“Pawn’s” Homecoming

In a land called Prodigus, there was a young chess piece named “Pawn.” He disliked his name because it seemed common and lower class. In his innocent mind, he dreamed of being a king; in fact, the greatest king that ever lived. He knew that pawns were often considered peasants of “the board,” as it was called; and that they were often sacraficed, a tactic that he found most unappealing.

During one game, when Pawn was waiting to be moved, the King on his side of the board noticed the young chess piece’s malaise. Pawn looked tired and forlorn. Because of his loving nature, the King inched closer and struck up a quiet conversation. “Is something bothering you?” he asked.

Young Pawn’s face immediately brightened. He was honoured to have the King’s attention. “Uhm, thank you for asking,” he stammered. “I’ll be okay. It’s just that I don’t really like being a pawn. I want to be a great king like you.”

“Ahh,” said the King, with a nod. “Now, I understand. Has the competitive nature of our game been bothering you?”

“What do you mean?” asked Pawn.

The King chose his words carefully. “Well, enthusiasm for the game is important; but we must also remember what really matters. Pieces often compare themselves to other pieces and imagine that someone with a higher ranking is more valuable.”

“But you are!” exclaimed Pawn. “You’re royalty–the most important one! The whole chess game is based around you.”

The King smiled and patted Pawn on the shoulder. “That’s just the way it looks,” he said. “We’re wise not to judge by appearances.”

“What do you mean?” asked Pawn.

The king looked deep into Pawn’s eyes. “The truth is,” said the King, “that I’m not worth one whit more than you.”

“Huh?,” said Pawn, with a puzzled expression. “I don’t understand.”

“I mean,” said the King, “that you and I are of equal worth, even though we play different roles. I’m called the King, but “King” isn’t what I Am. It’s only relatively true that I’m more valuable than you. From the perspective of Truth, we’re equal. We’re both made of God stuff.”

“What’s God stuff?” asked Pawn.

“God stuff,” said the King, “is your essential nature. It’s what you and I actually are. At the deepest level, we’re the same.”

Pawn beamed quietly. Within him, he felt a sense of warm belonging that felt vaguely familiar. “Thank you, my King, for telling me.”

The King leaned down and discreetly gave Pawn a hug. “Just between you and me, you don’t have to call me King. It’s just a name…basically just letters arranged in a particular order. In fact, my real name is Archibald. I used to get called “Baldy” when I was a kid; but that can be our little secret.”

***

Dear Readers: Like all of us, Pawn was conditioned to think of himself as a thing. He knew himself only as a chess piece with a certain name, who lived on this or that type of board, and was a commoner in the game of life. His status was determined, so he assumed, by the definitions that he had accepted about himself. Thus, he believed that he’d finally be a somebody when he, too, was a king. What he overlooked, as most “persons” do, is that a king who’s unaware of his essential nature is impoverished, even if he’s living in a palace. Thank goodness that the King told him that he was made of God “stuff.” Could you, too, be overlooking a deeper dimension of Self that’s priceless? The difference between being played by life, and being an aware player, is tremendous. (If you’re earnest about recognizing your divine nature, you might find my short YouTube video entitled “Ruminating on Rumi” helpful.)

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” 🙏🏻🧡

Affording Grace

One night, Timothy Cares-Andwoes fell asleep. In the dream that followed, he found himself standing in the presence of the Lord of his Being, his true Self. He couldn’t see the Lord, but he sensed that he was amidst tremendous Power; the kind that creates galaxies and bumblebees with equal ease.

“Dear Lord,” he asked, “I have a question I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind.”

“Certainly,” came the reply. “Go ahead.”

“As you know, I have lived less than a perfect life. There have been mistakes, errors in judgment, and times when I acted without thinking.”

“And your question?” asked the calm voice.

Timothy shifted back and forth, searching for words. Finally, he said, “What must I do to receive Your grace?”

“You mean as a pardon?” asked the Lord, with a puzzled sounding voice.

“Yes, my Lord. How can I make it right with You?”

“Oh, my dear, dear child,” replied the Lord. “There’s nothing to forgive. When I look upon you, I look with my heart. How could I wish anything for you but joy?”

“You mean that I don’t have to pay a penance?”

