The Secret Place

The Breath of God

2009-03-15T02:45:00.000-07:00

The text under consideration in this contextual analysis:

4 ¶ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 ¶ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

The Pre-creation and The Suspended Creation.

Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

God made the plants and the herb prior to placing them in the earth, and causing them to grow, presumably because He had not caused it to rain, nor formed a man to till the ground. He chose to delay the creation of plants and herbs until man had been formed (not created, not made, but formed), and until it had rained. This postponed creation, suspended it, and in a way held it up, until certain assurances were in place--that the plants and herbs would receive proper attention--a tiller of the ground, and rain.

Why, then, would Lord God pre-create the plants and herbs? Why not create man first, and then the plants and herbs? Or the plants first and then man? Wouldn't that have made more sense? Why the pre-creation of plants and herbs? My explanation may prove to be a little confusing. I will try to explain it as clearly as I can.

The Tiller

The pre-creation gave man a reason for being. Now that the plants and herbs had been made (or pre-created, or pre-made), existing pre-creatively before the Tiller, man's role would be pre-defined and his purpose preordained. He would be Tiller of the Ground. The pre-creation of plant and herbs substantiated that role, and seemingly made it possible. If man had been created before the plants and herbs, man would not have had a clear-cut purpose, or role to fulfill. I'll discuss this further when I discuss Order of Creation, and Creation Reversal.

Because the Second Creation is a Reversed Creation, the Order of Creation is important. In the First Creation man came last in the Creation Order, and was given dominion over all that was created. In the Second Creation, plants and herbs must come last in the order of things, if man is to be subject to them--that is, Tiller of the ground. The plants and herbs could have been placed in the earth before man but that wouldn't have reversed the Order of Creation. That Order of Creation would be as in the First, and in the Second Creation it's important to reverse the First. It's almost as though the Second is a kind of mirror image of the First, and the Creation Order that reverses the First had to be maintained.

If man had been created first and the plants and herbs last, that would have reversed the order of the First, but that would have put the cart before the horse. We would have had a Tiller without a Garden to till. And that would not have made man subject to the Earth, and the plants, if no plants existed in the first place. Remember this is a lot like cause and effect. We would have a Tiller but no garden. We would have a garden but no Tiller.

No simultaneous creations. One creation must follow the other, spatially or temporally.

So the answer (rather cleverly devised, I must say), pre-create the plants and the herbs, and create man first. Hold up the rain, and water the earth with a mist. It was important that the First Creation be reversed by the Second, and so it was. For if the plants and herbs had preceded man (planted in the ground, rather than pre-created), he wouldn't have been subject to the plants and herbs by virtue of the Order of Creation. By bringing the plants in last, but pre-creating them first, man becomes subject to them, and they would hold dominion. The last becomes first, and the first last, so to speak.

Order of Creation and The Reversed Creation

In the First Creation man is created last, but is given dominion over all, including beasts, birds, and plants. As Tiller of the Ground (a cultivator of soil) man would bring forth from the Earth by working and conditioning the earth--by serving that which grows, and allowing them to prosper.

In the First Creation the Earth was made for man, in the Second Creation man was made for the Earth (to be Tiller of the Ground). The Creation Reversal continuing, even when it comes to man's duties, purpose, and reason for being.

Just as the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, in the Second Creation, man was made for the Garden and not the Garden for man. In the First, all things were made for man. If in the First Creation all things served man, in the Second, man must serve all things. If in the First man comes first, in the Second he comes last.

Rather than the Earth being fruitful and multiplying of it's own accord (as it was commanded to in the First Creation), it was now man's duty to cause the Earth to be fruitful and multiply, a duty that was given to the Earth and plants in the First Creation.

The One Day Creation

4 ¶ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens....

Lord God required only One Day to create the earth and the heavens. God of the first creation took six days, and sealed, and Capstoned it with a seventh day. Why One Day? There are no Evening and Morning in this One Day Creation. Just this One Day. The Creation Reversal answers this question, as well. If the First Creation took six days to create the heaven and the earth and all the host of them, and one day to seal and capstone the previous six, the Second Creation reversed the First by creating the earth and the heavens in One Day.

This will be discussed further under the heading, Toward the East, below.

The Upside-Down Rain

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, yet the "whole face of the ground" is watered, not from the heavens but from the earth. I call this the Upside-Down Rain. And this phenomenon continues the Creation Reversal that I discussed earlier. Creation is reversed, and the earth sends up water in the form of a "mist." Although I recognize that a mist is not a rain, I call it that because it substituted for one.

Please note that the "whole face of the ground" is watered, which means that the "whole" surface of it was wet, without a dry part.

The Classic Elements

The Classic elements consist primarily of four elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. We find all (or, almost all) present at the formation of man.

Man is formed from the dust of the earth (Earth), a dust that was wet (Water), and was given the breath of life by God breathing into his nostrils (Air), and he became a "living soul (Fire)." The soul is considered the seat of the Emotions or Feelings.

Although Fire is not truly substantiated by the text, nor the context, as representing the soul, I intuit it anyway to complete the four elements. If you wish, you may think of only three of the elements being present, Earth, Water, And Air. It's almost equation of a sort, where a,b,c = x, 'X' being the "living soul." and a,b,c being Earth, Water and Air respectively.

The Breath of Life

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Why would God breathe the breath of life into man's nostrils? Why not his mouth? Man uses it, too, for breathing, doesn't he?

Mouth to mouth would have suggested Creator to Creator. Mouth to nostril suggests Creator to creature (that which is created). One places man on a par with the Creator (and I mean this from the perspective of being Self-created, not God-created), and the other places man more in the role of creature, that which is created.

It is called the Breath of Life. Life's Breath. God's Breath.

We're told that God "breathed into his [man's] nostrils the breath of life...." This is of extraordinary importance, as we gather that something from God is extended to man, and that which is extended is the result of God breathing. God breathe into man by way of the nasal passages the "Breath of Life." The Breath of Life, by way of God's breathing, entered into man, and man became something that he wasn't before God breathe, a "living soul." I will discuss this later under the heading, The Two Souls.

Life's Not Optional

Because God breathed the breath of life into man's nostrils, rather than his mouth, it suggests man's lack of an option here. Man has two orifices on the face with which he may breathe--the mouth and the nose.

Were God to breathe into his mouth rather than the nostrils, man could have exercised the option to keep the mouth shut and not accept the breath of life. Because God breathe the breath of life into man's nostrils, it suggests that the option did not exist, nor was it given.

Hence, my conclusion, that Life is not optional. Man cannot not be. In that he has no choice, say, nor will. Man might destroy the physical body (his form), but he cannot destroy his immortal Life. I will contextually support this later in a further discussion and analysis.

The Two Souls

To say that man became a living soul is to suggest that there are souls that are not living, but can be once certain conditions are met, God breathing into man's nostrils the breath of life.

Before God breathe into man's nostrils, he was just a soul. He became a "living soul" after God breathed into his nostrils. In the Creation of Adam fresco by Michelangelo, we see Adam's out-stretched left arm resting on his left knee to receive, not the breath of life, but the spark of life. What's interesting to note here is that Adam is alive (alive in the sense of being aware), although the spark of life hadn't yet been imparted, suggesting that he was a soul before the impartation and a "living soul" after the impartation.

The passage doesn't say that God created man, but that He "formed man [shaped, molded him] of the dust of the ground." When God breathe into man's nostrils the breath of life it was then that man became a "living soul." Its not a stretch here to assume that the "breath of life" is the same as a "living soul," for without it man would have been a soul but not a "living soul."

Individuality, The Form of Dust, and The Breather.

The breath of life existed before man was formed (individualized), before he became a "living soul," suggesting that the breath of life is ongoing, but did not always exist as the form of man, our individuality. Since God has always existed, the "breath of life" has always existed, and is as eternal as God. God imparted to man that which animated him (a "living soul"). That which God imparted with His breathing was a part of the divine. And because the breath of life was a part, a divine part, of God, that which He made with his breath, man, was (as a "living soul"), also part of the divinity, and eternality of God.

The form may cease to be, but not the breath of life which transformed the form of dust into a "living soul," an eternal being.

In short, God, The Breather, continues to breathe for us, and as long as He does, we live, and we are the "breath of life." As form, and as a "breath of life," man is differentiated. The "breath of life" differentiates him, although man seems to be something apart from That Which Breathes, while at the same time maintaining his oneness with God, All That Is. Man is differentiated, then, without losing his connection with the Whole. I'm inclined to believe that the "Breath of God" is different for each, although the Source is the same.

The Indissoluble Connection

I shared the story, in an accompanying post, that God asked me to "read the Bible with Him." I'm beginning to understand now what He had in mind. I knew that there was something in the passage that I was missing, but I couldn't fathom what it was. If only I could open my eyes wider, set aside all my preconceived ideas of what was there, and just allow the text to reveal itself. Stymied, I took the passage under consideration into my meditations and mulled it over, especially the part about "God breathe into man's nostrils the breath of life," and something remarkable happened, something truly amazing was revealed, and this is what I was told:

God exhaled....

There it was. All I needed to know. I was truly excited about this revelation because of what it had to say about the whole process.

Without us, the breath of life is incomplete. A breath can be thought of as both an inhalation and an exhalation. We are that which inhales for God. We are God's Inhalers. We inhale for God, He exhales for us. He breathes out, we breathe in. He exhales, we inhale. The connection is complete. God needs us as we need Him. The breath of life maintains and sustains Us both.

God hasn't stopped breathing. No where in the passage does it say that God breathe once, and that was that. God didn't stop breathing and we didn't stop inhaling. Many spiritual processes are replicated in the physical, and this is one of them.

The collaboration between God and man is what keeps the indissoluble connection intact, keeps it unbroken, and in place.

Toward the East

¶ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

The garden was planted in Eden. Eden in Hebrew means "delight," and delight means "great pleasure," or a "source of great pleasure." By planting the Garden eastward in Eden this would appear to be the ideal location for it. There it would get the morning and evening sun, and it would be the first location in that land, Eden, to be so graced. Now the Creation Reversal is complete, whereas in the First Creation the Evening and the Morning represented a Day, here, a Day is represented as a Morning and a Evening.

So it was not by accident that the Garden was placed in a location where it faced the rising sun--"eastward in Eden."

What we have, then, is a garden planted in a place called Delight (great pleasure), where it would be first to catch the early rays of the sun. In this garden, in a place called Delight, God "put the man whom he had formed," to "till the ground" to maintain the plant and herbs which God pre-created. Man in this narration is clearly secondary to both the garden and the plants and herbs. Delight (great pleasure) became man's purpose, his mission, and his reason for being.

Practicum

Here's how to practicalize what has been revealed. We can take in more of the "breath of life" than we currently do. The Bible states that "in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

Let me include the whole passage from whence the one above was taken. Please note the statement that "he [God] giveth to all life, and breath...."

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men [We're All One] for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

Because God is a Spirit, we dwell in Spirit and in Life. You can use your meditations to bring more of that Spirit into your own being, as it were. As you sit or lie quietly, visualize God's Spirit and Life all about you. And as you do, inhale through your nostrils that breath of life, that Spirit, being keenly aware that that is what you're doing. Stay conscious of the fact that you are inhaling Spirit and Life, knowing that God has not stopped breathing out, exhaling, or we would cease to be altogether.

What we want to do is take in and ever-increasing amount of that breath of life that is always being exhaled (breathe out) by the divine. And we do this as I have outlined above, by remembering to inhale and exhale through the nose.

I wasn't sure what would happen when first I did this breathing exercise. But each time that I did it, since beginning the regimen, some rather usual things have happened. I won't detail them here, but I would like to know, if you decide to try it, what your experiences with this exercise is. It seems a rather simple exercise, inhale through the nose, and exhale through the nose, visualizing that you dwell in God, His divine Spirit, and knowing that you're drawing in that Spirit and Life each time that you inhale.

We can, then, transform air, a gas in the physical realm, into the Spirit and Life of the spiritual realm. That's how powerful we are as creators. We can change a rock to water, and water to wine, and air to spirit with just our thoughts alone--as long as Spirit stands before us:

I [God] will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.

Therefore, I say, "Fill your lungs, and drink your fill!"

The Creation Reversal & The Capstone Ending

2009-03-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

The passage under consideration in this installment:

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

This is the third installment in the Genesis series of Contextual Exegesis. In the previous installment I explained the unusual method that I used to understand the passage(s) at hand. It's not exactly an attempt to interpret the passages per se, but to allow the passages to interpret themselves, with as little interference from me as possible, or an appeal to an outside source--that is, any previous learning, knowledge or observations.

Here's how I explained it in the previous installment:

Rather than attempt to interpret the various passages by bringing in previous knowledge, or understandings, I allow the text under consideration to contextually reveal itself.

And to my amazement, invariably, the text alone was sufficient to answer whatever questions might arise during a reading.

And this:

I call this approach Contextual Exegesis, as the context is deemed sufficient for a full understanding of the text at hand, without resorting to other passages, scholarly research, and topical analysis.

