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A Web Log of Spiritual Insights by Rev. Lloyd Strom
TOPICS Effortless
Success ...3/28/05
INSIGHTS Effortless
Success
...3/28/05 The highest attainment on the eastern path of spiritual evolution is 'Self-Realization,' or Enlightenment. The highest attainment on the universal path of spiritual evolution is 'Self-Revelation,' or Resurrection.This was the great attainment of Jesus Christ, who integrated the eastern and western streams of spiritual evolution into something greater than what either of them could provide on their own. It was the 'bringing of heaven to earth.' In this light you could say that Resurrection is a form of 'Enlightened Success.' It is the capacity to change the world with our hearts through the expression of Love in order to produce Effortless Success in our experience of life. This is why successful people in the West often turn to the East seeking enlightenment. This is also why many enlightened masters from the East come to the West seeking to enjoy a more comfortable life. However, the best way to embrace the enlightenment of the East, AND the comforts of the West is to make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. For it is written: "I am come as a light into the world, that whosoever believes in me should not abide in darkness; And I will pray to the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; " ...John 12:46 ,,,John 14:16
Tithing
and Forgiveness ... 3/28/05 With forgiveness we fore-give Love to bring balance into our 'physical flesh bodies.' Since the essence of physical health is having all of the functions of our body in balance, forgiveness is the key to our healing. Hence, the old saying that 'resentment is like drinking poison and then expecting the other person to die.' If we wish to live in love we are no longer afforded the "indulgence of accusation" nor the 'luxury of a grudge.' "And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." ...Mark 11:25
Sin
and Virtue ...4/1/05 Sinful behaviors are always unconscious, which means that they are lacking in Love, which is the 'awareness of oneness.' Virtue is those forces of the flesh that bind us to Life, for it is written: "And the whole multitude sought to touch Jesus: for there went virtue out of him, and he healed them all." ...Luke 6:19 Furthermore, when Jesus healed the woman who touched the hem of his garment, he said "I felt virtue go out of me." ...Luke 8:46 Acts of virtue are expressions of Love, which fulfill the Great Law of Life,'it is done unto you as you believe.' ...Matt 8:13 To believe in Love is to behave like Love; Life IS Love expressed through Wisdom. Here's a little 'Chanting Hymn' to practice with: There's
beauty for my body,
A
Simple Morning Prayer ...4/2/05 The 'God I Am,' living Christ in me, is here and there and everywhere. The 'God I Am' is even in the events of this day; and it is there that I declare that these events have already organized themselves in such a fashion that this day is now peaceful, pleasant, productive and prosperous as well; and I give thanks in knowing that this is so. Amen! In reflecting back, I remember that after about a year of doing this prayer on a daily basis I suddenly realized that my life had indeed become more peaceful, pleasant, productive and prosperous as well.Therefore, I continued to do this prayer on a daily basis ever since. As a result, my life today has become more peaceful, pleasant, productive and prosperous than I ever could have imagined.
Breakfast
with Jesus ...4/3/05 Consequently, I felt that it was important to reenter this world in the highest state of consciousness possible. This is the state of being attained through the taking of Communion. It is the way in which my flesh and bones are lifted up to receive the Wisdom that my soul had acquired while I slept. Of course, I always state my intention before I begin by saying: "I break my 'slumber fast' this day by partaking of this Sacred Bread and Wine. I do this as a 'gesture of my intention' to surrender my life to Love by entering into Divine Communion and Supreme Identity with the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ..."
A
Prayer for Peace ...4/12/05 There is a Divine Intelligence working in me, through me and all around me, now. This intelligence is Christ, the Omniscience of God, that knows how to do all things. Therefore, I know that Christ knows exactly how to express Its' Life abundantly through me, and through my blessed neighbors* as well. Furthermore, I know that Christ knows exactly how to do this in such a way that there is freedom for my neighbors* and perfect peace for me. And even though I may not know how to do this on my own, I know that Christ knows how to do this through me, for it is written: "My Peace I leave with you. My Peace I give to you. Not as the world giveth, but a Peace that passes all understanding." Therefore, I place my faith in Jesus Christ as I sing: There's
freedom for my neighbors,* * In the place of the word 'neighbors' you can substitute the name of any individual, organization or even creature that is creating strife in your life.
