Gratitude Journal • Abundance
by Letha Kiddie •
Try to Do Your Best!
~ by Jesse McCaughey ~
There’s a song from my college days by Ben Harper that I really liked. It talked about doing your best. The first two verses went like this:
If you’re gonna live, live it up, and if you’re gonna give, then give it up.
If you’re gonna walk the earth, then walk it proud,
And if you’re gonna say the word, you’ve got to say it loud.
If you’re gonna build a house, make it a home
If you’re gonna pull some weight, then pull your own.
If you’re gonna help, man, just reach out your hand,
And if you’re getting up, then take a stand.
The moral of the song is that you don’t want to do things halfway; you’ve got to go all the way and put everything you have into it. If you’re going to spend the time doing even what may be considered a menial job, you might as well do a good job.
It’s the small stuff that matters. It’s easy to want to do things well that you’re interested in, but like the song says, your life is everything that you do, and it pays to try your best with everything.
I thought about why it’s important to try your best even at things like cleaning your room, and the answer I came up with was that when you try to do your best, you have the best possibility of a positive result, and the great thing about positive results is that they make you feel good.
Beyond that, they’re kind of reminders, large and small, that your true Self is limitless, and can accomplish great things. The real you, that cruises around in your body and gets to live and touch and smell things, has eternal wisdom, and the power to manifest heaven on earth.
God is in you and everywhere. I like to focus on that, and besides being everywhere, everyone can find their own prayer within themselves each day, and live according to that.
Coax God to Come Sit with You
by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder •
It is said that Jesus encouraged his disciples to follow him to an upper chamber. He was not speaking of an upper chamber in a house, but of the region of the great higher brain with its dual hemispheres that we are all wearing right now. This miraculous upper chamber was created for God to inhabit with us—for Christ consciousness to dwell in. When awakened it can comprehend the drift and design that projects and sustains this whole creation. How do we gain access to this great brain in the upper chamber?
Through meditation the descending baptism of illuminating fire enters in through the crown of our heads and bathes and nourishes our great higher brain. We can open up to God’s message and divine will through meditation by coaxing and asking that cosmic light to enter into us.
Through meditation you become aware of the dual forces that created us. The masculine force descends through the crown of the head to our beating hearts. The feminine force descends to the base of the spine, wrapping us in a cocoon of light. It then arises to meet the waiting groom in the bridal chamber of the heart. It is here that the dual forces of Spirit create a greater consciousness, a divine Being within us. It is the Christ child awakened and brought forth from our soul. This is the Immaculate Conception!
As this Christ child grows within us, we are able to live a virtuous life. We are able to see our virtuous desires, projected for the good of the world, materialize before our eyes.
Inward from the temples, behind the root of the nose and down from the opening on the crown of the head is the pituitary center. This is the throne of God within us. This is where we sit with the Light of Consciousness, the Christ, I Am That I Am, our Divine Mother and Father. We look out with these two eyes upon the world and are able to say, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” Within us, the divine will directs our lives and directs that divine birth within our souls. This is salvation.
Keep the door on the crown of the head open twenty-four hours a day. Coax God to come in and sit with you in the upper chamber. It is the most blessed thing you can ever experience. All wisdom, knowledge, love and understanding will come to you. Rejoice and know that God is waiting to enter into you if you but seek it, if you but ask.
Discipline yourself to go twice a day, each morning and evening, programming your great brain with the things our world needs, works that you can accomplish in your own unique way. What a wonderful thing to be guided as you walk through life! I thank God every day for leading me to this knowledge, this truth, this love.
A Radiant Inspiration
by Sandy Anderson •
God consciousness has been the essence of Sunburst’s and my studies for many years. I’ve been so very grateful for the chance to read the words of illumined masters and beautiful poets like Yogananda who wrote fabulous, inspirational works. Here is a beautiful description of Yogananda’s experience with God-illumination. It portrays his absolute awe of Divine Spirit:
ˆ“With open eyes I behold myself as the little body. With closed eyes, I perceive myself as the cosmic center around which revolves the spheres of eternity, the sphere of bliss, the sphere of omniscient living space. I feel the Lord like a gentle breath of bliss, breathing in my body of universes. I perceive him shining through the bright twinkles of all luminosity and through the waves of cosmic consciousness. I behold Him as the light of solar inspiration, holding the luminaries of my thoughts and the rhythms of balance.
“I feel Him as a bursting voice, leading, guiding, teaching secretly in the soul temples of all men and women. He is the fountain of wisdom and a radiant inspiration, flowing through all souls. He is the fragrance from the incense vase of all hearts. He is a garden of celestial blossoms and bright thought-flowers. He is the love that inspires our dreams. I feel Him percolating through my heart, as through all hearts, through the pores of the earth, through the sky, through all created things. He is the eternal motion of joy. He is the mirror of silence in which all creation is reflected.”
The greatest joy, for me and for so many, has been to go beyond reading the words that others have written, into the experience of God itself. His joy, His incredible love, and that amazing fulfillment that you feel from His presence and His blessing is beyond the realization of any other desire. It fulfills every cell of one’s body and every cell of one’s being. That fulfillment is beyond reading or talking or listening to others. It is direct inspiration and direct communion with the living Spirit…and that’s why we meditate. God illumination is the greatest ecstasy that there is, and therefore the greatest goal of our lives.
Divine Spirit,
We are so grateful for your loving presence.
You bring the love that heals and nurtures us,
that enlightens and inspires us.
For you are Father and Mother,
and the Sacred Child that lives within each of us.
Thank you for blessing us, for shining your light,
for inspiring us, and for giving us life.
Amen
Finding Balance
by Letha Kiddie •
I love the equinoxes and solstices, time posts of the Earth’s sacred cycles. The equinoxes bring us equal days and nights, reminding us to strive for balance in our lives, and reminding us of the cosmic forces always at work. We especially see this in nature, as Mother Earth strives to keep her elements in check, trying to balance the actions of mankind. Equinoxes are also a signpost of change ahead, leading to either an expansion or a contraction of light and warmth. It gives us time to prepare both physically and emotionally for a shift whether we are conscious of it or not.
These ancient cycles are no longer honored outwardly for their gifts and importance in our lives, but their messaging to our subtle bodies still affects us. If we slow down our frenetic pace we can glimpse something very sweet as the seasons change and bring us a gift. Fall brings us the brilliant colors before the leaves fall from the trees and the abundance of the late harvest. Spring brings us the birds returning to build their nests and the bright colors of early flowers.
Humans have been given the responsibility of balancing their desires with their awe of and gratitude for the natural world, as well as a responsibility to help maintain its delicate balance. We have been named caretakers of the world we live in, including finding balance in our bodies, our homes, and in the communities we build. As we celebrate the changing of the season, let us reflect on the current balance of our lives and adjust accordingly.
