FEED A NIGHTMARE WITH KINDNESS

I'm sure you have heard the Parable of the Two Wolves, but it bears repeating:

A Cherokee elder is teaching his grandchildren about life and says, "a fight is going on inside of me it is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, pride and superiority … lies, lies, lies.
The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, faith and Truth.

This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too," the elder said to the wide-eyed kids.
The grandkids thought about it for a while and then one of them asked "which wolf will win?"

"The one I feed," the old Cherokee answered, “the one I feed.”

Usually after telling this story, I might ask what you are feeding your mind because what you feed your mind is soon mirrored in your experience, yes? It's the Law of Cause and Effect, that's the way the Universe works.

Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith said:

There is a lie that acts like a virus within the mind of humanity. And that lie is, 'There's not enough good to go around. There's a lack and there's limitation and there's just not enough.' And that lie has people living in fear, greed & stinginess. And those thoughts of fear, greed, stinginess and lack become their experience. So the world has taken a nightmare pill.

Today I want to talk about the nightmare pill we are purposefully feeding into the consciousness of race mind. In case you aren't familiar with the term, here is a definition from Charles Fillmore in his book, THE REVEALING WORD:

Totality of beliefs, thoughts, memories, feelings, and experiences of the race. Man has built into the race mind a consciousness of corruptible flesh instead of the inherent incorruptible substance of God-Mind.

...a consciousness of corruptible flesh ... that doesn't sound good or peaceful or loving?

In the last few weeks, when you turn on the television, pick up a newspaper or scan social media, you likely saw a relentless flow of, a seemingly continuous barrage of negativity. This is flooding race mind with a sense of fear and helplessness, causing the masses to see the world as only a dark, dangerous and cruel place. Yes, it happens off and on, over and over again, possibly in cycles all the time. But this time it is going deep, messing with our very core beliefs. Confusing us with emotions of hate and despair, as well as, fear and helplessness.

Anybody seen or sense that or is it just me?  It's feeling pretty cray-cray out there. I want to go back to good ole days of just worrying about the economy.  We now have the hate groups running around at what is called a peaceful rally, carrying weapons. I understand in many states that is a right to open carry, but I am confused about the idea that one would bring a weapon to a "peaceful rally" to express and use their first amendment rights.

Everyone wants to rip down statues of Confederate celebrities, which I am not against, but I am concerned that it is from hate of hate. And hate of hate is a perspective wrought with contradiction and confusion for the individual and race mind.

Now, I want to be clear that I am not saying there isn't dark, dangerous and cruel places and people in world, but what is our answer/reaction to those things … more hate?

In 1958, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said this:

Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.

Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and lifelong African-American civil rights activist said on NPR that the Stone Mountain carving in northern Georgia, a sort of a Confederate Mount Rushmore with Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis should stay. Andrew Young said that, a man who served as a congressman from Georgia, was an ambassador to the United Nations and was with Martin Luther King Jr. the day he was assassinated. It's an interesting interview. What I got out of it was that he meant our eye is on the wrong ball. He told this story"

And, from 4-years-old I was always taught – my father use to tap me in the face to try to get me upset and if I swung back at him he would slap me upside my head. He said see, if you start getting emotional in a fight, you’re gonna lose the fight. Don‘t get mad, get smart. And that’s been serving – that served me well. And it served me walking in the midst of the Klan alone at night without a gun, without police protection, and the only reason I did it was because the only ones that were courageous enough to go there with me and who insisted that I go, were women and children. The men, you know, hide behind militant solutions, but we have to keep our eyes on the prize - and the prize is not vengeance, not getting even, but the prize is redemption.

We have to save ourselves from extending the hate and fear and desperation the haters have by not vibrating with more hate and fear.  We have to think smart ... think Truth

Think the Power of Love

What is most needed is a tidal wave / tornado / hurricane / tsunami of what Charles Fillmore said ...the inherent incorruptible substance of God-Mind. We need more of the great Truth which transcends the sense of separation that is creating and feeding this nightmare.

It would be great if it was as easy as creating a new pill to combat this dis-ease in the consciousness of the planet and its people.  Well, in my research I found one ... Tolcapone is a pharmaceutical that changes the chemical balance in brain's prefrontal cortex, the area which impacts personality, social behavior and decision-making. This pill artificially produces feelings of kindness by zapping more dopamine, the feel good chemical in brain. Not being one to unnecessarily pop a pill, even in such a time as this, I encourage us all to us an old remedy.

