Category: J Douglas Bottorff

The Many Dimensions of Spiritual Guidance

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In both the Old and New Testaments, spiritual guidance comes in the form of God speaking directly, angels delivering messages, dreams imparting specific information, or prophets passing on their direct revelations. For most of us, we’re left to wonder what the tea leaves are trying to tell us. In truth, it is probably no different today than it was in those ancient times. We should remember that the biblical writers had the advantage of reporting after the fact. When you already know how a situation went down, you can infuse your prophets, your dreams, your angels, and even God himself with the clarity that gets the point across.

Is there such a thing as spiritual guidance, and if there is, why can’t it be imparted in grammatically correct whole sentences like we find in the Bible? Of course there is spiritual guidance, but it does not generally speak in clear, communitive ways. It may come in a dream. We may have a hunch, a feeling that we should or should not do or believe a thing. We may see a billboard that says, “Just do it!” and because of the exact timing, it’s as if the heavens have opened.

I think the most effective approach to spiritual guidance is to simply acknowledge that we are receiving it at this very moment. Every step I take is the right step. Every decision I make is the right decision. Every person I meet brings something important. Every place I go has something special to offer. Such an attitude prompts me to develop situational awareness for the solution to my problem.

When we consider the wide spectrum of avenues through which the bible tells us spiritual guidance is imparted, we get the impression that it can come through just about any avenue. We also get the impression that those who are on the receiving end are rarely expecting it. This suggests that the healthy way to think of spiritual guidance is to expect you are now receiving it, but do not limit the way in which it might come. More than likely, the heavens will not open with choirs of angels singing your answer. You may just suddenly realize the answer you seek has been staring you in the face and you did not see it. A good night’s sleep may give you the clear mind needed to work out the issue. Or, an idea may form that points you to your answer.

Relax and know there are many dimensions of spiritual guidance and the right one is making itself known to you now.

The Intelligence Factor

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Bringing the Intelligence of God into things that matter

According to Genesis, the first thing God created was light. “God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Because we associate light with intelligence, we understand the author saw intelligence as a fundamental part of the universe. John talks about the Word, and how the Word was light, and this light was the light of men.

The mystical tradition acknowledges this intelligence expressing from the center of our being. When Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men…” I see him reminding us to be true to the best and the highest that is in us. As we let the light of our true being shine, it makes our world a better place, not only for ourselves, but for the people who come into our light.

I have said that I do not believe Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, one who acknowledges the corruption of the present era, and predicts a coming kingdom where all problems are solved. He spoke of an inner kingdom, a light that we can let shine in our world as it is. If you are in a dark room and you can see nothing around you, turn on a light and you see everything. The room is the same. It does not change. The light, however, allows you to see and experience the room in an entirely different way.

Imagine turning on the full power of the intelligence of God in this room you call your life! You would see your daily experience from an entirely different perspective. Rather than wait for a better life to come, you would see that better life is right where you stand. Like the angel of the Lord who said to the young Moses, “…put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). When was the last time you thought of your life as holy ground?

How do we turn on this light of intelligence that will surely brighten our life? We follow the example of God and simply say, “Let there be light.” And when we say it, we think of this light of intelligence radiating through us in beautiful ways we can’t even imagine. To let there be light is not saying make the light of intelligence shine. We let go of all control and let the perfect intelligence of God shine through us in healing, creative, and prospering ways.    

Podcast: The Whispering Messiah

YouTube: What’s All The Whispering About?

The Whispering Messiah podcast is a casual conversation between myself and Lisanya Pillay, my friend from Johannasburg, South Africa. The purpose of the program is to discuss various ideas of a spiritual nature, in a new format that I hope is inspiring to you.

If you would like to sign up for the newsletter that will inform you of upcoming topics, email us at office@unitygj.org and make that request. Your address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

This program will be included in a podcast playlist that you will find on our Independent Unity YouTube Channel.

Emotional Independence

Through spiritual means

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When many of us think of self-help as a means of improving our life through changing our attitude, we may focus mainly on our thinking. As important as this is, we do well to consider our emotions and who or what is controlling them. Is it even possible to choose how we feel, or are we satisfied to let the world make this choice for us?