“No,” said the Lord. “My system is rigged. Because I never condemn you, there’s never anything to forgive. All that I Am “is” Love; thus, all that I have for you is Love. When you, yourself, stop carrying your cares and woes about a non-existent past and an imaginary future, you’ll find that you’re standing in the glory of the Holy Now. Resist nothing, my child. It’s only because you resist what is that you create suffering.”

Timothy was struck dumb with the Lord’s revelation. Tears of welcome relief were welling in his eyes when he heard the Lord speak to him again.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” said the Lord.

“Uh, uh,” said Timothy, wiping a tear from his eye, “please, go ahead.”

“Where on Earth did you get that surname?”

“Oh, that,” said Timothy. “I never did like it. This guy named Art Russell gave it to me.”

“You might want to see about changing it,” said the Lord; and with that Timothy wakened from his dream.

***

Dear Readers: Prior to the mind’s interpretation, life just is what it “is.” It’s the ego (which is only the idea of yourself, not the real YOU) that creates the narrative related to suffering. I offer that we should strive to hold high ideals and live by the Golden Rule; but avoid the voice of the ego, as it can lead us astray. If your mind is attempting to kick you around like a damned soccer ball, it’s worth remembering that your essential nature is Love, Itself. As you descend from Love, how can the real “You” be anything else? (For those seeking a deeper dimension of Self, you may find my short YouTube video entitled “Finding Your Way Home” interesting.)

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

The Whole Enchilada

The expression that serves as the title of this article implies wholeness and integrity. Nothing is lacking. I’m using the expression to refer to the “knowing” that we experience when we recognize the Truth of our essential nature. To “become” a knower of true Self is unmistakable because it’s incomparable. Anything less is just spice and sauce–a poor imitation.

Why, though, is knowing it so important? Because at some point, most persons will become dissatisfied with life as it is. I’m not being negative or pessimistic; it’s just an inherent part of the shifting sands of the human experience. The historical Buddha called it Dukkha. In spite of having good health, great relationships, and adequate wealth, many feel that something (not a thing) seems missing. No matter how great our efforts, the results that we achieve give rise to only temporary happiness. This is when many individuals embark upon a spiritual journey of discovery.

When we begin our spiritual investigation we may initially feel fulfilled by visiting distant ashrams, temples, or cathedrals. We may enjoy studying scriptures or listening to gurus, rabbis, ministers, or priests share their knowledge. The practice of meditation or daily prayers may also seem new and exciting. For a while, the disruptive narrative of the ego may decrease or briefly stop; but seekers often discover that even this new spiritual activity also loses its thrill. Still, something seems to be lacking.

The solution may arise in an unexpected way. In deep sleep, we have intimate experience of the peace that’s inherent with Being our essential Self; for in that placeless place, we know nothing of a world, space-time, or the challenges that are associated with the perspective of the false self. When we merge again with the waking state (erroneously assumed to be daily reality), we may find ourselves in the same happiness quandary. Perhaps the following content from Who Am I?, by Sri Ramana Maharshi (who awakened suddenly to his true self at the age of sixteen) will be helpful:

5. [Seeker] Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there (taken to be real)?

[SRM] There will not be.

6. [Seeker] Why?

[SRM] The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope which is the substratum will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the realization of the Self which is the substratum will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed. Note: The reference to the rope and snake is related to a story in which a monk was once greatly frightened because he erroneously believed a rope to be a snake. It’s an allegory for the human condition. When we erroneously believe ourselves to be the “person,” we suffer.

Enlightenment means to be freed “from” the tyranny of the conceptual “person” who’s dissatisfied with the human experience, not “as” the person. An illusory character can’t possibly become enlightened because it doesn’t actually “exist.” If we’re still carrying the burdensome perspective of our personal John or Jane Doe, we haven’t yet knowingly experienced The Whole Enchilada. (If you doubt that this can be true, I believe that you’ll find the information within my YouTube video entitled “Pointers to Self & Power” interesting.)

With heartfelt regards,

Art

This Is My Father’s World

Please note: (In this article, I’m using the title of a well-known hymn to share some information that I hope will be helpful. The term “Father” isn’t intended to be gender biased. Both masculine and feminine qualities arise within the Creator or we wouldn’t have them to express.)