On a Charles Fillmore kick this week, I let you read a bit of his book, THE TWELVE POWERS OF MAN, for assistance:

The beliefs that you and your ancestors have held in mind have become thought currents so strong that their course in you can be changed only by your resolute decision to entertain them no longer. They will not be turned out unless the ego, through whose domain they run, decides positively to adopt means of casting them out of his/her consciousness, and at the same time erects gates that will prevent their inflow from external sources. This is done by denial and affirmation; the denial always comes first.

Now, he is not encouraging you to deny its existence, in this case hate. Or to put on blinders or rose colored glasses. He is encouraging you to deny its power over you!

Humanity is at a critical juncture. We cannot allow ourselves to be deluded by the nightmare, by this hate uproar. It is time for those of us who are conscious, awake and aware to claim the Truth that is “superior to the condition.”

We are being called as metaphysicians to remember and live from the 

Truth of Wholeness, Love and Peace. 

Each of us is being called to be the change we want to see in the world.

Matthew 7:7 tells us:

Ask and it is given; seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you.

Principle tells us as we look for kindness, we will find it.

As we embody and share kindness,

 it will grow and spread, dispelling the darkness.

If we wish to see more love, compassion and kindness in the world, we must be the embodiment of love, compassion and kindness. Margaret Mead had it right when she told us:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. 

Overwhelmed? So much hate, you may say? Have you heard the story about how you can transform a glass of dirty water into one of clean water? It is simple, get a glass of dirty water, stick a hose into the glass or put the glass under a faucet and turn on the water. The clean water will, of course, overflow the dirty water in the glass, but eventually it will also turn the dirty watered glass into one full of clean water. Simple, right?

Same with what is going on in our minds and heart and what eventually comes out of our mouths and shows up in our action. As conscious, creative, spiritual beings - heed the call to recognize and live from our higher nature. Even at special times, when circumstances make it hard to remember the truth of our being, let us act as Ernest Holmes said:

We must not be disturbed by the contradiction of objective experience. We shall have to know that the Truth we announce is superior to the condition which it is to change. We shall have to see that God in us recognizes God in the other person until the God in the other person recognizes God in us.

In moments when the world seems cruel, it is incumbent on us to be kind and express the Divine within, so that others may see themselves reflected in us. We must stand for compassion and kindness, even in the face of hate. 

Be encouraged by the knowledge that kindness is contagious.

Be Aware!  Don’t fall for the delusion. If you have a moment of hating the haters, that's okay. It's what you do after that moment. Let it eat at you or transform it and deny its power over you.

Be on the lookout for the kindness that is all around you! It's there. Look what is happening with those in natural disasters, helping each other, no matter race, greed, financial ability, etc. And there is kindness like that happening all the time. See it, be grateful for it, and absorb it into your consciousness.

Be Kind! It is good for the body, mind and spirit.

Spread kindness!  Share stories of kindness and thereby contribute to a positive contagion that will create a world that works for all.

Kindness and compassion, love and peace is a virus we can live with, thrive with!

Go out and give some!

Pre-Independence Day Reminder

As we celebrate our Independence in the United States, let us remember that though we have many governments, faiths, religions, practices, cultures and more throughout our world, we are still One. One Mind, One Heart, One Divine Intelligence. Whether rich or poor, healthy or dis-eased, as we understand and immerse in that Oneness, as we stand by each other at all times, a safer loving peaceful planet will emerge.

Unlimited?

Being that we are presently in a political climate of fact telling, I wanted to speak very plainly and clearly about an amazing, fantastically powerful, huge fact:

No matter what religion, philosophy, or mom and dad say, you are limited. Let me give you some examples. These are some of the factual limitations we all share, according to Popular Science:

     The Most We Can Remember: 1 Million Gigabytes

If you have reached that, you're done, there is nothing more you can remember. Sorry!

     The Smartest We Can Get: IQ of 198

If you have reached that rating, you are done, pal. You ain't gettin' any smarter. Give it up!

     The Most Colors Our Eyes Can See: 1 Million

An incredibly limiting amount of colors, I'm sure. Is chartreuse in that list?

     Highest We Can Climb Without Extra Oxygen: 29,029 Feet

So, tomorrow, on your walk, if you get higher than that, get ye an oxygen tank.

     Oldest We Can Live: 122 Years

A fact I love, because it means I have not reached middle age yet.

Most reading this know that New Thought philosophy talks a lot about humankind being unlimited; that there are infinite possibilities in the Universe and each and everyone of us has access to those infinite possibilities. But the facts prove, you are limited … 

...by your beliefs and perceptions. 

