Is Jesus Coming Soon?

Jesus is coming soon?

You hear it in a lot of churches. And not to say "amen" is akin to blasphemy in some minds. Jesus is coming soon! I've said it a lot through the years, and although I believe He may be coming for me pretty soon, I feel it's important to be a part of correcting pop theology, so here goes.

In the English Bibles with which I am familiar, Jesus is never quoted as saying, "I am coming soon." Instead, it is usually, "I am coming quickly."

That's a totally different idea. In the Greek original, the word is tachu. And yes, both ideas can be conveyed by the word. One can be talking about when or in what manner with that same word. We're left with a need to interpret. Here is how I interpret all this.

First, Jesus cannot lie. He is the Truth. Soon to us means within the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or to stretch it to its max, a few years. 2000 years could not be considered soon by any mortal. And it was to mortals He said these words. Believers in the soon doctrine will be ridiculed for no reason. In fact that very thing has happened and was prophesied by Peter (I Peter 3). We have been saying in every generation, "Jesus is coming soon." And He didn't come. Now they mock the whole idea of His coming, just as Peter said they would.

Second, these individual statements about coming quickly are not the only way Jesus expressed the thought. He said in Matthew 24 that He will come as the lightning. Suddenly. Quickly. Tachu. The sun sets gradually. That is not tachu. A man returns from a trip gradually. You see his plane, then him as a dot, then a man, then face to face. That is not tachu. And Jesus is not coming that way, as many even in our generation have speculated, that one day we will realize that Jesus is here, that he slowly has made His Presence felt. No, that is not tachu. Jesus says, "When I do come, I will come without annnouncement, without delay, as the lightning, as the vultures on a piece of dead meat." That's tachu.

Jesus is near. He is at hand. That's why when He appears, it is suddenly.

Jesus did not tell His disciples, I'm coming back in a few days or months. Instead He gave them clear-cut signs (Matthew 24) to identify the world scene at the time of His coming. Then He told them He had no clue when He would return. That is, the Father had not revealed to Him the time of Earth's history when the signs would all be fulfilled. But the generation that lives at that time will know...

Both Paul and Jesus (II Thessalonians 2 and Matthew 24) are clear: Don't let anyone deceive you. I'm not coming back until a certain sign is fulfilled. No space to talk about the sign here, but when He does come, it will be quickly.

Why such a teaching? Why tell us several times He is coming quickly? So that believers through the years will not be led astray into following false Messiahs who will appear here and there, take out ads in newspapers, start communities, all the while trying to convince people they are God's Promised One. No, when Jesus comes, it is tachu. There'll be no questions asked or answers needed.

The when of His coming we must discuss some other time. But the how is certainly quickly.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

How Do Christians View The World?

I've been reading and believing the Bible for over 50 years. I unapologetically say that my worldview is between the covers of that Book. The way the born again see it is this: There is God, and there is everything else.

But the transcendant God, we believe, has entered our bounds, and walked with us in the person of Jesus Christ, Himself God and man. We teach that after His cruel death and glorious resurrection, He ascended to Heaven, then came back via Spirit to His followers. (This is not to discount a bodily return at the climax of world history.)

As He filled and fills His disciples with Himself, He actually exerts an influence in the world that He likened to salt and light. God's people, filled with Christ Himself, are preserving this planet and giving it the only true guidance it has.

He is here. He is working steadily among men to call out a people for Himself. All of this, while kingdoms rise and fall around Him and His people. All this while nature rages and time rushes to its final destiny.

Let me break it down more:

The world. Created by God for God.

The world. Corrupted by man in the face of God.

The world. Loved by God and redeemed by His blood for those interested.

The world. Overseen by God but now managed by Satan until all rule is given to Christ.

The world. To be destroyed and renewed and ruled by God's people, when Christ returns.

The world. A place now of temptation and danger.

The world. The enemy of the souls of men, posing as its friend.

The world. Setting of spiritual battles directed from the heavenlies.

The world. Here, we are pilgrims, passing through.

