Anger and Indignation: The Price

Anger and indignation are spiritual poison. Period. When we are angry, outraged, indignant, upset or offended, who pays the price? We do. Sure, we may vent at the source of our displeasure, but our face becomes red, our heart beats faster, our blood pressure rises, our serenity is lost, our peace of mind replaced with turmoil. Even if we get the chance to give them “a piece of our mind” what was really accomplished? Then there are those occasions when the object of our ire is beyond our reach, speeding away down the road, on the other side of the TV screen or radio speaker or try as we might we just cannot get through the maze of voice mailboxes to get to a real person and ranting e-mails are wholly unsatisfying. There are few laws that are truly immutable, here is one: we reap as we sow.

Immutable: adj
Unchanging or unchangeable: not changing or not able to be changed (Encarta)

We cannot get angry enough to instill peace, in ourselves or anyone else. No one has ever been moved for long in a positive way when anger is the sole motivation and no world leader or politician has ever changed their mind because we yelled at the TV or posted something on social media.

Does this mean we should go through life with a Mona Lisa type smile cemented on our face, never taking a stand or pointing out mistakes, having no opinion on anything? Of course not, Living on the Spiritual Basis is not about disconnecting from life, floating above it all, but connecting in new and profound ways, for we are living on a new basis, the basis of trusting and relying on God.

There will always be something or someone to be upset at or offended by, but our peace, our serenity must never be the victim. When we allow the world to get the better of us, we suffer the pain we are attempting to inflict on others. We drink the poison of resentment and discontent, we become upset and irritable, we close ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit and not only do we suffer, but those closest to us do as well. So, the next time the thought “I have a right to be angry” crosses your mind, remember who truly pays the price for this “right.”

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Grudging Deliverance

When facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge in life, finding our back against the wall, all secular answers and escape routes seemingly exhausted, beset on all sides by fear and the perceived negative outcome, we become willing. From this nadir of spirit, a spark of faith bursts into life. In truth it was always there, buried beneath conventional thinking and secular belief. When faced with the insurmountable, having exhausted the conventional, we are left only with what was once may have been unthinkable, prayer. Perhaps we have not prayed in years or ever prayed in a religious sense. Perhaps we believed ourselves to be agnostic or a conversational atheist effectively leaving the question of God simmering on a back burner, only to find life has turned up the heat and the pot is boiling over.

We may even be surrounded by people trying to help, yet we feel alone, lost, trapped, the walls closing in, no apparent way out. So, we begin to pray. We make sure we are alone, unseen. We may even feel guilty for all those times we disparaged those “holy rollers,” having felt superior to those weak-willed believers, perhaps even gleefully engaged in a little schadenfreude when a religious figure fell from favor. But now having found ourselves at the court of last resort, bereft of any more “good” ideas or plans, we finally turn to prayer.

From this moment of trepidation, one book closes and a new one opens. We quickly find that the universe does not make too hard terms for those who earnestly seek. The Miraculous will make itself known to us, if we ask. The Great Carpenter taught that upon this mustard seed’s worth of belief, a deeply rooted and strong spiritual life can be grown. Our job to remain open minded, honest and willing to learn.

Having stepped on to this path, does it mean our prayers are answered in the manner we outline? Doubtful. All prayers are answered in the positive, and our vision is limited while God’s is not. Spiritual hindsight has shown me that many of the things I prayed for, had they been delivered as I ordered them, would have caused more trouble and problems down the road. Prayer will never cause pain or unintended consequences, so it is not that the universe says no, for no is not in its vocabulary but it will not say yes to anything that may cause any harm, intended or not.

There are many questions about life and living that are beyond our ability to comprehend. So, we to pray “softly,” form and style of little importance, speaking from the heart of paramount importance. God will Deliver, in some good way, for our birthright is to be Happy, Joyous and Free.

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Regret and Fear

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future” Fulton Oursler.