The passage now under consideration more appropriately belongs to the first chapter, rather than the second. When I have finished my analysis, you'll understand more clearly why I make that claim.

The Creation Reversal

We learn right away that, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." Has anyone noted that at the beginning of the Creation Story, one heaven and one earth are created, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and later, once the creation is finished, that "heavens" are referred to.

Why heavens (more than one)? Could this be a mistake in translation? Were there more than one heaven created? Will the context shed some light on this dilemma, our effort to find an answer?

Of course, you can say that it's because it's referencing the "two great lights" and the stars, but that would be conjecture.

For a time this notion of two heavens puzzled me. I looked and looked for a "contextual explanation," without success, until then, when I noticed something. I called it the Creation Reversal. There it was right in front of me, but I had missed it. I'm certain that many others have missed it, thinking that the author merely restated the obvious.

But I've learned that the context in these passages are critical to a complete understanding of the whole, and that nothing should be taken lightly, or taken for granted, or dismissed out of hand because I may think that one thing is being said, when in fact it's not.

This is one of those cases.

I'm going to reproduce the entire statement below, to show you just how the Creation Reversal is stated within the text, but I won't be able to discuss its significance now, because I'm not prepared to discuss it just yet. That will have to wait for another time, as I work my way through the text.

4 ¶ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens....

So we have one earth, but more than one heaven. It's my guess that there are now two, and I will carry that assumption forth, prepared to switch gears if the context dictate that I do so. But for the time being, let's discuss this reversal, and see where it takes us.

Throughout the first chapter only one heaven is discussed, and it is discussed even after the lights (the host [multitude]) are created and set in the heaven. Further, the creation of "The heaven," preceded the creation of "The earth." And this is an important distinction, one that many researchers have apparently overlooked. But there it is, for all to see, provided we have eyes to see it--the reversal.

The reversal is signalled right at the beginning of Chapter two of the Creation Story, clearly indicating a departure from the previous creation. When the Lord God created, as opposed to God, creation is reversed--we have the earth preceding the heavens. This line of the passage is more important than it seems, for it sets in motion a whole different creation than the first, here represented by the word "heavens" rather than "heaven," Lord God, rather God, and the Creation Reversal placing the creation of earth before that of the heavens.

This is not an insignificant finding, nor observation. Don't trivialize, or reject it. It is key to understanding everything that follows next throughout chapter two, a point that I will try to establish, as I work my way through chapter two's various passages.

As in the beginning we have one heaven and earth, now in chapter two, more than one heaven and earth, the creation of which is now reversed. Keep in mind, by reversing creation, placing the earth first, instead of second, we shift the significance of the order, giving the earth a sort of predominance and importance over the creation of the heaven.

Here are your two heavens: God created one, and Lord God created the other--hence two.

The Capstone Ending

Although I feel that the first passage of chapter two belongs with chapter one, in many ways it lays the groundwork for what is to follow, and I won't quibble with its placement, as it serves as a kind of bridge between the two creations--the first by God, and the second by Lord God.

We were told, at the beginning of chapter two, that the "heavens and the earth were finished," in a creation sense (six days to create the heaven and the earth), but something is still missing, and what is missing, we're told, is the seventh day (a day for blessing and sanctification).

Here's where things get interesting, and hopefully not too confusing. And I'm going to try to express what I found as clearly as I can, and present yet another way of looking at the passage above, one that makes more sense than the way it has always been understood.

Let's take it one step at a time:

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

We're told that God ended his work on the seventh day, and that He set aside a whole day within which to do that.

The sentence structure here appears a little odd ("God ended his work which he had made...."), until you understand that for God to end His work, something else had to be done--something that wasn't completely done during the previous six days--something that only the seventh day alone could provide, for which it was set aside to provide.

In short, the work was "finished," completed, but not the creation process, notwithstanding that the "heavens and the earth were finished." Think of it this way: Something else was required in order for the creation process to be completed, and that was the purpose of the "seventh day."

The work had to be ended, in the way that a period ends a declarative sentence, and is not complete without it. In the way that a graduation ends the requirements toward a degree, and is not complete without it. In the way that a capstone ends the construction of a pyramid, and is not complete without it.

...and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

This was not a lying-down resting (God was not tired, nor exhausted.), but a cessation of activity, a refraining from creating, as in God "rested from all his work [he stopped creating]," on the seventh day, that day marking that momentous occasion, and a finalizing of what was started.

Think of the "seventh day" as a finalizing day, a putting on of the finishing touches, so to speak, on what was created, and not a continuation of the work.

So we're told that God ended his work [fulfilled a necessary act or function] which he had made [the heavens and the earth, the totality of the creation].

So what was that necessary act that would place the capstone on all that went before (the six days of creation), for which the seventh day was set aside to achieve?

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

This, the Sabbath, is the final act in the creation process--to bless and sanctify that which was created. In some respects this day, the seventh day, is perhaps more important that all the days that went before it.

When I turn to my dictionary, I'm told that to bless is to "invoke divine care for." That's a reasonable answer, but it still seems a little incomplete, a little lacking. And I learn from the same dictionary that "sanctify" means "to make holy," and that "holy" means "sacred and spiritually pure."

That too seems adequate, but I always like to look at the origin of a word, how it got its meaning to fully grasp a word in the round. And for holy, I learn this:

The distinction of the word holy appeared around the 13th Century with the Old English word hālig derived from hāl meaning health, happiness and wholeness. As “wholeness”, holiness may be taken to indicate a state of religious completeness or perfection....

I like the definition, a state of "completeness or perfection," but without the "religious" part. I also like the part, "wholeness," as I think that that applies as well to the true meaning of this passage.

We're told, then, that God blessed [invoked His care for] the seventh day, and sanctified, it [made it holy or whole]: because that in it he had rested from all his work [left off from creating (His work), so as to complete the creation process] which God created and made [the heaven and the earth].

Yet, I still didn't know what it meant to bless, to invoke God's care. That part still eluded me. I still didn't know how to do that, and what exactly did it mean to do so.

That's when this passage came to mind from the first creation, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

God blessed "everything that he had made" by "beholding" it as "very good." And we're told this time and again throughout the creation narrative, at the end of each creation day, regarding that which God had made and created--"...and God saw that it was good."

By seeing His creation as good, God had, in essence, blessed it, and perfected it, and, by so doing, brought it under His divine Care. Despite blessing each separate creation, he still required a Seventh Day to bless the entire creation, "everything that he had made" one final time, as part of the Capstone Ending.

That blessing is foreshadowed in the final passage from the first creation, when we're told, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

Later, I will discuss how we may do the same: create in the way God creates.

The six days of creation are not complete, you see, without the Seventh Day, the Capstone Day, making the Seventh Day (the Sabbath) more important than all the others.

Without it, this Capstone Ending (And I did see a pyramid and the placing of a capstone as the final act of creating it, when I came to understand this passage.), all that went before (the Work) would not have been made whole, would not have been complete. And although the creation of the heaven and the earth would have been finished, it still would have been incomplete.

Creating As God Creates, By Remembering The Sabbath Day

The foregoing passage offers us a hint as to how we might create as well. We can speak into existence things--"calleth those things which be not as though they were," (the Work Requirement part of the creative process, as in "Let there be Light." Yet, without remembering the sabbath (the seventh day), and keeping it holy and blessing it, we still haven't completed the creation process--that is, our creation is still wanting.

I've developed a practicum of a sort around the creation process. We are, after all, dealing with a creation and not just a day of worship, when the Sabbath is invoked. And since we're the Image and Likeness of God, it follows that we create essentially as He creates, or that we should.

Because we rarely see ourselves as creators, we're going to have to bring more effort to bear to the process than God would, but that shouldn't stop us from participating in the creation process, it just mean that we need to be more persistent, and patient, as we set out to create our heart's desires.

So how do we "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy," as part of the creation process.

To answer that question, let me take you through an illustration of the creation process:

The Work Requirement

The First Step, create something, and that is the easy part: we "calleth those things which be not as though they were." For our example, I'll use the model established in the First Creation.

Two examples, "Let there be health throughout my body." And the next: "Let there be harmony within my house." I will illustrate only one here for the purpose of illuminating the process.

You only need one day to complete the Work Requirement. The Work doesn't have to extend over six days. A day for each creation is sufficient. And this day is not necessarily a diurnal day, but a creation day, and the creation day may extend over several of our workaday days.

The Seventh Day

The Second Step, bless that which as been created. Behold it as good. Take the first creation, health--spend time each day seeing (realizing) its presence throughout your body, and knowing that both the body, and the health coursing through it are Good, this will invoke God's Care for the body. But the creation process is still not done. There's a final stage or step that must yet be fulfilled. The Capstone must be set in place. And so we come to the Third Step.

The Third Step, sanctify that which has been created, make it holy, or whole. How do we do this? We do this by keeping out of mind that which will corrupt the creative process--fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, or what have you. We keep it whole by keeping it perfect, and pure--the totality of that which we desire to create. When doubt, fear, worry, and so forth, enter into our creation, the purity and perfection of that which we hope to create is spoiled.

This is where the Capstone comes in, the finishing touch, that which will keep that which has been created holy (whole), it's the Amen, the finalizing step that invokes the full power of the Sabbath.

The Fourth Step, Capstone that which has been created. Although this step comes first in the narrative, it seems appropriate for our purposes, at least, to place it last. When a thing is ended, we say that "It is done." God "ended" the work which he had made, by blessing the seventh day, and making it "whole."

We make our creation "whole," in the same way, by blessing it and ending it, knowing that it "It is done."

This is the "amen" of the work, which is defined in part as "1. so be it: said or sung at the end of a prayer or hymn to affirm its content...."

I'm aware that "amen" probably has many definitions within Jewish religious tradition, and I'm not trying to preempt that here with my statement, although I like to think that, in some small measure, my definition is viable as well.

So be it, using a little black Ebonics, can be stated, "it be so," if it is reversed. And if "it be so," we get an affirmation, then, that that which is desired, is no longer lacking, but enters a state of "it is done," or "it be so".

Let's continue summing up of the creation process by using our illustration of providing health throughout the body. And using the words/thought, "Let there be health...," the condition which we desire to manifest as our reality, we take pains to see it, realize it, and visualize it throughout the body and, at the same time, bless it by seeing the "good" blended with the health, while acknowledging that the "work" is done, "It is done," it is complete, it is so, or using our Ebonics, "it be so."

Here's the important part: we don't have to go back to the "work" part, "Let it be," unless we wish to reassert the creation, but what we do need to do is keep the Capstone in place (keep the creation whole), and we do this by reinforcing a firmness of thought, and mind, a resolve, resting in the assurance that the "work is done." We need to keep "remembering the Sabbbath, and keeping it holy," that the work is done, until that which we have created in the Work Stage is finally manifested.

This is the point where many will falter, and quit, but I'm urging you to remember, and remember again, until either "it is done" in your experiences, or done within your knowing.

This, in sum, is what we can do to create health: Simultaneously, we see the health throughout our body, that it is good, with a firmness of thought, mind, and resolve that says the work is done.

In this illustration, that's all that is needed to create as God creates. The method outlined here may be adapted to anything else that you wish to create. To make my point, I will take you back through the process using Jesus' creation methodology that he passed on to his followers.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; [Creation] shall not doubt in his heart, [The Seventh Day] and [Keep it Holy, Whole, within the Seventh Day] but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. [Capstone, within the Seventh Day]
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

What things soever ye desire [Nothing is off limits, excluded], when ye pray [The Creation, calleth a thing as though it were (not ask, beg, or supplicate] believe that ye receive them [The Seventh Day, with Cap Stone: It is so, It is done], and ye shall have them. [Nothing is held back or denied.]

What is missing in this creation process is the blessing portion--seeing the creation as good--which should add even more power to the process.

Recreation

I debated for a time whether I would include Recreation in this blog entry, since the entry is already longer than I would wish. But then I realized that the subject would be incomplete without it, especially since the process is a rather simple one.

From time to time you will come upon an experience that you'll feel that you didn't create--facing an unexpected bill for a car repair, finding yourself stranded along the side of the road because your car stalled, and stopped, requiring mechanical attention, encountering a rather truculent person who singles you out as the source of his or her trouble--the list could go on and on.

How do you recreate the situation to bring harmony, a solution, a resolution, supply to meet whatever the moment requires to restore the moment to "wholeness," to "holiness?"

You do what you do to create, "You remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy." You look the situation straight in the eye, and bless it, insist that harmony is the fact, "that All is perfect and All is good." Repeat this as best you can, despite appearances to the contrary, and harmony will prevail, the Sabbath will come to your rescue, depending on how much spiritual growth you have attained during the interim.

That's it.

If you'd like for me to help you construct a creation process for a particular situation, you merely have to ask. Just follow the suggestions that I have outlined here and you should be okay. Yet, know: I'm always available to critique, and support your creation efforts.

Good creating to you!