The world. Its peoples are loved by God, but its ways are to be avoided by believers.

"God so loved the world (not the corruption but the needy people) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life ."

John 3:16

That's God's worldview. Though we have corrupted ourselves, He holds out His hand and calls us still...

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

How to Take Care of Yourself Too!

First thing I have to say is that everything anyone has ever said about grandparenting, is true! You really get to do all the fun things you did with your kids as they discovered the world around them, only it's in a never ending state of "now". Otherwise known as timelessness. All the challenges of being a parent, are so joyously absent in being a grandparent. It's just pure Joy.

As a retired nurse (after thirty plus years) I have to say that some of my greatest lessons in life have been learned since becoming a grandmother. I've learned that spending time with my little grandbaby is like making time stand still. I've learned that when I'm being "silly grammy" in whatever way that I can, just so I can see and hear her little belly-laugh, ... that it's so infectious, I laugh just as hard .... and that makes her laugh even harder! Watching her discover something for the first time, or finally mastering something she's been working so hard to learn, is truly an event! An event worthy of a "standing ovation" every time. :) It's such a privilege to be involved in your grandchildren's lives. And so good for grandchildren to have their grandparents close by.

Yes, It's our time and our love that is everything to our grandkids, but I also want to be here with them on this planet, in the very best health and shape I can be. In the end, I want to have been a good example of how to caretake a body, mind, and spirit, at any age! Now there is where a little extra income will come in handy. So I'm getting an education on how to go about taking good care of me financially too!

I'm a senior and I don't mind saying, that I don't always learn things as quickly as I used to, so it was very important to me that it should be a program showing me exactly what to do and where, "step by step".

If you feel the same as I do, then go to: http://DirectionsToMoney.com and get educated too! The time couldn't be better, to bring in an extra income with minimal expenditure of time on your part, because time is very precious for us grandparents!

Sincerely,

"Grammy G"

When Do We Get To Meet God

Steakhouse Manhattan Will Give You A Taste Of Real Steak

Manhattan is the commercial and the financial centre of the world, and several leading companies and businesses have their offices set up in this city. Manhattan has abundance of hotels, restaurants and steakhouses to cater to the huge population who live there or visit the city for business or any other purpose. A person who loves to eat steak will never miss out on enjoying and eating his favorite steak dish, since he can visit the numerous steakhouses that are present there to cater to their taste and choice. Steakhouse, whether it is in Manhattan or any other place, is the one where steak lovers love to go and indulge.

If you happen to either reside in Manhattan or have been there for any purpose and need to find a good steakhouse to pamper, make sure that you check out certain important things. First, the steakhouse must be located at a suitable place where you can easily go at anytime of the day. Well, this may not be a very important factor for some, because they are willing to travel the extra mile if they know that they will get what they are looking for. So, it does vary from individual to individual, still having a steakhouse nearby to the place where you stay does make it easy for you to enjoy eating steak.

The kind of food served at the steakhouse is another thing that you must take care of. Well if you are in Manhattan and visit a steakhouse there, you will surely want to be served with the best cooked food. Steak is cooked in different ways, in varying degrees of heat or fire and it is this difference in the degree of cooking which brings out the taste. Some people prefer their steak to be cooked properly so that it becomes dry; while some people prefer steak to be cooked rare or medium rare that allows a huge amount of juice retention in the steak. It all depends on the type of taste that people prefer to eat for the steak.

The accompanying drink with your steak is vital if you want to get the real taste while eating steak. All steakhouses have a drinks bar from wherein you can choose the type of wine which you would like to drink along with your steak. If you are planning to go out and eat with your friends, you better make sure to make all the arrangements beforehand. You would surely not like to walk down to a steakhouse in Manhattan and find out that it is fully occupied and come back disheartened. Steakhouse is the ideal place for you to enjoy your eating out session with your family and friends.

