The Decree

As its name implied, Trouble Town was experiencing more than its fair share of trouble. The town’s jail was packed with offenders; homelessness was rising; the majority of politicians were corrupt; and the unspoken motto of “Greed, More Greed” was prevalent. The residents had endured the atrocious conditions for so long that such seemed normal to them. In desperation, Mayor Marjorie Wisdom called an emergency council meeting. She concluded the meeting by standing and reading the following decree: “By unanimous vote, I hereby decree that as of midnight this coming Sunday, the residents of Trouble Town will magically begin to awaken to true Self.” Raising her tear-filled eyes, she then somberly said, “May recognizing God help us all.”

During the following week, a gradual awakening to Truth did, in fact, occur. As a result, many wonderful changes occurred in Trouble Town, not the least of which were the following:

***

On Sunday, at 06:04, Joey and Tom were about to steal their neighbour’s car when they suddenly realized that stealing Mr. Hampton’s car would be stealing from themselves. As a result, they quietly turned and walked away, never to steal from anyone again.

On Monday, at 21:09, Jack, with intent to rape, was about to attack the young lady who was walking alone through a local park when he suddenly realized that both he and she were aspects of God. As a result, he could not possibly lift a hand against her or anyone else.

On Tuesday, at 10:02, Harvey, who owned an appliance store, was about to accept payment from Mrs. Newman for her new refrigerator when he suddenly realized that to cheat the elderly lady of $200.00 by inflating the bill would be to cheat himself. As a result, he wrote a new contract that reflected a fair price.

On Wednesday, at various times in multiple locations, one hundred residents suddenly realized that God was the only power in the Universe. As a result, they immediately became more humble and grateful. One resident was heard to say, “Thank you, God, for the beat of my heart.”

On Thursday, at 12:31, the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Snider, was having lunch with a local businessman who was looking for favours with regard to a major building project. As a result of his awakening, Mr. Snider found it impossible to accept the bribe money that would have ultimately resulted in the construction of an inferior and possibly unsafe building.

On Friday, at 23:02, Fred and Lisa Delaney, who were owners of a chemical factory, were about to discharge dangerous toxins into the river that flowed through Trouble Town when they realized that by polluting the river they were actually polluting themselves and their neighbours. As a result, they returned to their factory and arranged for proper waste disposal the following day.

On Saturday, at 13:39, Mike Dempster was about to pull the trigger of the loaded handgun that was pointed into his right ear when he awakened to the Truth of his Being. As a result, he was able to see that he was neither his body-mind nor the painful story attached to it. Weeping, he unloaded the gun and later arranged for treatment through qualified professionals.

***

This, of course, is a fictional story. It relates some of the potential benefits that could be expressed through humankind if we, by some magical occurrence, suddenly recognized our shared divinity. What would occur if we listened to the still voice of God instead of the blare of our self-centered egos? What if we realized that “thy will be done” reflects infinite wisdom and that “my will be done” reflects ignorance? Would we not literally create a New Earth that was filled with love, compassion, and kindness? What but the belief in our egos is hindering us from experiencing that world NOW? We’ll close this article by repeating the parting words of Mayor Marjorie Wisdom: “May recognizing God help us all.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

Johnny’s Mean-Looking Truck

Johnny Duggan had lived a coloured life–at least so he thought. He had been married thrice; filed for bankruptcy twice; and done a stint in jail once. The story of “him” was always uppermost on his mind; it was the mean-looking truck that he drove everywhere he went. At the gym, out on a date, dining at a restaurant–there it was: Johnny’s mean-looking truck. It continuously spewed fumes about itself; and it was so full that Johnny had to beef up the suspension and build up the rear racks to contain all of the dark mental stuff from his past.

One day, Johnny was talking to a guy who claimed to know a little about meditation and the powers of the mind. Johnny told him that he had tried to meditate during his stint in jail (he had certainly had time enough for it) but that it hadn’t done him a lick of good.

“When you meditated,” asked the guy, “did you take your mean-looking truck with you?”

“I sure did,” spat Johnny. “My mind was piled high with all of the junk in my truck. Couldn’t concentrate on nothing else!”

