will take a positive turn. But you are here, and the still small voice is speaking now. It is saying, peace, be still and know that everything is fine. Your life is now unfolding the highest good you can imagine. When you feel the release, which you surely will, the natural, calm peace of your soul is restored.

YouTube: The I That I Am, Recovering Your Center of Power

I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow or everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

Jeremiah 31:31-32

Following up on last week’s idea of the new covenant, I want to shed more light on what it means to recover your center of power. To have the laws of God put into your mind and written on your heart is a metaphorical way of referring to the central I that you are. The heart is the soul, the spiritual essence that we are and that we always will be. To say these laws are written, is simply a way of saying the soul is a direct expression of God, the very heart of the principle of oneness.

Science tells us that no two snowflakes, no two blades of grass, no two leaves are alike. It is even more obvious that, as our fingerprints suggest, no two people are alike. Why do you suppose this is? The simplistic answer is that God, the universal, creative life force, expresses, from snowflakes to humans, as unique individuals.

In today’s culture, the term “diversity” has been hijacked. It no longer applies to the unique nature of the individual, but to the group to which the individual belongs, or wants to belong. Of course, there is nothing new about this problem. I nearly got brain damage trying to fit into the high school football culture. We hear of teen suicides prompted by those who threaten to bully another out of the so-called “in” group. That shallower part of us that drives us to fit in, is taking us further from the genuine security and self-confidence we seek.

While the world about us is in a state of perpetual flux, that which constitutes our center of power never changes. Coming to know our spiritual core as the true anchor in this ever-changing world will never become outdated. Each soul is a unique expression of God bringing a special light that only we can give. Tapping into this light and letting it shine is living from the awareness of our changeless nature. The I that I am is the only I that I can ever be. It is my unique privilege and responsibility to bring it into this world. 

YouTube: The New Covenant, Recovering Your Center of Power

“I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach every one his fellow or every one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

Hebrews 8:10-11

When writing about old and new covenants between God and Israel, the author of Hebrews draws from the prophet Jeramiah. Though this passage clearly depicts a relationship of oneness between God and man, which is the very heart of Jesus’ message, the author of Hebrews interprets it differently. In the past, the Law of Moses was used to keep people in good standing with God. Now, this New Testament writer is saying that the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ supersedes the old covenant. The New Testament writers have transitioned away from Jesus’ message of oneness to the old belief in separation.

After the death of Jesus, a movement formed. Where Jesus taught that the individual’s center of power is God within, the evangelists that followed taught that one’s center of power is derived from belonging to the movement. Jesus encouraged building up the individual. The leaders that followed encouraged building the movement and essentially diminishing the individual.

“Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.”

Acts 4:32

It is easier to join a group (the wide gate) than it is to find and experience the presence of God within (the narrow gate). This explains how the actual message of a mystic like Jesus could be eclipsed by the message of the evangelist. Jesus proclaimed the laws of God were already written in the minds and hearts of each person. The one who persists in asking, seeking, and knocking will learn the value of this truth. This understanding was the new covenant that aligned the individual with their true center of power. The evangelist missed this message by putting a new slant on the old covenant which maintained a distinct separation between God and man and, therefore, ensured allegiance to the movement while marginalizing the individual’s spiritual empowerment. As Jesus himself demonstrated, a strong individual is often a threat to the establishment.