IndependentUnity

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind …” (Romans 12:2). This oft quoted passage from Paul represents a common theme of Jesus. His references to things like new wineskins, new cloth, and the need to be reborn all carry the theme of renewal. As our first topic of this Advent season, we focus on the opportunity to release the old elements associated with the paradigm of separation from God and open ourselves to the renewing truth of oneness. It is probably fair to say that most of us evolved to the idea of the kingdom of God as an internal rather than an external phenomenon. If so, we may still find ourselves stealing glances to the heavens as we pray our way through one of our life’s challenges. As this renewal of the mind, this shift in spiritual values occurs, so does our enthusiasm for our new, inner-directed approach to life. We are gradually learning how to avail ourselves to this inner fountain of guidance and comfort. When Jesus suggested the need to become as children, he was pointing to the child-like trust that positions the mind in a receptive and inquisitive mode. The life-energy bubbling up in us is like the new fermenting wine that requires a mind free of the preconceived limitations of the old wineskins. Likewise, we do not want to try to simply patch our old-garment thinking with a few positive affirmations. We become willing to let our mind become an entirely new garment. The fact that you and I have already responded to a new way of thinking of spiritual matters indicates that we are engaged in the transformation Paul refers to. This is not an overnight process. There will be times when we find ourselves clinging to the old even as we long for the new. As we affirm the renewing fountain of life welling up within our being, our enthusiasm for this new direction grows. The cosmic wave, as I now like to think of it, rises from within, transforming the way we experience the world around us. This is the beauty of the renewal of the mind. We are not required to change the world, only to experience it in a new way.

A member of our YouTube audience, Tomi, asks this question: “How do you interpret this verse? John 14:6: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.’” The first thing we observe is that this passage makes the man Jesus the only way to the Father. This tells us that if the saying originated with Jesus, it has been Christianized. A mystic would not call attention to himself as the way to the Father. How do we know? Because the recur-ring foundational principle, a perennial truth embodied in the mystical tradition is that the Father (God, the Absolute) is within every person. In all likelihood, Jesus was not calling attention to himself but to the Way he taught. The Way was the name given to his body of teachings. Because he put none of his teachings in writing, he truly was the embodiment of the Way. Had he written everything down, he could have held up the manuscript and said, “This is the Way, the truth that I have taught. If you follow these teachings, you will see they lead you to life, to the very Father within.” This, of course, is pure speculation on my part. But the alternative is to assume that Jesus, the man, is the one and only way to God. A careful study of the sayings attributed to Jesus reveals the Way is built on the understanding of God as omnipresent, centered in every individual, in a relationship of eternal oneness that can never be broken. The Chinese Tao is also referred to as the Way. It is described as the natural order of the universe. If a person is in tune with it, their life works. If they are out of tune with it, things don’t go so well. Jesus was not a Taoist, but all spiritual systems of truth rest upon the exact same principles. Jesus pointed out that the truth he taught, the Way, would set one free. He told Pilate that his single purpose in life was to teach this truth to others. Those who had already gained an understanding of it would resonate with what he was teaching (John 18:37). I part company with the mainstream Christian dogma that considers Jesus as the only way to God. This tradition teaches God is afar, man (humankind) is born in sin, and God and man are separated by sin, with Jesus as the only way to oneness with God. But Jesus says, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). I am absolutely convinced that Jesus taught there is only one way to God and that is not through him, but through his teachings. The kingdom of God is within you. The Way involves the omnipresence and accessibility of God to all, the divine nature of each person, and the relationship of ab-solute oneness between God and the individual.

Lisanya from South Africa asked if I would write and speak of the two concepts of atonement and repentance. What is the difference and what role do they play in our spiritual endeavor? Drawing from two simple definitions, to atone is to make amends or reparation. To repent is to express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrong-doing or sin. Christian theology states that Jesus offered himself as “the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 2:2). It is interesting that this idea goes way back into the Old Testament book of Leviticus (16:20-22). The priest, Aaron, placed the sins of Israel on the head of a goat which was then released into the wilderness, freeing people from the burden and consequence of sin. This is where we get the term and the concept of scapegoat. Repentance is tied to baptism which represents a fundamental change in consciousness. One goes into the water as one thing, a sinner, and comes out cleansed of sin. The simple meaning of the word is to change one’s mind. Both terms involve a realignment of an individual’s consciousness with the truth of his or her being. When we sin, or fall short of our di-vine potential, that potential is not affected. The soul remains whole and complete. What changes is our attitude toward ourselves. If we feel we are miserable sinners, worms of the dust, we live a very compromised life. In truth, we are expressions of God. Nothing we do changes this. Neither does it change God’s attitude toward us. Both atonement and repentance are all about self-forgiveness. For example, if you lock yourself in a dark cellar, the sun continues to shine. It does not condemn you for your action. You are, in a sense, condemned by your action. The moment you change your mind—repent—and come out of the cellar, the sun greets you with its light and warmth. So it is with Spirit. No one can remove your sense of guilt or remorse (vicarious atonement). Only you can do this. And you do it by coming to know yourself as a complete soul, created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26).