Contextual Exegesis

2009-02-23T03:19:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been trying something new. I've been taking a second look at certain Bible passages. It started with the previous blog entry which revealed some rather startling information about the Genesis Creation Story.

I learned that the serpent of the story didn't actually lie to Adam and Eve, a common notion held throughout the New Testament, and that Lord God's expulsion of Adam and Eve was prompted mostly to prevent them from becoming like him and the other gods--by forbidding them, early on, from eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil, and having access to the "tree of life," if the fruit was eaten.

Rather than attempt to interpret the various passages by bringing in previous knowledge, or understandings, I allow the text under consideration to contextually reveal itself.

And to my amazement, invariably, the text alone was sufficient to answer whatever questions might arise during a reading.

William Blake wrote a poem, entitled, Auguries of Innocence. It's a rather long poem, and I'm including here only the first four lines, because I believe that those lines relate to my entry:

"To see a world in a grain of sand /And a heaven in a wild flower, /Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/ And eternity in an hour."

Just as a "grain of sand" and "a wild flower" carry within them the fullness of the whole, so do the various texts of the Bible carry within them the full meaning of the whole, without resorting to any other passages for exegesis.

It's not that we mustn't ever approach the Bible in this way, it just that this is yet another valid approach to Biblical illumination.

I call this approach Contextual Exegesis, as the context is deemed sufficient for a full understanding of the text at hand, without resorting to other passages, scholarly research, and topical analysis.

I'm aware of the occasional unreliability of this approach, but this approach has one advantage: it may reveal certain insights that other methods may miss.

Over time, beginning with the following passage, I will go through the entire Creation Story this way, but not necessarily in any particular order:

26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

There's much here in this passage. I will discuss each in their turn but, for right now, I wish to focus on the creation of man, for that's the part upon which I wish to dwell first. So let's cull out all but that:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Right away, questions arise. What is the image of God? And who is the "Let us " in this passage? Who or What else is assisting God in this creative process? Did God create more than one man? More than one woman?

Then, we have this continuation of the above passage, that raises even more questions:

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:

Who is "them" in this passage? Who or what is being referred to?

Well, let's see if a contextual exegesis can shed some light on this. Mind you, my word is not the last word in this. I merely wish to keep an open mind here, without prejudicing the results.

And that is the hard part. It takes a great deal of mental discipline to approach these passages afresh, without bringing into play previous knowledge. To the extent that I'm able to do this, to that extent will what's before me open up and give forth it's meaning.

Let's try now to answer some of the questions previously posed:

What is the image of God? And who is the "Let us " in this passage?

In the passage we go from "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," where more than one creator is signaled by the words, "Let us" and the word, "our" used twice, to the following, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him...," that is, from a plurality approach to the creation of man, back to a singular approach.

This in itself, should cause us to pause and take special notice of the several passages. Some have interpreted the "Let us" to mean the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost), but that conclusion requires going beyond the several passages, and that would be cheating--stepping outside of the limitations placed on the interpretation, an interpretation which uses only the context, and the text at hand to achieve that end, and little else.

The answer to the two questions are in plain sight, but are elusive, if we seek to make the passages fit some preconceived notion of what is there.

The key to this passage is that Man is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that what is true of Man is also true of God, otherwise Man can't be said to have been created in the image and likeness of God, if Man is somehow something other than God.

So, if we work our way back from what Man is, his nature and attributes, then we can reasonably say that whatever is Man's likeness is also God's likeness.

We're told that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Our first response to this passage is to say that God created more than one man and more than one woman. But that may be a premature judgment.

I will take that up later. Let's stay with the passage for now.

When we move backward from that which is created in God's image and likeness (the creature) to the Creator, we learn of God's Dual Nature, for it is also the nature of Man, who, we're told, possesses a dual nature, being both male and female. If it's true for Man, it's reasonable to assume that it's also true for God, since Man was created in God's image and likeness.

Let me make the case: In the passage we're confronted with Him and Them, just as earlier we were confronted with He and "Let us." When we learn that Man was created as Male and Female, the inescapable conclusion must be that God is both Male and Female. Now let's take another look at that passage:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Then we can safely assume that the "Let us" represents God's dual Male-Female Nature that become the creators, not just one or the other, signalling the need for both in the creative process. Now we have God as Male-Female ( the "Let us") creating Him or Them, the Man as Male-Female.

I don't think that this is a stretch, and is clearly supported in the several passages before us.

If God is both Male and Female, just as is man, then the passage can be read this way:

And [Male-Female] God said, Let us make [Male-Female] Man in our image, after our likeness [Male-Female]:...So God [now singularly again, suggesting the blending of the two forces, powers, natures] created [Male-Female] man in his own image [Male-Female], in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them [Man as a dual being].

We know that in the second chapter of Genesis when the Lord God becomes the creator, that Woman, Man's helpmate is taken from Adam.

Up until that time we assume with a great deal of authority that Adam was one (both Male and Female) and that it was after the separation, the removal of a rib bone from which Eve was fashioned, that the two natures (Male and Female) emerged--separate and distinct one from the other.

But this is largely outside of the context, and is presented here because of the parallelism of the two creation stories.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:

This second passage establishes God's creative attributes. As I pointed out earlier, what is true of God, is also true of His image and likeness. So if man is told to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish and to subdue, then we learn something about the attributes of God as well.

The first three Creation Attributes are the following: to be fruitful, to multiply, and to replenish--the three together suggesting a power to enlarge, expand, and restore--powers and abilities attributable both to God and Man.

These three represents the Female attributes.

The fourth Creation Attribute is to subdue. My dictionary defines subdue in two ways: "To conquer and subjugate; vanquish," with defeat as a synonym.

The second definition is this: "To quiet or bring under control by physical force or persuasion; make tractable."

The first definition suggests using violence to force submission, where as the second suggests a softer approach--using power as a way to gain cooperation and a willing submission.

I think that the second definition comes closest to the kind of "subduing" that is meant in the passage.

The fourth represents the Male attribute.

We can extrapolate from this that all four attributes are essential in the creation process whether it's God doing the creating or Man.

And although there are three attributes within the Female category (suggesting that God, as Creator, possesses within His Divine Nature the capacity to be more Female than Male), the Male attribute of "subduing" is still required in order to create.

So those who know God as both Father and Mother come closer to understanding, and relating to His Divine Nature.

26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Now here's a part of the various passages with which some of you will undoubtedly disagree. As part of his God-given attributes, Man is given the office of "dominion" over all--fish, fowl, cattle, the water, the air, the land, and indeed, "over all the earth," including creeping things. Nothing is left out.

One of the most common definitions of "dominion" is: "Control or the exercise of control; sovereignty...."

As the image and likeness of God, we share this dominion with Him. If these passages are clear about any one thing it is this: What is true for God is true for Man, and vice versa.

This is where many will quibble with me, will protest loudly, will seek to bring in doctrinal positions, life experiences, beliefs, and anecdotal examples to counter what I've just said.

Yet, Jesus understood his dominion "over all the earth," and didn't hesitate to exercise it.

Water: He turned water to wine.
Fish: He multiplied the fish.
Bread: He multiplied the bread.
Storm and waves: He calmed the tempest.
Water: He walked on it.
Fish: He filled the nets, when the fishermen couldn't.

Some will protest that this "dominion" was unique to Jesus, and not to anyone else. Yet, Jesus said no such thing. He went so far as to say this: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father...."

Moses, too, showed his "dominion" over the elements, visiting several plagues upon the Egyptians. Frogs, lice, flies, cattle dying, boils--a few of the plagues sent by Moses using the power of His God.

And in the wilderness, Moses caused water to flow from a rock, and God gave the people manna and quail to eat.

Whether we know it or not, we still exercise dominion over our world, but we do it unwittingly, without being aware, and we're not always pleased with the results. Hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes are all our doing in a collective sense.

As the image and likeness of God, we exercise dominion without wisdom or awareness. One day soon we will exercise it more responsibly with greater awareness and greater wisdom.

Gods and the Serpent: The Creation Story

2008-12-19T01:27:00.000-08:00

The creation story has always intrigued me. It offers some startling revelations. Some of these revelations certain religions have steered clear of. Why? The story doesn't fit their notion of original sin, and the role of the serpent in seducing Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden Tree of Good and Evil.

Further, the portion of the story that raises the possibility of many gods existing is a bit hard for many to swallow as well. But taken on it's face, it almost impossible to interpret it any other way. The serpent raises the possibility first, and the Lord God seems to substantiate that claim.

What is to follow is another of my responses to a blog entry, and what I hope will be a fresh look at those passages from the Bible where Eve is confronted by the serpent.

“we have failed God over and over and over and over since we hit the ground running in the Garden of Eden and yet he doesn’t give up on us.” [blogger's remark]

Since you mentioned the Garden of Eden, may I make an observation regarding a part of the story?

Here’s the part I wish to discuss:

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

22 ¶ And the Lord God [King of gods] said, Behold, the man is become as one of us [gods], to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

The serpent for the most part told the truth. He told Adam and Eve that they would be like gods. In that he told the truth.

Further, it was the man that will become one of the gods (note: become as one of us [gods]), Eve is not mentioned at all.

The serpent’s lie: “Ye shall not surely die.” It was the serpent’s only lie (Maybe). Had Adam taken “also of the tree of life, and eat[en]” he would have lived forever, just as the gods.

Now, isn’t it interesting that the gods would deprive Adam and Eve of possessing an attribute of theirs (to know good and evil), and then seek to expel them from the Garden once they gained that attribute, and to deprive them of yet another attribute--eternal life--which the gods enjoyed?

The serpent’s truth:

1. Their (Adam and Eve) eyes shall be opened.
2. They shall be as gods.
3. And they shall know good and evil.
4. There are gods.

It’s hard to deny that this story of creation is about gods, not just the Lord God. So the serpent’s crime: He told one lie, but in a sense he didn’t. Except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve were not forbidden to eat from other trees in the garden. Had they eaten from the tree of life they would have been like the gods--able to live forever and to know what the gods knew: good and evil.

For their disobedience, the Lord God took that (eternal life) from them upon their eating from the tree of good and evil.

[Not only did the tree of good and evil in the midst of the garden possess the potential for Adam and Eve (the first two humans created) to become gods, it also represented the potential for them to commit the first sin--to disobey the Lord God. The tree was seemingly planted there as a clear and present temptation for Adam and Eve. It's also reasonable to assume that since the gods already possessed the knowledge of good and evil, that they had already eaten from the tree, and didn't wish the same for Adam and Eve.]

So Adam and Eve’s crime: They wanted to be like the gods. Who gave them the knowledge to do so? The serpent.

Who kept this knowledge from them, and expelled them once they learned about it–the Lord God.

The potential for Adam and Eve to be gods was in their midst. The serpent revealed that potential, and know-how, but the gods were opposed, and exercised their power to expel Adam and Eve from the Garden, and to punish the serpent:

And the Lord God [King of gods] said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon
thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life….

Interesting story, no?

Namaste

"His Face Did Shine as the Sun"

2008-11-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

"The sun shone down on your face something terrible taking away your sunset."

It's no secret here in The Secret Place that I receive messages from unknown sources. Sometimes I believe that they come from God, given the context of the message, and at other times from what some have referred to as a Higher Self.

I'm still a little skittish about revealing this almost lifelong phenomenon, but it is a part of who I am, and partly the reason why I started this blog--to share information about this phenomenon.

For most of my life I have been an out-of-body explorer, but I didn't begin to have psychic experiences until much later in life. I discovered this only recently; it came about as I took a look back over my life.

As a psychic, I have nothing in common with many of the television variety psychics, since I rarely can turn it on at will. But the ability has served me well.

I have found over the years that I have great success with my prayers: God hears me more often than not.

Having accepted the role of Sentinel (that is, one who prays for others, when so directed), I have over the years been called on (by the still, small voice within) to pray for the benefit of many. Lately, it has been President-elect Barack Obama, but it has been many, many others--some notable, and some not so notable.

From time to time, I ask God what He would like for me to do for Him (You may wish to try it yourself sometimes.), the indication: to pray for Barack Obama. This I do, sometimes many, many times a day. On one such occasion, during meditation, Obama's name came up so often that I had to abandon my meditations and focus exclusively on him.

In addition, I find that I can do great harm to those around me with just my thoughts alone, especially if those thoughts are filled with anger or rage. No need to worry, I rarely reach that boiling point. The sorrow and the regret that ensue are too great to bear.

Occasionally I find that I can affect objects in my surroundings during moments of great emotional outbursts, so I try to keep that down to a minimum as well.

As a psychic, I learned the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein before he was found, and tried to tell the Defense Department, the White House, and other government officials, but without success. This did cause me to have an attack of conscience, as I'm reluctant to use my abilities in such a way when it may lead to the harming of another.

Here's a copy of an e-mail that I sent to J.P. Warren, a psychic investigator about that time:

Subj: Location of Saddam Hussein August 05, 2003 Circa 7:35 A.M. Pacific Time
Date: 8/5/03 9:10:35 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From:
To: jpw@LEMURteam.com
CC:

I received the following impressions regarding the location of Saddam Hussein. I thought that I would share them with you. It's practically impossible to reach anyone in the government who may be able to operate on psychic tips.

