3 Steps To Freedom

The world provides a myriad of answers and solutions to the problems and challenges in our lives.  Watch TV, listen to the radio, social media or click on any of the spam messages in your in-box and an “answer” can be found for what is troubling you, usually all that is required is PayPal, a credit card or bank routing number. This secular basis of living provides unlimited answers to life’s questions, the real question is how effective are they? If freedom is just a click or phone call away, why is the world still bedeviled?  Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have a new set of tools for addressing the conditions troubling us: We treat them spiritually. OK, so what does that mean and how do we do it? Glad you asked:

First: Do not package your concerns. General prayers are better than none but provide only general answers and solutions. Be specific. Take the time to write down and separate out the things that are troubling you. What do you want removed from your life and what do you want to come into your life. Be specific.

Second: Now that you have your list, address each item separately. Consider your concern in the light of your spiritual knowledge. Claim the Great Creative Life Force, as you understand it, will address this concern, in its own time, in its own way in the perfect form for you. Avoid visualizing how you think things should progress for this is outlining and is counterproductive, visualize only the power working in your life, providing, healing, creating, doing for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Third: When finished close with a simple prayer/affirmation thanking God, as you understand Him, for knowing Him better. Do not allow yourself to become tense or demanding in these sessions, for this only retards progress. Do not speak about your specific prayers with anyone, for this is between you and the universe, so keep it private. Do however remain open and accountable to your spiritual guides and teachers, relating the action you are taking, just keeping the wording of the prayers private. Do not look impatiently for signs of progress. Faith is trust; trust is faith, Trust in the Miraculous, for miracles are our birthright.

Follow these directions for 30 days. If you are persistent and consistent in your demonstration some remarkable changes will be taking place in your life. Few, if any, will be in the manner or following the script we would have written, but they will be exactly what we need, at precisely the moment needed, arriving typically without fanfare. We will have begun to intuitively know what to do and how to do it with the needed strength, if we remain consistent and willing.

After 30 days feel free to share this method and what happened to you in a general way with any you think ready to step out in faith, but it is imperative that you keep the specifics of your list and prayer private, encased in the secret place of your heart where no one but you and the Miraculous have access.

Miracles of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Misery Daydreaming

Everyone daydreams, of what do you dream? One of the foundational truths is: thoughts are causative, the thoughts we entertain will find out picturing in our lives. Now, I know what you are thinking, cool, I will think about having robust health, a boatload of money, healthy happy relationships or stopping smoking and poof, problem solved. Unfortunately, wistfully dreaming about something without a basis for generating the change in conditions is destructive and counterproductive. Consider: many who want to stop smoking don’t dream of being smoke free but instead focus on how hard it will be to quit. If lacking financial abundance, they don’t dream of following their heart’s desire, money and abundance coming by virtue of doing what they love, but on the reasons why they have not followed their heart (too old, too young, need schooling, what will people think, etc.). If experiencing poor health, they do not focus on good health, free of the restrictions ill health has placed on them, instead they dwell on their “ailments” various symptoms while never missing an opportunity to talk about “their” condition, even with strangers. When thinking of others, they daydream typically about past negative encounters, imagining all the things they should have said and done differently, dwelling on how they will do better next time, even fantasizing to the point of rehearsing whole future conversations in their minds eye. Oh, and God forbid they stop and consider the part they played, their side of the street.

So if you wish to be miserable, here lies the recipe: Dwell on getting even with those who have hurt you (real or imagined), for dreaming of revenge slams the door of serenity, instilling resentment as your constant companion. Focus on every medical condition you hear about and wonder if perhaps you have some of the symptoms, Googling a must here. Never waste an opportunity to join any discussion dealing with conspiracy theories, especially online, for later when alone this will provide great negative daydreaming fodder. Watch and read everything you can dealing with end of world scenarios and daydream anxiously on how you will cope or die as a result. Spend time ruminating on what is missing in your life and how it will never happen. Above all, dream darkly; as soon as the slightest ray of sunshine tries to enter your thoughts snuff it out, for the world really is a hard, sharp place.

Conversely when freedom and happiness are uppermost in our mind, we adopt the path of Living on the Spiritual Basis. Having recognized the power of thought, both for good and ill, we chose freedom over fear and limitation, choosing the course of our lives by rejecting and resisting the Adversary Fear, reaping the harvest of peace of heart and mind. Though we have no control over the thoughts which float up from our subconscious, we choose the dreams we dwell on, so our choice is simple, will we stand in the light, free from the bondage of self or dream darkly, wrapped in anger, limitation, fear, pain and resentment? The Miraculous nature of our heritage leaves the choice in our hands, choose wisely.

Miracles Of Recovery

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Quantum Food For Thought

Is anything really beyond the purview of the Miraculous? Money? Healing? Peace of mind? Love? Serenity? Anything? Spiritual teachers and Religions have been teaching for thousands of years that the avenues of delivery of the things we require, materially and Spiritually, are unlimited, but there is only one source, God. This “truth” has been related in a myriad of ways, but just for a moment let’s set aside any religious or spiritual conceptions concerning Divine Mind. In the last few decades science, particularly physics and quantum mechanics have discovered some interesting things. For instance, at the most basic levels of existence, the sub-atomic, there are infinitesimally small particles which demonstrate “intelligence” (quantum enigma) in the way they react when observed.

Now these particles (Quarks, Gluons and a couple dozen more, give or take) comprise all matter, from quasars to the mayfly, grains of sand to super massive black holes, you and me. Additionally, these particles, the matrix of all matter, are entangled at the quantum level in ways which defy the physical laws that govern our existence, yet they make up all that we touch, feel and see! What if embodied in these particles, the observed “intelligence,” this Universal Creative Life Force was, for lack of a better term, the mind of God? Then “God” is not only everywhere but is everything. That everything and everyone are extensions of Divine Mind, the Universal Creative Life Force. Sounds kinda spiritual. Just a thought, can’t prove it any more than I can “see” a Quark, but it does give one pause to ponder, food for thought, in a good way.

Miracles Of Recovery

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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Choosing Serenity

We are bombarded incessantly by the world around us: e-mails, texts, phone calls, Social Media, etc. all clamoring for our attention as never before. And our peace of mind, our serenity suffers as a result. Quiet time has always been important, but in today’s world it is imperative. So, set aside some time during the week to be disconnected from the world. Turn off the phone, shut down the computer, no TV’s or any other sound producing device left on. Turn around or cover any clock that may catch your eye. Now read a book, a real one, write (with pen and paper), take a walk in the park or a hike in nature or just sit quietly experiencing the peace of the moment. Depending on your circumstances: small children, roommates, uncooperative spouses etc. you may only be able to do this for a short period but make the effort.
This exercise in active electronic inactivity, disconnected from the electronic world, is a demonstration in willingness to walk the road less traveled, a simple affirmation in action which opens us to serenity, this simple discipline affirming our true connection to the Miraculous.  

Miracles Of Recovery

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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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.”

Miracles Of Recovery


© 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.

Miracles Of Recovery


© 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.  

Miracles Of Recovery

© 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!

Miracles Of Recovery


© 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.

Miracles Of Recovery

© 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.
Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

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