Spiritual Trial

"Spiritual trial is the struggle and the anguish involved
in venturing out beyond one's assumed capacities or
generally approved expectations" Kierkegaard

Is it wise to break away from convention? I suppose
it depends on where most people are headed. If the
pack is heading for a cliff, it's best not follow.
Although, striking off on your own has it's potential
of misfortune.

Yet what is misfortune? Is misfortune unsatisfied
expectations, circumstances that set one back, or
something entirely different? Emerson stated in
his essay on "Worship","he learns to welcome misfortune,
learns that adversity is the prosperity of the great."
Perhaps what the writer was trying to convey was
what we judge as misfortune is just part of the game of
life. People try to avoid misfortune by not taking risks,
but it is the person who is actually doing something
that can lead to greatness. As Pastor Robert Schuller
states,in "Don't Throw Away Tomorrow", " a goal-less person
is a god-less person"

What is this greatness? I believe it comes from understanding
that one gets from the quest. The understanding of who he
comes from. The path of the quest as Joseph Campbell points
out, in "A Hero With A Thousand Faces", is not discovery,
but re-discovery. It going from believing to knowing that
you are a child of God.

Whether the obstacles we come across are from our own Karmic
effects or circumstances in the external world, it is faith
through the misfortune, that brings us to the realization. Faith
that God works through us, and misfortunes bring us to that point
of understanding. If everything went well, we wouldn't need God.
That is why faith is so important.

Another point, from Emerson's "Self-reliance", that every voyage
of the best ship is a zig zag line of a hundred tacks". This tells
us that advancing into the future, there is no straight line.
Misfortune puts us on our own genius, to change, to redirect,
to lighten the load we carry, and compensate as we continue to
head for the goal. That goal is what God puts in our heart.
This is our spiritual trial, time and time again, to get there.

"Faith is the highest passion in a person" Kierkegaard

Prepare for your Good

There are the dry times, when money and
opportunity seem a long way off. The key is
not to dwell on the lack, but give thanks
for the good that is coming your way. Since
you know that good is coming, expect, prepare,
and give thanks.

There is a power of expectation. It is like
a magnet that pulls things towards you. It is
the faith of in things unseen. It is the belief
that good is coming your way.

Preparation is digging a hole for the
coming water, or buying a welcome mat for the
coming house. It is action combined with the
expectation that your good is coming. It shows
your confidence in the God force.

Gratitude is prayer in reverse. Instead of asking,
your giving thanks to the God force for what is already
coming your way. This is true worship.


With expectancy, preparation, and gratitude it
is just a matter of time before your good finds you.
Your good is awaiting you, so be patient, and keep
moving forward.

Rain

It's September in Belize, which means the sun is back overhead
as it heads for the southern hemisphere. Yet, this weekend we
got light rain, off and on. This rain cools things off, removes
the dust from the air, and waters the plants. So after a few
weeks of hot sun, nature is restored by a few days of wonderful
rain. This is so true of life.

Ideas: Be in the Moment

"There is never a money probelm,
there's only an idea problem"
Robert H. Schuller, "MY Jouney"

Being in the Moment, Present, we can become
sensitived to a problem that needs solution,
or just fulfilling needs of people.

Whether its imagination, intuition, or just
plain seeing and grasping the solution; hence,
creatively, by solving a problem, creates
a money making activity.

Solve enough problems for enough people,
and abundance is assured. But how???


1. Meditation, quiet the mind, and the solution
may come through to you.

2. Brainstorm, yourself or with a group,
ideas that may work. A good team is priceless.

3. Find the true Cause to the Problem.
All problems are effects (circumstances)
of Causes.

4. Carry out the solution. Persevere, and carry out your
solution. The greater the solution, the more
heroic the scale.

5. Charge well, and go to the bank. This is a stumbling
block for many people. Reciprosity is very important if
you help someone with a problem.

Refinement

When one makes the conscious decision to begin the spiritual
path, to open up the soul, they usually find themselves in
troubles. There is a paradox in life that when tries to
become goodness, that difficulties and obstacles appear to
block the way. These difficulties usually involve loss of wealth,
friends, jobs, or some other circumstance that seems to get
in the way. Many blame the devil, and announce "the devil is a liar".

Where do these difficulties come from?

We can pray to God, and ask them to be removed; however, I have
found these troubles to later be blessings. It is as if God
has sent these troubles, to cause our transformation. The effect
of our holding on to the old self are pain and suffering. That is
how we overcome our limitations. This is our refinement. Pain
and suffering are the inner fire that burns off our limitations.

If we can let go, and let be, while have faith that something
better is coming our way, we can make room for the new by removing
the old. Yet me must work through the pain, have the courage to
face whatever difficulty that presents itself, and grow.
Life is about growth. Refinement purifies the soul.

Trial Time

Hello,

It's been about 4 months since my last post,
and it has been a time of trial. It didn't feel
right to add any more articles till I got
through it. In this spiritual work, one is always
a student as the tests seem to get harder, and more
challenging. Strength and self-control that grew
from past challenges are pressured by new obstacles
and circumstance. The darkness before the
dawn was two weeks ago. Calamity again has proven to be
a genius.This post is about the aspects of trial.

Realization:
The adventure begins when the problem becomes so obvious
that it cannot be ignored. It becomes apparent that a
solution is needed soon, or disaster awaits.

Identification:
The problem becomes defined, and understood. In fictional
books of old this is the ogre, monster, or dragon.

Cause and Effect:
Problems are circumstances, which are effects of a cause.
Cause->Effect. What is the cause that produced the effect?

Investigation:
Finding the cause is like peeling an onion. Each layer brings
one closer to the thought/belief that created the problem/
circumstance.

Meditation:
Now it takes prayer/meditation to change the thought/belief which
will creates a different circumstance.

Battle:
This battle period is like the darkness before the dawn, as
disaster looms, courage faces doubt, which produces
pain/suffering, and the inner fire that brings solution/victory.

At-one-ment:
The dragon is defeated, the problem is solved, and you recognize
the energy source that welled up inside you. God has worked through
you, to improve you. You have the solution, which begins to turn
circumstances in a positive direction.

Validation: Green Shoots
Small positive outcomes give you an early signal that your solution
has changed your situation. Now its time to maintain new habits
with patience and selfcontrol.

What is Wealth?????

For the best definition of wealth I adapted
this from an old Syrian saying:

"If you have your health than that is a "1",
as good health is the most important thing.
If you are at peace with your creator add on a zero
If you have a good spouse add on a zero.
If you have good family add on a zero
If you have a good friends add on zero
If you enjoy what you do for living add on zero
If you are generous add on a zero
If you have money add on a zero

The most important thing is your health,
because without that nothing much matters.

Creativity comes from challenge, not complacency

Once the quest has begun we will come up with many
obstacles and troubles. These obstacles are our tests
to re-create ourselves, to get rid of old thinking,
to break out of comfort zones that our ego has set
up over the years.

Many write about the power of prayer, but with the
mistaken idea that God is going to get you out of
the trouble, while you remain passive. That is not
entirely true. God is within you, and works through
you to get you above your troubles. Troubles are
are typically not met head on , but are transended.
You are the instrument through which solutions arise.


It is prayer that activates the creator inside us,
and not only gives us ideas, but attracts solutions
to us. These solutions could be advice from a
friend, a book that finds its way to you, or your
own "aha" moment of intuition. It is the challenge
of the problem that causes us to change, and accept
new ideas. Then we have to do whatever comes to us,
and wait in hope and faith that the problem is already
solved.

The Call to Quest

There comes the time in the human life when the call
to quest comes from within. This is the time when society
is left behind, so the indidivual can discover their
true selves. Joseph Campbell states in his work on
mythology,"The Hero With A Thousand Faces","it is only
the hero on a quest who has a destiny".

Just as in the stories old, the quest begins with a
leaving of the village for parts unknown, or perhaps
for a specific prize. Along the way, the hero meets
helpers, who possess talisman's that help turn future
obstacles into stepping stones. It is only after the
hero has left, that the help appears along the way.

For the present day hero, once the quest begins new
opportunities present themselves. There must be faith,
a trusting that your head is protected while your feet
are guided. That is the connection to God, or universal
consciousness. Insecurities melt, as the hero learns
self-reliance and trust. New personalities come into their
lives that teach and help. Opportunities open up for all
the good gifts of life, such as love, abundance, and peace.

There are also times of trial, and difficulty. These are
times that develop character, times in the funace burning
away of the dross of vices such as selfishness, and false
pride. These are times when we realize that a connection
to God is more important than any government or other societal
security blanket. Yet, the dragons (vices) must be slayed.

Sometimes the quest is forced on the hero. Today, a lay off
from a company job could begin a quest, or some other calamity.
Emerson stated in his essay on Compensation that calamity "later
assumes the aspect of a guide or genius; for it commonly operates
revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy
or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wonted
occupation, or a household, or a style of living, and allows the
formation of new acquaintances and the reception of new
influences that prove of the first importance to the next years."


The call to quest is not highly prized in today's technological
society, yet without it the human being is just a robot. There
are latent powers that each human possesses, yet like oil in the
ground, they must be tapped. We need to discover that we are human
beings, not just human doings. There is a spiritual side to us
having a human experience. It is the call to quest which is the
ultimate adventure to the true brave, to explore the world within.

Following Leads

Sometimes we just don't know what to do in life.
We have put the thought out to the universe,
of what we want, but don't necessarily know how to
obtain it. That is when we need to stop struggling,
and start listening.

We can get leads of what to do next. These leads can
come from friends, love ones, books, song lyrics,
whatever, that seem to act as guides. When something
is right, there is an inner knowing it is right. When
we see it , or hear, it will seem right, and we will
then know what to do next.

Miracles are not reasonable. So when we are guided to
our good, don't expect there to be a logical progression.
Guidance doesn't operate in the logical, it operates
in the miraculous.

I was guided to Belize from Boston Massachusetts, USA.
This was not a logical choice, yet it was the correct path for me.

Our Thoughts are Seeds

It is very important what we think about, because our thoughts expand in our lives. The saying goes "as within, so without". Your life is a mirror reflection of the thoughts you made in the past. Therefore, it's very important now to have
positive, right-thinking (righteous) thoughts, so that your future expands in a positive way.

Think of thoughts as seeds. A tomato seed has the tomato plant already inside it.
It just needs to be planted. Now this seed can't be a pepper or bean plant, because
it is a tomato seed. Also this seed doesn't stress how its going to grow into a
tomato plant. It allows the God forces of sunshine, the soil, and rain to take care of the process.

The same growth process is true of our thoughts. We plant the thought seed in meditation and prayer. Then we allow the God forces, which come through us,
to process the idea into fruition. The process doesn't care if the thought is love,
abundance, or good health, as long as it is a specific idea. With the patience of a farmer we allow our thought to manifest into the physical. It is by faith that the
thought will come forth into fruition.

As the thought form grows inside us, we change. It is this change that attracts that which we seek. "As within, so without".

Unlimited Divine Resources

"You are not a reservior with a limited amount of resources;
you are a channel attached to unlimited divine resources."
"Apples of Gold" Compiled by Jo Petty