Search for the Truth

 

In life, as a human being, there is truth, facts and Truth.  The truth is something that people use in human interactions but which may or may not actually be True.  Facts are pieces of information which can alter with time. For example, at one time humans believed the Earth was flat and that was a fact. Later, as science debunked this theory, the facts changed.  Facts are not Universal. They are true but not Truth. They can be altered depending on the circumstances.

On my spiritual journey I have sought Truth. There have been plenty of people who told me truth, but very few who have demonstrated Truth. My litmus test for Truth is whether or not it is universally true, whether it can be changed by whim.  Spiritual Truth, such as I am that I am, or Love Prevails, or God is All There Is are not based on facts and therefore have universality.

For each person, it is important to ask your own questions and discover as much as you can about belief systems.  Peoples’ opinions may or may not be Truth. Even science may or may not be Truth. You know when something is True. You can sense it in your inner being.  What I know to be True is that each person is an individuation of a Creative Source expressing and experiencing Life in their own unique way.

(c) 2021 SZing Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay.

Still Thinking About Angels

 I don't consider myself especially superstitious.  I don't believe in fairies or leprochauns except in story books.  I don't carry a rabbits foot or believe that 4 leaf clover's carry some special power.  But I do believe in angels, as do 8 in 10 Americans.  In the world there are many who also believe.  I really love listening to Kyle Gray talk about angels and his experience with them.  He is known as the Angel Whisperer.

one of Kyle Gray's angel cards.  copyright Kyle Gray.

I love the beautiful angel cards he has made and sells. I use them occasionally when I just feel a little stuck and need some guidance on what to do next.  The artwork on the cards is beautiful and I am and continue to be fascinated with angels whose number cannot be counted according to the Bible.  What do you think about angels?  Are they the same as orbs?  Have you experienced an angel connection?

(C) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All rights reserved. 

Spiritually Fed

 

I am spiritually fed in many different ways. Sometimes through the messages of different ministers or speakers, sometimes through watching a movie or a video, sometimes by taking a walk in the woods, sometimes by just appreciating my sweetheart or pets or friends.  Ironically, as an adult I have not ever felt that I absolutely had to be in a church attending a church service to be spiritually fed and this is even more true as I grow in understanding that we are all One and everything is God.  But I like to attend church services because I enjoy listening to and learning from the homilies of ministers.  I enjoy talking with other people about their understanding of the message and I like to confirm the sense that I have internally that we are all connected. I don't go to church for socializing although sometimes that is an added benefit. If I go to a church, I am seeking spiritual food.

Each ministry has one or more major focus areas in which they are attracting a particular segment of the spiritual population. For some ministers, the focus is on learning. Others choose creative living. Some might want prosperity to be the focus. Others look for harmony and peace within their congregants. As many characteristics as there are of God that is as many possible areas of focus for a ministry, not to mention the unlimited permutations of mixing and matching foci.

In the end, it is my opinion that the most important aspect of a successful ministry is that the congregants feel spiritually fed.  To me this means that they leave feeling better than when they arrived. They have greater faith and hope for their own lives working well than they had when they showed up. It means that they are uplifted and inspired, not depressed or thrown into the muck.  It means they are growing and enlightening up, not returning to darkness and pain. It means they feel that their lives are better for having received the message(s) and that they actually understand new ways to live and move in life with a greater sense of their wholeness and well being as a Divine child of a Divine Creator.

One of the hallmarks of some of the great teachers and gurus of all time is that when people are around them they feel loved, lifted, inspired and whole. This does not go away just because they leave the presence of the teacher but continues into their everyday life as betterment. The Dalai Lama is one such teacher.

I get concerned when I hear people talk about going to a church or spiritual center where they leave feeling guilty, angry, upset, hurt, in pain, in anguish, confused, in hatred, resentful, or fearful. It is one reason why I left the church I grew up in as a child--who wants to go out every week into the world with a renewed avowal that you are damned for all times because you are guilty, guilty, guilty? 

I have a couple of friends who have been attending a church where they are upset because their congregation is rapidly dwindling in numbers and are now barely a dozen people each week. When this is the regular and consistent way that congregants leave a church or spiritual center, it is my opinion that those people have been starved spiritually and in fact may even have been energetically or spiritually vampirized by the place, others in the church or I hate to say it, even the minister. My suggestion is to stop putting yourself in those situations and find a new spiritual home that truly feeds your soul.

One of my favorite ministers of all time is Joel Osteen. I am always surprised when I hear people criticizing him. He takes no money as a salary for being minister but makes his income from the books he writes and sells. He is always uplifting. I always turn off the radio, TV or the video feeling uplifted and hopeful, and more often than not, inspired. He leaves me contemplating and rethinking previous ideas and assumptions.  I am completely and utterly spiritually fed. If that turns you off that’s okay. He may not resonate with everyone. Find teachers who do resonate. 

When attending a healthy spiritual home, people have healthy tools to move forward in faith. They feel uplifted, inspired, and energized to go out into their lives and their world to be, do, have and experience greater and better experiences than they have before. It's a lofty aspiration. Setting a higher intention for the highest good is definitely the way to go.  A measure of the success of any spiritual leader is the condition of the people attending the church. Some may arrive in pain and anguish. Some may be in the worst bottom of the barrel experience of their life. The question is, do they remain there or do they rise up and learn how to thrive? That is being spiritually fed.

(c) 2021, SZing, Spiritual Creator. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay.

Gratitude for Everything

There is something magical that happens within us and around us when we are in a state of gratitude. If you can be grateful for what you have and are now, then you open up the possibility to receive more, to experience more and to express more.  You are not stopping the flow of energy.

Stemming from the Latin ‘Gratia’, meaning grateful and pertaining to kindness and the beauty of giving and receiving, gratitude is the most common discrete positive affect, experienced by more than 90% of adults (Chipperfield, Perry & Weiner, 2003).

There are several studies and the Harvard Medical School that note gratitude has many personal benefits, not the least of which is a better sense of well-being.  And don't we all want that?  

Gratitude requires such a small amount of time or energy compared to our every day activities.  Yet it also is one of those areas where we could begin to pray without ceasing.  Imagine how different your life will be if you were in constant gratitude for EVERYTHING, yes, everything--the good, the bad, the ugly that occurs in your life or that you witness or experience.

What are you grateful for today?  Have you told anyone you are are grateful for them or at the very least, thanked them for something they have done for you?

Gratitude is not reserved for Thanksgiving Day.  If you don't already, wouldn't this be a great time to begin to cultivate a daily gratitude habit?

(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay.

Aren’t We Amazing!

 I live in Florida and not too far away from the Space Coast.  When there are space launches, we see them (albeit quite a bit smaller than if we were there in person) from our front yard.

A while back, I watched the Atlas V rocket launch.  It was quite astounding to see what appear to be a very bright, very big firework taking off into the absolutely clear night sky.  We watched for at least 10 minutes. At first we could see the fiery tail shooting out of the rocket.  As it got higher and higher, it flickered as it got into the atmosphere and in practically the blink of an eye, it was no longer visible.

Enamel glass on glass, (c) SZing 2015.
Used by permission.

And I have to admit that it brought a tear to my eyes.  I thought, "How Amazing we are.  How Amazing that we have the Intelligence to figure out how to make this machine that shoots into the heavens.  How Amazing that an Intelligent Creator gave us the brilliance to figure out how to play in the most minuscule way in the Universe.”  And I have hope that the visions shown in science fiction like Star Trek will someday come to pass.

It brings to mind from the Bible Psalm 8:3
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him....

What miraculous care we are given just because we are here.  How wonderous we must be...

I am awed. In Awe.  In Love and Awe.  In gratitude.  Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you Universe, Creator, Amazing One that shows us in the tiniest way what we are capable of doing and of being.  Amazing, aren't we?

(C) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All rights reserved. 

Transformation

 
There is a segment of the Native American population that views butterflies as a symbol for transformation.  It is easy to understand why as the caterpillar that once was had to go through not one but two pretty major transformations in order to become the butterfly.  First they had to live as a caterpillar, which consists pretty much of eating, and I suppose, pooping. And surviving birds and other bug eating critters.

Then they find a nice cozy place to wrap up in silk.  This is a natural drive they cannot resist and if you think about it, this can't exactly be a comfortable or easy process.  While I don't know and I don't know if scientists even know what happens to the caterpillar in the process of becoming a chrysalis, I would imagine it is somewhat a combination of comfort in being held tight and smothering in being held tight.  It also might involve some physical pain as their body changes drastically in that small, tight sac.

After a period of time, the butterfly, being fully formed inside the chrysalis is just as driven to escape as it originally was driven to become a silk bed of transformation. The butterfly struggles to push its way out of the chrysalis.  Expanding the wings cracks the silk open and eventually, the butterfly is able to fully shed the silk. 
Twice in a relatively short period of time this single and singular creature goes through major transformation. There is no option of remaining a caterpillar.  There is no option of remaining a chrysalis.  They are, from their first moment, destined for these transformations into butterfly-hood. 

There are many tools and books for helping with Transformation.  But it isn't necessary to read a book or take a class.  Transformation can occur in an instant simply by being willing to let go of the past and alter the course of your life by changing actions or behaviors, thoughts and beliefs. 

Transformation is a real thing and can happen to any one of us if we are willing to allow it to.  It means letting go of the past.  It means taking time to discover and create the new being--sometimes all alone, sometimes quietly, sometimes there may be pain and stretching as the changes occur.  It means shedding the old and embracing the new.  It means going from mindless crawling to being able to spread wings and fly. 

We each have the capacity within us to transform our lives.  If someone or something is attempting to keep you stuck in your caterpillar mode, you may need to find a way to cocoon and allow yourself to become who you choose to be--who you are meant to be.  We can transform our lives. We are called to do this.  May your transformation be one of joy and freedom. 

(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay.

Understanding Oneness

 

Years ago I had a very intense, spontaneous experience.  I was meditating in a chair and all of a sudden I felt that all of my cells and atoms (and smaller) were interchanging with the chair, the fabric of the upholstery, the floor, my clothes, everything around me--it was just a swirling mass of exchanging energy. Quantum physics calls this a photon exchange.

NOPE, I was not using any drugs whatsoever. I simply was meditating.  It was a very impactful knowing moment for me where I just knew that everything, EVERYTHING is connected in a way that we just don't see or understand on a day to day basis. Was this thermodynamics? Nuclear transmutation or alchemy?

A few days later I was on a trip and happened to pick up a magazine which had an article about quantum physics and it was talking about the exchange of energy and atoms in all things...I wish now I had kept that article to refer back to but at the time I was just amazed and happy that what I had experienced actually was a real "thing" and that science was helping to explain it. Such synchronicity is common when you are on your right path.

While it was a scientific situation, for me it was a spiritual one. To know my Oneness with all of creation in an instantaneous awareness was life changing for me.  I really did not know how to explain it to anyone.  I did try to with my then husband but I could tell he really didn't hear or understand what I was talking about. So I kept this knowledge within me as a cherished piece of my spiritual understanding. 

What it has done for me is to broaden my ability to value all that I see, all that I do and know that every thought, every touch, every interaction has ripples that extend beyond all of my conceptions of space and time.  What I know is that we affect each other (and when negative thinking or actions, infect each other) with our existence.  We are constantly in energy exchange. It is one reason why I try to be discerning about who I am in close contact with--knowing that energy exchange does in fact happen. On the other hand, it is a way that those who have very clear knowing and positive energy can uplift others--perhaps that is one reason why some leaders, ministers and entertainers have large followings--their energy is so attractive, so positive, so highly charged that those who are not as charged up are intrinsically magnetized to it--and so an exchange happens that uplifts everyone. The same, unfortunately, can be true about very heavy, unhappy energy--haven't you been around someone blue and gloomy and felt the impact of that upon your own energy at least a little bit?

This certainly gives rise to some questions like--is it a smart plan for us to put prisoners or people with mental illnesses all together in the same location?  How can we lift more people up without bringing anyone down?  How does energy enlighten up and how I can I enlighten up all of my cells, atoms, energy packets more quickly?  What happens when I exchange energy with inanimate objects?  I don't know the answers to these questions.  This blog is more about my thoughts than specifically or necessarily getting "correct" answers.  Perhaps I'm way off base, but even if I am, doesn't this subject matter deserve some thought or exploration?

(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy Pixabay.

Turn Away from the Condition

 

Ernest Holmes in his book Science of Mind consistently reiterates that in order to create something new in our lives, we must "turn away from the condition." 

Albert Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

What both of these ideas are saying is that where we put our thoughts--or more accurately--our attention, that is what is being brought forward into our lives.  If we do not like or want some experience to continue, we must turn away from it--turn off the attention we give it, remove it from our thoughts by replacing it with thoughts about what we do want instead. 

It isn't always easy to do this because some creations feel so big, so permanent, so hard to change.  They have captured high emotions and have become a feedback loop where we repeatedly review the same thoughts, the activities, the history of the situation over and over.  This type of thinking and activity is not going to move you from where you are but only mires you deeper into the creation.

Some people would say that to turn away from the condition is denial, and on one hand, that is true in the sense that we must deny the condition any further attention or energy.  Does it mean that we deny that the situation did exist? No, we just are choosing to stop feeding that monster and allowing it to atrophy into its native nothingness, which is exactly what happens when something no longer receives nourishment.  It does not  mean that the solution is to dive in deeper, to search around in the mud and the muck, to dig at healed scars to find the source of the problem.  It is actually much simpler than that--the source of the problem, the condition, is a choice in subject matter upon which we dwell and think.

With commitment and dedicated practice, it is possible to put our thoughts on new things, new situations, new behaviors and to actually change.  I know for a fact that just because you were one way in the past, does not mean that is how you have to be forever. I know for a fact that behaviors, attitudes, and ideas can be changed. It is unrealistic to believe that people never change or that they cannot change.  Since the cosmos is constantly changing and we know that stagnation leads to death, then we can surmise that humans and thoughts are also constantly able to change.

There is a quantum field of possibilities from which to choose.  Just because some person labels you some way does not mean that is who or what you are. Even if at one time you fit that label, it does not mean you are destined to always fit that label.  You can choose to change, one thought, one idea, on condition at a time.

For many years I have seen numerous people use Ernest Holmes advice to great benefit in their life. I have witnessed people turn away from unhealthy body conditions and become healthy and fit.  I have witnessed people turn away from conditions saying they were going to be alone and lonely only to have them choose new thoughts and patterns and create wonderful, committed and loving relationships. I have witnessed people stop ruminating about things that were done to them before they knew better and who have chosen to no longer be a part of the victim/perpetrator/savior triangle.  I have witnessed people changing their thoughts and behaviors to become loving, kind, generous and thoughtful people.

While some may believe that gut wrenching blame games to seek out someone or something to be "cause" is the way to transform one's life, I have also witnessed that this method is hard, painful and takes far longer to achieve an improved state than simply turning off the energy to the unwanted condition. I have actually seen this method of digging at the past cause more harm, more mental instability and unhappiness as a result of the processes of staying stuck in the muck.

Whatever it is that is happening in your life that you no longer wish to experience, you must turn your attention, your thoughts, your inner voice, your activity away from feeding that condition and instead discover what you want instead and put all of your energy into that.  It works, I've seen it work and it has worked in my own life. I am a believer because I have seen the fruits of turning away from the condition in my own life and in the life of others. Do not make yourself miserable.  It is not necessary.  Find joyful thoughts, find beauty, find goodness and focus on those.

(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay public domain images.

Stay Out of the Muck!

 Let's face it, we've all had experiences IN THE PAST that were less than optimal.  Some of us have had terrible traumas, losses, and creations that set us into a tailspin of depression, anger, fear, loss, and upset. Some of these traumas have taken years to recover from and some of us are still recovering from them. Let us also acknowledge that right here, right now, you are right here, right now.  You are not in the past. It is over. Even if the trauma just happened minutes ago, it is still IN THE PAST. You can choose whether this is how you wish to continue to feel or do you want to feel better?  It really is your choice. Does choosing to feel better negate that the trauma happened? No. But why on earth would you choose to stay in feeling terrible, victimized, angry, hurt, etc.?  Are those going to help you on your path? No, not really. All they serve to do is keep you stuck.

Are we supposed to deny that these experiences and creations occurred?  Of course not. That would be untrue. Traumas are a fact of human life (not spiritual life). But there is a huge difference between fact and Truth. Facts are human, but Truth is Universal and indisputable. We must learn to discern the Truth of every situation beyond the facts. We must learn to move beyond facts and trauma. We must allow our hurts of every kind to heal and not keep tearing off the scab, physically, emotionally, psychically or spiritually. In my opinion, it is unhealthy to continually pick at those scabs or to allow anyone to convince us to do a psychic bloodletting to "heal." In medieval times they performed bloodlettings, thinking they would heal the patient.  For many, bloodletting led directly to death. This is not spiritual practice. This is human muck.

There are many ways to release painful experiences and fully heal and recover from them without ever having to get into the muck and mud of yesterday.  Ernest Holmes, the founder of Science of Mind, often reiterated the importance of choosing in each moment what it is we wish to experience. He taught that it was not necessary to stay focused on the pain or the hurts but rather that we must move our attention away from the areas we do not wish to continue experiencing. "We are all immersed in the atmosphere of our own thinking. This decides what shall take place in our lives," says Holmes. 