Neil Folley holds a Masters Degree in Hotel Management.He loves good food and arranging private parties.He is working for Markjosephsteakhouse.To book for Sunday Parties and enjoy tasteful food at Steakhouse Manhattan visit http://www.markjosephsteakhouse.com

Should The Bible Be Edited

Feng Shui - Missing Sector Missing Luck

Feng Shui is associated with formulas and concepts such as Eight Mansions Method, Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces, amongst other things. Whilst Eight Mansion Method is a formula used by Feng Shui masters to categorize people into different groups according to their Trigram or Gua, the Eight Trigrams or Ba Gua can give a lot of information about a building. According to Feng Shui, a building has Nine Palaces or Sectors which makes up the total living space of the residents. These sectors are further accorded its individual locations and directions based on the Chinese Compass. Apart from the center, the other sectors of the building are north, south, east, west, northeast, southwest, northwest and southeast.

A land where a building sits on should ideally be square in shape so that there are nine equal sectors in the interior living space of the building. The problem arises when a land is not evenly shaped such as a triangle or other odd formations. This will give rise to partial or missing sectors in the interior living space. Any partial or missing sectors are inauspicious as it negates the elemental affinity between the sectors affected and the residents concern. This is because each sector of a building has an intrinsic Gua that is associated with a resident based on his or her year of birth. The Ba Gua or Eight Trigrams are Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui. These Eight Trigrams and their corresponding sectors in a building have elemental affinity with the residents in the form of energy or Qi. In Feng Shui, the life force or vital energy that gives life to all living things on earth comes from Qi. When a sector is partially or totaling missing in a building, the Qi is considered non-existent or very weak and the resident associated with the sector based on the trigram concern is thus affected negatively. He or she will not be able to tap into the positive or revitalizing energy of the missing Qi for luck and success.

For example, the following is one of the sectors, people and animal signs associated with the Eight Trigrams:-

-Sector - North
-Trigram - Kan
-People - Middle daughter
-Animal Sign - Rat

Each sector further governs a certain type of activity or occupation based on elemental affinity. When a sector is partially or totaling missing, the resident or the animal sign associated with it will face difficulty in his or her career pursuit related to the activity or occupation concern.

For example, the following is one of the sectors and the corresponding activity or occupation:-

Sector - North

Activity or Occupation - Logical thought, Intelligence, Research, Traveling

For example, a resident pursuing a legal career should not stay in a property with a missing east sector. A negative feature like a street lamp outside this sector can also erode the Qi therein and causes problem with expression.

In order to make sure that the sector that supports you are not missing or damaged by negative external features, you should inspect the building or property that you occupy and relate each sector to the type of work you do. This is one simple way of using Feng Shui to find out whether a building or a property is supporting or hampering your career.

For more and free Feng Shui consultation, E-books, articles and tips, you can visit http://www.bazidestiny.synthasite.com

Alvin Yap is the founder and owner of the website http://www.proactive-qi.com which offers free horoscope readings based on the Chinese Astrology known as the Four Pillars of Destiny and free consultation on the Chinese Metaphysical Science of Feng Shui. Visit us for free download of E-Books, tips, articles etc. Get Empowered, Get Energized and Get a Life!

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

The Religious Background of Unicorn Tapestries

The unicorn has been a mythical symbol since ancient times. Some of the earliest depictions of the unicorn are from ancient China and featured a creature resembling a large horse with a single horn protruding from its forehead. The writings and drawings of many ancient cultures throughout Asia and Europe included unicorns and eventually they evolved into religious symbols.

By the middle ages, the unicorn was considered both a religious and secular symbol by most of Christian Europe. The unicorn represented chastity, holiness, and purity, and was even used as a symbol for Christ. Because of the unicorn's important symbolism, it was often featured in tapestries and other art of the period. There are even references to unicorns in the bible, although some historians question their inclusion in the Bible because of translations issues. References to unicorns can be seen in Deuteronomy 33:17, Psalm 22:21, 29:6 and 92:10; Numbers 23:22 and 24:8; and Isaiah 34:7. These passages do not infer that the references to unicorns are fictitious or that unicorns are not in fact real animals.