As of Tuesday, August 05, 2003, 7:35 A.M. Pacific Time, Saddam Hussein may be found in the City of Tikrit. It's my belief that he is near water, possibly the Tigris River, or a water treatment plant.

Because he moves around periodically, this information is only accurate for the above given time.

After Hussein was later located in that area, he wrote me back and asked me questions regarding my psychic ability. Here's my response:

I believe that my answer is going to disappoint you.

When it comes to something as unpredictable as the mind, it's difficult to shine the light of scientific inquiry upon such a mercurial process as psychic enterprises. I can't say that my results will always be 100 per cent accurate. This is because we as humans are constantly changing our minds about what it is we want. For example, we may program ourselves to fail if the results or outcome is something that frightens us, or in some way prove undesirable.

Let's say, if I know that by giving what I know about the location of Saddam Hussein may result in his injury or death, I may unwittingly sabotage the accuracy of my efforts to locate him. This is because of my natural aversion to hurting another. It's as though the soul gives you the answer you're seeking, a correctness that is totally subjective. Before it gives the answer it asks: "Do you want the answer that is ostensibly correct, or the one that you can live with?"

However, if I put aside these concerns and ask many times and the answer is always the same, then I can say with some measure of reliability that the answer is correct.

Can I tap this ability consistently? The answer is yes. But I can't rush it. Like a water pump that must be primed before the water flows freely, I find that I must prime my mind sufficiently to bring forth an answer. It's almost as though I must convince the power within that I'm earnestly seeking an answer before it will respond.

The scientific community thrives on experiments that can be replicated. And I believe that you're seeking a level of certitude or performance that will satisfy their strict requirements when it comes to proof. I'm not sure if I'm that guy.

I can tell you that bin Laden is not holed up in a cave: for a time he was living in a rather modest home, not too much unlike those we live in here in the United States.

Further, I knew where Steve Fossett remains could be found, before someone [1] stumbled upon the wreckage of his plane in a rather remote area. I was listening to my favorite radio program, Coast to Coast AM, with host George Noory, whose guest was a remote viewer, the guest and his remote viewing team were using their abilities to find Fossett with mixed success.

Meditating at bed time, I asked the source within where Fossett could be found. Immediately three lakes appeared within my mind's eye. At another time, I Fast Blasted the C2C AM show to reveal to the host where Fossett could be found. Of course, nothing came of that.

I learned later that the lakes were the Mammoth Lakes. My psychic information may not have been specific enough to find Fossett, but it would have narrowed the search area somewhat.

Now, back to why I'm writing this blog entry. I started this entry with a quote. The author of the quote is unknown. The statement, in isolation, wouldn't have made much sense without a little background--some details from my life. Hence, the long prelude. On the morning of 11-20-2008, a woman's voice said:

"The sun shone down on your face something terrible taking away your sunset."

Her words didn't frighten me, as they were tailored just for me, and it's almost as though she knew I would understand her words. I knew the word "terrible"was defined as "intense," not "dreadful," as in this passage from the Bible:

A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name....

I can't imagine this angel of God possessing a "dreadful" countenance. It probably had a light surrounding it that was intensely bright.

The sun, I believe, represents God's Light (the light of His Spirit), which lights our countenance. Jesus was said to have had such an experience, here described in this passage from the New Testament:

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them:
and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

The sunset represents our death. We're are born (our sun rises) and, each successive day of our life, the sun approaches its zenith, and begins it downward descent, until it culminates in our sunset (our death).

The meaning of the message: I would have died long ago, but for this Light of God shining down in all it's brilliance upon my countenance, keeping me as though I am still in the Noonday of my life, removing, for now, my sunset.

Recently, I had a medical checkup, which I found a little embarrassing. The doctor and his attendant, knowing my age, kept repeating, "You're looking good! Really good! And your heart is beating so strong...it's like a mule kicking!"

Now, I guess I know why: "The sun shone down on [my] face something terrible...."

[1] FOXNews.com - Steve Fossett's Belongings Possibly Found in California Forest - Local News News Articles National News U...

Queen for a Day, or For a Lot Longer?

2008-11-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

As you may know, if you have visited my blog before, is that occasionally the still small voice within shares with me the state of our world, and a preview of things to come.

Here's another such preview:

On 10-28-2008, I was told--"The Queen of the Land is back. She'll take care of our needs now."

Enigmatic to say the least. And wouldn't you know, I have never heard of such a Queen, and a Google search turned up some rather interesting references to boot. There's a Queen of the Land festival, and there's a Sumerian Goddess, Inanna, who bears the title.

Sumerian Queen of the Land. Source of the Earth's life blood. She filled the wells, rivers and springs with Her blood. 2,000 B.C.E. Juniper is Her tree. Queen of Heaven, Sumerian (Iraq) Queen Moon, Great Goddess of the Bronze Age. Often depicted standing with two winged lions. Ruler of all stars and planets, and rain clouds.

Now, I'm sure of one thing: The festival queens are not the Queen of the Land. Whether Inanna is that queen only God knows.

But this is what I suspect. The Queen of the Land has returned after a brief absence to continue to prosper the land. Why she left is the stuff of speculation.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I do believe that a greening of the land is now upon us. That very day after I heard the voice the U.S. stock market gained almost 900 points, and markets around the world gained as well.

Is this the beginning of the end of our financial woes? That, too, only God knows. But if the voice is right, the Queen of the Land may prove to be more than just a Queen for a Day.

"Love knows no limits"

2008-08-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

After watching this touching You Tube video, I got to thinking about my own experience with a Cocker Spaniel, and his friend, a larger dog that towered over him.

One morning I was awaken by barking. It was so persistent that I thought I had better investigate. I owned no dog, and neither did my neighbor.

I went to my back door, switched on the porch light, and there he stood looking up at me--a brown Cocker Spaniel.

He stopped barking for a moment, content to have someone take his barking seriously. I had a pool in the backyard, fenced in, of course, with a gate that allowed access.

The Spaniel walked through the gate, returned, and barked at me. I thought: "Why is my gate open. I never leave it open."

Again, the Spaniel walked through the gate, returned, and barked at me. That's when I caught on: He wanted me to follow him.

The next time he went through the gate into the pool area, I followed. There in the pool, at the shallow in, but far away from the steps that would have allowed egress, was this huge dog, a breed that I didn't recognize.

I could see that he was trapped--he was fighting against the pool wall, and his feet couldn't touch bottom. Obviously, he wasn't smart enough to turn around and exit the way he came in. I thought: "Maybe he fell into the pool chasing a cat, or something."

The morning was cold (It was winter.), and the water must have been freezing. The poor dog wouldn't have lasted much longer under those conditions, his chest heaving to get more air, his legs, now heavy with exhaustion, treading water, and it was clear that, unless I rescued him, he was a goner.

It took me a few minutes to find a solution that I thought might work. I had to get something under those massive feet and legs, and turn him around, where he would find shallower water and leave the pool under his own power.

I didn't think that the SPCA would make a house call that early in the morning, and calling the fire department never occurred to me.

I remember an old gate that had fallen, and was now being stored behind my garage. If I could somehow get that gate under him, I could maneuver him so that he would be turned in the right direction.

After several attempts, I finally got the gate (which floated, thank goodness) under his legs and feet, and gently turned him around.

Perhaps he was a little dumb, but he was smart enough to know that I was there to help him, and when his feet touched the floor of the pool again, he slowly walked out, so exhausted that he didn't shake the water from his fur in the characteristic manner of dogs, their whole body shaking from head to tail, water flying in every direction.

When the big dog left my yard, I ascended the steps of the porch, hoping to return to my sleep sans dogs, and barking. When I reached for the porch light switch, the Cocker barked again. He had stayed behind, and hadn't followed his friend.

Now sitting on his haunches, he lifted his right paw, and put it back down. He did this several times before I realized that he wanted to thank me.

I descended the steps, and when I stood before him, he offered me his right paw again in thanks, and I took it, and shook it.

The Cocker seemed satisfied and followed after the huge dog. Curious, I followed too. The big dog, clearly okay now, was reclining on the icy-cold lawn of my neighbor's front yard. He would rest for a time, get his wind back, and return home, his friend protectively following.

What amazed me was the Cocker's eagerness to thank me for my heroic efforts: I had saved his friend who would have surely drowned had I not rescued him, and, unlike the ten lepers whom Jesus had healed, with only one returning to give thanks [1], this animal did what many humans might have taken for granted.

Dannion Brinkley, the man who died several times, and returned to tell about it, describes an animal encounter in one of his Life Reviews (He's had several.). One day he happened upon a farmer beating a poor mule. He intervened, telling the farmer that he would give him a beaten if he didn't desist immediately.

Dannion had a mean reputation, and the farmer must have seen that meanness in his eyes and knew that he meant business, and so he ceased his beating of the animal.

In his Life Review, Brinkley says that when he got to that scene from his life, he could read the mule's thoughts, and he could feel the mule's gratitude after he put an end to its merciless beating.

Based on my other readings, it appears that animated things have a consciousness, and can be communicated with, and there are professional Horse Whisperers, and Dog Whisperers to boot, insisting that, if you know how, animal communication is possible, if limited.

With some animals, (if not all) I wonder just how limited our communicating with them really is. Love seems to transcend all boundaries, all limits, including that of the animal mind.

[1] Book Luke, Chapter 17, Verse 12-18 (KJV)

I Want To Do It

2008-07-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have spent most of the day debating the wisdom of writing this next blog entry. And, it's not that I care about what others may think about what I say here. If you have spent any time reading through my several blogs, and my entries, you already know that I've had some rather strange happenings in my life, many of which may leave you looking askance at what you're reading.

You may even conclude that I'm delusional, or at the very least schizophrenic. Although I've heard voices (or A Voice), off and on, most of my life, not once have they urged me to do something harmful to others, or to myself.

If anything, they have given me surprising, and generally unknown information about me and the world in which I live.

For example, I was told that we humans weren't this planets first inhabitants, that there were others, who have since moved on. Perhaps science will one day discover who they were.

Another piece of information: All the continents once came together at the Panama Canal, and have since drifted apart.

And I was told, and shown, that this country was moving towards an EU type of economic cooperation (the European Union) long before the US, Canada, and Mexico began to consider a North American counterpart, and answer, to the economic cooperation that was taking place in Europe.

It is called the North American Union, complete with its own currency, the Amero, which had its seminal beginning in October of 2004, and is not to reach its full flowering for another two years, 2010. The scope of the plan was detailed in two documents: "Trinational Call for a North American Economic and Security Community by 2010 (March 2005) and its final report Building a North American Community[1] (May 2005."

I won't direct you to Internet resources discussing this proposal which appears to be a foregone conclusion, what with NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, already in place, and foundational for this new trinational enterprise. Google for more information.

I wanted a context for what I'm about to say next, the magnitude of which and the not so obvious source, might cause consternation for some.

The primary reason for my hesitancy is for those of you who may read my blog and believe that the world is teetering on the verge of some doomsday scenario. That may not be the case.

I've decided to blog about what the voice said so that posterity may use it as a reference point long after I'm gone, provided that this blog survives me, and is not deleted by Blogger for inactivity.

Finally, after a very long preface and the laying of a necessary foundation, here's what was said to me:

I want to do it; I want to do it all the time...to destroy the suffering that I see.

What was this thing that the voice wanted to do: Destroy the World.

Now, before you leap to a rash conclusion, let me give you two definitions for "destroying the world."

It could mean our physical world as we know it, and it could mean "The World" that is often referenced in the Bible, and often misunderstood, or misused. "The World," biblically speaking, often refers to the world that Jesus discusses:

John 15:19
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out
of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him.

John 8:23
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from
above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 12:31
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the
prince of this world be cast out.

The world, then, is a belief that a power, a reality, and an existence can exist apart from God, the Father-Mother of All.

It's the last verse, John 12:13, that I believe is referenced when I'm told that the world will be destroyed. At least that's my hope.

It was never God's plan that humankind should "suffer". Shirley MacLaine, yes, the actress, has written in one of her books, I believe it was Out on a Limb, about how we got ourselves into this predicament.

According to her Higher Self, it was we, gods, that created All that we see--the heavens, the earth and All living things. In short, God created us, and we created everything else.

Our bodies were created as a kind of vehicle for the gods, a way for us to experience that which we had created, and a way to experience God in the lowest form of His essence, called matter.

We spent so much time within our creations that we eventually lost sight of our divinity, that we were both the creator and the creature, and became aware of the creature only.

Stuck in matter, we panicked, and this panic created Fear, and this Fear gave rise to All that which has caused our suffering--a material (matter-based) form (body), subject to the vagaries of the world--hunger, thirst, pain, illness, and ultimately death.

Karma, and Reincarnation were established as a way of allowing humankind to experience everything as a way back to the Godhead, and the realization that we're Total Love.

