by Larry Krantz
The world is a messy and chaotic place, especially these days. There is an intensification happening which may prove destructive unless there is a rising up of spiritual consciousness to meet it and extend control, and we have an important part to play in letting this outworking be creative. People often favor quantity rather than quality oflife experience. They want more but have less. This notion is well-expressed by Dr. Bob Moorehead of Seattle (from Words Aptly Spoken, 1995). He says:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrowerviewpoints.
We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up toolate, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much,love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years. We’ve been all the way to themoon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve done largerthings, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul…
Human understanding of anything that matters has dropped very low. It misses the wonder of what is present and sees the world through distorted lens. Peoples’ lives are as inconsequential as the unreal state we find ourselves in. It was not always this way. There was once a Golden Age when everything made sense and the world revealed the reality of spirit. In this so-called Garden State, God was revealed everywhere; he was no mystery. All was holy, as there was no unholy place and no corruption. The earth brought forth its bounty, and divine love shone round about, so it was a joyful experience to incarnate into the world of space and time, to enjoy the majesty of God in form.
It is different now, in this unholy world. One could almost imagine the beings of heaven bracing to come into this bizarre place, knowing that in human form they will likely forget who they are and be tossed around by the vagaries of this dangerous world, which lacks control and reason. We might think that taking the plunge into human identity, and being encased in rigid flesh bodies that cannot reveal the full range of being, would be like someone standing on the platform of a scary roller coaster, debating whether or not to get on, knowing you can’t get off until the ride is complete. “Is this really what I want to do?”
Of course that does not happen. Those ready to incarnate have no second thoughts, no hesitation. They understand that the return to the true angelic state for humankind must be an inside job, and each one takes responsibility to make it so. They do not complain about what is not available, but use whatever is at hand creatively, which is also true for us and how we live. Change cannot be imposed by some imaginary all-powerful deity without changing how the entire cosmos is run, and God is not likely to do that to save humanity. The One who leads us, whom we call the Lord, has a plan which has been unfolding over a long time. One step has led to another, right up to this day, when the cycles of time have brought us to a potential climax, as more people awaken to their true purpose. A stable design of conscious people is emerging now, to provide a control pattern for what is occurring, the beginnings of divine governance. We each have a part to play in that uplifting of consciousness, which is why we have come into the earthly state at this time.
Spiritual awakening is like moving from the depth of murky waters to the surface, where the light of day shines. Deep in the sea, very little light comes through. Most people on earth are in a confused state with little light to see clearly. A diver can lose orientation in dark waters. Gravity is not felt, and in weightlessness, up and down are not obvious. Likewise, most people live with very little understanding of what is true and real; they lack orientation and often think the unreal state is all that can be known, or go in the wrong direction looking for answers. Those who do question purpose tend to rely on religious leaders, who have their own distorted view, perhaps spouting nonsense about the goal of life being to eventually go to a heaven or paradise after they are dead. Some people simply live destructive lives. Others think of themselves as good; they may go to the church of their choice regularly and donate to charities and are kind at times. The problem with the mass of good people is that they are often self-satisfied and do not seek real understanding. They are not motivated to sense anything greater, and are rather immovable, spiritually speaking.
Thankfully, there are those who do not accept this unreal world as the only possibility and seek real understanding. But how do they know what direction to go in the murky world most people inhabit? Fortunately, God does not leave us bereft. There is a way to know which way is up, so to speak. Divers have a trick to orient themselves. In dark waters, they know to follow the air bubbles they breathe out, which always rise to the surface. Likewise, we have an inner sensing of what is right and true; it is an inner guide, always present but usually drowned out by the noise of our worlds. Like the air bubbles, that inner sensing always leads upward, toward the light.
Children have a sense of what is right and wrong. How do they know? It is spirit speaking, guiding choices. As we mature, we often override this inner sensing, and are ruled by mental or emotional wants. Yet, the inner guide never fails. We move up if we listen within, to higher understanding. This inner knowing clears the way. It acts as a filter, separating the nonsense from what is right. When we hear something or read something that is true, it rings like a bell; it reverberates within, and lets us know we are moving in the right direction. What is not true falls flat and feels empty; we can drop it like the useless refuse it is.