When in the grip of fear that sense of something dreadful lurking around the next corner ready to attack and rend us asunder is often overwhelming, our peace in spirit lost in hopelessness, feeling weighed down so deeply even simple acts become a struggle. In truth, fear is a liar but an implacable foe, an adversary beyond our ability to defeat alone for fear never sleeps, always vigilant, patience personified; cunning, baffling and powerful and though we may rally and occasionally win a battle, the outcome of the war is never truly in doubt when we rely solely upon our limited human resources when battling this thief of serenity. While regrets (fears partner in crime) over past mistakes or perceived opportunities lost opens us to morbid reflection. When we reflect morbidly anxiety, lament and depression become our traveling companions, the True Grace of forgiveness replaced with self-centered negative introspection. Fear and regret always see the future dark and hopeless, crushing the peace and serenity that is ours by birthright.

Living on the Spiritual Basis we have learned through prayer, meditation and selfless action to rely on the Creative Life Force at the heart of everything for our strength. In so doing we face fear with faith, enabling us to meet seeming calamity with serenity, Grace realized, the thief fear barred entry into our consciousness, and we are free: Peace, poise and freedom from the bondage of self in demonstration and action.  

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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If You Had 3 Wishes

If you had three wishes, what would they be? Riches? Immortality? A perfect body unaffected by any food consumed or sedentary lifestyle? Your children healthy and prospering? Mosquitoes extinct? Probably we have all dreamed of what we would ask for if Aladdin’s lamp came into our possession. How about the ability to fly? To make all politicians and car salesmen tell the truth? Now that would be something unheard of. Along with flying, there are a whole myriad of superpowers that would be pretty cool. Strength, telepathy, breathing underwater, invisibility, etc. all make for an interesting thought experiment. I have pondered on this and today if I could have a super power it would be the power to instill common sense. I would walk through crowds brushing against people, striking them down with common sense, and just like the popular end of the world virus scenarios once infected every person they touched in turn would become infected as well (insert diabolical laughter here). Soon the entire world would be infected and there would be nothing that could be done to stop it, common sense would Rule The World!! (More diabolical laughter).

OK, diabolical laughter aside, if common sense was, well common, consider how the world would be transformed. No one would talk or text, apply makeup, read, shave, consume a three-course meal or any of the other thousand things some folks do while piloting a couple of tons of steel down the highway.  Politicians and leaders would actually be concerned about those they serve, working for something other than their legacy, their bank account or trading on their influence for personal gain. I may be naive, but I believe that common sense would resolve conflicts in a twinkling, all parties working toward the welfare of all involved. Terrorists, once infected, would slap their foreheads saying, “What was I thinking?” and then do something constructive with their lives. Admit it, wouldn’t you love to be watching TV when some self-obsessed personality or politician became infected on air? Professional athletes’ salaries would become commensurate to the reality that they play games for a living, while teachers’ pay would reflect the importance of the role they play. Reality TV and infomercials would cease to exist overnight. No pollution or litter, for no one with a lick of common sense would poison his or her environment or trash it. Kinda gives one pause to wonder doesn’t it.

I know, Common Sense Man does not have the same panache as Captain America, Wolverine, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hulk, Thor, Superman or Ironman but in the real world, clear thinking and common sense are of much greater value than retractable Admantium claws or going through life saying HULK SMASH! My other two wishes? Common sense dictates I keep some things to myself. Excelsior!

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Miraculous Revealed

Ever wonder where the phrase One Day At A Time popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous came from?  Emmet Fox is the most likely source, he wrote: “Live in today, and do not allow yourself to live in the past under any pretense. Living in the past means thinking about the past, rehearsing past events, especially if you do this with feeling…train yourself to be a man or woman who lives one day at a time. You’ll be surprised how rapidly conditions will change for the better when you approach this ideal.” Dr. Fox said this a few years before Bill Wilson sobered up and many, including Bill, of the early rummies studied Dr. Fox’s spiritual principles, many of which found their way into the book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

When we marry one thing at a time with one day at a time, we have a simple yet powerful guide for living: Living on the Spiritual Basis. The only time we can be present for God, the only time we can stand in the presence of God, the only time God can be present in our lives, is in this moment. He was there yesterday, and I trust He will be there tomorrow, such is faith, but our work is done right here, right now. When we keep our head where our hands are, our eyes fixed on the Miraculous, our heart in His care, nothing can ever truly harm us.

