Psalm 126 Awakening from the Dream

Have you noticed that we tend to label things we do not want or do not like, evil? It is interesting how we take our own expectations and standards and make them the benchmark for ‘right’ in the world. Much of the suffering in this world is merely a dream (or perhaps nightmare) of our own creation. This is not to say that we should completely discount the presence of evil in the world, but it does help us take a step back and look more closely. More often than not our experience of suffering is caused by our own inability to let go of what we think should be and instead accepting what is.

Psalm 99 Mystery and the Sacred Life

What does it mean to live a sacred life? At its heart is a single principle:  to engage the world from the the Christ presence within us. We are created in God’s image and likeness, and as such our thought life (peoples) and physical life (earth) were created for the purpose of serving God. Spirit protects that divine spark within each an every one of us (he sits enthroned upon the cherubim). We only have to ask to be shown its magnitude, but that spark is always lit, no matter how dim the light appears to us.

Psalm 71 Maturity

As the years pass, our bodies, minds and spirits go through changes. Conventional wisdom says that as our stay on this planet is prolonged, we must experience deterioration in our bodies and minds. We have been taught that these changes that take place are negative and that we should fight them to the extent that we can with medical and scientific intervention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must inevitably experience change in our bodies and minds, but none of this has to be viewed as negative or as deterioration. It is just different.

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to orient our lives around our relationship to God.

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy of love. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to set off on the spiritual path of seeking Truth.

Psalm 111 Praise As Practice

Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God. Christianity is a practical daily application of Universal Truth, not theory.

Psalm 106 Obstinacy

Image by greg.turner via FlickrWhen we successfully navigate a challenge to our faith, we must be careful not to rest on our laurels. Also we must not take personal credit for the success, it is only through Spirit that we are able to rise above our weaknesses. We can be assured that there will be a greater challenge ahead of us and we must always be prepared for that lesson.

Psalm 133 Oneness

Image by huntz via FlickrWhen we begin to understand our spiritual heritage, our perspective is changed forever. We are "born again."  We see the world through "new eyes." The commonwealth of God is only experienced from the perspective of unity. It is godly (good) to recognize and embrace the oneness of all things (live together in unity). Because we are all of God, we are all one. Spiritual consciousness is the recognition and experience of unity, the oneness of everything and everybody in God. From the unified perspective nothing but love exists, for we are all God and we are all one.

Psalm 17 Effective Prayer

Image via WikipediaWhen we approach God in prayer, we must do so with an understanding of the Truth. God is divine law and just like the laws of nature there are certain rules (principles) that must be adhered to in order to effectively communicate with God. The golden key is the phrase hears my prayer from lips free of deceit. We must approach God with a pure heart, and God will see the intention behind our supplication.

Psalm 107 Giving Up the Fight

Image via WikipediaHave you noticed that it is hard work to rebel against God? In a sense, it is similar to fighting against the laws of nature. If we try to act contrary to the law of gravity, eventually we are bound to get hurt. Likewise, when we resist the Laws of Mind and Being, much unnecessary pain and suffering result. It takes a lot of mental energy to actively resist the presence of Spirit in our lives. And yet so many of us are deeply committed to this practice.

Psalm 139 God is Great! God is Good!

Image via WikipediaWhen we sit back and truly contemplate all that we are, we cannot help but be mesmerized. Each beat of our heart takes so many interrelated processes working in exact harmony, we know that it is impossible that human being could create something so perfect. If we sit and observe the precision of nature, we are filled with a profound reverence for life and for God. We can take comfort in the immanence and steadfast love of God. We should take time to contemplate our lives and marvel at the wonder that is our existence.

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Image via Wikipedia Green is term we use to describe those who are inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives, living is about change and transformation.

Psalm 2 Overcoming Ego

The human ego is an interesting gift. It allows us to become incarnate and move through the world. Through the ego the personality is formed which enables us to become a unique manifestation of God. But it is also the source of much stress and strife in our lives. Our egos cause us to perceive ourselves as separate from God and each other. The ego is a powerful force that fights to maintain control of the consciousness.

Psalm 119:1-8 Centering

It is effortless to adhere to the laws of gravity, we do not have to think about it and plan, because it is a law of nature and the way things should be. Only if we try to bend the laws of nature do we find ourselves struggling. When we are single-mindedly focused on God, it is effortless to keep the statutes, because that is the natural way of things. God has a plan for our lives and if we fix our minds on divine will rather than our own, we will find that the struggles of life will fade away. How do we do this? Through daily meditation, spiritual practice and heeding the call of the still small voice inside of us (our intuition).

Psalm 112 True Wealth

We can be truly happy only when we fear God and love the law. What does this mean? Most of us view fear and laws as negative incentives to do something against our will. In the spiritual realm nothing could be further from the truth. Fearing God and loving the law are states of mind in which we direct our full attention Godward. And instead of being binding, it is this that sets us free.

Psalm 15 Abiding

Once we have had a taste of “knowing” God, most of us have the desire to remain in that space and time. Those moments of abiding give us the gift of forgetting our self and being our Self in all its glory. We seek techniques or methods to sustain to that unitive experience. Unfortunately the more effort we give to “trying” to achieve that experience again, the more likely we are to push it away. Eventually we find that the simple spiritual practices keep us on the narrow path from which our awareness of the Presence of the Divine is more focused. From those practices we open ourselves step by step to a Spirit-led life.

Psalm 145 God’s True Nature

When we begin to understand the nature of God, we cannot help but be awestruck and humbled. Thanksgiving and love are the only appropriate response. As we step out in faith, we do so based on the character of God (bless your name forever and ever), not our own worthiness. We can declare that God is foremost in our life (I will extol you, my God and my King) when we begin to understand the nature of our relationship with God. The reason that we are saved is because of God’s steadfast love. But the breadth and depth of God is infinite; and just when we think we know all there is to know about God’s wonders, we are surprised with something greater.

Psalm 150 Joyous Celebration

Praise does not change God but it most definitely changes us!

Psalm 150 eloquently describes the natural rhythm, harmony and joy (music) established throughout the consciousness, when the soul radiates the power and presence of God.

Psalm 118 Death and Rebirth

How do you respond to the idea of death, with resistance or acceptance? The dramatic stories of this holy week in the Jewish and Christian traditions remind us that we must be willing to face death directly in order experience salvation. Are you in tune with the small deaths that you are confronted with daily? As spiritual seekers, we die to our attachments to the world.

Psalm 31 Cycles of Growth

As we walk along our spiritual path, our lives and experiences move in cycles. First, there is the time of rapid advancement in which we have a lot of activity going on and our progress feels very real and measurable. These times can be experienced as a high because we are in the flow and we can feel it with every fiber of our being. We feel the Presence and Power of God in a tangible way. These are the times in which we are acutely aware of Divine activity in our lives.