Some begin to see things more clearly, but stop at some point, content with whatever spiritual understanding they have. To come all the way through requires letting go completely to this invisible guide-no half measures. Many have difficulty giving up control in what are thought of as personal areas, things like relationships, sex, and money. We want to have some say in the decision making, fearing we will lose something important. However, the inner guide is only interested in putting us in the best place to succeed and advance God’s plan for the restoration of human consciousness to the divine state. There is nothing to fear and we do not need to clutch onto areas of behavior and hold them out from divine direction. Complete trust of inner guidance is necessary to be fully present and, in that trust of what is higher, we let the chips fall where they may.
Our decisions, which we make all day, determine the quality of our lives. Here is a simple example. Suppose a person is running low on food and needs to go to the grocery store. That person could go in the morning or afternoon. He may analyze the situation, perhaps decide it is less crowded in the morning, so that is when he goes. Or, he may not feel like going to the grocery store early but hopes to feel better in the afternoon, so decides to go later. It is a judgment based on either the mind or heart. There is a third possibility. He may listen within and sense when he needs to go, so that his decision is not primarily made on the basis of judgment of the mind or feeling realm. If we learn to listen to the inner guide over a period of time, we strengthen atrophied perceptions, and the inner voice becomes louder and clearer. There is always a strong, clear current that can lead us to make the right choice. In this example of grocery shopping, suppose spirit is aware of a dangerous traffic pattern that is likely to emerge in the morning and that in the afternoon that person could have an important encounter with someone else. Spirit sees these factors but the person relying on heart or mind to make a decision does not. This is how we end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and miss potential creative opportunities. As we ascend in consciousness, we come to the point where we understand that this inner guide is actually our divine Self. It is who we are, showing the way to the outer self. We, in an inner sense, love and guide the outer person.
Think of an action movie where someone is on a mission with an earpiece in place, through which a leader with an overall vision tells him when to go, when the time is just right. That is how it works spiritually. We are on a divine mission and our inner self is there to guide the human self. We need only heed the advice. The inner reality knows when the time is right and what needs to be done. The details of how to handle the mission are up to the outer person, to human creativity.
Making decisions with the heart and mind is like trying to decide what the picture is with one small piece of a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. You have no idea. It is only a ragged piece, perhaps brown in color, and the picture could be anything. Our petty understanding separate from spirit is a tiny factor among a huge number of factors that spirit is aware of, and if the inner urging is ignored the result will likely be a bad decision. Innumerable factors come to focus each moment. Being ruled by the human heart and mind rather than divine direction is what brought about the fall of consciousness and loss of the divine state. It is the forbidden fruit, putting human judgment above divine intention. We are not designed to function shut off from higher understanding. We should live in communion with our inner reality, attuned to a transcendent view, as we make thousands of decisions every day. In this way, the outer, human self, yields to higher understanding, and knows oneness of purpose with the inner, divine Self. That is the correct design for humankind.
When we let go in humility to what is higher, it is very freeing and makes life simple. We don’t need to agonize over decisions, which is an energy drain. When our inner guide rules, we live gracefully, in step with spirit. Anything else is herky-jerky and out of step. The dictionary defines grace as, “simple elegance or refinement of movements.” Grace comes from the Latin word, gratus, which means pleasing or favor. However, the common Christian teaching is that grace is, “unmerited mercy or favor from God.” Grace, and graceful living, is no accident but the result of moving with the rhythms of Being, and of listening within. It is not a haphazard thing, but the result of right living.
As John Gray said, “The heart that is open consistently is cleansed, uplifted and purified by grace.” This is sanctification, which deletes what does not belong, what is not true, and allows the purity of spiritual understanding to be known. The heart and mind have a vital purpose, but only when what is higher fills them with divine intention.
Our friend in South Korea, Marsha Bogolin, recently said, “The quality of humility is so important it’s engraved into the Garden of Eden story. Our tiny human minds are not capable of judging good and evil. No matter how right we may think we are, we don’t really know if our view aligns with the larger outworking God is unfolding through the Creative Process. So we must be humbly yielded to God’s guidance constantly. We stand in humility before God, the greater wisdom of God.”
If we let go to the clear voice of spirit, we know the presence of God and can live full of grace. An inner light fills our minds and hearts. Rising from the murky depths of confusion, we are enfolded in divine understanding. That is our mission. It is why we are on earth at this critical time, that humanity may awaken to the truth. It is a privilege to share this understanding with like-minded friends.