There is a big difference between believing something to be true and knowing it is true. On our spiritual quest, it is important for us to make this distinction and see where we stand with our spiritual ideals. Do we embrace them because they make sense, or do we embrace them as the result of direct revelation or through some experience? It's a question worth exploring. When Jesus spoke of being born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5), we take this to mean there is an intellectual and intuitive (spiritual) aspect of our quest. The intellectual aspect is that which appeals to our logic. When I first discovered Unity, one of the things that stood out to me was that it appealed to my sense of logic. Spiritual principles were explained in ways that made sense. Prior to this, I remember being told that there are things you must accept in faith. God will make it clear in His own good time. The second thing that stood out was the experiential aspect. People were encouraged, through prayer and meditation, to develop a first-hand experience with God. For many, this is challenging, possibly even confusing. It is important to know that the experiential aspect also includes the easy and natural acceptance of spiritual truths that we have never seen articulated. When Jesus said those who have learned from the Father come to me, this is what he was referring to. We first know something deep in our heart. When someone puts it in words, we respond affirmatively. We knew it before we heard it. I have pointed out that we highlight those passages from our inspirational books because they say what we have already felt. We are prompted into a new way of thinking by a very quiet knowing that gradually rises to the surface of our consciousness. It’s that still small voice of scripture. The validity of this quiet voice is that it keeps us on a steady course in a definite direction. We may forget, veer momentarily, or live for seasons as if our inner inclinations have no practical value. But we always return to the promptings of our heart. Beliefs change, but our inner, experiential knowing is a steady beacon that we will never lose.

The spiritual principle behind prayer is very simple. First, we do not pray to get God to act. God is already active. How am I interacting with God? This is the question. When we pray, we have a switch that turns on and off. We turn the switch to 'off' with negative doubts and fears. We turn the switch to 'on' for the greater good we desire. God does the rest. This may sound over-simplistic but consider the alternatives. Either God is so busy that He didn’t notice you were having a problem, or you’re just getting another lesson on something you didn’t learn the first time. I’m sure we’ve all been down both these roads, so we don’t need to go down them again. Prayer is an attitude adjustment. If we’re saying yes to worry and to a whole train of negative imagery, we start saying no to these things instead. We say yes to that feeling that things are working for the best and highest. How do we say yes to an answer we cannot yet see? Faith. We ask how we would feel if our problem was solved, then we do our best to embrace that feeling. We feel happy, free, creative, fearless. This is what we want so this is the switch we turn on. The moment the negativity creeps back in, we say no. By saying no, we are committed to releasing the negative energy and all its implications. We begin in this very moment to have a better experience. Prayer does not free us from worry. Worry can be considered a prayer. But our energy is turned in the wrong direction. We are visualizing something we don’t want, and we’re pouring our faith into it. So, let’s turn it around. Let’s focus on what we do want and pour our faith into that. Turn your prayer from an unconscious response to a negative appearance to a conscious, positive and proactive response to the level of experience you really want. Whether you are praying for healing, prosperity, harmony, or guidance, stop asking God to get busy. Affirm that the divine wisdom of God is working in and through you to bring about the best and highest for all. This is the simple prayer, and it’s really the only prayer you will ever need.

When we pray for guidance, we may envision God imparting special wisdom that will help us resolve a specific issue in our life. It is good to remind ourselves that one of the qualities of God is intelligence. To express more intelligence, we simply begin to affirm it. Affirming brings to our attention the truth that the fullness of divine intelligence is already present and is now directing our every action. If you take a few moments to observe the living things growing around your house, you'll see divine intelligence in action. If God guides a single blade of grass to grow successfully, think how much more the divine wisdom of God is guiding you. Divine intelligence expresses through our life in orderly fashion. Jesus pointed out, “The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (Mark 4:28). When we pray for the resolution to some issue, the temptation is to focus only on the full grain in the ear. We forget the blade and the ear comes first. Of course, we do not know what our blade and ear are supposed to look like, so this may not be so helpful. However, our work is to state our desire then trust the wisdom of God to unfold the solution. We also want to refrain from thinking of this process as God dealing us a hand of cards. Now we must figure out how to play them. It is more effective to simply check to see if there is some action we can take now. If so, we do that. If not, we commit to trusting that divine order is always in play. We allow ourselves to relax and go with the flow. Emerson pointed out that every person “is the inlet and may become the outlet to all there is in God”. See yourself immersed in the intelligence of God, with this divine wisdom expressing through you in the best and highest ways imaginable. If frustration begins to creep in, remind yourself with affirmative statements that divine order is always at work unfolding your solution one step at a time. You know the resolution will come. Take the steps you need to take, trust the divine order of the process, and do your best to enjoy your life right now.

