THE POWER OF TEN

We believe the ultimate goal of life is the complete emancipation from all discord of every nature and that it is sure to be attained by all.  ~Ernest Holmes, Declaration of Principles

We accept a lot of rules and regulations throughout our lives. Most of them aren't written, they are learned and accepted from childhood. Our parents, teachers, clergy, friends or society put these ideas into our heads and we buy into them out of emotional immaturity or blind acceptance because it is from an adult or role model. When we realize that these ideas no longer serve us (if they truly ever did), sometimes after painful experiences or even "hitting bottom," we finally step back and seek wisdom from our Source, seek original purpose and intelligence.

Our purpose is to express our divine potential ... The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives. We are here to set a positive example and be a role model for others. We are here to make the world a better place.   ~UNITY Principles

How do we do that? How do we emancipate ourselves from these ideas, these rules and regulations that are in our way to a prosperous, love-filled, peaceful life? It's many times a desperate mish-mash. Sometimes we re-read Chopra's 7 Spiritual Laws of Success or a Louise Hay book or an Ernest Holmes book or go back to Emerson's Spiritual Laws essay. We may refer back to the Golden Rule or the Buddha's Four Noble Truths. But, there's also the 7 Hermetic Principles and many, many more ideas and reading material that we can seek to inform us, inspire us and gives us tools, through spiritual laws, to reboot, rebuild and transcend.

How many of these spiritual laws are there? Do a search, it can be confusing. Is it...7? 33? 4? 11? 105? 1? Throughout the millennia of sacred texts and New Thought books, we grapple with whatever we can to assist us moving away from these learned, stagnant, and destructive rules and regulations. Today, I want to talk about the spiritual laws that add up to the power of ten.

Quite the interesting number, here are some examples of the power of ten:

     *The Roman numeral for 10 is X, which is two V’s (the Roman numeral for five) put together.

     *The length of an adult hand is usually 1/10 of their height.

     *The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin, though in more recent times, the gift changed to diamonds....inflation, I suspect.

     *Pythagoras considered 10 to be the most sacred number, as 10 = 1 (existence) + 2 (creation) + 3 (life) + 4 (four elements-earth, air, fire and water). The Pythagoreans believed that 10 was the greatest of all numbers, because it grasps all arithmetic proportions.

     *Ten per cent of the world is left-handed.

     *A divine number in numerology, 10 means a return to unity, the fusion of being and non-being. It also denotes the completion of a cycle, making one very skilled at whatever they choose to do. It has been said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice before one becomes proficient at something. In China, the number 10 means perfection.

     *In sports, ten is the highest score possible in Olympic competitions. The top of the basketball hoop is 10' from the ground. The Big 10 is a collection of college athletic teams...though now it numbers 14.

     *There are ten letters on the Snellen Reading Chart we all use at the optometrists office or DMV: C – D – E – F – L – N – O – P – T – Z.

     *Interstate 10 is a coast to coast highway that spans from Florida to California.

     *Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539) in North India. They believe the word of God came through the Ten Gurus, in a series of rituals, poems, hymns and the Punjabi language. The final of the Ten Gurus was Guru Gobind Singh, finishing his work in approximately 1700.

     *In Kabbalah, which means to receive, The Tree of Life or the Ten Sefirot are the fundamental forces in the Universe. Kabbalists seek to receive the knowledge of God through the ten sefirot. The first three deal with the mind. The next three deal with emotion. The third group deals with what is acted upon. And the final sefirah is the manifestation.

     *Hinduism teaches that the god Vishnu will be reincarnated ten times. So far, Vishnu has been reincarnated nine times. The last incarnation was the Buddha during the Kali Yuga, which is the current time period. The final time is yet to come, which is called Kalki, who is expected to be arriving riding on a white horse and destroy all evil, bringing in a new age called Satya Yurga. I wonder if it will be apocalyptic?                           

     *In the Bible, the number 10 is used 242 times: ten plagues, Yeshua healed 10 lepers, tithing number in Leviticus/Malachai is 10%....exactly what my agent takes every time I get work.

The biggest of the big 10 are the tablets Charlton Heston brought down from Mt. Sinai. There were 15 originally, but, according to historian Mel Brooks, one tablet slipped and broke into 10 million pieces; so we were left with the ten.

Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the laws which Moses my servant has commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go.    ~Joshua 7

It is written that these Powerful Spiritual Laws came from the finger of Spirit. In Scriptures, it is called Aseret ha'Dibrot or the Ten Statements or Utterances. It is a Decalogue, 10 Words that are never actually called the ten commandments, but nonetheless are 10 ideas of not only how to live an ethical life, but one that is connected to our greatest Self. So, here now, with a translation I believe is closest to the Hebrew in the Book of Exodus, the Power of Ten:

I am the Lord, God of you

It translates as the God of you, not the God over you … of you. Instead of a Man in the Sky fairy tale, the I AM impressed upon the Israelites that It was a being, an energy, a power of you. This denotes a relationship, a connection between God and mankind. The image of the I AM, written about in Genesis and earlier in Exodus is of you; our likeness to God does not have to do with the physical body, it is that of Its creative power, It's intelligence. It's image, not like looks, not a physical thing, but of an energetic, creative thing is of you...and me. This first utterance of these ten is a reminder that people are of God (so too, I believe are any living thing). We are an individualization of that Power, a personification and personalized version of that Divine Presence...the God of you.

Not have, shall to you gods other, beside my face 

Besides Its face, Its idea, Its energy, Its Love, you shall have no other. So I have a question for you: What would be the “other face,” the opposite of an infinite, wise, all-knowing, intelligence that is perfect, whole and complete, unconditionally loving creator of all things? Whatever that is, I don't want it in my life. I don't want negativity, hate, spitefulness, imperfect, dis-eased, dis-tressed energy or power in my life. Do you want that in your life?!?  Well that's the second spiritual law on these tablets. Don't bring that negative energy in your life. Don't buy into the idea that doing whatever, no matter the circumstances to others, to get what you want is the face of God. Theses first two bits of wisdom is pretty much all you need. If we all incorporated these first two, the others would follow naturally, but the Divine wants to be very clear. It continues...

Not you, shall take the name, God of you, for vanity

The Hebrew that is usually translated to the word "vanity" is sheva, which actually means empty or false. Don't use the name, the power, the creative energy that is of you, in you for empty or false means or reasons. We should never invoke It's name in a thoughtless, careless, or stormy manner. When we call upon our powers intentionally, we are actually invoking that we recognize and unify with God as First Cause, the highest power in the universe to manifest Itself through us for a specific purpose. When we use that power for false purposes, empty of the traits of Its face (see above), we are breaking the promise of our very existence. Since the Law is faithful and true to our revelations and declarations, It is always present whenever It is called. This is serious business, what we think, say and do, and we should never take it lightly. Our thoughts, backed by our feelings, turn into beliefs, and beliefs color and flavor and turn into our experiences. Using this power for destructive purposes to our selves or others, goes against the ideas of the creative power we have been gifted. I understand that fleeting thoughts sometimes are negative against one's self and others, but what are the consistent thoughts and words evoked by us all? I ask you, what words, ideas, thoughts and beliefs are you putting after “I Am...?”

Remember the day of Sabbath, to keep it apart

”Remember” is the usual translation of the word, za'kahor, but the Hebrew is more accurately deciphered as "to keep in mind, to actively focus. We are being reminded to actively focus on the Sabbath, which really means to cease or rest. So we need to not only actively focus on resting, but that this ceasing of work is a sacred activity to keep apart from other activities. It a sacrament to actively focus the mind and body on rest, relaxation, and mindfulness. We are to set apart time to focus on and honor the marvelous works of our thoughts and actions. It is not only a day off, it is a spiritual practice. And it is not only about one day off, it can be many moments throughout our day, week, etc. A time of ceasing work, mentally and physically, is a sacred time, a time of reflection, re-booting and just Being....a Divine time to reveal the Divinity within by consciously reconnecting with the Source and Substance of our supply.

Be heavy at the father of you and the mother of you

It is not only speaking about our physical parents, who are the catalyst for our existence. It is, as well, the Source and Substance of all of our supply and all life. It is the mother-father-God, parent of all, we are to "honor." You may not like them, your parents, they may not be nice, but the word does not really mean honor, it means be heavy at or give weight to them. It also does not mean who have to like them, but give import to what you are taught by and through them. Sometimes it is to be informed to how not to be or taught to be the very opposite of how they were to you or treated you. If your childhood was a negative experience as far as your parents go (which I am sad to hear), is it not advantageous to the rest of your life to forgive them, learn from their mistakes, be better than them and not focus on that lousy childhood? It may take some work to do that (and I honor the mental and emotional work you may have to complete) and that does not excuse their behavior, but if our perspective is on healing and learning, we honor ourselves and the father-mother-God in all.


