Entries Tagged 'Spirituality' ↓

One of my favorite comedians is Jim Gaffigan who has a funny routine about the virgin birth saying it would be great to overhear the conversation where Mary explained to Joseph that she was pregnant and Joseph wasn’t the father:

Mary: Joseph.
Joseph: Yeah?
Mary: Yeah, um, ya know how we’ve never made love?
Joseph: YEAH?
Mary: Yeah, um, anyway, last night an angel visited me…and now I’m pregnant.
Joseph: Jesus Christ!
Mary: Oh, you already know about it.

Of course it’s on YouTube and the full video of Jim Gaffigan doing this routine about the virgin birth and Mary, Joseph and Jesus during his Beyond the Pale Tour is below.

But I want to use this as a starting point for a discussion about what exactly the virgin birth is and what it really means. Most people are extremely confused about this and just accept on faith that Jesus was literally conceived without Mary and Joseph having sex. But how can that be? For a human being to be born there needs to be a coming together of a man and woman, right?

Of course! As I’ve written about in Bible: Literal or Figurative, much of the Bible should be understood figuratively. The virgin birth has has nothing to do with Jesus’ literal physical conception. It has to do with His spiritual birth. The spirit, or soul, is “born” into this lifetime, not of a man and woman, but of the One, God. When One brings forth another One then in a sense it’s a virgin birth. God gave birth to the soul and the soul gave birth to the human being.

The allegory of a virgin birth is not unique to Jesus. It is found in many traditions, most relevantly in Mithras, Romulus and Remus, as outlined in this list of virgin births. I think that is it another of the many things that were carried over from the former beliefs of the pagans and gentiles to incorporate them into the growing Christian fold

As promised, here’s the YouTube video of Jim Gaffigan on the virgin birth during his Beyond the Pale comedy tour:

Yesterday’s Catholic Gospel reading was the Beatitudes, or True Happiness, from the first part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I think that these beatitudes are a source of great confusion to many. The overall misunderstanding is that they are directed at the poor, downtrodden and underprivileged (i.e. the “have nots”) and they give them the impression that says, ‘don’t worry about your pathetic lot in life, you’ll get yours in heaven after you die. Also, the people who are rich, comfortable and priviledged (i.e. the “haves”) will not get theirs in heaven’. Of course this impression is entirely wrong. The beatitudes are a guide to true happiness for everyone.

Two items to understand about the beatitudes are; what a beatitude is and what the rewards for following them are. Beatitude is Latin for happiness or blessedness and it indicates a certain inner contentedness or joy no matter what your life circumstances are. The beatitudes then are a list of the qualities and conditions needed to be truly happy and aligned with the divine plan. Your reward for striving to express each divine quality is, therefore, true happiness and a deep sense of joy. The second half of each beatitude, which state that you’ll get the kingdom of heaven or land, that you’ll be comforted or satisfied, or that you’ll see God, are all different ways of saying this.

The following are each of the beatitudes followed by the keynote struck by each and a brief commentary. Each commentary will attempt to address some of the confusion and then illustrate how the beatitude should be used as a guide to true happiness.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Authority. This shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that we’re supposed stay ignorant and confused about spirit. It indicates that while we are building our relationship with God, we’re to always remember His authority. This means that we don’t become attached to our desires for the things of this world, money, power, fame, etc. (although it’s OK to have these things) but that we always strive for what He thinks is important.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. - Wisdom. How could this be about wisdom when it seems clear that this is about those who are grieving over the loss of a loved one? Well mourning is to remember and this beatitude tells us to develop the wisdom to remember that God is all. We need to always look for the deeper spiritual meaning and broader divine perspective of everything that occurs in this world. For example, when someone dies it’s just their physical body that’s gone…their true self lives on.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. - Humility. This is easily misinterpreted to mean that we’re supposed to be wimpy and weak in the face of bullies and problems. This is entirely wrong. This beatitude is a continuation of the first two in that we are always to remain humble in terms of the personality’s (the human self) relationship to the soul (i.e. the spiritual self). Our spiritual growth begins with an understanding of who we are and once you know, you have to keep the human self humble so that it doesn’t take over the daily self-expression with greed, anger, bitterness and materialism.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. - Obedience. Righteousness is often misunderstood to mean a moral superiority associated with people who think that they’re “better than us”. However it simply means a dedication to following God’s will or plan. When understood this way, this beatitude reminds us to obey God’s will and plan. What is God’s will?

For more on this point see the free report Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life which you can get by Clicking Here…

It’s for us to express His love, compassion, peace, beauty, wisdom, joy, nobility, and productivity as much as possible everyday.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. - Compassion. This major confusion with this beatitude is to what degree we’re suppose to show compassion and forgive, particularly as related to the death penalty. Is it compassionate and merciful to execute a convicted murderer? Yes, it’s merciful to protect our society and allow that lifetime to move on rather than wallow unproductively in a prison for the remainder of his life. For all everyday life situations we are suppose to look to infuse our major and minor dealings with compassion, mercy and forgiveness.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. - Integrity. To be clean of heart is to be free of the things that pollute our heart - pettiness, jealousy, bitterness, depression and dishonesty. When we act with integrity in all we de we are whole (i.e. holy)…(remember your third-grade math class where you learned that an integer was a whole number?).

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Peace. This is also a big area of confusion. What is peace? Can we be peaceful and still go to war? Yes, being peaceful does not preclude going to war to protect yourself. It also doesn’t mean that you can’t be forceful or assertive in everyday life if the situation required it. However we are meant to express a certain peace and patience in our life which naturally follows as a result of the inner contentedness that comes from knowing our true nature.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. - Courage. This is a combined beatitude that echoes the earlier one about righteousness. However these beatitudes remind us, when following the divine plan, to sustain our strength and courage lest our petty selves and others drag us down into the morass of materialism.

Together the beatitudes are a guide to filling our lives with authority, wisdom, humility, obedience, compassion, integrity, peace and courage. Following them will make us truly happy and joyful!

George Bernard Shaw wrote the following sentence in a letter prefacing his book “Man and Superman: a Comedy and Philosophy” which can be used as a guide to living a meaningful, productive and joyful life:

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
George Bernard Shaw
Epistle Dedicatory to Arthur Bingham Walkley
“Man and Superman: a Comedy and a Philosophy”

The following is an elaboration on the four points that George Bernard Shaw makes to finding the true joy in life:

1. “Be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one” - This quote could easily be mistaken to mean that we should have some elaborate goals to save the world and unless we do we are worthless. This is not true. We are children of God who are here to express God’s divinity (as explained in Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life) and we should go about our lives with this in mind. We should infuse everything we do with joy, compassion, peace, love and wisdom. This is the “mighty purpose” which we should recognize.
2. “Be thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap” - We should be productive! However, again, this could be misunderstood to mean that we must be busy, busy, busy all day and collapse in exhaustion by nightfall. It’s good to be active and have things to do but realize that we’re divinely productive when we infuse whatever we do, even just conversing with others, with good cheer, goodwill, courage and beauty.
3. “Be a force of Nature” - This could be misconstrued to mean that we should run roughshod over people who get in the way of what we want to do. To be a force of Nature (notice that it’s with a capital “N”) is to be a person who is in control of themselves and has a higher perspective on life. This person is mature, wise, serene and joyful and understands the meaning of life.
4. Not be “a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy” - This is a continuation of the previous point and it emphasizes the idea that we need to learn how to control the impulses and desires of our lower self. Specifically we need to stop being petty, immature, greedy, self-centered, possessive, envious and jealous. We need to GROW UP and realize how wonderful life is no matter what our circumstances!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Today’s (9/29/07) Gospel reading is from Luke 16:19-31 and is Jesus’ story of the rich man and poor man who both die at the same time and the rich man goes to hell while the poor man goes to heaven. This parable reveals a great spiritual truth, however, because it’s usually interpreted superficially, it is terribly misunderstood and a source of great confusion.