I have pointed out that we can change our thinking but still feel as if bad things are brewing, like being caught in an undercurrent that pulls us out into water way over our heads. We may scarcely be aware of this emotional riptide until we suddenly notice how far from shore we are. Then, it doesn’t take much to send us into a fear-based reaction to the smallest of things.

How do we gain emotional independence? The first step is to realize we can. The emotions we harbor are of our own choosing. If we do not accept this as a fundamental fact, then the world will choose our emotions for us. And we all know what that is like.

The second step is to ask ourselves how we would feel if this emotionally unsettling appearance was resolved. We allow ourselves to experience the emotional release into the serenity of feeling all is well. Freedom, peace, joy, and new creative stirrings take the place of emotionally induced stress. Maybe not instantly, but we can get there.  

When Jesus spoke of the truth that sets us free, the freedom we long for is first felt at the emotional level. We might think of it as unconditional emotion, feelings that arise, not because of a positive turn of events, but because we feel blessed to simply be alive. In this case, our emotion is prompted by an inner knowing, the stabilizing awareness that we are part of something much grander than our ever-changing surroundings.

We can gain emotional independence, first by realizing we can, and secondly by learning to feel the freedom we desire. Check yourself at the feeling level now. How would you feel if all your life’s burdens were suddenly lifted?

Is Jesus God?

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The debate about the nature of Jesus, whether he was a man or God, has been ongoing for centuries. It can be traced back to the early days of Christianity, with different interpretations and understandings emerging. In the first few centuries after Jesus’ death, various theological perspectives arose, leading to intense debates among scholars, theologians, and religious leaders. The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD played a crucial role in clarifying the divinity of Jesus, affirming the belief in his full humanity and full divinity. However, the debate continued to evolve and resurface in different forms throughout history. Different Christian denominations and theological schools of thought have approached this question differently, resulting in ongoing discussions and disagreements. Today, the debate about the nature of Jesus as both man and God remains a significant topic of theological exploration and interpretation.

To the mystic, the question is a no brainer. Jesus, like all human beings, is an expression of God. When we visit the ocean and see a tidepool, we do not wonder if the tidepool is the ocean. It exists because of the ocean. And the same water that is in the tidepool is also in the ocean. When the tide rises, the pool and the ocean are one. The human being, including Jesus, is like the tidepool. Our life essence is God, but we are not all there is of God. We are expressions of God.

The people of Jesus’ day, like people today, see God as separate from humanity. But in truth, we are all one with God. Our physicality, like the defined tidepool, gives us the impression that we are separate from God. We are taught this from childhood, and we are taught that Jesus is a human unlike any other. This is unfortunate. If we see the tide come in over one hundred tidepools, all equally merge with the ocean.

The breakdown of this analogy is the physical boundary that defines the pool. In our case, the boundary is perceptual. The ocean of God perpetually mingles with our soul. All people possess the same spiritual architecture as Jesus. We are all human and we are all divine. The difference is in our degree of knowing. Most define themselves only as a tidepool. Some realize they exist because there is an ocean as the source of their being. Jesus was a man who taught our oneness with  God.

No Post Sunday

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Friends, I wanted to let you know that I will not be posting a regular program this Sunday. My ninety-four year old mother passed, and we are in Missouri for her service. Thank you in advance for your prayers and thoughts of support. She was a strong woman who lived a good life, and I have no doubt she’ll carry her virtues into her next experience.

I should be back online by next Sunday. Thanks for supporting our channel.

The Whispering Messiah

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I believe Jesus intentionally distanced himself from any association with the expected Messiah. Making any claim to that title would put him in a position that did not represent the message he believed he was born to teach. The expected Messiah would usher in an external kingdom of God that would change the religious, social, and political landscape. The kingdom he spoke of was an inner awakening to the presence of God.

Why would I refer to Jesus as the whispering Messiah? With literally millions of followers around the world, he appears to have done much more than whisper. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman believes Jesus had about twenty followers in his core organization. Considering he focused most of his ministry on the tiny villages that dotted the countryside, the impression we’re given by the Gospel writers of thousands following is, no doubt, an extreme exaggeration.  