These first five statements are about recognizing and unifying with that which we individualize, that which we represent. The tablets say to respect the Presence within and the Power it individualizes in you and us all. To honor the vertical relationship between each of us and the Universe through our parents, our community and our world. And to take time to rest, reboot and reconnect to the Great Parent. Continuing through the ten utterances, the next five are... 

Not you will murder

Let's look at this one a little deeper than the obvious. I believe this has to do with life, but not just physically. Of course the murder of another human is heinous. But I believe, this section encompasses more; it is speaking also of any shame, lies, gossip or slander said, as well. Shame causes the blood to leave the face which represents a death. Gossip, lies and slander is murderous to the dignity of a person. This type of murder is closer to the thousand cuts idea from the Arabian Nights stories.

In The Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), it says, "The evil tongue slays three persons: the utterer of the evil, the listener, and the one spoken about."  Yeshua also linked the ideas of our words and attitudes with murder in Matthew, when he said, "Know you not, that whatever enters the mouth, passes into the belly, and from there is ejected through the intestines? But that which proceeds from the mouth, comes from the heart: and that is what defiles a man. For, from the heart comes out evil thoughts, adultery, murder, theft, false testimony. These are the things that defile a person."

No will you commit adultery

Hebrew word for adultery is na-ap. Adultery is a grave sacrilege, since it not only violates the sworn promise of parties to a sacred covenant, but perverts the picture of our union with God Itself. It is a lie and a theft, an infidelity of promise and a shaming of all. Interestingly, it applies mostly to men, according to Jewish Law, but the idea is universal....don't break the sacred promise you made to your mate, your partner, your friend, etc.

No will you steal, afflict a companion with false witness (lie) or crave all which is companion's

The last three I lumped together. This is not just about theft from others, but theft from self, our self-deceptions. It's not just about lies about others, it, too, is about lying about or to oneself. All are One. The opposite of the word lie in Hebrew is emet (truth), which interestingly uses the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, indicating truth is the first thing, last thing, and all in between everything. So, if you afflict a companion with false witness (a lie), you are being the opposite of truthful, and truth encompasses all of the best of life. Now the action of coveting is an ego thing; not trusting you can manifest whatever it is that you want that someone else might have. We don't need to covet, but template what it is someone else has that you would like in your life.  "I'll have what she's having" does not mean her possession, but one like it. And you do this with your thoughts and feelings and by manifesting it for yourself.

The seventh through tenth of the ideas of these tablets are about not taking from others, because there is no reason to take. The Universe is infinite, there is more than enough to go around. The act of taking is from a lack consciousness. It is from a perspective that one can't have. It is something we get taught and it can become a rule and regulation in our lives; one that, of course, does not ever serve us. If one gives oneself to the I AM and allows themselves to develop a have consciousness, it will show up, whatever that it is. There is infinite available in this infinite and ever-expanding Universe, so go ahead and get your own.

My point in this blog is let's not poo-poo, be afraid of or discount this mitzvah (the actual Hebrew word for commandment-see Deuteronomy 5:25). A mitzvah is a directive or landmark for guidance; a direction given on one's journey. These ten powerful statements are directions to guide us on our journey to manifesting a prosperous life. Like a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the beginning of the journey for a 13 year old Jewish child to enter adulthood in the spiritual culture, so too, are these ten utterances a guide for spiritual and emotional maturity. They are ethics to be guided by, yes, but more than that, they are for keeping our hearts, minds and beliefs cleansed of dis-ease, dis-tress, dis-connection and dis-array.

The transformation takes place here. You don’t have to wonder if it will take place out there; the world will come when enough of us see through the night into the celestial light “that shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.     ~Ernest Holmes

This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate thereon day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then you shall succeed and prosper.  ~Joshua 8

Let's stop flirting with this Principle and the power of 10! 

Never sacrifice principle, even for a special occasion. When we sacrifice principle, we are sacrificing our Truth.   ~Dr. Robert Bitzer

Don't look outside of Self for Power or validation. The outside is full of anxiety that eats at us with money fears, the news, nagging bosses, gossip, etc. Stop, rest, and look inside your heart; then take action in mind, heart and body from wisdom of your highest self.

Rediscover Your True Potential 

by placing the Power of 10 in your life!

Affirmation
I make living prosperously a hip thing. I make living creatively a hip thing. I make living healthfully & full of vitality a hip thing. And I make living a life that is full of love, grace, ease and peace a hip thing.

I am hip to my Universal poTENtial times ten times ten times ten. So, I synchronize my heart, mind, intuition and imagination to the Presence of Spirit within, inspiring me every moment of every day to demonstrate my greatest poTENtial.... times ten times ten times ten.