The Gospels tell us that the ministry of Jesus began after he was baptized by John and spent forty days in the wilderness, fasting and being tempted by Satan. Some scholars question the baptism from John, suggesting the Gospel writers were attempting to appeal to followers of John the Baptist. I relate to these two events on a personal level. The baptism is symbolic of a new birth, a spiritual awakening that sparks a whole new way of understanding. I think of the time in the wilderness as a kind of soul searching, vision quest, time alone to figure out what to do with this new insight. My own spiritual baptism, a mystical experience, was a turning point for me. A few years passed, however, before I knew what I needed to do with it. Like Jesus, after this period, I knew the ministry was the path I needed to take. When I was in seminary, we were introduced to the five M’s of a religious organization’s development. Since I cannot find my notes from that time, this, I’m sure, will present as a slight variation: The Man, The Message, The Ministry, The Movement, and The Monument. In this discussion, Jesus, of course, is the man. His message was his personal baptism, the revelation of God within himself and all people. Sharing this message as a benefit to the people was his ministry. It is during the movement phase of our five M’s scenario that the transition from the teachings of Jesus to teachings about Jesus occurs. Why? Because the leadership changes from Jesus as authority to the apostles. Jesus taught the kingdom of God is within. The apostles taught that the kingdom of God is a coming event. While the ministry of Jesus focused on the enlightenment of the individual, the ministry of the apostles focused on growing the organization. “So those who received his [Peter’s] word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:41-42). The monument grew out of the movement as the multi-faceted, institutionalized religion we know as Christianity. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a very personal spiritual awakening to the presence of God. Those who have the experience are compelled to share with others the truth that they too can experience direct spiritual enlightenment. This baptism of the Holy Spirit is, I believe, what Jesus meant by the truth that would make one free.

It has been my observation that many people carry, if only in the back of their mind, the question of whether they have measured up and will be okay when they pass from this life. I once sat at the bedside of a dying woman who was terrified of going to hell. I have talked to others who felt they were okay, that they had lived a pretty good life, but they were not 100% certain that they had earned a place in that eternal city with streets paved in gold. The question of salvation is alive and well among believers and nonbelievers alike. An important facet of near-death research is that it blows the lid off the sin and eternal punishment model. Some who have lived a horrible life report an experience of incredible love and beauty, an indescribable feeling of having come home. They return to their body totally changed. To me, this strongly suggests that the notion of salvation has nothing to do with the afterlife and everything to do with our present experience. As I said last week, I do not think Jesus was concerned about the afterlife. His focus was on helping people live a happier, freer life while they are on this earth. To him, salvation meant freedom from worry, fear, and the struggle of maintaining a body. The key to Jesus’ understanding of salvation was recovering the awareness of our unity with God. Recovery, you recall, means we connect with something we already have but have somehow lost. Most NDE’rs describe their experience as having come home. The implication is that they returned to an experience they were having prior to birth. Salvation, then, is remembering. It is consciously reconnecting with our eternal soul. This is what happens to the one who has a near-death experience. They make a conscious reconnection with the truth of who and what they are. The experience is so profoundly powerful that it changes the entire way they think of and live their life. Fortunately, we do not have to have one of these to be saved from the struggles involved in our earthly experience. Knowing our soul is eternal and naturally exempt from cosmic retribution of any kind, frees us to live each day to its fullest.

Do unto others and you would have them do unto you. Forgive those who trespass against you. Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. What do these statements share in common? First, they have to do with moral behavior. Second, and most important, they have to do with the spiritual side of moral behavior, which is letting go of any negative state of mind that binds us. I've been talking about the creative life force and its inward-out direction of flow. If we plot to do harm to another, if we harbor resentment, if we declare war on our enemy, if we wish the worst for those who have persecuted us, we are hanging onto things that hinder Spirit's natural flow in our life. It isn't enough to simply go through the motions of performing morally commendable acts. We must also activate the spiritual component of releasing the negative energy we have invested. In other words, we don't do it simply because it's the morally correct thing to do. We do it because it's the freeing thing to do. We are not required to excuse the behavior of those who have in some way meant us harm. When Jesus said, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), he was pointing out that God does not react to the good or bad behavior of people. Our negative reaction to others is a way of saying we are willing to withhold the sun and rain of our spiritual light, not from a given person, but from our own experience. Jesus is not saying forgive for the sake of others. He is saying forgive for the sake of you. You recall the wealthy young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments. The man said he did all that. What’s missing? Doing the right thing is not enough. Jesus told him that he must sell everything. He must let go of the value he was placing on his possessions and invest instead in the freedom he was missing. So it is with us. Doing the correct thing is not always the freeing thing. We should also take into consideration the spiritual side of morality which always involves some form of letting go.

