BOUNDLESS SPIRITUALITY

Michael Bernard Beckwith, acclaimed metaphysician and author of 'Spiritual Liberation,’ walks the walk of advancing through the illusory reality of egoic competition and crass materialism, taking us step by step and practice by practice into an understanding of Spirit’s sublime world, available to all.

"Transformation that burns the seeds of old patterns of thoughts and actions requires disciplined commitment on our part… A genuine intention to transform is an invitation for spiritual lightning to strike and reveal our self-sabotaging habits, pointing us in the direction of what must be released so that we may evolve into our next dimension of being.”

"You begin each day with an attitude that this is the best day of my life, and by the end of this day, (will) have a deeper realization about the Universe, about the Invisible, about myself and the true art of living… you go about living the wisdom that your true identity is not determined by anything or anyone outside of yourself.”

I can honestly say that every page abounds in heightened awareness of self and in Spiritual truth and liberation.

MBB spins off the Biblical verse about mankind taking dominion: "When we have dominion over our thoughts and actions, we experience freedom from the bondage of mechanical living. Dominion moves us into a space of being that characterizes practices of evolved people.”

He offers us seven practices that will "support you in uprooting thought patterns and habit patterns that sabotage your spiritual progress.” I give a thumbnail sketch of each, as they are all so essential to spiritual development:

1. Show gratitude for all of life. Everything within us and around us. Every nuance of our being, every challenge and opportunity.

2. Give without expectation. Mirror the generosity of Spirit. Ask yourself "how can I give of myself today?” Share your time, money, talents and energy. Spirit will respond with more for you to give and you will "fall in love with giving.”

3. Practice forgiveness. Every hurt, every time. Resist the urge to carry a grudge in order to be 'right.’ “Keeping our hearts and minds free of the debris of resentment and animosity is vital to our spiritual awakening.”

4. Treat life as a celebration, not a problem to be solved. "Life is a mystery to be lived.” If you delve into your inner awareness, Spirit will illumine you with “possibilities to be discovered and activated.”

5. Talk to yourself, not the world. Don’t imitate others or let society tell you how to act or be. Believe that you are already excellent… and getting better. Be still and listen to your inner voice. It will bring you expanded Spiritual energy.

6. Choose happiness over drama. "Evolved people do not sabotage their happiness with self-created drama.” Meditation returns us to equanimity and keeps the ego from inventing dramatic internal ‘conversations’ about situations that haven’t even happened. 'What-ifs’ and the like.

7. Value downtime. The high-tech world works against our need to simply 'be.’ All of the pulls to be 'educated’ and ‘entertained’ need to be tempered by the gift of downtime. We need to quiet our chattering minds, to be "receptive to insights that would be the impetus for our growth and creativity.”

The book is all about the transformative power of everywhere-present Spirit. If we begin with the realization that we are too wrapped up in our egos, too willing to let the outside world and high-tech media dominate our lives, we have the first inklings of awareness. When we then turn to metaphysical books and sages, we learn about alternatives that we can recognize as being universal truths. That Spirit resides in all of us, and the light-filled inner being is our true Self. When we are open and receptive to Spirit, we allow ourselves to be changed at depth. We become willing to shift our attitudes, thought patterns, habits and beliefs. And live a whole new way.

Beckwith cautions that, while the ‘new age,’ brimming with metaphysical books, videos and gurus, offers a wealth of truths, many seekers simply latch onto every offering, every holy place and speaker, settling for some semblance of that ‘understanding,’ without taking the disciplines seriously. The result is probably a more compassionate, more conscious person, but one only glimpsing the path of the true seeker.

Thus, the next two steps are crucial, or our new-found awareness is largely just theoretical. Just glimpsing. They are 'intention’ and 'active practice.’

Intention involves awareness of a number of things, such as: turning off cell phones during real conversations, during meals, while out in nature; learning meditation techniques and setting aside time for quiet contemplation; being open to new beliefs; cutting down on TV, video games, computer excesses; affirming our belief in our inner consciousness and the unfailing support of the Universe. Spending more time in sincere gratitude and with kindred Spirits. Beginning to tune in to that ‘still small voice’ that yearns to liberate us from our little selves.

