The Fire of Our Being

In this article, we’re going to figuratively gather around the collective “Fire of Our Being.” We might imagine it as a large bonfire that’s glowing with flames that are dancing lively and flicking their sparks toward the evening sky. The burning wood snaps with sizzling crackles as its energy is released. Around the fire, there are benches and chairs on which we can sit and be comfortable. Gleeful children, who aren’t yet ready to listen to our chat, are playing tag behind us. When we gaze upward, we see stars in the heavens that sparkle like diamonds; and the brilliant moon is so close–we can see the “man” who lives there smiling at us. Here on Earth, we’re sitting together as brothers and sisters. We’re taking turns to share, listen, congratulate, and embrace one another tightly. Everyone is welcome to sit around our fire. It’s my turn to talk…so I begin:

***

“My brothers and sisters,” I say, with my arms spread in welcome, “a trick has been played upon us. And it has fooled the majority of us for too long. NOW is the time for knowing better. When we first came to Earth, we–each of us–were given a name. Our names come in great variety; and we speak with many accents, depending on where we live. But it’s important that we know our True Identity. We are not our names! A name is only a word that refers to that which it represents. You can never get wet from the word water!

We’ve been conditioned to believe that there is a separate “me” looking out from each of us. But that’s not the case. Only the mind attempts to fool us this way! There is only One Knower, and our body-minds shine by Its Light. When we become still and quiet our mind, we can realize through our heart that the Knower in you–Consciousness–is also the same Knower in all of us. In Truth, we are One.

What are we…truly? We are aspects of That which makes this Earth, the sun, and galaxies. Out of The One arises everything–all that was, is, and shall be! We are born of The One that makes all of the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers; if it was not for The One, nothing would flow, including us. The One is the only Creator; and, we, creations of The One. We are alike in nature–Spirit; and differ only in degree. Our body-minds are on this Earth, but we–Spirit–are not. We belong to, and exist through, The One. We are intended to work together, help one another, and express the best that’s within us. And the best within us is God.”

***

The fire burned until the wee hours of the morning; and we, brothers and sisters, huddled around it. At one point, a shooting star blazed across the inky sky; and soon after, another one–playing tag–flamed behind it. To stay warm, we gathered closer when the fire died down to embers. The atmosphere was bathed with rich Love–the real, everlasting kind. There was no talk of nations or division; no line drawn in the sand to separate this and that. We knew the harvest of the world was intended to be shared equally. Everyone had enjoyed much talking and laughing, eating and drinking, sharing and caring. And when we departed to go our apparently separate ways, we were happy to know that we were expressions of the One.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones), press here. My YouTube videos can be found at Think2wice@I-Am-Aware. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. “Thank You” & “Note to Publishers” 🙏🏻🧡

Haven’t Been My”Self” Lately

Through the recognition of Truth, I haven’t been my”self” for the last two years. In fact, we can never actually be the little self (the body-mind, person) that lays claim to our life; but it sure appears that way. The error occurs due to a gross assumption, which, by and large, goes unnoticed. In my case, every joy and every sorrow, every failure and success sure seemed to belong to me–Art Russell, the little guy in the photo above. We can never actually be the bundle of sensations, images, feelings, thoughts, memory, and perceptions (the little “i”) that perpetually masquerades as the sum total of our identity. The little self is only the costumed actor who plays our role during the current performance of “My Life.” The Real “I”–Spirit–has always been with us; off stage, behind the scenes. It is safe, secure, and untouched by any of the human drama.

My little “self” (the apparent thief of identity) did an incredible job of fooling me. Deep within, I had a strong lurking sense that there was far more to us than meets the eye or psyche; but, by and large, I was knowingly disconnected from awareness of my True Self. As a result, there was a significant degree of suffering. That’s what occurs when we’ve strayed too far from the Truth of our Being, to turn us in the right direction. Attempting to keep the costumed “actor” happy is a full time job. It is exhausting; for the false self is rarely content for long. It judges every situation and circumstance; and any happiness that it apparently experiences is always of a relatively fleeting nature.

I share this information to attempt to lighten the load that you may be carrying unnecessarily. When we discover our True Self, everything about our life and the world becomes so much lighter. We regain a playfulness and contentment that we may not have felt since childhood. Yes, there will still be work required to be done–and it will be; but it will be performed with a sense of detached lightness. The perspective that “is” our True Self allows us to view the world and our place within it from a position of wisdom. We live with trust in our heart; rather than by mind-dominated fearfulness. We feel expansive and free; rather than isolated and in competition.

What do I hope that readers may take away from this article, beyond a cool lesson in rocking horse technique? The following:

We are all children of One Creator.
We are all deserving of Love and respect.
We are all on an incredible journey—the story of our life.
Each and every one of us has purpose; we are here for a reason.

