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Spiritual Power For Daily Living
Tag Archives: Consciousness
It’s Easier Than You Think
The Roller Coaster Ride
Reading Psalm 91 is like a roller-coaster ride. One moment you are at a height of thrilling inspiration, and the next moment you plummet into discouragement. First there’s the promise of immunity from every evil (91:7), and then you realize the promise is not for everyone (91:1).
It’s Really That Simple
When you read the last post on Psalm 91 (and I’m assuming you have), did your heart sink when you realized the promise of danger-free living was only for those who stay in the conscious awareness of God’s Allness? Did you think, like a lot of folk, “I could never do that. No one can.” Don’t believe it! You can do it. And it’s easier than you think.
Let’s go back to basics: God is All. Take a moment to taste the sweetness of this Truth.
God Is The Only Mind
God, being All, must be and is the only Mind there is. God is Mind. Yes, it seems like there are many minds. It appears as though there are millions of identities rushing around with their own personal minds. But like the flat-appearing earth, it’s not true. God is the one and only Mind.
The True Mind-Body Connection
God is Mind, and this Mind is the Substance of your entire Being. The key word is “entire.” This Mind is the entirety of your Identity, Body and Being. Doesn’t this give new meaning and understanding to the so-called mind-body connection?
This One Mind knows all Truth because it is all Truth. More wonderful is that this Mind is always “stayed on God,” because it is God. In short, your Mind (God) is constantly dwelling in the conscious awareness of God.
There Is No Personal Mind
What are you going to do with this information? There is one thing you must do. Give up all sense of a personal mind – yours and others. You may be held in high esteem for having a brilliant mind that’s scaled the heights of intellectual achievement. Nevertheless, give it up. You don’t have a personal mind more capable than another’s.
Perhaps you’ve always thought of yourself as a numskull. It’s the excuse you’ve given yourself for doing poorly in school and never advancing in your career. Give it up! You don’t, and can’t, have a mind less capable than the most brilliant mind you know. God is the only Mind.
Embrace Your Only Mind
Once you’ve taken out the trash of a personal mind, embrace the one all-knowing Mind as “your” Mind and the Mind of all. Embrace the Truth that this Mind you Are is now and forever dwelling in the conscious awareness of God’s Allness. For a few days, just as a reminder, try starting your day claiming “the Mind of God is the I that I AM.”
Enlightenment Should Not Take So Long
May I ask a question on something that is puzzling me please? You mention the Infinite Way in a recent post. I read Joel Goldsmith a lot and find much of what he says reflects the Absolute. But I am confused by the insistence on how long revelation takes, all the time required, the degrees to go thru, the initiations. This does not seem to me to accord with the idea of the Finished Kingdom. Can you enlighten me please?
Reading Joel Goldsmith Can Be Frustrating
I was a freshman in college when I embraced silent prayer. That was the same time I reopened The Infinite Way by Joel Goldsmith. Loved it! In all of his writings, Goldsmith focuses on the three keys of spirituality: revelation, realization, and illumination.
Have you read Goldsmith’s books, or listened to his tapes? While listening or reading, did your heart sink? It’s understandable. Joel Goldsmith makes it seem like the path to spiritual enlightenment is a long, slow, and frustrating one. You can read an excerpt from one of his books, and ask yourself, “Am I ever going to get there?”
This Was Revealed At The Dinner Table
As the years went by, I questioned whether this long and slow route to enlightenment was the only route. “Why,” I asked, “can’t there be an expressway to enlightenment?” In the meantime, this happened. On one of my lecture tours in the Midwest, I met Libby – a former student and friend of Joel Goldsmith. Sitting at an outdoor café, under a starlit sky, Libby shared how Joel healed her of a life-threatening disease. I’d heard so many of those stories that I wasn’t impressed. My ears perked up when she told me how Joel struggled with sitting in silence and listening to the “still small voice” within.
From that story and reading his biography, I concluded that spiritual enlightenment was a somewhat long and slow journey for him. His struggle filtered into his many books and lectures.
The Expressway To Spiritual Enlightenment
Let’s go back to my original question: Why can’t there be an expressway to enlightenment? Luckily, there is an expressway to spiritual enlightenment, and you can hop on it once you accept this truth: SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT IS NOT AN ACHIEVEMENT. IT IS THE NATURAL STATE OF THE ONE AND ONLY MIND.