“Uh, huh,” said the guy, as he scratched his chin. “No wonder you’re still having such a hard time.”

“What do you mean?” asked Johnny.

“I mean,” said the guy, “that you’d be wise to check the load that you’re carrying. If you want your life to improve, you gotta offload all of that yuck from your truck!”

“What difference is that gonna make?” asked Johnny.

“Seriously?” said the man. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?” asked Johnny.

“You don’t know that what’s impressed into the your mind on a habitual basis is going to be expressed as the circumstances of your life? By concentrating on everything that’s bad, you’re actually impregnating your future with more of what’s bad!”

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s Chihauhau!” exclaimed Johnny.

“If the shoe fits,” said the man. “You have to find the good within before you’ll experience it without. By continuing to rehash the negative events of your life, you’re creating more of it. You’d be wise to focus on what’s good for a change. Andrew Carnegie, who commissioned the book entitled Think and Grow Rich, summed up the principle this way:”

Any idea that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered,

will begin to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.”

The last we heard, Johnny was at the local dumpsite for toxic waste. He was shovelling off a big load of yuck from his truck before settling into his regular meditation session–hint, hint; nudge, nudge. By offloading the “bad stuff,” he made room for all of the “good stuff” that had previously gone unnoticed. Oh, and Johnny has also improved the quality of his life by practicing gratitude on a daily basis. He discovered that the more grateful he is, the more he attracts circumstances for which to be grateful. Probably just a coincidence–not!

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

Motorcycling, Then and Now

Once upon a time, a man named “Art” believed that he was made of flesh and bones. It certainly appeared to be the case; for he, as were you, had been conditioned to believe the lies of his senses. Due to the veil of forgetfulness about the Reality of his Being, he assumed that the experiences he had were absolutely real. He enjoyed life greatly when all was going well, but suffered terribly with some of life’s challenges. He was deeply attached to his family and and also driven to succeed. As so often happens in stories, life suddenly delivered a blow (divorce) that shocked Art to his very core. The family that he had loved so dearly was broken.

As part of his healing journey, Art set out upon numerous trips on Scout, his beloved Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 motorcycle. He intuited that that freedom of the open road would be good for his spirit. Travelling by motorcycle felt far less lonely than sitting by himself in an empty car. Several years, and thousands of kilometers, rolled by. Art rode north, south, east, and west in a futile attempt to leave the pain related to loss behind him. Such was the apparent then part of the story.

***

Through the Light of Grace, awakening happened; which basically means that Universal Consciousness knowingly re-cognized that It never had been Art–not now, or ever. Art was merely a mind character in Lila, the play of Life. All of his apparent history–of marriage, family, career, and those long-distance rides on Scout–occurred only as a dream in Consciousness. Thus, Art also learned that he was never the apparent doer. This is the now part of the story; where we awaken to All That’s Real and discover that anything else is only apparently real.

***

I deliberately used the term then to refer to Art’s historical perspective; but please know that I am aware that any apparent motorcycling (and anything else that appears to occur) can only occur Now. For those readers who may be wondering if its time to dial 911 and summon help, I offer the following quote from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and his spiritual classic entitled I Am That:

“Both sleep and waking are misnomers. We are only dreaming. True waking and sleeping only the gnani [knower, sage] knows.We dream that we are awake, we dream we are asleep. The three states are only varieties of dream state. Treating everything as a dream liberates.”

I also offer the following quote from Open Secret, by Wei Wu Wei (Terence Gray):

“Our dreamed ‘selves,’ autonomous in appearance, as in life, can be seen in awakened retrospect to be puppets totally devoid of volitional possibilities of their own. Nor is the dream in any degree dependent on them except as elements therein. They, who seem to think that they are living and acting autonomously, are being dreamed in their totality; they are being activated as completely and absolutely as puppets are activated by their puppeteer. Such is our apparent life, on this apparent earth, in this apparent universe.

And finally, I offer this quote attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha:

“Events happen, deeds are done, but there is no individual doer thereof.”

