The Awakening Word

The Journey & The Paths

Rev Robert Mitchell — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:49:36 +0000

FROM CHAPTER ONE : THE JOURNEY & THE PATHS

THE JOURNEY & THE PATHS

Our paths are all about what can be done; our journey is all about who is doing it. Our paths open the doors in the walls we have falsely built in consciousness that keep us from stepping into the reality of God and the fullness of life. The paths are about the love, the service, compassion, peace and wisdom in the world. The journey is about the Self-Realization of our human and divine nature. If we look at the big picture we will ultimately see that we all share One Journey, the journey of the awakening of humanity, the many paths are the different roads we take along the way.

THE PATH

Although there are many paths that one can take in the world, this book is about spiritual paths. The spiritual path can be specialized and be called the path of Christianity, or New Thought, or peace, or the path of love, or wisdom. Some are organized, some are not. Some are groups and some are not.

…I find being consciously aware constitutes what I call a path. Anything we do with the conscious awareness that we are both human and divine serves self-awareness. We know that prayer and meditation are paths, but what about standing in line at the grocery store? I find that we can have the spiritual experience anywhere, because God is everywhere…

Mostly, it seems as though the path we step on is to find or realize something that at first might seem outside ourselves, when in reality, it is not. Rumi says it best – “You wander from room to room hunting for the diamond necklace that is already around your neck.” We look for God in a book or an exercise or a course of beliefs set down by others. And what we eventually find is all of these things only point the way. I did not find God in the Science of Mind, but I did receive a new understanding of God that helped me believe and gave me direction.

We are guided to the experiences and conditions that will help us. Our job is to recognize it and make the best of it. There was a reason you chose this book or the universe gave it to you. Maybe you are ready to begin the “wake-up” process, and this is just part of the process.

from the poem:
Wake Up, Wake Up, I’ve Called You a Thousand Times

“Wake up, wake up,
I’ve called you a thousand times.
You’ve been crowned Lord of the land,
The sky is your playground;
the earth your slave.”

Are You Ready

Rev Robert Mitchell — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:49:05 +0000

FROM CHAPTER TWO: ARE YOU READY?

ARE YOU READY TO BLOSSOM?

The blooming of the flower represents liberation from the bud. Our liberation comes from freeing ourselves from our present state in order to become what we can be. Liberation for us comes from the realization of our potential; just as the seed of the flower contains its full potential, so does the seed of life within us. We do not have to look outside ourselves or to another to blossom. We do not have to become someone else to blossom. We do not have to have permission to blossom. We do not have to be in someone else’s garden (theology) to blossom. It is within us to do what God and nature have given us to do.

BE ALL THAT YOU CAN BE

Blooming spiritually is releasing ourselves from the tight bud of the limited idea of life as our human nature sees it, and living in the fullness of our God Nature. We are here to blossom as our true Self, the Higher Self, and the full idea of life as God intended.

The problem with this idea seems to be that we look at the lives of those who have lived their God Nature and believe it is impossible to measure up. Blooming spiritually does not mean that we perform miracles, walk on water, or do things that would start a new religion or cause a Bible to be written about us. Blooming spiritually means taking our life from where we are right now and seeing past the illusion of separation we feel from our families, friends, community, and world.

From the poem:

I Heard God Was Giving Out Buds Today

“I heard God was giving out buds today;
The white ones are especially rare.
But all colors hold a dream to dream,
So take one, if you dare.”

Are You Being Moved?

Rev Robert Mitchell — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:48:44 +0000

FROM CHAPTER THREE: ARE YOU BEING MOVED?

SATORI

Satori is a Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment. The word means “understanding,” but translates as a flash of sudden awareness. A flash of sudden awareness…what would that be like? What would it be like if the universe suddenly opened up and took you by surprise?