The 'active practice’ is just that: following through on the imperatives of our new-found consciousness. Meditating regularly, turning devices off for quiet downtime, seeking out kindred spirits, keeping mind and body fit. Also, visualizing the person you want to become, feeling and affirming gratitude, daily forgiveness of ourselves and all others. And giving freely of our time, energy, talents and resources. And let Spirit run the show.

"Transformation occurs when we think and act from our true nature, which has no habits, no addictions, no likes or dislikes, which is simply pure being. So, when we express a quality, such as love, it is unencumbered, without expectation of receiving something in return.”

Beckwith offers the following affirmation:

“I fully recognize and activate my power to set clear and potent intentions. My attention is inwardly directed, and I receive intuitive guidance in language my heart can understand and respond to. In gratitude, I surrender and trust where the Spirit is leading me in my intention to transform.”

This is a fine man, who writes and speaks honestly and eloquently, and who not only talks the talk but walks the walk. Well worth checking out.

The subject of gratitude comes up frequently in the context of spiritual seeking, because without it, we fall under the spell of desire and craving, two aspects of ego and materialism that restrict our growth toward our higher selves. When we say, 'I AM grateful, dear Spirit’ a hundred times a day, for every good reason and for no reason at all, we align ourselves consciously with the Earthbound aspect of our soul recognizing its connection with eternal life.

Another strong proponent of gratitude is Lisa Garr:

"Think about what you want.

Create it in your mind.

Become it with enthusiasm.

Be grateful for it.”

In her book, Becoming Aware, Ms Garr invites us to stay grounded by renewing ourselves in mindfulness, including an awareness of our thoughts, alert to turn negative patterns into positive ones.

She speaks about varieties of visualization:

"An easy way… is by choosing a color you have an affinity with… imagine filling your energy completely with that color. This is a visualization technique that will restore your energy.

"When your day is filled with multitasking and being distracted by technology, negative news or mind chatter, it's important to check in with yourself to see if you have lost your power… If all of a sudden you feel like you’re swimming in molasses, check your grounding. Reground yourself by simply breathing deeply, being mindful, and deepening your awareness. When you establish your connection with the core of the earth and the God of your heart, you’ll be able to handle a full day with grace and ease.”

"If you can micromanage one thing, it’s your own thoughts. Be diligent about keeping them in a forward-moving direction. If a negative thought enters, change the story and move it into a positive pattern.”

"Quite often our biggest life failures push us into our greatest successes. Always put life on pause and look for the lesson in each disappointment.

"Intention plus the intensity of emotion equals success. Sometimes intensity comes from an unexpected event such as a job loss or move. Don’t bemoan your fate; instead, stay in your center and use the intensity around current events to move your intentions.”

There is so much beauty around us, so much wonder, that we stagnate when we don’t voice our gratitude at every opportunity.

In a fine book with a clever title, ‘Thank and Grow Rich’, author Pam Grout looks at gratitude:

"I would like to suggest that there is nothing more important you could ever do for yourself, your family, your friends, your planet, and yes, even for the starving children, than to tune in to the frequency of gratitude and joy.

"When we observe the world from a resonant field of gratitude - when we use our attention to spot beauty, to gaze at wonder – we emit a frequency of love, of magic, of miracles. This joy oscillation is the most powerful frequency on the planet and has the capability of radically uplifting the world.”

Every good we do ripples across the planet. The scourges quiver.

She shows us five worthy varieties of ‘capital’ that should vie for our attention. And, like worthy varieties of prosperity, none of them are the money kind:

Alchemic capital. It’s the capital of change. "Many of us resist change, fear it, exert contortive efforts to avoid it. But change is inevitable and is meant to work for the greater good of all. She quotes Muhammad Ali: “the man who views himself at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

I hope my life is completely unrecognizable in 10 years. Because that means I allowed the universe, which is so much wiser and more beautiful than I can even conceive, have its way with me.”

Spiritual capital. "We’re all born with huge reserves of spiritual capital. Very few of us maximize its potential or allow it to appreciate.” Why?

