| Wellllll gooood morning Seaside!!! What a joy it is to be with all of you today on this wonderful day, on this glorious day here in Encinitas. You can feel the summer in the air. It arrived yesterday. I'm glad the weather paid attention. Here we are. We're into it. Are you having fun? Good, good, good, good.
One of the things a number of us, from Seaside yesterday, did, which was a fabulous experience, was that we had the opportunity to participate with a local chapter of 'Habitat for Humanity'. A number of us went up to Oceanside and participated in a building project. The community donated the land and other people in the town the lumber and the products and the people. A number of our people were outside painting. It was dripping all over their faces... out there in the hot sun. I was
inside doing the drywall in the mud. Many of us just had it dripping in our hair. It was just wonderful. It was a great sense of community. It was a powerful experience. To be able to work with the gentleman and his wife whose home it was going to be made it feel so good inside. I was talking to the gentleman, who was there, who had donated all the drywall and he said that his weekly payroll runs around fifty thousand dollars. I said, 'Wow, it sure is nice to see how you are giving and that
life gives back to you.' He said, 'Oh that's not why I'm giving. It's because what I feel inside is so wonderful that only the great Father could give that feeling to me.' It's that kind of sense; it's that kind of feeling inside that really is Spirit. You can come to know that. You don't have to give to Habitat for Humanity or give over at Seaside. What you must begin to do or do in a greater way is to take that ''inward journey'' and you'll come to discover that those kind of feelings; that
kind of sense; that kind of wonder is there for you to experience. It is natural; it is right for you to feel good like that. It's OK for you to feel good like that. It doesn't have to be just a special moment in your week or in your life. It is something you can have all the time. And, you can have it when you take the time to reflect, to touch that Spirit, particularly when, sometimes the demands upon you seem a lot bigger than the possibilities of your human existence. Think about this guy
who has just been given a home, a mile from the beach, who had no means in his life to buy himself a house near the ocean. You know, talk about a demand or a possibility that seems bigger than one's human strength. It's overwhelming. But, you can see through examples of stories like this and through our life, that Spirit is there to take care of us and to support us. So, when the demands seem bigger than our strength; bigger than our bank account; bigger than our knowledge; bigger than our
human existence, it is time, as the Scripture would tell us, to know that it is the Lord that perfects those things that concern us. It is the Lord. It is God. It is He... that perfects those things that concern us. And so, if we are willing to take that 'inward journey', not the outward one: 'saying how am I going to do this... there's no way.' It doesn't matter if you are building a house or if you are building a town, one is not larger to the Divine Intelligence that guides the universe.
It can guide you in the creation of your business; in the creation of your relationships. But, you must know that it is that Spirit within that will perfect that which concerns you. You're the one that must stop giving the power away, the outside biggness, that looks like it's making demands beyond your human capability or possibility.
It is your consciousness that is the key to that ' 'inward journey'. It is up to you to take the time to reflect upon the Spirit, not upon the problem, or
the challenges. You're the one that's got to take that journey. You may not know what's in there. You may not know the answer, but it will show up. It has thus far in your life, hasn't it, for the most part? It will. It doesn't matter how big a dream you've got. It's not big to this Life Force. This biggness is in your mind. The answers are there. If you take the time to reflect, you'll feel it. You'll sense it. You'll have that good feeling, just like that foreman on that sight had that good
feeling. You'll have that good feeling, because the answer is there. But, you've got to give of yourself to the Spirit, to the path, to get it. Let go of your position.