So, do you live thinking and believing that life is for you or against you? Do you immerse yourself in the “facts' and attitudes brought to you by the news, gossip, others touting lack or limitation, what you have been taught by the environments of your upbringing or at work? Does every experience – good, bad, or indifferent – remind you of the struggle … the pain … the stress … the shoulda/woulda/coulda's?

Is that what you declare … is that what the facts inform you? If you are 'buying' into these 'facts, allow me to remind you about a gentleman who turned away from some very frightening, deathly facts and discovered his meaning of life, a tool we all can use right now....

Victor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor, where he spent 1.5 years in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz, Kaugering, Turkheim, and Dachau. In his book, “Man's Search for Meaning”, he wrote:

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

The fact is, your greatest gift is that you are always at choice. You can, you always get to choose whether to base your thoughts and beliefs in what is called 'the facts' or in what is the Truth.

The Truth is you are an individualized expression of the Power of the Universe. And that Power resides in you, for you, and works through your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs to manifest the experiences that show up in your life. What you focus on, where your consciousness sits, where your intentions live, and what you consistantly say to yourself about yourself and your life - is what flavors the adventures you have. And only you get to choose what it is you want to focus on, be conscious about, intend on, and season with your mind, heart, and imagination. It is an amazing, fantastically powerful, huge bit of Truth news.

And don't worry, science and their facts, will catch up with the Truth found in metaphysics. For example, recently, the following have come to light in science:

       ‘Panpsychism’ — the belief that consciousness is everywhere. This consciousness is even being codified and measured. This is a Truth the Buddhists have talked about for thousands of years.

      Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine which nearly 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson envisioned as an institution “based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind,” have determined that the brain is directly connected to the immune system by vessels previously thought not to exist. In the mid to late 1800's, Phineas Quimby was saying and writing about the same thing, using it in his healing practice.

So, you get to decide, to choose, which is the foundation of your feelings, thoughts, beliefs and actions – facts or Truth. Which are you going to live by? Consciousness is everywhere and your Mind can set you free from any negative and for any positive.

Stephen King wrote a novel that has become a mini-series. In the last episode, he wrote a poem, not found in the book, that epitomizes one of the characters', a high school principal, life lessons and beliefs. Not every line is part of what I believe, but the essence of this, is a fabulous reminder of our who, what, and why.

We did not ask for this room or this music; we were invited in.

Therefore, because the dark surrounds us,

Let us turn our faces toward the light.

Let us endure hardship to be grateful for plenty.

We have been given pain to be astounded by joy.

We have been given life to deny death.

We did not ask for this room or this music.

But because we are here, let us dance.

RSVP your intention to get up and dance. With face towards the light, gratitude for all things, astounded by the joy of your connection to the Divine - even during pain or hardship, I invite you to embrace your unlimited Self and live your life certain that everything is possible. Because it is. And that's the Truth.

Wherever I am, I AM!

This one heck of a week of events. It is Holy Week for so many in so many ways ... so let me say:

 Happy Spring

Happy Vernal Equinox for those of us in the northern hemisphere, which was last Saturday at 9:30 pm, Pacific Time.

Joyous Autumnal Equinox for those in the southern hemisphere.

BTW, at the equinox, the Sun is directly above equator, so if you step to the north side of that line, it's Spring, if you step to the south side, it's Autumn, and if look up, you'll be blinded.

Happy Maundy Thursday (today, as I write this). That is the celebration of the Last Supper (early compared to Passover this year) and the end of Lent. So you can go back to eating candy, smoking, not exercising, etc., if you want.

Happy Good Friday. Though it wasn't such a happy day for one little Jewish boy from Nazareth 2000 years ago.

I want to wish a Happy Nowruz, which is the new year celebration of renewal for Zoroastrians, B’hai’s, and Persians around the world. And a Happy Sham el-Nissim to those in Egypt. This is a Spring holiday who has a symbol of the colored egg. Sound familiar?




I am also wishing a good journey to the Japanese Buddhists this week on Higan (which translates to “the other shore”). It is the celebration of our journey from suffering to the enlightenment. No that's something to celebrate!

And, of course...

Jokes aside, this week is truly a special one for many religions and philosophies on our planet. It is a week that celebrates and reminds us with a lot of themes and symbols:

Renewal / Rebirth

Healing / Reconnecting 

Blossoming / Burgeoning

Evolution / New Beginnings 

Fertility

Fertility is a major theme during this time. It is the time of the Celebration of Ostara, which honors the fertility goddess Eostre (Germanic for "east” or “dawn” and also the root of “estrogen”). Typically, Eostre is depicted as a young woman surrounded by light and budding trees and flowers. And if Eostre sounds familiar, it is because it is also where the word Easter comes from. The dawning of new life, new possibilities. Other symbols of Eostre are - yes, I'm sure you can guess - eggs & rabbits. Are you seeing a pattern going on here?