In summary, the story is about a rich man who has a poor man named Lazarus living just outside his house but never gives him any food or help. They both die and Lazarus goes to heaven and sits besides Abraham and the rich man goes to the netherworld or hell. The rich man is able to see Lazarus and Abraham in heaven and asks for a drop of water but Abraham denies and tells him that during their lifetime he received what was good while Lazarus received what was bad. He then says that Lazarus is now comforted while the rich man is now tormented and that there is a great gap between them that can’t be crossed. The rich man then asks to send Lazarus to warn his family but this request is also denied.

The following are three incorrect assumptions that are often drawn from this parable and which lead to a lot misunderstanding:

1. God hates the rich. Of course this is incorrect and the idea of God hating anybody is ridiculous. The lesson here is that when you are emotionally and mentally “attached” to your possessions, you don’t understand what’s important. You’re suppose to be detached from all things of the material world, not only physical possessions but also base emotional and mental possessions such as superiority, depression, bigotry, anger, immaturity, pessimism, close-mindedness, lustfulness and fear. Ideally you align yourself with the “things” of spirit and when you do you can have all the material possessions you want but you won’t be attached to them and if you lost them you would be centered in your connection with spirit.
2. God loves the poor. Again the idea of God loving or hating a person and their financial status is ridiculous. There is no virtue in being poor. The issue is not what you have or don’t have but how you’re aligned with spirit. A poor man who is attached to a sense of self-rightousness or self-importance because he thinks it’s “spiritual” to be poor is as separate from spirit and will be as tormented as the rich man in Jesus’ parable. Further, to the extent that a person is poor due to being slothful, indifferent and lazy, he will also be separate and in torment because we’re intended to be productive and contribute to the growth of God’s humanity even if in a small way.
3. God won’t grant your requests if you get on His “bad side”. God doesn’t give Lazarus the two things he asks because, figuratively, Lazarus is distant from the divine due to his attachment to the material world and his lack of compassion toward Lazarus during their lifetimes. The gap is not closed by simply a direct giving of the requests rather Lazarus must make an effort to understand how to be generous, compassionate and aligned with spirit and thereby close the gap on his own. In this way the divine find a stronger vehicle with which to work with and express itself. This is a true act of love by God, Who does not have a “bad side”, and is in no way a punishment.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

The Adventures of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi’s 19th century tale about the trials and tribulations of a wooden puppet (the original story not the Disney version), provides a neat explanation of the meaning of life specifically addressing who we are and why we’re here.

Who We Are

Pinocchio perfectly symbolizes our dual nature; our material self and our real self. Of course Pinocchio’s material self is as a wooden puppet. Our material selves aren’t made of wood (although I love the English phrase of describing someone who’s not to intelligent as being “thick as two planks”) but we are made of physical, emotional and mental material that combine to create our body. This is the material self that you’ve come to know and love complete with all its sensations, habits,likes, dislikes, thoughts, habits and attitudes. But there’s more to us that this body.

These ideas were first mentioned in the free report Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life which you can get by Clicking Here…

Pinocchio transforms into a real boy after going through many trials and eventually learning to control himself and express his more virtuous traits. Just so we have a real self that seeks to express itself through a disciplined material self. This real self is the most noble, compassionate and wise part of us. It is the soul or spirit which was created in God’s image. We are designed to realize that this is our true identity. In fact we need to know that we are not material selves who have a soul but rather we are souls who have a material self through which we act in this world.

Why We’re Here

Pinocchio redeems himself by the end of the story by first controlling his natural tendencies then expressing the divine qualities of his real self. Through the majority of the story Pinocchio is belligerent, lazy, dishonest and indifferent. He is always shown the error of his ways and promises to change but he most often repeats the same mistakes. Similarly we often succumb and robotically react to the downward pull of the natural tendencies of our material self to be lazy, annoyed, depressed, impatient, gluttonous, indifferent and ungrateful. When we do this it’s as if we’re becoming more material (i.e. more dense) as symbolized by Pinocchio when he’s being dishonest and his nose grows.

By the end of the story Pinocchio has control of his material self’s natural tendencies and he starts to express the noble qualities of his real self as he is courageous and strong when he saves his father and himself from the belly of the shark and he is compassionate, diligent, patient, selfless, determined, purposeful and productive when he works as a farmhand and provides for his father. After a few months of this he wakes up one morning to find himself in a nice new house, lot’s of money in his pocket, his father’s health restored and he is transformed into a real boy! Just so, we are here to express the noble divine qualities of spirit through our material selves. We are to build our character so we are more loving, kind, beautiful, wise, tolerant, cheerful, peaceful, courageous and productive. These are some of the divine qualities that our real selves are here to convey. By doing so we are redeeming the world, fulfilling the divine plan and shining our light.

As since the improved ability of the real self to better express this divinity in the material world is the only thing that survives death - it is truly the meaning of life!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Welcome to the download and discussion page of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life.

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Thank you,

Brendan

Imagine it’s 1543 and you’ve been taught all your life that the sun revolves around the earth. You believe it, in fact you know it to be true because it makes sense. If you stood at a horizon, a beach for example, you would see the sun “swing around” by first coming up in front of you than going down behind you. But along comes Nicolaus Copernicus who started to think that perhaps the universe was actually heliocentric (i.e. sun centered) and, from his book “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”, you are suddenly introduced to the idea that the earth revolves around the sun! Think about what a complete change in perspective that is. The big round ball that you live on is not stationary in space but is moving around another big round ball. More importantly the earth is not the center, and by implication not the most important feature, of the then-known universe.

This new idea is such a dramatic change in world perspective that it could lead to asking two life-changing questions; “what other fundamental ideas do I hold that are completely wrong?” and “what is the primary focus (i.e. the center) of life?” We now understand much of the operations of our solar system but these two questions are relevant today because most people currently hold a fundamental idea that is completely wrong and they do not understand who or what is the primary focus of life. Most people see themselves as the “center of the universe” and that God or the soul, if they exists, are suppose to revolve around them! These people need a complete change in perspective! Metaphorically it’s as if they never learned that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Just as the Sun gave us life and sustains our lives, the Divine Source, both God transcendent and immanent, is the center of life which we’re suppose to revolve around.

What does it mean for us to revolve around the Divine? It means that we are here to express the higher divine qualities of love, joy, peace, goodwill, courage and wisdom on earth and thereby shine our light. These qualities are the divine archetypes that God used to create and sustain the world. They are meant to be integrated into our character. Why? Because they are the only thing that last (character means enduring marks). Throughout it’s lifetimes the Higher Self retains this improved ability to express this divinity.

We make the mistake of acting as if the universe revolves around us when we are solely focused on our security, prestige, appearance pleasure and possessions. In effect we are attached to the material world and figuratively are “stuck in the muck”. There is no light in this sort of limited focus.

Contemplate the following passage from Copernicus’ book, “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” and consider it’s perfect analogy with the Sun representing the divinity that is the real you and the earth representing the human self that is suppose to be governed by the divine.

