Day 21
My first false gods
The first false gods in your life were your parents. Yes, I know that many parents were very good people with good intentions, but consider this. Before you were born you lived in a spiritual sphere where you were one with your soul, which shares a oneness with your true parent, who is God.
Your parents were the first ones who introduced you to a voice outside of yourself that was not God. Parents, even those with the best of intentions, are the first false gods that a person encounters in life.
Why are they false gods?
First because the words they implant in you, though they have some truth, also have numerous errors. Unlike the voice of God that dwells in you, the voice of your parents often leads you away from truth rather than toward it.
In saying this I am not condemning parents in any way. We chose this life to gain experience in a state that is separate from God, and in this separated state, as an infant, we have to be introduced to this world of illusion by those who are already in it. You chose the best possible parents for yourself to become your first outer gods. You thought that their virtues would be helpful, but their errors would be obvious enough to drive you to seek the real truth from the inner God.
We have all noticed that, as children age, they begin to challenge their parents and often instigate an outright rebellion.
One reason for this great questioning and challenging is that we are born with a desire to find the true source within which never fails. Children, who are fresh from the realms of Spirit, sense that the outer voices are not reliable and test them. Children doing this are seen as rebellious and are often punished, but many of them are just trying to find their True Parent and discover what It has to say.
During this stage the child hears many outer voices from friends, teachers, books, movies and famous personalities that drown out the inner voice. After a period of exploration the standard child selects the teachings of the outer gods it will follow. By the time they become adults most are solidified in the world of illusion and fixated on following outer gods rather than the one true God within.
As adults they often realize that their belief system and characteristics are much more like their parents than they imagined they would be during their rebellious period. This is because their rebellion just led them to other false gods that seemed to have more error than their parents, and there was no one to lead them back to their true Source. As adults, seekers just settle on the best that has been presented to them, and much of that generally comes from their parents.
The assignment today focuses on your parents. Contemplate all the things they attempted to instill in you and how much remains. Ask yourself:
- How many of my spiritual beliefs are like my parents?
- How much is my sense of right and wrong like my parents?
- Was my career choice influenced by theirs?
- Are my political beliefs similar to them?
- Is my diet influenced by them?
- Is my attitude toward money and success influenced by them?
- Is whether I drink or smoke influenced by them?
- Are the friends I select influenced by them?
- Am I motivated to be like my parents or perhapsmaybe motivated to be different from them?
Now reflect in your mind on all the things you learned from your parents that you have now concluded are not correct. How did you come to these conclusions? Are you sure your conclusions are in harmony with the Inner Voice?
Next reflect on all the things you have accepted and applied in your life that you learned from your parents. Are you sure you are correct in doing this? After all, they were wrong in some things so maybe you are just extending their mistakes.
End this lesson with this affirmation:
“I will not extend the mistakes of my parents. I will find the truth that will set me free.”
Day 22
I will identify my outer gods
False outer gods are not demons seeking to do you harm. Instead, they are a substitute for the true God. To be a good substitute they have to fulfill the picture in your mind of what an outer god would be. You have always seen God as being so wise that it would be wrong to question Him. You have felt that God loves you, but has made some strict rules for your own good that would be wrong to violate. You feel that when God speaks that this is the last word and there is no more to be said. You feel that God is the strong and final authority.
In your early life, this strong and final authority is represented by your parents. Most start questioning this source as they enter their teenage years, but instead of dropping the outer god (when questioning parents) we humans look for a substitute. Instead of finding the true God, the pilgrim replaces one false god with another. The seeker must go through a number of false gods and reach numerous dead ends before he finds and trusts the true God within.
So what are the substitute gods that replace the parents?
They come in many forms. The new god may be a teacher, a coach, a friend, a celebrity, a political figure or philosophy.
Often the child will take up the religion of his parents, or sometimes find a new one. In this religion will be teachers and sacred books not to be questioned. For Christians that sacred book is the Bible. You are told by teachers that the Bible is the infallible word of God. Questioning it would be like questioning God Himself. The teachers will tell you what the words of the holy book mean, and to question their interpretation is to question the book which means you are questioning God.