This is where Shirley's story ends and mine begins:

As gods with "freewill," voluntarily placing ourselves into this earthly situation, it would require someone to remind us of our True Nature as gods, or children of God, or God's offspring.

Jesus became that reminder.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It's one explanation of how we arrived at this place on the space-time continuum, and it offers an explanation of how we might get off the cosmic wheel of our karmic and reincarnation dilemma.

As an aside, Shirley's explanation adds credence to the creationist's belief that humankind is only 6000 to 10,000 years old. Where the concept falters is in the belief that the whole universe was created during that time.

Although man (and various species of man) have existed, according to Naturalistic Evolution (NE), from 50,000 to 200,000 years ago, with Pre-humans/hominids showing up 3 to 7 million years ago, god-man may not have come into existence until recently, when he became mired in matter.

In Conversations with God, we're told that creation took place All at Once, in the Holy Moment of Now, because God couldn't wait, and from our perspective it looked like billions of years of evolution, which puts the creationist and evolutionist more in sync, making them both right regarding how the world came about.

Reading several blogs recently where human suffering has been highlighted, I'm not surprised about having received this message from beyond, as we're wont to say.

What did take me aback was the voice's revelation that it is considering the destruction of the world because, one might conclude, human misery is becoming unbearable both to watch, and for humankind to endure.

In the Gospel of Thomas we read the following:

Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit,
it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.

And we have this from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Jesus tells us, by way of Thomas, that the spirit did not create the flesh, and the flesh did not create the spirit, and that the "wealth" of spirit was never intended to take up resident within the flesh. And that it appears to do so at all, is a cause for "amazement."

Yet, there's something we All can do to hasten the day when human suffering, and man's inhumanity to man will be a thing of the past.

It just requires the continuous devotion of a few--relative to the overall size of the world's population--to bring this about.

I have blogged about this before, and the entry may be found here. We're living in critical times. I urge your participation in this very important work of "Feeding God's Family."

We can bring about an end to human suffering, but we must work while it is day, for night cometh.

"Peace on Earth"

2008-07-05T03:56:00.000-07:00

Raul Midon, performer extraordinaire, is now featured on TED singing two of his songs, Peace on Earth, and Everybody. If you have never heard him, here is your opportunity. I first heard him on one of the late-night talk shows a few years back, but can't remember which one.

What I remember is being immediately impressed with his performance, and wondering why I had never heard him sing before.

His message in these songs are timely, and on-topic, as they make an appeal for more peace and harmony in our strife-filled world--an appeal that I make here from time to time sharing how others are going about the task of peacemaking.

You can find more information here: Raul Midon at TED

An African Einstein

2008-05-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, I watched either an HBO documentary, or a Showtime documentary ( I don't remember which.) that impacted me in a way that I haven't been impacted in a while.

The documentary talked about an organization, TED, (Technology, Entertainment, Design) which, through their conferences, arranges a meeting of the minds.

The organization, once a year, brings together ideas (projects) seeking funding and allows a limited time for approved guests to present their best shot at discussing a proposed project before TED Conference members--a select group of philanthropists and others from a variety of disciplines, occupations, and professions.

TED describes its conferences this way:

"The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)."

I'm sure you have heard the definition of "luck." It's when opportunity meets preparation.

Well, TED does something similar: it brings preparation to opportunity.

It brings ideas (projects) [preparation] to those with the money to implement them [opportunity].

TED describes the process it uses to determine which projects to fund in a given year: The TED Prize. "[It] is designed to leverage the TED Community's exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who each receive $100,000 and, much more important, the granting of "One Wish to Change the World."

This fortuitous meeting has brought several projects to light for the benefit of humanity. You may be surprised to learn that I have a healthy respect for the sciences, although I am almost exclusively involved with metaphysical matters rather than scientific ones.

Having a keen interest in many of the projects sponsored by TED, I'm especially interested in those focused on Africa. The Video presented here about the AIMS project African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), although a rather long presentation, presents a discussion worthy of its length and your patience. The presenter is Neil Turok: 2008 TED Prize wish: An African Einstein.

Don't be surprised if the African Einstein is not a he but a she. Many of AIMS students are young women from all over Africa.

AIMS describes its goals this way:

"Africa's greatest resource is its people. There can be no more effective investment in Africa's future than in education, empowering talented young people to contribute to their countries' development.

"Mathematics underpins most of modern life - information and communication technology, genetics, medicine, finance, demographics and planning. Without mathematical training Africans will be unable to access the full power of new technologies to solve their countries' problems."

Please join me in spreading the word about TED and AIMS. No voice is too weak to speak loudly. It only takes hundreds, thousands, and millions of voices all speaking at the same time, all saying the same thing.

Someday We'll Have To Worry About This

2008-05-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Occasionally during meditation, I receive information about the planet, our collective future, or the future of someone I know.

Recently, while I was praying (as indicated in the previous blog entry) for the world and humankind, I was shown what looked to be a massive glacier. I could see large chunks of ice breaking from it. My inner guide warned:

Someday you'll have to worry about this.

I suspect that something cataclysmic is on the way. We can determine, however, just how bad it will be. But we'll have to pray, and pray often, to avoid this bleak future.

I don't mean to be an alarmist, but even the most optimistic among us must admit that we're in for some unprecedented climate changes.

I'm not sure if anyone knows what the full impact of global warming will be on the planet. Yet, I don't think that my inner guide would have said what it did without good cause.

Whether we can reverse the damage of global warming, only time will tell. Many of us will be doing our part to minimize what might ensue, but in this, as in most things on this scale, numbers do count; they count, because of the world-wide implications of the event.

"Feed My Family"

2008-05-11T01:33:00.000-07:00

When I wrote this e-mail to address the quote below, I had no idea at the time that I would revise it as a blog entry.

After writing it, I realized that perhaps others might find my interpretation of the Lord's Prayer at least mildly interesting.

I've always been solution oriented, not willing to recount humanity's problems without extending a solution or solutions.

This response to a blog writer represents my effort to offer both solace and a solution to her lamentation. Her outcry on behalf of another who had been sexually abused, had touched me deeply.

Yet, we're not helpless. We can make a difference in a world that seems hell-bent on destroying itself, and everyone in the process.

My solution comes at the end of the entry. Regardless of your religious affiliation, I plead with anyone who reads this to join me and millions of others as we seek to bring heaven to earth.

You wrote:
"I've tried to be angry with God, but I can't this time.
I can't ask why because I really don't care why."

Your lamentation touched me. It's the lamentation that I hear from time to time when this world has become too much for some. I'm always amazed how I stumble upon certain blogs: one blog leading to another and you can't just read one.

I woke up this morning (April 26, 2008) after only a few hours of sleep. I wasn't going to respond to your blog entry, but the pain evidenced in it haunted me. The haunting only stopped after I spent several hours composing in my mind the following response.

[I will try to keep my response brief. Brevity, however, will water down the response, but I don't wish to tax your patience. I seriously thought about e-mailing it, but decided against that, hoping that others might find my comments of interest.]

I've changed my mind: I'm e-mailing instead.

I dislike densely written posts, blog entries, or e-mails, and will use space liberally to break down my thoughts, which will further lengthen my reply.

I have in this e-mail used several Bible references, and have proffered my own interpretation of those scriptural passages. Do I believe that my interpretations are final? No, I don't. I find that biblical verses--including the ones that I have used here--lend themselves to many interpretations.

Like yours, my heart aches, too, because of the horror that humankind inflicts upon itself: the brutality of which spawns all sorts of human woe.

And I, too, am discouraged from time to time, but then I realize that If I don't persevere things will remain the same--and that's not something I can live with.

I pray that you will see the empathy and the compassion with which I write this response, so that nothing I say here will be dismissed because it may be perceived as callous.

In addition, please accept nothing that I write here as definitive. It's not. My response is just another take on the issue, not the only one.

To prepare you for what is to follow, I needed first to establish the groundwork .

You wrote:

O God my heart is troubled, it's broken. Come quickly! Rescue me.

Here's what I've learned over the years, and it really shouldn't come as a shock to even the most casual observer:

God is not in the world.
Well, that's not exactly true. He's in the world and He's not in the world. If that sounds like a paradox, it's because it is. Much about God is paradoxical. Now let me try to back up that statement.

Jesus taught his disciples a prayer which we have since called The Lord's Prayer. Almost every Christian child can recite this brief prayer, and it's often read from the pulpit, and sang in song. The Lord's Prayer says a lot about how things are. Jesus prayed:

Our Father which art in heaven...

It's interesting that he didn't say heaven and earth. God's abode, we're told, is in heaven. And Jesus says something else interesting:

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Jesus petitions for the coming of God's Kingdom, and that God's will finds acceptance as in heaven so in earth. Jesus asks for the Kingdom to come because he was fully aware that it wasn't here. If it were, why ask?

So, the question becomes: How does God's will get done, and how does God's Kingdom come?

That's easy: it gets done through us. And the Kingdom? It comes within us. Now let me back that up:

Jesus declared:

20 ¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

For God's Kingdom to come on earth, we have to bring it here. For God's will to be done on earth, we have to submit to it.

God is not in the enforcement business. Because He has given us free will, He will never use His will to circumvent ours. Hence human atrocities. But that's only part of the story.

To get a better understanding, we need to go back to the very beginning, Genesis. We need to see how it all got started.

24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

And why is Genesis so important? Because it establishes the nature of man. I was told some years ago--from a source within--that those things that were created on a certain day of creation possess similar characteristics.

Man we are told was created on the sixth day. On that same day many things were created: "cattle, and creeping things and [most notably] the beast of the earth...."

So we're told, then, that man possesses the characteristics of the beast, and yet another characteristic: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him...."

As a result man carries the mark of the beast and has the image of God--a dual nature that is at war continuously. Paul was aware of this duality, and spoke of it often:

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Here's my take on that infamous 666 number:

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:16-18

As man (generic for woman as well) yields to the beast within, the three aspects of his existence (body, mind, and soul) take on that characteristic as well. Hence, the three sixes.

When man yields to the seventh day--his spiritual, divine nature--rather than his carnal nature, his body, mind, and soul reflect that divinity, the Kingdom of God. Hence, the three sevens (777). This is his divine number. The one which represents complete and total dominion over the beast.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Jesus represents the Sabbath, the seventh day, this completion and dominion. He represents this day of rest, a holy day, a blessed day.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.]
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

And in another place he said:

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

To find the rest of the Sabbath we must be willing to leave the beast behind and began the arduous trek back home as repentant prodigal sons and daughters. For that is indeed the purpose of the Sabbath, that man might use it to find a peace and a rest:

And he [Jesus] said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath....

God sent Jesus to remind us of the seventh day (Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.), to remind us of our noble and holy nature, to show us what we could become if we adhere to the Son (the image and likeness of God) and slay the beast within:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Speaking of the importance of a singularity of purpose and the criticality of choosing who to serve, Jesus said:

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We can choose, then, to represent the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of the devil, to allow God to father us, or the devil, to express the will of God, or the will of the devil, to think Godly thoughts, or devilish thoughts, to value carnal thoughts or spiritual thoughts, to prefer an evil eye or the single eye of truth.

Having a choice, because we have the potentiality, is the result of our earthly origin, an origin that provides us with both a spiritual and a fleshly body. One is real, the other is a lie about us.

We came into this world of flesh and took upon ourselves this dual nature for a purpose. A discussion of that purpose is beyond the scope of this e-mail. God can make no mistakes: if man finds himself beleaguered by a world created by his physical senses, it is not by happenstance. Otherwise, it would take God out of the equation, and leave matters to chance, and the vicissitudes of life. Something that God, as creator, would never do.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...

Now this statement has always puzzled some biblical scholars, as it supports the notion that God leads us into temptation--a notion that is hard to reconcile with God's divine nature. In the original it reads: deliver us from the evil one, or the one evil. And what kind of "temptation" could God lead us into?

God is the I Am presence within each of us. It would take another e-mail to explain the whole of that. I Am [the name of God] (our awareness [our consciousness of being] ) can lead us into the temptation of believing that we're both the beast and the divine, and lure us into eating (embracing in thought) the mixed fruit, the fruit from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" as though they're both desirable and good to eat.

11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

We're told to seek peace and rest and eschew the beast (the evil potential within us). Jesus, as the rest, became the antithesis of all that the beast represents, as the beast nature and the divine nature gave rise to man's two emotions: love and fear.

Love has long been considered the personification of God within us, and fear the personification of the devil. As Jesus represents the divine within us (love), the devil has come to represent the fear, the "prince of this world."

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

And again we're told:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil:

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

So how is it that the Son of God destroys the works of the devil? He does so by becoming the antithesis of all that the devil represents. He does this by presenting himself as the true creation of God:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

I am (God's name)

the way (as opposed to the wide gate and the broad way, not abiding in the truth, and not having truth in him)
the truth (as opposed to the liar and the lie)
the life (as opposed to death [the wages of sin is death].

Of some listening to his sermons, he had this to say, reflecting on the origin of their thoughts and words--thoughts and words that did not correspond to the truth he represented:

Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

So what is our true nature?