In addressing this topic of empowerment, I want to go back to the river illustration I used a few weeks ago. There are two things about this river analogy that we need to be clear on. First, we are not seeking a destination on the river, upstream or down. The point of the illustration is to highlight the fact that the river flows in but one direction. In the spiritual context, this direction is from the inside out. To be empowered by God is to know that our life can only be transformed from the inside out. Both our religious and cultural training have programed us to believe the transformation, the fulfillment we seek lies upstream. Religion sees the current as a test of faith. Our cultural training says the hard work of paddling will get us to that satisfying place of success. So, why would Jesus question the logic of gaining the world at the risk of losing the soul? Did we really come here so we could spend our life paddling upstream? There is something more to what he taught. He said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). There is something wrong with the way this statement is translated. Who in the world would want to follow a way that is even harder than paddling upstream? A careful reading of this line reveals that he is saying the narrow gate that leads to life is hard to find, and few find it. He found it and he taught it. Nothing on this earth is our destination. We are here to enjoy this journey. To enjoy the journey means that we have goals, we pursue interests, embark on careers, we make money, we buy houses, we get married, we have children. But none of these represent our purpose for showing up on this planet. We are here to solve this puzzle of living, to engage in all our activities empowered by God. Go out in your yard and find a dandelion. This humble flower is doing fully what you and I are striving for. It is not paddling upstream or drifting aimlessly down. It is being who and what it is from the inside-out. It has solved the puzzle of how to live a successful life empowered by God.

Someone raised the subject of karma, and whether we should consider it a factor in the way our life unfolds. In other words, should we think of negative conditions as karmic payback for something negative we may have done in the past? This is a good subject to explore, for a fair number of people in the West have adopted this Eastern concept. Mainstream Christianity's version of karma is the sin and punishment model: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Jn. 9:2). That which has the greatest impact on the quality of our life is that which occupies our mind at this moment. Whether we embrace the concept of karma, or the more traditional sin and punishment model, it is our faith in either of these ideas that make them seem true to us. In the case of the man born blind, Jesus drew attention to the importance of that which occupies our mind in the moment: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him" (Jn. 9:3). How we use our mind in the present has more impact than how we used it in the past. We do not want to sidestep the consequences of past actions. There may be a bit of cleanup required. But suppose Jesus had answered the question by naming the sinner as the man, or the parents of the man. We would know where to point the finger of blame, but we would have no solution to the man’s condition of blindness. If you are a hiker, you will occasionally find yourself walking over rocky ground. You know how important it is to be mindful of every step. Likewise, when you walk over the rocky terrain of a life condition, be mindful of every mental and emotional step you take. You know how you got on your rocky patch of trail. You wanted the hike. How did you get to this rocky patch in your life? You wanted to live. You did nothing wrong; this is simply a stretch of the path you are on. This is your opportunity to see the works of God manifest. When you think about it, you can only take one step at a time. Lay down any baggage of karma you may be carrying and take your next step mindfully and gratefully.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our nation, our thoughts turn to the meaning of peace and freedom. I have said, and it's worth repeating, that the true goal behind most everything we seek is peace of mind and freedom from fear. The problem with our attempts to achieve these important states from the outside-in, is that our achievements rarely satisfy for long. So, it's important that we learn to find peace of mind and freedom from fear in ways that are not dependent on what we do or do not have. Is this really possible? Yes, it is possible. But it requires a way of thinking that is quite different from what many of us practice daily. We want to solve the problem so we can have peace of mind and freedom from fear. Can we turn this around by learning to experience peace and freedom first, then, from this more stable state, work toward a resolution to our problem? Let’s find out. Think of that issue in your life that you want to resolve. Let’s pray about it. Does this mean we’re going to ask God to fix it for us? No. It means we are going to release all fear, all doubt, all stress that we have accumulated around the issue. This is denial, or the release of the negative energy. This is our first step in prayer. As we clear out the unwanted negativity, we affirm the truth of what we desire—peace of mind and freedom from fear. We speak words something like this: The peace of God fills my mind. I am free of all fear. When David came up against Goliath, his companions loaded him down with armor. He felt so awkward that he had to throw it off. As a shepherd, he was most comfortable using his sling and stone. He accomplished the desired end, but with a method most comfortable to him. When we fear, we are responding to a challenge feeling we do not have the proper armor to succeed. But the simple sling and stone of the spoken word of truth should more than suffice. As we discussed last week, if we think less in terms of conditions and more in terms of spiritual energy, the ball is always in our court.