Speaking of fertile, this is the time the March Hare comes out. Not for the cotillion or its sexual identity, but because it is usually nocturnal. The female, especially at this time, as if a bunny needs assistance, is what is called super fecund … randy ... horny. She can even conceive a second litter while still pregnant with first. And the males tend to bounce around erratically at this time ... very randy and horny ... Mad as a March Hare, you could say. It reminds me of many of my Spring Breaks!

Now this is not just a second chakra event. It is not only a sexy time, it is also a very sensual time. There are other powerful creative forces at hand:  it is a reminder, a renewal, a blossoming of life, a rebirth of all that was asleep in Wintertime. Some of which is too often so, in each of us

Thus it is a time of healing ... a time of mindfully, intentionally, and consciously connecting to and living from the heart-mind connection. It is a time to reconnect to our Triune nature - that fertile ground for experiences that uses the mind, heart, and intuition/imagination matrix, the Divine Matrix.

Another theme this week is:

Resurrection

Resurrection comes from the Latin verbs resurgō ‎(again I rise) and subrigo (to make straight). Thus the meaning of resurrection is:

AGAIN I RISE TO MAKE STRAIGHT

Again I rise to make straight the descendence into experiencing life from the chaos of the bills, the kids, the news, the traffic, the dis-eases of all sorts in our life. We are reminded to transcend the everyday ...

The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm;

resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.

~Deepak Chopra

Is it really a whole new way of thinking or the way it was meant to be? The way the mystics tried to inspire us to BE.

I want to invite you to step into (or re-step into) that way of thinking - the way it was meant to be - and identify yourself with what I believe is our greatest purpose...

TO BE A JOY WARRIOR

I use the word, warrior, in its definition of one who lives with vigor and courage, with power, yes, but not will power - there is no combat or war or battle ... no push - there doesn't need push with confidence and faith in your Power.

There is a power for good in the universe and you get to use it.

~Ernest Holmes

You are using it … 

                               ...You are It!

If you still don't like the word, warrior, from what definition it usually aspires to, how about this for your greatest purpose ...

TO BE A JOY ACTIVIST

Now, this is nothing new, it is actually just a rediscovering of our birthright of power and beauty...

           ...a re-awakening to what Jesus called, the Kingdom of Heaven within.


It is a leaving behind the mistakes and missteps we might have had, without shame, blame or guilt. we do this by knowing and living as the I am that I AM. You don’t need to physically die or spend time on your version of a cross to accomplish this. There is no point system. There is no suffering required. It is merely a choice to remember...  It is merely a choice to connect to the Divine … to nature ... A choice to live in joy … no matter the experience! 

Good, bad, or indifferent ... no matter the experience! You may ask ...

Is there a need for transformation? - maybe

Is there a need for a metamorphosis from the norm? - probably

Is there a need for a scary ordeal? – not necessary!

Like a caterpillar rearranging itself into a butterfly all the parts are there and we are only to choose and allow to become that butterfly. In 1972, Trina Paulus wrote a magical tale called, HOPE FOR THE FLOWERS. As she puts it, on the cover:

a tale - 

partly about life

partly about revolution

and lots about hope

for adults and others

(including caterpillars who

can read)

Hear is some beautiful dialogue from Trina's book:

Tell me, sir, what is a butterfly?

It's what you are meant to become. It flies with beautiful wings and joins the earth to heaven. It drinks only nectar from the flowers and carries the seeds of love from one flower to another. Without butterflies, the world would soon have few flowers.

How does one become a butterfly?

They have to want to learn to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.

I say it is time to free ourselves ... heal from the captivity of our past mistakes, our beliefs in lack, our various “not good enough's,” and sit in the present as and presence of who we were born to be. It is time to stop crawling like a worm and fly like a butterfly. It is time to renew our intentions and our conscious use of our God-given talents and Powers.

You may cry out ...

How?

Novelist Anne Lamott's gives us a great example:

I am going to try to pay attention to the spring. I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees. I am going to close my eyes and listen.