The journey to recognition of our True Self is one of the most exciting journeys that any of us will ever undertake. It is beyond comparison. It need not be overwhelming. During the process, you’ll most likely realize that you’ve been carrying a lot of negative baggage that, in honesty, belongs only to the false self. You are not the body-mind. On a given day, you may experience startling revelations; or weep tears of joy as you let go of painful emotions. You might begin by nurturing your earnest curiosity and asking: “Who Am I—really?” Hint: It’s not who you think you are.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. May it help you in your spiritual journey. 🙏🙏

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Dear “Death”

Dear Death,

Regarding your rather dark and threatening memo dated yesterday, “thanks, but no thanks.” I’m having no part of the mythical story you’re attempting to spread via fear mongering, subliminal messages, and outright deceit. Nice try. Aren’t you getting a little tired of spreading the same old same old? That skull-and-crossbones logo is passé, don’t you think? Perhaps you could attempt to sell the general public another type of story. You know…a certain bridge for sale; shares in a swampland development; or cures for bunyons, acne, and warts.

Perhaps you haven’t heard, but there’s a spiritual movement that’s gaining momentum, here and now. Human beings are learning that they’re not who they think they are. They’re learning to recognize the deeper dimension of their essential nature that’s beyond birth and death. They know they’re so much more than flesh and bones. They also know that the consciousness through which they live and move and have their being is impersonal and Universal, not personal. So, basically, my message to you is this: The jig is up. Your pants are down. You can run, but you can’t hide. You may now cease and desist from your scare tactics.

I hope this won’t embarrass you, but I shared your recent message with as many people as I could; and I must admit that after reading it, we all had a good chuckle and then…yawned; especially at that fire and brimstone part. We’ve seen through you. Your story’s getting very old. Perhaps you should engage some ghost writers to punch up your story line.

As for you, you little buggar, I bid you farewell. You need not ever contact me again, either in person or via threatening emails. I’m on to you, and so are a lot of other beings. Personally, I wish you a fine, long, and warm stay in Hello, watching eternal reruns of Gilligan’s Island.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

One Without a Second

If you’re still one of the vast majority who believes that you’re a little self born of flesh and bones, you may benefit from reading this article. Why? Because all of us–no matter how spiritual–realize that the body-mind (aka person) comes with an expiry date. This may not seem important now, but someday it most certainly will. The heart of this article revolves around an assumption that by and large goes unquestioned: Am I truly who I think I am?

Our ego would have no part of an article like this; for it believes that it’s in competition with, and disinct from, all of those other selves. It views the world from the perspective of separation, not unity. It sees humans of different colours, forms, and shapes–and conceptualizes them as different from itself. This is no wonder; for we’ve been conditioned to believe this since infancy. As we see ourselves, so we see the world. When we identify with this view of the world, our little “self“judges everyone as a potential friend or foe; or worse, as something that can be used for its own gain. The ego believes that it must fight for its right to survive; and that means defending itself at all cost. When this perspective dominates the collective consciousness, humans go to war…in the name of peace.

The good news is that we can recognize the Truth of your Being without intensive study; neither does such require that we attend a church, a synagogue, a temple, or a mosque on a regular basis (although doing so may prove beneficial). The Truth of our Being cannot be realized by the mind; for the Truth is beyond the mind. As Sadguru so wisely stated: “Truth cannot be interpreted; it can only be experienced.” To realize our authentic Self all that’s required is to withdraw from the sense world on a regular basis, by stilling the body and the mind. There, in the gap between two thoughts, we may glimpse the still Presence which is the Truth of our Being.

This Oneness to which I refer, can–and will–give us anything that we desire: health, wealth, and success beyond measure; but It asks–nay, demands–that to receive such favours, we must pay a price in return: We must surrender our erroneous belief of being a separate self. Why? Because as long as we’re filled with what’s false (the ego), we have no room to be filled with the Truth of our Being. Any associated pain or loss that we may feel when we contemplate surrendering our self may be lessened when we realize that what we’ve called “me” has no actual existence apart from the mind. It is wholly a conceptual self. A verse from Mark 2:22 can add to our clarity: “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.” That new wine is found when we recognize (to know again) our true Self.

To my knowledge, Rupert Spira offers the best definition of Consciousness: “That with which all experience is known, in which all experience appears, and out of which all experience is made.” Contrary to popular misconception, the True “You” is neither personal nor mortal. You are like in nature and quality to That which gives birth to universes and human hearts with equal ease.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

This Mental Universe

In this article, we’re going to depart from our inquiry into the nature of our true Self and examine The Law of Attraction in greater depth. For persons who are unfamiliar with the subject, the law is basically summed up as follows:

“We bring about what we think about.”

One well-known example of the law at work is related in Job 3:25, through the account of Job: “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” That to which we give our attention, whether favorable or unfavorable, manifests in our “reality.” If you doubt this can be true, please read the following photo-quotes from various books:

Socrates (470 – 399 BC) was no slouch when it came to philosophy. He was also an idealist, which basically means that he believed that everything is a concept in mind. Think opposite of a materialist; a person who believes in a discrete world made of “matter.” Before scoffing at the idea that matter doesn’t exist in the “concrete-real” way that most persons assume, please contemplate the following question: “Do you believe that you actually come into contact with matter?” If so, please consider this: All that we experience directly are our perceptions; which basically means sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Beyond these, we’re only assuming that a correlative world made of matter actually exists. Quantum physics has yet not discovered the tiniest bits of matter; and it never will.