If you, dear spiritual brothers and sisters, are going through your own apparent trials and tribulations, please take heart. Contemplate the information that’s been shared in this article. The true YOU is divine, immortal, and untouched.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

The Wise Builder

Upon what type of foundation (Truth or illusion; Real or unreal) are you building your life? Do you really believe that you’re a person of flesh and bones, or could it be that you are actually so much more? This article is based upon the parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders in the Bible. The basic account is related in Matthew 7:24-27:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The parable, of course, is not referring to the building of an actual house. It’s not informing us to seek out the town engineer, perform soil sampling, and examine the municipal records to see if a toxic dump was once located on the potential site for our home. It’s informing us about Life and true Self. There’s actually only ONE Identity but we’ve been conditioned to believe in another. ONE is founded upon Truth; the other is mired in ignorance. ONE is lasting peace and joy; the other leads to heartache and suffering. ONE is changeless (like the rock upon which the wise man built his house); the other is shifting continuously (like the sands upon which the foolish man built his house). ONE is always safe; the other is vulnerable. ONE knows there’s no other against whom to compete; the other is competitive by nature.

The parable actually relates the important differences between our ego (the shifting sands) and true Self (the rock of our Being). If you’re seeking lasting peace, they’re worth investigating on a deeper level. Isn’t it true that your thoughts and feelings about yourself are always shifting? One day (or hour) you’re up, and the next down. Happy/unhappy. Satisfied/dissatisfied. If you’re like most persons who are ruled by ego, you might consider yourself to be an outright geennius genius one day but feel like flashing your Dummies Club membership card the next. These shifts in moods and attitudes comprise the shifting sands of the ego.

Beneath all of the various opinions we might hold of ourselves is That which is beyond all descriptions, definitions, and thoughts–either favourable or unfavourable. The true YOU is That which cannot be added to, nor subtracted from. It’s neither conceivable nor perceivable. To feel good, It doesn’t need a diploma, degree, or facelift; for It’s already everything and yet simultaneously No Thing. It’s the same YOU that YOU were when your body-mind was five years of age; and It will be the same YOU that shouts yippee at one-hundred-and-five. To seek It, you need not take one step away from or toward your Self (nor is either possible). Seek That, knowingly, here and now.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

Willing To Change

Every–and I mean every–motivational speaker who knows what he/she is talking about stresses the necessity of changing within if we desire to improve the apparent conditions and circumstances without. Bob Proctor, who has been studying and teaching the Law of Attraction for almost sixty years, informs persons that they must change their paradigms (a collection of subconscious thoughts and beliefs about every aspect of our life) before they can expect to see what they desire. Why? Because apparently outer circumstances are actually a reflection of our inner beliefs. In short, the results that we achieve are directly connected to our self image. As noted speaker and author Dr. Joe Dispenza states: “To change our personal reality, we must change our personality.” In support of this, I offer the following quote from William Blake for you to contemplate:

In your own bosom you bear your heaven and earth,
And all you behold, though it appears without,
It is within, in your imagination,
Of which this world of mortality is but a shadow.

Perception “is” the world. Period. Without knowing it, the majority of persons are steering around in a subjective world, which they erroneously assume to be objective. This is quite understandable because the illusion of time, space, and causality seems incredibly real. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist; I’m just stating that “reality” is not what it appears to be. It’s made of Consciousness–the only reality that is. This explains why the Bible has an abundance of passages intended to guide us toward better life experiences. I offer you the following passage from Philippians 4:8, which clearly advises us to focus positively:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

***

A short quote that supports this is found in The Kybalion, a book of esoteric teaching related to the Law of Attraction:

“As within, so without.”

***

Truth is shared, yet again, through the following quote from the noted spiritual healer and teacher, Joel S. Goldsmith:

“No circumstance or condition can be experienced unless it first be found within our own consciousness.”

***

Still more is offered through some of the first lines in The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel:

“Would you bring into your life more power?

Get the power consciousness.

More health?

Get the health consciousness.

More happiness?

Get the happiness consciousness.

Live the spirit of these things until they become yours by right.”