Another great tool is expressed in the following, by Estelle Frankel, a Berkeley psychotherapist & teacher of Jewish mysticism:

...if I take the time….to sit down, close my eyes, say a prayer, open myself to Spirit, then my identity begins to expand, and I remember that I’m not just Estelle, the personality, that I’m a soul, that I’m an embodiment of the Divine, and I move from what Jewish mystics say is ‘small mind’ to ‘big mind’ (also, the Buddha said that). And in that other state, the bonds of the self, the small identity that limits us and dictates who we think we are, it frees up - - it’s sort of like a zooming out that you would do with a camera, but it’s zooming out all the way to infinity, all the way to eternity, beyond time, beyond space. And in that moment of deep meditation, or prayer, anything becomes possible, because you are rising above the workings of time. You transcend and resurrect.

You transcend the Winter thoughts and resurrect a life knowing you are backed by the Universe. You are backed by the full energy of beauty, peace, life, light, joy, love, and wisdom that conspires to manifest your beliefs.

The title of this blog is Wherever I am I AM

Paying attention to the capitalization, realize I am meaning the "I am" to mean the microcosm, the individual, in the "I AM", the macrocosm - the Absolute. And like the drop in the wave is also the wave in the drop, the individual and Absolute are One.

Of late, I have been watching a show called THE ARROW. It is a show about a twenty-something trust-fund billionaire named Oliver Queen - snarky, priveleged, and randy - who gets stuck on a remote Pacific island for five years, which transforms him, on his return, into this vigilante, protecting the citizens of Starling City.

From the episode, SACRIFICE, story by Greg Belanti and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg:

Oliver:  I never told you what happened to me on the island.
Laurel: You didn’t have to. I can see that it changed you.
Oliver: That’s the thing, Laurel. It didn’t. Those five years didn’t change me, they just scraped away all the things that I wasn’t and revealed the person I always was, which is the person, who you always saw. And I don’t know how you saw it, but you did.

Well I see it, to!  I see it in you. Yes, I don't actually see you, individually. But, if I did, I would see that Power … I would see the Light, Love, Power, Joy, and Beauty … I would see the Divine, the Spirit, the Big Bang, the Divine Intelligence … the God, that is YOU!

Join me in accepting yourself as your personal savior! 

The healing is in you...

The rebirth is in you...

The resurrection is in you...

It IS you!

Resurrect mindfully, consciously, and intentionally who you really are!

Know the I AM within!

Live from the I AM within!

Think as the I AM within!

Experience all there is through the I AM within!

BE the I AM within.... 

BE A JOY ACTIVIST!

And live life as it was intended:  vibrant, prosperous and with love and happiness!

Blessings!

UNBOUND

Open your mind ... Unfold your heart...

We are bound by nothing.  There is nothing in the universe that can bind us to our past or habits that no longer serve us or beliefs that are not for our greatest good or thoughts of dis-ease, lack, not being loved, boredom, or stagnation.

Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing can bind us to the yuck in our lives...
Except our minds ...  Our beliefs!

Dr. Ernest Holmes began his radio show every week with:

There is a power for good in the universe and you get to use it.

Let that ring in your ears and mind...

 There is a power for good in the universe and you get to use it.

Oh yeah? You may ask. Why? How? When?

When ... is now: You are using it now. You used it yesterday and you will use it tomorrow.

Why?  Well, that is the way the Universe works. That is how the Source of all, experiences It's creations. That is one of your gifts ... to yourself! To YourSelf!

And how did that happen? How does that work

That is what I am writing about today.

Gary Flynn Floyd's song, UNBOUND, says:

Relax your senses, feel every part ...

I had some challenges a couple of years ago and that song inspired me to go beyond my hurt feelings, my sadness, my disappointment. At first, I thought it would be a good song to send to one of the reasons last Fall wasn't very delightful, but then I realized the message, though it would be good for that person to hear it, showed up for me to listen and learn from. Showed up to empower me. Hear are the lyrics:

Open your mind, unfold your heart
Relax your senses, feel every part
You ain't got a thing to fear
Looks like love that's growing here
So take your guard and let it down
Go deeper still until you come unwound
Unbound

Breathe every breath, Release your cringe
Love without waiting, Slowly unhinge
You ain't got a thing to fear
Looks like love that's growing here
So take your guard and let it down
Go deeper still until you come unwound
Unbound

You can stop waiting for love to find you, Look inside your heart
Love's already who you are

So lift up your voice, Let it be heard
Tell me your story, tell it to me
Don't leave out a word, not a word
I think I have been there too, I'm a seeker just like you
So take your guard and let it down
Go deeper still until you come unwound
Unbound

Lay it down, lay it down, lay it down
Unbound

Open your mind, Unfold your heart

Lyrics by Gary Lynn Floyd
all rights reserved

The reason I am using it in my blog today is to empower you. I want you to leave this page remembering who You are.