It matters not what religion you join, you will find there are holy writings and those who tell you what they mean. Neither is the Living God, but because they take the place of God they become false gods.
“You say the Bible is a false god. That’s blasphemous,” says the objector.
To identify a false god does not mean that the replacement for god is evil or bad. Quite often it is something wonderful. For instance, the higher the quality the parents are, the more strongly will the child give godlike authority to them. The same goes for other people or a book. A book has to be very inspiring to become a substitute for God.
The Bible does not make itself a false god to the seeker, but the person himself does, and it matters not how pure and true are the words of a book, the teachers of the book make many errors in their presentations to you. Then you complicate things by coming up with wrong interpretations on your own.
Because of different interpretations of the Bible, we have around 43,000 different Christian churches, all giving various passages different meanings. Because humans are fallible none of those churches are 100% accurate in teaching truth from the Bible or any other source.
Perhaps the highest quality words ever spoken were by Jesus, but even His words are interpreted many different ways. For instance he said:
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Matt 10:34
Many think the sword here is merely his word but others think it is an actual call to go to war.
How then do you know what is true when passages can be interpreted many different ways?
Most go to the authorities who teach and will tell you what God really meant. The seeker thus goes through numerous false gods without before he finds the true God within.
Your assignment today is to trace your own journey through false gods after you broke way from the authority of your parents. Did you yield final authority to teachers, friends, a book, a philosophy or what?
Do false outer gods still have more authority over you than the inner voice?
At this point many will claim to be free from outer gods who are not free at all, so here the seeker must examine himself with total honesty.
Day 23
Words hide truth as well as reveal
Part of the plan for our material existence is to develop an understanding of what it would be like to be separate from the true God. Then when we fully return we will have a greater appreciation of our true home. A fish in water doesn’t appreciate the life-giving essence that surrounds it. But if it were to spend a few minutes out of water starving for oxygen, it would quickly gain an appreciation for its watery home and wish to return.
In this world we are like fish out of water, for the spiritual life with God that permeated us before our separation is where we instinctively feel we belong, but know not how to return.
In seeking to immerse ourselves in the waters of universal Spirit again we seek the way. The true Source is hidden within us and because we do not see it with our physical eyes (on which we now depend) we deceive ourselves into looking for God without in images that can be seen.
The first images that capture our attention are our parents, and this is followed by numerous other sources seen with the eyes. Finally, as we age, we settle on gods who seem comfortable to us. But after settling, the fullness is lacking, and you tell yourself that this is just the way it is in this mortal existence. In life after death the real joy with God will be achieved.
Thus humans are deceived into settling for false gods who give no life and wind up missing the connection with the true God in this life. They settle for living in a starved condition for a few years out of the waters of the Spirit, thinking that this uncomfortable situation is just something they just have to endure until returning to the waters of Spirit after death.
In this the seeker is deceived, for he has forgotten his Source and has been captivated by a great illusion. A magician will trick you into focusing on the right hand when the truth is in the left hand. Humans have been tricked into looking for God in images seen with physical eyes when the truth is hidden within.
These images without create words with illusion in them. These words have the effect of making you focus your attention in one place when the truth is somewhere else.
Just as part of what a magician shows you is true as represented, other parts of the trick are not. Even so, as you register words from outer gods some will be true as represented and some will not.
Rather than judging truth from error the tendency is to go with a black-and-white meaning affirmed by an outer god. This is like believing the magician when you think the card is in the obvious place. Instead, its true location is a surprise.
There is truth in all words, even words that compose a willful lie. More difficult to see is truth in words that are deceptive, but presented with sincerity as the truth.
Every day you hear words that seem true, but are not true as presented. Even so, behind even the most obvious lie is some truth. For instance, if someone tells you the sky is green and you perceive correctly you will see that the truth behind the words is that the sky is not green. The words conveyed an illusion, a trick.
