I reap today the results of thoughts
Sown in the field of my consciousness Days, or weeks, or months, or even years ago. There is little that can be done To stem the tide of such harvests Once they have taken root And been allowed to grow through repetition and neglect In the unseen field of the things that I secretly believe. To tear them up once they manifest themselves in outward things Is tantamount to an attempt to turn back nature. So instead, I will accept the bitter harvest Sown in my ignorant youth, And sow better and more deliberate thoughts Into the field of my consciousness today, So that they may grow up unseen And manifest themselves, Through passage of time, In better tomorrows.
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When we suffer well,
The angry, hurtful words Can become embedded in our flesh. They search out pockets of sensitivity And lodge themselves in unsuspecting organs and tissues. These must be washed away with love. And love is a river that flows through the soul. In everyday life, The river constricts and narrows down To something more like a stream. But, through purposeful imagination, You can swell the stream To therapeutic Doses. So try this. Lie down and relax. Let go of every muscle. And feel yourself sink down. Then imagine yourself as a river. Actually picture in your mind the banks Of the river - wide and spanning some great distance On either side of you. Feel yourself deep and low, Low enough to hold the great mass of water Flowing through you. Then imagine the banks of the river extending To some impossible distance, Perhaps as wide as the state you live in. Since you are the bed of the river, As you do, you will feel yourself relax even more. You will feel a deepening In order to hold that much water. And then do it again...and again, Until the water stands on either side To some distance which you can only comprehend Through your imagination. Were you to sit in a boat in the middle of this river, You would be in the midst of an ocean. And now feel the great mass of water Pouring through you, Continually emptying itself out upon The arid land which is your body. Let it flow over and cool Every fevered part. As you do, you may feel A tingling. You may feel an actual cleansing Of the cells of your body. As you let this great mass of water flow through you, See it heal your soul. See the desert begin to bloom With every kind of vegetation. See each tree and flower shooting upward Toward God in joy and gratitude. And then as you heal And as the river moves on, Picture it flowing out of you And emptying itself into the arid lands Of those whom you love Many of whom, perhaps, were the cause Of your suffering. See their deserts heal. As you do this, You may discover That you need to sleep afterwards. That's ok. Let yourself sleep. You may also wake up With new answers As to what you need to do To help heal those relationships. A WARNING: This mediation may be difficult If you have not been doing your best To suffer well. If so, repent. Seek to carry the cross Of other's anger and betrayal Without reviling back. Seek to love as He loved, And to forgive. The real work happens
In the field of your consciousness. So that, the things you do And the things that come to you Are an outward manifestation Of an inward work. We are like birds
Flying heavenward. And gratitude is the wind beneath our wings. Where are you?
Are you riding high on life? Or are you low? Do you stand upon the factory floor Loathing your place in life And wondering: "Is this all I'm good for?" If so, then there is a better job for you. Leave your present employer today And begin work immediately for the King of Unseen Things. And when you show up on the factory floor tomorrow, Choose to be grateful. It's hell. I know. It is so much harder than just showing up. But it is the only way to brighter tomorrows. And the only pay you'll receive Is to know that you are good for something more. For surely someone there will feel it, And though they'll never know that it was you, They will look upward and wonder If it was God. There are many books and teachings
That expound the art Of accomplishing your dreams. Some focus on hard work and skill. Others take a spiritual approach, Encouraging one to imagine the desired outcome. And many of these are helpful. But they do not ensure That your dreams are in alignment With the highest good. And out of this mistaken pursuit of lesser dreams Spring misery and disenchantment. And so, I would like to examine dreams. On the very bottom rung of dreams Is that dream which serves the outcome. Such dreamers play the game Solely for the sake Of personal profit. Higher up, are dreamers Who play the game of profit For the love of the game. These can turn a dollar And they enjoy doing so. They find it fun. This is a key difference between them And those on the bottom rung. And often you will find them far more willing To part with their winnings. Next up are those who do a thing Because they love the thing they do. These can be truly beautiful. And they are rare. And much of the best And most glorious work The world has produced Has come from these. But they can also be ugly Wherein their love is misplaced or warped Or self-serving. But the highest on the ladder of dreams Are those whose dream Has been transformed Into the image of that One Desire Which lifts the world From all it thinks it wants To the very thing it does want But cannot see. Such dreamers have been stripped Of earthbound hopes. Their desire, their dream, Is for the fulfillment of unseen promises, Spoken in whispers By the voice of angels. For these have been listening Not to the pulsing of their own impassioned wish, But to a still small voice. And having slain That part of themselves That seeks it’s own, They are finally free To desire the thing Which is best for all. In the kingdom of light
There are fountains of living water So refreshing That even the most fevered brow Cannot help but find relief. I open my mind, my heart, To receive such refreshment. I see it in my mind's eye Pouring out, like a great flood, over me, Filling the parched ground, Binding up the limb And healing every lost And languishing corner of my soul. And then, like the heaving of the sea, It overflows and pours downstream To fill the arid lands of the lost souls Still knit up within my flesh. And as it does, Around about me springs Flowers of every kind and shape Each in its own likeness. And the world of unyielding heat Gives way to paradise. It's just a change, that's all.
