DIVINE IDEAS

AN OCEAN OF DIVINE LOVE

2011-10-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Meher Baba http://www.avatarmeherbaba.org/erics/typelove.html

Love is all pervading in the universe but the types of love differ.

The love that pulsates in the inanimate things in creation is mere attraction — like in a magnet. In the animal kingdom there is love among animals and birds, but it is passionate, full of desires and carnal. Carnality signifies bodily wants — eating, drinking, procreation and fear. Suppose a tiger pounces on a deer, kills and eats it; this is also love, but it is of the lowest type.

Consider to what mean level love descends in an animal that is hungry and wants to satisfy its hunger by killing another innocent animal. And consider also to what length the lover (tiger) haunts his beloved (the victim, the deer) by following it stealthily.

In human beings, love is also sometimes passionate. If a person is hungry, he first thinks of a favorite dish; his mouth waters and he longs to eat it. If sweet laddoos are there, the person wants to fill his stomach to his throat: this is called laddoo love. Once he is satisfied and his stomach is bloated, he is finished. One or two good belches and no hunger and no more laddoo love.

There are people whose desire for name and fame or money surpasses their reason, so much so that they lack hunger and sleep. Thus greed too means a type of love — money-love, name-and-fame-love, greatness-love. This is not the case with animals.

But a true hero longs intensely for the nectar of divine love and he is an exception. Such pure love is not found in the ordinary run of mankind. This love is not inborn; it is given and imparted by a Master.

Love is therefore one, but it is of several kinds. The lowest is attraction. It develops with progress in evolution and transforms into real love, which is like a stream flowing silent, serene, passionless, eternal, perfect and pure.

Divine love is the highest of all, but it is not silent. It has terrible longing; it is not peaceful. The winds of evolution, reincarnation and involution blow the stream of attraction through the inanimate world, turning it into a river in the animal and human kingdom and finally transforming it into an ocean of divine love upon Realization.

LORD MEHER, 1st ed, Vol. 3, pp. 893-894, Bhau Kalchuri
1988 © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust

I know this to be true.

2011-10-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Quotes on Divine Love

Divine desperateness is the beginning of spiritual awakening because it gives rise to the aspiration for God-realisation. - Meher Baba

God and love are identical, and one who has divine love has received God. - Meher Baba

Try to cultivate love of God. You are born as a human being only to attain divine love. - Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Open your heart by weeding out all desires and by harbouring only one longing—the longing for union with the Ultimate Reality. The Ultimate Reality is not to be sought in the changing things of external environment, but in one's own being. - Meher Baba

Lovers, the followers of the path of love, Bauls, make love their undercurrent. They eat, but they eat with love. The walk, but they walk with love -- because the earth is holy ground. They sit under a tree; they sit with love -- because the tree is divine. They look at somebody; they look with love -- because there also is divinity. Everywhere they see their beloved, in each movement they remember their beloved. It becomes their constant remembrance. - Osho

Only ignorant people say that one should not have an excess of devotion and divine love. How foolish! Can there be any excess of divine love? - Ramakrishna Paramhansa

My message always has been and always will be of Divine Love. Let the world know it. - Meher Baba

Long for one thing; be restless for one thing; long and wait for one thing that will kill the million other longings. Long for union with the Beloved. - Meher Baba

"Dive deep. Learn to love God. Plunge into divine love. - Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Divine love makes us true to ourselves and to others. . . Divine love is the solution to our difficulties and problems. It frees us from every kind of binding. It makes us speak truly, think truly, and act truly. It makes us feel one with the whole universe. Divine love purifies our hearts and glorifies our being. - Meher Baba

Another speaks of the power of Divine Love

2011-10-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

http://divinelovelight.com/faq.htm

Introduction to Magic & Spells: Magic is infinite possibility, pure potentiality in it’s purest form. Magic is the power of divine love -- the power of pure universal life force energy. The basic concept of magic and spell-casting is to "consciously create", to create consciously, willfully, and intentionally, using the universal power (divine love) that exists within and around us at all times. It could be said that, "casting a spell" is like that of an advanced prayer. This power is equally available to everyone. To help you, to heal you, to free you. This incredible power of divine love exists within your very own being. The only thing you must do in order to receive it's bountiful blessings is to open yourself to it, and to trust in yourself, because your direct and personal access link to this power is found within you. To begin experiencing this divine power in your life, simply look through the eyes of your soul. An open heart, an open mind, a pure intention, and trust in yourself, creates a solid foundation for you to connect with this beautiful energy and it's power... to connect with divine love- the essence, and powerful creative force of all life.

The brilliant light of Divine Love is filled with healing, peace, abundance, joy, freedom, power, and so much more! Divine Love is incredibly magnetic! The more aligned and in tune you are with Divine Love, the more easily you will attract to yourself that which you desire. Divine Love is who you are at the deepest and most holistic level. You are infinite possibility it's self... Magic and spell-casting are about blending conscious intention, with the pure potentiality of who you really are on a grander scale. "Magic" is the intentional utilization of the creative energy of divine love to assist us in "creating consciously," with full awareness.

The Christ in You

2011-09-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.divinelovedivinetruth.org/christ_in_you

The real and True meaning of Christ may be in you, or Christ in you. Christ is that part of Jesus, or rather, Quality that came to him after he fully received into his soul the Divine Love of God through the Holy Spirit, and was Transformed into the Very Essence of The Father in His Quality of Divine Love. Christ is thus, not a human, but is the manifestation of this Divine Love, as bestowed upon Jesus, and made part of his very existence. When humans use the expression, having Christ in You, if they could correctly understand the True purport of the same, they would know that it, the expression, means only that the Divine Love of the Father is in their souls. This Christ Principle is one that all humans may possess through their own souls longings for the Divine Love of the Father, with the result that they will become At-One with the Father in His Substance of Divine Love and Immortality.

_______

March 3rd, 1918

I am here, Jesus.

I desire tonight to write you in reference to the way in which, as the preacher advises, Christ may be in you.

I know that it is almost universal, among preachers of the orthodox church, to teach their hearers that the way to salvation, is to get Christ in them. Thereby, they will be enabled to come into Unity with the Father, and cease to remain subject to the effects of sin and evil. Well this teaching is the True Foundation of Salvation for the Celestial Heavens, provided it be understood by the preachers and the people, what the True Meaning of Christ in you is. Unless this meaning be comprehended, the fact that preacher or people may believe that they have Christ in them will not work the results that they may suppose or desire.

Many, and l may say the most, of these professing christians, have ideas of what this expression means in order to become effective, that are not in accord with the True Meaning of this condition of the soul.

They believe that all that is necessary is to believe on Jesus as their saviour, by his sacrifice and death. That in so believing, they have Christ in them, and that nothing else is required. They have no conception of the distinction between Jesus, the human, and Christ, the Spirit of Divine Truth, or more correctly, the Spirit that manifests the existence of the Divine Love in the soul. Christ is not a human, in the sense that he is Jesus the son of the Father. Christ is that part of Jesus, or rather, Quality that came to him after he fully received into his soul the Divine Love, and was Transformed into the Very Essence of The Father in His Divine Love. Christ is thus, not a human, but is the manifestation of this Divine Love, as bestowed upon Jesus, and made part of his very existence. When humans use the expression, having Christ in You, if they could correctly understand the True purport of the same, they would know that it, the expression, means only that the Divine Love of the Father is in their souls.

The indiscriminate use of the words, Jesus, and Christ, is the cause of much misunderstanding among these christians as to a number of the sayings of the Bible.

Jesus became the Christ only because he was the first to receive into his soul this Divine Love, and to manifest its existence. This Christ Principle is one that all humans may possess, with the result that they will become At-One with the Father in His Substance of Divine Love and Immortality. It would be impossible for Jesus, the human, to get into, or become a part of, any mortal. It would be equally as impossible for Christ, as the human Jesus, even though Perfect and free from sin, to become a part of anyone. No, the meaning of having "Christ in You" is to have this Divine Love of the Father in your soul, which can only be obtained through the working of the Holy Spirit, as the Instrument of the Father in bringing this Divine Love into the soul.

To many who hear the preachers' exhortations in this particular, the expression is only a mystery, which they accept merely intellectually, and feel that by such acceptance they have the Possession of this Christ, which is the only evidence of the Divine Truth of the Father's Divine Love.

Goodnight, your friend and brother, Jesus.

The truth of it all - Divine Love

2011-09-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Spirit of Christ, Andrew Murray 1888
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/murray/7764/776401.htm

Chapter 1

A New Spirit, and God's Spirit.

A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. And I will put my Spirit within you.' -Ezekiel 36: 26, 27.

GOD has revealed Himself in two great dispensations. In the Old we have the, time of promise and preparation, in the New that of fulfilment and possession.' In harmony with the difference of the two dispensations, there is a two fold working of God's Spirit. In the Old Testament we have the Spirit of God coming upon men, and working on them in special times and ways, working from above and without, inwards. In the New we have the Holy Spirit entering them and dwelling within them, working from within, outwards and upwards. In the former we have the Spirit of God as the Almighty and Holy One; in the latter we have the Spirit of the Father of Jesus Christ.

The difference between the twofold, operation of the Holy Spirit is not to be regarded as if, with the closing of the Old Testament, the former ceased,and there was in the New no more of the work of preparation. By no means. Just as there were in the Old blessed anticipations of the indwelling of God's Spirit, so now in the New Testament the twofold working still continues. According to the lack of knowledge, or of faith, or - of faithfulness, a believer may even in these days get little beyond the Old Testament measure of the Spirit's working. The indwelling Spirit has indeed been given to every child of God, and yet he may experience little beyond the first half of the promise, the new spirit given us in regeneration, and know almost nothing of God's own Spirit, as a living person put within us. The Spirit's work in convincing of sin and of righteousness, in His leading to repentance and faith and the new life, is but the preparatory work. The distinctive glory of the dispensation of the Spirit is His Divine personal indwelling in the heart of the believer, there to reveal the Father and the Son. It is only as Christians understand and remember this, that they will be able to claim the full blessing prepared for them in Christ Jesus.

In the words of Ezekiel we find, in the one promise, this twofold blessing God bestows through His Spirit very strikingly set forth. The first is, 'I will put within you a new spirit,' that is, man's own spirit is to be renewed and quickened by the work of God's Spirit. When this has been done, then there is the second blessing, ' I will put my Spirit within you,' to dwell in that new spirit, Where God is to dwell, He must have a habitation. With Adam He had to create a body before He could breathe the spirit of life into him. In Israel the tabernacle and the temple had to be built and completed before God could come down and take possession. And just so a new heart is given, and a new spirit put within us, as the indispensable condition of God's own Spirit being given to dwell within us. The difference is the same we find in David's prayer. First, 'Create in me a clean heart, 0 God ! and renew a right spirit within me;' then, 'Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.' Or what is indicated in the words, 'That which is born of the spirit is spirit :' there is the Divine Spirit begetting, and the new spirit begotten by Him. So the two are also distinguished, 'God's Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God! Our spirit is the renewed regenerate spirit; dwelling in this, and yet to be distinguished from it, is God's Holy Spirit, witnessing in, with, and through it.'

The importance of recognising this distinction can easily be perceived. We shall then be able to understand the true relation between regeneration and the indwelling of the Spirit. The former is that work of the Holy Spirit, by which He convinces us of sin, leads to repentance and faith in Christ, and imparts a new nature. Through the Spirit God thus fulfils the promise, ''I will put a new spirit within you.' The believer is now a child of God, a temple ready for the Spirit to dwellin. Where faith claims it, the second half of the promise is fulfilled as surely as the first. As long now as the believer only looks at regeneration, and the renewal wrought in his spirit, he will not come to the life of joy and strength which is meant for him. But when he accepts God's promise that there is something better than even the new nature, than the inner temple, that there is the Spirit of the Father and the Son to dwell within him, there opens up a wonderful prospect of holiness and blessedness. It becomes his one great desire to know this Holy Spirit aright, how He works and what He asks, to know how he may to the full experience His indwelling, and that revelation of the Son of God within us which it is His work to bestow.