What is the difference between ignoring an issue and letting it go? I once spoke to a woman who complained that her boyfriend often made demeaning remarks that she thought were intended to keep her in her place. “How do you handle that?” I asked. She rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed. “O, I just ignore him.” She may have given him the impression that she was ignoring him, but she obviously continued to carry the resentment. Letting go is releasing the negative energy we hold concerning a person or a situation. This usually requires a very deliberate and conscious effort to actually experience the freedom of release. If the natural flow of the creative life force is from the inside out, then it is important for us to release the negative energy of fear or resentment we may harbor. Ignoring it is not really an option because, as the woman demonstrated, we carry it with us wherever we go. Let’s look at three steps we can take to assure that we are letting go rather than just ignoring. First, we treat the issue as mental and emotional energy. We do this because, based on our inside/out model, we accept that we are the ones who decide how we use our energy. The outside/in approach says the world makes this choice for us. If I say someone else’s action makes me resentful, then I am giving them the power (outside/in) to control my energy. This is how most of us deal with the world, so it is important that we make a conscious effort to separate the outer appearance from our internal reaction. The second step is to visualize this energy dissolving. I’m not trying to change a person or a condition, I am allowing my thought and emotion about the person or condition to dissolve. Think of the fog on your bathroom mirror after a shower. Point a hairdryer at it and watch it disappear. Hold a similar visualization. When you feel some relief, some genuine detachment from the event, go about your business as if the situation is resolved in your favor. This, of course, is the fulfillment of Jesus’ advice to believe you have received what you ask for in prayer. Remember, do not ignore the appearance. Let it go. The power to do so is with us always.

Our Unity teachings have encouraged us to think of the term Christ as the spiritual potential within all people. However, it is clear that all New Testament writers used Christ and Jesus interchangeably. Most people do the same today. Christ is a Greek term that means anointed. In the Old Testament, anointing was a ritual reserved for kings and prophets. In the New Testament, it is a title referring to the Messiah. Jesus Christ is intended to be understood as Jesus the anointed, Jesus the Messiah. The associations we make with Christ may make our attainment of Christ Consciousness seem like a remote possibility. Evidence suggests that Jesus himself avoided the title. "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make (anoint) him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself" (John 6:15). The focus of his teaching is directed toward the spiritual awakening, not for the purpose of attaining an evolutionary advancement of the soul, but for the purpose of living a fuller, freer life right now. I have been asked where I got the idea that our soul is evolving. It is a generally accepted belief in New Thought that was adopted by Charles Fillmore, cofounder of Unity: “As death has no power to help anyone, the condition of the Adam man is not bettered by dying. Therefore, when people are re-embodied they ‘come forth . . . unto the resurrection of damnation,’ in other words, condemnation or correction. Everyone begins where he left off.” I once embraced this belief. With the abundance of NDE research now at our disposal, I’ve wondered if Fillmore too would have exercised his declared right to change his mind. It is important for us to embrace this life, this journey on earth as our own. I do not think Jesus held himself up as the example for us to follow: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). I am inclined to believe he taught that the soul is complete, and his mission was to help us learn to let this light of completeness shine through every aspect of our daily life.

The deeper I go into what I see as the authentic teachings of Jesus, the simpler they become. A river flows in a single direction, but we can paddle our canoe in two directions. We can take the easy way of flowing with the current, or we can take the more difficult way of paddling upstream and going against the current. The river does not punish or impose our struggle. Struggle comes with our choice to paddle upstream. As a teacher, Jesus tried to help people understand the nature of the river and then learn to recognize which way they were paddling their canoe. Because of the inherent difficulties of life in a body, it is easy to believe that paddling upstream is the intended human condition. The mainstream Christian assumes we’re being tested by the current to see if we’re worthy of reaching that place of eternal rest and peace upstream. The alternative Christian believes there are lessons to be learned from the struggle, but all will be worth it when we reach that great moment of enlightenment, also upstream. It does not seem to me that these were models Jesus had in mind. His prodigal son spent the first half of his journey paddling upstream. When he reached his point of absolute failure and exhaustion, all he was required to do was turn his canoe and flow back into the everlasting arms of a loving father. We could, in one sense, think of this as grace. To say that we cannot worship both God and mammon is another way of saying we can’t travel in two directions at once. Either we are paddling against the current, or we are going with the flow. This can be a helpful image for us to consider. The river flows in one direction. Am I paddling against the current, or am I flowing with it? To find out, I only need to look at how I’m handling my life. Am I stressed out, fighting for every inch I gain? Or am I relaxed and enjoying my journey? Am I praying for the river to help me win my upstream battle? Or, am I affirming the natural flow of the river is now carrying me to my greatest good? While our prayers are often attempts to change the course of the river, Jesus seemed pretty clear that our priority should be to seek first an understanding of the river’s natural flow and the rest would be added as well. The scenery is just as beautiful upstream or down, but we are more likely to enjoy this journey going with the flow.