And the end of one thing Is always the beginning of another. And this time, something better's coming If you have eyes to see: a new world. But in order for this great and last change To be absolute, We had to grow fat on lesser things - Not just as a nation, But as a world. And finally It's ready, So that when it falls, It will be complete. And that is perfect. For the thing that awaits Is the very thing we were longing for With all of our devices. And early in the morning On the day after it all comes down, On a street corner perhaps Before the sun is fully up, There will stand someone selling something. Eggs perhaps. And somewhere else, Someone will be giving something away. Or trading for the thing he needs. And the world will go on living, breathing, interacting. For economy is an eternal part of existence. It goes on, to spite the fall of nations, To spite the end of worlds. But this time, the winds of fortune have changed. Already, they blow in the direction of those Who work in the service Of something more Than the pursuit of personal profit. So don't lose heart when the towers fall. It's only the beginning of something better Than all that we thought we served When first we set our hands to the plow And decided that we were man enough To look out for number one. Our work is faith
So do not be disheartened When all that you can do is not enough. The answer lies, not in your own capacity, To think, to act, to be enough. But in the unseen portals of divine providence. So let all you do be done, Not with the thought That you will move the mountain, But as tokens of belief. And say: I act today In this small way Because I trust that these actions, small and few, Are the earnest for unseen rivers Of divine deliverance. In SPIRIT and in truth -
That seems to be the message of the age! It is finally time to look past the outward To the inward thing that binds, To forget the thing we thought we knew And to grow bright in the love of all that warms us. And it is a comfort to me To know that I can’t convince you. The convincing time is past, Though perhaps When the heavens roar And the tempest heaves the sea…perhaps, But only that. Until then, it is for the few With eyes low enough to see That all their claims are emptiness, unless, They worship Him In SPIRIT and in Truth. A friend of mine shared with me these three couplets:
Go SLOW in order to go fast. Go LOW in order to go high. Appear FOOLISH if you would be wise. Today, I had the thought to add two more: Focus on the ONE in order to reach many. Do LITTLE in order to do much. Here is his website: www.getmorejesus.com When I fell into poverty,
It came upon me by forces which I did not understand. I felt sure that it was due to mismanagement of my affairs. And in retrospect, it still appears that way. But at the time, I was told that it was not - I was told that the field needed to go fallow. I have the feeling That when wealth comes It will come in the same way, By forces which I do not understand. Of course, that’s not to say I haven’t changed. And all along, I’ve been asking questions Of the maker of the universe. But after all, I still do not feel smart enough, Or strong enough. But it seems that it must come, Not because wealth, in and of itself, Is better than poverty, But because He said so. And when it does, I think, That it will seem, like a divinely orchestrated accident, Or like the culmination of a paradox Written in my flesh. And it makes me wonder How much of all our pride And our self-loathing Are ill placed. It is said that we must learn
Both to give and to receive. And that is true. But to ask is a bitter pill. And when it comes to earthly things It is avoided by the faithful. For somewhere along the way , We came to believe that taking care of ourselves Was equal with righteousness. And so we have reserved our desperate pleadings For the solitude of our closets. And for the time being, We are permitted To do our begging in private. But the time is coming When the best among us Will be broken down to begging, And that before the world. And that’s ok. It is part of the deep magic That will change this world into something higher. For we thought that the highest good Was to need nothing of nobody. But there is a higher good: To give freely And to receive freely And to ask when we're in need. These three comprise a key That will unlock the gate To a world without strife. And together they will lay to rest The miser and the pauper. They will tear down The high look And raise the godly poor To once again look us in the eye. And all those who will not come To this last leveling Will be crushed By their own obstinance. It is inescapable. The first building block for a secure housing future
Is a van - if it is paid for. Or a car. Or a very cheap trailer. Or even perhaps a tent if you live in Arizona. But not a bicycle - It will not keep the rain off. And almost anyone can own a van. And I mean really own it - Not pretend to own it As mortgage payers do. For once you own your housing, A world of possibility awaits. And more than that, It sets a precedent of contentment. And to be content with little Is the position of greatest power, For it enables a person to say no When threatened. But there is one more reason That I like a van to start. It is a reminder Ever after That the new and more abundant life Is moving, ever moving. So that, even if fate lands you In a castle by the sea, With foundations 20 feet deep, You will not be fooled into staying When the cloud and pillar Have moved on. In the new economy,
You are always heading towards zero. Zero is the place you want to be. It is the place of greatest wealth. It is the place of greatest potential. It is the place of creation. But if you are as I was, You are likely running from it. And so you must be stripped down to it. You must go dry for a time, Perhaps, off and on, for years Until you not only endure it But long for it. You must come to loath the extra thing, the extra dollar. And to rejoice in precisely that which You are meant to have just here, just now. Too, you must come to know that voice Who desires your greatest wealth. For one who comes to peace with zero Is a channel, a conduit, for wealth. He draws from unseen reservoirs And fills the cup to overflowing. He is as the great Mississippi River, ever letting go, And thus ever being filled. It is the new economy. And those who are brought to it Will eventually rule the world, Not by political power Nor by military force But by love. Be careful.
Do not be deceived into believing That because the thing you speak sounds right, that you are right. It very well may be that you are not. For God looks upon the heart. And truth is independent. It needs no proof. And the world doesn't need your arguments. It needs the thing that you would be If you were not like the world. |
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