So much of what’s called “spiritual practice” is based on the goal of achieving spiritual enlightenment, as if it’s something outside of us. There is no outside to the Infinite. All Truth is within you at this very moment. The one and only Consciousness (your one and only Consciousness) is fully illumined right now.
In a nutshell, this means THE ENLIGHTENMENT YOU’VE BEEN SEEKING IS ALREADY YOURS. You don’t have to “get” it, but you do have to accept and acknowledge that ENLIGHTENMENT IS YOUR PRESENT STATE OF BEING.
Have You Heard Of This Law?
I would like to stop here, but I haven’t fully answered the question. What the questioner wants to know is why spiritual enlightenment seems to take so long. He’s only asking because he rightly senses that it should not. So, let’s address the question. There are two reasons. The first reason is addressed in what’s been written above – the belief that you have another mind other than the one enlightened Mind.
The second reason is eye-opening. I’m going to set it up by sharing my story with you. When I was a young pianist, my teacher(s) gave me six or seven weeks to completely learn a Beethoven sonata up to performance level. However, when I was nineteen, things changed. My teacher expected me to bring a sonata up to a near-performance level in one week. Big difference. When I had seven weeks, I took seven weeks. When I had one, it only took one (unless it was one of the knuckle breakers).
Parkinson’s Law – Were these the first words that popped into your mind after reading that scenario? In very simple language, Parkinson’s Law states, “If you give yourself a lot of time to do something, you’ll probably use up all the time, even if you don’t really need it.”
You Don’t Need The Time, So Why Take It?
Believing that spiritual enlightenment takes a lifetime, most people give themselves a lifetime to experience it – even though they don’t need it. Because the one Mind is your Mind, you don’t need time to experience enlightenment. Stop taking the time you don’t need.
Have A Lot Of Problems? Try Praying This Way
One of our readers asked this question: If there are multiple appearances, is the intention to get clarity one at a time or all inclusive?
She Was Drowning In Problems And Didn’t Know How To Pray
The third chapter of my first book, God is All, opens with the story of Alice Ross. Her cheating husband left her with two sick children and a sister strung out on drugs. She’s unemployed and about to lose her home. Her friends tell her, “Don’t worry, just pray about it,” but Alice doesn’t know where to start. She thinks to herself, “I have so many problems, I don’t know what to pray about first.”
Many people seem to be in Alice’s situation. There are so many problems; they don’t know where to start. When they focus their prayers on one situation, the others get worse. In faith, they soldier on, but it seems like a losing battle.
How do you solve this problem? How do you pray when it appears you are drowning in problems?
Don’t Pray About The Wrong Problem
Years ago, I was working on a challenging piece by Chopin. The fingers must move up and down the keyboard at a dizzying speed. There were many challenging sections. I thought the problems were a weak fourth finger, lack of finger independence, and a lazy thumb. I worked for weeks on these problems, but nothing improved.
Frustrated, I sat down at the keyboard to examine my approach more carefully. I made a startling discovery. I had only one problem – wrist rotation. Once I corrected that, I was flying up and down the keyboard faster than a cheetah chasing a gazelle.
The point of this story is that in every case where it seems like you have many problems, you have only one. When you correct the one, you resolve them all. The problem, obviously, is not wrist rotation, but it is THE BARBARIC BELIEF THAT THERE IS A PRESENCE AND POWER OTHER THAN GOD.
When you think you are drowning in a sea of problems, there is only one problem – the belief that there is another presence, power, or activity other than God. Do you want to handle all of your problems with a single prayer? Pray to discern God’s Presence as the entirety of your Life.
Prayer That Gets To The Root Of The Problem
Your prayer could look like this (using your own words, of course): “God let me discern your Presence in and as every area of ‘my’ Life.” You can shorten this by praying, “God, all I want is you. Reveal Thyself.” Just be mindful that you are not addressing a God outside of you.
Never mind the seeming dualism in this prayer. That will be handled with the realization of God’s Presence. Now you may be wondering how often to pray this prayer. The answer is simple: until God reveals Itself in a clear and unmistakable way.
The first time you try this and your problems are resolved, you’ll probably think, “It’s like magic. I didn’t even have to think about my problems and they all disappeared.” From then on, you’ll never have to worry about how many problems you seem to have. All that matters is a clear realization that God is All.