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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No Mere Words

Many believe that change and growth can come through discourse alone. That sounding off and speaking out accomplishes anything lasting. Today, just as yesterday and the day before, impassioned speeches will be delivered from the bedraggled fellow in Hyde Park speaker’s corner to the United Nations. Chances are none of them will be remembered next week, or even tomorrow for that matter in most cases. There have always been and will always be vibrant speakers. Eloquent and moving in the moment, their words perhaps even bridging time, to touch future generations. However, did their words alone truly change anything? Consider: If Churchill had not demonstrated resolve along with eloquence, would Britain have persevered against seemingly insurmountable odds? FDR spoke eloquently and with firm resolve on Dec. 8th, 1941 but the world would look like very different today if he had failed to follow through. John Kennedy did not just speak about going to the moon; he said we would within ten years and put into motion the foundation to accomplish this amazing feat. Mother Teresa did not merely speak about love and service but demonstrated it by living and prospering in conditions that few of us can truly comprehend.

These individuals were dynamic. Yes, they spoke with eloquence, but what made them dynamic was making their words real, turning eloquence into action. Though we may never reach the levels of renown of these dynamic individuals, being dynamic is part and parcel of Living on the Spiritual Basis. Faith without works is dead, sweet words and promises mean nothing, actually becoming destructive, if the appropriate action does not follow. None of us walks the way we talk all the time, but it is a goal worth shooting for. So, strive to be dynamic, and though you may lack eloquence, your actions and demonstration in Spirit carries more weight, and lasting permanent value, than any mere words alone.
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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Spiritual Wet Cement

The natural tidal flows of our spiritual unfolding can be disconcerting. Often this happens when our life is going well, we feel connected, in Source, not a cloud on the horizon and then seemingly out of nowhere a sense of being disconnected, out of sorts, edgy, struck with shadows of discontent seemingly obscuring our vision. Consider: Most modern buildings rest on a concrete foundation. It would be a foolish builder indeed who attempts to build on wet cement. They wait for the concrete to “cure”, to become strong enough to support the construction to come. Just as a builder cannot begin construction on a new floor until the underlying construction is sufficiently sound, the same holds for our spiritual growth. Our consciousness is a mufti-story construct and just as in the modern skyscraper, it is built one floor at a time. If we succumb to the adversary Fear and allow morbid reflection to become dominate the underpinnings of our new and expanding consciousness can be weakened before they have had sufficient time to “cure.” The result could lead to a collapse in our peace and serenity, possibly even creating a crisis of faith.

The construction of our spiritual awakening is a never-ending process, a structure of infinite wonder and of truly unlimited size and scope. In those inevitable times of seeming no growth, perceived lack of progress or discontent, take heart and remember this truth, often a cloudy day is just a cloudy day, but the sun is always shining above the clouds. Stay consistent in action and soon the current level of work will become fixed, the lessons learned in truth, written on our heart, ready to be built on anew. Be consistent in that which has brought you to this point but do not rush for rushing spiritually leads only to setbacks at best and collapse at worst. So, let the Miraculous as you understand it teach you and guide you through prayer and meditation, but avoid struggle, allow the process to happen naturally relying on Divine Love as your chief architect and building inspector and you cannot fail to succeed.