A few quotes may help us understand how the Law of Attraction really works, beginning with Socrates: “To be is to do.” Mahatma Gandhi pointed to the same understanding through his famous quote: “Be the change you desire to see in the world.” Bob Proctor, who studied the teachings of the Law of Attraction for almost sixty years, said: “If you can see it in the mind, you’re going to hold it in the hand.” Mike Dooley, who is a noted speaker and author about the Law of Attraction, states it this way: “Thoughts become things.” Neville Goddard, who was a Barbadian-born mystic, lecturer, and author of many books about deliberate creation, stated: “Things have no reality other than in consciousness. Therefore, get the consciousness first and the thing is compelled to appear.” Andrew Carnegie, who was once one of the wealthiest men in the world, stated the premise the following way: “Any idea that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered will begin at once to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.”

If all of this sounds ludicrous, I hear you. At one time, I would have definitely agreed. If we engage in even a little self-inquiry, however, we can realize that we are neither the body nor the mind. In other words, you’re not the person you have assumed. Through time spent in stillness (Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God“), we can directly experience a deeper dimension of Self; one in which we recognize that we are the witness of sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts. All of these arise and subside; we, however, are the eternal witness of all that appears. Persons are appearances in consciousness that are known by Awareness. Our true nature is Awareness, or Spirit. Just for the record, science has not yet determined how the body-mind gives rise to consciousness (coined The Hard Problem of Consciousness by David Chalmers), and it never will be. Why? Because the body is rendered by the mind.

We are co-creators, not persons. We create by imagining what we desire; and it manifests in our reality through our belief that it’s already ours. Our “world” is not made of matter; it’s made of mind. This explains why Nikola Tesla stated the following: “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration; “and why James Jean, noted astrophysicist and author of The Mysterious Universe, stated “The stream of knowledge is heading towards a non-mechanical reality; the Universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine. Mind no longer appears to be an accidental intruder into the realm of matter… we ought rather hail it as the creator and governor of the realm of matter.”

As much as it might seem that we are the doers and the personal knowers of the world, we are not. Those effects are produced by Maya (Sanskrit, meaning illusion). There is One Knower and One Doer (God), which is manifesting through a multiplicity and diversity of beings.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

What We’re Looking For…

Everyone is seeking happiness. Ask persons what they want, and they’ll likely respond with one of the following superficial answers: a relationship, more money, a promotion, a new car or house, or world travel. On a deeper level, however, they want some or all of these for one simple reason: They want to be happy. In our blindness, we erroneously attribute happiness to things. If so, we’re bound to suffer–bigtime. The reason? Human happiness is fleeting and always on the move. Inherent in pleasure is its polar opposite, which is pain. Doubt this can be true?

Here is a simple illustration: Johnny loves chocolate cake. It just tastes so good, especially when it has thick icing. One piece leads to two; two to three; and just about the time that three peices is leading to four, Johnny gets a stomach ache. Our folly is attributing goodness to a thing which eventually must yield its badness. If Johnny continues on his path, he’s likely to end us overweight and in declining health. In and of itself, the cake isn’t bad; it’s Johnny’s relationship to it that’s causing the problem. Think it’s any different for the person that believes that a relationship will make life just perfect? Or the workaholic who sacrifices family life and health for….?

The other examples–of relationships, more money, promotions, a new car or house, and world travel–can logically be taken to the point of turning into pain. If we lean on any of them to make us feel good, all of them will no doubt let us down when we experience the pain of that dependency. The key to transcend this trap is to discover that deeper dimension within ourselves that is already whole and, therefore, in need of nothing. That dimension is what St. Francis of Assisi was referring to when he stated: “What we’re looking for is what’s looking.”

Our essential nature is completely overlooked by the majority of persons. Why? Because we’ve become lost to our senses and been conditioned to believe that the body-mind (the person) is the sum total of our being. It is not. To make our apparent human journey, we must temporarily forget What we truly are–Spirit. Live as a human long enough, with little or no awareness of our deeper nature, and we are bound to suffer. The pain of polarity, and year after year of striving to arrive at a fictional destination, is just too much to endure. In time, we tire and grow weary. What we’re truly seeking is to rediscover that overlooked part of ourselves that will make us feel whole and complete.

Consciousness is not personal; it only appears that way. In the body-mind, it is but a reflection of the one-and-only Consciousness, which is Universal. Our true nature is unbounded, eternal, immortal. We are “That.” It doesn’t die because it was never born. Birth and death belong to the body-mind, but not to us. We are beyond time and space, which are rendered by the mind. Our true joy will only be found when we recognize our deeper dimension of Self. Then and only then can we enjoy that piece of cake without depending on it for our happiness; nor anything else, for that matter. Time spent in meditation is one of the ways to discover the doorway that leads to our essential Self. For anyone interested, press here to view a brief introduction to self-inquiry by Rupert Spira.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you believe it holds value. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. May it help you in your spiritual journey. 🙏🙏

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Category: Non Duality

The Fire of Our Being

Haven’t Been My”Self” Lately

Dear “Death”

One Without a Second

This Mental Universe

What We’re Looking For…

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