At rest, however, in the middle of everything is the sun. For, in this most beautiful temple, who would place this lamp in another or better position than that from which it can light up the whole thing at the same time? For, the sun is not inappropriately called by some people the lantern of the universe, its mind by others, and its ruler by still others. The Thrice Greatest labels it a visible god, and Sophocles’ Electra, the all-seeing. Thus indeed, as though seated on a royal throne, the sun governs the family of planets revolving around it.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

In my previous article I discussed the passage in John 10:30 where Jesus says “The Father and I are one“ In this article I want to elaborate on the idea of two becoming one by first explaining the true meaning of an individual then listing some of the areas that humanity has considered this idea of two becoming one.

The meaning of individual has come to mean a separate and distinct person however that is not its origin. Originally it meant a person who is not divided from the Latin in- “not” + dividuus “divisible”. Of course this means that there must be more than one “part” of a person. What are these two parts? The human self and the spiritual self. The lower self and the higher self. The body and soul. When these two are “one” a person is not divided and is therefore an “individual”. This same idea is found in the word holy which is rooted in the word whole. This also implies more than one part. When a person fully expresses his divinity through his humanity he is considered holy.

A person is a true individual and holy when their higher and lower selves unite and the two become one. The idea of two becoming one is very common throughout humanity. It is generally understood that as the two come together they express and produce more than they could separately. The following is a list of some of the “two becoming one” concepts found in humanity:

• Man and women marry to best raise a family.
• Together the shepard and his watchdog best guard the flock.
• The teaching of Jesus and the evangelism of Paul formed Christianity.
• The driver and car unite to transport people over vast distances.
• The hunter and weapon serves to protect and provide man.
• The farmer and land are intimate and together they sustain humanity.
• Management and labor work together to be productive and profitable.
• The writer and language coalesce to communicate great ideas.
• Individuals with freedom form a nation supported by Divine Providence.
• Einstein revealed that matter and energy are one in the same. Einstein Proves the Existence of God!
• Romeo and Juliet symbolize true love.
• In Star Wars, Luke and the Force are one and together save the galaxy.
• Adam and Eve symbolically formed humanity together.
• A person with Amazing Grace can be saved.
• Beauty and the Beast forge a great love that transforms.
• The actor and director combine to convincingly convey the story.
• In King Arthur Percival receives the Holy Grail when he says “The Land and the King are one”. In fact the Holy Grail is the wisdom that we are divine beings who are here to express ourselves through this body on earth.

Note that with so many ideas of “two becoming one” found it lends support the idea that you have both a divine self and a human self and that they are suppose to become one so that you can express the divine in this world.

Today’s (4/9/07) Sunday Reading are just the following four short but powerful lines from John, Chapter 10, verses 27-30:

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Now there’s a lot to discuss in these short lines but I just want to focus on the key line that is the main issue through the whole chapter; “The Father and I are one.” These words literally prompt his critics to attempt to stone him for blasphemy.

Was Jesus into self-aggrandizement when he said “the Father and I are one” and later in the same Chapter, “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”? In other words did Jesus literally mean himself, the man, Jesus of Nazareth when he uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” or did he mean something more? I suggest that he meant something more than his temporary, human self when he says these truths. He is referring to his divine self. His eternal, immortal soul which is the true child of God. Jesus is holy, a word derived from whole (which implies two selves), meaning He fully united his spiritual self and human self. He perfectly expressed his divinity through his human self while on this earth.

Why didn’t Jesus use more precise language to explain this idea? He did. He was using the language of his faith. His use of the personal pronouns I and me is related to the language used by God at the burning bush in response to Moses’ question of who should I say you are and God replies “I am who am” and “tell them I AM sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). The use of personal pronouns corresponds to the idea of individual divinity.

The important point of this is that you also have a divine self and in fact you are the divine self who is expressing itself in this world. In this Chapter of John when accused of making himself a God Jesus answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”?”. In other words Jesus was teaching us that we are also divine.

Critics and unthinking people will incorrectly assume that I am suggesting that we are God. We are not the One, transcendent God who created and sustains heaven and earth. We are the immanent god, a figurative child of God, who is simply seeking to express divinity on this earth. We are similar in kind but not in degree to God. Just as a thimble full of the ocean is similar in kind to the entire ocean but in no way can it sustain the whole planet as the ocean does.

Our divine self is but a spark of the eternal flame. And, although the spark leaves the flame, it is forever “of it” and it can never be otherwise. In this sense the spark and flame are one just as you and the Father are one.

For further exploration of this idea please see the next article; “When Two Become One“

Yesterday’s (3/6/07) Catholic Gospel reading is just eight lines from Luke (9:28-36) where Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah and a voice from a cloud says to the disciples, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” It seems like this is supposed to be a “passing of the baton” from the early prophets to Jesus. I think the voice from the cloud is an affirmation and reminder that we are suppose to listen too and follow our Divine self.

I found the passages immediately before and after the reading more interesting as they echo teachings of the Taoist monk Lao Tsu some 500 years before Jesus. They are those seemingly
paradoxical statements that usually confuse people rather that enlighten. From Luke 9:24 and from Luke 9:48 we get:

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

“For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

From the Tao te Ching Chapters 22 and 7, respectively:

If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn, let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything, give everything up.

The Master stays behind; that is why she is ahead.
She is detached from all things; that is why she is one with them.
Because she has let go of herself, she is perfectly fulfilled.

The parallel nature of these passages indicates that these are timeless spiritual truths that are not the exclusive domain of any specific religion. What does “whoever loses his life will save it” mean? It means that you have to let go of the dominance the lower self (i.e. the ego) and allow the Divine self within you to lead. The lower self is self-centered and attached to social status, appearances, power, prestige, emotions and money. The Divine self is other-centered and may have these things but is not attached to them.

Similarly the passage “the one who is least is the greatest” means that when you “let go” of the ego it seems like you’re lessening your influence (i.e. being least) however you are actually increasing it if you allow the Higher Self to control.

The following are the full passages from Luke Chapter 9:

18 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.”
21 He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
23 Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
25 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?
26 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

28 About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray.
29 While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.
30 And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33 As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying.
34 While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

37 On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
38 There was a man in the crowd who cried out, “Teacher, I beg you, look at my son; he is my only child.
39 For a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams and it convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it releases him only with difficulty, wearing him out.
40 I begged your disciples to cast it out but they could not.”
41 Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.”
42 As he was coming forward, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion; but Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and returned him to his father.
43 And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples,
44 “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
45 But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

46 An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest.
47 Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side
48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”
49 Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.”
50 Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Why does God allow evil, suffering, tragedy and other assorted bad things happen to good people? According to the Centers for Disease Control, during 2002, there were approximately; 28,000 infants deaths, 17,000 homicides and 100,000 accidental deaths. Officially, 2,986 innocent people were killed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. If you’ve allowed your spiritual growth to be hampered or stopped because you can’t reconcile the question of how an all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God can permit these to happen, then you’re suffering from what I call the ultimate spiritual hang-up.