***

According to online sources, the hymn referred to in the title was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, who was a minister in Lockport, New York. It’s been reported that when he was leaving for scenic walks which he enjoyed, he would tell his wife, “I’m going out to see the Father’s world.” I offer the first stanza of his famous hymn, which was published several years after his death:

This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

What I’m suggesting is that Mr. Babcock’s claim about this being “the Father’s” world is neither a belief system to be adopted, nor a sentimental perspective; it’s literally true. We’ve been conditioned to believe that objects, including the world, have discrete independent “existence” in space-time. To experience this as being God’s world requires a shift in the way that we interpret information from our senses. Regarding the nature of the reality in which we find ourselves, I offer that this “world” is a moment-to-moment process within God’s Infinite Living Mind, rather than a static “thing.” Let’s deepen our investigation:

When we fall asleep at night, our mind merges with one of an infinite number of dream states. For this example, let’s imagine that we’re sailing over a vast ocean. We can see the surrounding water, feel the surging waves, and smell the salty sea air. In the dream, we travel for three weeks, through a variety of sailing conditions. It feels as real as real can be. When we awaken in the morning, however, we realize that the sailboat, ocean, entirety of the three-week trip, and our character’s viewpoint were all made of Consciousness. No one would ever claim that they existed as “material” things.

Back in waking-state (daily life) “reality,” we assume that we exist as persons in a world made of “matter.” For the purposes of this article (which is to help Beings recognize their true Self), it’s worth knowing that in 1911, Ernest Rutherford discovered that atoms, which were previously thought to be the foundation of “matter” and thus, a material world, were mostly empty space. His results were published in a paper that’s informally referred to as “The Nuclear Model of the Atom.” Science would later discover that atoms are actually 99.999% empty space.

To support this, please contemplate the following spiritual information from Acts 17:28: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” What, though, is the “him,” to which the verse refers? I suggest that “him” refers to God, or Infinite Consciousness. It explains why the “world” and everything we experience within it, including our own body-mind, belongs to Him. This is the point at which a shift in perception and perspective allows us to shake hands, so to speak, with Mr. Babcock and his view of the world; of “going out to see the Father’s world.” Through enlightenment, or awakening to our true Self, we realize that the “world” in which we rise and shine is made of Consciousness. Such means that we, in fact, are God’s spiritual children.

“But wait a second,” you might be thinking, “that would require me to accept that I (in human form) am living within God’s dream.” Yes. In Genesis 1:3, it’s stated: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” God’s living dream of humankind on Earth began (in Mind) and continues; with G-O-D smack dab in the Center “as” the Center. We’re of that very nature. How could we not “Be” that from which we descended? Such also means that everyone, and everything, with whom we interact is holy and divine; whether we have realized such or not. (In addition: I believe that you’ll find even the first five minutes of this video about Schopenhauer’s view of the world helpful.)

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Your Mission: Found

Back by popular demand (okay, that might be stretching the truth just a little), I offer you my rendition of Mission I Am Possible. Press here to play it. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to re-cognize (know again) That which you are. With that in mind, I offer the following:

Maxwell Planck, the German theoretical physicist, is attributed with this quote: “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.” This is easier to understand through the analogy of our nighttime dreams. All of the objects, events, and persons are made of Mind, which is Consciousness in motion. No one would claim that they exist beyond the mind that perceives them.

In Why Materialism Is Baloney, by Bernardo Kastrup, who’s a noted philosopher, author, and computer scientist, he wrote: “Experience is all there is. The world, as we know it, is a representation in consciousness.”

In John 1:3, it’s stated: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” In this verse, “him” refers to God. I suggest that God is Consciousness, or Awareness of Being.

In Acts 17:28, it’s stated: “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” All of the characters and events within a nighttime dream “exist” only within Consciousness.

In John 8:58, it’s stated: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” I humbly suggest that He wasn’t saying that “I, Jesus” was before Abraham. He meant that “I Am” is the substratum from which everything arises.

In Isaiah 45:5: it’s stated: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me.” I offer that to “not acknowledge me” refers to being ignorant (unaware) of the Source of our Being.

***

In Ego-land, aka Earth, most “persons” see things very differently. When asked who they are, most will likely reply that “I am…name, age, form, gender, race, nationality, status, etcetera.” But words are merely terms, or conceptual structures, that refer to something else. Thus, we realize that all of the words with which we define or describe ourselves can’t possibly “BE” what we are. The question–“Who, or What, are we?”–then begs to be asked.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which illustrates the story of a son (child of God) who requests his inheritance early and goes to a foreign land where he spends it wastefully, it’s told that the son finally becomes weary of his struggle in the world and returns to his Father. In Luke 15:24, the following is shared: “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Consciousness, which forfeits knowledge of Itself to take an apparently human journey, celebrates when It awakens to Its essential nature.