In the process of creation, whether it is in an art project, a building project, a house project, a recipe, or your life, where we put our attention is what gets created. If I'm painting a painting, I don't worry about the carpet not being vacuumed. I am not focused on the beads that could be made into jewelry. I don't put my attention on writing. I am focused and attentive to the process of painting. Therefore, a painting is made.

This is true for every creation. Where we place our attention is what comes into our experience. If we are placing our attention on fear and anger, guess what? We are going to be fearful and angry or attract situations which require us to experience fear or anger or fearful and angry people. If this is what you WANT then great. You've acheived your goal. But if this is not what you want, then you must turn away from the condition of fear and anger and focus on something else. 

It can seem difficult, especially if the muck you are stuck in is sticky and glommed on.  In the Bible, Lot shook the dust of Sodom and Gommorrah from his sandals so that he could move on into a healthier experience of life.  God commanded that he not turn nd look back. When he did, his beautiful wife was turned into a pillar of salt. Whether this is allegory or literally occurred, looking back does not sserve us. 

We can focus on a pet, a flower, take a walk, spend some time completely observing something in extreme details, breathing and meditating...there are a host of different tools and techniques for releasing your attention from the muck.  The tools actually are easy to use, they just require practice. If a tool requires you to go back into muck, it might be time to discard the tool and choose a different way. Tools that take you into the muck, keep you stuck.  Jesus didn't heal people by rebreaking their leg or even exploring why their leg was broken, but by commanding them to get up and walk!

What I know for sure is that what happened yesterday, while it may inform who you are, it is absolutely in the past.  The past does not equal the present nor does it equal the future. You can say no to anything you do not wish to carry forward from this moment on. You can say, "thank you" for bringing me to this point and then you can choose again. And if you don't like what you see when you open your eyes, choose again. And keep doing this until you get to the choice that you really want.  Do not get stuck in the muck. In fact, just stay out of the muck.  The muck is not where its at.

Though this sounds like a simplistic method, I know a number of people who employ it successfully and live very rich, happy and full lives because when something mucky does occur, they MOVE ON. They release it and let it go and choose something new and better.  You can do this also. I know that is the Truth.

(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay.

Transmuting and Release

The New Year is a great time to release the past. In addition to purging the physical "stuff" that I no longer use (I usually donate it to a Hospice Thrift center since I believe in their mission), I also like to do a ritual release of emotional and ethereal "stuff" that is no longer helpful to me. This can include my own thinking patterns; ideas that didn't come to fruition; emotions like anger, resentment, fear, hurt, sadness, depression; consciousness patterns of thinking like poverty consciousness, vengefulness, unforgiveness, judgment; and even people.  I don't actually do anything to or about the people other than specifically naming them, visualizing them walking out of my life and into a crowded city or a very billowy cloud bank.

One ritual I enjoy using for release is a bowl burning ceremony.  It is such a visceral way of seeing something transmute from one thing (paper) into another (smoke and ash).  Here is how I perform my ritual bowl burning.

I usually like a candle--I only have white candles so that is what gets lit.  I like the symbology of purity that it gives.

I will use my sage stick and smudge myself, my house, my entire surroundings--I have prayers that I say while I do this.

After saying a prayer for clarity, guidance and willingness to let go, I take a stack of 3 x 5 index cards and a pen and sit down to write out what I want to release. Then I take as long as I need to to write out what I am ready to release.  I try to keep one card per idea, main thought, person or situation. I will write as many details as come up on the card.  I keep writing cards until I can't think of anything else that I want or need to release.

I gather a stainless steel bowl, a lighter, and a potholder or trivet.  I take them and my index cards outside to a table or concrete area and place them on the table, with the stainless steel bowl on top of the potholder or trivet.  One by one I light the cards on fire and drop them into the stainless steel bowl, allowing them to burn up completely.

When the burning is complete and all my cards are gone, I will take one or two blank index cards and write down five or ten items that I am intending for my new year.

I do a prayer of thanksgiving and for letting go.  And I'm done.

It is a cathartic way to let go of what we no longer wish to have, be or experience in our lives and by doing this, I believe we open up a void of energy for us to then utilize towards those situations, people, things and attitudes we have intended.

(c) 2021, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay public domain images.