Hallowed be thy name.

It is a holy nature as implied in the "hallowed," but it's more than that. A common etymology says this of holy:

The distinction of the word holy appeared around the 13th Century with the Old English word hālig derived from hāl meaning health, happiness and wholeness. As “wholeness”, holiness may be taken to indicate a state of religious completeness or perfection.

Dropping the word religious we get "a state of completeness or perfection," which explains this next biblical statement:

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

"Shall not" to me is like saying it's impossible to do so, as in: Thy shall not swim across the Pacific Ocean.

in vain

To no avail, useless, as in All our work was in vain. [c. 1300] Also see take someone's name in vain.

It's stated that we can't take God's name (I Am) in vain; also, it's not a good idea to do so. Therefore whatever we attach to God's name is never taken in vain (never a useless statement and to no avail.)

So God's name is Whole (Holy), and that is our name as well. We say almost ceaselessly, I Am, and what we put after it determines our state or condition:

I Am sick, well, happy, sad, disturbed, peaceful, and so on.

Why is this so? We exist in a state of perfection and completeness--our true nature--one which it behoove us to consciously get back to with all haste and, because of that, our I AM statements if persisted in have consequences and are perfectly and completely expressed--if not immediately, then by and by.

And what does all this have to do with my response to your lamentation? Plenty. We're getting closer to my reason for writing such a long e-mail. Without the explanation that has gone before, the "full corn in the ear," would not have been possible, as it required "first the blade."

26 ¶ And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

The Lord's Prayer offers more than meets the eye. It gives us the solution to our earthly dilemma--our dual nature. That duality presents a nature that leads to death and one that leads to Life, one that dwells in the Truth, and one that fathers the lie, and is a liar to boot, one that establishes a Way, and one that puts us on the broad way.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Here's the solution in seven words. A simple statement, often believed to mean one's earthly provisions. In a sense that's correct, but in a vaster more valuable sense than that of worldly provisions.

On occasion I ask God, upon rising in the morning, what He would like for me to do for Him on that particular day. His reply on one of those days was:

Feed my Family.

Three words. That's all. But the implications of those three words are enormous. I realized then how important each of us are in the scheme of things. I realized further what we all could do to benefit the self and the whole of humanity. God answers prayers in many ways. Sometimes He does so through us.

Here's how I saw it: as God feeds us, we in turn feed others. And what is this God food, this spiritual aliment, this manna from the heavens: LOVE.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

We're told that God is Love. As Love, what more could we ever need from Him to meet and fulfill our daily needs? If "sufficient unto the day is the evil there of," then sufficient unto the day is the Love thereof, as "there is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

Love is the way to conquer the nature of the beast, as well as that personification of the devil, fear.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

As God giveth to us, we in turn give to others. This wondrous feast that is always present on the table of Love is the horn of plenty that never depletes itself. Love is the cornucopia that would feed the world were the world willing to partake. And where it's not willing, or unaware of Love's existence, it becomes not a duty, so much as a privilege, for us to give from that storehouse of Love the spiritual loaves and fishes that, when broken to share, will feed the hearts of those bereft of God's omnipresent abundance.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

And farther down we get this clarification:

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Love and forgiveness. As we condemn we forfeit Love, and God's forgiveness.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven...

Forgiveness is an essential part of a life of love. It is indispensable if we wish to progress spiritually, and to bring the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus knew this, and we see the depth of His love at a time when many of us might have condemned: the occasion of his death. His response to those who crucified him:

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

As we love God and embrace our neighbor in that love, something wonderful begins to happen: we bring heaven to earth.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these

I began this response with a statement early on:

God is not in the world.

Yet, Jesus, with the finger of God (Love) was able to bring the Kingdom of God to bear upon many situations even to that of evicting the strong man of our dual nature:

20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

With the strong man evicted, we too may bring the "finger of God" to bear upon many situations. This finger may be used to heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers, as well as raise the dead.

But that is on the individual level. What is desirous today is to bring this Kingdom to all men and women. And this is done through the process of forgiveness (not holding anyone in bondage to our thoughts) and by broadcasting Love to all--hourly, daily.

Many in this world have devoted themselves to this task: the bringing of God's Kingdom to all of humankind. We do it on a personal level by healing all sorts of human maladies with the "finger of God", and on the universal level by reaching out daily with thoughts of love, truth, and peace to embrace all people in the omnipresent Love of God.

I invite you to join us. If enough of us do this, we will reach critical mass, a tipping point that will usher in a new age, an age that has been called The Age of God. Not all in this world are required to be reached before this happens--just enough to start the chain reaction. Once it begins, the consciousness of all will be embraced within God's Kingdom. And the all too frequent atrocities that now plague humankind will be a thing of the past.

As we send forth God's Love to the world, we feed all, we feed God's Family. And as we do so, they will be fed, and as they're fed, they'll have the spiritual power to take upon themselves the verisimilitude of the divine, no longer victims to a false nature, nor oppressed by the Kingdom of a Liar, but exist as the children of God, living in the Kingdom of God, now and forever more.

And they will listen to angel voices declaring continuously before the high throne of our God:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

I bow to the Kingdom of God within you,

The First Domino

You Are The Life Force Of The Universe

2008-05-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist, suffered a stroke several years ago. The experience changed her life and compelled her to view herself and the world in a totally new way. Near the end of her YouTube video presentation, her words take on a decided metaphysical tone, indicating a willingness to depart radically from an orthodox view of reality.

The video details that experience with pathos and occasional humor. Ms Taylor stops just short of saying that "we're not our bodies," one of the themes of my previous blog entry on health and healing.

As a scientist, she skirts the issue, but I'm convinced that, if pressed, she would, in all likelihood, suggest that it's a possibility, and worthy of scientific exploration. Instead, she explores the differences between the brain's right and left hemispheres, suggesting that the creative, non-linear right hemisphere may be the answer to humanity's preoccupation with the emotions and attitudes that reside in the left hemisphere.

It's her contention that nirvana is just a hemisphere away.

If I might analogize here with a less than accurate comparison, the brain may be liken to a radio. It works fine as long as it's within range of radio signals, and is not busted.

It doesn't work so well the farther away it is from the source of a signal, or if it's on the fritz. The brain, like a radio, works well as long as nothing is interfering with its reception, and its not broken.

In other words, the human body, including the brain, allows the vital body to operate in a physical environment much the same way a deep-sea diving suit allows a diver to operate within the ocean's depths.

God forbid something should happen to the suit--the person that it surrounds might find him or herself struggling to survive intact.

How To Heal Yourself

2008-05-07T02:42:00.000-07:00

The Truth About Your Body

(Bear with me, some of what I'm going to say here is going to contradict what your mind and your senses are telling you is real and true.)

CwG (Conversations with God) tells us that "we're not our bodies." For some, that statement is a verifiable truth. For others, pure fantasy.

Let me began by telling you something shocking. We're not only not our bodies, but our bodies aren't even alive!

Our bodies are being kept alive.

Let me give you an analogy. I've seen hospital patients kept alive by being connected to a variety of medical instruments (a life-support system): instruments to breathe for them, instruments to feed them, and instruments to monitor what the instruments are doing.

Science knows so little about how the body is kept alive that it posits that it is alive. I tell you from personal knowledge that that is just not so.

Further, the body that you call your own is not even sentient. That, too, is an illusion. If you rub your hands together or touch any other part of your body, I'll tell you, categorically, that that wasn't your physical body that you touched. You did touch a body, however, but it wasn't physical.

Your body is being kept alive by another body. Some mystics call it the "astral" body. If you were to see it, it would look a lot like the body that you now inhabit. Even "inhabit" is not an accurate description.

Your astral body surrounds the physical body rather than resides within it. Because of a magnetic attraction, the astral body stays in alignment with the physical one. Without this attraction, we'd drift off into our native, non-physical environment, which is where we reside in the always. I suspect that at night in our dream state we become unmoored from the physical body, drift away from it, and embark on many journeys that we have little awareness of when we're awake again.

Although it seems that we're interacting with a physical world, it is, in actuality, a non-physical one, material appearances, notwithstanding. What we have, then, is a great deception, one that our physical senses are in collusion with.

The umbilical cord that connected you to your mother is replicated at the
astral level. We see remnants of it in the coccyx, also know as the tailbone. The tailbone represents a function of the astral body showing up in the physical, but occurring at the astral level. A cord, not unlike the umbilical cord (silver in color, about the size of an average man's wrist), connects the astral body to the physical.

There's only one Biblical reference to the cord, and that is in Ecclesiastes:

Book Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12, Verse 6

5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Death only occurs when the cord is loosed, and that is when the vital body is no longer able to sustain the physical body, usually because the physical has suffered irreparable damage, or has been abandoned by the soul.

The "golden bowl" is the soul that encompasses the physical (It's seen as an aura, and breaks away from the physical once a decision is made to move on to the non-physical realm); the "pitcher" at the fountain represents the flow of intelligence from the bowl to the physical; the "wheel" represents the process that carries the flow of life-giving energy from the source (cistern) to the body.

The italicized statement above further corroborates the existence of man in both a physical (dust) and a spiritual state, suggesting that only the spiritual is man's primary and ultimate state, and that the "dust" returns to a state that existed before the advent of the spiritual.

Jesus states it this way:

62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

All things proceed from the spiritual (our native state). Two of those things are intelligence and life, both of which allow thought (words, spoken and unspoken, as well as mental images) to exist.

What I'm going to tell you now, neither science nor mystics know. In all my readings not one has revealed what I'm going to tell you here.

The silver cord extends from the back of the astral body. From the shoulder and neck, large and small cords of varying sizes (some the size of your pinkie, and others the size of the thumb and other digits) fan out like fingers and bundles at the base of the astral back as a cable does when it consists of many strands or cords. These cords hold fast to the astral body with a steel-like grip. They can't be moved even with the greatest of effort.

This bundled cord attaches to the physical body at various, but vital areas. It's been seen attached to the heart, the back of the head, and at the third eye located between the eyes.

Now, here is what you need to know. Along this cord, the vital or astral body sends the energy and intelligence that keep the physical body alive, keep it functioning properly, regulating it, and setting in motion all the chemical actions and reactions that are necessary to make the body run smoothly, and operate effectively within the physical realm. It serves the same function as the medical instruments hospitals use to keep the physical body alive, but it does so in a more sophisticated, and extraordinary manner.

One of the most successful healing organizations on the planet realizes the role of the body (it's temporal nature, allowing us to operate in a physical realm), and subscribes to the following statement as the indispensable plank in it's healing method (which elevates the spiritual over the material, and substantiates my own experiences). It is called the "scientific statement of being," and represents, in brief, the organization's position on the science of healing:

9 There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor sub-
stance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite
manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal
12 Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and
eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is
God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore
15 man is not material; he is spiritual. [1]

I will say more about this organization later, but not for the purpose of proselytizing. I have no interest in convincing you to take up any belief system, religious or otherwise, as I am, myself, non-religious, with no vested interest in any religion, although I recognize the right of religions to exist. The several religions exist because each of us exists at certain belief levels, and gravitates towards those beliefs with which we agree, or that support our present understanding. They represent our efforts to understand God and our relationship to Him.

I'm including this religion because of its unparalleled success at healing the physical body, and the physical mind, and one whose writings you might like to study if healing is a goal that you'd like to pursue.

What does all of this have to do with health and healing?

I wanted to first establish that mind is not in body and neither is life. Even if you disagree with my premise, this thought construct will now be a part your mental environ and, hopefully, on an unconscious level, will strengthen your resolve to heal and accept healing as an ever-present possibility.

This collaboration of our senses with our mind humanizes it (that is, physicalizes mind and thoughts rather than spiritualizes them), thereby setting up a construct that we have come to know as the Devil, also known as Satan, also known as the serpent, also known as the red dragon. In Revelations we're told:

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Book Revelation, Chapter 12, Verse 3 [color and italics mine]

We're told that this personification of evil is the great deceiver. Jesus called him a liar, and a murderer. What is the nature of the lie: one -- that we're not the sons and daughters of God (spiritual and perfect); two -- re: eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

By eating the fruit of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" we do die to the knowledge and the awareness that we're divine beings created in the image and likeness of God (that we're one, single, solitary, and the Same). Once we eat, we do not become gods (as self-sufficient beings), but, on the contrary, we become mortals with physical bodies (created of flesh and bone), now fully aware of the world of relativity and duality (a world, I might add, that is not real).

Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one...

Isn't it interesting that the Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness with almost one single purpose in mind--to compel Him to renounce his understanding that he was, indeed, the Son of God.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down...
Further, it's also interesting how many times in the Bible forty days, and forty days and nights are used.

At the point of death, you will experience no separation from the body. Since you were never a part of it in the first place, not only will you not miss it, you will think that you're still within your physical body, but for a difference in surroundings and the sudden appearance of new powers and abilities.

HOW TO HEAL YOURSELF

The best healing is to prevent yourself from getting sick in the first place. This is what this section will dwell on.