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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The Captain Is Still On the Bridge 2019

Certain teachings rise to the level of “sell all the books, everything needed is here.” Emmet Fox provides one of those with: The Captain Is On The Bridge (Around The Year With Emmet Fox pg. 248) for dealing with fear. Consider, when he said this America was in the grip by the Great Depression, prohibition creating a whole new class of criminal, millions displaced from America’s dust choked heartland, the drums of war beating with Hitler’s rise to power in the east and Japan’s in the west. Yet Dr Fox confidently stated that The Captain Is On The Bridge:
“The world is not going to the dogs. The human race is not doomed. Civilization is not going to crash. The captain is on the bridge. Humanity is going through a difficult time, but humanity has gone through difficulties many times before in its long history, and has always come through, strengthened and purified.
       Do not worry yourself about the universe collapsing. It is not going to collapse, and anyway that question is none of your business. The captain is on the bridge. If the survival of humanity depended upon you or me, it would be a poor look out for the Great Enterprise, would it not?
        The captain is on the bridge. God is still in business. All that you have to do is to realize the Presence of God where trouble seems to be, to do your nearest duty to the very best of your ability; and to keep an even mind until the storm is over.”

God doesn’t need my help in running the Universe, let alone my life, but I certainly need His. Fortunately, The Captain Is (still) On The Bridge.

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Relaxed Contrary Action

Living on the Spiritual Basis we stand vigilant and are never afraid of questioning or re-examining any belief or position regardless of how long we may have held it. The truth will set you free is true whether we have been on the path a few months or most of our lives. When we first embark on the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis we are confronted with large, easily recognizable defects and shortcomings. As time flows by the impediments to spiritual growth become smaller, less pronounced, often obscured by a layer of misunderstanding or complacency masquerading as truth which requires greater, deeper vision to see. The natural response is to work harder, dig deeper and faster to ferret these things out. The problem is our spiritual vision is not sufficiently refined to adequately recognize them; so contrary action is called for.

So we relax, we take it easy. Hard work in this area only makes the work harder. Continue to pray and meditate daily, asking to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindness and love. In natural course, the partially hidden shoals will become visible and can be addressed spiritually. To be clear: we do not work on them; Divine Consciousness makes them visible and when we are spiritually ready, removes them. Our part is to remain willing, willing to go to any lengths to be spiritually aware, humble in service.

By embracing spiritual living in this way you will find the wind at your back most of the time, but if for some reason you discover you are facing the wrong way, relax and trust in Divine Mind to alter your direction back to the true path.

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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“But for the Grace of God go I” 2019

Walking the way we talk. When we espouse one thing but act in a contrary manner not only does it make us look untrustworthy but also opens the door to all manner of spiritual disease and unease coupled with a corresponding disconnect from truth. Wishing to be happy but seeding unhappiness, wanting to be loved but unwilling to demonstrate love, demanding respect while being disrespectful, holding truth and fairness as essential while speaking falsely and treating others unfairly, in a manner we would not tolerate, are all examples of spiritual disease, a demonstration in conflict with our stated intention. These are gross examples, readily identifiable and addressed if we truly wish to change.

But what of the subtler forms: condescension and self-aggrandizement couched in seemingly “well-intended” but not fully considered verbal asides, comments and actions. One of which, which I found particularly painful since I had used it often was “But for the grace of God go I.” The phrase always made me a little uneasy, though for years I could not suss out why. When the truth finally hit, I became physically ill and spiritually unsettled. Consider the full import of the phrase: it implies that God withdraws or withholds Divine Grace from some unlucky souls! And fortunately, I’m not one of them!  Really? That some are “chosen” in some way, greater in God’s sight than another? Or, being flawed, prone to error in thought in deed, especially when fearful, we could err so egregiously that we are “cast” aside? If God is the embodiment of Love and we are all children of the Miraculous, Grace freely given because of this love and intimate connection, how could that be possible? I wrestled with this for a time, looking for a loophole to crawl through, but they all ended in the same place: base condescension and the spiritually corrosive “holier than thou” sensibility.

Wayne Dyer suggested in all things we “think from the end.” Applying this concept here I now understand that no one stands above another Spiritually, and though each of us will reap the harvest from the seeds we have sown, for good or ill, Grace is a gift that cannot be earned or lost and to believe that in anyway anyone is beyond Grace or has lost it, we then set ourselves up for a life of disharmony at odds with the truth of being.

“For we are human, weak and prone to wrong, and by Thy Grace alone are we made strong.”
Henry Coyle

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© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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