Our “world” functions according to spiritual laws. Despite appearances to the contrary, nothing happens by chance. Do you now see why it’s imperative to sustain the vision of your desire (through afffirmations and visualization) as though you–already–have it? Until you do, you will continue to be blown about like dust in the wind. Say no to that; and yes to your vision for a better life.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

The Harmonica Player

Art doesn’t know the man’s name; but I Am knows the harmonica player very well, indeed. In fact, I Am knows the count of every hair on his head, and ours, and every sparrow that falls. I Am knows that the harmonica player once owned a successful business, lived in a modest home, and was married to his high school sweetheart…until. I Am also knows that he fell on tough times and lost his way. Passersby who know not one whit about him will judge him as this or that, worthy or unworthy. Hunched forward, the harmonica player sits on the concrete skirt outside the entrance to the grocery store, his weathered coat fanned out in front of him. A few coins have been tossed upon it by passing shoppers who are eager to fill their carts. The harmonica player, who appears fifty-five or sixty years of age, has a grey beard and a full head of hair. Intermittently, he offers several notes of unrecognizable songs. His performance at Carnegie Hall isn’t scheduled anytime soon.

***

What–not who–is this apparent man who plays for us? Is his disguise of particular name and form really any different from the disguises worn by you and me? Is there not a Golden Thread that unites our various stories related to skin colour, nationality, gender, and status? Are not definitions such as rich or poor, friend or foe, and winner or loser utterly worthless in terms of the Truth of our essential nature? Does the harmonica player’s name, or ours, reveal anything real? Who is he in relation to us, and who are we in relation to him?

We, the apparent multitude of flesh and bones, will not recognize the harmonica player’s true Self until we look within and recognize our own I Am-ness. Until then, the Truth related to him, and everyone “else,” will remain an uninvestigated mystery. Unaware that we’re unaware, we will continue to conceptualize beings as Mr. or Mrs., Bob or Betty, Miguel or Mabel, Pradeep or Pratima. Through our own innocent ignorance, the harmonica player will, thus, appear to us as only a “so-and-so,” a “down-and-out,” or “the guy outside the store.” Surely, we and our world deserve more than this sorry tale of fiction.

It’s time for Truth.

***

On his way into the store, Art approaches the man, says “hi,” and offers a few coins to his brother from another mother. The harmonica player smiles, says “thanks;” and they make brief mention about the weather. There is no running mental commentary of “i” the giver or “i” the receiver. In Presence, there is no room for our tired personal stories. Thank God our eyes reveal what the heart knows. Can you “see” the harmonica player in your Self? Can you see your Self in him? The I Am that is you and I is the same I Am that is him. Nothing separates us but the disguises of our mind.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

Perspective As Oneness

I’m sure that most of us have heard the expression that “perspective is everything,” and, indeed, a change of viewpoint can make a tremendous difference in the quality of our life. There are two basic ways to look at life: one which is the predominant world perspective; and a second that is completely at odds with the first. In the first, persons believe that they “exist” in a world made of matter, and that there might or might not be a God. In the second, Beings know that they are an aspect of The One; and that the world, persons, and objects are part of God’s divine dream. As it turns out, it’s quite challenging to prove the validity of either; for the dream world of “matter” behaves in accordance with how matter appears.

Persons who adhere to the first view believe that consciousness arises within the physical brain. Despite any supportive evidence, beyond correlative activity, it’s assumed that neuronal processes give rise to a personal “you” that exists somewhere behind the forehead or near the heart. Because it is assumed that “you” began at conception or at birth, it’s also commonly believed that “you” end with death. In the second view point, Beings (through direct experience that’s impossible to share via words) know that the apparent “world” occurs in a dream. They realize, as Paramahansa Yogananda stated, that”mind is the creator of everything.” For these folks, daily “reality” occurs within the waking state. We basically have a case of those who believe in “matter” as the substance of everything; and those who believe in God, aka Consciousness, as the Substance of everything that ever was, is, and will be.

