Jan 27 " A Spiritual Facelift"

A Spiritual Facelift



Have you seen some of the famous people from television and movies after their facelifts? A few of them looked like they had on masks. And some were grotesque. It is easy to see why they looked so bad – they tried to change too much, and all at the same time.

This can also be true for those of us who are on the spiritual path, which is all of us. We can try to change too much and all at the same time. I, for instance, would like to look in the mirror of my mind and see a much more peaceful, joyful, and loving soul looking back at me. But when I try to change myself in huge spiritual steps, I often fall down on my spiritual tush. So, in order to transform my life, I try to continually remind myself that all I have to do is think and behave a little bit differently each day.

Today I choose to react with a little less agitation when some idiot, excuse me, some child of God races around my car, pulls in sharply and then slows to a crawl in front of me to turn into a parking lot. My brows may still come together in a frown; I may still think it quite inconsiderate; I might even wish he or she might run full-tilt into their karma, but I will also bring the volume down just a little bit and bless them as well, calling the wisdom of God, the light of God, and the love of God down upon them. And, what do you know, all the agitation disappears. And when I look into my spiritual mirror, I do see a little more peaceful, joyful, and loving soul looking back at me.

And you will as well. This, I can see quite clearly.

 

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Feb 3 "A Clean Slate - Imagine That!"


A Clean Slate - Imagine That!


 

 

 

 

 

Follows a short essay from the inspirational website, “The Universe.” It is, in my opinion, so good it needs nothing but this introduction. So, today’s Thought for the Week is my thought that you might like this as much as I do.


The slate's been wiped clean, the past has released its grip, and before you sparkles eternity, yearning for direction. All that lies between you and the life of your dreams is just one teeny, tiny, gentle, little rule. Only one condition, prerequisite, principle that matters.

It's not love. It's not God. It's not fate, or luck, or karma. It's not complicated or esoteric, and you needn't sacrifice, plead, or pray to invoke it. It's the only rule that's ever existed, and it's the only one that will ever exist. No reality can exist in its absence. For its mere existence, you are. With its existence, the power, the light, and the way are revealed. It's your purpose to discover it, and it's your destiny to master it. It's the beginning, the middle, and the end. The Alpha and the Omega. The be-all and end-all of every wish, desire, and dream, and you are its keeper.

This caveat of all caveats is that absolutely nothing can be anything until it is first imagined. Thoughts become things, nothing else does. And so, it's the thoughts you choose from here on out that will become the things and events of your life, forevermore. It is written in stone. There's no other way. It's your ticket to anywhere you can dream of. Your passport to abundance, health, and friendships. The key to the palace of your wildest dreams.

Your thoughts, and your thoughts alone, will set you in motion. Your thoughts will yield the inspiration, creativity, and determination you need. Your thoughts will orchestrate the magic and inspire the Universe. Your thoughts will carry you to the finish line if you just keep thinking them. Never give up. Never waiver, doubt, or ask.

Aim high.



That you've even received this Note, that you're able to read it through, means you are so close. So extraordinarily close. The hardest work has been done. The wars have already been waged. The lessons have already been learned. The journey, now, is for home.

Think love,

Richard

 

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Feb 10 "Love and Romance. Maybe"



 

 

 Love and Romance. Maybe


The spiritually wise see love as the force that infolds with mathematical precision the galaxies in space as well as the tiniest atom.   – Charles Fillmore, Mysteries of Genesis


Romance! Ah, romance. Valentines Day is all about romance, as illustrated by the cards and candy we buy for those we love. Yes, when we think of romance on Valentines Day, we usually think of candy, cards, and hugs and kisses. We love romance! But is romance love?

In a word, no. I can see some of you clutching your hearts, saying, “No, no – that can’t be – say it isn’t so!” Ah, but it is so. Here’s the thing: romance is more about hormones than love. Love is more about a fundamental force in the universe than just happy hearts.

Now, before you come after me with tar and with feathers, let me say this – although romance is not love, love can be expressed through romance, and, hopefully, love is expressed as romance in your relationships. But love - love is a more powerful force than romance – a more powerful force than we can imagine.

Consider the quote above by Charles Fillmore. In describing love, Mr. Fillmore does not talk about candy, cards, and happy hearts. No, Mr. Fillmore talks about “galaxies in space,” and “the tiniest atom.” Heady stuff, that. He progresses from the largest sphere to the smallest, at least as it was known in his time. But then love, heady stuff as it is, progresses form the largest sphere we can imagine to the smallest of which we can conceive.

Why is this true? Metaphysically speaking, there is a spiritual principle behind every physical law of nature. Gravity, for instance, is the physical out-picturing of the law of attraction. Everything in the “normal” universe attracts (quantum physics has it’s own reality), and is attracted by everything else in the universe. Our rather wonderful little planet earth is kept in orbit around the sun by gravity, as is everything that flies through space around our sun. Kind of like groupies around The Rolling Stones.

Ok, not really, exactly, like that, but perhaps it is a useful, if not tasteful metaphor. All things are attractive - and the power of attraction varies with the mass of the attractant. The sun has great mass - some 4,385,214,857,119,399,823,317,774,893,056 pounds. I think the sun needs to go on a diet. But that’s not the point. The point is that the more mass an object has, and therefore the heavier it is, the greater the attraction. That is why the sun can keep the earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and all the other heavenly objects up there from flying off to who knows where.

What this means for our discussion of love is: the principle of Love expresses as the physical law of gravity, and the greater the “mass” of your love, the greater the attraction to all things, everywhere. Great love brings great relationships of all kinds, and secures to you every sort of dream, vision, and heavenly desire of which your happy heart can possibly conceive.

Including romance. And candy. And cards. And hugs and kisses. And I really, really like that.

 

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Feb 18 "Busy, Busy, Busy"


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Busy, Busy, Busy


I have been so busy this week that I have been meeting myself coming and going, and none of me is happy about it. Do this, do that, do it again, do it over, do something else, and else, and else. Help! Somebody save me from the Busy Monster! What? What do you mean, you’re too busy?

There was a commercial in the 50's that had a tag line spoken by a cartoon character of a housewife (well, that’s what they called ‘em then) rushing here and there saying, “Busy day, busy day, busy, busy, busy day.” I hated that commercial. And now I’m living it. How about you? I imagine many of you are having this same experience. But there is hope dear friends, an exit from the fast track.

Actually, it isn’t really an exit – it’s more of a transformation. This passage from Romans 12:2 provides the key:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Reading this, I realized that I did not have to change what I do, or even how I do it – I only have to change my thoughts about it.

So, I asked myself just what was I so busy doing? The answer was revelatory: I have been busy doing what I love to do. Well, nearly everything. And even that which I do not love isn’t onerous. All I had to do was realize that I’m doing what I love, or at least like a lot, and, having realized that, I realized that I like being busy doing it.

This is not to say that it is desirable, or even good, for one to be busy all of the time. We all need a break here and there, and when I need one, I take one. No, this is for the times when there is no break to take. And as long as my break is broke and I can’t take it, it is good to remember that I am busy doing what I love. Mostly.

“Busy day, busy day, busy, busy, busy day.” Thank you God for providing such wonderful things at which I can be busy.

 

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