Revelation Made Simple
I’ve been accused of hammering away at one idea: Revelation is important. But not too long ago someone said to me,“Allen, I haven’t experienced Revelation. What do I do in the meantime – while I’m waiting?” The question had me hunting down the hallways of my memory to find out what I did in the meantime. This post is dedicated to anyone waiting in the meantime.
Because it reveals God’s Presence, Revelation is important. When you’re in the flaming fire of a hard time, God seems to be missing in action. Revelation pulls back the curtain of this illusion and exposes the glory of God’s Perfect Presence and Activity. That’s the power of Revelation. Furthermore, if you want a good God education, Revelation is the best way.
Still, the question remains: What do I do in the meantime? Below are some ideas to consider.
Revelation Is A Natural And Normal Experience
Would you be surprised to find fish in the ocean? Why not? Because water is their natural habitat. Think about this. God is the only Mind there is, and there is no other. This Mind is always in a state of Self-Awareness, and it is your Mind. It is the Mind of everyone. Your Mind is constantly aware of God being All. For this reason, Revelation is a natural and normal experience. Just as you expect to find fish in the ocean, expect Revelation to be a natural experience.
Stop thinking of Revelation as a supernatural experience granted to a chosen few. It’s a self-defeating and Revelation-delaying lie.
What about the human mind? Think of the human (mortal) mind just as you do the crescent moon. The crescent moon is an incomplete view of the full moon. The human mind is an incomplete experience of the One Mind. When someone reports they had a Revelation, they simply had a fleeting experience of their full Mind – their only Mind. Catch a glimpse of this fact, and Revelations last longer and happen more frequently.
You Are The Revelation
The common belief is that Revelation comes to you from a faraway God. But you know better than that. You know God is the essence of your Being.
Revelation does not come to you. Since Revelation exists as your Mind, you are the Revelation. Think about what this means.
- You don’t have to wait a lifetime to experience Revelation.
- You don’t have to deserve the experience.
- You can experience Revelation anytime and anywhere.
- You are the Revelation of every Truth that is revealed.
Give Up The Guilt
You’ve tried to experience Revelation. For years you have been hoping for it, and now it seems hopeless. Why do you think you haven’t experienced Revelation? What reasons can you come up with? Do you believe God is withholding Revelation because of that “bad” thing you did in the past? Or do you have other reasons?
Whatever reason you can come up with, it’s nonsense. Nothing can separate you from the “Voice of Revelation.” Why? Because it’s “your” Consciousness that is the Revelation.
Take a moment to make a mental list of all the reasons you think Revelation has been delayed. Next, mentally chuck that list into an imaginary trash can and be done with it.
Sink Into Revelation
Revelation and tension are like light and dark. You’ll never find them in the same place at the same time. Yet so many so-called Truth students’ prayers are riddled with tension.
Their prayer starts off well. Ideas of Truth are contemplated. All is well. When their contemplation ends, and silent listening begins, there’s an effortful reaching out for the Light of Revelation. It’s as if Revelation is something outside of their Being that must be grabbed and held. It’s not.
Revelation is the essence of “your” Consciousness. There’s no need to reach out. Sink into the experience like you would an overstuffed chair.
In The Meantime
There was a time when I hoped, prayed and waited for Revelation. I did everything I’ve advised you not to do. Yet, one day it happened. Truth was revealed. It was the best experience I have ever had. True, there have been many Revelations since then, but the first time always seems the best time.
Here’s what I did – in the “meantime.” Every day I contemplated the one Truth that spoke to me: God is All. As I contemplated this statement, I had no agenda to use it for personal benefit. I followed each contemplation with a period of silent listening. I asked God to Reveal Itself to me in a clear and unmistakable way. And that’s what happened.
I once read this statement: “If you keep on making statements of Truth, it will gradually lead to realization.” All day long I thought about God being All. No effort was involved. Many have found that keeping a Truth statement percolating throughout the day leads to Revelation. But be careful.
This is not like using affirmations to improve your situation. You’ll spin your wheels and go nowhere. It’s better to choose a statement of Truth you would like to understand more clearly. Let it percolate throughout the day. Just be sure to take your statement into silent prayer. If you follow these suggestions (all of them), Revelation is inevitable.