The question will be asked, How these two parts of the Divine promise are fulfilled ? simultaneously or successively ? The answer is very simple: From God's side the twofold gift is simultaneous. The Spirit is not divided: in giving the Spirit, God gives Himself and all He is. So it was on the day of Pentecost. The three thousand received the new spirit, with repentance and faith, and then, when they had been baptized, the Indwelling Spirit, as God's seal to their faith, on one day. Through the word of disciples, the Spirit, which had come upon them, wrought mightily on the multitude, changing disposition and heart and spirit. When, in the power of this new spirit working in them, they had believed and confessed, they received the baptism of Holy Spirit to abide in them. And so still in times when the Spirit of God moves mightily, and the Church is living in the power of the Spirit, the children which are begotten of her receive from the first beginnings of their Christian life the distinct conscious sealing and indwelling of the Spirit. And yet we have indications in Scripture that there may be circumstances, dependent either on the enduement of the preacher or the faith of the bears in which the two halves of the promise are not so closely linked. So it was with the believers in Samaria converted under Philip's preaching; and so too with the converts Paul met at Ephesus. In their case was repeated the experience of the apostles themselves. We regard them as regenerate men before our Lord's death ; it was only at Pentecost that the promise was fulfilled, 'He shall be in you!' What was seen in them, just as in the Old and New Testaments,-the grace of the Spirit divided into two separate manifestations,-may still take place in our day. When, the standard of spiritual life in a Church is sickly and low, when neither in the preaching of the word nor in the testimony of believers, the glorious truth of an Indwelling Spirit is distinctly proclaimed, we must not wonder if, even where God gives His Spirit, He be known and experienced only as the Spirit of regeneration. His Indwelling Presence will remain a mystery. In the gift of God, the Spirit of Christ in all His fulness is bestowed once for all as an Indwelling Spirit; but He is received and possessed only as far as the faith of the believer reaches.

It is generally admitted in the Church that the Holy Spirit has - not the recognition which becomes Him as being the equal of the Father and the Son, the Divine Person through whom alone the Father and the Son can be truly possessed and known, in whom alone the Church has her beauty and her blessedness. In the Reformation, of blessed memory, the Gospel of Christ had to be vindicated from the terrible misapprehension which makes man's righteousness the ground of his acceptance, and the freeness of Divine grace had to be maintained. To the ages that followed was committed the trust of building on that foundation, and developing what the riches of grace would do for the believer through the indwelling of the Spirit of Jesus. The Church rested too content in what it had received, and the teaching of all that the Holy Spirit will be to each believer in His guiding, sanctifying, strengthening power, has never yet taken the place it ought to have in our evangelical teaching and living.

And there is many an earnest Christian who will in the confession lately made by a young believer of intelligence: I think I understand the work of the Father and the Son, and rejoice in them, but I hardly see the place the Spirit has. Let us unite with all who are pleading that God in power may grant mighty Spirit workings in His Church, that each child of God may prove that in him the double promise is fulfilled: I will give a new spirit within you, and I will give my Spirit within you. Let us pray that we may so apprehend the wonderful blessing of the Indwelling Spirit, as to turn inward and have our whole inmost being opened up for this, the full revelation of the Father's love and the grace of Jesus.

'Within you ! ' Within you ! This twice-repeated word of our text is one of the keywords of the 'New Covenant. ' I will put my law in their inward parts, 'and in their heart will I write it.' I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.' God created man's heart for His dwelling. Sin entered, and defiled it. Four thousand years God's Spirit strove and wrought to regain possession. In the Incarnation and Atonement of Christ the Redemption was accomplished, and the kingdom of God established. Jesus could say, 'The kingdom of God is come unto you;' 'the kingdom of God is within you.' It is within we must look for the fulfilment of the New Covenant, the Covenant not of ordinances but of life: in the power of an endless life the law and the fear of God are to be given in our heart: the Spirit of Christ Himself is to be within us as the power of our life. Not only on Calvary, or in the resurrection, or on the throne, is the glory of Christ the Conqueror to be seen,-but in our heart: within us, within us is to be the true display of the reality and the glory of His Redemption. Within us, in our inmost parts, is the hidden sanctuary where is the ark of the Covenant, sprinkled with the Blood, and containing the Law written in an ever-living writing by the Indwelling Spirit, and where, through the Spirit, the Father and the Son now come to dwell.

0 my God! I do thank Thee for this double blessing. I thank Thee for that wonderful holy temple Thou hast built up in me for Thyself-a new spirit given within me. And I thank Thee for that still more wonderful Holy Presence, Thine Own Spirit, to dwell within me, and there reveal the Father and the Son.

0 my God! I do pray Thee to open mine eyes for this the mystery of Thy love. Let Thy words, within you,' bow me low in trembling fear before Thy condescension, and may my one desire be to have my spirit indeed the worthy dwelling of Thy Spirit. Let them lift me up in holy trust and expectation, to look for and claim all that Thy promise means.

0 my Father!, I thank Thee that Thy Spirit doth dwell in me. I pray Thee, let His indwelling :be in power, in the living fellowship with Thyself, in the growing experience of His renewing power, in the ever fresh anointing that witnesses to His Presence, and the indwelling of my Glorified Lord Jesus. May my daily walk be in the deep reverence of His Holy Presence within me, and the glad experience of all He works. Amen.

Have they not love they have nothing.

2011-09-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

By Andrew Murray, 1888

In olden times believers met God, knew Him, walked with Him, had the clear and full consciousness that they had dealings with the God of heaven, and had, too, through faith, the assurance that they and their lives were well pleasing to Him. When the Son of God came to earth, and revealed the Father, it was that such intercourse with God, and the assurance of His favour, might become clearer, and be the abiding portion of every child of God. When He was exalted to the Throne of Glory, it was that He might send down into our hearts the Holy Spirit, in whom the Father and the Son have their own blessed life in heaven, to maintain in us, in Divine power, the blessed life of fellowship with God. It was to be one of the marks of the New Covenant that each member of it should walk in personal communion with God. ' They shall teach no more every man his neighbour, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity! 'The personal fellowship and knowledge of God in the Holy Spirit was to be the fruit of the pardon of sin. The Spirit of God's own Son, sent into our hearts to do each moment a work as Divine as the work of the Son in redeeming us, to displace our life and replace it by the life of Christ in power, to make the Son of God divinely and consciously present with us always--this was what the Father had promised as the distinctive blessing of the New Testament. The fellowship of God as the ThreeOne was now to be within us; the Spirit revealing the Son in us, and through Him the Father.

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/murray/7764/7764p.htm

The Spirit of Divine Love

2011-09-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

excerpted from the book The Spirit of Christ by Andrew Murray - 1888

The Spirit of Love

The fruit of the Spirit is love.'-Gal 5:.22. 1 beseech you by the love of the Spirit.' -Rom. 15:30. Who also declared unto us your love in the spirit, Col.1:8

Our subject today leads us up into the very centre of the inner sanctuary. We are to think of the Love of the Spirit. We shall have to learn that love is not only one, among others, of the graces of the Spirit, is not only the chief among them, but that the Spirit is indeed nothing less than the Divine Love itself come down to dwell in us, and that we have only so much of the Spirit as we have of Love.

God is a Spirit: God Is Love. In these two words we have the only attempt that Scripture makes to give us, in human language, what may be called a definition of God.' As a Spirit, He has life in Himself, is independent of all around Him, and has power over all to enter into it, to penetrate it with His own life, to communicate Himself to it. It is through the Spirit that God is the Father of Christ, the Father of spirits, that He is the God of creation, that He is the God and Redeemer of man. All life is owing to the Spirit of God. And it is so because God is Love. Within Himself He is Love, as seen in the Father giving all He hath to the Son, and the Son seeking all He has in the Father. In this life of Love between the Father and the Son' the Spirit is the bond of fellowship. The Father is the Loving One, the Fountain; the Son the Beloved One, the great Reservoir of Love, ever receiving and ever giving back; the Spirit the Living Love that makes them one. In Him the Divine Life of Love hath its ceaseless flow and overflowing. It is that same love with which the -Father loves the Son that rests on us and seeks to fill us too, and it is through the Spirit that this Love of God is revealed and communicated to us. In Jesus it was the Spirit that led Him to the work of love for which He was anointed, to preach glad tidings to the poor and deliverance to the captives ; through that same Spirit He offered Himself a sacrifice for us. The Spirit comes to us freighted with all the love of God and of Jesus : the Spirit is the Love of God.

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/murray/7764/776429.htm

Messages for all

2011-08-14T13:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.angelicmessages.org/index.htm

The Celestial angels (also known as Divine Love angels) share the messages at this site to assist humans with their souls' progression and provide guidance for improving our lives here on earth. As you will see, the angels focus on the availability of God's Divine Love and the importance of incorporating It into one's path of growth. You will also find loving, helpful, and supportive messages from the angels on a variety of other topics, as well as links to other Divine Love sites.

Who are the Celestial Angels?
The Celestial Angels were once mortals like you and I and have since been transformed by the Divine Love of our Father through sincere and earnest prayer, with faith, to our Father for the bestowal of His Divine Love. As our Father sends His Love into our souls, by means of His Holy Spirit, our souls are transformed from being created in the image of God into the very Essence and Nature of God. The inflowing of the Divine Love into our souls is the "New Birth" as it is the only way to True Salvation and Immortality. Jesus, a son of God, is the highest Celestial Angel and True Master and Founder of the Celestial Heavens.

The Divine Challenge is an open invitation

2011-08-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.divineloveministry.org/chosen.htm

How can you determine whether or not there is a God?

The answer to this is simple - pray to God for His Divine Love and wait for an answer.

Many people go through life thinking that there may be a God and some even pray to God for help in their lives. Many people who go to church "believe" that God exists. After all, that is what their family has been taught for generations. Furthermore they believe that if they follow certain doctrines and rules and regulations that they will eventually go to Heaven. All this "thinking" and "believing" is of the mind - and as everyone knows, the mind can change depending upon experience.

What if I were to tell you that you can transcend your mind and receive undeniable proof that God exists! So, what the catch?

The catch is that it will require some effort on your part - effort in terms of prayer/meditation. How much prayer and mediation? That all depends upon how strong your desire is to know the truth. For some of us the truth came after praying three times a day for several days. For others it took three weeks of daily prayers. If this sounds like too big of a commitment, compare the amount of time you will be devoting to prayer (three times a day for three weeks) compared to your entire lifetime on earth. It is but a drop in the bucket.

How will you know when the truth has been revealed to you? When God makes His Presence known to you, you will know it! The experience slightly differs from one person to the next. But everyone shares that it is a life altering experience. Some feel a burning sensation in their heart region. Others feel waves of love flowing over their body again and again. Others share that it was like a nuclear explosion going off in their body. For me, the experience was so powerful that I thought my physical body was being harmed.

God has touched many souls in this way. The truth is that He Loves you and wants you to know that He is real. The way the God communicates to us is Soul to soul. And that is why we must pray using our souls to know the truth.

Try the experiment three times a day. A good goal to shoot for is 20 minutes each session, three times a day for three weeks. Be gentle with yourself - the first few times may only last a couple of minutes, or you may skip a session or two. That's ok. Just keep at it. The more you pray the easier it will become to get into a prayerful state without distractions.

When you are ready to pray/meditate, ask God:

for your soul to be in ascendancy over your mind;

to be protected by any negative energies;

to be surrounded by God's Love and Light;

to be in rapport with God's Angels;

pray using the prayer perfect (below).

Our Father, who art in heaven, we recognize:

That Thou art--art all holy and loving and merciful, and that we are the children of Thy care, and not the subservient, sinful and depraved creatures that our false teachers would have us believe.

That we are the greatest of Thy creations and the most wonderful of all Thy handiwork's, and that we are the objects of Thy great Soul's love and tenderest care.

That Thy will is that we become at one with Thee and partake of Thy great love which Thou hast bestowed upon us through Thy mercy and desire that we become, in truth, Thy children--and not through the sacrifice and death of any one of Thy creatures, even though the world thinks that one Thy equal and a part of Thy godhead.

That Thou will open up our souls to the inflowing of Thy love, and that then will come Thy Holy Spirit to bring into our souls, this, Thy love in great abundance until our souls may be transformed into the very essence of Thyself; and that there may come to us faith--such faith as will cause us to realize that we are truly Thy children and that we are one with Thee in very substance and not in image only.

Let us have such faith as will cause us to know that Thou art our Father and the bestower of every good and perfect gift, and that only we, ourselves, can prevent Thy love changing us from the mortal to the immortal.

Let us never cease to realize that Thy love is waiting for each and all of us, and that when we come to Thee with faith and earnest aspirations, Thy love will never be withholden from us.

Keep us in the shadow of Thy love every hour and moment of our lives, and help us to overcome all temptations of the flesh and the influence of the powers of the evil ones who so constantly surround us and endeavor to turn our thoughts away from Thee to the pleasures and allurements of this world.

We thank Thee for Thy love and for the possibility of receiving it, and believe that Thou art our Father--the loving Father Who smiles upon us in our weakness, and is always ready to help us and take us to Thy arms of love.

We pray thus with all the earnestness and longings of our soul, and trusting in Thy love give Thee all the glory and honor and love that our finite souls can give. Amen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I know the truth about whether or not I have a soul?