Today you will be exposed to many words and some will bring truth to your mind while others will lead your attention to the wrong place and deceive you like a magician.
Your assignment today is to examine closely the words you hear or read. As you take in the various phrases and sentences ask yourself, “Am I seeing the real truth in these words? Am I missing something? What is it that I am not seeing? What more is there to see and understand?”
The seeker who desires greater communion with the soul must see the spirit and intent behind all words.
Day 24
I will trust the Inner Voice over the outer
The way you see it, your life has been a mixture of good and bad. Naturally, you seek to neutralize the bad and hold to the good as much as possible. In seeking to keep the good that is in your life you seek to strengthen the source of that good. You have often attributed that source to the outer gods you hold dear. Giving your outer gods credit for the good in your life has created a problem. It causes many seekers to look on to their outer gods as their rock to follow and ignore their true source, the voice of God that speaks within.
Think for a moment on why so many ignore the inner voice and follow the outer. What is the real reason?
The answer is simple. It is fear.
Why would anyone fear the real voice of God?
I can personally trace the answer to me way back to my teenage years when I first started attending church. After a Sunday school class a number of us boys got together and shared some conversations before heading home. We started talking about the Second Coming of Jesus and how different everything would be when that occurred.
Then one of the boys said this: “I hope He doesn’t come for a long time because there’s a lot of things I want to do in life first.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement. I could tell they all felt the same way.
In other words, these boys had certain things that they saw as their present and future “good” that was granted to them by their current gods, and any appearance of a true God or messenger would spoil it for them. They expected Jesus to be a “Debbie Downer” who would deprive them of all the good things in their life.
They feared an appearance of Jesus and didn’t want him to show up in their lives.
The same principle applies with seekers when making the choice between the inner and outer god. Many fear that true spiritual contact will guide them in such away that all the fun will be gone and a boring existence will be their lot.
“Better the devil you know than the one you don’t” is the guiding principle for many. The outer gods promise spiritual bliss after death, but allow you to go your merry way (with a few restrictions) during life.
The thought of the switch from the outer to the inner brings fear of change to many for they are not certain what that change will be. Few will admit they have a fear of relying on the inner voice, but the fact that the outer is almost always chosen over the inner shows that the fear is there. Few are willing to honestly face and dispel it.
At this point it is important that the seeker realize that the inner God is not like the strict step parent that doesn’t let you have any fun. It is the outer gods who are the strong authorities. The inner God is like a kind parent who allows the child to have its fun. Even if you do wild and crazy things, the true Parent just sits back and relaxes until you come to your senses and are willing to listen.
Then, when the true voice speaks, it leads you to new vistas of existence and experience. The true path leads to great adventure, the furthest thing from boredom.
You can find the true voice and the true path, for they are equally available to all. Rest assured the reward is worth the effort.
Your assignment today is to merely think about preparing your mind and heart for greater revelation, not from without, but within yourself. Read the following and think on it throughout the day.
If you follow the highest you know there will come a time when you will be visited by a Presence, either visible or invisible. It will come at a time that you least expect it and a time when perhaps you feel the least prepared spiritually, but it will come.
To dream and wish for the experience will only delay the happening. But if you take the highest you know and go forward in the vineyard of the Master and serve with no end in sight, in season and out of season, in good times and bad; if you serve with love in the dark of night with the same strength as in the light of day; if you continue with loving service through the fiery darts of hate, malice and betrayal; and above all, if it appears that even your Master and your God seem to completely ignore you as if you do not exist…
Through all this you will continue to serve with the highest you know. You continue even if God himself seems to be your enemy putting every obstacle possible in your path and laughing at you as you stumble and fall. You rise up and continue. The time comes that it will not seem to matter to you any more if friends, God or the Masters approve of you or not. It matters not if you are some great chosen one or are looked upon by the Master as the least and most needy of the brethren. You will now serve for the sake of selfless love alone because the need is out there and you sense the need.