Success
This is an excerpt from Success Is Normal by Marie Watts
Success Is Omnipresent
Success is an omnipresent aspect of the Universe. Success is a universal Principle, equally present everywhere and eternally. This is why success must be complete. Any seeming partial success would make it appear that universal success could be absent in some instances, could fluctuate, or could come and go. This is impossible because God, the Universe, is always present and equally present. Thus, success is present in all ways. It also means that success is not interrupted by interims of failure.
Do This If It Seems You Are Not Being Successful
If it seems that you are not being successful in your business, your profession, or your employment, it is necessary to be specific in your realization that you are the universal Principle, Success, in action as your business, your profession, or your employment.
But do not attempt to block off your business or your professional success from the entirety of your successful Existence. The universal Principle is inseparable. It cannot be divided into blocks or areas of success. It simply will not be apparent completely unless you are aware that this Principle is complete, omnipresent, and equally present and active everywhere and eternally.
The Universal Principle Of Success Is Indivisible
What we are pointing up here is the fact that the indivisible nature of the Principle, Success, must be realized if you are to be conscious of being completely successful. But this does not mean that you should not be alert and recognize success to be present in any specific activity that might temporarily seem to be unsuccessful. The Infinite Principle remains the same successful activity, whether it is evident as universal activity, the activity of adding a column of figures or baking a cake.
You are not concerned with being a success. You know that you are successful because you are the very Principle called Success. Thus, you do not labor, struggle, plan or strain to accomplish being that which you already are.
Try This For Your Best Year Yet
Move Beyond Resolutions For Your Best Year Ever
Did you make any resolutions for the new year? Why? What are you hoping to accomplish? A better you? A better life? Please answer these questions.
Everyone would like for this so-called new year to be popping with success. People are craving a new and improved life. Most are hoping that this is the year that all their dreams come true. But, reader, you know that as high as these hopes are at the beginning of the year, things usually don’t work out that way. For a lot of folk, the new year ends up a dead ringer for the old year.
In this post, I’m offering you a suggestion that, if followed, will yield greater benefits than all of your resolutions – even if stuck to.
Here is the suggestion.
Take your prayerful attention off of your problems – completely. Stop trying to use Truth (God) to fix the seeming broken places of your life. When you pray, (contemplate, or whatever name you call it,) stop trying to heal your body, repair your relationship, get something, or get rid of something. This includes even the hope that something good will result from your praying.
Instead, let your prayers be for the joy of knowing and experiencing God.
I don’t usually use the word “metaphysical” in these posts, but for the moment the word serves my purpose. Because it is above (meta) all so-called physical phenomena, the suggestion above is the most metaphysical practice there is. It is the only true spiritual practice.
Putting It Into Practice
You may be asking, “How do I put this into practice?” The simple answer is to examine your motive. Whenever you “pray,” ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” If it is to fix, heal, or get, know that your prayer is off track. Then, ask yourself this question: “Am I willing to do this just for the joy of knowing, experiencing and contemplating the nature of God?” If your answer is an unqualified “Yes,” then proceed with your praying.
If, however, your answer is “No,” ask yourself one more question: “Am I willing to do this just for the joy of knowing, experiencing and contemplating the nature of God?” Willing is the magic word. If you answer “Yes” to this question, proceed with your praying.
Dealing With That Pesky Little Voice
As you read this are you thinking, “Allen, I get it, but when I sit down to pray that way, this little voice says ‘You’re lying. You really want to get healed. You really want to change this situation. You are not really interested in God.’”
Continue with your praying. Don’t fight this “voice.” It really is nothing. Let it “speak” and proceed with your praying. Soon, two things will happen. First, that “voice” will no longer even whisper to you. Second, you will find joy, even ecstasy, in praying just for the joy of knowing, experiencing and considering the nature of God. Now, you are on track and “cooking with gas.”
Reader, enjoy the Infinite Goodness of God’s Presence as your very life and being. In the next post, I will explain why this works.
Have You Called Several Practitioners Without Results?
The first time I called a practitioner was for employment – or so I thought. Within a few days, job offers poured in. I called the practitioner again and said, “Please stop. I decided I’m not ready to work.”
The second time I called a practitioner, I was in a financial crisis. In a few days, the supply came in. Then, there was the time when I just left the Emergency Room. The doctor said unless I had an operation tomorrow, things would go badly for me. I called the practitioner and was healed within hours.
Reader, to tell you the truth, a Pink-rumped Rosefinch could pray for me, and the results would be similar. It seems that I’ve always responded to prayer. But, this post is not about me. This post is for those of you who seem to get no help from a practitioner.