Hung-Up

What’s a spiritual hang-up? Well, first, in general, a hang-up is something that keeps you stuck and prevents further progress. Examples of physical objects that get hung-up include a record that skips (remember LP’s?), computers that “freeze up” and a car that won’t “turn over”. A spiritual hang-up is an attitude, belief or thought than hinders your spiritual development. For example, you may believe that that there are stupid, negative and evil ideas in some of the world’s Holy Books. You might feel that there are stupid, negative and evil people who are, or were, leaders of the world’s major religions. You might think that religions are useless because the people who go to Church, synagogue, mosque, etc. are the very same people who do bad things in the world. These spiritual hang-ups may thwart your spirituality; however, they may be overcome or at least put aside as you also recognize that there are loving, positive and healing messages in the Holy Books, there are may religious leaders, past and present, who have done constructive things in the world and many worshippers have become better people by attending services.

The Ultimate

This “how-can-God-allow” question is the ultimate spiritual hang-up because, with it, you have a greater chance of completely closing off the source - God - and the resulting idea of the inner divinity that’s within you (that is you). The confusion over this question can totally block off any further evidence and understanding of a loving God. It locks you into limited, concrete thinking when the idea and concept of God requires broader, abstract thinking. The limiting line of reasoning goes like this; God is suppose to be omniscient, omnipotent and loving however terrible things happen to innocent people, therefore God must be “allowing” it otherwise He/She/It would use Their power to stop it, since it’s not stopped He/She/It must not care or doesn’t exist, either way, all praying, worshiping and believing is worthless so I’m not going to bother.

Types of Tragedy

To answer the question “how can God permit (fill in the blank)?”, we have to start by recognizing three types of tragedy; man made, mysterious, and innocent bystander.

1. Man-made tragedies are when a person or a group hurts, kills, steals, rapes another person or group.
2. Mysterious tragedies are those that seem to have no explanation or cause and effect completely innocent people. Examples of this include infant death, disease and handicap and the sudden illness or death of a relatively young person.
3. The innocent bystander tragedy includes the illness or death of innocent people during war, climatic events (e.g. earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc.) and major catastrophes (e.g. Titanic, Hindenburg).

How Can God Allow Pain, Tragedy, Suffering and Evil?

With this background we can now address the specific question of “how can God let these tragedies happen?” First, God “allows” the man-made tragedies to occur because they are built into the fundamental structure of how we are created and put on this earth and they are one of the main methods used to increase our understanding of life. To fully explain this, permit me to give a quick meaning-of-life summary. We have two selves; a divine self and a human self. The divine self is abstract, impersonal and detached. The human self is concrete, self-centered and attached. The divine self is following the command of God to redeem the physical, emotional and mental planes of the world. It does this by investing itself in this very material and thereby incarnating in the earth plane. The issue is that this physical, emotional and mental material has a life of its own and it, rightly so, seeks greater comfort, security, pleasure and self-preservation, while avoiding pain, and all with the least possible effort. The divine self works gently “behind the scenes” working to raise and refine the quality of the material it is incarnated in so that eventually the human self is responsive to the divine self. The divine self intends to express its divinity, namely, love, joy, peace, wisdom, compassion, goodwill and vitality, through the human self and thereby redeem the world and fulfill God’s plan.

When a person or a group hurts, kills, steals, rapes another person or group the lower, human self of the aggressor has a very limited view of life and is simply looking for greater comfort, security, pleasure and self-preservation, while avoiding pain. From simple muggings and assaults to the extreme acts of Hitler and Osama bin Laden, all aggressors are acting in their own interests and desires however misguided and ignorant. The divine self of each aggressor has not been able to turn the lower self around to see life from a broader perspective. However the divine self retains the lessons learned during an incarnation and applies them to the next incarnation thereby increasing its ability to take command of the human self. This spiritual evolution is all a part of God’s unfolding plan and these man-made tragedies are to be seen in a wider perspective and are not to be taken personally.

Next, God allows the mysterious tragedies, however difficult to endure, because they are also opportunities for a greater understanding of life but they also have a better ability to facilitate the greater expression of a particular aspect of divinity. For example, being born or becoming blind, deaf, handicapped, or deformed are heightened opportunities to perfect the expression of strength, courage, endurance, perseverance and optimism (did you know Helen Keller wrote a book title Optimism?). Similarly, pre-mature diseases help to increase these and other divine ideals and they also help us realize mistakes in our self-expression. This later point is explained by Edward Bach, the creator of the Bach Flower Remedies, in his 1931 book “Heal Thyself – An Explanation of the Real Cause and Cure of Disease”;

“Disease is in itself beneficent, and has for its object the bringing back of the personality to the Divine will of the Soul; and thus we can see that it is both preventable and avoidable, since if we could only realize for ourselves the mistakes we are making and correct these by spiritual means there could be no need for the severe lessons of suffering. Every opportunity is given us by the Divine Power to mend our ways before, as a last resort, pain and suffering have to be applied. It may not be the errors of this life, this day at school, which we are combating; and although we in our physical minds may not be conscious of the reasons of our suffering, which may to us appear cruel and without reason, yet our Souls (which are ourselves) know the full purpose and are guiding us to our best advantage. Nevertheless, understanding and correction of our errors would shorten our illness and bring us back to health. Knowledge of the Soul’s purpose and acquiescence in that knowledge means the relief of earthly suffering and distress, and leaves us free to develop our evolution in joy and happiness.”

Finally, God allows the innocent bystander tragedies because they are part of the larger growth and development of humanity. This type of tragedy differs from the two above in that the victim does not go through any obvious period of growth and learning. However it’s important to remember that the body of humanity is also working on increasing its ability to express divinity. Wars, climatic events and other catastrophes are opportunities for humanity to correct its mistakes and express greater love, compassion, peace, wisdom, forgiveness and tolerance. The individual victims of these events who either die or are injured play a heroic part in the unfolding of the divine within mankind.

Conclusion

God allows pain, suffering, tragedy and evil simply because it’s a part of His Divine Plan for increasing divinity and thereby redeeming and refining this world. To understand this Plan, we need increase our wisdom and understand and place all tragedy into a larger perspective. Tragedies need to be recognized as opportunities for growth.

A critic may say that I’ve just gone through a worthless, long exercise since I’ve only managed to give God all the credit for the good events of life and no blame for the bad. I would respond with a brief passage from Alexander Pope’s poem “An Essay on Man”,

All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee;

All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not see;

All Discord, Harmony not understood;

All partial Evil, universal Good:

And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason’s spite,

One truth is clear, Whatever is, is Right.

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the conclusion (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question.

Marty wrote,

“Here’s my current thinking, highly subject to revision. It comes down to being nice to everyone possible: look for opportunities to give heartfelt praise, a kind letter to a long-long friend, an unnecessary gift, etc. Don’t expect anything in return–you too often won’t get it. Take pleasure in the giving itself. That approach to life will ensure you do some good, it doesn’t require Herculean effort, and you will feel good no matter how other people respond.”

Your “current thinking” about being nice and giving praise is good advice however when you say “don’t expect anything in return – you too often won’t get it”, you sound a bit defeatist. As you say, be nice, kind and express goodwill however also remember to be optimistic, enthusiastic and always focus one the best within others. Don’t despair if they don’t respond ideally.

Finally, you ask, “how do you wring the most from life?” Broaden your perspective. You are more than what you think you are. Working with life from a higher, spiritual perspective, as discussed in Part 1, is the only true satisfaction you can have. It’s what lasts. The potential for this exists for all of us regardless of our wealth, prestige, gender, race or health. After all the sun shines for everyone, right?