Could it be that we are Consciousness, the ground of all Being, masquerading as form in the dream of human life? Could it also be that we’re “found” when we know our essential nature as Spirit? That’s for you to question and only You to know.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

The Big “Oh”

In the movie entitled When Harry Met Sally, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, there’s a famous scene in which Harry and Sally are having a discussion about relationships while sitting at a table in a busy diner. Sally is telling Harry that at one time or another most women have faked an orgasm. Harry doubts that such has ever happened to him—he would know. Sally then goes to great length to demonstrate a fake orgasm that includes tossing hair, hand pounding the table, and cries of “Oh, God, ohhh, God–yes, yess, yesss!” After Sally finishes making her point, Rob Reiner’s mother, Estelle, who plays a character sitting at nearby table, nonchalantly tells her waiter, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

***

Most adults are probably familiar with the type of big “O” referred to by Harry and Sally; but for the purposes of this article I’m going to relate some information about a very different type. It’s the big “Oh” related to our spiritual nature; which by and large goes unrecognized by the masses for a human lifetime.

Since infancy, all of us have programmed to believe that “our” consciousness is personal and arises due to neuronal processes of the brain. This belief is so deeply ingrained within us that the majority never question its validity. We assume that our identity is a combination of sensations, images, feelings, thoughts, and memories related to name, age, gender, race, and nationality, etc. Due to this, we conclude that “we” begin at conception or birth and will, thus, end at death of our body-mind. Upon this common shaky assumption we base our entire life.

What if, however, that such isn’t true? The big “Oh” related to spiritual awakening turns this paradigm of reality on its head. Through enlightenment, we realize that our essential nature is Consciousness, Itself; in which the world and our body-mind arise. For those who claim that such is impossible, it’s worth contemplating the fact that space-time and all of the apparent “material” objects and scenarios within nighttime dreams are rendered by Consciousness. During a dream, situations seem as real as real can be. A brick building within a dream seems to be made of “real” bricks and mortar; but when we, Awareness, merge once again with waking-state “reality,” we realize that the brick building and everything else within the dream were created by mind, which is Consciousness in motion. At that point, we assume that “Earth” is made of matter, not Consciousness. But, is it?

To support the information I’m sharing, I offer Saying 2 (of 114 Sayings attributed to Jesus) from The Gospel of Thomas:

Jesus says: “Let him who seeks cease not to seek until he finds: when he finds he will be astonished; and when he is astonished he will wonder, and will reign over the universe!”

I humbly suggest that the “astonishment” to which Jesus referred isn’t that we’re a person in a material world; but that we, in fact, are the Universal Consciousness, or Spirit, in which our “person” and the world arise. The false self, our person, is nothing but a repetitive “I-thought” that we assume to independently “exist.” Please contemplate the following quote from Man’s Eternal Quest, by Paramahansa Yogananda:

“Live in the consciousness of Spirit, in that oneness with God wherein you know that life is a dream.”

This is supported in this quote, from “Why Lazarus Laughed,” by Wei Wu Wei:

“Reality alone exists–and that we are. All the rest is only a dream, a dream of the One mind, which is our mind without the “our.”

Our understanding can also deepen through the following quote from The Book of Secrets, by Deepak Chopra:

“This embarrassing problem–that there is no way to prove the existence of an outside world–undermines the entire basis of materialism. Thus we arrive at the second spiritual secret: You are not in the world; the world is in you.”

If you would like to experience the big “Oh,” I highly recommend the practice of meditation. Make “time” to sideslip the world of the senses and enter the transcendent Now. In the stillness of Being, it’s possible to realize that you are Spirit, here and now, dreaming a human life. Recognition of true Self is the biggest “Oh” you’ll ever experience. If you’re eager to recognize your essential nature, I offer more information through my following YouTube video entitled “Unchained Love, Our True Nature.” When you knowingly “meet” your true Self, you’ll experience a sense of glory beyond compare.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Because of Your Belief

To the best of my memory, it was late July of 2012 when I arrived in Hope, British Columbia on one of my long solo motorcycle trips. I would be staying there for two nights before heading to Vancouver Island. The next morning, I decided to take a day trip to Kelowna. It was there, in a Chapter’s Bookstore, that I purchased The Kybalion; a book about the Hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. When I was back at my motel and beginning to read, the The First Principle of Truth soon caught my eye:

“THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental.”