Marie Watts (of The Ultimate) told me many times that she never received help from a practitioner. During her time in Christian Science, she was acquainted with some of the best practitioners in the movement. Yet, they were not able to help her.
Then, she said these words, “Allen, when a person has tried many practitioners without receiving help, it’s because they are able to do the work themselves.” I believe this. I sincerely believe that if you have tried one practitioner after another without getting help, you can successfully help yourself. Don’t be afraid! You can do it.
Below are two approaches for “doing your own work.”
LAY IT ON THE LINE
In this approach you lay out all the troubling appearances that seem to be real, and then you ask (God Consciousness) what is really going on?
For example, “It appears that my eyes are red and swollen. It seems as though my vision is blurry and out of focus. These are the appearances, but right where this trouble seems to be happening, what really is going on?” Then, you listen. If no answer comes forth immediately, repeat and listen. Don’t lose heart. Consciousness will reveal what is true.
SKIPPING APPEARANCES ALTOGETHER
If there appears to be trouble in your experience, it’s not what it appears to be. It looks troublesome, and it may even appear to be life-threatening, but it’s not. This troublesome thing is drawing your attention to some Truth of God.
In this approach, you simply ask in prayer, “What is the Truth that I most need to know now?” Or, for those who are rattled by the duality of such a question, you can ask, “What is the Truth that I am knowing right now?”
Reader, I’ve used both approaches. When something seems so horrific that it knocks me off balance, I opt for the first approach. Either way, your focus is not on healing but knowing what IS. I repeat the words of Marie Watts, “Allen, when a person has tried many practitioners without receiving help, it’s because they are able to do the work themselves.”
You can do your own work!
All You Need To Know About Your World
Look Around You — Everything Is Wonderful
Wherever you are reading this post, stop and look around you. Soak in the environment. If you can step outside, do so. Look around you. Reader, this world that you are looking at is the world where God is All. This is the world where there is only One Presence, One Power, and One Identity.
Things Are Not What They Seem To Be
Many people say, “Allen I know God is the only presence and power.” Yet, let them keep talking and the conversation steers toward clashes in the home, clashes on the job, body aches, healthcare, bullies, how bad things have gotten, etc. Although they say God is the only Presence, their words reveal that they live in another world where God is not all.
Yes, reader, I know it appears (to some) that this is a material world, but it is not. I know it looks like material laws hold sway, but they do not.
God Is Both The Seer And The Seen
This world you are moving, living and breathing in is God being All. Truth-be-told, this is the world where God is both the seer and the seen. When I think about this so-called world, I often refer to it as a ready-to-take-out-the-oven, fully-baked world. It’s finished, complete, perfect and lacking nothing. This “world” is Perfection Itself – What a Wonderful World.
Reader, as soon as you are able, take a moment to contemplate what is presented in this post. Listen for further Revelation. The Revelations that come forth will be many and wonderful.
Haven’t Experienced Revelation? Here’s Help
Sitting In The Silence, But No Revelations
“Allen, I’ve sat in silence for years, but nothing happens. No revelations, no illumination – nothing. I’ve read your books and have practically memorized Joel Goldsmith’s, but I can’t figure out what in the h**l I’m doing wrong.”
Reader, is this where you seem to be? I’ve been there. It’s frustrating. It’s disheartening. After a long while of “nothing’s happening,” you just go through the motion of silent praying, but you don’t expect anything to come of it. It’s maddening!
Don’t Be Discouraged. There Is Only One Mind.
Because I have been there, I’m offering the following suggestion to newbies in order to bypass this phase, and to the disheartened, to finally find fulfillment.
But first, reader, take a look at the premise that undergirds the suggestion.
God is All. There is only One Mind, and that Mind is the full Revelation of Truth. This is “your” Mind right now.
The mind that has never experienced Revelation – the unillumined mind is no mind at all. It is non-existent.
In short, at this very moment, you are a fully Illumined Identity. You, reader, are Revelation Itself.
Now that you have read, understood and accepted the premise, let’s move on to the suggestion
Try This For Thirty Days
Before you start your silent prayer, acknowledge that you are already fully Illumined. Acknowledge right now that you are the full Revelation of Truth. STOP reaching out for Truth. Instead, settle into “your” fully illumined Mind.
Try this for 30 days, but remember, no reaching out. Settle in.
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