I want to give Marty the “last word” on the question of the meaning of life and I recently visited his website and found this recent entry on his blog which mirrors some of my comments in my article “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine”(which he hadn’t read before he wrote the following), and, along with all of what Marty writes is solid, sound advice. Marty wrote,

“Today, my client, Evan Wright, asked me, “How do you get so much done?” Here’s what I said: It starts with the spiritual. The meaning of life to me is defined primarily by how much I contribute to the world. If I act merely to give myself pleasure, my life has made little difference. So, I rarely procrastinate; work is not only what I should do, but want to do.”

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the sixth (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address relationships from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“Many people find the meaning of life through relationships. While I have a decent marriage, I’m not sure the meaning of life, at least for me, fully resides there. And my only child, who is an ardent employee of The Diversity Industry, refuses to talk to me, in large measure because of my views on reverse discrimination. So, I won’t, as so many parents do, find life’s meaning through his children.”

Relationships, like work, are another prime way for us to express our inner divinity and are therefore a major part of the meaning of life. From a limited perspective, relationships are seen as self-serving leading one to ask, “what am I getting out of this relationship?”, “how is it benefiting me?”. Further these people feel that if they are not “getting anything” out of the relationship that it’s always the other person’s fault due to what they are or aren’t doing. From a broader perspective, relationships are opportunities for us to be “other focused”. They are ways for us to contribute to each other’s growth and express peace, goodwill, love and wisdom. Each of us are part of the body of humanity and we are all connected at the spiritual level. We should identifying with this connection and treat other with the respect and compassion due children of God.

When relationships hit a “rocky road”, a higher perspective is truly needed. For example, regarding your specific issue with your daughter, if your problem really is about your views on reverse discrimination I would suggest that you ease up on this issue with her. Assuming you’re right, and I think you are as discussed in Part 5, look at this from a higher perspective and realize that it will all work out in the end. It’s all a part of a divine plan that will work out as it always has and always will. Whatever is, is right. I’m not suggesting that you stop trying to correct this “diversity problem” through your work, I’m just suggesting that you don’t have to convert your daughter or anyone of your personal relationships. But if you’re already following this advise, you’re not trying to convert her, and she’s putting up the resistance because you address this issue in your work, realize that she’s an adult who’s learning and growing. As much as you may want to simply impart your wisdom on her to ease her path through life, the enlightened approach is to allow her to realize lessons on her own. These are the types of lessons that last and deeply enrich a person. Finally, if you can’t reconcile, know that there’s no spiritual requirement that a parent-child relationship stay intact physically, but the emotional, mental and spiritual bonds can never be broken.

Next is the issue of religious faith but more particularly the question of how can an all-powerful, all-loving , all-knowing God allow evil and all the tragedies of our lives to occur? Marty wrote,

“Many other people find the meaning of life in religious faith. But I can’t find meaning in a God that would, for example, allow thousands of babies to be born every year with horrifically painful diseases and then die months later leaving bereft parents.”

This is what I call the “Ultimate Spiritual Hang Up” and it’s so common a belief that I’ve addressed it more thoroughly in a separate article called, The Ultimate Spiritual Hang Up”.

Next time – the conclusion to Marty’s question “What the hell’s the meaning of life?”

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the fifth (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue meritocracy from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“I particularly value meritocracy. I believe that more good accrues from ensuring a meritocracy than nearly anything else. 30 years ago that would have meant dismantling the ol’ white boy’s network. But alas, today, the ol’ boy network has largely been replaced by the Diversity Industry, all-powerful and hell-bent on ensuring that women and minorities get slots in colleges and employment even when less qualified.”

I agree with you. Diversity is considered politically correct but meritrocity is superior because it is spiritually correct. From a lower, material perspective diversity seems right. Of course we should all just “get along” and any attempts to force this diversity along seems appropriate. However, it’s in the forcing that the diversity industry makes the mistake. By forcing, the diversity crowd actually causes an imbalance resulting from the resentment of the discriminatee and the false achievement of the discriminator.

From a spiritual perspective, diversity for diversity’s sake is unnecessary and unsound; after all, do you see forced diversity in nature? Meritocracy is how the natural world and the divine plan work. We are blessed with the potential to express unlimited amounts of love, wisdom, joy, compassion, peace, strength and courage. But we’re not given the ability to perfectly express these qualities. We’re not given the ability to perfectly express any talent or skill. We have to work at it just like anything else. We have to earn what we have.

Even though you are correct in your endorsement of meritrocracy, you’re attitude about is seems too militaristic or fundamentalist. Although you don’t want to let the diversity crowd “walk all over” the “silenced majority”, put it in a higher perspective and, while you continue to make your points, trust that what will work out is correct and that God’s divine plan will ultimately prevail, as it always does. With this loftier perspective you can allow the diversity crowd, including your daughter (of whom you say, “And my only child, who is an ardent employee of the Diversity Industry, refuses to talk to me, in large measure because of my views on reverse discrimination”), to have their opinions. Look at it as an opportunity to develop and express tolerance, goodwill, and peace. You can have mature discussions about it but don’t let it degrade into pettiness and positioning. Let them be “right”.

Next time – are relationships and/or religious faith the answer to the meaning of life?

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the fourth (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue of prestige from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“Next, I tried prestige: got a PhD from Berkeley, became a professor. But in my social science field, I often felt like an emperor with no clothes. So much social “Science” is poorly substantiated, politically motivated theory. My students ate it up but I felt I was often feeding them ersatz food.”

This idea of trying to find meaning from prestige is similar to the issue of noble work mentioned earlier. Again it implies that it’s not work that you truly want to do but rather you’re only doing it because you expect society to stroke your ego when you tell them about the initials after your name and what you do. This is not a proper perspective. Your personality is the only part of you that’s concerned with prestige. It’s hoping that with prestige comes safety and security. This seems logical from the personality’s perspective but there is no true security from this…it’s empty and vapid. True prestige is a result of understanding and expressing the divinity within you. It is a spiritual prestige that comes from being a shining example of true love, wisdom, beauty, peace and compassion (see “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine”). Spiritual prestige follows from your service and contribution to humanity. However, this prestige is not recognized publicly nor is it desired to be recognized that way. It’s an inner knowing and acknowledgment that results in “J-O-Y” after your name rather than any other initials. And from what I can tell you are providing good advice and seem to truly want to help people and this is worthy of divine prestige.

Next time – is meritocracy the answer to the meaning of life?

I was going to call this “How to Live Forever” but I chose “How to Avoid Death” because the idea for this article came when I heard Rush Limbaugh talking about an article titled “Test Helps You Predict Chances of Dying”. As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this test asks, “What are your chances of dying within four years?” It is based on data involving 11,701 Americans over 50 who took part in a national health survey in 1998. Researchers used 12 risk factors to predict when the participants will die. It turned out to be roughly 81 percent accurate and can give older people a reasonable idea of their survival chances. However, as the article indicates, “it (the test) isn’t foolproof”! By this they mean that this test isn’t perfectly accurate, particularly for younger people, and it doesn’t include family history. But this quote can comically imply that the test doesn’t help you avoid death. We’re all going to die. Or are we? I suggest that you can avoid death.

How can you avoid death? By having a particular realization. What’s a realization? It’s when you learn what’s, well, real! It is more than being aware of or accepting an idea. You’ve heard people say, “I don’t think, I know.” A realization is a knowing, a certainty. You absolutely know it to be true. For example, do you think you love your children or do you know it? Do you feel that being honest is the right way to behave or do you know it? Do you guess that it’s good to be kind to others or do you know it to be true?