The
Glorified GodSong ..4/15/05
Christ is the Light that I Am - When our spirit is touched by Love it produces the light of self-awareness, which is the nature of Christ. Mary is the Peace that I Am - . When our soul is touched by Love it produces a sense of deep inner peace, which is the experience of Mary, the Blessed Mother, or Mind of God. Jesus is the Joy that I Am - . When our flesh is touched by Love it produces a quiet delight and joyous sense of wholeness, which is the experience of Jesus, the Body of Christ. In addition to the original lyrics to the GodSong, each of the insights above can serve as alternate verses. Start with 'God's the Love that I Am' and when you need wisdom, sing 'Christ is the Light that I Am.' If you need peace, sing 'Mary is the Peace that I Am.' Or, if you seek the joy of wholeness, sing 'Jesus is the Joy that I Am.' Another alternative is to combine all of these insights into a single verse of the GodSong with the following lyrics: God's the
Love that I Am
Our
Lady of Mercy..4/16/05
Every strife in our lives is rooted in un-forgiveness Consequently, the telltale sign that true forgiveness has been attained is the experience of Peace. Love, mercy and forgiveness will flow into our souls and bring us Peace when we identify with Mary. One way to do this is to use the Glorified GodSong and chant 'Mary is the Peace that I Am.'
Buddha
and Mary ..4/17/05
Esoterically, the term Mother means the 'one who creates.' It is the creative activity of Life. The term Son means the 'one who witnesses.' It is the Principle of Awareness, or Spiritual Light, which is Christ. In this context, Mary is the activity of forgiveness that produces Peace, and Buddha is the one who stands witness to the experience of this Peace. In this sense, Buddha represents the Light of Christ in our souls. In the Gospels, the Principle of Buddha is represented by the name of John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. This is why Jesus spoke from the cross and said to his Mother that John was now her Son, and then he said to John that Mary was now his Mother. (John 19:26,27) And from that day on Forgiveness and Peace have dwelt together as the 'Lord and Lady of Compassion and Mercy.' Consequently, when we sing Mary is the Peace that I Am, we are identifying with Mary as the activity of forgiveness that creates Peace. We are also identifying with Buddha/John as the one who is experiencing that Peace which is produced through forgiveness. It is a Peace that passes all understanding. (John 14:27)
The
Power of Attention
.,,4/26/05 Therein lies the power of our attention to change the conditions and circumstances of our lives. For whatever we give our attention to, we will ultimately become, simply by our agreement with it. This is known as the Law of Worship, and it is fully active in every area of our lives in every moment. Learning to direct out attention is the Master Skill of Life. Consequently, we must be constantly aware of what we are giving our attention to. Is our mind on a problem, looking for someone to blame. Or, is our mind on a solution to a problem, looking for someone to bless. New Thought theologian Emmet Fox called the Law of Worship the Golden Key. He declared that "the solution to every human problem is to stop thinking about the problem, and to think about God instead." Almost every person that I have ever said this to has nodded their head in agreement. But, then they will inevitably say, "Yeah... But how do you do that?" A powerful way to put this Principle into practice is through the use of Forms of Remembrance. These are simply objects in the world that we can use to give our attention to God. They can be any picture, trinket or talisman that reminds us of something divine. The power is NOT in the object, but in its ability to hold our attention on a remembrance of God. A way that I have recently been using this power, is with the Glorified GodSong. In my daily dedicated spiritual practice, I have surrounded my Prayer Chair with Forms of Remembrance for each verse of the Chant. I have a beautiful crystalline heart to remind me that God's the Love that I Am. I have the ever-present candle to remind me that Christ is the Light that I Am. I have a large Rosary wrapped around a small statue of Buddha to remind me that Mary is the Peace that I am. And, finally, I have a beautiful picture of Jesus hanging over, and looking down upon, a globe of the world to remind me that Jesus is the Joy that I am. In the course of my own spiritual practice, I simply give my visual attention to each of the objects that correspond to the appropriate verses as I sing them. The key to using the power of this technique is to find the Forms of Remembrance that best suit your own personal taste and are meaningful to you.