For those who are curious to realize a deeper level of life, the following questions might help spur you to investigate your essential nature more deeply:

  • What happened to the meadow, mountain peak, or desert that was part of your dream last night? Where are they now? Of what were they made? Consciousness. Could this apparent reality–here, now–be made of the same?
  • Have you ever had a dream so real that you wakened in a sweat? Is it possible that “reality” of your personhood on “Earth” is a sharper, more defined, dream with a continuing plotline?
  • Why do you claim that consciousness is personal? Science has yet to discover how it could possibly arise from neuronal processes. The issue is termed “the hard problem of consciousness.”
  • What is it–not who–that is aware of your sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts? Could it be that Awareness is the substratum of the world, not that ever-elusive “stuff” called matter?
  • Can you really be a name? If not, What are you?
  • Why do you continue to embrace the paradigm of matter? In 1911, Ernest Rutherford discovered that atoms (which were once believed to indivisible units of matter) are actually 99.999% empty space. This is fact, not fiction.
  • What is the one-and-only ingredient required to have an “apparent” experience? Consciousness.

Am I attempting to convince you to believe in God? No, not at all. Our world has experienced great suffering by those who force their religious views upon others. I am, however, gently prompting you to investigate your spiritual nature. You might be surprised to discover that you’re not who you think yourself to be.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

Behind The Eight Ball

The expression that serves as the title of this article implies that someone is at a disadvantage for a particular reason. We might be considered to be “behind the eight ball” if we’re in a Catch22 situation or faced with a puzzling life situation. Such is even more challenging when we don’t realize that we’re behind the eight ball. In other words, we’re unaware that we’re unaware. The majority of indivuals don’t realize that they–right now–are in such a position.

So, Mr. Russell, just what do you mean? The answer is simple, but not easy to comprehend. If you believe, as did I, that you’re a person–you’re behind the eight ball. Period. Have you settled down yet? Spilled your coffee? Called 911 and ordered me a straight jacket (medium, please)? Scrolled to someone else’s article? Pressed delete and cursed because it didn’t work? Stopped guffawing? The point, dear folks, is that I’m being one-hundred percent serious. No joke.

The majority of “persons” are unaware that they are Spirit having a “human” experience. They may have heard or read of such a “tale” (and most likely scoffed at it); but the Truth of that statement has probably escaped them–so strong is Maya (loosely defined as “illusion” in Sanskrit). Such is easy to understand. From the time of our apparent birth, we’re taught that we are name and form. That’s the way that we process this “world” because those who raised us had been conditioned to believe the same of themselves. In other words, they knew no better. They, too, had fallen deep into the illusion of “life on Earth.

The Truth is that “reality” as persons know it, is occurring in the waking state. It’s akin to the nighttime dream state, only with a continuing plot set in high-definition 3-D. Everything is created by mind. To knowingly recognize Truth (and, thereby, step out from behind the eight ball), it’s necessary to meditate, and place your attention inward; to Universal Consciousness, or Awareness. Until you do, you’ll remain behind the eight ball and assume that the knower is within the “person.” This is usually imagined as a point of knowing either in the head or the chest. Modern science has been unable to find the seat of consciousness within the human body-mind, and for good reason. It’s not there! Our body-minds are placed in apparent motion through forces of Infinite Living Mind. As much as it seems to be the case, they don’t move by their own power; nor are they sentient. Consiousness definitely seems personal, but that’s just part of the illusion. Body-minds exist in Consciousness only–that wispy-like dream “stuff” in which space, time, and your life story occurs. (This is referred to in the following highlighted passages):

(Open Secret, by Wei Wu Wei)

(Who Am I?, Sri Ramana Maharshi)

(I Am That, talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj)

The good news is that you actually do exist–but not as a person. The definition of “You,” if you’re earnestly seeking it, would more appropriately be called Being + Knowing, which = Awareness. For the record, such is the same nature as our Creator, God (aka Consciousness). Consciousness dreams worlds and, we, the human contingent, are part of that creation. From the perspective of true Self, we have dominion over the illusion (because we can think and imagine); but such isn’t the case from the human perspective. This is why the following is stated in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Its purpose is to help us get out from behind the eight ball.