Now, this may be uncomfortable to hear ... hard to absorb ... make you anxious ... make you think I am out of my mind or worse. But, I want to talk about who you really are!

Are you ready? Its a biggie!
Here goes:

The 'how does that work' in there is a Power for Good in the Universe and you get to use it is that you ... each and every one of you ... and me, too ... 

... are God ...
You are God!

I'm going to let that soak in a bit.

You are the I AM that is written about in Scriptures

I don't say this lightly or with any disrespect. I don’t say it to scare you, worry you, shame you, or anything like that! I say it to empower you! I don't even need to express in big letters, with a fancy font, and in color. It is simple, but, of course, powerful proclamation ... You are God!

Open your mind, unfold your heart!

Are you breathing? Take a deep breath!

Release your cringe!

Thank you for not throwing anything at me, it's hard on the monitor. You are the Power, through your mind and heart ... you know they work together the mind and the heart – it's a matrix of Power, the heart-mind matrix.There's a great book by Joseph Chilton Pierce on the subject. And I would add to that - your gut (inspiration)

Remember the math of manifesting:   thoughts + feelings = beliefs 

Beliefs color your experiences. Understand the you are the power over what your thoughts, desires, wants, needs, wishes, mock-ups, and, most importantly, your beliefs manifest into your experiences. How you react to those experiences, your perspective on them, also influences, flavors, or colors your next experiences. It is all the result of the Law of Cause and Effect.

Back to the song: Take your guard and let it down, go deeper still until you come unwound! Unbound!

This YOU ARE GOD is not a new idea or philosophy ... it's been said before; maybe more eloquently or succinctly, but probably not so blatantly. All religions and philosophies that teach love present God as being everywhere and in everything, right? So then, logically, God must be within each and every one of us! Here is some corroborating proof from several sources, both familiar and not.

Genesis 26

 Then 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 he created him;

male and female he created them.

The words image and likeness do not refer to looks, otherwise we would all look like that guy on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel:

check out the one on the left with all the cherubs
I mean, come on, who do you know looks like that guy in the nightgown?

In Genesis, it is referring to the essence, the character, the energy, the qualities, the function of God, which is creation

The Unity Church of Practical Christianity states

We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image.

The spirit of God lives within each person ... 

We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.

In Ephesians 4:5-6, we read

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.

Luke 17, 20-21 tells the story...

When some of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, he answered to them, the kingdom of God does not come by observation. Neither will they say, Behold, it is here! Or, behold, it is there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

We are the medium for God to express Itself. That's what Jesus was trying to tell everyone. Not that he's the great exception, but the great example. 

Jesus speaks about those who believe in his philosophies in ...

John 14:12

 ...even greater than these things he shall do.

Meister Eckhart, a Catholic mystic from the Middle Ages, wrote:  

The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.

Jumping up to early 20th century, James Allen (“As A Man Thinketh”) wrote, in "Man: King of Mind, Body, and Circumstance":

The kingdom over which man is destined to rule with undisputed sway is that of his own mind and life; but this kingdom, as already shown, is not separate from the universe, is not confined to itself alone; it is intimately related to entire humanity, to nature, to the current of events in which it is, for the time being, involved, and to the vast universe.... Man can reign over his own mind; can be lord over himself. Until he does so reign, his life is unsatisfactory and imperfect.

Returning to the New Testament, in 1John 4:8, it says:

He that does not love does not know God; for God is love.

...for God is love!

Dr. Ernest Holmes' definition of Love from 

THE SCIENCE OF MIND, states that love is...

The self-givingness of the Spirit through the desire of Life to express Itself in terms of creation

Ralph Waldo Emerson also tells us that Love is a synonym for God. And:

If a man is at heart just, then in so far is he God;

the safety of God, the immortality of God,
the majesty of God do enter into that man with justice.

Over and over again, we read what those who have spent their life pondering, writing, experiencing, and proving, through their experiences, say about the concept that the Kingdom of Heaven is within:

Through Charles and Myrtle Fillmore and their great-grand-daughter, Connie: 

God is Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one power, all good, everywhere present, all wisdom. God is divine energy, continually creating, expressing and sustaining all creation. In God, we live and move and have our being.

And:

We are each individual, eternal expressions of God. Our essential nature is divine and therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.