There are many examples of medieval art and tapestries that feature unicorns and once they were accepted as a religious symbol they became very popular subjects. Unicorns represented purity and the myth perpetuated by their holy meaning was that only a virgin could tame a unicorn. Tapestries were common among the aristocracy in the Middle ages and were used as decoration as well as insulation for windows and openings. The most common tapestry designs were biblical allegories including unicorns. One of the most famous sets of tapestries are the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, Created in France in the late 1400's.

The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are perhaps the most famous examples of unicorns in art in the entire world. They were not discovered until late in the 1800's by Proper Merimee in a castle in Boussac France. They were damaged but were later restored and then put on display in the Cluny Museum in France in a room specially designed to house them. The novelist Georges Sands was responsible for making them so popular and included them in her writings.

It is not known who designed and wove the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, but historians do know who they were created for. The coat of arms on the tapestries belongs to the Le Viste family and the tapestries were probably created for this family in the late 1400's. Like other tapestries and art depicting unicorns, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are said to represent the human senses with the subject of the tapestries a virginal maiden and a unicorn. Five of the six tapestries represent the five senses, hearing, tough, taste, feeling, and sight. The sixth tapestry is one that carries some debate as some say it represent love, other think it stands for the "6th sense" while other think it represents understanding or empathy. Unicorns have long been a part of art and folk lore, and are still symbols of holiness and purity today.

http://www.touchoftapestry.com/servlet/StoreFront

Thomas Troward

New Thinking About Noah's Ark and Family

Terry Iacuzzo
Jerry And Esther Hicks

The Genius Project - God's Mistake Or Yours?

If you've been reading my last few articles then you know about the Genius Project which was conducted by my good friend Mr. Jay Niblick. You'll also recall that your ability to achieve 5th Level of performance (Genius Level) you must rely on your natural talents and be authentic to yourself. This post addresses the thought processes on how geniuses view themselves and their abilities.

Here's another way to look at it. To assume that you - at your very core - need to fix yourself requires the presupposition that you must be broken, and that implies that God screwed up. I mean feel free to substitute whatever spiritual belief you have, but it likely doesn't change the concept. Think about it. If you believe that at your very core that the way you were made is insufficient to achieve success, then you have to admit that you view yourself as flawed, or at best incomplete. Now I'm not talking here about developing new acquired talents, rather a belief that "I need fixing". Acquiring new knowledge and experience is great. That's a prerequisite for anyone's success and something all 5th level performers (Geniuses) constantly do by the way. But when you attempt to fix who you are instead of fixing how you are, then you must first think who you are is insufficient. And if you think that then you can't avoid the question, "Who screwed up?"

If you need to fix anything, it is the way you apply you - not you!

In reality it's not what you are at your very core that needs work, but how you apply yourself that needs fixing. God created you for a purpose and you have a completely unique and incredibly powerful set of natural talents for that purpose, so it's not what raw materials you have to work with that you should be concerned with - because the geniuses we studied aren't. What you should be focused on is how you apply those raw materials.

Geniuses understand this. They don't view their set of talents as flawed; rather any flaws they see come in how they apply those talents. Because of this radically different perspective on themselves, when they focus on correcting flaws, those flaws are in their application of themselves, not themselves. In other words, they achieve tremendous leaps in performance by adjusting their environment (what they do or how they do it) not themselves. They don't change their talents; they change how those talents are applied.

Give yourself up to your inner genius and allow that which is you - as you were created - to do what it does best. Remember, regardless of whatever higher power you believe in, if you believe that such a higher power is infinitely more powerful and knowing then you, you have to ask yourself, "did that power know what it was doing when it created me?"

If you answer yes, then you can't blame your God for making you incorrectly? If you still agree with me then any mistakes in your life are not, cannot be, in you, but in the application of you. In other words, God made you, but you decide what to do with yourself. If a problem exists it's not with the thing God created, but how you apply it.

I say all of this because there is a huge difference between thinking you are broken and realizing that you are just not well aligned. The former is a race car with a blown engine that must be completely rebuilt (broken). The latter is a perfectly good Ferrari trying to race in an off-road rally (not well aligned).