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

It’s About “Now”

Many people who are drawn to the teachings of the Law of Attraction find the subject of time challenging to understand. To use affirmations correctly and, thus, manifest more effectively, we must affirm that our desire is–already–fulfilled. On the surface, logic will decree that this is nonsensical, or outright absurd; but there’s a sound reason behind it: We must impress our mind with the exact paradigm (mould or example) of the reality that we desire to experience. The principle is made clearer through the following information.

In a presentation by Eckhart Tolle, he mentioned that he once saw a sign in a pub that read “Free Beer Tomorrow.” The majority of persons might initially think, “Oh, so if I come back tomorrow, the beer will be free.” Of course, the catch is that when/if they return to the pub, it will be “now.” Tomorrow never comes, because the future is only a concept in the mind. The Bible offers sound advice about this principle in Mark 11:24:

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,

believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

To be effective, our affirmations must clearly reflect truth. If we affirm that a goal will be achieved two months from now, the achievement will always be kept two months away. We must think, speak, and act the achievement of our goal into the now. Please contemplate this message deeply. When we “live” an event, we do so “now.” All there is, is Now. When we eat a meal, go for a walk, or watch a movie, we can only do so now. Only “now” are our experiences “alive.” This quirky paradox might be expressed as follows:

If we don’t have whatever we desire Now, we’ll never have it.”

This is why the “rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” The rich carry an attitude of prosperity wherever they go; conversely, the poor carry a mentality of poverty. You can only experience that with which you are in harmonious vibration. This fundamental law works both positively and negatively. In Job 3:25, it’s stated that Job experienced great suffering: “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” Why did this occur? Because Job came into harmonious vibration with that which he feared through the negative process termed worry. How do we come into harmony with the goals that we desire? Through the use of repetitive affirmations or the power of visualization. By engaging our senses and feeling that our goals are already achieved. We receive our desires by following intuitive nudges to take action that leads to their fulfillment.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡

The Rich Life

Human beings define wealth and what it means to be rich by a wide variety of ways. For some, being rich means having millions of dollars. For others, nothing less than qualifying as a member of the exclusive B-Club will suffice; thus, to be a billionaire. The majority of persons consider themselves rich, indeed, if they have clean drinking water and enough food to feed their families. Others base their definition of wealth upon health and family relationships. This article isn’t intended to challenge any of those views or judge them as right or wrong. My view of wealth, which is spiritual in nature, relates to the following quote by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj in his spiritual classic entitled I Am That:

Your begging bowl may be of pure gold, but as long as you do not know it, you are a pauper.”

It’s easy to understand that environmental conditioning plays an important role in determining how we define personal wealth. As a child, it’s highly likely that we were conditioned to believe that wealth was related to tangible things; therefore, external to us. The child who receives a tricycle or bicycle on a birthday is a fitting example. This pattern is reinforced through our coming years.

If we desire a relationship and find that special partner, we deem ourselves rich. If we get that job that rewards us with financial abundance, we decree we have made it. If we own a home, investment properties, and a stock portfolio, we proclaim that we’re ascending the human ladder of wealth. If love of family is our definition of wealth, we consider ourselves rich when family are gathered together, or at least emotionally close. The issue with these types of wealth is that they are dependent on circumstance. Beneath all of them lies a trapdoor waiting to spring open. If we believe ourselves to be rich only with these signs, such implies that we will feel very poor, indeed, without them. The following passage from The Gospel of Thomas relates to wealth of a different nature:

Jesus said: If those who lead you say to you: See, the kingdom is in heaven, then the birds of the heaven will go before you; if they say to you: It is in the sea, then the fish will go before you. But the kingdom is within you, and it is outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will know that you are the sons of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty, and you are poverty.

(Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3)

Literally billions of Beings have as yet to discover their true wealth. By definition, we could not truthfully state that it’s a type of wealth; for such wording implies that it belongs in the categories of human wealth and, thus, shares their nature. The wealth to which I point via this article is unique; it’s God’s wealth; thus, ours by birthright. Unlike human riches, this wealth is everlasting in nature. To find It, all that’s required is to look within and investigate our essential nature. Upon recognition of true Self, we realize that we have always been rich, for we are children of God. When we discover That, we have found wealth beyond compare.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2021 – R. Arthur Russell

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 🙏🏻🧡