Moments of true consciousness are usually fleeting and for the most part seem more a dream than reality. How does this happen in a single moment or happen to us at all? Is it the result of a lifelong body of work, or desire, or some random divine grace simply looking for a place to happen? Perhaps, this illumination like all illumination is a gift; a gift that the Creator wants to give, or in some way has to give.

From the poem:
A Seed is Spinning the World

“There is a seed of life expanding,
Here in God’s Waiting Room.
Your heart cradles this precious gift,
The seed in the Holy Woub.

Things You’ll Need to Give

Rev Robert Mitchell — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:48:17 +0000

FROM CHAPTER FOUR: THINGS YOU’LL NEED TO GIVE

GIVE LOVE

“Love thy neighbor as thyself”(Mathew 19: 19) is one of the commandments, but how do we do that? Love is a powerful word and one that we have made conditional in our very human lives. We love because of someone’s appearance or actions; “I will love you if …” We have love all caught up in romantic feelings and relationships (our parents, siblings, friends) and so it is easy to be confused about what is being asked of us. Our neighbor, that is the world, can be filled with many things and ways of being that we do not love. So the commandment becomes a riddle for us to solve. Each of us instinctively wants to love, but how? How can we take this very personal and powerful thing that we feel and give it to a neighbor that we might not want to love?

GIVE MEANING

Without meaning our lives and actions are lost. Meaning fills and makes real the intention of Spirit in our lives. It is the intent that matters. If there is meaning in our actions, Spirit is at work in our lives, and things will have depth and purpose. We have the awesome responsibility to the Spirit’s intention and purpose by adding depth and value to our experiences. It is the way we devote ourselves to what we are doing that creates meaning. Are we coming from a place of love, compassion, sincerity, peace or joy? Where we are coming from has the power to create and the power to destroy. The inner importance we give to any action will determine the outcome and what we become in the process.

GIVE GOD

In the Substantive Properties of Spirit, Thomas Troward tells us that Spirit is: “Life, Love, Light, Power, Peace, Beauty, Joy.” We do not see these things as things, but we see and experience their effects. We can see them and experience them because these attributes are in us too. God has given us what God is. We are created in the image and likeness of… and, therefore, have an instinctive longing to give, and to offer what we are.

from the poem:
There’s a Pocket in my Soul

“There’s a pocket in my soul
I think God is a good tailor to put it there,
A place to keep little things for myself,
And other things to share.”

Things That Will Help

Rev Robert Mitchell — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:47:56 +0000

FROM CHAPTER FIVE: THINGS THAT WILL HELP

INNER GUIDANCE

The Buddha said, “Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” I do not know who said it, but the words, “If you do not go within you go without,” has always stuck in my mind. I do not want to go without, so I go within. I want internal guidance, and like others, I believe meditation is where I get it. Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is listening to God, although it is not like a conversation we have with people. In meditation we listen, but not with the ears on the sides of our heads. We listen, not with sound, but Spirit. And, like prayer, we try to make meditation complicated. Meditation can be as simple as a few moments in silence, being the observer of one’s thoughts without attachment, letting them go without chasing after them with opinion, judgment, or question. In this way, we clear the mind to receive.

INTUITION

Intuition roughly translated means “to look inside.” It is an insight where we know that we know without knowing how or why. Ernest Holmes describes intuition as “God in man, revealing to him the Realities of Being; and just as instinct guides the animal, so would intuition guide man, if he would allow it to do so.” We allow intuition access by keeping our minds centered and ready by expanding our consciousness through meditation, prayer, study, contemplation and self-observance. Intuition is more than a thought; it is a feeling, an instinct, and it comes from deep within our own nature. We can call it conscience – we can call it a hunch, a vision, or dream; but whatever we call it or however we sense it, it is real and unfailing. Albert Einstein said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” Like all things valuable it is uncommon, not because it is unavailable, but because we do not look inside very often.

from the poem:
The Angels Of Poets Are Upon Me

“They tell me about the secrets of love,
The taste of sweetened wine,
Meadows, gazelles, and daffodils,
And that their hearts are mine.”