Success in not about developing talent - it's about aligning it.

Mr. Timothy A. McGinty is the published co-author of the highly regarded Wake Up... Live the Life You Love series. This series is a collaborative effort with such inspirational leaders as Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracey, Steven E, and Lee Beard.

Mr. McGinty is also the author of "Your Blissful Life", a book which takes the reader by the hand and walks them through a process for defining their "Blissful Life" and the action plan for achieving it.

Imagine Yourself... is an organization focused on enabling clients "breakthrough" in achieving their success. Mr. McGinty has helped many organizations and individuals discover their passion, define the life balance they seek, develop strategies for achieving that balance, and held them accountable for reaching their goals. His clients have been so successful that Mr. McGinty is known as "The Breakthrough Guy"

Imagine Yourself...
13477 Prospect Rd. Suite 204
Strongsville, Ohio 44149
Telephone: 440-236-6519
Web: http://www.timothymcginty.com
E-mail: tim@timothymcginty.com

Spiritual Growth

Do You Really Know Why Your A Christian

Allan Fromme
Gary Thomas

Amish Country - A Great Place to Visit

The first Amish settlements were in Berks County Pennsylvania. The land there was highly suited to farming. During the French and Indian wars their homes were disturbed by raiders and many Amish found safe haven in Lancaster County, PA.

Disputes among the people on the interpretation of the Ordnung caused many families to leave the PA communities and settle in places like Iowa and Missouri. The Ordnung is the oral code on how an Amish person was to live and conduct themselves. Further Amish settlements would crop up around the heartland from European immigrants. Today Holmes County Ohio, Lancaster County Pa and Lagrange Indiana host the largest populations of Amish.

Population, land shortage and Ordnung issues have resulted in Amish settlements spreading into 25 states and Canada. The most recognized Amish are the Old Order Amish who have compromised the least with the world at large.

Many people refer to the Amish as Pennsylvania Dutch but they are actually of Swiss-German descent. Dutch came about by the misspelling of Deutsch, which is a word for the German language. This language is still spoken in many Old Order Amish communities. Amish communities in Pennsylvania are largest in Lancaster County with the oldest settlement in the United States being in the southeast. This is a beautiful county filled with covered bridges and old German architecture. The gorgeous Susquehanna River meanders through the landscape and under the many covered bridges. As far as the eye can see there are lush farmlands and quiet back roads beckoning the visitor with promises of peace and tranquility.

Visit the area's many museums and historical sites like the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in the country, as well as the farm and hardware store in Witness, a Harrison Ford movie. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery and the local lore by traveling by bus, car, horse-drawn buggy or even a hot air balloon. The food is amazing and there are antiques, furniture, quilts and dozens of other Amish made articles to choose from.

Elkhart and Lagrange County are home to the Indiana Amish communities. You can learn a great deal about the Amish and Mennonite religion and culture by visiting the Menno-Hof, an information center.

Better yet, take a trip to Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort. When you finally get to town, there are farmers markets and village shops for your shopping pleasure. Flea markets, auctions, theaters and restaurants are all a great part of any trip to Amish country. Here you can also take horse and buggy trips that will take you to Amish style inns and farmstead shops. No matter how you experience this extraordinary life, do not miss a backcountry tour that will absolutely enthrall you.

In central Ohio, you will find several thriving Amish communities around Holmes County. Get off the main interstate and enjoy a trip to the historic towns of Millersburg, Berlin and Walnut Creek. There are shops where you can find all kinds of Amish fare. Things like handmade quilts, cheese, furniture, antiques and the best food on the planet. Get back to the old way of life by touring scenic farms and quaint homes of the Amish people. Three great places to visit are The Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center, Schrock's Amish Farm and Village or Yoder's Amish Home. The last is an Amish farmstead restored by a couple with close Amish ties. The farm was set up as an educational avenue for outsiders. All this can be seen by buggy, balloon or on a horse.