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12). I’ve always thought this was an interesting way to call attention to intuitive listening. The New King James version footnotes “a still small voice” with a delicate, whispering voice. The point seems to be that the Lord does not speak in a booming, earth-shaking voice from heaven, but in a way we might describe as quiet knowing. Be still and know that I am God. The still small voice is not a voice at all. It comes as a breath of inspiration, a knowing that we are more than whatever challenge we may be facing. I also like to point out that this voice can present as a gnawing dissatisfaction. This is probably the way most people experience it, though we do not necessarily associate it with the voice of God. If we pay close attention to the feeling of uneasiness, we will find that a running internal dialogue, or mind chatter, is going on. Regardless of what the chatter is about, it is blocking the free flow of Spirit. Thus, the feeling of uneasiness. Rather than tying ourselves in emotional knots, we can release this negative energy and return to our natural flow. The mind chatter is the wind, the earthquake, and the fire that so easily get our attention. In whatever form this comes, recognize that you can let it go and experience the calm of the delicate, whispering voice. That is, you can tap into the calm peace of your soul. You notice the chatter is loudest when you have an issue that needs a resolution. Even if a resolution is not in sight, remind yourself that one will come soon, that maybe later in the day or even tomorrow things will take a positive turn. But you are here, and the still small voice is speaking now. It is saying, peace, be still and know that everything is fine. Your life is now unfolding the highest good you can imagine. When you feel the release, which you surely will, the natural, calm peace of your soul is restored.

I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow or everyone his brother, saying,‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” Jeremiah 31:31-32 Following up on last week’s idea of the new covenant, I want to shed more light on what it means to recover your center of power. To have the laws of God put into your mind and written on your heart is a metaphorical way of referring to the central I that you are. The heart is the soul, the spiritual essence that we are and that we always will be. To say these laws are written, is simply a way of saying the soul is a direct expression of God, the very heart of the principle of oneness. Science tells us that no two snowflakes, no two blades of grass, no two leaves are alike. It is even more obvious that, as our fingerprints suggest, no two people are alike. Why do you suppose this is? The simplistic answer is that God, the universal, creative life force, expresses, from snowflakes to humans, as unique individuals. In today’s culture, the term “diversity” has been hijacked. It no longer applies to the unique nature of the individual, but to the group to which the individual belongs, or wants to belong. Of course, there is nothing new about this problem. I nearly got brain damage trying to fit into the high school football culture. We hear of teen suicides prompted by those who threaten to bully another out of the so-called “in” group. That shallower part of us that drives us to fit in, is taking us further from the genuine security and self-confidence we seek. While the world about us is in a state of perpetual flux, that which constitutes our center of power never changes. Coming to know our spiritual core as the true anchor in this ever-changing world will never become outdated. Each soul is a unique expression of God bringing a special light that only we can give. Tapping into this light and letting it shine is living from the awareness of our changeless nature. The I that I am is the only I that I can ever be. It is my unique privilege and responsibility to bring it into this world.