I was doing some counseling. I was coming down the stairs and the person I was counseling had driven up in the parking lot in a nice car. I said to her, 'Nice car.' We went in, she was going through a divorce [it's OK that I share this, 'cause you don't know who it is] and she shared with me that her husband wants the
car in the settlement. She was arguing that she was the one that brought the car into the relationship, so she should have the car. Through the conversation she came to the place and the realization that it was her consciousness that created the car. You know, it wasn't just luck that she ended up with this car. It wasn't because some guy gave her this car, but it was her consciousness that created the car and that guy can go take the car, but he can never take her consciousness. It is the
consciousness that creates. You know how there are people in this world where things always seem to go right for them. Then, there are other people where things always seem to go wrong for them -- little 'pigpen' with that cloud above them. It is the consciousness. You are a magnet that draws that into your life and it's not about pleading to God, 'Oh God, oh please get me that car!!!' or 'God, give that house!!!' or -- give me that relationship!!!' It's not about pleading, because that is
putting your energy outside. It's about taking that walk on that inner path; coming to know that Power that feels so good -- that it is natural; that it is right; that it is normal. It doesn't matter where you are in your life. It doesn't matter what location you are in. It doesn't matter what town, what continent you are in, that Power is there. It is universal. It is as universal as mathematics is. It doesn't matter if you are doing mathematics over in Asia, it works. It doesn't matter if
you are choosing to know God over in another part of the world, that Presence is fully there seeking expression through you. But, one of the keys, in our search, is not to grasp. 'Come to know God.' 'Take this walk.' 'Reflect.' All these things that I am saying sound like a bunch of verbs, but the truth is it's not about trying to grasp God.
There's a Zen saying that says; 'How do I grasp it? By not grasping. It's what remains after the grasping, that is the true Self.' It's what
remains. It's what there. You'll find what's there is God. What you'll find there is the Intelligence. What you'll find there is the abundance. What you'll find there is the love. What you'll find there is the joy. What you will find there are there possibilities. What you will find there is magnificence. What you'll find there is your true self. But, sometimes we get caught up on the outside that 'I should have that car' or 'the doctor say this health situation' or whatever is on the outside
that seems so demanding; so much bigger than our human present place, that we forget that that's not the truth. Those are the effects that is of this world; that is of this body; that is of this form, which is a reflection of our consciousness. It is a reflection of your inner work. It is a reflection of that inner kingdom, which you have been working your life on developing. Your inner kingdom is not an effect of your outside world. It goes the other way. So, if there is something that seems
bigger and more demanding than your present capabilities, that's 'cause that's your mind that is working. It's time for you to come to know the truth and let go of that one.
I mean have you ever tried chewing saltine crackers and whistling at the same time.? Well, think about that one. It seems kind of tough. Well, we cannot live in a place of love and trust and live in fear and worry. You can't eat crackers and whistle or you can't love and be in fear. You get to choose one. What path
do you want to walk. Which one do you want to come to know. If you want to begin to shift a little into that place of harmonious living... the choice is yours to begin to take that walk on the 'inward journey'. That 'inward journey' may reveal things that surprise you. Maybe some things that it's time for you to let go of so you can see in a greater way. But, you'll find yourself revitalized, energized. I know sometimes towards that end of the week; towards the end of the school year, I've
been teaching maybe three nights a week. I've been going from eight in the morning to ten a night. Sometimes, the classes towards the end of the year, I'm kind of tired and I think well, do I really want -- of course I've got to go teach -- and I step into that class and all of a sudden, I start teaching. I start speaking the words and facilitating whatever it is that happens on those evenings. [You should check it out if you haven't] I find that all of a sudden, I'm recharged. I'm
revitalized. I've got this energy that's flowing through me. I come home and I'm awake. I'm alive. I'm enthusiastic. And, I started at six, six-thirty, with the class tired and I found as I started getting into it, a surge of energy. The point is you cannot be miserable and happy at the same time. You cannot be depleted and filled at the same time. Which one do you want to experience? Reflect upon that! You can have it. You can be that. It's not about grasping. It's not about making it
happen. I don't try to make it happen. I mean, I live my life in service. I'm constantly doing. When I came home Friday, Kalli was baby-sitting our little eight month old god-child. You talk about a beautiful expression of love... and I love children, I just don't know what to do with them. I do this service. I'm constantly doing... We've got a great junior church, the best junior church teachers around. I've envision a school. I've got these great ideas for developing consciousness. But, a
little eight month old... there's nothing I can do to make her happy. But, what this little Light Being taught me; what this wonderful little Spiritual Soul taught me was just to be. Just lie down and let me climb all over you and make faces and get you all yucky. It was just about being there with this child. It's not about grasping. It's about being. That's what this walk on this 'inward journey' is about. It is about being and coming to discover that who you are is just fine and
appropriate and perfect for what's there.