Leon Tuberman is the owner/operator of Barn Furniture Mart a solid wood furniture store that specializes in handmade Amish furniture for your bedroom, dining room and home office. Barn Furniture's handcrafted furniture is offered in oak, cherry, maple and mahogany in several style including Mission, Shaker, Traditional and Contemporary styles.

My Boss Wont Pay Me

Do You Actually Get to Go to Heaven - Christian Thinking

Melita Denning
Gerald Epstein

The Heretic's Daughter - Religion, Fear and the Salem Witch Trials

The Heretic's Daughter is author Kathleen Kent's first novel, and it is a stunning debut. It takes place in and around Salem, Massachusetts during the 1690's, before and during the infamous Salem witch trials. The narrator's mother, Martha Carrier, is based on the real woman of the same name, who was one of the first woman to be tried and hung in the trials. Ms. Kent is herself a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier.

Ms. Kent has done her research, and she does a beautiful job of depicting the harsh realities of life during this time. While the initial Puritan settlers had come to this land to escape persecution, and hoped to found a new religious community, they were besieged by plagues, crop failures, and attacks by indigenous tribes. The child mortality rate was so high, we are told in the first pages, "that some families did not name their child until the child was past twelve months and more likely to live. And in many households if a baby died, that same baby's name would be passed on to the next born. And to the very next if that babe died as well."

This is from the novel's narrator, Sarah Carrier, Martha Carrier's daughter. If Sarah sometimes seems distant and unfeeling as she describes horrific events, it is no wonder, based on the climate in which she was raised. In fact, Sarah's voice and attitude was at first a put-off to me, making her difficult to relate to or feel for. But as the novel progresses, her voice becomes one of the book's greatest strengths, because it provides such a vast contrast to our emotion-laden, Oprah-fueled times. Sarah helps us to see what a stark and difficult existence does to people, and as she does mature - through watching her mother's trial and surviving her own incarceration - her growth and new-found wisdom is that much more evident.

As the novel begins, Sarah and her family are on their way to live with her grandmother, and, unbeknown to them, are bringing smallpox with them to their new community. This fact, along with Martha Carrier's headstrong and outspoken nature, will ultimately lead to the family becoming a target when the terrible accusations begin. Those accusations, as presented in The Heretic's Daughter, gain traction in the community because of the lethal combination of fear and damnation-based religion. The community, facing so many challenges to its existence, cannot fathom why they are being targeted by God for such wrath. Surely there must be some offense, some sin, that they are being punished for? In their desperation, they seek out the 'sinners' amongst them, literally demonizing their own neighbors for the smallest of offenses. They seek to scapegoat and purge - as so many have done in the name of religion throughout history.

From there, the paralysis of fear takes over, with each new charge silencing more people within the community, all seeking to protect their own lives and families. Children as young as four are taken into custody - since the 'devil' is behind it all, and can take over anyone's mind, no one is considered innocent. Quite the contrary, during the trials the defendants are most definitely considered guilty until proven innocent. And their innocence is in the hands of several hysterical, adolescent girls no less (I'll let you read the book to learn more about this.)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is how Martha gets Sarah to save herself, helping Sarah to realize that behind her mother's stern exterior lies the greatest of maternal loves. While Sarah at first despises her mother's difficult personality, wishing she would just capitulate to others, she comes to realize her mother's seeming obstinance is actually born of tremendous faith and wisdom. This is exactly the opposite of what her community elders teach - that strict obedience is the foundation for faith. As Sarah observes, that obedience, along with fear, is what allows the madness to continue for so long.

And so The Heretic's Daughter works on at least three levels. First, as a gripping historical novel that masterfully depicts a certain setting and time period. Second, as a personal story of a mother and adolescent daughter struggling to understand each other. And third, as a cautionary tale about how religion can be twisted when a society is ruled by fear.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality

Are You Fed Up With Religion

Did Jesus Actually Ever Get Mad - Video

Richard Wiseman
Orison Swett Marden

Understanding the God Consciousness Gestalt and Evolution of the Soul

Two words we will be using often in this discussion are (Hierarchy and Gestalt). For our purposes, Hierarchy will mean the stratified organization and layering of consciousness based on it's abilities, maturity and development. Gestalt will mean an organized and united whole that equals more than the sum of it's parts, and cannot be defined by knowing and categorizing the totality of it's components. When we think of consciousness in light of what we know and see in our everyday activities, we are presented with evidence that some living forms seem to possess more developed abilities than others.

