Key Principles and Practices
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♦♦ Some Key Principles♦♦
♦ We are One with Spirit
Our nature is one, in all respects, with Infinite Spirit (and its Creative power). Thus, we possess (and are) every quality of Spirit, including love, joy, aliveness, abundance, fulfillment, wisdom, creative power, freedom, harmony, and beauty. To the extent that we are able to access and identify with our true self—which is infinite in its creative potential—and free ourselves of the limited conditioning imposed upon our consciousness, to that extent are we able to consciously direct our creative power. In our normal state, completely identified with ourselves as this limited individual—and completely ignorant of our creative power we possess, which is the core of our being—we deprive ourselves of the conscious use of our own power, and unwittingly use that power in a way that limits us (as opposed to delivering us to greater freedom and joy); as such, we come to believe ourselves as being relatively weak, dependent upon the conditions of our lives (and subject to the fate of greater, unknown forces).
♦ We Possess Spirit's Creative Power and Potential
We, as human beings, possess creative power (i.e., the power to create); thus, our own consciousness is the cause and the conditions of our life are its effect. Our own mind (including both conscious and subconscious) is the very thing which directs Spirit to create beneficial or harmful conditions in our life. Thus, a positive change in our own consciousness (where our thoughts and emotions are in alignment with positivity of Spirit, and our subconscious beliefs are brought into accord with our conscious aspirations) is the very thing which brings about a positive change in the conditions of our life. (Doing the “inner work” to overcoming deep-seated limiting beliefs about ourselves is a human endeavor which is needed to free the operation of our consciousness and allow us to more fully express our creative power).
Our own consciousness (based upon what we believe to be true and possible) directs the unlimited creative power of Spirit and thus determines the conditions of our life. It is only through the use of our own creative power (or our power to direct Infinite Spirit) that we are able to behold our infinite potential or limit our life through unwitting misuse, or misdirection, of this power. Freedom and bondage are both created by our own creative power—freedom comes about when our power is working in alignment with our higher self (and working in a positive direction), bondage comes about when we are using our own power against ourselves (and working in a negative direction).
♦ We Are Co-Creators with Spirit
As an individualized creative center of Spirit-Consciousness we have the power and the obligation to create the kind of life we want. Our creation, and the conditions of our life, always come about through a process of co-creation with Spirit—where we have a belief, or feel something to be true or natural to who we are, and where Spirit sets about to manifest exactly what we believe or conceive of. The intention, then, is to become conscious of this co-creative process (and our role in it); to no longer have the conditions of our life created by default, or through unconscious patterns of the past, but through our active and willing direction.
♦ Alignment With Spirit
Our highest good, and our fullest expression of joy and aliveness, comes about when our lives (thoughts, beliefs, and actions) are in alignment (or in resonance) with Spirit. This alignment of our lives with Spirit puts us in touch with the ever-positive, ever-inspiring, and ever-enlivening movement of Life (and the essence of our own being). It is this alignment which brings about a true integration of our human and divine selves and allows for the fullest expression of our positive human qualities, such as love, joy, abundance, power, and beauty.
♦♦ Some Additional Tenets ♦♦
♦ The Universe is Good
The universe, as a creation of Spirit, is inherently benevolent and good (because that is the nature of Spirit)—as such, the universe is fully dedicated to our upliftment and enjoyment of life (and is always ready to accommodate our highest good). The Universal Will always supports the highest and most beneficial will of the individual, and is always moving every individual toward his highest qualities of happiness, joy, aliveness, abundance, beauty etc. The Universal Will is that we, as human beings, in our lives, experience more and more of our inherent qualities, such as love, joy, abundance, peace, freedom, fullness, beauty, etc. There is never any lack in the infinite Source—it is always able to provide us with all that we are able to conceive for ourselves. The error is never in asking for too much but in asking and conceiving for ourselves too little.
♦ The Spirit of Life is Positive
The nature of Spirit, and Life, is purely positive. Thus, no approach or state of consciousness based upon the negative (or that which lacks Spirit and its qualities) can bring true transformation. Such an approach, based upon the negative, lacks the backing of Spirit and can never become one with the Spirit of Life or any of its qualities. Thus, for a human being, no truly positive chance, or creation, can come through negative thought or action.
♦ Spirit is Ever Moving Upward
Universal Spirit is, by its very nature, always moving toward a greater and fuller expression of Itself. Spirit always moves toward the greater and more expanded unfoldment (and experience) of its inherent qualities such as love, aliveness, fullness, joy, freedom, and beauty—and this is also the primary movement or motivating force in every human being.
♦♦ Key Practices ♦♦
♦ Know Thyself
Knowing our human self sets the foundation from which we can realize our human and spiritual selves. Becoming conscious of the subconscious forces (and beliefs, priorities, values, etc.) which presently dictate our lives, and then bringing those deep-seated beliefs and values into alignment with out present wants and ideals—through the positive application of our conscious mind—is the very alchemy of psychological and spiritual transformation. This is the way to move past the conditioned mind-set of fear and lack and into the true basis of our lives, which is knowingness, joy, and abundance.
♦ Removal of Deep-Seated Negative States
Resolving negative emotions (which bind us to the past) and letting go of past regrets and “hurts” frees our consciousness and allows us to be more present, more alive, more expansive, and more aligned with our own hearts.
A primary human practice which supports all spiritual progress and development (as well as the emergence of one's own aliveness) is the systematic removal of deep-seated trauma blocks, all of which lower the "vibration" of one's entire psyche (inclining a person to act with fear or negativity), and using up our vital force (which leaves less available to us, and less to use for personal and spiritual development).
♦ Honor the Body
The body is our anchor in this world; it exerts a gravitational pull upon our thoughts, emotions, and spiritual essence. Therefore, when the body is healthy and “light” our mind and spirit are in a greater state of freedom. The key here is balance: we must take care of the body but not be fully identified with it (or defined by it); we must honor the body but not become too occupied with it nor have it be the central focus of our thoughts.
♦ Meditation and the Practice of Presence
Meditation—which is the conscious abidance in one’s true nature, beyond the mind—is the essential practice which leads to spiritual transformation and upliftment. Touching the state of one’s true self, in meditation, sets up a powerful resonance which then allows a person to more easily access, and abide in, his own presence throughout the day.
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