Conversations with God has several things to say about health and staying well.

Illness and disease are opposites of health and wellness, and are made manifest in your reality at your behest. You cannot be ill without at some level causing yourself to be, and you can be well again in a moment by simply deciding to be. (CwG I p. 32)

It is very difficult to reverse the effects of negative thinking once they have taken physical form. Not impossible--but very difficult. It takes an act of extreme faith. It requires an extraordinary belief in the positive force of the universe--whether you call that God, Goddess, the Unmoved Mover, Prime Force, First Cause, or whatever.

Healers have just such faith. It is a faith that crosses over into Absolute Knowing. They know that you are meant to be whole, complete, and perfect in this moment. This knowing is also a thought--and a very powerful one. It has the power to move mountains--to say nothing of molecules in your body. That is why healers can heal, often even at a distance. (CwG I p.189) The italic is mine.

All illness is created first in the mind. (CwG I p.188)

It would be instructive to read how negative thinking, including worry, hatred, fear and negative thoughts, conspire to militate against good health. For those that may be interested, the discussion begins on page 187 of CwG.

Just the elimination of these negatives would work wonders to keep you well.

Spiritual understanding trumps faith and aids "Absolute Knowing." Once spiritual understanding crystallizes into absolute knowing, which is a by-product of this deep, unshakable understanding, then you're a healer.

Standing Firm:

At the first sign of a cold, the flu, a headache, or pain in any part of the body, or any other physical irregularity, bring all your mental forces to bear against these intruders. As you know, these ailments can be exceedingly aggressive in overtaking your good health. Yet, you should fight back, if you choose not to be ill, as aggressively as these interlopers fight to invade your mind and your body.

Keep in mind, we're more used to losing these battles with colds and flu than in winning them. Our mind knows this and will adamantly assert that knowledge .

What I'm recommending is not "mind over matter." Matter, as you now know, is merely a physical construct that allows us to interact in this realm of relativity, not only with each other, but with the physical world in general. Therefore, what we have here is mind over mind. At each step it is our mind that is the agent both at the creation level and the healing level.

Read again this previous passage again from CwG: "You cannot be ill without at some level causing yourself to be, and you can be well again in a moment by simply deciding to be."
What you're doing, then, is getting ahead of the dis-ease. You're stopping it in its tracks before it has a chance to manifest itself fully. If you don't fight at this point, you increase your liability to the disease.

Jesus expressed it this way, as the way to defeat the onset of disease:

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Book Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 25

In this case, you're the adversary, the judge, and the officer, and you determine your prison stay.

To keep from paying the "uttermost farthing," it's imperative that you build up your mental defense against any symptom of disease that may be expressing itself.

Jesus explained the nature of the "adversary," (all appearances of evil, as well as dis-ease) thusly:

44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Book John, Chapter 8, Verse 44

Now, knowing that the adversary, aka the devil, is a liar, and has no truth in him, and has fathered the lie (that is, originated it), it would behoove you (us) to agree with our adversary, rather than disagree.

Agree that the adversary is a liar, and is telling an untruth about you. Note that the lie begins with us, and we're the ones that must defend against it, or let it run its course, or use materia medica (one belief) to cast out another.

If you plan to be the victor, you can't go about this half-heartedly. Each time you're able to defeat the enemy by resisting him (here's the good news), his power diminishes. You won't have to fight so hard next time, or, because of your good health, you won't have to fight at all .

The healing organization that I mentioned before expresses this healing secret this way:

Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously. When the condition is present which you say induces disease, whether it be air, exercise, heredity, contagion, or accident, then perform your office as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears. Exclude from mortal mind the offending errors; then the body cannot suffer from them. The issues of pain or pleasure must come through mind, and like a watchman forsaking his post, we admit the intruding belief, forgetting that through divine help we can forbid this entrance.[2]

Decide vigorously that you're not going to be sick. Take a firm stance. Don't even allow the possibility of becoming ill to enter your mind.

There's a book that expresses it perfectly:

You often use the phrase, "I have made up my mind." This has a great deal of meaning, if you pause to consider it, for in that very process you begin to bring into manifestation the desire of the mind. Thus you say "I see a wrong condition in my mind, my mentality, my circumstances; I will make up my mind, this shall not be." You mentally set in motion the forces of the universe, seen and unseen, to accomplish your will." Christ in You (p.178, Italics is mine)

It's been almost two decades since I've had a cold or the flu. It's not that these viruses aren't trying to catch me, it's just that I refuse to be caught.

We hear the saying, "I caught a cold!" No truer words. It's is you (we) that do the catching. With that in mind, we can undo the catching by just deciding (making up our minds) to not be sick.

Try it the next time when the symptoms of these ailments rear their ugly heads. Clobber them with your decision not to be sick.

But act quickly, and often, until the symptoms subside and then disappear. What I've said here puts the "immune system" in a total new light. If you wish immunity, "know that you are meant to be whole, complete, and perfect in this moment," and accept no other possibility.

Realization:

Here's another powerful tool to create health and other favorable conditions and, like the tool of "standing firm", it's meant to be used immediately at the first sign of dis-ease or discord of any sort. Here's where affirmation and visualization can be used together to create the desired condition. Conjoining them is not absolutely necessary, but is done to hasten the desired outcome--improved conditions, or a perfect expression in the place of an imperfect one.

Here's how the healing organization suggests it should be done:

Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream. Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being, until the body corresponds with the normal conditions of health and harmony. [3]

Let me give you an example of how I used these tools (affirmation, realization, and visualization) to stem a rather aggressive attack of a cold or the flu.

Many years ago, I was in a business meeting when the symptoms of a respiratory illness became alarmingly threatening. Immediately, I went to the nearest public restroom to begin a regimen that made use of these three aforementioned tools.

Visualization:

Being on a warm beach, with the sun shining out of a clear blue sky, the sea water lapping against my feet, conjures up my ideal of what health is. It is there (at the beach) where I have felt my most alive, healthy and invigorated.

Affirmation & Realization:

I took myself to that beach in my mind's eye, while all the time repeating to myself how healthy I felt, all for the purpose of realizing (deeply feeling the health in my body). The goal was the realization of health, the actual feeling of being healthy. I have emphasized the "feeling" part of this because that is the most important thing to achieve, the other things, visualization, affirmations, and realization being merely avenues to take you there.

After a few minutes, all the symptoms had disappeared, and my "body corresponds[ed] with the normal conditions of health and harmony."

I returned to the meeting totally free of the symptoms. They didn't return.

Let me repeat: affirmation, realization, and visualization have their place, but are useless unless they're used to create a feeling. The feeling may be almost anything, from wealth to health, to success, to greater intelligence, to problem solving, you name it.

Get the feeling of being successful, of being healthier, of being wealthier, of being smarter, of being creative, of being enlightened for that matter.

To the degree that you feel it (and abide in that feeling), to that degree will it be your manifested reality. Feeling creates a consciousness of the thing desired. It can also create the thing that you dread. Job is the perfect example of the power of creative feeling run amok:

25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Book Job, Chapter 3:25 (Italics are mine)
It is in this consciousness where the idea/thought incubates and ultimately manifests itself as your reality.

An author/mystic that has written extensively about the power of "feeling" is Neville. Yes, he's simply known as Neville. In his book Resurrection, a collection of his writings, he asserts this about the power of feeling:

You should awaken within you the feeling that you are and have that which heretofore you desired to be and possess.
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The feeling of the wish fulfilled, if assumed and sustained, must objectify the state that would have created it.
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If a physical fact can produce a psychological state, a psychological state can produce a physical fact. If the effect (a) can be produced by the cause (b), then inversely, the effect (b) can be produced by the cause (a). Resurrection p.5-6

There are other tools, but these two (standing firm, and realization) have the power, if used quickly, to restore you to health, once dis-ease has struck.

I would suggest, in addition, that you not wait until disease strikes before using the tool of realization. Use it often--once a day if possible. Concerned about your finances--spend time each day realizing the presence of wealth to achieve the consciousness thereof.

This goes also for any other condition you wish to manifest. First, acquire the consciousness of the thing desired, using the power of feeling. The manifestation will take care of itself.

If you would like to learn the art and the science of healing, I would highly recommend the organization that I have referenced throughout these writings.

The church emphasizes a "practical Christianity." It embodies all that those words imply. If you care to explore what it has to offer go to it's Web site: Spirituality.com, established by the Christian Science Publishing Society.

The church also publishes a world-class newspaper that has a worldwide readership, a solid reputation, and universal acclaim for its journalistic excellence. You may find it here: The Christian Science Monitor CSMonitor.com.

I know of no church that has had the success rate of this church/organization in the healing arts, and the maintenance of health. If you think that practicing the healing art is something that you'd like to do, then their textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and their attendant publications, the Sentinel, and The Christian Science Journal, will give you the requisite grounding for doing so.

I would say that their healing success rate is better than that of the medical establishment. Do they always succeed? No. But I would say that they don't fail as often as medical science does. I would say that their healing system compares favorably, and I would even go so far as to say that it's probably more successful at healing people and doing no harm than medical science.

Thousands of otherwise sick individuals have been healed simply by reading their flagship book alone, Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures. In a section included in the back of most editions, entitled Fruitage, you may find a number of such cures.

No disease has failed to yield to their method, although, in some individual cases, as in the medical profession, patients have been lost. Diseases such as cancer, and even the AIDS virus, in some instances, have succumbed to their therapeutic method.

Am I suggesting that you consider membership in their church? The answer is, No. As I have stated before, I don't proselytize. I don't insist that anyone do anything. I'm a provider of information, and allow others to make up their own mind about the validity, soundness, and wisdom of what I have to say, or have said.

Quotes--[1,2,3]--are from: Science and Health with Key to the Scripture, by Mary Baker Edddy. The quotes are used without authorization of the copyright owners, but, I feel, fall within the guidelines of Section 107 of the US Copyright Law, and constitute Fair Use, as they are used to advance social, and cultural issues, and understanding.

2008-05-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF WELL

You would think that a discussion on how to keep yourself well would be a complex one. Actually, it's a simple one, because nothing is simpler than staying well. I say it's simple; I didn't say that it's easy.

It's easy only to the degree that you follow the simplest of precepts.

Let me share with you a healing I experienced some years ago. On that occasion, I was reading, for the first time, Conversations with God. The healing was not the first I had experienced using prayer and my understanding of God, my relationship to Him, and the nature of disease.

I had been in an automobile accident, and, as a result, experienced severe pain alone the left side of my body, from my neck down my left arm. The pain endured throughout the day, and interfered with my sleep, as I would often wake up in pain during the night, and found it difficult to find a position in which to sleep.

While reading CwG (Conversations with God), I asked God why I wasn't able to heal my condition. I knew what I needed to do to affect a healing, but I wasn't getting very far.

We must have dialoged for a while before I realized that I was talking to Him. What is to follow is what I remember of the discussion to the best of ability.

God asked me: "Do you know what the secret place of the Most High is?" I realized that the "secret place" was a term used in one of the passages from the Bible that had long resonated with me, and was one of my favorites, Psalm 91.

I told Him that I didn't. He said, "It is love."

I said something to the effect, "It doesn't say so in the passage."

He said, "Read it again." I retrieved my Bible thinking, I don't remember any such passage, God has to be wrong here. I found the Psalm that had been referenced, and read the following:

Psalm 91
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the
wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my
salvation.

Foolish me. Of course it was there! When I read that line, to set my love upon God, I immediately reached out to Him with love, and as I did so, the pain, that had been my constant companion for over a month, disappeared. And, for the first time that night, I slept without pain, and without interruption to my sleep.

You can't imagine the intensity of my joy. I still rejoice for the freedom I found after reading the Psalm.

Here is what the "secret place" will protect you from:

the snare of the fowler
the noisome pestilence
the terror by night
the arrow that flieth by day
the pestilence that walketh in darkness
the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Here are some of its assurances:

no evil befall thee
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder
the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

All of this and more shall be yours just by doing this one simple thing: set your love upon God; dwell in the "secret place."

Jesus cites the law of protection this way, as he answers a lawyer who is seeking to tempt him with the question:

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Book
Matthew, Chapter 22, Verse 36-40)

As an additional bonus, you get the following:

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew
him my salvation. (Italics is mine)

Your prayers, then, stand a greater chance of being manifested, if you have love towards God and your neighbor, than if your heart is bereft of love.

Obviously, dwelling in love is the key. And this is where the going gets tough. We'd rather indulge many other states of mind (worry, hatred, fear) than dwell in a state of love. Of course it doesn't have to be a big hatred, it can be a little one, such as prejudice, dislike, contempt.

It doesn't have to be a big fear, it can be a little one, such as concerns about failing, getting sick, having an accident, or not making the grade in some other way.

With a mind always on love, expressing it, thinking it, meditating it, practicing it, you don't have to worry about the "deadly" three negative states of mind.

IN SUMMATION

Now you have it. You may build on the foundation I've set here if you choose. But none of this will bear fruit without effort. The more the effort the greater the fruit.