I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach every one his fellow or every one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:10-11). When writing about old and new covenants between God and Israel, the author of Hebrews draws from the prophet Jeramiah. Though this passage clearly depicts a relationship of oneness between God and man, which is the very heart of Jesus’ message, the author of Hebrews interprets it differently. In the past, the Law of Moses was used to keep people in good standing with God. Now, this New Testament writer is saying that the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ supersedes the old covenant. The New Testament writers have transitioned away from Jesus’ message of oneness to the old belief in separation. After the death of Jesus, a movement formed. Where Jesus taught that the individual’s center of power is God within, the evangelists that followed taught that one’s center of power is derived from belonging to the movement. Jesus encouraged building up the individual. The leaders that followed encouraged building the movement and essentially diminishing the individual. “Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32). It is easier to join a group (the wide gate) than it is to find and experience the presence of God within (the narrow gate). This explains how the actual message of a mystic like Jesus could be eclipsed by the message of the evangelist. Jesus proclaimed the laws of God were already written in the minds and hearts of each person. The one who persists in asking, seeking, and knocking will learn the value of this truth. This understanding was the new covenant that aligned the individual with their true center of power. The evangelist missed this message by putting a new slant on the old covenant which maintained a distinct separation between God and man and, therefore, ensured allegiance to the movement while marginalizing the individual’s spiritual empowerment. As Jesus himself demonstrated, a strong individual is often a threat to the establishment.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 If there is one message from Jesus that would have the greatest appeal to the common person, the peasant class of his day, I would say this is it. I would paraphrase this message as follows: If you struggle and are filled with worry, listen to what I say. I have discovered the way that brings true peace and rest. As you learn to be still and receptive to your indwelling Spirit, the burdens you carry are lifted, and your life is truly blessed. When we couple this with his teaching of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, and how the heavenly Father cares for them, Jesus was telling this struggling class of people that the Father knew their needs even before they ask. There is a way to tap into the natural flow of infinite intelligence that brings peace of mind and rest to the soul. This was not the kind of message the people were used to hearing from their religious leaders. For me, it is a message with the same appeal as Emerson’s oft-quoted line: “There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall hear the right word.” Jesus was telling his followers that, right where they were, amidst the ordinary circumstances of daily life, the same living presence that prospers and beautifies every aspect of the natural world, is doing the same for them. He was instructing them to stop frittering away their spiritual energy through worry, which has no positive benefit, and instead develop an active trust in this quiet way of truth that sets one free from the burdens of life. Where the religious professionals were telling people that the kingdom of God would one day arrive, Jesus, from the authority of his own first-hand knowledge, was teaching that the kingdom of God was present, and the way to know it is found in the temple of one’s own heart.

“Think of religion as any of the many paths that lead to the river’s bank. The spiritual quest begins the moment you understand that the way to the other side is a solo journey.” J Douglas Bottorff Though America was founded on Judeo-Christian values, one of its founding fathers and primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, undertook a remarkable project. Armed with a razor and paste, he cut from the Bible only those passages attributed to Jesus that he considered authentic. He then pasted them in a book that today is known as The Jefferson Bible. In a letter to John Adams, he wrote: “In extracting the pure principles which he [Jesus] taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to them. … There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” While Jefferson remained true to his religious values, he did not stop there. In his own way, he took up the spiritual quest and began swimming. He found in the gospels a deeper message than was being offered in the mainstream religion of his day. All religions represent a set of preconceived beliefs that have been worked out by other minds. We stand on the bank of the river and wonder what lay on the other side. We know what the professionals have told us. Some of it makes sense, and some of it we question. The spiritual path is ultimately a solo journey. Like Jefferson, we should reach a point where we are no longer satisfied with those who are merely “… teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Matthew 15:9).

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17). This saying of Jesus is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. As with many other sayings, he is not actually referring to the well and the sick, or to physicians. This is a figure of speech which I assume was a reference to the religiously complacent and those who question the system of belief they were born into. To the mainstream Jew, it is likely that one of the most radical aspects of Jesus’ teachings was the concept of the kingdom of God within, and the notion of man’s oneness with God. The Jew, like today’s Christian, believed that God and man were separate, and that claiming oneness with God was nothing short of blasphemy. “It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33). Jesus’ message did not appeal to those who were uninterested in exploring anything outside the mainstream teachings. These are the “well” that have no need of a physician. It is the unsettled, those who are willing to consider the God within possibility, that require the physician, the spiritual guide. My own spiritual journey has taken me off the superhighway of mainstream religion. I, and others like me, discovered quickly that those who insist on staying with conventional doctrine have no interest in alternative approaches. In contrast, many of us have taken the off-ramp from the mainstream because we were disenchanted, weary of espousing dogmatic teachings and the practice of hollow rituals to simply fulfill religious duties. We gladly consulted with those physicians, those books and teachers, that helped us navigate this unchartered territory. Jesus was a healer, a soul physician that, for those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear, still stands as a ready guide to a way of thought that continues to this day to be a fringe to the “straight-thinking” orthodoxy of mainstream religion.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. Matthew 13:47-48 One of the keys to our spiritual approach is understanding the difference between an event and how we experience it. We don't always have control over events, but we do have much to say about how we experience them. This parable includes two kinds of fish: good and bad. Think of these as the choice between a positive and negative response to a given event. The good fish represents the experience of peace of mind and freedom from fear. The bad fish represents a response that evokes mental and emotional chaos and fear. When responding to one of life’s events, which type of fish do you want in your basket? The parable instructs us to keep good fish only. Does this mean we are to force a positive attitude despite the negative event? No. Forcing a positive attitude means we are addressing the mental side only. We are neglecting the emotional side, which is the most important component of our internal experience. The good fish includes the mental and emotional aspects of our experience. This means our response to an event is grounded, not in appearances, but in spiritual truth. When life throws us a negative event, our good fish response would go something like this: Greater good is now unfolding. The path forward opens before me. I know what to do and I do it. We know our prayer is answered when we can observe the event with genuine peace of mind and freedom from fear. The spiritual principle embodied in this parable is, in fact, the truth that sets us free.