When this stage is reached within yourself, one of the Great Ones will take notice and speak: “Behold, the servant! He has become as one of us. Let us invite him into the circle of higher friendship, brotherhood and service.”
But even here the invitation comes not as you expected. All your expectations are shattered and soon replaced by newer ones, and the groping in the dark is replaced by walking the path with vision. The reward for your selfless service is sight and as you see the path ahead your heart is filled with joy, for that which you see is not what you imagined, but more than you imagined.
Day 25
I will begin the journey home
The parable of the prodigal son illustrates very concisely our journey away from the true God into the realm of false ones. It reads as follows:
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Luke 15:11-32 New International Version
The father here represents the one true God, or spiritual parent who loves us and wants what is best for us. Even so, He honors our desires even if they should lead to a precarious journey on our part. We only learn through following through on our choices.
The younger son asked for his inheritance, which he took, and journeyed to a “distant country.”
This distant country represents this earth life where the lives thereon seem to be separated from God. They appear to live beyond the reach of their Source. For many it seems that God either does not exist or is beyond reach.
Next we are told he “squandered his wealth in wild living.” Wealth here represents the gifts and powers of God that we all have inside of us, but we have lost our recollection as to their correct use. In our ignorance we squander our natural powers very carelessly.
Next it says: “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.”
We have spent everything by giving away our power to false gods. This created a spiritual famine where it seems that the false gods have all the power and we have none unless some is given to us.
It continues:
“So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”
In his needy situation he hired himself out to a “citizen.” This represents the false god of his choice. The pigs represent the lower desire nature. All he received from the false gods was a feeding or stimulation of his lower nature, which is separated from God. In that situation the best he could think to do for himself was to eat with the pigs, or yield to the lower nature.
After a time (actually a very long time) the son came to his senses and tapped into that inner knowing that he has a true home and spiritual parent who loves him. The famine created by the false gods drives him on a quest to return home, yield to the true God and take whatever He is will willing to give.
Next we have a key passage in this parable:
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Before the son made it home and was still “a long way off,” the Father saw him. This tells us that the Father had never ceased looking and waiting for the return. The son did not have to journey all the way home before he met the Father’s welcoming arms.
The most important part of our journey home is to realize that the false gods give us no real spiritual food, and following them only produces a famine in our lives. When we reject their authority and seek the true God within us, then the waiting Inner Life responds and welcomes us.
When “the veil of the temple is rent in twain” and the son returns, he is accepted back into full sonship.
Our many mortal lives have been a tough experience, but in many ways we are wiser than the ones who stayed with the Father and never left His presence. We have learned to have compassion toward others who make mistakes. This is a quality had by the Father, but lacking in the first son.
The assignment today is to reflect on this parable and see yourself in it. See that you have traveled to a distant country and have gone through a spiritual famine, but now desire to return home. As you seek your true Father, see Him as one waiting for you to begin the journey. Focus deep within your heart and feel His presence waiting for you..
Day 26
False gods are sustained by desire
The difference between the false gods and the true is that the false ones speak to your desires. Everything the false gods tell you is geared to accommodating your desires, what you expect and what you want.
The difference between the two gods is like the difference between bad parents and good ones as far as diet goes.
The bad parents will give the kid lots of sweets and junk food because the kid likes them. The child may have heard from some sources that these foods are bad for you, but he is not concerned. He likes those foods and wants more of them. He is happy to have a parent who gives him what he wants.
Then later in life the child suffers many illnesses and is in great pain. He learns through suffering that the indulgent parent did him no favors.
The good parents, on the other hand, want what is best for the child in the long run. They give the child nutritious natural foods. Sometimes the child complains when he sees that his friends get lots of candy and junk foods, but after a while the child discovers that the taste of the wholesome foods are superior after all. As he matures he discovers that the healthy foods offer the best of everything. Most importantly he stays healthy and productive throughout his life.