So what’s the realization you need to have to avoid death? As I discussed in my articles “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine” and “What’s the Meaning of Life, A Response, Part 1”, it’s that you have a part of you that is eternal, divine and immortal. This part of you was created in God’s image; in other words it is the God immanent, as opposed to the God transcendent. We refer to this divinity by many names including the higher self, real self, true self, soul, Christ consciousness, Buddha consciousness and spirit. This self is distinct from your “human” self, which is the combination of your physical, emotional and mental bodies. The aggregate of these bodies is who we think we are. However these bodies are temporary and finite. Because we primarily identify with this lower self we suffer, are confused, undisciplined, depressed, and incompetent and fear death.

But to complete the realization, and truly avoid death, we need to understand that we don’t have a soul, we are the soul, who uses the lower bodies to express its divinity in this world. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955), a Jesuit priest said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Of course your lower self will die, but this divinity within you, your real self, lives on.

One way to truly “get” this realization is to contemplate the following exercise as adapted from “Active Meditation” by Robert Leichtman and Carl Japikse, the best book about meditation on the market. They refer to it as the detachment drill and it’s a way of detaching from your attachment to your lower self (the personality) and realigning yourself with the more subtle realms of life and your higher self (the soul). It is used primarily as a prelude to meditation. Find a quite spot and take a few moments to review the following in your mind as you sit in a relaxed position.

Detachment Drill

I have a physical body, but am something greater than the physical body. The body is important to me – it allows me to act in the physical world and be productive. The body can be tired or rested, sick or healthy, but I am able to observe these changes in the physical body – and even direct them. My higher self, the real me, is greater than the conditions of the physical body. It is the source of vitality within me.

I have emotions, but am something greater than my feelings and emotions. The emotions are important to me – they help me express goodwill and interact with others. They can be sad or happy, selfish or cooperative, but I am able to observe these changes in my emotions– and discipline them. My higher self, the real me, is greater than the state of my emotions. It is the source of love and benevolence within me.

I have a mind, but am something greater than my thoughts and memories. The mind is important to me – it enables me to make sense of life and express my talent and wisdom. The thoughts are sometimes destructive, sometimes constructive, but I am able to observe the changes in my thoughts– and guide them. My higher self, the real me, is greater than my thoughts. It is the source of wisdom and intelligence within me.

I have a personal will, but am something greater than this will. The will is important to me – it gives me motivation and intention. My intentions are sometimes defensive, sometimes purposeful, but I am able to observe the changes in my will – and use the will wisely. My higher self, the real me, is stronger than my personal will. It is the source of divine intention within me, and thus the true source of my personal authority.

My life also brings me many experiences, which allow me to learn and grow and serve. Sometimes I overreact to my experiences, and let them control me; at other times, I control them. But I am able to observe these experiences, see their value, and use them profitably. My higher self, the real me, is greater than my experiences.

Who am I? I am not my body, nor my emotions, my mind, my personal will or my experiences, although I do have these things and they are valuable. I am the higher self, a center of pure love, wisdom and power.

This is my true identity.

As you contemplate this over time you will realize that you are this divine self, who uses the physical, emotional and mental vehicles for a relatively short period, they eventually die out, but the real you lives on. In this sense you’ve learned to “avoid death”.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the third (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue of work, and noble work, from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“Then I tried noble work—teaching in the inner-city. But the problems those kids faced were so big, so multi-dimensional, that despite my trying hard, very hard, I felt I wasn’t making much difference.”Later he wrote “I’ve been trying the values route: focusing on what did I most value: work. To that end, I decided to be a career counselor. I believed that helping people find right livelihood would make my life feel meaningful. But now, 18 years and 2,400 clients later, despite a 96 percent client satisfaction rate and the San Francisco Bay Guardian naming me “The Bay Area’s Best Career Coach,” that feels empty too.”

You separately mention noble work and work. Your discussion of “noble” work implies that it’s not work that you truly want to do but rather that your doing because you’re “suppose to” according to society or your family. Obviously this is not the right attitude toward proper work. However your discussion of “regular” work and your accomplishments are from a higher perspective! Work is one of the main places where we’re meant to express goodwill, competence, wisdom and peace. We’re meant to serve humanity and contribute to it’s growth and one of the main ways to do that is through work. You are doing that! You provide great practical advice and guidance for people particularly in the areas of career and education. Your are “shining” as I discuss in my article “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine!”

I have to mention your comment about how your services may negatively influence another and, by extension, society since it’s a perfect example of how you’re looking a life from a limited perspective. You wrote,

“Even when a client lands a good job, I too often wonder if my efforts to package my client yielded a net negative to society: some more deserving person, who couldn’t afford a career coach, didn’t get the job.”

From this perspective you “see” how your services may negatively influence another and, by extension, society instead of “seeing” that from a broader perspective that these other people are guided and influenced by their benevolent Higher Self and that what is meant for them will be…maybe the job they would have gotten but for your client with your influence would have been a terrible disaster for them, maybe they’ll find their own “Marty Nemko”…maybe they’ll totally change careers and do something they’ve always really wanted to do…who knows….the point is that they’ll be “OK” in the end.

Next time – is prestige the answer to the meaning of life?

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the second (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue of money from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“When I was a teenager, I thought money was the answer. So, I took after-school jobs, and tried to buy my way into contentment: clothes, nice car. That didn’t do it.”

You can’t buy your way to an understanding of life. From a lower perspective, i.e. the personality’s, the pursuit of money is an attempt to achieve comfort and security. We want to avoid pain and gain pleasure and acquiring money seems like the way to do this. However from a higher perspective, i.e. the soul’s, these attempts are futile because it’s only the personality that is only temporarily satisfied with a surplus of money. True satisfaction, comfort and security comes from knowing that your true self is eternal and immortal and that we’re all a part of the benevolent, divine plan that created and sustains us.

True wealth comes from a recognition of the abundance of divine life. There is no end to the wisdom, joy, love, peace, courage, grace and beauty that are available to you. You say that you can’t use these qualities to put food on the table? You can when you learn to infuse your life with this divinity. For example if you apply wisdom and love to your work, rather than look at it as drudgery, you’ll intuit it’s purpose and importance, think about how to best perform it, generate enthusiasm to perform it and act to the best of your abilities. When you do this you’ll stand out from the crowd and there will always be demand for your services to humanity.

Next time – is work or, in particular, noble work the answer to the meaning of life?

To help with your spiritual growth and as a follow-up to my articles, “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine” and “What’s the Meaning of Life?, A Response, Part 1”, the following are four summaries of spiritual understanding that I’ve come across over my years of study. They were written in 1931, 1944, 2004 and 1981, respectively. The first is an excerpt from Edward Bach’s Heal Thyself, the second is part of Aldous Huxley’s introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, the third is a part of Ken Wilbur’s article at Beliefnet.com. and the fourth is from Leichtman and Japikse’s “Active Meditation”. As you read these notice the similarities between them and the overall spiritual themes being taught.

Edward Bach wrote in Chapter 2 of Heal Thyself the following “fundamental truths”:

“The first of these is that man has a Soul which is his real self; a Divine, Mighty Being, a Son of the Creator of all things, of which the body, although the earthly temple of that Soul, is but the minutest reflection: that our Soul, our Divinity Who resides in and around us, lays down for us our lives as He wishes them to be ordered and so far as we will allow, ever guides, protects and encourages us, watchful and beneficent to lead us always for our utmost advantage: that He, our Higher Self, being a spark of the Almighty, is thereby invincible and immortal.