This leads us to the assumption that we are the living epitome of consciousness expressed in human form. We assume that we are the top of the pile of living consciousness, with all other living forms below us. Of course, the word "living" itself is arbitrary, as we all tend to draw our own line of demarcation between what is "alive" and what is not alive. We attribute consciousness to things that are alive, that move, that think, reason, etc. In other words we like to consider ourselves and some animals as possessing consciousness.

If we were able to trace the evidence of consciousness downward on the scale of "living things" we would be amazed to learn that birds, insects, flowers, grass, bacteria and even the cells that compose the human body have their own and value oriented type of consciousness. Their consciousness is not equal in egotistical development as ours, but it is not less in quality, it simply has not developed in the same way as our reasoning mind consciousness. The natural instinctive consciousness of the animals serves them well for their necessary interaction with nature and the environment. We humans are part of a beautiful tapestry of consciousness composing a system of reality rising out of need and developed with a purpose. All consciousness contained within our realty has it's purpose and that purpose is to BE. What we don't understand as yet is that EVERYTHING possesses it's own type of consciousness.

Consciousness is even somewhat aware of itself in the ubiquitous electron, the atom, and even the cells and molecules are aware of their motion within a life form. The American Indian knew only a few hundred short years ago, that there is consciousness in the tree, the rock, the river and mountains. It is rather easy to accept this premise in light of other spiritual enigmas that confound us. Unfortunately with the evolution of our precise physical manipulation in a three dimensional reality, it became necessary for us to focus intently on physical performance of the biological form and we lost some of the intuitive truths that were inherently ours from the beginning. These truths are not lost, they just became buried deep within our psyche waiting to be activated again, to bring about the natural blending of the physical reasoning mind and the inner knowledge that still awaits activation.

So if we were to attempt to stratify and categorize consciousness, we would probably put ourselves near to top of the ladder with a huge gap between ourselves and God. Why would we assume that there are unending gradations of consciousness below ours but seemingly none above ours until you reached that ultimate "God Reality"?

The truth is that there are countless gradations of conscious entities above us of such psychic sophistication that we could only contemplate them as godlike psychological structures and their reality would not be translatable in words. There exist countless very mature, sophisticated entities that we cannot perceive and never will be able to perceive. These are the entities, some of which have experienced Earth reality at sometime in the distant path, have evolved through Earth reality and gone on to other more challenging worlds. Because we cannot perceive these entities with our Earth tuned senses does not mean they do not exist. They exist more assuredly than you or I do in an actuality that is so evolved that even if I were able to explain it, you could not understand. To these "super entities" Earth reality was once their kindergarten just as it is now ours. Earth is the beginning playground for new consciousness. We are here to learn, create, experience, yes, make mistakes for sure, but to learn from our mistakes and create again and again, improving all the while.

Now finally, there is therefore a PYRAMID GESTALT of consciousness with newer consciousness on the lower levels, evolving and moving upward within the pyramid structure as they progress. Of course the very top of the pyramid is ALL THAT IS (GOD). This Prime Being is composed of all consciousness below on the pyramid structure. Conversely speaking if we were to carry that thought to it's logical conclusion, in some very real way, your existence NOW on the lower levels of the psychological pyramid structure speaks of your very real connection with Top of the pyramid. Everything is connected and part of another everything.