The
Yes Prayer ... 4/28/05
Out of this realization I came up with this simple little Posture Prayer/Chanting Hymn. .. Commentary The second line of this prayer has a triple meaning, as follows:
Suggestions
The
GodSong Invocation ,,,4/28/05 As I sing
these sacred words As God's
Love touches my spirit, As God's
Love embraces my soul, As God's
Love enters my body, I am I am grateful
God is gracious.
The
Mouth of God ..5/4/05 Most recently, I began to realize that we not only eat with our mouths, but we also speak with them. Consider what Jesus said, that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." ...Luke 6:45 It would therefore follow, that if fire is the mouth of God, then fire is bringing forth a message from the heart of God. The question then becomes, "What is God saying?" I think we need to look no further than the fact that warmth is the esoteric symbol for Love, and light is the symbol for Wisdom. Consequent, fire is revealing a message of Love and Wisdom that only our flesh can understand. This realization tends to make sense in the light of other bits of esoteric knowledge that I have encountered. To begin, the great German spiritual philosopher Rudolf Steiner once stated that Christ is a fifth dimensional being, and appears in the three dimensional world as fire. Consequently, it was the Christ that appeared and spoke to Moses in the form of a burning bush. Also, many students of the great Christian mystical teacher Emma Curtis Hopkins, swore that they that had seen flames come from her mouth on occasion when she speaking from states of spiritual exaltation. In otherwords, when the Christ was speaking through her. Additionally, the modern spiritual teacher Leonard Orr in his book, Breaking the Death Habit, highly recommends the practice of sitting in front of open flames as a way to purify the flesh of its belief in death.To release us from our belief in death is the very reason that Christ came to earth through Jesus. "I am come that all might have Life, and have it more abundantly." ...John 10:10 Finally, this all boils down the significance of lighting a simple candle where ever you want the presence of God to be revealed. The lighting of that little flame is more than just a symbolic gesture. It is a way to bring the silent voice of God into the room.
Obedience
vs Willingness
,,,5/11/05
In the Old Testament, the Law was fulfilled only by our 'obedience' to it. Since only 'I' can fulfill the Law for myself, obedience was the only means by which I could become self-conscious. Because there IS time mixed in with the Law, this process involves a long, arduous evolutionary struggle. Because every single little mistake must be karmically repaid, it is almost impossible to become perfected under the Law. In the New Testament, the Law is fulfilled by 'Love.' Consequently, all I need to do to fulfill the Law is to demonstrate my willingness to Love through forgiveness, the rest is done by Grace through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, in the New Testament we can become self-conscious simply by being willing to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Again the rest is done by Grace. And, because there is NO time mixed in with Love, it can happen quickly through a self initiated act. The best news of all is that we do not have to be perfect to redeemed by the Grace of Jesus Christ. We only need to be willing. Of course, it must be considered that in order to become willing we must have first attained at least a modicum of self-awareness which can only be developed by first being obedient. This is why Old Testament 'obedience to the Law' had to proceed New Testament 'willingness to Love.' Jesus Christ is 'easy evolution,' simply because it is easier to be willing than obedient. "My yoke
is easy, my burden is light."