The second principle is that we, as we know ourselves in this world, are personalities down here for the purpose of gaining all the knowledge and experience which can be obtained through earthly existence, of developing virtues which we lack and of wiping out all that is wrong within us, thus advancing towards the perfection of our natures. The Soul knows what environment and what circumstances will best enable us to do this, and hence He places us in that branch of life most suited for that object.

Thirdly, we must realize that the short passage on this earth, which we know as life, is but a moment in the course of our evolution, as one day at school is to a life, and although we can for the present only see and comprehend that one day, our intuition tells us that birth was infinitely far from our beginning and death infinitely far from our ending. Our Souls, which are really we, are immortal, and the bodies, of which we are conscious are temporary, merely as horses we ride to go a journey, or instruments we use to do a piece of work.

Then follows a fourth great principle, that so long as our Souls and personalities are in harmony all is joy and peace, happiness and health. It is when our personalities are led astray from the path laid down by the Soul, either by our own worldly desires or by the persuasion of others, that a conflict arises. This conflict is the root cause of disease and unhappiness. No matter what our work in the world-bootblack or monarch, landlord or peasant, rich or poor-so long as we do that particular work according to the dictates of the Soul, all is well; and we can further rest assured that in whatever station of life we are placed, princely or lowly, it contains the lessons and experiences necessary at the moment for our evolution, and gives us the best advantage for the development of ourselves.

The next great principle is the understanding of the Unity of all things: that the Creator of all things is Love, and that everything of which we are conscious is in all its infinite number of forms a manifestation of that Love, whether it be a planet or a pebble, a star or a dewdrop, man or the lowliest form of life. It may be possible to get a glimpse of this conception by thinking of our Creator as a great blazing sun of beneficence and love and from the center an infinite number of beams radiate in every direction, and that we and all of which we are conscious are particles at the end of those beams, sent out to gain experience and knowledge, but ultimately to return to the great center. And though to us each ray may appear separate and distinct, it is in reality part of the great central Sun. Separation is impossible, for as soon as a beam of light is cut off from its source it ceases to exist. Thus we may comprehend a little of the impossibility of separateness, as although each ray may have its individuality, it is nevertheless part of the great central creative power. Thus any action against ourselves or against another affects the whole, because by causing imperfection in a part it reflects on the whole, every particle of which must ultimately become perfect.”

In the introduction to the Bhagavad-Gita translation by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, Aldous Huxley wrote the summary of his Perennial Philosophy:

“First: the phenomenal world of matter and of individualized consciousness–the world of things and animals and men and even gods–is the manifestation of a Divine Ground within which all partial realities have their being, and apart from which they would be non-existent.

Second: human beings are capable not merely of knowing about the Divine Ground by inference; they can also realize its existence by a direct intuition, superior to discursive reasoning. This immediate knowledge unites the knower with that which is known.

Third: man possesses a double nature, a phenomenal ego and an eternal Self, which is the inner man, the spirit, the spark of divinity within the soul. It is possible for a man, if he so desires, to identify himself with the spirit and therefore with the Divine Ground, which is of the same or like nature with the spirit.

Fourth: man’s life on earth has only one end and purpose: to identify himself with his eternal Self and so to come to unitive knowledge of the Divine Ground.”

In a Beliefnet.com article titled An Integral Spirituality, Ken Wilbur wrote that most of the great wisdom traditions agree that:

“1. Spirit, by whatever name, exists.

2. Spirit, although existing “out there,” is found “in here,” or revealed within to the open heart and mind.

3. Most of us don’t realize this Spirit within, however, because we are living in a world of sin, separation, or duality—that is, we are living in a fallen, illusory, or fragmented state.

4. There is a way out of this fallen state (of sin or illusion or disharmony), there is a Path to our liberation.

5. If we follow this Path to its conclusion, the result is a Rebirth or Enlightenment, a direct experience of Spirit within and without, a Supreme Liberation, which

6. Marks the end of sin and suffering, and

7. Manifests in social action of mercy and compassion on behalf of all sentient beings.”

The following is from “Active Meditation” by Robert Leichtman and Carl Japikse. It is from the last chapter titled The Western Tradition and the authors describe the following as what should be the goals of those of us on the spiritual path in the West.

1. To make the God within our primary source of enlightenment, growth and creativity.
2. To link the personality with the higher self, thereby producing a spiritualized individuality capable of responding to the forces and qualities of spirit.
3. To ground the life of spirit through the enlightened activities of the personality on the physical plane.
4. To learn and use the skills of devotion, understanding, and obedience to link the personality with all three of the major aspects of divine life – love, wisdom and will.
5. To purify and illumine all aspects of the personality so they become agents of spiritual force.
6. To cultivate the spiritual intuition, by linking an illumined mind with the wisdom of the soul.
7. To nurture a constant awareness of the underlying goodwill and unity in the divine presence.
8. To recognize that it is our duty and privilege to serve the purpose of the soul.
9. To become consciously aware of the reality of the Hierarchy and its plan for the evolution of humanity and civilization – and to assist in implementing it.
10. To become consciously aware of the spiritual groups the higher self is part of – and to learn how we can contribute to the work of these groups.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author, blogger and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the first of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. It’s an introductory article that gives an overview of the “big-picture” spiritual perspective that’s needed before addressing the specific points Marty raises.

The question “what’s the meaning of life” has to be approached from a broad perspective or a higher point of view. The confusion that everybody has with this question stems from trying to “figure it out” from a narrow, limited perspective. A higher perspective is reached by contemplating, in a detached and impersonal way, why we’re here and who we are. I address this in more detail in my article “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine” but the following is a brief summary.

First, let’s discuss who you are. This may seem like a ridiculous question. Of course you know who you are. You are your name, age, sex, family, nationality, religion and occupation. This is who you are, right? Well, yes but I’m referring to a deeper understand of self. You are a human being with a physical body that you use to act and get around. But you’re more than just a body. You also have feelings, i.e. an emotional body, which expresses your mood and attitudes. You also have a mind, i.e. a mental body, which you use to think and figure things out. Each of these “bodies” has conscious and subconscious components. The conscious part is what you are aware of at any given moment while the subconscious part is what goes on automatically such as bodily functions and emotional and mental functions like habits and memories. Collectively the physical, emotional and mental bodies are known as your lower self, ego, human self or personality (I refer to it as the personality).

But you are not just this personality. You have a “higher” body that we call the higher self, true self, divine self, real self or soul. It is your inner essence. Your soul is that part of you that was made in God’s image. It’s an aspect of God, often referred to as a child of God or a spark of God. What a wave is to the ocean or a ray of sunlight is to the sun, so the soul is to God. The soul is refined and abstract while the personality is dense, materialistic and concrete.

Why aren’t you more familiar with it? Because it is more subtle and abstract than the personality. For most people the soul operates behind the scenes however it’s there and active whether you’re aware of it or not. Just as you use the physical, emotional and mental bodies to act, emote and think, respectively, you use the soul to intuit. Intuiting is when you think abstractly about what you should do, why you should do it and what it means. It’s what you use to consider the vision, purpose and meaning of your work, marriage, friendships and life. Alas, most of us aren’t familiar this and we drift through life in a sea of confusion.