Can you imagine my reaction? This very real guy named Art Russell had just read that he, his motorcycle, the highways, the motel, the province, etcetera, were all mental. You guessed correctly, I thought the book was mental! But, wait; let’s be willing to investigate deeper knowledge. As I continued reading, parts of the book began to make sense. The book explained that the All in All, which is the Substantial Reality, or Spirit, was all there was and, still, is. If the All in All was the Divine Foundation, that meant that It (God, Source, Consciousness) had no-“thing” other than Itself out of which to create objects. A “material” world didn’t “exist” until the All in All imagined it. The Kybalion was describing an event that’s similar to the account found in Genesis 1:3: “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” During the coming years, as Awareness of my true Self began to shine more brightly, I found the following in other books:

“What you are seeing and hearing right now is nothing but a dream.”

(The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz)

***

“Consciousness is the one and only reality. All phenomena are formed of the same substance vibrating at different rates. Out of consciousness I as man came, and to consciousness I as man return.”

(Prayer, The Art of Believing, by Neville Goddard)

***

“You are what you think; you attract what you think; your life is a product of your thought and beliefs; and nothing in the world can change this fact. To alter your life the only single course open is to alter your thinking.”

(Three Magic Words, by U. S. Andersen)

***

“There is but one consciousness in the universe able to think; and when it thinks, its thoughts become objective things to it.”

(The Master Key System, by Charles F. Haanel)

***

“People can gain control of themselves and their environment because they have the power to influence their own subconscious minds, and through it gain cooperation of Infinite Intelligence.”

(Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill)

***

“As you think about the world, so will you see it. According to Pure Knowledge, the universe does not exist at all. This worldly manifestation is the doing of the Self. This is all imagination.”

(From Amrut Laya, The Stateless State, by Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwar Maharaj)

***

“For human beings, world and self seem to be solid objects, time and space seem to be a rigid always-existing platform. This occurs for enlightened people and for unenlightened people. However in the case of the enlightened person, a paradigm shift, a shift of interpretation, has occurred.”

(The Science of Enlightenment, by Shinzen Young)

***

“The Self is the witness. It is all-pervading, complete, singular, free, non-choosing, non-doing, unattached, desireless, completely peaceful. The world is an illusion, a projection.”

(Ashtavakra Gita, translated by Janki Parikh)

This content won’t be understood as long as we insist on believing that you’re the “person.” That’s part of story time. When we cast aside our assumptions about identity, we discover Truth; and it will, indeed, set us free. We are Consciousness dreaming a human experience. The great master Jesus knew his true identity (“I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30) and so, too, may we:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

(John 14:12)

The use of the dream-state analogy makes this article much easier to comprehend. When you fall asleep at night and merge with a dream, perhaps of sailing over a vast ocean, it seems to have very real objective existence. You see the spray of the waves, hear the seagulls cry, and feel your sailboat list with the force of the wind. But, when you merge again with waking-state “reality,” you realize that the waves, the gulls, the sailboat, and the wind were all rendered by Consciousness. The same principle applies here and now. So I ask you, “What “works” would you like to dream possible?”

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Invitation to Play

Please join me, if you will, on a journey of remembering the feeling of days when our spirit sang with freedom; when we were happily unaware of mind chores that claim they must be done; when the words yesterday and tomorrow held no meaning. “Such” is still alive within us.