When you try the experiment mentioned above, God will respond with His Holy Spirit to send His Divine Love into your soul. God's Divine Love is a physical substance that actually changes the nature of our souls. When Divine Love enters into our souls, we feel It! And for the first time in our life, we will without a doubt know: 1) that we have a soul; and 2) where our souls reside in reference to our physical bodies. We won't spoil it for you and tell you where you soul is located - we will let you discover that on your own when you attempt the experiment.

Rest

2011-08-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

Where are you coming from? Do you know from whence you came? Are you aware that this is the true source of your being from which all goodness flows?

You are comfortable here. So stay. Rest your weary heart. There is nothing to do here. No one else to be. So rest. Breath deep. Soak up my love. Be like a sponge allowing my love to fill every cell of your being. Let me fill you up until your cup overfloweth.

Love Speaks - Debra Clemente

see by faith

2011-07-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."

Benjamin Franklin- in Poor Richard's Almanac

Channels Through Which the FatherCan Pour His Boundless Love

2011-07-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Channels Through Which the FatherCan Pour His Boundless Love
from the writings of Ellen G. White by Frank Klin

God desires His people to show by their lives the advantage of Christianity overworldliness, to show that they are working on a high, holy plane. He longs to seethem showing that the truth they have received has made them children of the heavenly King. He longs to make them channels through which He can pour His boundless love and mercy.[1] Daily beset by temptation, constantly opposed by the leaders of the people, Christ knew that He must strengthen His humanity by prayer. In order to be ablessing to men, He must commune with God, pleading for energy, perseverance, and steadfastness. Thus He showed His disciples where His strength lay. Without this daily communion with God, no human being can gainpower for service. Christ alone can direct the thoughts aright. He alone can givenoble aspirations and fashion the character after the divine similitude. If we drawnear to Him in earnest prayer, He will fill our hearts with high and holy purposes,and with deep longings for purity and righteousness. The dangers thickening around us demand from those who have an experience in the things of God, awatchful supervision. Those who walk humbly before God, distrustful of their own wisdom, will realize their danger and will know God's keeping care.[2] We have only one channel of approach to God. Our prayers can come to one name only,--that of the Lord Jesus our advocate. His Spirit must inspire our petitions. No strange fire was to be used in the censers that werewaved before God in the sanctuary. So the Lord himself must kindle in our heart sthe burning desire, if our prayers are acceptable to him. The Holy Spirit must make intercessions for us, with groanings that cannot be uttered.[3] Is the kingdom of God enthroned in your heart by Christ's presence abidingthere? or is self still a controlling power within? Whose subjects are you? If aselfish spirit continues to keep you out of Christ's service, pray, "Thy kingdomcome. They will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Pray, oh, pray mostearnestly, "Put Thy Spirit, Lord, Thy Holy Spirit, within my heart, that I may besincere in keeping my baptismal vow." Pray that the intercession of Christ in yourbehalf shall not be in vain. Pray that unbelief shall no longer lead you to claim tobe in God's service, while in the life-practice, because of a perverted will, youreveal that you are not bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Pray for the power to demonstrate to the world that you are dead to sin, and that your life is indeed hidwith Christ in God. . . .[4] When we see ourselves weak, ignorant, and helpless, as we really are, we shallcome before God as humble suppliants. It is ignorance of God and of Christ that makes any soul proud and self-righteous. The infallible indication that a manknows not God, is found in the fact that he feels that in himself he is great or

2good. Pride of heart is always associated with ignorance of God. It is the God that discovers our darkness and destitution. When the divine glory to Daniel, he exclaimed, "My comeliness was turned in me intocorruption, and I retained no strength." The moment the humble seeker sees Godas he is, that moment he will have the same view of himself that Daniel had.There will be no lifting up of the soul unto vanity, but a deep sense of theholiness of God and of the justice of his requirements. The fruit of such anexperience will be manifested in a life of self-denial and self-sacrifice.[5] When the prayer is sincerely offered, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me," the voice of the Lord answers, "A new heart alsowill I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stonyheart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them." The renewed heart will have no plants of selfishness tocultivate. Pride will be seen in its sinfulness, and will be expelled. It is not for thehuman clay to find fault with the molding process of the potter, but to submit to be molded in any way. Every soul must submit to the Lord before he can be made avessel unto honor, to be filled with the renewing, sanctifying grace of Christ.[6] When man is created anew in Christ Jesus, he becomes a partaker of the divine nature. God has, through His own power, united in man the human and the divine. He clothes humanity with the robe of Christ's righteousness. Man isenabled to discern the Saviour, and by beholding he is changed into the likenessof His character. He recognizes the words of Christ, "All power is given unto Mein heaven and in earth." He who discerns Christ is a partaker of His Spirit and Hisrighteousness. He has the inward assurance that Christ is abiding in the soul-temple.[7] Receiving the Spirit of Christ, every one of His followers will fulfill a divinely appointed mission not merely to be an influence among influences, but to be aspecial influence for God in every sense of the term.[8]

1. 1913, Councils to Parents, Teachers and Students, page 324 par. 22. Ibid, page 323, par. 23. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, February 9, 1897 par. 104. 1902, Manuscript Releases Vol. 2, page 33 par. 15. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, February

Holy Spirit, Light Divine - A Hymn

2011-07-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

1

Holy Spirit, light divine,

Shine upon this heart of mine,

Chase the shades of night away,

Turn my darkness into day.

2

Holy Spirit, power divine,

Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;

Long has sin, without control,

Held dominion o'er my soul.

3

Holy Ghost, with joy divine,

Cheer this saddened heart of mine,

Bid my many woes depart,

Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

4

Holy Spirit, all divine,

Dwell within this heart of mine,

Cast down every idol throne,

Reign supreme, and reign alone.

COMPOSER Louis M. Gottschalk, 1854

AUTHOR Andrew Reed, 1817

The inside light

2011-07-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

http://ekemyoara.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/the-inside-light/

The inside lightHuman. Special creature, top of Darwin’s evolution, the dominant being on this blue ball of water. Result of God’s goodwill or of some monkey’s wish for greatness, human has constantly claimed his world.

But what is it so marvelous about us? In fact we breathe the same air, we exist under the same endless sky, we are delighted by the same sun, we bathe in the same waters, we keep our feet on the ground by the same rules of gravity.

Everything we have ever imagined, created or built was born as a result of an unique inner impulse, our shiny restless star: the inside light. It is the engine of our own being, the supreme painter of our dreams, visions, world. It’s our spirit that guides, caress and keeps us alive. And we live different, from other reasons. We are born to wonder, to search, to find answers, solutions and God. We breathe to believe, to treasure, to develop. We live to promise a better life, to love and despair, to sing and turn speechless. We walk to print our footstep in the sand. We stare just to bow in front of splendour. And splendour is both in and outside.

We are to let the light shine.

Love is the First Principle of Life

2011-07-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

"Once the student becomes really aware that "God is Love" and Love's True Activity comes through the heart, he will understand that to focus his attention on the desire to project Love forth, for any given purpose, is the supreme privilege of the outer activity of the consciousness, which can generate Love to a boundless degree. Mankind has not previously understood that Divine Love is a Power, a Presence, an Intelligence, a Light that can be fanned into a Boundless Flame or Fire; and it is within the consciousness intelligence of every individual, especially students of the Light, to so create and generate this "Presence of Love," that It becomes an Invincible, Exhaustless, Peace-commanding "Presence" wherever the conscious individual desires to direct It.

Somewhere it has been said, that Love may not be commanded. I say to you: "Love is the First Principle of Life and may be generated to any degree or without any limit whatsoever for Infinite use. Such is the majestic privilege of the conscious use and direction of Love.

When I say "generate," I mean the opening of the door through conscious devotion to the outpouring of the exhaustless Fountain of Love, which is the Heart of your Being -- the Heart of the Universe.

Students, by contemplating this Infinite Power of Love, become such a fountain of Its outpouring, that Its conscious direction may be Infinite in the student's use."

(The "I AM" Discourses, Volume III, Saint Germain, Saint Germain Press, Inc., pages 115, 116)

http://www.anopendooroflove.org/love.html

The Dove Story

2011-07-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaLkUK2wHJg&feature=related

Focus on God’s Love

2011-07-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

Surely it is the arrogance of ignorance to even attempt to judge06/26/2011 by John Smallman

The sky is brightening as dawn approaches, heralding the new age for humanity which was planned many eons ago. It will be an era of peace and harmony, the likes of which has never before been seen on Earth. Prophets have foretold it, angelic choirs have sung of it, and finally the time for it to be ushered in is very close. Many of you are holding the light, the intent, the resolve, and the love to bring it into being, and yet, at times it has seemed almost hopeless to believe that it is coming, as you observe the wars, the hatred, the frustrations, and the distrust that continue to manifest in many places around the world. But truly, an enormously powerful wave of divine Love is enveloping the planet, causing attitudes to change and long-nurtured grudges to be released.

Focus on God’s Love enveloping you all always, and intend to open your hearts to receive It and allow It to flow through you to all of humanity in a wave of joyful awakening, because it truly is God’s Will and yours that you do this. You are all eternally one in the Father, and to judge and blame each other, and yourselves, for the suffering in the world is utterly inappropriate. How can you judge when your Father, Who is infinitely wise and loving, does not? Surely it is the arrogance of ignorance to even attempt to judge?

Remember that those who appear to cause the most suffering are the ones whose suffering is most intense, and that they are projecting that suffering outwards because it is so unbearable within them. When you relax, meditate, or withdraw into silent prayer, intend to be clear and unobstructed channels through which God’s Love can flow constantly, swiftly, and abundantly to where it is needed, and He will honor you by availing of your offer.

If you wish to direct that Love to someone you love or see as being in need, that is fine, but do not attempt to limit It to the needs that you can identify because that just obstructs the channel that you are, thereby diverting the flow around you, and the abundance offered to you mostly bypasses you. The most effective and loving intent that you can offer to your Father is the freedom to channel His Love through you to wherever He sees that It is needed, constantly. Doing this is the most powerful way in which you can be a part of the awakening process.

Many are still locked in judgment, blame, and condemnation, as though paralyzed by those attitudes, and the abundant flow of God’s Love through all available channels is the essential remedy to that painful and inflexible state. It flows as soothing balm, gently easing the pain and tension, and restoring movement and flexibility to what had become locked in resentment. You can see the evidence of this easing of attitudes all over the world, and as increasing numbers of you open yourselves up as divine channels, the speed of easing will accelerate phenomenally, as it is God’s Will.

The intent to be an unobstructed, divine channel is an aspect of the inextinguishable divine Flame within each one of you. It has always been a part of you, and you are now becoming increasingly aware of it, as you allow your own unloving attitudes to dissolve. The more you allow them to dissolve – by embracing love and forgiveness – the clearer it becomes that this is God’s Will for you, and also your own. It is an uplifting and inspiring sensation which will continue to strengthen as those unloving and judgmental attitudes fall away. Delight in the knowledge that you are doing God’s Will, and leading each other Home.

With so very much love, Saul.

Worry Worry Worry

2011-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Worry is the power of creation turned against your own best interests. The same engine that runs your car in reverse will move it forward if you but reposition the gearshift. To shift from reverse to drive, reframe your experiences to find the blessing rather than the problem. Then you will become the master of your universe, rather than its victim.

http://positive-thoughts.typepad.com/positive-thoughts/2011/06/to-change-your-life-begin-by-changing-your-thoughts.html#tp

Love Speaks to Me

2011-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Love speaks to me

and calls my name.

Never again

am I the same.

Words of Wisdom

line the halls of my mind.

My heart continually fills

with Love from the Divine.

What am I to say?

Don't get in your own way.

I'm here for you

to help you along.

All you need to do is

dance and sing my song.

Love Speaks by Debra Clemente

Worth Repeating

2011-06-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Worth Repeating 48" x 36" Oil painting by Debra Clemente 2010

Don't ride on another's wave.
Never let the actions of another decide how you will behave.

My higher self says so. - Debra Clemente

We cannot see but know

2011-06-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

It has often been declared that the human mind could never comprehend God. That statement has been based upon the assumption that the reason we could never comprehend God is that our senses could not detect God.

It is true that we cannot see God but we can KNOW Him. And therein is the essence of New Age thinking. The next hundred years will see as great a spiritual advance in the culture of our civilization as it has seen physically during the past hundred years. That which we cannot see, we can KNOW. We can see the bodies of men but we cannot see man, for the supreme Being within man is invisible. He cannot be seen. He can only be known. For the same reason we cannot see God but we can know Him, and we can know the nature of God by knowing His laws and creative processes.

When we know the nature of God sufficiently to reflect His nature in us, we become God to the extent of our ability to reflect His nature in us. By knowing the secret of Light, we will know the mystery of life and death – of reincarnation, of matter and space, and the relationship of suns to planets.

The more we know the Light, the more we shall realize our purpose in manifesting that Light gloriously. Every moment of life in the Light is a moment glorification in the awareness of our omnipotence in manifesting the Light.

Someone once asked Toscanini’s son: “What was the highest point in your father’s life?” The answer was: “Every point in it is his highest point. He lives gloriously and fully every moment of his life, whether conducting an orchestra or peeling an orange.”

That is what we must do when we fully know the purposefulness of life – live it gloriously by living it ecstatically. We can live it ecstatically only as we know the ecstatic nature of God and become like Him through being continually inspired by communion with Him. To become like Him, we must become aware of our identity with Him. We must know Him as Creator of all that is, and in so doing know ourselves as creator of all that is.

(Walter Russell, The Message of the Divine Iliad, Vol. I, pp 59-60)

Cause and Effect

2011-06-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

The law of cause and effect always works. When anything goes wrong with you or with the world, your are or humanity in general is responsible, not God. ... God’s doing God’s part is what Creation or the outworking of cosmic law means. Therefore, instead of asking God to fulfil God’s part, attain knowledge of cosmic law so that you can harmoniously work with God to fulfil your desire. Anything that is wrong with you is of your own making; therefore, gain knowledge of the cause and of cosmic law. …

… people who ask God for fulfilment of their desires forget that material things are created only through two-way action. Material things are not created by rubbing an Aladdin lamp or through wishful thinking. They are created through balanced action and reaction.

(Walter and Lao Russell, Home Study Course in Cosmic Consciousness, Unit 7, Lesson 28)

Meditation

2011-06-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

To meditate is to become one with God. It means to STOP THINKING and thus get out of the awareness of body. One can be aware of his body and of material things only while, and because, one is thinking.

… To concentrate is to think very hard and focus your thoughts to a point. To meditate is just the opposite – it means to expand one’s thoughts into space until one stops thinking and steps into the still Light of KNOWING.

Thinking is sensing, and sensing is vibratory motion. Conversely, meditation is becoming still in order to talk with God. When I say “talk with God” I mean become inspired with His Light of all-knowing. One talks with God in timeless Light. Inspiration comes in flashes of still Light – invisible Light.

If you want to know anything whatsoever, just desire to know it, then stop thinking. Try to get into a state of universal ecstasy or inner joyousness, which is a state of consciousness like unto the God-Mind. Void your mind of thoughts, thought forms and ideas. Become perfectly blank insofar as idea and form are concerned.

In that manner, you become transformed from man as an individual unit of mankind, and become all Soul – the universal Soul. In that manner you make the transition from the state of sensing some things materially to knowing all things cosmically.

(Walter Russell, The Message of the Divine Iliad, Vol. II, pp 207-208)

Glenn Clark - Walter Russell - The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe

2011-06-07T21:04:00.001-07:00

Glenn Clark - Walter Russell - The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe

Walter Russell

2011-06-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

When Mind Consciousness dawns in man, God awareness likewise dawns in him, and he becomes illumined with full knowing of the Oneness of Mind of man and Mind of God.

When that day dawns for man, he has command over all the universe, for energy of Mind in him created the universe, and knowledge of Mind in Him controls its energy.

Fear then leaves him, for he knows he has dominion over all things. He can no longer be hurt by man, nor will he hurt man, but the power will be his to prevent man from hurting man by awakening Consciousness in him to Love, even though he may lose one more life to find it.

And he who reads these words with inner vision and inner knowing shall have omnipotent power to save the world of man from himself and bring into being the new age of man's new power.

Walter Bowman Russell (May 19, 1871 – May 19, 1963) was an American polymath, known[1] for his achievements in painting, sculpture, architecture, and for his unified theory in physics and cosmogony.[2][3] He posited that the universe was founded on a unifying principle of rhythmic balanced interchange. This physical theory, laid out primarily in his books The Secret of Light (1947) and The Message of the Divine Iliad (1948–49), has not been accepted by mainstream scientists.[4] Russell asserted that this was mainly due to a difference in the assumptions made about the existence of mind and matter; Russell assumes the existence of mind as cause while he believes that scientists in general assume the existence of mind as effect.[5] Russell was also proficient in philosophy, music, ice skating, and was a professor at the institution he founded, the University of Science and Philosophy. He believed mediocrity is self-inflicted and genius is self-bestowed.[6]

In 1963, Walter Cronkite in the national television evening news, commenting on Dr. Walter Russell's death, referred to him as "... the Leonardo da Vinci of our time."[7] After Walter Russell died (which the Russells referred to as being "refolded"), his wife Lao Russell kept USP going successfully until she herself died in 1988.[8]

The term New Age in its contemporary sense can be traced back at least to 1888. Walter Russell spoke of "... this New Age philosophy of the spiritual re-awakening of man ... Man's purpose in this New Age is to acquire more and more knowledge ..." in his essay "Power Through Knowledge," which was published in 1944.[27]

Russell accepted Richard Maurice Bucke's premise that not only the human body, but also human consciousness, had evolved in stages, that human consciousness periodically made progressive leaps, such as that from animal awareness to rational self-awareness, many millennia ago. Russell believed that humankind was on the brink of making another key, evolutionary leap in consciousness. The next cycle of human evolution, said Bucke, would be from rational self-consciousness to spiritual super-consciousness on the order of that experienced by sages, religious figures, and mystics of the past 2,500 years.

In 1947–48, Russell wrote: “This New Age is marking the dawn of a new world-thought. That new thought is a new cosmic concept of the value of man to man. The whole world is discovering that all mankind is one and that the unity of man is real – not just an abstract idea. Mankind is beginning to discover that the hurt of any man hurts every man, and, conversely, the uplift of any man uplifts every man” (Message of the Divine Iliad, vol. 2, p. 69). Russell’s predictions about what the New Age would bring included “a marriage between religion and science” (MDI p 257). Russell appeared to believe that this "New Age" would begin in 1946, based on a vision he had in 1921.

The most extensive treatment of Russell's ideas are found in his book, “A Course in Cosmic Consciousness.” Russell's ideas have also been digested by others.

http://www.walter-russell.org/en/KosmischesBewusstsein.php

Illumination

My ability to prove God as a scientific fact and bring Him within the range of man’s comprehension through incontrovertible evidence of His controlling Presence in all creating things is the result of having fully experienced that rarest of all spiritual phenomena known as the Illumination into the Light of Cosmic Consciousness, during a thirty-nine day and night period in May and June of 1921.

I will not describe that phenomenon here, for it will be fully described in the following pages, except to say that the seat of sensation becomes completely severed from its centring conscious Mind for intervals, followed by intervals of complete severance, one becomes wholly Mind, the One Mind of God, in which exists all-knowledge, all-power, and all-presence. Relatively few such experiences of illumination have been recorded throughout world history.

Naturally, the entirety of the secrets of Creation were mine to know as a complete and consistent cosmogony, which knowing enabled me to envision the universe as a whole. Underlying the creative process of the universe was a fundamental principle of such simplicity that I felt that I could gather the great scientists of the world together and give them that entire principle of such simplicity that I felt that I could gather the great scientists of the world together and give them that entire principle in a few minutes, for I had been aware that for decades science has been searching for such an underlying principle, which would apply to all phenomena.

(Walter und Lao Russell, Home Study Course in Cosmic Consciousness, Prelude

Mystics

Beyond the genius is the mystic.

The mystic is one who has attained cosmic consciousness by a complete severance of the seats of consciousness and sensation. He is then almost totally unaware of his body and is totally aware of the Light of God centering him. Omniscience comes to him in that timeless blinding flash of light which is characteristic of a complete severance. This experience was described in the illumination of St. Paul. Every timeless flash of intense inspiration which comes to any man is a partial illumination, for inspiration is the manner in which new knowledge comes to man from the cosmos.

Of all mystics, Jesus was the outstanding example of all time. He was the only One in all history to have known complete cosmic-conscious unity with God.

The Bible refers to cosmic-conscious experience as “the illumination” or “being in the Light” or “in the Spirit.”

In all history less than forty cases of partial cosmic consciousness are known, and probably not more that three of these anywhere nearly approached the complete state of illumination experienced by the Nazarene.

Cosmic Consciousness is the ultimate goal of all mankind. All will know it before the long journey of man is finished, but there are many in this new age just dawning who are ready for it in part, if not fully.

Many desire it fully, but it is best that it come bit by bit for the complete severance is very dangerous. The ecstasy of this supreme experience is so great that one does not wish to come back. The power of severance of soul from body is within easy accomplishment, but to step back into the body is very difficult.

(Walter Russell, The Secret of Light, pp 27-28)

What is Art?

What makes someone a master artist is not technical ability per se, but rather the soul qualities that reflect the Soul of Cosmic Mind. … The Soul alone can give out love. The body can render a perfect technical reproduction, but if the love nature of God is not in it, it is not art, for the art of anything is not in the skill of rendering a visible or audible thing but in the beauty and love that only the stillness of the Light of the Soul can give. And herein lies the difference between the genius of the master and soulless mediocrity.

(Walter and Lao Russell, Home Study Course in Cosmic Consciousness , Unit 1, Lesson 2)

~ Walter Russell

The mystery of the high water bill

2011-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

True Story

Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt
that the bills weren't representative of their actual usage, and no matter
how they tried to conserve, the high bills continued.

Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks
or problems; first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes,
underground pipes, faucets, toilets, washer, ice maker, etc., all to no avail.

One day Jim was sick and stayed home in bed, but kept hearing water running
downstairs. He finally got up from his sick bed and went to investigate,
and stumbled onto the cause of such high water bills.

Apparently this was happening all day long when they were not at home.
Knowing that few would believe him he taped a segment of the "problem", for
posterity! Now watch the video.

SHHHH

2011-04-22T12:07:00.001-07:00

I'm listening in.

I AM GOOD

2011-04-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

Look!

2011-04-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Iris Garden - by Debra Clemente

All nature is all the same.
Without the attention each requires to live,
each will die away.

Stop watering your weeds.
You need not to even stoop to pull them.
Instead water the garden of your mind with beautiful thoughts.
You will be rewarded with a plethora of colorful everlasting blossoms.

What you had perceived as weeds will wither away.
Forgotten, they are gone.
Whatever you think about lives on.

Look what you have done.
See what you have created.
Count it all good!

Debra Clemente

Give it up!

2011-04-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

Love told me today...

Give it up.
All those notions which have held you back.
Release them all.

You can not tear anything away which you do not want.
You can not push, scratch or yell it away.

You can only let it fall away.
Die out.
Wither from inattention.

Stop noticing what bothers you.
Stop talking about what you do not like.
Think of what brings a smile.
You are so pretty when you smile and the world is pretty too.

Debra Clemente

I have such good help

2011-04-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

I don't have to go "look it up" and read somewhere what to do in any moment of my life. Why? Because I have such amazing help already online. When I stay connected to source I get all the help I ask for. Oh yes, and I ask for help constantly and I ask knowing I will receive.

From whom? My helpers. My team. My family of spiritual beings with soul standings higher than my own. They lift me up. They guide me. Nameless they remain to me. What's in a name anyway? All I know is that it is all love. The purest and the highest. Within my reach. At hand. Ready to help. All they ask from me is a grateful heart.

It pleases them so to know that I want their help, to know that I believe. That I believe in better. That I can see and know Good which is God.

These helpers can not and do not make me do a thing, but they can pave the way. The way for me and my dreams. They remind me. They remind me of my goals. They remind me of my purpose. They prepare and present golden opportunities for me to act. To act in accord with the direction of my dreams.

Do I see them? No, not yet. Maybe someday I will. When I want to. I have never asked.

I have learned from reading the writings of others about spiritual guides that these guides have rules to follow when it comes to their interaction with mankind. They can not interfere in our lives or act against our will. These "special forces" love us and watch over us and want so much to be of assistance. We have been told "Ask and you shall receive." I believe this is part of that truth.

We only get what we ask for.
Ask for more.
Ask for better.
Ask for help.
And give thanks for all.

Blessings - Debra Clemente

Is anybody Listening?

2011-04-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

This thought just came to me. At first I thought it was my own as I write and post on this blog for myself and seemingly few others have found it. But then I heard it again. No, it wasn't my voice. It was God's. He has been speaking to each of us for eternity, yet so few hear his voice or heed his words.

He asked again.

Is anybody listening?

I replied.

Here I am God. It is I. How can I serve?

Others who know, celebrate and share

2011-04-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

It's so wonderful to know other that so many others hear and heed the voice of the one true spirit. We each have found our own way but arrive at the same knowing. A knowing of the deep peace, flowing contentment, and safety of God's ever lasting Divine love. The experience is so worth sharing, as it is intended that this be so.

- Deb

Sooo worth sharing.

2011-04-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

Stay Awake - Live Fully

2011-04-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Divinely Inspired

2011-04-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

My new business.

My new focus.

Positively wonderful,
Gluten-Free Foods.
GLUTEN-FREE GOODNESS

Coming Soon

to a store near you!

Eat Happy!

I know this

2011-04-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

but it feels so good to hear it again.

http://positive-thoughts.typepad.com/positive-thoughts/2011/04/anything-is-possible.html

Anything Is Possible

If there was ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
IT IS NOW.

Not for any grand cause, necessarily. . .
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that's your inspiration,
something that's your dream.

You owe it to yourself
to make your days here count.
HAVE FUN.
DIG DEEP.
STRETCH.
DREAM BIG.

Know, though, that things worth doing
seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up,
and call it quits.

Those times tell you
that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.
PERSIST.

Because with an idea,
determination,
and the right tools,
you can do great things.

Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart,
guide you.

TRUST.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new
brings the hope of something great,
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Accept your POWER

2011-04-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS
accept responsibility

Against the Wind

2011-04-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

This video so tugs at my heart.

There is a lesson here.

Life gives us opportunites to learn a new lesson each day.

Pick yourself up.

Shake the dust from your feathers and march on.

With Much Love,

Deb

A Happy Sunday Sermon

2011-04-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Searching for web links to other's whom believe God's ultimate desire for us is to be happy, I found this lovely sermon outline.

Have a happy day. God in truth, wants you to live life this way.

http://www.expositorysermonoutlines.com/christian/god-wants-you-happy.pdf

God Wants You Happy

2011-04-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know and now this truth is the title of a recently published book written by a Catholic Priest.

I haven't read it but I have received the message. Unfortunately, not from the Church from which I belong, but on my own. As many Sundays as I have sat, stood and knelt in the pews of "The Church" this was never the message I received. I had to step back, pull away and seek inside to receive this message directly. I sincerely give thanks to Father Jonathan Morris for stepping up and speaking out the truth of God that needs to be heard.

May this book reveal to many, the many blessings God has in store for each of us.

Debra Clemente

Let your lives speak.

2011-04-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Illuminations from our Quaker Friends:

And it is especially to be observed, that in the whole New Testament there is no order nor command given in this thing, but to follow the revelation of the Spirit, save only that general one of meeting together; a thing dearly owned and diligently practised by us…

Robert Barclay, Apology, 1676, 11:10
http://pacificyearlymeeting.org/fp/pymfp2001pg017.html

Commitment to truth requires authenticity and veracity in following one’s conscience, illuminated by the Inner Light. When we depart from truth, we separate ourselves from God. Integrity is not simply a habit of speech, but a way of life increasingly aligned with God’s will. http://pacificyearlymeeting.org/fp/pymfp2001pg025.html

The way she said it.

2011-04-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

I like the way this wise woman writes in her blog of her father five years after his passing. I feel the same for own father who passed on to higher and greener pastures some 8 and a half years ago. I talk to him all the time and feel closer than ever to him. He remains so close to my heart. For this I give thanks.

My one comfort that I hope to be able to share with our children is that with his passing on, we can now speak to him all the time, at any time. We may not be able to hear his reply, but we can be assured of his hearing us and praying for us. In this way, he is more present to us now than he was in life. God rest his soul.

http://mum2twelve.blogspot.com/2011/01/anniversary-of-passing-of-beloved.html

Thoreau Thoughts

2011-04-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Goodness is the only investment that never fails.

If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.

Men are born to succeed, not fail.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

Every man is the builder of a temple called his body.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.

Man is the artificer of his own happiness.

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

Henry David Thoreau
US Transcendentalist author (1817 - 1862)

Allowance

2011-04-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Debra Clemente

Wowee, those sound like good numbers to me!

2011-03-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

This year we are going to experience 4 unusual dates.1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that's not all...

Take the last 2 digits of the year in which you were born.... now add the age you will be this year, and the result will be 111 for everyone!!! For example - Harry was born in 1957 and will be 54 this year, so 57+54=111....Good eh!!!!!!!! This is the year of money!!! Also this year October will have 5 Saturdays, 5 Sundays and 5 Mondays. This happens only once in 823 years. These particular years are known as "MONEYBAGS".

Soul Singer

2011-03-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Green Thing

2011-03-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store.

The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded
up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Abraham-Hicks

2011-03-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php

Don't do anything that you don't really want to do. Keep yourself in a place of feeling good. Reach for the thought that feels better—and watch what happens.

The amount of time it takes you to get from where you are to where you want to be, is only the amount of time it takes you to change the vibration within you. Instant manifestation could be yours if you could instantly change the vibration.

You're picky about the car you drive. You're picky about what you wear. You're picky about what you put in your mouth. We want you to be pickier about what you think.

When you talk about what you want and why you want it, there's usually less resistance within you than when you talk about what you want and how you're going to get it. When you pose questions you don't have answers for, like how, where, when, who, it sets up a contradictory vibration that slows everything down.

The Universe does not know if the vibration you are offering is because of what you are imagining, or because of what you are observing. In either case, it is responding. What you are thinking and what is coming back to you is always a vibrational match. The emotion (your Guidance System) is telling you what's coming.

You can't take sides against anything. If you would just leave the "against" part out; if you would just be one who is for things—you would live happily ever after.

Clear your way

2011-03-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

And God said:

Which comes first? Clarity or a clear path? Clear your path, and then you will be clear. It is amazing how well you do even in disorder. But why have it? It is now time for you to let go of everything. When you are orderly, you can even let go of orderliness. It is only a backdrop.

http://www.heavenletters.org/what-possession-is-there-in-heaven.html

A PSALM OF LIFE

2011-02-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

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.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

2011-02-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

RUDYARD KIPLING 1865-1936

FIRST CHAPTER - FIRST DRAFT

2011-02-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

A Romance Novel

He grasped me firmly but gently just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone. He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear. "Just relax." Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure. When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply. Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine and into the waist of my panties. Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant.

This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking `no' for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say ...

"Okay, ma'am," said a voice. "All done." "You can board your flight now."

AUTHOR - UNKNOWN

Beauty in the World

2011-02-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Heavenletter #3725 Published on: February 5, 2011

God said:

There is so much glory in the extant world. Music, art, nature, sunlight, stars. Keep your eyes and ears on the beauty of the world. There is enough of it. There is enough to last you a lifetime or more.

For what is the privilege of seeing even one night of stars worth? One dawn, one setting sun. The sun on a lake. Stars on a lake. Love in eyes.

You are so surrounded in beauty that you may be spoiled.

One blade of grass. One tree. One hill, one dale.

Keep your pulse on the beauty of the Universe.

I created beauty. And, you, human beings, have continued to create it right along with Me. Why would you create anything else?

Why would you deplore anything when there is such radiance in the world to be in awe of?

How important are inconveniences when there is sky above and ground below?

Perhaps your attention has been caught on dust in the house and news on television. Go outside then. Fortunate is a person who lives outside where there is more to see, and vision is greater. Outside, you can even spend a day twirling and looking at a dandelion. When there is such a hardy thing as a dandelion, all must be right with the world.

Consider that the world is a feast spread out before you. You can take anything you want. Everyone can even take the same thing. Who would choose trash?

Every day you have that choice of what to take from the world. Take beauty. Take joy. Take love. Leave whatever doesn’t please you. There is enough glory to go around.

It must be that sometimes you get focused on what is not right with the world, and you forget everything else. You don’t see the forest for the trees. The trees may be the details to life that you find tiresome. Never mind inconveniences. Never mind even conveniences. What is a dishwasher next to bright summer rain? Get out of the house. Kiss the air that greets you outside. All the world is a park, beloveds. Didn’t you know that?

Let Us have not even one moment of grumbling. No grumbling out loud or even under your breath. How can you grumble when there is creation everywhere? Let the glory of life be your focus. Forget about price tags and a broken floor tile. Step up to the life you always wanted. I am telling you that you have it. It is all here. Claim it. Derail everything that you do not claim. Do not mutter about it.

Embrace creation. It is for you. Look up at the sun. Look up at the stars. You have had enough attention on where your feet have trodden. You have carried enough burdens up and down the stairs. Look up through the skylight. Look up and light up the world. Let your gaze light up the world.

Love life. You can. Why don’t you? How can you not be eager to get up in the morning? Throw off the covers. Leap out of bed. Greet the day as this great guest that it is. Have a wonderful day. Have a wondrous day. Make the day wondrous for all.

And, if today, clouds cover the sun, then you be the sun. You be the light of day. Be the daybreak. Be the sun coming up over the horizon. Be the bright sun. Light up the world. Let the world be seen in all its shining glory. What are you waiting for? Get up and greet the day as you have never greeted it before. Bless the world today, and you have blessed it.

Heaven is not an exclusive club

2011-02-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

The exclusionist in religion does not see that he shuts the door of heaven on himself, in striving to shut out others.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

you make me laugh

2011-02-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

Like the present

2011-02-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

Life isn't tied with a bow,

but it's still a gift.

In your dreams little girl

2011-01-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

.

http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/p/about-blog.html

Pieces of Illumination

2011-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from the book In Illuminata by Marianne Williamson

There is a spiritual renaissance sweeping the world. Most people feel it, some deride it, many embrace it and no one can stop it. It is a revolution in the way we think.
Its torchbearers are a motley mix. Some are religious in a traditional sense, while some are not. Some are successful in the world, while some are not. Some of us genuinely like one another, while some of us do not. Some are politically liberal, while some of us are conservative. Some seek Truth in fellowship and some seek Truth alone. Some of us are old and some of us are young.

We are an assorted group, an unlabeled group, but together in spirit we are affecting the world in significant ways. We are turning away from a purely worldly orientation. We seek an ancient God and a modern God. We feel a current of change, a cosmic electricity running through our veins now. However disparate our personalities and interests, we all agree on one very important point: Mankind has come to a major crossroads, at which the spirit alone can lead us toward human survival.

We wage, in our way, a revolution based on love. We seek to replace an old, oppressive order, not so much politically or socially, but within our minds where it lives and works. We try to hate no one, for we recognize that hatred itself is the enemy. We hope to change the world into a place of grace and love.

Life is supposed to be fun!

2011-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

No ordinary stairs here.

My Soul's Song

2011-01-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

I had Wierd Al's song "The White Stuff" a parady of The Back Street Boys song "The Right Stuff" stuck in my head. Since it was playing continuously, I decieded to give the tune that was spinning in my mind better words. It has been said, if you don't like the record that's playing change the song. So, I did.

God's Love

First I tried life on my own.
Fell flat on my face.
Now I ask for all God’s help.
Fill me with your grace.

He answers quickly,
To every bended knee.
God filled my heart ,
With the peace that’s meant to be.

I have God’s Love,
In the center of my soul.
I’m filling with Divine Love.
The most important thing I know.

The door’s not really closed.
Just a jar.
God’s right here,
Never been afar.

When I silence myself,
And believe dearly,
I am assured,
God will lead me clearly.

I have God’s Love,
In the center of my soul.
I’m filling with Divine Love
The most important thing I know.

Ego has no place,
In the world I seek.
I have to let go,
To be the best I can be.

Jesus showed the way.
He told.
Ask and you shall receive,
Believing in your goal.

I have God’s Love,
In the center of my soul,
I’m filling with Divine Love
The most important thing I know.

With God’s Love,
Peace is my reality.
Filled with his wisdom,
I see far beyond me.

Let God open his world,
To each and all of you.
Ask for his guidance
And you will live anew.

Be filled with God’s Love.
In the center of your soul.
Ask for Divine Love.
It’s the most important thing you’ll know.

Inquire within,
Order up,
See the good around you,
And drink in his love.

Move forward,
Take God’s lead.
See what you want.
Have what you need.

Be filled with God’s Love.
In the center of your soul.
Ask for Divine Love.
It’s the most important thing you’ll know.

All I need is
What I have
And who he is
Is who I AM,

Today, tomorrow
and eternity,
God’s Divine Love
is my destiny.

I have God’s Love,
In the center of my soul.
I have Divine Love.
It’s the most important thing I know.

Written Debra Clemente, January 25, 2011

Sing Along

2011-01-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

No longer a Secret, Thank God

2011-01-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

So good to hear.

2011-01-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

inspired ideas

2011-01-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

"Our responsibility is simply

to become beings who expect

and await inspired ideas

that will not and

cannot be stopped."

Wayne Dyer

Negative emotion is a gift from soul.

2011-01-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Negative emotion is a gift from soul. This gift tells you when you give thought or action that will not lead you toward where you intended to go. Often, instead of taking soul’s advice, you tend to look with your eyes at the place you stand and as your attention is on your current state of being, you receive more negative emotion.

http://www.intention1111.com/close-your-eyes-for-a-better-view

Say No to Ego

2011-01-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

HEAVEN #3707 Say No to Ego, January 18, 2011

God said:

Where do you get naughtiness from? From ego, I expect.

let-go-my-ego

Where do you get the idea that you need to set others straight? Or even put them down? Where do you get the idea that you have to be above all? What makes you think so? Ego, I expect.

Although love makes the world go around, ego has been known to overtake love, push love aside and insert itself. Ego sees need. Ego wants to triumph, and you lose. The world loses when ego struts its stuff. Ego makes a lot of noise.

Ego listens to its own drummer. It doesn’t listen to Me. Ego wants homage given to it. Ego makes you forget that you are to serve. Ego is very needy. It is a pickpocket. It is a marauder. Ego is short-sighted, and yet ego twirls its baton, and you follow it. Not thinking, you get caught up in ego. You march right behind it. There are the times, no matter what, when you surrender to ego.

True, you are sorry later. Beware of what ego tells you is necessary. Ego is necessary to itself. Ego is a strumpet who leads you astray. What do you think ego really gives you? It gives you betrayal.

You never did need ego. Do not adore ego’s false promises. All its promises are false. When ego wins, when you become on top of the world, what does it matter? You have a moment of glamour, and then you are left bereft because what ego gives you is nothing. Ego is such a culprit. Ego is the con-artist of the world. Ego does a good job at what ego does.

Ego is slick. Ego is glib. When ego beckons, you do not have to be under its spell. You do not have to follow. The next time ego taps you on your shoulder, promises you rewards, builds you up, tempts you, wants to pull you away from your path, smile and say: “Thanks but no thanks.”

The only thing ego has to give you is bluster and wrong turns. You can only in the end be embarrassed at your compliance with ego. You were taken in, and now you pay the piper. Ego waltzes off to find another sap to beguile. Ego purveys a false trail. Ego will trip you up every time.

To be egotistic is to be egotistic. All ego can give you is hot air. The bubble bursts. It has been said that pride goeth before a fall. Pride is the fall, beloveds. Pride is a fall from grace. In pride you sell yourself out. You accept dross for gold. A pox on ego. Stay away from it.

And yet here I do a bio of ego. I am making ego important by my very diatribe against it. I tell you to be beware of ego, and so I call your very attention to ego. I tell you to be egoless, and yet My topic is ego. I tell you to erase ego, and I make ego important -- important that you not have it.

And yet I will continue. Ego itself has no pride. It has no shame, no embarrassment. Ego is pretty sure you will come back to it. Ego is a drug dealer on the street corner. Ego gives you a little triumph, and then takes the false joy away and leaves you panting for more. Invariably, ego pulls the carpet out from under you. It wasn’t much of a carpet. Like ego, the carpet was flim-flam.

How many countless times will you be taken in before you wise up to ego? Say No to ego.

It's a process

2011-01-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

A Butterfly's Complete Metamorphosis

Change & Wonder: A Butterfly Complete Metamorphosis from David Britton on Vimeo.

And now a fast forward version for your viewing pleasure.

Butterfly Effect: The Symbol of the Butterfly

By Linda-Ann Stewart Ct.H., Ct.H.A

When we talk about transformation, the image that comes to mind for most of us is the butterfly. A beautiful, filmy creature that glides about the sky, bringing joy to our hearts. But we tend to forget what the butterfly has gone through, how it has struggled to reach its place on the breeze and how it was effected.

Our path of transformation can be likened to that of the butterfly's. Generally, when we embrace transformation, we only want to think of the end result. We don't want to think about the work that goes into it, or the sacrifices we'll have to make to be able to soar. I know that when I went through a transformation some years ago, I thought "Wonderful. Things will be better." They were, but in the process there were attitudes and behaviors I had to surrender that were central to my life.

Transformation begins with the Universe pressing us forward into desiring something better for ourselves. We may not know what it is that we want, just that we have this impulsion for something more. Originally, the butterfly was once a caterpillar, inching across the grass to climb up the marigold to reach its daily meal. Its main drive was to eat, to fill its stomach.

The same could be said of us. Before we begin to transform, we have a compulsion to meander around; reading books, listening to tapes, attending lectures, digesting information. We're still in the old form, fattening our minds up to get ready to build a cocoon, where we'll use all that we've digested to transform our lives into a greater reflection of the Universal good.

Once our appetite has been appeased, we'll feel compelled to allow what we've learned to gestate. Letting it process is like the caterpillar inside its cocoon. This is the time to incubate. It may last for a few days or a few months. While it is happening, we're changing. We may not see the change, but there are parts of us that are being released, transformed and altered. At this point, our lives will sometimes become very uncomfortable for us. During my transformation, I had an intimate relationship that got progressively difficult.

When its transformation is complete, the butterfly emerges from its cocoon. Fighting its way out of the old form, through a tough silk shell, moving on, into a new world. Just as we must struggle to move through our barriers and outmoded attitudes. Behaviors that served us when we were caterpillars are no longer helpful. We can't live the way we used to. We're transcending the old patterns. But since they were familiar, and successful in our old form, we resist discarding them.

Eventually, the effect of the butterfly's journey allows it to climb free and rest. Spreading its wings for the first time, energy flows through them and they expand, finally ready to carry the butterfly on the breeze. Soon we feel confident with our new self, and like the butterfly, we fly free, a living jewel fluttering about the skies in the great expanse.

And finally the dress I will wear when I complete my transformation!

Another lesson from Nature

2011-01-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

Of all the startling images to have come out from the Queensland floods, this has to be the most unusual — a green frog hitching a ride on the back of a brown snake.

Computer technician Armin Gerlach was visiting friends in the flood-hit town of Dalby, located in the state's south-east, last week when he spotted the unlikely pair.

"I felt amazement, I just couldn’t believe it," Mr Gerlach told ninemsn.

Mr Gelach said a friend who had been affected by many floods told him animals often helped each other out during disasters.

"It's quite common when you have animals in floods or fires or disasters, they actually get together and don't do anything," he said.

"[My friend] has seen foxes and rabbits forget their hunting instincts during natural disasters," he said.

Mr Gelach said he and his friends were inspecting flood damage on the property, where waters had risen to about 47cm.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8195243/frog-hitches-ride-with-snake-to-flee-floods

Interview With God

2011-01-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

Iris anyone?

2011-01-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

This bag can be yours!

Fine American Artist

2011-01-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

Doing a Google search on my name just now I found the following listing and posting of my art under the title of Debra Clemente Fine American Artist.

The page featured my art web link, bio and lots of my art images properly titled.
That's a kick. Made me smile.

http://www.artistsandart.org/2010/02/debra-clemente-fine-american-artist.html

Truth be told

2011-01-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Excerpted from the writings of a Dominican Nun in Ireland

(Acts 17:28). Union with God is not something we have to acquire; God is already the ground of our being. ‘God is your being and what you are you are in God’ – as the author of the Book of Privy Counselling assures us. It is more a question of realising this in our lives and living out of the truth of this realisation.

For many years now I have been very taken with, and influenced by Ruth Burrow’s understanding of prayer and the mystical life. ( she is a contemplative Carmelite nun and writer) In her book, Essence of Prayer, she says:
‘The mystical life is the human person becoming more and more receptive to the inflowing of divine love, which as it enters, of necessity, purifies and transforms.’ – but the mystical life is not basically other than the Christian life, says our own Fr. Marie-Dominque Chenu OP.
In prayer, this emphasis on our participation through ‘ receiving’ leads to my own conviction that it is at the time of personal prayer when, as the psalmist instructs, we must try to: ‘Be still and know that I am God’ when our bodies become still and our minds become silent, through whatever means is helpful to us, -that God can achieve in us the greatest purification and transformation that is so necessary through the inflowing of divine love – as I quoted earlier ’the human person becoming more and more receptive to the inflowing of divine love which, as it enters, of necessity purifies and transforms’. In allowing ourselves just to ‘be’ there for God, - not doing anything, not ‘saying’ prayers or making petitions (good as this is but not at this particular time) – just being silently aware of God’s presence and allowing Him to heal us and love us - receiving this love passively and surrendering our whole being to this powerful, silent, hidden, secret action of God- this type of prayer, I firmly believe, is of vital importance in all our lives. Fidelity to it and persevering in it is, as Contemplatives, our greatest contribution to the preaching mission of the Order, the Church and the world.

St. John of the Cross’ says: ‘In contemplation the activity of the senses and of discursive reflection terminates and God alone is the agent who then speaks secretly to the solitary and silent soul. Even though the soul is not then doing anything, God is doing something in it.’

St. John of the Cross also says: ‘ that the journey towards union of the soul with God does not consist in consolations, delights and spiritual feelings but in the living death of the cross, sensory and spiritual, exterior and interior’ .

True prayer means wanting God not self. Our own documents on the Contemplative Life affirms this when it says: “ withdrawal from the world for the sake of leading a more intense life of prayer in solitude is nothing other than a very particular way of living and expressing the paschal mystery of Christ, which is death ordained towards resurrection” (Venite Seorsum 1)

The more we pray, the more time and commitment we give to being with God, the more we are purified within and this inevitably is painful. Direct contact with divine love is deeply disturbing. The love of God, all self-giving, confronts our terrified self-protecting, would-be self-reliant, autonomous self and this produces deep pain. Accepting and surrendering to this pain, this process of purification, by staying with God in prayer, is a tremendous challenge and a great grace. It would be all too easy to avoid this painful encounter by distracting ourselves by doing things, becoming involved in projects that are good in themselves, multiplying contacts, etc but to do that in our life, to avoid this stark encounter with God during this particular time of prayer, would be a form of escape, - that is how I see it.

Our own Meister Eckhart encourages us : ‘Do not waver from your emptiness’

Yes, prayer requires great poverty of spirit.

It is helpful to remember that prayer takes place at the deepest level of our person and escapes direct knowledge and indeed is beyond our understanding; therefore we can make no judgement about it. Where it takes place, in our deepest self is God’s holy domain and we have to trust it utterly to Him. This is one of the principal ways in which we surrender control.

We must be ready to believe that ‘nothingness’ is the presence of divine Reality; emptiness is a holy void that Divine Love is filling. We must give up wanting assurances either from within or without. The inflowing of God into our secret depths of its very nature must remain secret as John of the Cross tirelessly insists: ‘…. it happens secretly in darkness, hidden from the faculties….so hidden that the soul cannot speak of it.’ But its effect on our life as a whole will be marked – chiefly by growth in love and selflessness.

On this subject of love Fr Anselm Moynihan OP has written; ‘The contemplative life is truly par excellence the vocation of love, that which gives the highest expression to our love for God and at the same time provides the greatest stimulus to the increase of that love. That is why it is so vital to the Church, for it nourishes the very heart of the Church, the life-spring of all its work of bearing witness to God’s glory and saving the souls of men.’

http://www.dominicansinteractive.com/articles-dominican/59-our-preaching-story

my favorite things Julia says

2011-01-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Julia is my great niece who will be three in March.

Julia: "I just need to eat all of my food so that I can have Zert."
Ryan: "What kind of dessert do you want?"
Julia: "Vanilla."
Ryan: "Vanilla what?"
Julia: "Vanilla PLEASE".
Ryan was expecting Julia to say vanilla ice cream, which she helped pick out at the grocery store.

Julia, in addition to being short tempered, is going through a "Pink and Purple" phase. Everything has to be pink or purple, ideally both. If you ask her what she dreamed about, she'll say, "I dreamed about pink and purple." If you ask her what she wants to eat, she'll say, "Ahh... pink and purple?"

Julia, at dinner: "When I grow big and tall, I have wine."

At breakfast, Julia said, "Mommy, can you say cheers?" She then clinked her sippy cup against Jen's water glass. Jen was pretty surprised and asked Julia how she knew to do this. Julia said, "At Libby and Sara's party, we say 'CHEERS!'" Ryan later told Jen that he had taught Julia how to say Cheers.

Julia: "Daddy, do you like tights?" Ryan: "Yes, but I don't get to wear them that often."

This morning Julia said, "I'm going to marry kleine Maus and Jason will marry my cousin." We've been hearing a lot about marriage lately.

We've been hearing the word "stinky" too much today and it's growing a bit old. Please bring back the "It's gonna be my birthday!" Another new addition to Julia's speech is the word "maybe." If you ask her if she can do something, she will sometimes answer "maybe" in response.

Dying to Live

2011-01-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

WHEN DEATH VISITS . . .
Death is a lonely visitor. After it visits your home, nothing is ever the same again. There is an empty place at the table; there is an absence in the house. Having someone close to you die is an incredibly strange and desolate experience. Something breaks within you then that will never come together again. Gone is the person whom you loved, whose face and hands and body you knew so well. This body, for the first time, is completely empty. This is very frightening and strange. After the death many questions come into your mind concerning where the person has gone, what they see and feel now. The death of a loved one is bitterly lonely. When you really love someone, you would be willing to die in their place. Yet no one can take another’s place when that time comes. Each one of us has to go alone. It is so strange that when someone dies, they literally disappear. Human experience includes all kinds of continuity and discontinuity, closeness and distance. In death, experience reaches the ultimate frontier. The deceased literally falls out of the visible world of form and presence. At birth you appear out of nowhere, at death you disappear to nowhere. . . . The terrible moment of loneliness in grief comes when you realize that you will never see the deceased again. The absence of their life, the absence of their voice, face, and presence become something that, as Sylvia Plat says, begins to grow beside you like a tree.

DEATH TRANSFIGURES OUR SEPARATION . . .
It is a strange and magical fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a world at your fingertips outside you. It is an immense privilege, and it is incredible that humans manage to forget the miracle of being here. Rilke said, “Being here is so much.” It is uncanny how social reality can deaden and numb us so that the mystical wonder of our lives goes totally unnoticed. We are here. We are wildly and dangerously free. The more lonely side of being here is our separation in the world. When you live in a body you are separate from every other object and person. Many of our attempts to pray, to love, and to create are secret attempts at transfiguring that separation in order to build bridges outward so that others can reach us and we can reach them. At death, this physical separation is broken. The soul is released from its particular and exclusive location in this body. The soul then comes in to a free and fluent universe of spiritual belonging.

DEATH AS AN INVITATION TO FREEDOM . . .
If you really live your life to the full, death will never have power over you. It will never seem like a destructive, negative event. It can become, for you, the moment of release into the deepest treasures of your own nature; it can be your full entry into the temple of your soul. If you are able let go of things, you learn to die spiritually in little ways during your life. When you learn to let go of things, a greater generosity, openness, and breath comes into your life. Imagine this letting go multiplied a thousand times at the moment of your death. That release can bring you a completely new divine belonging.

More than we realize.

2011-01-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

"There is an unseen life that dreams us; it knows our true direction and destiny. We can trust ourselves more than we realize, and we need have no fear of change." John O’Donohue

Soul Friend

2011-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

The words of John O’Donohue:

In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the “soul friend.” In the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the “friend of your soul.” The Celtic understanding did not set limitations of space or time on the soul. There is no cage for the soul. The soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other. This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship. In his Conferences, John Cassian says this bond between friends is indissoluble: “This, I say, is what is broken by no chances, what no interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death itself cannot part.”

In everyone’s life, there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul.

- John O’Donohue
http://www.johnodonohue.com/books
http://being.publicradio.org/programs/john_odonahue/

The Prayer of Saint Francis

2011-01-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is discord, harmony;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light, and

Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved
as to love; for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

Christ's message is for all

2011-01-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

"Have faith in God. The Lord is our God. Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and all thy soul, and all thy mind, and all thy strength. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The love of God manifests in the love of man." This is the central teaching of Jesus.

Christ's message has always been: "Love thy neighbour as thyself". He said: "The Kingdom of Heaven is within thee. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Be not anxious. Seek ye first His Kingdom. Everything will be added unto thee". He was the way, the truth and the light, for all men to follow.

Christmas is a state of spiritual awakening. To realize the Kingdom of Heaven within yourself, to hold communion with the Lord in the chambers of your heart, to regain your lost divinity, to attain Christ-consciousness or cosmic consciousness, to love all, to include all in the warm embrace of your love is real Christmas.

Realize the spirit of Christ. Walk in the footprints of Christ. Dive deep into the heart of Jesus. Ever seek to express, in your daily life, love, joy and peace. Imbibe Christ's message of love and sacrifice. Manifest the latent Christ within you. Follow the Sermon on the Mount. Attain God-consciousness. Live in the spirit of Christ's teachings. Annihilate this little self-arrogating personality and melt yourself in Christ or the Universal Soul. This is real Christmas.

Real Christmas never comes and goes. It is eternal. Feel the spirit of Christmas not only on one day, but throughout the year. Every day is a Christmas day for a real follower of Christ, for a thirsting aspirant. May you all walk the path that Jesus laid out! May you all be living embodiments of the Sermon on the Mount! May you realize the Kingdom of God within you here and now!

By SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA's writing of LORD JESUS http://www.dlshq.org/saints/jesus.htm

HAVE FUN

2011-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

That's all.
Just have fun.
Isn't that enough?

New word of the day

2011-01-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

As I was spell checking my last post, I was informed by word authorities via the internet that no such word as VERBAGE existed. Can you imagine that? The only option one has is VERBAGE which is meant to be used as an insulting reference to one's writing or speech that uses an excess of fluffy words to make a point. As it has been my experience, more than a time or two that the word VERBIAGE does not meet my verbal needs I have taken it upon myself to officially coin the word the world has been waiting for.
Ta da! I give the world a new word: VERBAGE.

verb·age - noun
1. wording

ver·bi·age - noun
1. wordiness

Let's be nice

2011-01-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

an·tag·o·nist

– noun A person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent; adversary.

Today I caught myself. I really do work at the judgemental thing but often find myself offering unsought advice in what I deem a creative way of correcting. Correcting what? Correcting whatever I have judged as wrong. Immediately after such clever verbage spouted from my mouth today I was reprimanded by the small still voice.

"Don't be the antagonist."

"Huh, what? Who me antagonist?" The image that popped into my head was of an ugly villain character being booed of the stage of a melodrama. "Me as the bad guy? Huh." The words gave me pause to think.

Life is not supposed to be a battle. After all we are all really on the same team though few see it that way. For sure most would agree that people living in the same household and particularly ones that have taken a vow of forever togetherness should understand they are to act as a team. I wasn't being a team player though. I was looking for and finding fault when I should have either kept quite or found something to praise.

"If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all." my Mother often told me. Words for the wise. God give me this wisdom please.

Elevate your thoughts

2011-01-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

Take Time

Think what you want.

Want the best for all.

Think higher.

Think better.

Think bigger.

Think bolder.

Think kinder.

Think gentler.

Think above.

Think beyond.

Then give thanks.

Thanks for everything.

Desire higher.

2011-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

HEAVEN #3689 Great Intentions, December 31, 2010

We can have anything We want. The fact is, the world appears according to the thoughts in the world. Understand the mettle of your thoughts, and desire more, and desire higher.

Unless the world is the way you want it, you haven’t desired enough. Desire more. Set the intention of the world. Point the rudder. The world can only be what you say it can. Say that the world is beautiful, God-serving, generous, kind, loving, and that’s what the world will be. The world is what you say. The world will be as you say. You are the limit-setter, or you are the one who raises the bar.

Start now

2011-01-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Supreme power of God is called ‘Divine love.’ A spark of that love lies dormant in the depths of every human heart. Through a practical process of meditation, chanting, and remembrance, the power of divine love is enlivened and in this way, the Blissfulness of the Divine name dawns in the mind and remains in the mind all the time. This is divine love consciousness.

Dedicate yourself to loving, Gracious God, He will take care of you, and in the end He will come to you in His Divine personified form. Just start something: cry for Him, cry for His Grace, for His Love alone. That will purify your heart and put positive imprints on your mind and move you towards the path of dedication. In this way a devotee or any person who determines to find God understands that this life is a golden chance to find the love of God. It can start any time he desires to. Your time is passing. Every moment...what is gone is gone. It will never come back. Start now.

http://www.barsanadham.org/eternal-article.html

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

2011-01-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

A hymn written by Charles Wesley, 1747, Music by John Zundel, 1870

Listen to the Music

Love divine, all loves excelling,

joy of heaven, to earth come down;

fix in us thy humble dwelling;

all thy faithful mercies crown!

Jesus thou art all compassion,

pure, unbounded love thou art;

visit us with thy salvation;

enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit

into every troubled breast!

Let us all in thee inherit;

let us find that second rest.

Take away our bent to sinning;

Alpha and Omega be;

end of faith, as its beginning,

set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,

let us all thy life receive;

suddenly return and never,

nevermore thy temples leave.

Thee we would be always blessing,

serve thee as thy hosts above,

pray and praise thee without ceasing,

glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation;

pure and spotless let us be.

Let us see thy great salvation

perfectly restored in thee;

changed from glory into glory,

till in heaven we take our place,

till we cast our crowns before thee,

lost in wonder, love, and praise.

One Love For All

2010-12-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

This most wonderful gift of Divine Love is still available to each of us. I believe every declared Saint had it. I also believe we can each gain the same graces the Saint's were bestowed with and become Saints as well.

The Spirit of Gertrude excerpts from Book

It must be observed here, that the soul is purified from the stain of sin principally in two manners : first, by the bitterness of penance, which is represented under the figure of a bath; and secondly, by the sweet embrace of Divine love, which is figured by the garden.

JESUS CHRIST once appeared to the Saint, and, showing her His Heart, said to her: " My beloved, give Me your heart:" and as she presented it to Him with profound respect, it seemed to her that He united it to His by a canal which reached to the ground, through which He poured forth abundantly the effusions of His infinite grace, saying to her : " Henceforth I shall use your heart as a canal through which I will pour forth the impetuous torrents of mercy and consolation which flow from My loving Heart on all those who shall dispose themselves to receive it, by having recourse to you with humility and confidence."

Two angels of the choir of Seraphim then presented her to the Holy Spirit, who penetrated the three powers of her soul. At the first Kyrie eleison, He illuminated her reason with the glorious light of Divine knowledge, that she might always know His will perfectly. At the second Kyrie eleiscn, He strengthened the irascible* part of her soul to resist all the machinations of her enemies, and to conquer every evil. At the last Kyrie eleison, He inflamed her love, that she might love God with her whole heart, with her whole soul, and with her whole strength.

Saint Gertrude gains the grace of Divine Love

2010-12-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

I have been on a mission. A mission from God. I am seeking to connect the dots between the special graces I have received with the bestowal of God's Divine Love and the paths and practices of the Church declared Saints.

This information just arrived. How exciting. It has been said so many ways but it is the same truth. Hidden in plain sight. The wonderful mystical gift of God's Divine Love. Saint Gertrude understands this special grace much the same as I. There is a difference she notes between the ordinary love and this special bestowal of love from God's Divine Heart. The most Sacred Heart. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door will be opened.

Just below is an excerpt from the book Spirit of St. Gertude and following it is the book online.

SPIRIT OF SAINT GERTRUDE
CHAPTER X.
OF A MYSTIC TUBE BY WHICH WE MAY DRAW EVERY GRACE FROM THE HEART OF JESUS.

The Lord appeared to St. Gertrude, full of sweetness and grace, breathing forth a holy vivifying odour, and pouring forth from the august throne of His glory the influences of His love for the sweet Feast of His Nativity.

Then, the Saint having prayed Him to enrich all who had been recommended to her prayers with special grace, He said to her : " I have given to each a tube of pure gold; of which such is the virtue, that by it they may draw forth all they need from my Sacred Heart." By this mystic tube she understood that good will by which men may acquire all the spiritual riches which are in heaven and on earth. For example: if any one, burning with the fire of pure and holy desires, endeavours to give God as much thanks and praise, and as many testimonies of service and fidelity as certain of His saints have rendered to Him, the infinite goodness of God regards this good will as if it had really been effected. But this tube becomes more brilliant than gold when men thank God for having given them so noble and elevated a will, that they might have acquired infinitely greater advantages by it than the whole world could bestow. She knew, also, that all her sisters who surrounded Jesus Christ received Divine grace by similar tubes. Some appeared to receive it directly from the Heart of Jesus Christ, others from His Hands; but the further from His Heart they drew these graces, the more difficulty they had in obtaining them; whereas those who drew them from His Divine Heart obtained them more easily, more sweetly, and more abundantly. Those who drew directly from His Sacred Heart represented those persons who conform themselves entirely to the Divine will, who desire above all things that this will should be accomplished in them, both in regard to spirituals and temporals. And these persons touch the Heart of God so powerfully, and render it so favourable to them at the time that God has determined, that they receive the torrent of Divine sweetness with as much abundance and pleasure as they have abandoned themselves perfectly to His holy will. But those who endeavoured to draw their graces from the other members of the Body of Jesus Christ, represent those persons who endeavour to acquire virtue according to their natural inclinations; and the fear and difficulty they experience is proportionate to the extent to which they have relied on their own judgment, and have failed to abandon themselves to Divine Providence.