There is this belief in the Hawaiian philosophy, that a child comes into this world as a bowl of light, shining light, just so bright. As one begins to grow, they put rocks in this bowl. Rocks that start to tamper with the light. Rocks that are developed through anxiety; through fear; through bitterness; through jealousy; through thoughts of inadequacy; of unworthiness and the bowl begins to be heavier and heavier. So, in our spiritual work, at
least in the Huna philosophy, it is not about going out and finding enlightenment. It's about taking that inner walk and taking those stones, which one has gathered into their bowl, and allowing that light which is already at the center of our being. You know we came into this world just fine. Then we began to de-fine ourselves. Now it's time to re-fine. I think, really, the purpose [at least what I think the purpose is about , right now] is about bringing forth the Presence into our life. I
looked at this little eighth month old baby and she just had a way of captivating the Presence. There's Jackie, once again a great-grandma... Once again, congratulations. A child has a way of just captivating the attention of the room. It's absolutely just fully present. If you've ever been in a room with a little child, where is the attention? Right there!!! It's not self-conscious and it is able to entertain most everybody that is looking at it. I have a sense that it's just about
recognizing the Spirit of God in the Presence. You know, we're told about low here and low there. What these 'low's' are about, I have no idea, but it neither a low here nor a low there, but the Kingdom is within us, is what we are told. How do you get to that Kingdom? You take that walk; you take that journey to the inner self, that 'inward journey' that no one can take for you, and no one can make the choice for you. It's your choice. I mean, are you tired of feeling that the demands of
this world are too big for your human place, right now? It's time to reflect upon the 'All Power' that needs you as the conduit or the vortex of It's expression.
There was this wise lady hiking in the mountains. She found in this stream, a beautiful stone. She took it out. It was a precious stone; a precious gem and she put it in her bag. The next day there was a hiker who was climbing the mountains, who was very hungry and he came upon this wise woman. She wanted to share some food
with him. She opened her bag to get the food and this guy saw this beautiful stone, this beautiful gem in there. He asked the wise woman if she would give it to him. She said, 'Sure.' Without hesitation she took it out and gave him the stone. He took the stone and he went away and he knew that he now the gem that would take care of his finances the rest of his life. He was set. But, a couple of days later, he went back out into the mountains looking for this woman. When he finally found her,
he came to her and gave her back the stone and said, 'Here you go. Here is this most precious stone. I give it back to you. And I would wonder and hope that you would give to me, that which you have in you that allowed you to give me the stone.' That is the Presence. That is that which feels it's unity. That knows it's connected-ness with Source. It's that which knows that nothing can be taken away because it's all there, already.
Are we seeking God for God, or something from God?
I want you to take that one home. Are we seeking God for God, or are we seeking something from God? Are we seeking God for God, or are we seeking something from God? I want you to meditate on that one, this week. I want you to take this thought on your inner journey. I want you to reflect upon that: 'Am I seeking God, or am I seeking something from God? Am I seeking, trying to find peace? Am I trying to find wealth? Am I trying to have that relationship work out the way I thought? Am I trying
to have this business transaction unfold the way I think it should? Am I trying to...' are you seeking God, or are you seeking something from God? Work with that one and you will find that it will take you to an amazing place. Will you do that?