Emma Curtis Hopkins, called the teacher of teachers, from THE RADIANT I AM:

I know that I AM at my own Center, authority over and through my universe, and I shall ordain my twelve disciples, or my twelve powers, to spread my Original Nature abroad till from me to the utmost stretches all is my Divine Ego.

The First Principle of Unity Church of Practical Christianity states:
God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere.

To be clear, we are God unto our lives, our experiences. You are not the boss of me! But you are the boss of you.

I don't have time to bring in the Greeks, the Tao, other Eastern philosophies, metaphysicians, philosophers, scientists, Neville, Dr. Dyer, etc:

From Image and likeness of God ... One God in you all ... the kingdom of God/Heaven is within you ... God is the one power, all good, everywhere present ... Divine nature within ... in God, we live and move and have our being ... individual, eternal expressions of God, you have been told for thousands of years:

You are God!

You are the actor, the director and the playwright in your life. You are also the casting director: what roles are you casting yourself in?

You are the sculptor and glass blower: how will you mold your life?

You are the painter and sketch artist: what colors and shapes will you present to the world?

You are the gardener and farmer: what seeds will you plant and how will you nourish those seeds to burgeon into beauty?

I invite you to start thinking in this new/empowering way. It might not be an easy thing to say out loud; in fact, I would avoid that one. I wouldn't go around telling everyone, “I am God.” I tried it, it doesn't go over well … especially with the ladies. Mostly because they already know they are … and they know who's really the boss of me … them. But seriously, Dear Reader:

Remember who you are …

“I am” is a complete sentence and anything you follow those two words with, is at your volition. The volition gifted to you by the Universe. And it shows up in your experiences. So "I AM" big and True.

Even in Southern California, Seasons change ... but not you. But the knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.

Open your mind, unfold your heart

And live the greatest you. The True you. The God in you!

For the God in me sees the God in you.

NAMASTE, ALOHA and BLESSINGS!

LOVE IS THE ONLY ANSWER

Dealing out hate for hate doesn't work. The fear surrounding it only leads to dis-ease in body, mind, spirit, nation, and culture. The darkness will permeate and engulf without the Light. Einstein said, "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

The only answer is love. In the Light is love. Einstein continued with, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." That thinking is fear and hate. A darkness that spreads like an untreated cancer. As Dr. King said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

I am heartened to see so many people counteracting the fear and hate and xenophobia, which has become so newsworthy but which goes against the tenets of almost all the faiths we supposedly espouse, with shouts of love and understanding. We get to choose the world we live in: “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” Einstein again - a scientist and critical thinker, probably one of our greatest. Join me in consistantly listening and learning; finding our individual ways to spread this consciousness of love - not as wallflowers or some airy-fairy wishful thinkers, but as commanders of our destiny.

Our Declaration of Freedom and Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one person to dissolve the bands and bonds of struggle, strife, lack, and faithlessness, which has connected them with a life that does not serve their greatest good, and to assume among the Power of the Universe, the separate station of Prosperity to which the Laws of Nature entitle them, a decent respect to the opinion of one who speaks in Truth requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

I hold this Truth to be self-evident, that I am created equal, that I am endowed by my Creator, that which is within me, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Happiness. That to secure these rights in my life, beliefs are instituted by me, deriving their just powers from the consent of my Mind and the Law of Cause and Effect. That whenever any Form of My Beliefs become destructive of these ends, it is the Right of Me to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new thoughts, new feelings, new perspectives, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing Its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect my Safety and Happiness.  Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Beliefs long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience has shown, that many times I am more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right myself by abolishing the beliefs to which I am accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce Me under absolute or partial lack, it is my right, it is my duty, to throw off such Beliefs, and to provide new thoughts and feelings, new perspectives and beliefs, for my future security and happiness.  Such has been my patient sufferance; and such is now the necessity which constrains me to alter my thinking and my Beliefs.  Part of the history of my present beliefs is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over my happiness.

And so I now declare, with full knowledge and embodying of the One Power within, that One indestructible, absolute and self-existent Cause. With that Spirit expressing through me, which is the Unity of all life, I claim and swear to use my creative thoughts to think from that eternal goodness, that eternal loving kindness, and that eternal givingness of Divine Intelligence. To act, be, and surround myself with love, abundance, vitality and vibrance. To think, reason, and live without the bondage of any negativity from my past, without the consciousness of “no” or the shoulda/woulda/coulda of “not yet”, without water cooler gossip or the news and opinions of CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS, NPR, or any government or religion that may be running around in my mind like a rat in a cage, like squirrels in a whirling dervish, like chattering monkeys – invading my consciousness.