A few things I've learned this year

2010-12-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

I don't need everything I have.
I have everything I need.
___________________________________________

Whatever I do I need to do it with an attitude of loving grace.The best attitude to have as I approach anything and everything I do is is enthusiastic joy but even if I may not be overjoyed (can one really be overjoyed?) about a task I can approach it with a smile and often end up find joy in the experience. Then there are those things that appear as drudgery those not so fun things that we all have to get done. An attitude of acceptance is all that is required here. Most likely as the task nears completion my attitude will again be joyful as I can cross that once dreaded item of my list. Now here is the biggest lesson of all for me, if I can't find a way to be at minimal accepting of a situation I won't do it not at all. At least not then.

Doing "good" while thinking "bad" is not good for anyone. Instead I'll work my attitude about it. Seeking to find some acceptance of the situation and so I will be able to neutrally deal with it. If I can't do that I'll either skip it and forget it or hire it out or hand it on. I now understand that attitude is really everything and if I approach anything with any bit negativity, I am doing more harm than good. I have found that putting myself and keeping myself in the right frame of mind is important work in its self.
___________________________________________

It takes two to tango and two to tangle.
It really does. Just because someone throws something at me doesn't mean I have to catch it and throw it right back. I've learned it's more fun and quite satisfying to have the self control to let things bounce off of me and with a thud hit the ground. Such a non reaction reaction is often unsettling to the other who began "the game". It's like playing fetch once with a dog. If the dog fails to bring the ball back then the game is over.

A note of thanks

2010-12-30T13:36:00.002-08:00

My kitty Harry is so loving. He just gives and gives to me. No judgment. Just pure love. Yes, I do believe what our pets give to us is love. Love in its purest form. Selfless love, from their pure spirit.

Animals don’t have egos. Thank God. I really mean that. Thank you Glorious Creator for not giving the animals of this world a sense of self. Thank you for not installing the door as you did in humans. I’m talking about the door we as humans have to knock on to access our God qualities, the door we can only fully open when we put aside our self and become selfless.

Thank you for creating all of your other creatures as selfless beings. Their selfless love shows us “thinkers” that we don’t have to be “stinkers” and that there is a better more fulfilling way to live and give.

My Thoughts

2010-12-30T13:36:00.001-08:00

The true movers and shakers of this world have all had to have a deeper connection with the POWER – THE ONE which is in all and thus available to all. Amazing feats of science, art, music and other innovations never came from anyone’s little mind. They originate in DIVINE MIND, whether the individual is aware of this fact or not.

When an individual opens oneself to SOURCE as a free flowing conduit, the amazing is possible. But when one begins to understand the source of the POWER and the laws that guide and direct it, a miraculous life is lived.

Living somewhere between the two, between the ecstasy of creative expression and the agony of real life is the cycle that has caused many a creative genius to insanity! There seems to be no midpoint here. A creative genius either plays the part of martyr or saint, depending on his own self-realization, as a result of soul searching.

As an artist, a creative genius, I can tell the world that one of my kind has plenty of time to soul search, to contemplate. We live in our own little worlds of our imaginations. Trying our best to keep up with the flow of new ideas. Lot’s of time in solitude is necessary to create. We ponder and pause. Stepping back from the rush of the world.

I know for myself that for many years the only time I felt “whole” was when I was painting. I now understand that being “in the flow” was the reason, the reason for my joy, the reason for my feelings of health and peace.

At one time I told my father that all I really wanted to do was paint. Painting was my drug, my escape. I still have my painting but now I have more, so much more. I have a full life of joy. The same flow that I once only knew while standing at my easel now directs my entire life. The more I understand it, the more I am comfortable to release my grip on life and instead go with the flow.

I can see it but I don’t have to be it.

2010-12-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

Some say I’m in denial. Some say I need to realize. Realize the awful condition of the world. Realize how bad things are. Some say this to me in response to my general positive disposition and outlook on life. What I realize is that I have the power to create my reality. I have the power to change what it is to what I desire it to be. I do this by focusing my desires and planting seeds of joyful thoughts in the cosmos.

My reality is very real. I pretend, as I intend, what I do tend. I live in a wonderful place, a joyful soul. As a joyful soul I can be physically anywhere and be content. I’ve been living this way for sometime now and can tell you truly it’s not all talk. Something happens, a real shift, spiritual, mental and physical, gradual but continual, accelerating and exhilarating.

I realize the power of my words. I realize the power of what I give attention too. I realize that whatever I focus on becomes my reality. So I look for and celebrate the good. I deny power to any other thoughts.

Yes, I live in denial. It’s a wonderful place. Come visit sometime. I bet you’ll want to stay.

Composers- Poets - Painters - Sages - Saints - Inventors - Philosophers

2010-12-30T13:35:00.001-08:00

I understand why certain people of the past and are celebrated in our history for their deeds and words, were known for carrying and constantly writing in their small personal journals. These men and women were drawn to record and take note of the incessant stream of inspiration that flowed to and through them.

I have the same responsibility, as Divine Wisdom flows to me. It trickles in actually. The more I record and express it by my words and my art the more I am given. I believe that as I have shown willingness to listen, heed, share and record, I have been entrusted with more and more to give, as more is given to me.

I find that I cannot be with out a journal. Such as the noise of this inspiration demands to be acknowledged as such. Much the same as I have been drawn to express through my paintings. When I have expressed an idea, I am allowed to move on and move up the ladder. Is it Jacob’s ladder? I think of the song. “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder... Every round goes higher, higher… soldiers of the cross”.

Words have power

2010-12-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

Although I knew I wasn’t helping myself by thinking of it, I couldn’t seem to drop the words from my mind, the words of another. Something said off the cuff that he most likely did not give another thought to. He didn’t need to, because I did.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That little jingle easily rolls off my tongue. I wish that hurtful words thrown my way would never stick. “I am rubber, you are glue! Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks on you!” I know all this. I know that another’s words can only hurt me if they become mine when I repeat them in my mind. Oh, how I didn’t want them to become mine.

This made me think beyond myself, beyond the hurtful words, which I had heard only one time from the other. How many hurtful words are thrown carelessly in another’s direction? Often in the direction of those we love the most. Those words have the most potential to stick, the most potential to cause real damage. Maybe they were only said once but if not taken back they most often stick forever in the head and heart of the other. Playing like a broken record, repeating again and again in one’s mind.

Words do have power, even thoughtless words. Because I understand this I knew I could not keep them. If I kept the words they would become mine. “NO! I DON’T WANT THIS! HELP ME,” I pleaded, “TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!”

“DO NOT REPEAT IT MY PRECIOUS”

These very words came to my mind. Words of instruction. Words of love and words of endearment. Words I have never heard before. Words that I repeated again and again all today in my mind.

“MY PRECIOUS. DO NOT REPEAT IT MY PRECIOUS”

These words came not from me but to me, from a higher consciousness, my higher self, from a place of pure love, from God. I hear this voice quite often, this small still voice, which speaks of comfort, direction, wisdom and most of all love. No, the voice was not mine. I am certain of this. The words were not mine, not in the beginning.

“MY PRECIOUS”

What a loving term of endearment. For as much love I have known as a daughter, wife and mother I do not recall ever calling anyone or nor anyone calling me “my precious”.

“MY PRECIOUS, MY PRECIOUS, MY PRECIOUS”

As I repeat these lovely words again and again to myself tears run down my face. Warmth fills my chest and I am rapt in Divine Love. God love me this I know, because the small still voices tells me so.

“MY PRECIOUS, MY PRECIOUS, MY PRECIOUS”

These words are mine. I claim them. I keep them. I hold them dear. God’s love is for us all. I am not a chosen one. I am one who has chosen God.

I've been entrusted

2010-12-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

My big sister Donna loving me, little Debbie.

God has entrusted me with this body. I am to love and care for it. I am to believe in it. I am to be it's advocate, it's cheerleader and it's caregiver. It is mine for now.

We as human beings often treat our pets and possessions better than we treat our own bodies. We will be sure to regularly change the oil in our cars and fill it's tank with premium fuel, and yet deny our own personal transportation package the same care and attention.

I'm changing my outlook on this bit by bit. I am loving my body. Loving my body as I love a child. Children, body and soul are easy to recognise as gifts of God. As parents we innately understand that we are responsible for their care. We treat them gently, lovingly and pridefully. It's God's plan that each generation cares for it's young. Bestowing on them so much love and tender care and thus self worth that each child of God will then continue this care of themselves into adulthood.

There is still very much a child inside each one of us that needs to feel this love and attention. This child lives inside a body that still needs all the TLC, tender loving care, it can get. Now it's my responsibility to care for the body and spirit of this wonderful child of God whom I am.

When I think of my body and spirit as being under my care and as a child, I think differently about them. I am more patient with myself and I love myself, body and soul.

WILL POWER

2010-12-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

Only for a moment.

The gift of will power is given only to humans. Dog's don't have it. Think about it. Do you think a dog who resists snapping up a table scrap does such by any element of self control? No way! It's all a matter of conditioning and training.

Will power goes so very far beyond the common concept of self control. Not long ago I only understood the term to mean the ability to control one's own desires. The power to resist temptations of sensual pleasure. That concept of will power only goes so far and often seems quite unlike a power source but a constant battle. One battle of the will after another. Even within one's own being.

I am now coming to the understanding that each of our own wills is our source of power. A very real source of power that works as simply this statement. Whatever one wills one creates. That power is given to each of us by our creator. It's a power of choice.

We each have the power to choose our own way or God's way. It never has been a matter of a select few being God's chosen people. God has already chosen each of us by the mere fact of our creation and he created each of us with the power of choice. The power to recongnise choices and choose.

God does not force his will upon us. He is always here waiting to be found, acknowledged and chosen. It feels very special to be chosen doesn't it? It is. God wants to be chosen as well. God wants his love to be our source of power. He wants to pour his Divine Love into our very being. So that each of his children are filled with his power and have a radiant joy for life. Overflowing with his love. Spilling Divine Love out of them wherever they go and upon whomever they meet.

This Divine Love is God's gift available to each repentant heart, each selfless soul who thirsts for closeness to the father, who falls onto his knees surrendering his own will to God asking for God and his Divine Love to come into his heart-soul-spirit and fill his very being.

God is always here, always connected to each of us. It's like a direct phone line where God is the operator always on call. He's always online waiting to assist. Live Chat. It's up to each of us to pick up the phone, answer the call, ask for direction. We have to say that we want to be connected. We have to ask for help. We have to admit we can't do it alone. Then we need to shut up. Be quiet. Be still and listen. Listen to the quiet still voice within.We have to shut out the world and open to the universe. The abundant universe of possibility.We have to accept God's guidance and act only when inspired. Inspired action is following God's will given from within. It's a knowing, an urge. Impromptu action that just feels right. Without thought, you feel your way. Feel the good. Feel God. Feel God's will become your will.

When one's will is according to God's will good is created for all. When one truly surrenders his own will to God and asks that God work through him, "Thy will be done", life flows wonderfully. Gone is the constant inner battle of controlling one's own will.

The right path is shown. Daily bread is given. Green pastures appear. Trespasses are not counted. No evil is feared. God's name is hallowed. Love flows freely. Temptation ceases to exist. Thy kingdom comes. Thy will is done.

I pray again today that Thy will be done through me on earth as it is in heaven. So be it.

Live in Love

2010-12-29T14:05:00.000-08:00

Love is always present.
Love is never lost.
Love can not be wasted.
Love is enough.
There is enough love.
Find love everywhere.
Share your love.
The love you share is shared with you.

The "W" in Christmas

2010-12-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

A heart warming Christmas story

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a 6 year old.

For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.

Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in 10 minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W."

The audience of first through sixth graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W."

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

A wonderful story

2010-12-12T17:49:00.000-08:00

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Drop it like a hot potato!

2010-12-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

Something in the news tonight riled me up! I was all set to leave a comment on the story where I saw it online. I was going to say that news like that didn't need to be reported. Because that is exactly what the people written about wanted. Publicity. Making something bigger out of something not good in the beginning. Adding energy a negative in our world. Then I was pulled back and almost gasp. I was about to do the same. My rant would have fueled the fire. A fire that has raged too long. My comments would only stoke the fire.

So instead I choose to read a HeavenLetter. Below is the beginning of the letter I read.

God said:

You like what you like, and you don’t like what you don’t like. That is fair enough. What you like, however, matters. What you don’t like, let it go. Carry on. Let go of the bygones. Don’t carry them. Do not put your nose up in the air about what you don’t like. In terms of life, what you don’t like isn’t important. What you don’t like is only what you don’t like. Don’t complain. Move over to what you do like.

To keep reading this letter click this link

SEE GOOD SEE GOD