Ernest Holmes, in the nineteen thirty magazine, wrote that 'people are afraid of being spiritual. They mistrust the religious sediments and seek through mechanics, alone, to reach reality. [that's like, well I'll do my prayer, I'll do my meditation
so I can get it.] This is a wholly impossible approach. It is far better that we trust those moments of silent contemplation, which bring with them that outpush of eternity, than the teachings of the sages of all times. We mistrust the religious sediments only because we have misinterpreted it. Religion is really a life -- it's not a creed; an atmosphere -- not an object. We are afraid of Spirit, because we have divorced life from living; Spirit from matter; religion from science; prayer from
performance. Only when the thought about God becomes as normal as the thought about the sun and the rain, will the Universal Spirit be real to us. Only when the approach to the Divine Nature is a well beaten path, through our intellect, to that which is the Father of all intelligence, will the Divine Guidance become a reality and not a myth.' Only when we choose to approach God continuously, all day... not just in the morning, when you get up and not just at night, when you go to bed, but so
there is a beaten path in our intellect and our consciousness... that there is a clear avenue through which that Spirit, that Wisdom, that Information, that Abundance, that Love continuously flows, so it is as natural to us as the sun that is outside. ...that we are experiencing the Presence and thinking about God as often as we step out into the sun and feel those rays. Let that Spirit become that natural to you. It's not about having it in the mind.
It would be as if we were going to
have a seminar in here. And, we were going to talk about the sun. We pull all the shades, which we don't have, we pull the shades down, and we start philosophizing about the sun and about it's possibilities and how we can avail ourselves to it's power; how we can tan ourselves and how good it feels. And, a couple of hours into this meeting someone raises their hand and says, 'But, it's still dark in here.' We can talk about Spirit all we want, but, you know, it's still dark. We are the ones
that must make that Presence as real to us as our breath; as close to us as our every thought. And, we do that by taking the 'inward journey'; by going inward instead of outward. If somebody take the car, or somebody says, 'you can't have the house' or whatever, you don't get caught up in that. You go to God. Not because you're going to God to get something, not because you are going to plead to get the house or that car or whatever it is, but because you are going to God to 'know the
Presence'. And, when you are one with that Presence, there is a unity; there is an answer; there is a flow; there is revelation that continues to show you the insights. It's not about just sitting. It's about doing, also. It is about moving with the inspiration. A lot of times people say, 'Heh, I'm going to talk about Spirit.' It is about doing something with It. We are here on this planet doing life. Otherwise, Spirit is unexpressed and how do you know if Spirit is showing up your life? How
do you know if the Presence of God is dwelling in your consciousness? You come to notice there doesn't seem to be as much animosity in you. There's not as much hatred. There doesn't seem to be jealousy there, anymore. You're driving along the freeway and you're joyously letting people cut in front of you. You begin to realize that you are living life a little bit easier; that you are living in a harmonious way with life, and dealing with, what at times, seem to be huge issues that demand more
than your present capabilities. You're dealing with those harmoniously, trusting that there is an answer, not running around all freaked-out 'what am I going to do?'...but, living in that harmonious flow.
Maya Angelou tells the story of her only son, Guy. She was called to San Francisco. They had to do an emergency surgery. He broke his neck a number of years prior to the surgery and he was having difficulties and they had to race him into emergency. She race up there. She saw him as
they took him in. First thing in the morning, she went to the nearby mission, Mission Delores, and prayed like she did one other time in here life when she was pregnant. They wouldn't let her back into the high schools and she wanted her high school degree. It worked. So, she went back to that place that worked and stood in front of the statue of Mary, or whatever, [It doesn't matter where you pray. What matters is that you connect with Spirit] and she prayed and she prayed. She spent six
hours there praying for her son to make it through the operation. When she returned to the hospital, the doctors came to her and said it was a success. She said, 'Those are the words I've been waiting to hear.' She called all her friends and said it was a success. She went back to her hotel room and that night around midnight, she got a call from the doctor saying that her son was dying and that he was in surgery with a blood clot in his spine. He told her to stay right there and he'd let her
know... stay right there? Right!!! She went and started pacing the halls at the hospital. She said that she could feel wet sand going up underneath her. Her pray was for him to hold on. Hold on!!! And, he came through the operation and when the doctor came out to talk to her, he said, 'I'm sorry. Your son will live, but he's going to be paralyzed from the neck down.' So, when her son did come out, the next morning, and became conscious, he said, 'Mom, they said I'm going to be paralyzed; I'm
not going to walk, is that true?' She said, 'That's what they said.' He said, 'Mom, I'm going to ask of you, something that no child should ever have to ask of a parent. But, my greatest fear has been realized and I don't want to be a talking head.' The tears were pouring down his face. He said, 'If that's the way it is, will you 'pull the plug' for me? I want to walk out of the hospital.' She said, 'Well, walk out of the hospital, you will. You will walk out of the hospital, I know it. I
thank God for it. I see you playing baseball, basketball. I see you up there moving again.' He said, 'Mom, OK, OK, calm down!!! There are other people in this ICU.' When the doctor came to talk to her, on the side, and said that because of the blood clot in the spine, you couldn't even blow on it. He would be paralyzed. She said, 'NO!!! I'm going to a higher source. I'm going above you, far beyond a place you have ever been. I am holding that my son is walking out of this hospital. I know it.