You will find, as I have found, that not everyone wishes to be awaken. Some are comfortable in the Matrix. The movie speaks some truths about the physical, visual, deception that we're generating and are accepting as real. Sprit is operating around a physical overlay. The overlay is not real, and would cease to be without Spirit.

Some have had the courage to look behind the Matrix, behind the scaffolding of material existence.

Although it appears that our world is physical, we live within a mental universe. And we profoundly impact that world with our thoughts and beliefs, on both the individual and universal level.

Everything in this world has conditioned us to accept ourselves as physical, to believe the lie. It's the greatest of illusions. We've had a lifetime of conditioning that affirms our identity as being physical and material. Yet, if we've never been physical, then we're spiritual beings. As spiritual beings, we can't be imperfect, not even as (so it seems) beings in physical bodies.

If you would be a consistent healer, this must be the premise you accept as your truth.

The more we dwell within the absolute, the more the world of relativity will reveal what it truly is: an illusion. When we dwell in love, we dwell in God, the Absolute.

A book that offers new hope for humanity

2008-04-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to a book that offers a new hope for the future of humankind. Once we humans embrace the book's leading concept of Oneness, at that moment we will enter into a New Age, an age where no human will be seen as useless, or undesirable, where no child will be allowed to go to bed hungry for lack of food or for the tender loving touch of parents.

The book offers a new view of God and man. Inside, you will enter a world of paradox, where perspective creates perception, and perception your experience. You're going to receive answers to Questions that may have plagued you for years. Questions about good and evil, about sin, about Heaven and Hell, about why the world is the way it is, about abortion, about homosexuality, about tyrants, about the nature of God and your relationship to Him, about marriage, about relationships in general, about why we're here, about life and death, and about the incomparable Love of God.

The book was listed on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year. Perhaps you have heard of it, but dismissed it because you felt it wouldn't mesh with your religious views, or your Christian teachings. The book has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and is esteemed worldwide. It was the beginning of several books to follow, all of which have enjoyed a worldwide reception, and acceptance.

Drum rolls, please. The title of the book is, Conversations with God, An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1), by Neale Donald Walsch.

Now before you exclaim that a "conversation with God" seems highly unlikely, let me offer to you my experience with the book. While reading the book for the first time any number of additional questions came to mind about the book's content. I would ask God for an explanation. The explanation came in three ways: (1) I would hear the answer; or (2) I would see the answer; or (3) I would just know the answer, and would have to summon words to give verbal shape to what I knew.

I received enough additional information that way I could have written a book myself. It was, as I read, like having a running dialogue with God.

The book came to me right after an automobile accident that left me injured and in pain for more than a month. Because I was between health plans at the time, I had no health coverage, and couldn't afford to see a doctor about my complaint.

While lying in bed reading the book one night, the pain reached a new intensity. I asked God why I was having such difficulty healing the injury. (Through prayer, I have had many rather remarkable healings over the years, but this one proved exceedingly stubborn.)

We had talked at length about it, before I realized that I was talking with someone (The conversation took place within.). At the end of the talk, and after I had been directed to a bible verse, the pain just disappeared.

Even now, I receive sporadic statements from this internal source--usually after I pose a question or face a dilemma. If you're not careful you, too, may find that you're having a conversation with God. Does this sound unimaginable? That's why so many ignore Him, they can't imagine that He talks with them. (Note the tense.)

I tell you this not to impress you, nor to legitimize the book, but to offer you one man's view of the material. It doesn't mean that you have to agree with anything you read, just because it states that it's a conversation with God. God, Himself (as presented in the book), would encourage you not to do that. He will urge you to find your own truth, especially if what He says contradicts violently with what you presently believe.

Further, on several key points, I find that some of the statements attributed to Him does not fully represent what I believe, so I cling to what I believe, without dismissing the whole book.

The God you will encounter in the book will not be the God that you might have imagined while growing up in the church, one having a long white beard, stern face, and meting out justice and vengeance. You will find there a God much like what you may have hoped He would be, perhaps the way you may have envisioned Jesus to be--warm, humorous, loving a good joke, and even telling one from time to time, witty, kind, compassionate, and loving. In short, you will find a God a lot like you, but without the negative traits we usually attribute to humans. It will give new meaning to the Biblical passage where Jesus states: "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father."

I hope your curiosity is now running over, and your desire to expand your awareness, knowledge and wisdom is at fever pitch.

I would recommend that you read Book 1 of the trilogy first. The next two books, although they may be read on their own, will build on the first.

Interpretation of Numbers, Chapter 12, Verse 1-10

2008-04-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

1 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.
2 And they said: 'Hath the LORD indeed spoken only with Moses? hath He not spoken also with us?' And the LORD heard it.
3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.)
4 And the LORD spoke suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam: 'Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting.' And they three came out.
5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth.
6 And He said: 'Hear now My words: if there be a prophet among you, I the LORD do make Myself known unto him in a vision, I do speak with him in a dream.
7 My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house;
8 with him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD doth he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?'
9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and He departed.
10 And when the cloud was removed from over the Tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam; and, behold, she was leprous.

What's to follow is my attempt at an interpretation of the above passage from the Book of Numbers. I found the passage on blackfirewhitefire.blogspot.com. It's a wonderful site that always gives me a great deal of food for thought.

Here's my rather long response:

May I offer yet another interpretation. It's not that yours is not valid, because it is; its not that mine is better, because it's not.

It's just another interpretation, another way of looking at the same thing--that, and nothing more.

I realize that you're Jewish, and I hope you won't find offense in my use of quotes from my Christian Bible in my effort.

We're told that Moses was meek, and indeed he was:

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were
upon the face of the earth.

Now Jesus tells us this:

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the
earth.

My dictionary tells me that meekness is synonymous with submissiveness. And so it is, but not submissive to the wishes of man, but to the wishes of God. One who is meek, then, seeks to know and do the will of God, and, because of that, resides in a blessed state.

Jesus, we're told, was also such a man.

The prideful and haughty (those who the Bible speaks against vehemently) seek primarily the execution of their own will, without consideration for what God wishes or desires.

Therefore, we're told that Moses is meek, and that meekness is a blessed state--because it is.

The Lord, that divine, spiritual presence, that wreaks so much havoc in the old testament (your Bible), is, for me, the Law of God.

What is that Law?

As the Lord gives it to Moses, stating it perfectly:

Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath
caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. Book Leviticus,
Chapter 24, Verse 20

Jesus states it this way:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Book
Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 12

He casts the statement in a positive light, offering at the same time a way to keep the Law on your side.

And again in Galatians:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. Gal 6:7

It has also been called Karma--a deed or action that carries its own consequence. What we have, then, is Miriam and Aaron (accusers) attacking God's servant (meekness). Moses represents this Great Light of God, against which no accusation can stand.

As we reside in that Great Light of Meekness, no power can stand against us, or accuse us before God.

Moses' greatest sin, according to his accusers, is that he had wedded himself to darkness (the absence of Light), represented here by the Cushite woman.

What Miriam and Aaron failed to understand is that darkness enhances the Light, giving it a greater brightness, a stronger brilliance. This marriage of Light with Darkness was within the divine Will and not outside of it. Something the accusers failed to see, and clearly brought out in this passage from Genesis:

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness.5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Book
Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 4

No "darkness", no "first day."

Again we're told:

...wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My
servant, against Moses?' 9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them;
and He departed.

Evil, God's only accuser, should always tremble before goodness, the "servant of God."

Here follows a long passage, but it clarifies who the accuser is, as well as the accusation:

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, calledthe Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into theearth, and his angels were cast out with him.10 And I heard a loud voice sayingin heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. Book Revelation, Chapter 12

I don't feel that the Lord/Law is actually angry in a human sense, but only appears to be, whenever retribution is delivered, as in "an eye for an eye."

The Law is the creation of an All-loving God, of whom it has been said: "God is Love...." It's the method by which evil, the usual product of a free will, is kept in check

For their foolish words, they both were punished: Miriam with leprosy, and Aaron to behold the result of his actions--Miriam's tortured condition

There's more to be said, but I'm afraid that I have taken up much too much of your blog space already.

Namaste

Vishnu, the Preserver

2008-03-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

I'm told that the name Guru is given to a personal spiritual teacher in Hinduism. Let me share with you an experience centered around one of their deities, Vishnu, known as the "preserver and restorer."

Now I'm going to nudge you a little to peer ever so carefully into another reality. I'll use the experiences of my own life to give you that nudge from time to time. If things paranormal cause you trepidation, perhaps you will shed much of that trepidation, as I share with you my encounters with it. Some of it may appear to be the stuff of fantasy, but, hopefully, it will stretch your consciousness to accept an ever growing spiral of reality that you never dreamed existed.

Here's one: I've been called by those on the other side, Vishnu. Mind you, I knew nothing of Vishnu when I was so addressed. Do I consider myself to be the personage of that Hindu deity. No. I consider Vishnu to be an omnipresent spirit, an ideal if you will, that may pervade the human heart, the human spirit, if permitted. With the name came a power exchange, so that I may fulfill my mission on earth. Vishnu the "preserver and restorer." That describes me to a tee. Perhaps I'll share with you at some later time one of the things that I do as "restorer."

Anyone may adopt the presence and power of Vishnu, as well as the name, if they're willing to help restore balance to the world. Vishnu is supposed to make one final incarnation. I feel that we're now in that time. The incarnation will not be in the physical, necessarily, but in the spirit, so that whoever wishes to help achieve the balance, as an avatar, before that great and wondrous day, will be able to. See this link for more information:( Vishnu)

My Earliest Paranormal Experience

2008-03-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

From an early age I harbored a feeling that I couldn't share with others--family or friends. I knew that they wouldn't understand, and would merely seek to disabuse me of the thoughts I was having and the feelings I was experiencing.

The thought, the feeling:

I never felt like earth was my home. As a child, I would stand out under the stars and know that I came from up there. Another thought that haunted me then:

I wasn't born into this world.
The world was born into me.

Like most of you, I have always felt close to God, and this from an early age. My first experience with the voice within (which, according to some, makes me certifiably insane) was as a child. One Christmas my father consented to give my brother and me BB guns. What do you do with a gun? You hunt with it. Which is what I did.

That winter red-breasted robins invaded the school yard trees which grew across the street from my home. The trees were loaded with seed-like food for them. They would fill up on the seeds and, because it was very cold, just sit in the trees, seemingly too cold to fly away, even when I approached with my gun.

I found that It wasn't even necessary for me to aim. All I had to do was shoot in their direction and a robin would fall to the ground. I must have killed dozens this way. Of course with the intention of making a fire and eating them.

I picked up one, and was amazed how fragile it was in my hand--it was mostly bone and a little flesh. In flight or sitting on limbs, their feathers gave them the appearance of being fat. But in my hand they were delicate and fragile.

And then it happened. I heard it. A man's voice. Loud. Booming. Unmistakable. "Why are you doing that?" The voice asked. "Don't you know that that is wrong?" I looked around wondering who was showing disapproval. I saw that I was the only one standing in this very large school yard, on this very cold day. It would have been unusual for someone to be there anyway, since it was Christmas break, and school wasn't in session.

Shortly after that, I began to have out-of-body experiences. I still experience them occasionally. A story for another time. What's significant about them is that I realized, after emerging from some of them, that I was having conversations with someone that sat behind a white veil of a sort.

The conversations would last for hours it seemed. And most of the time, I couldn't remember what was said to me, or what was discussed.

Even now, when I least expect it, I will get a response to a thought I'm thinking, or the answer to a dilemma I'm facing. Much more could be said about this, but not now. Suffice it to say, this phenomena continues to this day.

From all these experiences, I've had an unquenchable thirst to understand God and my relationship to Him. I knew that the church of my childhood didn't have the answers I sought, but I didn't condemn it for that. I merely sought out the churches that came closest to what I did feel. Early on, I realized that the church would meet my pursuit with disfavor and perhaps downright hostility.

I wasn't angry, just cautious.

Some of the books I've read:
Emanuel Swedenborg before he had a presence on the web--well, long before the Web.
Robert A. Monroe, and his out-of-body classics. His works are preserved by the efforts of The Monroe Institute.
Jane Robert's Seth Materials. Jane Roberts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . A listing of her books may be found here: A Seth/Jane Roberts Annotated Book Listing

Some of these I read in my early years. I read anything that would offer explanations of what I was experiencing, and allow me to understand my world and my place in it. Did I accept everything wholesale? Certainly not. I still don't, regardless of the source. Concepts either fitted into my world view or they didn't. But I didn't dismiss everything I read because I didn't agree with the whole.

In recent years, I have read A Course in Miracles by Helen Schucman. More may be found at: Foundation for "A Course in Miracles" Home Page.

Which brings me back, in a circuitous way, to another book I've read, Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch. I approached it in the same way I approached the other books in my quest--another book to add to my knowledge of God. This is how the book has served me--its primary value. I find it to be a summary of the many things that I already hold as "my truth."