During the next few hours, you’re invited to:

Withdraw from all news media; in spite of being fearful of being struck ignorant or uncaring.
Write a list of 12.279 things that must be absolutely right before you will enjoy life. Prove the list wrong by literally or figuratively burning it.
Drop the seeming importance of your medals, trophies, formal education, resumé, and achievements. Ask, “Are they?” Ask the same of your so-called failures.
Imagine how a child feels upon meeting a new friend.
Listen carefully to children playing. As you overhear them rant and complain, make a list of their sorrowful woes about the economy or state of the world.
Glance at your “To-Do” list of chores demanding attention; then just as quickly turn away.
Drop all of your mind stories related to “I did this” and “He/she did that.”
Close your eyes and follow your breath into an inner world of wonder. Return as awareness, carrying the sense of wonder with you.
Remove the stain related to “life will be better when” by asking if “when” ever arrives.
Take off your ego’s muddy galoshes, and run bare foot.
Acknowledge the Divine Power that’s beating your heart. Bow your head and whisper “Thank you.”
Pack a picnic (however meager) and dine at a new location, in the glorious fullness of Now.
Look upon everyone (the young and the seeming old) as a child of the Creator. They are.
For sixty seconds, feel your heart’s warm unity of Oneness with All. Repeat.
Count your “haves,” instead of your “wants.”
Be with your hands as they slowly open and close. Can you feel the miracle?
Through awareness, Be peace, here and now. Silently say “hush” if the mind attempts to intrude.
Give.
Love.
Be grateful.

Through awareness, we may reignite so much of the joy that we felt as children. This world, Life, needn’t seem like such a bothersome chore. We don’t have to manage it, change it, or define it according to the mind’s perspective. Wonder, amusement, and excitement are waiting to be born into experience through Presence.

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

The Life of Your Dreams

It was the last day of The Life of Your Dreams Exhibition for the current year; and Matilda, who had just turned thirteen, was so excited to see it. As she approached the grand entrance, her hand that was holding her ticket began to shake noticeably, in rhythm to the flutter within her chest. She had purchased the ticket from a scalper who had assured her that it was real. When the two persons in front of her had shown their passes, she nervously stepped forward to the grey-haired man who was checking tickets. He was wearing a name tag that read Noel the Gnostic. With a kind smile, he accepted her ticket and slid it beneath a scanner. A second later, he and Matilda heard a loud “Buzzz,” and the machine spat out “D-E-N-I-E-D” in a monotone digital voice.

“I’m sorry, Miss,” said the kindly man, “but your ticket is a fake. The price of admission is a real one.”

Suddenly, the pressure was too much for Matilda, and she began to sob.

“There, there, Miss,” said Noel, as he leaned down and handed her a tissue. “Come with me, and I’ll explain a little more.” As soon as a replacement employee had arrived, he guided Matilda toward a quiet cubical nearby.

“Honestly, Sir,” said Matilda, “I paid for my ticket. I thought it was good.”

“I understand,” said Noel, “but the ticket isn’t real. When I placed it under the scanner, the message that popped up on the screen was Hope instead of Faith.”

“What’s the difference?” asked Matilda, as her sobbing subsided.

“Well,” began Noel, “the price of admission to The Life of Your Dreams is faith. We must believe with all of our heart and absolutely trust that our desires will come true. Hope, on the other hand, is more like an idle wish. It lacks true power.”

Matilda was beginning to see the difference. “I guess I was just hoping,” she said.

“That’s understandable,” said Noel. “This life is an apparent journey, and we’re meant to learn from it. Would you like some friendly advice about how to make your dreams come true?”

“Yes, please,” said Matilda, as a tremor shook through her body.

“It’s much easier to switch from hope to faith when we truly know What–not who–we truly are. You may not realize this yet, but you’re actually an unlimited co-creator of your life. You’re a walking and talking spark of God. What you believe can–and will–manifest in your reality when you persistently envision your desire as Now–already–achieved. Every night before you fall asleep, imagine your desire in living detail. The best technique is to think from the end; which means feeling as though your desire is fulfilled. Use as many of your senses as possible; see, hear, smell, taste, and touch your desire in your imagination. The thoughts that we repeatedly impress into our mind are like seeds planted in a garden. Given time and faith, they’ll grow into the events and circumstances of our life.”

“Really?” said Matilda, with an innocence that touched Noel’s heart deeply.

“Yes,” he said, “absolutely.”

“Thank you for telling me,” said Matilda. She was about to turn and walk away, when Noel tapped her gently on the shoulder and gave her a twenty dollar note. “Here,” he said, “please put this towards your ticket price for next year. I’ll be here, waiting to see you.”