Just like the child who thought his junk food was good, even so does the seeker become captivated by false gods who cater to his desires. He is given many false teachings that seem good, but, like junk food, the result of these teachings ends in an unhealthy spiritual condition . Near the end of his life he finds his spiritual condition is sadly lacking in fulfillment. He trusted the false gods and they did not deliver.
On the other hand, the seeker who has discovered the true God receives good spiritual food throughout his life. He never feels weak, alone or abandoned, for the presence is always with him; and if he follows the inner guidance he will always have a sense of fulfillment and feel like he is headed the right direction.
Your assignment today is to examine your life and get a sense of how much you have been nourished by the false gods or the true. Do you feel spiritually malnourished; do you suffer frustration, grief, loneliness and pain? If so, perhaps you have given more weight to the false gods than you realize. The true God wants to relieve you of all distress and nourish you with eternal manna and waters of life so you will not hunger and thirst again.
Ask yourself: how can I release all the hold of the false gods and let them go so I can embrace my true Mother and Father God that dwells within? What desires do I have that are still nourished by the outer gods? How do I let them go?
Do not despair, help is on the way.
Day 27
I will find the source of my fears
Fear is a tool used by the false gods to maintain their power. They have great fear that resides in them, and because fear controls them, they see fear as a means of control of others.
The false gods fear the fires of hell for themselves and, realizing how controlling this fear is, use it to control others.
They thus convince their followers that God is a stern father, willing to send you to an eternal and painful hell at the slightest infraction. If you were to die today you would probably go there. On the other hand, if you listen to and obey the false gods you just may enter heaven at death. This promise is only valid if you listen and obey for your entire moral life.
Other false gods promise you salvation now from a future hell if you accept their version of truth, but still the seeker is not at peace, for many of his family and loved ones have not accepted, are not saved and are doomed to hell. How can one be at peace when he is saved but loved ones are not?
Think of the movie The Titanic where Rose was saved, but Jack was not. Rose’s heart ached with the pain of separation for the rest of her life. Who wants to suffer such a painful separation for eternity?
The most obvious false god is the tyrannical leader who can punish you right here on the earth. He can put his subjects in hell through threat of imprisonment, torture or death.
Less obvious false gods are those who are heads of groups or organizations. These often use fear of being shunned or rejected to force their subjects to conform to the mindset.
False gods have designed many cunning ways to control their flocks, and their control extends beyond believers in God, including the hardened atheist and doubter. All have fear that is seen as a lever for control.
Most of those taking this course have some type of belief in God and can now see that the fear of God and His plan has been a tool the false gods have used in an attempt to control them.
The problem generated by this fear from false gods is that a great barrier has been created between the seeker and the true voice within. Your fear has diverted your attention away from the true and toward the false. Fear is a tremendous attention getter. Hitler was feared by his subjects and when he spoke they paid attention, and because of fear, did not dare cross him.
In seeking the true God the seeker disturbs the power of the false gods and they seek to lash out. He thus must face his fears and proceed through the barrier to the true God no matter what the consequence may be.
Your assignment today is to examine all of your fears related to God. Are you afraid of hell or divine punishment? Are you afraid that God is disappointed in you? Are you afraid of death, pain or disease?
Where did these fears originate? How can you go through the barrier into the loving arms of God who will replace fear with the peace that passes all understanding?
Day 28
I will understand why I fear
Fear is caused by a concern over loss. In the higher mansions of God there is no such thing as loss as we understand it here. The only loss that becomes possible in the eternal realm happens when entities decide to separate themselves from Spirit by entering the sleep of illusion in the worlds of form.
In this world there seems to be many things we can lose that can lead to fear. At the top of the list are concerns over the physical body. Humans are concerned about a loss of health, a loss of looks, a loss of function, a loss of memory and ultimately a loss of life in the body.
We are also concerned about resources that sustain the body such as money, food, housing, clothes, etc. If our access to any of these is threatened there is generally fear that follows.