Easter is a time when the Christian community turns its attention to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Because of its promise of eternal life, this aspect of the Jesus story is considered the epitome of the Christian message. As with all religious celebrations, there is an important principle behind this story. It is no accident that Easter occurs in the spring, when we see new life beginning to stir everywhere. We are witness to the passing of the dark days of winter, into the longer, warmer days of spring. When conditions turn favorable, the life process in, say, a tulip bulb begins to stir and soon the flower appears. The sustaining aspect of this plant, the part that fuels its annual resurrection, is not the flower that we see. It is in the bulb we do not see. It is not difficult to draw a parallel between the perennial flower and our own incarnation. Our soul is to us what the bulb is to the flower. The body is the flower. The flower experiences birth and death, while the bulb persists through the span of many floral lifetimes. I am convinced that the same is true with us. Our spiritual essence, the soul, serves as the perpetuating foundation for numerous incarnations. Like the flower, the body experiences a birth, a lifespan, and a death. But the soul, like the bulb, continues. When we decide the time is right, we do it again. Why would we do it again? Is it because we have so much to learn? Does the flower go through these many births and deaths because it has to learn how to be a better flower? I don’t think so. The flower achieves its purpose with every incarnation. And what is this purpose? Is it to please the eye of the one who planted it? No. Its purpose is perfect self-expression. It is not in competition with a neighboring flower. It lets its own light shine. Speaking of light, this analogy sheds new light on a statement attributed to Jesus. “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). The flower is bearing witness to the truth of its being. This is why it continues to come into the world. It is an already, fully accomplished flower and it bears witness to this truth each time it appears. Its annual resurrection is not a progression through ascending grade levels that will culminate in a fully illumined being. It has always been a fully illumined being that lets its light shine for the joy of it. The resurrection principle points to purpose. Are we here to learn to be a better flower, or are we here to bear witness to the truth? This is the question I hope Easter stirs in us all.

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” John 7:24 In my book, The Complete Soul, I state that there are no natural barriers to the soul’s expression. It would make no sense for the Divine to put obstacles between us and the peace and freedom we desire. Accepting that this is true means that our executive faculty of judgment is naturally optimistic, biased toward all possibility. The problem is, there are plenty of unnatural barriers to our soul’s expression. We are constantly evaluating our circumstances either as friendly or hostile. As a spiritual teacher, Jesus is giving a simple but very important reminder to his audience. We are judged by our own judgment. The choices we make in our mental and emotional responses to appearances, determine the quality of our inner experience. Jesus also said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). The eye, in this case, is the way you see things, your mental and emotional disposition. The body is the whole of your life. When perceived barriers to your peace and freedom crop up, one way of keeping your eye single and your life full of light is to remind yourself that, despite this appearance to the contrary, there are no natural barriers to your soul’s expression. In other words, you have a choice. “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). I remember a person once suggested that when Jesus said to not judge by appearances, he was the first to say, Don’t confuse me with the facts. I think he was saying that if we let appearances set the standard for our internal quality of life, then we will never experience the peace and freedom we desire. He didn’t say, ignore appearances. He was saying there is always a deeper truth than our snap judgments may indicate. Learn to tap into this deeper truth.

“Do not resist one who is evil.” (Matthew 5:39) This week I was asked if I could share some thoughts on the spiritual principle of nonresistance. My understanding of nonresistance is that it does not mean we are to refrain from taking needed action. It means we do not react at the level of the problem. We approach our challenge from a place of strength rather than from a place of fear. Whether it comes in the form of a person or a situation, most of us will react to a negative development with resistance. We feel threatened and we want to protect our perceived vulnerabilities, so we take the problem at face value and react accordingly. One of the most important pieces we will leave out of our reaction is the strength that is available to us from our own center of power. The experience of fear is like the red oil light coming on in our car. The light is telling us that it is time to add some oil. Fear is telling us it is time to replenish our strength. Scripture reminds us that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love (2 Timothy 1:7). Should we attack the problem by blasting it with an artillery of affirmations of power? Not according to Jesus. Such an approach might be considered the weaponization of spiritual principles. We treat the problem as a power greater than ourselves. It has been rightfully said that we do not affirm something to make it true. We affirm it because it is true. Once we get past our initial jitters, our first job is to establish our thinking in what is true. One way of doing this is to consider the worst-case scenario. Once we work this out in our mind and heart, we seek to move to our center of power and view the situation from this place of strength. In the beginning, we will most likely waver between strength and our old reaction of fear. We take a deep breath, bring ourselves back, and hold fast knowing this too shall pass.