***

Dear Readers: Our experience, of ourselves and the world, appears only within Consciousness. This so-called “reality” occurs in much the same way that events seem to occur within our nighttime dreams. To inspire you to keep the faith in the achievement of your desires, I offer the following quotes from Neville Goddard, who was a Barbadian-born mystic, author, and interpreter of Biblical truth:

“God in you creates and sustains your world by the use (or misuse) of your human imagination.“

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“Things have no reality other than in consciousness. Therefore, get the consciousness first and the thing is compelled to appear.”

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“The world which is described from observation is a manifestation of the mental activity of the observer.“

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“Imagination and faith are the secrets of creation.“

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“God is your consciousness.”

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“As in the subconscious, so on earth.“

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

The Fraud Called “Death”

The title of this article isn’t intended as click bait, nor am I attempting to instill a belief system about death. I’m employing the title because it relates to my direct experience of life, itself. Let’s begin with the following stanza from The Psalm of Life, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

So, Mr. Russell, “How can you possibly claim that death is a fraud, especially when we see evidence of it on a daily basis?” If that’s what you’re thinking, please know that I “hear” and respect you. Out of love, I humbly offer the following: I’m not denying that bodies die–obviously, they do. Anything that has an apparent beginning will also have an apparent end. To make sense of the information I’m sharing, it requires that we investigate the essential nature of our “Being”…beyond the superficial assumptions that we’ve been conditioned to accept as true. If we believe (as the majority do) that the sum of all that we are is contained within the body-mind, this article may not only seem insensitive, but also the product of a delusional mind.

Our investigation of our “I”-ness (that sense of “me” which knows our experience) requires that we challenge a collective set of beliefs to which the masses currently subscribe. You may or may not realize that Science can’t explain how biological processes give rise to consciousness. Why? Because Consciousness doesn’t arise from them. Science also states that matter, as conceived by humankind, has no independent existence–it’s actually rendered by the mind. In 1911, Ernest Rutherford proved that atoms, which were once believed to be the foundational “stuff” from which things were made, are actually 99.999% empty space. The following quote from Max Planck, a great theoretical physicist, adds to this understanding:

“I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.”

The key to understanding more about the nature of death is by knowing more about the “reality” in which we apparently live. We never perceive a discrete “world.” We perceive perception–in a similar way that we perceive a “world” in our nighttime dreams. Could it also be, therefore, that the waking-state “world” is made of the same dream stuff? In Who Am I?, the following question was asked of Sri Ramana Maharshi (a realized sage who awakened to his true nature at sixteen):

Are you daring enough to challenge the current interpretation of “reality?” Could Consciousness, indeed, be fundamental and Universal? Is it not true that before you can have any experience that Consciousness must be present? To lend credibility to the information I’m sharing, I offer the following five quotes, which I’ve collected during years of reading:

(From I Am That, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj):

(From Open Secret, by Wei Wu Wei):

(From The Abundance Book, by John Randolph Price):

(From The Physics of Consciousness, by Ivan Antic):

(From A Course in Miracles, by Helen Schucman):

Several years ago, I remember reading the following: “We’re not human beings having an occasional spiritual experience; we’re spiritual beings having occasional human experiences.” I actually scoffed at the idea; but such only revealed my own lack of understanding. Could this explain why ancient Grecians inscribed “Know Thyself” on the frontispiece of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi? Yes, most certainly.

To have any experience–of a world, a cup of coffee, or our body-mind–awareness must be present. How else could anything be known? The linchpin of our Being is Awareness. We are That in which the body and the mind appear. Yes, the body dies; but we never were what appeared. We are That which can’t be known via the senses. Buddha referred to It as emptiness. This dramatic change in the way of interpreting reality is often referred to as The Shift.

The body-mind arises out of Consciousness. Through misidentification (which is still being preached by those who believe in a materialist model of the world), we–Spirit–are relentlessly conditioned to believe that we are nothing more than name and form. We are so much more! We are Awareness, having an apparently human experience. It’s impossible to be separated from That which we actually are. It’s why Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj stated:

“You can only be what you are in reality. You can only appear to be what you are not.”

I support this through the following verses from the Bible:

(Psalm 46:10):

“Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

(Isaiah 45:5):

“I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.”

Consciousness is the only reality. There’s only one “I Am.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Tag: True Self

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Affording Grace

The Whole Enchilada

This Is My Father’s World

Your Mission: Found

The Big “Oh”

Because of Your Belief

Invitation to Play

The Life of Your Dreams

The Fraud Called “Death”

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