The idea of the whispering Messiah comes from my belief that the true teachings of Jesus were misunderstood. Through decades of oral tradition passed down to the authors of the Gospels, the message changed from an inner awakening to an external expectation of the dawning of a new age. Though fragments of the teachings of the Jewish mystic survive, the loudest voice of the Gospels is that of the evangelists who wrote the books. Theirs is the message that caught the fire that roared over the world. So, we have to learn to listen for that whisper of a voice.

The God of which Jesus spoke is not the wholly other that exists beyond the comprehension of the average person. God is Spirit. To worship in spirit is to go within and feel our way to the inner sanctuary, our very own holy of holies. It is as if we stand on the beach with the surf washing over our feet. We lift our eyes to behold the vast ocean in which we stand. This place on the beach is ours, and ours alone, yet the ocean belongs to us all, and we belong to it.

Nothing from the heavens is coming to change the world. The whispering Messiah, that still small voice within us, prompts us to lift our vision and see the vastness of this ocean of spirit in which we live and move and have our being.

What Is Consciousness?

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To be conscious means to have a subjective awareness of oneself and the surrounding environment. It involves being awake, alert, and perceptive of one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and experiences. If you’ve undergone surgery, then you understand that the anesthesiologist’s job is to render you nonconscious; all bodily sensations are put on hold.

When we talk about developing a consciousness of prosperity, healing, or improved self-esteem, we’re talking about changing our mindset. Changing from a consciousness of lack to a consciousness of abundance and an expectation of greater good involves a change in beliefs, self-image, the type of language we use, and our level of expectation. The whole of our belief system sets up a vibe, a kind of harmonic resonance that manifests as an environmental equivalent.

The primary focus of Jesus was not on the afterlife, salvation, religious conversion, the end times, social reform, or any of the causes normally attributed to him. Your faith has made you whole. Say to this mountain, be cast into the sea and do not doubt it in your heart. Ask, seek, knock. Be persistent. It’s not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out that has the greatest impact. All things are possible for the one who believes. These things relate to consciousness. He was teaching people that there is a connection between the inside, the consciousness, and the outside, one’s life.  

Does this mean that we draw difficult circumstances because of the kinds of beliefs we hold in our consciousness? Most of the people in Jesus’ audience were poor, struggling through a hand to mouth existence. He was not ignoring this or casting any blame. Neither was he giving them false hope, telling them how to think and grow rich. He was telling them that a change of mind would stimulate a change in the choices of attitudes that each person carried. He was telling them that a new freedom could be theirs if they learned to pay attention to the mental and emotional video that ran through their heads all day. Every challenge stirred opportunities to discover the self-defeating beliefs under which they labored, to cast these out and start anew. A simple change of consciousness could mean a substantial change in life.

The End is Near

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The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us, how will our end come?” Jesus said, “Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death.” The Gospel of Thomas #18

People have been predicting the end of the world for centuries, with various reasons and beliefs fueling these predictions. Throughout history, there have been many instances where individuals or groups have claimed to know the exact date or event that would bring about the end of the world. These predictions often arise from religious beliefs, scientific theories, or a combination of both. Some notable examples include the Y2K scare in 2000, the Mayan calendar prediction in 2012, and various religious prophecies throughout different time periods. Obviously, none of these predictions materialized.  

In the days of Jesus, the Jews were looking for their messiah and the end of days, when the old order would pass, and the new age would begin. Christianity transformed this expectation to the return of the resurrected Jesus and the establishment of God’s kingdom. The book of Revelation presents a very complicated view of this expectation. As a Jew, many scholars believe Jesus adopted this expectation and may have even considered himself the one who would rule in this new kingdom.

I disagree with this assumption. As a mystic, Jesus would not be looking for changes in the social and political landscapes. He would understand the expected kingdom as an internal awakening. The old world that passes away is the belief that God and man are separate. To the mystic, the new world comes with the revelation of oneness, God centered within every person. As Jeremiah and Isaiah envisioned, God writes his laws within the heart.  

In the above passage from Thomas, Jesus shows the end is near, so near in fact, it arrives the moment one becomes willing to think of God and themselves in a new way. The world as we know it does not need to end. We change the way we see ourselves and the way we experience the world changes. The end is just as near as our willingness to be born anew.