"Somewhere along the way, spirituality took an uncool turn. It got co-opted by a bunch of fundamentalist religions who turned God into a judgmental prick. They introduced us to a God of ‘don’ts’ and gave us a list of rules and commandments that rein in our natural impulses. Also, the perks got pushed into the future (death). Self-appointed spiritual purveyors also forgot to mention that God is available to enjoy and use now. Asking us to wait for the bennies is to miss the whole point.

"Spiritual capital is getting in touch with what I call the field of infinite potentiality. Others call it God. Or Buddha. Or divine intelligence. It matters not one whit what you call it. What matters is that you call it forth. That you recognize its immense power and real-time practicality.”

Creative capital. "We are all blessed with an infinite supply. We all have the ability to build empires out of our imaginations. To access your creative capital, you just have to follow your beeps. You have to use your internal GPS… it’s the thing you’d want to do if you never heard the word money. You’ll recognize it when you feel the chills, when you notice the excitement and joy in your body.

"Follow what most excites you, and the right people, the right materials, the right opportunities will show up.”

Adventure capital. “This invaluable investment turns every day into an adventure… (adventures) happen anytime you consciously choose to step into an unfamiliar place. To shake things up a bit.

"When you step out of your box of familiarity, your senses become heightened. Life takes on a new shade; it seems sweeter, more alive…I consider it an important public service. In our cosmically connected world, every act is a service. At all times, we’re contributing to the collective consciousness.”

Social capital. Pam quotes Jerome Jarre: "spend your life doing strange things with weird people.”

"Remember summer camp? You were totally happy as you cooked up crazy shenanigans with your peers. So what if you weren’t solving world hunger… Your friends, your soul mates, were right by your side scheming and dreaming.

"Social capital means having a team to cheer you on and, when asked, to participate in your crazy schemes.

"When you employ your natural social capital, your mission becomes living for the upliftment of all creation…to be a vessel for love.”

Anatomy of the Spirit, by Caroline Myss, PH.D.

The back cover offers startling promises that are, remarkably, fully realized:

'Anatomy of the Spirit is the boldest presentation to date of energy medicine by one of its premiere practitioners, internationally acclaimed medical intuitive Caroline Myss… Based on fifteen years of research into energy medicine, Dr. Myss’s work shows how every illness corresponds to a pattern of emotional and psychological stresses, beliefs and attitudes that have influenced corresponding areas of the human body.”

Amazingly, that’s not even the main thrust of the book!

'Gracious me,’ (as we used to say in the olden days) this is one fine book. What we really experience, from start to finish, is finding ourselves learning to unfold in seven stages of consciousness that lead us to 'Spiritual maturity.’

In the preface, we get a feeling for the crux of the book: "I believe we are meant to understand our body-minds as individual spirit powers expressive of a greater Divine energy. We are meant to discover both our personal power and our shared purpose for being alive within a spiritual context.”

Ms Myss weaves a masterful tale, integrating the seven Hindu chakras, the Christian Sacraments and the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life. "Combining the wisdom of the chakras with the sacred power inherent in the Christian sacraments and the Divine characteristics articulated in the ten sefirot gives us insight into the needs of our spirits and our bodies. That which serves our spirits enhances our bodies. That which diminishes our spirits diminishes our bodies.”

Every page is so chock full of insights and remarkable parallels and notable quotables, I found it simply mesmerizing.

As our earliest power is 'tribal,’ all the legacies of our family/group culture form our code of action and belief, remaining intact while we agree with the group. "At the same time, we have within us a relentless congenital desire to explore our own creative abilities, to develop our individual power and authority. This desire is the impetus behind our striving to become conscious.”

Post-tribal life is fraught with new challenges, which lead to new choices. "Managing the power of choice, with all its creative and spiritual implications, is the essence of the human experience… The fact that our choices weave our spirits into events is the reason the major spiritual traditions are formed around one essential lesson: make your choices wisely, because each choice you make is a creative act of spiritual power for which you are held responsible.” Choose ye this day.

The heart chakra joins the body realms with the spiritual ones; an important axiom is the familiar, 'if you can’t love yourself, you can’t love anyone else.’ This crucial life lesson pops up often, mirroring my own '3 steps back’ treatment in chapter one, as we all need to address our 'wounded child.’