Let
It Be ,,,5/17/05 A few years later I encountered this same wisdom very clearly articulated in the writings of Emma Curtis Hopkins. Of course, I immeadiately remembered my vision and intuitively knew that what she was saying was ripe with wisdom. Consequently, I have come back to her works for guidance many times over the years. On each occasion I have always absorbed a little more wisdom into my soul. Most recently, I was perplexed by Emma's seeming aversion to the quality of virtue, as described in her essay: Let It Be.This seemed to contradict certain of the scriptures in the Gospels, where it was recorded that people were healed by the virtue of Jesus. Then it suddenly struck me. What the scripture actually says is that, "virtue went out of him." (Luke 6:19 & Luke 8:46) In other words, Jesus did not wear his virtue as an impenetrable cloak, but he released it, and let it go out of himself so that he could see the true and inherent perfection of those whom he healed. Obviously, this is the insight that caused Emma to say that, "the fastest way to get your healing power going, is praise everyone and everything." This was the inspiration that led me to create the Praising Prayer. I am sure that this was also the same divine inspiration that was working in former Beatle, Paul McCartney, when he wrote: When
I find my self in times of trouble,
The
Stages of Grace,,,5/21/05 Hope - When Love touches our spirit, it produces a recognition of Hope, as exemplified by Christ, the Sun of Love within us all. For it is written: "...Christ in you, the hope of glory." ...Colossians. 1:27 Faith - When Love embraces our soul, it produces a realization of Faith, as exemplified by Mary, the one who brought the Sun of Love into the world. For it is written: "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." ...Matthew 1:16 Grace - As Love enters our body, it produces a revelation of Grace, as exemplified by Jesus, the Sun of Love made flesh, "who dwells among us filled with Grace and Truth." ...John 1:14 A simple way to put this understanding into practice is to use the following specialized version of the Glorified GodSong: God's the
Love that I Am
The
Beautiful GodSong ...5/29/05 The lyrics to the Beautiful GodSong are based on the 'perfected forms' that can arise within the threefold nature of our being. God is the 'formless form' of Love that can formulate Itself into 'all that there is.' The Christ is the 'invisible form' that represents the spiritual nature of our being. Mary is the 'subtle form' that arises as our soul, were we experience all of our thoughts and feelings. And, Jesus represents the 'fully formed' embodiment of Love, which is filled with Grace and Truth. ...John 1:14 The elements of the foregoing understanding form each line of the Beautiful GodSong. As before, each line can also be sung as a full verse. God's
the Love that I Am
The
Way of GodSong ...6/5/05 "I am the way, the truth and the life." ...John 14:6 Of course, the fastest way to embody all the qualities of God is to use the name of a perfected being in this variation of the GodSong. For example, you could sing "Jesus is the Way that I am," or, "Mary is the Way that I am," or "Buddha is the Way that I am." "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." ,,,Mathew 22:39 Every kind of personal conflict arises from the fact that the other person in our life is not the way that we are. Consequently, we can begin to bring harmony into those relationships by singing, "My Neighbor is the Way that I am." Here you would simply use the name of the person you are in conflict with, instead of the term 'My neighbor.' Notice that these lyrics do not specify which one of you needs to change in order for your words to come to pass. They only specify the outcome, and leave the necessary changes up to God. Don't forget the old adage: "Don't
say that you love God
It's
Good for Me
...6/19/05 A 'vow of
poverty' is a way TO God, I then connected this insight with the following 'Promise of God' as revealed through the scriptures: "And we know
that all things work together As a result of these two bits of wisdom, I created the following little chant that really turned the situation around for me: It's good
for me to be prospered, Most recently, I realized that this chant can be easily modified by using any activity or outcome that you can associate with with good intentions (God's Purpose). Here's a few examples: It's good
for me to be peaceful, It's good
for me to be cheerful, It's good
to receive assistance, It's good
for me to see clearly, Serenity
is good for me,
Sowing
Your Seed The 'fear of death' most often appears in our lives as our 'fear of lack.' Death is a lack of life. Poverty is a lack of money. Sickness is a lack of health. Loneliness is a lack of championship. And so on... This is how the fear of death permeates every area of our lives. Because every fear is connected to our basic fear of death and lack, whenever we break through that fear in one area of our lives, it brings about a corresponding change in every area of our lives. This is because it is essentially the same 'fear of death' revealing itself in many different ways. Consequently, if we break through our fear of lack in the financial area of our lives, it can also produce a healing in some other area of our lives that seems totally unrelated to money. This is why tithing is so important. Whenever we plant a substantial financial seed in a place that promotes an abundance of life, we are breaking through our fear of lack and death. This breakthough will always produce a more abundant experience of life. The good news of this realization is that we can use our money to heal ourselves and expand our experience of life. Not by buying things, but by giving it away to places that make us feel grateful for life. Whenever, we perform an act of gratitude in the face of fear, our faith is deepened and our expression becomes more abundant.
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