I believe it.' She called up different people and got prayers going. In two days a nurse came in and said he was moving his toes. She came in and sure enough he was moving and within a couple of months, he walked out of the hospital.
When there appears to be something far bigger that what appears to be your present human capabilities, that is the time, not to put more rocks into that bowl of fear, of anxiety and belief in this world of phenomenon, but it is time to start pitching them
out. The way you do that is to start heading right down into that 'inward journey' and connect with that Source and reflect upon It and to know that there is an answer; that there is a way through. Wherever you may be, there is a way through. It's not about... there's a Buddhist saying, You don't compare that which is right to that which is wrong, for that is the disease of the mind. That is the disease of intellect. You don't go comparing that which you like to that which you don't like.
What you do is to go to God. You go to Spirit. You go to that Presence and KNOW It. It's not about trying to figure out what metaphysical tool you can use to tweak yourself through this experience. It's very simple. You go to God. You go to that Presence and KNOW. You know that you know that you are One. And, that's what brings It forward. We say that God is everywhere present.
I came across an interesting reply to that from Joel Goldsmith. When we say, 'Where's God? Everywhere!!!'
Joel Goldsmith, one of the wonderful metaphysicians in the New Thought movement, very absolute, says, 'That's not so.' I said, 'Excuse me, Joel? I've been teaching this for quite some time. What are you talking about?' He said, 'God is not everywhere. The potential of God is everywhere. It's like electricity. Is electricity everywhere? Well, the possibility of electricity exists everywhere, but we'd need to connect with electricity to have it do something. The potential of God and the Divine
is everywhere, but you are that conduit that must connect to bring forth the expression of God, in the places that It appears not to be.' It is up to you to be that conduit, that connector, that avenue through which that energy flows that will reveal Itself in those ways that are right; those ways that are appropriate; those ways that will satisfy, fulfill and bring success into your world, not because your are looking for that answer, but because you are looking for Source and you connect,
It flows into your life in those ways that are appropriate and you will find the strength to do that which is necessary. But, the doing is very essential. It's not just about a mental trip. It is the doing-ness that brings that Spirit into form.
So, as you take that trek along this 'inward journey', know what gets revealed to you is Divine. If it looks less that Divine, it is opportunity to help cleanse your path, your world, your thinking. You've got to learn to trust this walk, as
you continually bring your mind upon reflecting upon the Presence and the possibility and the wonder, as well as those things that may not look so wonderful. Because, you get to be the one to be the conduit to see the Presence there. Because, everything in this world may not be wonderful, but it's not because God isn't there. It is an opportunity to bring your consciousness, which has attracted good; which has attracted wholeness before to this place, so it can magnetize itself to bring in a
greater expression of life. Part of that purpose of our being is to come to be that place in which Spirit expresses. That Kingdom is right where I am; right where you are. And, where you are is irrelevant in terms of coming to know God. It is the perfect place; the Divine place; the holy place. And know, that as you take the time to reflect upon the Spirit; when you take that walk on that 'inward journey', you will find riches, and joy, and love, and spiritual harmony in all that you do.
God bless us all.
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