Ms Myss: "The wounded child within each of us contains the damaged or stunted emotional patterns of our youth, patterns of painful memories, of negative attitudes, and of dysfunctional self-images. Unknowingly, we may continue to operate within these patterns as adults, albeit it in a new form… Loving oneself begins with confronting this archetypal force within the psyche and unseating the wounded child’s authority over us.”

I remember as I approached the end of the book, I wondered how Ms Myss would close such a powerful treatise. Like so:

"We are meant to move toward self-discovery and spiritual maturity, to be ready and able to live a life that matters to us and those around us. We contain the scripture. We are Divinity. We are the church, the synagogue, the ashram. We need but close our eyes and feel the energy of the sacraments, the sefirot, the chakras, as the origin of our own power – as the energy that fuels our biology. Ironically, once we realize the stuff of which we are made, we have no choice but to live a spiritual life.”

Need a truly great book to absorb? Don’t miss this one. Ms Myss takes the insightful power of Louise Hay and adds her own awesome intuitive accuracy in diagnosing the human 'condition.’ And I found her interweaving of the Sefirot, the Sacraments and the Chakras nothing short of remarkable.

Albert Einstein observed, "A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and... to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Here is a most iconic scientist, with one of many statements he made about his awe of Spirit and the universe. I believe he is one of thousands of scientists who are awed by the universe, especially as it manifests within their chosen field. Picture an archeologist, feeling blessed that she is frozen in time/space, the first to touch the bones of a 140-million-year-old dinosaur. An astronomer awed by the vastness of space and the joy of discovering a billions-of-years-old star whose light has been traveling 10,000 years to get to Earth.

Their excitement, their joy is almost unimaginable, sincerely shared by most of us. BUT… how can they possibly share their joy, or anything else, for that matter, with members of a Christianity (and throw in Islam) which insists that the earth is 6000 years old!!!

I personally see no problem with science and religion sharing living quarters, especially as science brings the infinity of the Universe right into the realm of the infinity of GodSpirit. Except, of course, when we try to suggest this arrangement with the 6KYE set. (6000-year earthers)

Many of us feel such a strong need to turn from dogma and outdated thoughts and 'facts’, we have learned to appreciate the pull of free thinkers with the ability to transmit truths which incorporate the full, rich history of the Earth and the Universe.

From reading any books and lectures by Osho, one learns quickly that this man is attached to no religion or dogma, but is a true, enlightened modern man; an iconoclast, with his own thoughts on a myriad of topics and no apologies made on any front.

Osho tells his own story in, 'Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic’. His early life is fascinating, growing up with older relatives, with near-total freedom, but mostly alone with his thoughts and books. He became enlightened at a very early age and began teaching in India in the 1950’s. A truly iconoclastic sage, his books and talks drew immense audiences in the US and all over the world, from the 1970’s to his passing in 1990. His message always involves being fully present in the world, without any attachment to prevailing belief systems:

"My own experience is that if you can be silent, and if you can transcend mind and your consciousness can grow, it does not matter what you are doing… actions are very small things, but up to now, all the religions have been counting your actions, not your consciousness. They have been training you how to act rightly and what has to be avoided. But nobody was saying that unless your consciousness rises you will not be authentically religious.”

"My effort is to take away all traditions, orthodoxies, superstitions and beliefs from your mind, so that you can attain a state of no-mind… and the whole thing has to be done by you. Nobody can save you except yourself… the real and authentic independence is that you are not dependent on anybody for your inner growth.”

"The master helps you to reach your own experience. He does not give you the Vedas, the Koran, the Bible; he throws you to yourself. He makes you aware of your inner sources… of your own godliness. He liberates you from the scriptures… from all belief… from philosophy and from religion and from theology.”

"Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole existence. Why limit yourself to small things? When the whole is available.”

"Mind: A beautiful servant, a dangerous master.”

"Life in itself has no meaning. Life is an opportunity to create meaning.”

"I love life. That’s why I give teachings of celebration, celebrate everything. From body to soul, physical to spiritual, sex to super-consciousness, everything is divine for me.”

This a unique 'guru’, a controversial leader who, like the Buddha, said, 'yes, hear my words, but don’t become attached to them; go out and prove truths to yourselves in a direct relationship with pure Spirit.’

To finding our own unique paths to Spirit and universal truths.

NAMASTE