I, therefore, do, in the Name, and by Authority of my birthright as an individualization of the Source and Substance of All, solemnly publish and declare, That I Am, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent of destructive thoughts and beliefs; and I Am Absolved from all Allegiance to negativity, and that all connection between me and the State of Lack, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a Free and Independent personalization of God, I engage my full Power to levy Peace, Prosperity, and Love in my life from this day, forward. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection and Power of the Divine Intelligence within, I pledge to my Life and sacred Honor.

                                                                                                                 

Join me by writing your signature in the air, and thus committing to this Declaration of Freedom, for yourself and the betterment of our world. Saying, with me:

 I am Free to Be Me!  

KEEP IT TO A MINIMUM

I hope you like this blog...

I wish you would be inspired today....

Do those statements give you confidence about today's commentary? Or my ability to inspire you?

Or teach you? Or assist you to your greatest good?

I don't think so.

Wishing and Hoping...what does it get you?

The definition of wish:

"to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen, to strive after"

Notice phrases: “not easily attainable” or “cannot or probably will not happen” or the word “strive” which is synonymous with struggle.

Who here wants to struggle?

But we constantly use that word, knowing it is indefinite, without decisiveness. Thought it is a nice sentiment to use:  hope. The definition of hope is...

"a feeling of desire, aspiration, wish, ambition, aim, goal, plan, pipe dream, something you want to happen or be the case"

Notice the words “wish”, “pipe dream” and the phrase “something you want to happen”

Want not will!

Now these are good starts to manifesting. They are better than being pessimistic, negative, or not having any dreams. At least hope has some expectation in the mix and wish is the beginning of an idea.

It is time to take the next step!

But let's review very quickly, how the Law of Cause and Effect (Law of Attraction.... Law of Correspondence....Law of Supply [whatever you want to call it] works?

It acts like a mirror...

Your Beliefs color the results of the experience the Universe manifests for you. You are the sculptor, the painter, the writer, and the actor. The Universe is the media which you carve, compose, script, etc. the idea (what it is you desire) into the artwork of your life.

Is wish and hope enough? Is desire enough?

Remember wishing equals

 "not easily attainable or “cannot or probably will not happen”... to strive or struggle"

I repeat, Who wants to struggle? The Law can’t be fooled. Words and feelings like 'hope 'and 'wish' are maybe... maybe ...for the very beginnings of the ideas you want manifested in your life

It takes decisiveness, clarity, knowing, and believing in these concepts of how the Law works and accepting your God-given talents and Power to use the Law for your greatest good.

                                 Indecision is the seedling of fear. 

                      ~Napolean Hill

Somebody said, I think it was anonymous or maybe unknown, I'm not sure ... no one could decide:

Do not plant your dreams in the field of indecision, where nothing ever grows but the weeds of "what-if."

'What if' is another beginning tool! I declare it time to step away from beginnings and lean in (thank you Sheryl Standberg), dig in, pay forward, and focus on the results!

I want you all to join me in delving deeper into your Spiritual Mind practice, to pay, in mental and spiritual coin (ie. consciousness, belief, affirmative prayer), so that the stuff that you require, the attitudes you require, the relationships you require, the peace of mind you require…they show up as you desired it, as you pictured it, as you wanted it!

And you don't do that by wishing or hoping... but with expecting!

Then indecision brings its own delays, And days are lost lamenting o'er lost days. Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

  ~Goethe

I encourage you to:

rapere ad tempus 

Seize the Moment!

Better yet:

carpe diem

Seize the Day!

Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen!

                                                              ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We must learn to believe. The belief must penetrate our inner consciousness and we must announce our own activity. The approach should be direct, and it should be specific. Cosmic Mind is neither wishy-washy nor willy-nilly. It is positive, certain of Itself and sure of the outcome.

                                   ~Ernest Holmes

So hopes and wishes are nice beginnings, they are nice sentiments to someone, something to put in a card....but as a tool for manifesting your greatest good – they should be...

...kept to a minimum

The Universe is waiting to hear want you want, what you believe so It can dish it up and deliver. With your clarity, your love, your joyous, peaceful and confident belief in the never ending abundance of the universe, you will manifest your greatest good.

Are you willing to believe that there is an infinite supply of everything

and you can have as much of it as you want?

Define your dreams, Write them out and mock up the 'perfect' of whatever you desire. Then take definite, clear, and loving action mentally (intellectually), spiritually (prayer, meditation, visualition, etc.) and physically (take any decisive action you can). And stand feet apart, arms in victory, and expect....

Expect the best!

Namaste~