However this confusion starts to lift when you intuit that you don’t have a soul but that you are the soul. Your real self is as this soul who uses the physical, emotional and mental bodies to operate in this world. Your true self is as this eternal, immortal soul that is here to fulfill God’s plan.

What is this plan? Why are we here? We’re here to express the divine ideals of love, joy, beauty, peace, compassion, courage, wisdom and goodwill in the world. We commonly refer to this as developing and expressing our character. By expressing these qualities we are redeeming and refining the physical, emotional and mental worlds and bringing heaven to earth. Figuratively we are bringing “light” to the world.

With this meaning-of-life background we can now address each of Marty’s specific points about life from a higher, spiritual perspective.

Next time – is money the answer to the meaning of life?

This post is part of the January 30th God or Not blog carnival based on the topic of the Definition of God to be held at the Uncredible Hallq.

In his Miracle Year of 1905, Albert Einstein proved the existence of God and thereby defined God. We’re all familiar with Einstein’s e=mc2 (energy equals mass times the speed of light squared) equation. However what most people don’t know is that originally Einstein wasn’t solving for “e”, he was solving for “m” so his original equation was m=e/c2 (mass equals energy divided by the speed of light squared). So what, what’s the difference? With the first equation we learn how to get energy out of mass which has led, for example, to the fission of atoms and getting energy (the atomic bomb and nuclear energy). But in the second equation we learn how mass is created by energy and that, for example, the energy generated by the blastoff of the space shuttle adds mass the weight of a flee to the shuttle. (For more authority on this idea listen to Frank Wilczek, Theoretical Physicist and Nobel Laureate at MIT, Sheldon Glashow, Theoretical Physicist and Nobel Laureate at Boston University and Albert himself!). It takes a tremendous amount of energy to create mass. So what would we call the energy that would be large enough, powerful enough and pervasive enough to create the solar system, the planets, the stars, the sun, you, me and everything on earth…come on…that’s right…say it with me…GOD! God is Energy.

This Energy has a certain quality that humanity has sort of been familiar with. Energy is abstract and we’ve been able to identify and work with this abstraction. For example Beethoven worked with joy when he composed Ode to Joy and when we listen to it we’re able to sense it. We can sense, or better yet, “intuit”, other divine energies such as the serenity in nature, the beauty in a rose, the freedom in the spirit of America, the compassion of a good teacher or the strength in a mountain range. So what would we call the quality of the Energy that put Itself forth and invested the effort to create and sustain every part of world, that developed a Divine Plan and that has the deep patience to allow the Plan to unfold over countless millennia and that, as Paul said, always protects, always hopes, always perseveres and never fails…come on…that’s right…say it with me…LOVE! God is Love.

As hinted at above God’s Energy has been fragmented into smaller bits of energy that we call joy, love, beauty, peace, compassion, wisdom, harmony, goodwill and strength. But is has also been fragmented into an energy that created you and me. This is a special energy because unlike all the other creations in the world this energy has allowed us to develop to the point of becoming self-aware. So what de we call the energy that’s “behind us”, that created and sustains us, that allows us to identify, contemplate and work with abstract concepts and that connects us to all…come on…that’s right…say it with me…the SOUL! We are divine selves that were made in God’s image.

Einstein proved that energy and matter are interchangeable, in other words they are one or whole. God and all things of this universe are interchangeable, in other words they are one or whole. Our divine self and our human self are interchangeable, in other words they are one or whole (a person who has learned to act as this integrated self is called “holy”). God and the soul are creative, loving, abstract energies that invested themselves into creating and sustaining you, me and the world.

Einstein is famous for saying, “I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details.” God is Energy. God is Love. My hope is that you, in your attempt to define and understand God, have a revelation and reaction like Einstein when he solved his theory of special relativity and the next day went to is friend Michele Besso’s home and, without even saying hello, blurted out, “Thank you, I’ve completely solved the problem.”

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

This post is part of the January 16th God or Not blog carnival based on the topic of scriptural literalism to be held at Back of the Envelope:

I’m a theist who asserts that the stories of the Bible, that some say literally happened, did not. They are allegories intended to convey a deeper spiritual meaning. In this article I’ll interpret three examples of popular stories that are assumed to literal by many and I’ll conclude with a thought on why my “opposition”, atheists and theist who interpret the Bible literally, will presume, incorrectly, that I’m wrong.

Bible Stories

1. Noah’s Ark and the story of the flood are not literally true despite the claims by some who found a splinter on a mountaintop and say it’s the Ark. Let’s review the story. God creates the world but doesn’t like how wicked and evil everyone, except Noah who lives in fellowship with God, is. God tells Noah to build an Ark and put two of every animal onboard. God floods the earth and destroys everything except Noah’s Ark. As the flood ends Noah makes a sacrifice to God and God makes a covenant to never again destroy the earth. So what does this mean? When we don’t live in fellowship with God we will figuratively be destroyed in the sense that we’ll be confused, suffer and live in fear of death. When we are in fellowship with God, but more specifically our immanent divinity (i.e. the soul), we can never be destroyed, as we know that our true nature is wise, loving, eternal and immortal. The duality that we are, as symbolized by two of every animal, becomes One. We let our redemptive divinity rise above our wicked humanity like a rainbow after a storm.
2. Adam and Eve did not literally exist. Their story is an allegory for the creation of our divinity (i.e. the soul) and our human self (i.e. the personality). God created Adam, who symbolizes the soul, and Adam, since it was his rib, figuratively created Eve, who symbolizes the personality. This order, and the fact that Eve’s is intended as a companion for Adam, implies that Adam is suppose to be in charge. This has nothing to do with the relationships between men and women. It teaches us that we are to identify with our divinity and follow its intentions. What are the soul’s intentions? To become one with the personality so together they can grow in wisdom, express divinity and fulfill God’s plan. This intention was so strong that they were willing to eat the apple and figuratively die, which leads us to…
3. Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross but did not literally rise again after three days. This death and resurrection story predates Jesus. Osiris, Adonis, Mythra and others were said to have died and rose again. So what does this mean? It symbolizes the death of the personality and the rise of the soul. We have a dual nature. We’re both human and divine. We are meant to grow in our spiritual understanding and awareness to realize that we are the soul who uses the personality to express itself in this world. We are not born with a conscious awareness of our spiritual self. The human self thinks that it’s suppose to be in charge of life and of course the result is suffering and confusion. Eventually we realize that there’s something more and that ideally this spiritual side should be in charge. Figuratively the personality dies and the soul rises. It’s important to stress however that the personality has to be strong. After all it is the agent of the soul in this world. The soul needs a healthy personality to bring its divinity into this world.

Why might these seem wrong to the “opposition” namely atheists or theists who take the Bible literally? Because, with all due respect, their ability to intuit (i.e. use their intuition to “think” abstractly) is not well developed. Both groups, but particularly the atheists, have a strong ability to think concretely. They approach all of this God stuff with a sharp mind and they try to “figure it out” with reason. This does not work! You use your body to act, your emotions to emote, your mind to think and your soul to intuit. The difference I’m making between thinking and intuiting is that thinking is reasoning and making sense of the things of this world while intuiting is abstract thinking and making sense of the divine world, namely the divine qualities of love, joy, wisdom, peace, beauty, harmony and goodwill. To be able to approach an understanding of God and the meaning of life you need to develop an ability to intuit abstract ideas. Without it it’s easy and reasonable to conclude that there is no God. With it you know that there is a God and that you are His child!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking