Allow Your Christ Light to Shine

I know from talking to so many people (and first hand) that this Holiday Season has been very very busy. It often feels like there is a seemingly endless list of things to-do.  List after list of things to prepare, places to go, functions and events to attend, gifts to purchase...well you know what I mean!

Today, I am here to offer you a gentle reminder, to take time to breathe, to take time to reflect on this special time of year. I invite you to give yourself a gift this year. The gift of allowing the Light of Christ to shine from within you.  The Christ Light is a Divine reflection of our Father/Mother God.

The truth is, you do not need a special time of year to allow the Christ Light to shine in your life. This can happen at any time of year. But for many, it seems that in this season, many are more open to (i.e. have their consciousness more focused on) allowing the Christ Light to shine outward from within.

Life is a process of giving. Feel the joy of giving.

This year, may you be more aware of allowing the Light of Christ to enter into your being. May this Divine reflection transform not only your Holiday's, but all the day's of the New Year.

Many Blessing's to You in the Light of the Christ!

Michael

What Would Jesus Do?: The Untold Truth

It was several years ago when I first heard this popularized saying, "What would Jesus do?" and its acronym "WWJD." I remember thinking how interesting and powerful self-imposed questions are, especially questions which cause us to think and make choices consciously, instead of simply reacting to life or living on autopilot.

I certainly mean no disrespect to the person or group who came up with the phrase WWJD or to those who reflect on this question in a meaningful way. WWJD is a good question to ask ourselves, but it is not the best question.

When we ask ourselves any question, in this case, WWJD, we are essentially focusing our mind to process a given situation through a different filter, through a different mental map. Nothing wrong with this. But if we really want to get to the root of a matter, to get into the head and heart of any Master, Jesus being the Master used in this statement, then we have to move further back towards the "cause" than the question WWJD prompts us to do.

You see, when we ask the question, "WWJD" we are reflecting on and considering, to the best of our knowledge, what Master Jesus would do in a similar situation. The focus on the "doing," what would he "do," is misplaced. What we do is an effect of how and what we think and believe. Doing is an effect, thought is the cause. Thought precedes all action. Thought comes first. Whether we are conscious of the thought is another matter. All action is preceded by thought.

To get to the root of "doing," we must seek to get to the root of the thought of the doer. When we reflect on what a Master might do in a given situation, we may be better served reflecting on that which comes before the doing, which is thought. How would a Master think about a particular issue? We could restate this phrase as, "What would Jesus think about this issue?" Or seeking to get even deeper to the root of the mind within the man, we could ask ourselves, "What would Christ think about this issue?"

When we give the mind direction to focus in this manner -  on the mind of Christ - we have the potential to access the wisdom, knowledge, and perspective of something far greater than just considering what Jesus would do. Remember, thought precedes action. Considering the mind of the doer is far more powerful than only considering action.

Try it. "What would Christ think about this issue?"

Many Blessings to You!

Michael

No Regrets

When we carry around regrets from the past, we are living in the past. The past is the past. It exists only as a memory. The past is not where life is happening at this moment. Life happens in every moment in the present.

Be kind to others. Have the courage to say, "I Love You." Give away Hugs as if today was your last opportunity to do so.

Live each day as if it were your last day on earth in the physical body and you will have no regrets.

I wish you much peace.

Many Blessings to You!

Michael

God's Manifestations in the World

We cannot see God in his unmanifested form. But we can see (and experience) God in his manifested form...Life itself. God manifests as Life in both the physical and spiritual worlds. All Life is a manifestation of God.

Perception is everything. If we go about our day waiting to see God show up as the elder white bearded man, we risk missing the opportunity of seeing God manifesting in our lives, all around us, every day.

I invite you to start your day with the conscoious intention to see God manifest in and through your Life and observe how your perceptions change.

Peace and Many Blessings to You!

Michael

Surround Yourself with Light

Every day, each one of us will make many decisions regarding where we place our focus/attention and how we choose to use our energy. The question is not whether we choose to make these decisions; rather the question is, will we choose where and how to focus our attention and energy consciously or unconsciously?

Where and how we choose to focus our attention will strongly influence the use of our energy. Energy follows thought.

I encourage you to be the "gatekeeper" of your own thoughts. Being the "gatekeeper" means to be mindful of what we put into our mind. This includes (but is not limited to) TV or movies we watch, and books, articles and news we read. Just remember, everything counts.

The Universe operates through the Law of Vibration. Everything vibrates, everything is in motion. Even our mental and emotional states carry there own vibratory signature. Whether they are aware of it or not, even the mildly sensitive person will pick up on the underlying mental and emotional vibrations of another person. For this reason, I always like to encourage people to be very aware of the vibrational energy in their own homes.

Ideally, our home is one place where we would like to have the feelings of love, peace, and acceptance. Each of these feelings carry there own unique vibrational feel. At the same time, in our daily walk in the world, there are times when we personally experience or we are in the presence of mental and emotional states which are more on the negative side. By negative, I mean the mental and emotional states that do not serve our highest and best good.

There are ways we can choose to protect ourselves from allowing lower, negative vibrations from effecting us or bringing those energies into our homes. One of the ways we can protect ourselves is by surrounding ourselves with the Pure White Light. This Light is Spiritual Light. We can mentally, visually, invoke the Pure White Light to surround us and enfold us so that only the highest and best many come from us, as well as come to us.

Some people have asked me when they should surround themselves with the Pure White Light. While the answer may be different for different people and situations in their life, at a minimum, start with the first thing when you wake up and again as you go to sleep.

Surround yourself with the Pure White Light so that only the highest and best may come from you and come to you throughout the day.

In Love and In Light,

Michael

Try Harder or Try Easier, It is Your Choice

Each of us have been given "free will." This means that each of us has the free will to think, speak and act accordingly based on how we choose to be in the world. We have the free will to believe (or not believe) whatever we choose.

From time-to-time when the circumstances of life become difficult for us, we have free will to choose to go it alone by trying harder, or we have the free will to choose to ask for help. Furthermore, if and when we choose to ask for help (which can be very difficult for some of us), we can choose to ask for help from friends or family members, and we can ask for spiritual help and guidance.

Our Divine Parents honor the free will they have so freely given to us. This is very important to understand. If we truly desire spiritual help and guidance in our life, we must ask for it! By asking for spiritual help and guidance, we are inviting God into our lives. Clearly, God knows what we need even before we ask, but it is in the asking, it is in the inviting in, which opens the door to Divine intercession into our lives.

Surrendering our free will by being open to flow in God's Divine Will, can be one of the easiest hardest things to do. If this is a new concept for you, than it can be hard to do initially. But in truth, surrendering my human will over to Divine Will can be very freeing.

So next time the going gets tough for you, I invite you to call on God's intercession into your life to handle the situation for you "in perfect ways and under grace."

Know this, your Divine Parents, through their incomprehensible love, wait patiently for your invitation to open the door for their guidance and direction. We only need to ask and know that our call has been heard.

In Love and In Light...Michael

Good Morning God

Some time ago, I attended a class taught by Julie. Little did Julie know that she gave everyone in the class a great little gift. I am thankful for her gift and would like to pass it along by sharing it with you.

Julie would begin each day of the class by saying the following:

Good Morning God,
Thy will be done,
Today is a day of completion,
Thank you for a perfect day,
Miracle will follow miracle,and
Wonders will never cease.

(Original prayer by Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How to Play It, (pp. 36-7))

From a metaphysical perspective, this short saying is jam-packed with meaning. Too much in fact to go into in detail in this article.

Ever since I first heard this little prayer, saying it has been a part of my morning routine. This short saying helps me to connect with God each morning. It serves as a nice reminder that the Divine Presence is right here with me, not just in some far off location. It states that I am open to God's will being done in and through my life today.

I am sure that this little prayer will have its own special meaning to you. If you already have a special way of connecting with God each morning, then by all means, continue with what you have. If you do not have a special way of connecting with God each morning, then you are invited to try this one.

Blessings to you my dear friends!

Michael

The Soul Knows: Your Built-In Compass

When consulting with people on their spiritual growth and spiritual guidance, I receive a lot of questions that sound like, "What should I be reading, studying and doing for my spiritual growth?" While I think the answer to this or similar questions is different and very personal to the individual based on where they are coming from (their own personal spiritual experiences and interests), I do believe that there are some commonalities to consider.

When we are earnestly seeking spiritual guidance in our life, this guidance will largely come to us in two forms. Internal guidance and external guidance. I recommend combining the two by seeking out both internal and external guidance. This article could be an example of external guidance; however, the content of this message is regarding one form of internal guidance.

One of the commonalities which we all possess, but often times overlook or don't consider at all, is Our Soul. If we pay attention, our soul will act as a compass of sorts, leading us to what it is we seek to learn and experience in this lifetime. The communication between your soul and your conscious mind comes in the form of intuition, a flash of thought and feelings in your solar plexus. We often hear the later being described as a "gut feeling" or something similar.

We all receive these communications from our soul, but equally as often, we tend to discount these subtle forms of communication. We tend to doubt our intuition or flashes of thought and chalk them up as our imagination. It is difficult for our soul to get through to us, difficult for the soul to impress on the mind the guidance we seek, when our mind is going a hundred-miles-per-hour.

Set your intention and step out of the way. Be open and expect, as you have asked (in this example of spiritual guidance) for Spirit and your Soul to bring into your life what it is you need at this time. The guidance may come in ways that you did not expect. Be patient, be open and pay attention. Pay attention to how you feel when you are drawn to something to read. Pay attention to your intuition and those flashes of thought that pop into your mind out of nowhere. Quiet your mind enough so that you may hear the internal guidance that comes your way.

This is one way your soul can lead you to the next step in your spiritual journey!

Many Blessings to you!

Michael

The Healing Power of Silence

We all lead busy lives. At any one time, we juggle (and seek to balance) multiple priorities in life. Some of your priorities may include your family, your career, relationships, hobbies or interests. Some days, perhaps even most days, it feels like we are on the move (physically and mentally) from the moment we wake up until the time we go to sleep. Simply put, we live in a loud and busy world.

It is possible, if we are not careful, for our mind to go go go during all of our waking hours. Sometimes it is helpful to have a reminder to slow down, even for a few moments. Here's an example. There is a plaque on the wall in my living room which reads, "Be Still and Know That I Am God". For me, this plaque serves as a nice reminder that my perception and awareness of the Divine is far easier when my mind is quiet and still.

When my mind is full of all of the things I have to do today, tomorrow or next week, it is less likely for me to perceive the presence of the 'still small voice' in my day.

There is much healing power found in silence. The sun rises in the morning in silence. The sun sets at the end of the day in silence. How much silence do you have in your day? Admittedly, sometimes inserting a little silence into your day is not easy. Take the example of a mother with small children. It can be very challenging for a mother to find even a little quiet time in a day. I am not suggesting it is easy. I am suggesting it is very valuable.

Unless you are practiced in meditation, it is difficult to experience internal silence when there is a lot of external noise. So initially, having external silence will aid in helping you reach internal silence. After you are practiced at willing internal silence into your being, you will be able to find internal peace even when the external world is loud and busy.

It is during times of internal silence, of stillness, when we can consciously connect with the Divine within. We can turn off, even for a short time, the stimulus of the external world and allow ourselves to connect with Spirit. The healing power of silence and connecting with Spirit gives us much of what is needed to effectively work through life's ups and downs.

There is a peacefulness which enters into our being when we give ourselves the gift of a little silence. You will find that this peacefulness will last longer and longer as you regularly add some silence to your day.

In Love and In Light,

Michael

How To Change Your Life In An Instant

There are times in our lives when things appear to simply not be working. Our life circumstances or present situations appear not to be unfolding as we may have anticipated.

It is at these pivotal points in life when you may be asking yourself, "What should I do?". This is a fair question, but it is the wrong question to ask ourselves. The question itself focuses the mind on action - on what to do.

When we experience challenging times in our life, often times how we think about the problem is part of the problem. Perception is everything! Sooner, rather than later, we come to understand the fact that energy follows thought.

What we think - the nature of our thoughts - influences the energy in and around our bodies. In fact, what we think about influences the very physiology of our bodies. Movie makers know this. By knowing this fact they can create made up senses with the right action and the right sounds to elicit different emotions and tensions within our bodies, even though we know the movie is not real.

Here are the most common mistakes I observe people make when they come face-to-face with life's challenges:

1. They tense up,
2. Their breathing either quickens or they hold their breath,
3. Their mind races through all the worst case scenarios,
4. They re-play the tape in their mind of the problem itself,
5. They re-tell 'their story' to people over and over - reinforcing the energy of the problem.

By responding and thinking this way, the lower attributes of fear, anger, guilt, resentment (or any of their close cousins) can rise to the surface. While experiencing any of these for a brief time may not be the end of world, I encourage us to not get stuck on any of these points for too long.

What we resist, persists. Realize this, the moment we change what and how we are thinking is also the very moment our energy will shift.

I like the wisdom offered to us from the 13th century Persian mystic, Rumi. In one of Rumi's beautiful poems he writes, "Welcome difficulty. Learn the alchemy True Human Beings know: the moment you accept what troubles you've been given, the door opens". (Quote taken from The Illuminated Rumi by Coleman Barks)

When faced with life's challenges, I would like to recommend trying the following:

1. Relax and breathe,
2. Accept the difficulty (this does not mean you have to like it!),
3. Focus the mind on potential solutions - not the problem itself,
4. In your meditations and prayers, invite in Divine intercession to show you the highest and best path to follow,
5. Stand firmly in the belief that solutions are already on their way - in God's speed.

Manifesting goodness in your life is as close to you as your own thoughts -- it can begin in an instant!

In Love and In Light,

Michael

The Mind: Tamed or Untamed?

(Part 2)
I ended last week with the statement -- It is very difficult to hear (perceive) Spirit, and receive spiritual guidance when the mind is always on the move. How true this is. Oh it would be great if Divine guidance came to us as depicted in a movie, complete with a loud booming voice, perhaps some thunder for affect. However, in my experience, Divine guidance arrives most commonly in a 'still small voice'.

When our conscious mind is racing and always on the move, it is very difficult to perceive the still small voice of Divine guidance. Our conscious mind appears to be the louder of the two, occupying our attention. One of the tools, if you will, of Self Mastery which can assist us in overcoming or subduing our material life challenges is being able to slow down the mind. Being able to slow down the constant stream of thought in our day. One of the most effective ways to slow down the mind is through the art and science of mediation.

There are many forms of mediation. At the core, meditation helps us to focus and slow down the mind. When we slow down our mind and we ask for Divine guidance or intercession in our life, we are far more likely to hear and be aware of this guidance when it occurs.

If a part of your current spiritual practices include some form of meditation on a regular based, then I encourage you to continue. If a part of your current spiritual practices do not include some form of regular mediation, then I invite you to include this into your daily life. Someone once taught me (I can not remember who or I would give them credit) to think about meditation as my personal appointment with God. Thinking about mediation in this way has helped me make a habit of including mediation into my daily life.

Learning to slow down the racing, reactive mind, will bring countless benefits into your life! One of these benefits will be an increase in the closeness and connectedness of the Divine presence in your life. What a wonderful gift to receive!

Many Blessings to you!

Michael

The Mind: Tamed or Untamed?

(Part 1)
Is the mind tamed or untamed? That is the question.

When we look carefully, we are offered some valuable guidance in the first chapter of Genesis, verse 28 (I am quoting from Lamsa's translation of the Bible from the Aramaic of the Peshitta). This is a commonly quoted passage. Having said that, many people have a difficult time being able to complete the guidance offered...the last two words in the section I will quote are really important! We read, "And God blessed them, and God said to them, be fruitful, and multiple, and fill the earth, and [?] it." Without peeking, what goes in the [brackets]? We have heard the fruitful part and we have heard the multiple and fill the earth part (they don't need a lot of explaining), but what about the last part?

The word which goes in the [brackets] is SUBDUE. "...and fill the earth, and subdue it." What does this mean? Subdue means to overcome, tame, or tone down. To tame what? The "it" in this quote is referring to the earth, to this material world. The world we live in is a world in which duality exists. I will offer a suggestion. I think the writer of this scripture is referring to overcoming or taming the duality of this material world.

Overcoming or taming the dualities of life begins in the mind. The nature of the mind in many people is reactive and racing. Our mind goes and goes and goes all day long, often times jumping from one topic or thought to another. Sometimes we get on a train of thought and all of the sudden, we think, "How did I get here?" on this unrelated topic.

It is a wonderful gift to come to the realization that we can slow down the mind. Being able to slow down the racing, reactive mind 'at will', is one of the components of Self Mastery. You are in charge of your mind. Your mind is not in charge of you! Admittedly, to tame the mind takes some practice. When the Psalmist said, "Be still and know that I am God", he was not talking about being still - as in standing still or not moving. He was referring to "stilling" the mind. It is very difficult to hear (perceive) Spirit, and receive spiritual guidance when the mind is always on the move.

I will continue this message on how to slow down (or tame) the mind next week.

In Love and In Light...Michael

The Divine Manifesting Through Men, Women and Children in Times of Crisis

By now, I am sure that you have read the articles and seen the footage of the devastation of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in and around Haiti. I was just speechless when I read that the aftershocks are ranging from 4.5 - 5.9 magnitude.

All the words I could possibly say, would only pale in comparison to the real needs of the men, women and children in this area of our world. With this in mind, I will keep this message short...

Life is all about perspective. How we see (and what we see) is a result of our individual 'mental maps'. We observe events in our life every day. All of these events are what they are. We give everything meaning. It is our individual perspective of what is, which causes us to draw our own conclusions and opinions.

I would like to share with you, my perspective of what I see in the times of a natural disaster. In times of natural disaster, I observe the highest and best - I will call these divine attributes - in humanity, rise to the surface. I observe and can feel the outflowing of love and compassion for our fellow human beings in need. I observe the divine, working through the hands, feet, thoughts, words and resources of men, women and children from around the world, focused in our consciousness, towards those in need.

If you have not already done so (and even if you have), I invite you now...in this very moment...to close your eyes for a couple minutes and go within. Quite your mind and connect to the Divine through your intention.

I invite you to pray for the following (and anything else you care to add):

* For the comfortable and safe transition for those who have died,
* For the comfort and guidance to those parents who have lost a child(ren),
* For the comfort and guidance to those dear children who have lost a parent,
* For the comfort and guidance to those who have lost a relative or friend,
* For the strength and courage for all the people who are aiding those in need.

May our heart felt prayers and resources reach all of our spiritual brothers and sisters in need!

Blessings to you All!

Michael

The Priceless Question

We are asking ourselves questions constantly...countless times each day. Often times, these self-imposed questions are asked so fast and happen in the background (unconsciously)that we don't hear them. What we are often hear and are aware of, is the answer. To get an answer, we had to ask ourselves a question.

Self-imposed questions can be very powerful. However, the answers we receive are directly related to the quality of the questions we ask ourselves. The secret, comes in being self-aware enough to be the conscious asker of the questions verses allowing the mind to run unchecked.

For so many people, the mind is untamed. The nature of their mind is racing, anxious, reactive. We live in a loud and busy world. From the time we wake up, to the time we lay our heads down on the pillow to go to sleep, the mind is going, going, going. The objective is to slow down the mind. In slowing down the racing, anxious and reactive nature of the mind, we allow ourselves the time and the freedom to choose our thoughts...not just react to them.

One of the best ways to slow down the mind (that I am aware of) is through the art and science of Meditation. I encourage you, if you are not already doing so, to give yourself the gift of meditation for 20-30 minutes each day. This small gift of time in mediation can make a world of difference in all of the other minutes in your day!

Back to the self-imposed questions. The quality of the questions we ask ourselves, are directly related to the quality of the answers we will receive. For example, we often ask ourselves 'unanswerable' questions. These questions often begin with the word 'Why'. 'Why' is a certain thing happening in my life. Our questions, if not stated in a way which seeks to find a solution or an answer, can lead us down a path that I call 'mental gymnastics'.

If the 'Why' questions are not getting you what you need to move forward, try a different word. Try questions that start with 'How' or 'What'. These types of questions give the mind direction. They help to provide the mind with focus. Try it and you will see for yourself.

We are all spiritual beings having a human experience. There is a spark of divinity housed within the soul. Knowing this, think of the power in these self-imposed questions and ask yourself, how can these questions influence you today!

The Priceless Question

"How will the Divine, Manifest through my life today?

(more specifically)

"How will the Divine, Manifest through my words today?
"How will the Divine, Manifest through my actions today?

May the Divine shine brightly in and through your life today!

In Love and In Light...Michael