Consider how many of your fears would disappear if you did not need your physical body, but instead had power to create an invulnerable body by the power of your thought. Imagine such a body that could take on any appearance, could not be harmed and could move between spirit and matter at will.
If you had such a body you could live under the most tyrannical dictator and have no fear for he could not harm you. Neither could he put you in prison, for you could walk through the walls. The tyrant would fear you in this situation.
You would not need food, transportation or clothing. Your looks would not fade for you could project any image you desired.
When you think of it, it is quite amazing how many fears are linked to maintaining our bodies.
In addition, there are fears that are not directly linked to the body. A big fear generated by false gods is that of an angry god who has power to obliterate your body and soul to blink you out of existence. Using this fear, they maintain control over their flock. Then the prospect of an eternal fiery hell generates another fear.
In life we have the fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of loss of love and lost opportunities. All that is unknown opens the door to many fears for possible loss.
Imagine how different your life would be if you had nothing to fear because there was no chance you could lose.
Around this idea Pastor Robert Schuller asked this question:
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
For this treatise we could word it:
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not lose, or had nothing to fear?”
The skeptic may say that there is always a possibility of loss that has to be taken under consideration. One may attempt to start a business, but there may be a financial collapse tomorrow that could shatter his dreams. Then there are other things. He could suffer an accident, ill health or even get struck by lightening. Such a fear of loss keeps many people from attempting to fulfill their dreams.
Other teachers have said that fear is to be overcome with the realization that this world is illusion, therefore it does not exist. Thus, our fears are not real and do not exist.
This sounds good in theory, but misses the mark in application as believers in this idea are still concerned about loss in this world.
Who among us would not have some concern or fear if he were in danger of losing his job that takes care of the needs of his whole family? Who would not have some fear or concern if he were told he had an incurable disease and others would have to take care of him for years to come?
In our reality the temptation to fear is great and few have mastered it. The big problem with fear is that it creates a barrier between the seeker and the true God within. That contact must be made in state of peace.
The assignment today is to reflect on what you can do to master fear so you can be at peace. Here are a few questions for consideration.
(1) Do I just need to realize that fear is illusion and not real?
(2) Should I suppress the fear or even deny that it exists?
(3) Should I confront my fears?
(4) Should I keep moving toward my goals despite my fears?
(5) Should I just take my attention away from sources of fear?
Day 29
I will shift my focus to Spirit
To access the Voice of God within, the seeker must be in a state of peace, undisturbed by fear or deep concerns. The question is, how is this to be accomplished when our very survival in this world forces us to focus on our many concerns. In addition to this, most have the added burden of assisting others who depend on them. After all, many sincere seekers have more fears related to letting down loved ones than of caring for their own needs.
Think back on the many movies you watched where the brave hero had little fear for his life as he confronted the bad guys, but then melted in fear after they captured and put a gun to the head of a loved one.
Fortunately, most of us do not encounter such extreme situations, but a loving parent still gets a taste of such fear when he is short on funds and feels he cannot take care of loved ones – or maybe has a sick child that he seems powerless to help.
Indeed there are dozens of situations we all face that call us to express concern and fear that seem to be great barriers to peace. Then, when one is at a low ebb, his peace may be disturbed by something quite trivial. Many seekers are somewhat ashamed of themselves for allowing themselves to be disturbed over small things. An upset over a small thing can create the same barrier to peace as an upset over a big thing.
If the strategy of the seeker is to wait for all concerns to pass so he can then obtain the peace, he will be waiting forever. As long as the attention is on this world there will always be concerns that can generate fear, and thus reinforce the barrier between the seeker and the kingdom of God within.
What, then, is to be done? After all, everyone but maybe a naked hermit living in the woods has to pay attention to his life in this world.
Here is the principle that needs to be absorbed:
There are two worlds, the material and the spiritual. If your focus is on the material the spiritual will be away from your consciousness, almost as if it did not exist.
If your focus is on the spiritual, the reverse will be true. It will be as if the material world does not exist and a deep peace will settle in.
The first focus is easy and everyone does it. The second is more difficult and requires a decision supported by the strength of will.
The seeker indeed must take care of business in the material world, but the secret is to only focus there as needed. Most people put much more focus in the world of illusion than required. For instance, if you have a problem at work, what good does it do to think about it all evening when you are a home and can do nothing about it?
To shift to a maximum amount to the spiritual world you must see yourself as the observer, as if watching a movie as you handle the cares of the world. Then when you have taken the steps to handle your problem, shut the movie off and focus on the real world of Spirit.
All have power, even in the midst or turmoil, to shift focus to the inner world and partake of the peace of God.
Your assignment today is to practice shifting your attention between the two worlds. Try once an hour to put your mind on hold and see the whole material world as a dream that has no effect on you. Then, for a minute or two, feel your consciousness shifting to the inner world. You will know you have achieved some success when you feel at peace.
The more distracting the circumstance you find yourself in, the more powerful will be the result of this exercise. Of course, use common sense in keeping enough attention on this world to avoid accidents.
Day 30
I will not see the material world today
So, how did you do with yesterday’s exercise? You were supposed to take a minute or so every hour and tune out the physical and focus on the inner world of Spirit. If you are like most people you were too distracted to do it more than twice. Most likely you thought about it after you read the assignment and then forgot about it.
Why did you forget?
Because you are extremely focused on this world and all the cares within it.
To commune with the soul you have to be as focused on the inner as the outer. You have to put yourself in a state of mind that is beyond the fears and cares of the world. Yes, you cannot be there all the time for you have to take care of the business of living with its responsibilities, but there is more time available than you realize. You know you have wasted much time in your life that could have been available for important pursuits. There is nothing more important than finding your Eternal Source so let us make priorities.
The problem is that you cannot see two worlds. If your focus is on the material then that is all you will see. On the other hand, if you really make the shift all you will see is the spiritual.
Yes, after the shift has been made your eyes and other senses will still take in perceptions, but your mind will be focused elsewhere. For instance, as I type these words my mind is not on the computer or keyboard even though my eyes take in the images. My mind is on the spirit in the words.
Remember how you often daydreamed when you were a kid? You probably still daydream some, but not like you did as a child. As a child you let your imagination go and sometimes it was so real that the outer world seemed to fade away to be replaced by what your mind created. When you were in this state of high imagination none of your thoughts were on anything happening in he physical world. You had no concerns for this world because you were seeing another world.
Even so must we become as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven, but instead of seeing imaginary characters as a goal we will seek the end result of seeing the kingdom of God.
To see the greater reality you have to tune out the lesser one. This is a process of “not seeing” or unseeing.
To not see when you are used to using your eyes to see is, at first, much more difficult than it is to see. But if you look ahead of you and not see the images in front of you then you will see something else. You will always be seeing something, even if it is with the eyes of the understanding. You can never not see everything, but you can not see what is in the normal spectrum. When there is a vacuum in seeing your inner self will fill the vacuum with something else to see. What that turns out to be can be quite interesting.
If you successfully not see the physical world you do not automatically see the realms of the Spirit or have direct contact with the soul or Higher Self. At first you may merely replace the seeing of the physical with your imagination, but do not dismay for the world of your imagination is closer to Spirit than is the physical world.
Your imagination can take you to the kingdom of God that resides within you.
Your assignment today is to practice “not seeing” and take mental notes about what you do see.
Sit back in your chair, relax and look straight ahead. You may be looking at a blank wall, a television, your computer, a picture or a number of things. It matters not. Just look straight ahead not focusing on any object. Pick a point in space that appears empty and place your attention on it. Do this until images come to your mind. When this happens focus on them with as much attention as possible. Follow them and see where they take you.
Good. Now did you notice that when you were seeing the image or images that you seemed to have no attention at all on the regular physical world right in front of your eyes?
Repeat this exercise several times today, and this time try remind yourself to do it.
Copyright by J J Dewey
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