Everything is part of something else. Nothing in the Universe stands alone. You are a part of this Pyramid Gestalt, this Hierarchy of consciousness that and between you and All That Is are unimaginable sophistication that you can hardly envision. The fact that you are part of countless entities above and below you as they are part of entities above and below them. "I use the term above and below, when the meaning is more advanced in consciousness development". I am saying that within this Hierarchy, you are part of something else, that is itself part of something else and so on forever. In entity development there is no better or best, there is just more advanced, mature, developed, but all are of the same quality, as they came from the same Source.

This kind of psychic oneness should not in the least bother you or make you in any way feel insignificant. It is quite like the following analogy. You live within your family at the same time you live within your city or county. You also live within your country and live on your continent and there is no contradiction, no jealousy of one above the other even though you are part of all simultaneously. The entity of which you are a part, scarcely notices you, but it's development depends on the structures upon which it rests and give it strength. You are a part of grander entities, and you don't even notice it. You are evolving in that direction yourself, and as your position on this pyramid of consciousness increases in depth and awareness, so will it increase maturity and psychic sophistication.

If you have been anxiously awaiting your unification with God, forget it. You are already as closely connected as you will ever be. As you increase and become more, All That Is increases multitudinous amounts multiplied by the number of all consciousness on this earth. From this you can see that as you increase, All That Is increases exponentially. As an example, as you progress an inch, All That Is progresses a million miles in terms of distance as an analogy. All That Is experiences through all entities beneath itself including you, as you to are also an entity of considerable worth and always becoming more. All That Is doubles itself in nanoseconds. So as there are countless layers of consciousness below yours, there are more above yours also. There is no huge gap between yourself and God and there are others that have gone before you. The more sophisticated and evolved the entity, the more entities involved with it and a part of it.

An entity can perceive dimensions of reality that are not yet as not as developed as it's own, but cannot perceive dimensions that are more evolved.

My name is W. Allan, single male 62, a resident of Naples Florida. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and have in the past, written a column called SECRET REALITY which was carried by spiritual and metaphysical magazines. I have recently started a blog to publish my work with the intent of incorporating expanded versions of my blog in book form. You can contact me any at my e-mail address: beachinguy@hotmail.com You may also read other articles at my blog at: http://answersbygod.blogspot.com and have a small company recording and selling CD's of the sounds of nature from my web site at http://www.naturesong.net Published author and writer of Spiritual columns (Secret Reality) and books. Owner of a Naure CD company (NatureSong), recording and distributing nature sounds CD's to retail outlets including a wide variety of bird song CD's and over 36 different sounds of nature. All of our nature sounds and bird songs are continuous, ambient sounds of nature without music.

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Conversations With My Master About Quantum Physics

CONVERSATIONS WITH I.F. QUANTUM PHYSICS

For 30 years I studied with my spiritual master, I.F. Now that I look back I can see that he understood the Laws of Quantum Physics and he taught it to me in all the occult and mystical examples and sciences he used. Only he used the language of the discipline he was teaching. Runes, Tarot, Astrology, Hermetics, Numerology and Egyptology.

It is only now when I look back in retrospect that I see the seeds of the Laws of Quantum Physics in his words and writings. Years before Quantum Physics became in known to the masses.

Now, part of my dharma is to not only carry on I.F.'s work, but to also, to the best of my ability, show the golden thread of the Laws of Quantum Physics that ran through all of the Ancient Wisdom Teachings.

Here is a very basic description of the Laws of Quantum Physics that I use as my measuring stick.

"There exists an infinite ocean of thinking, intelligent energy called the Quantum Ocean, or the Mind of God. Everything that ever was, is or will be is contained in the quantum ocean. There is no time there, No past, present nor future. Only the Now! There is no space there, only the HERE!. Therefore the Mind of God or the Quantum Ocean is an infinite point in the HERE-NOW!. We all live in two realities. Our physical one and our quantum ocean one.

Inside the quantum ocean are divine blueprints, or energy patterns or energy matrices that when projected onto the physical plane become part of our reality.

Thoughts are things and what we think we attract out of the quantum ocean and into our aura. Our aura is the energy filed that connects us to both our physical reality and our blueprint in the quantum ocean. We become what we think.

Here are some of the ideas presented to me over 30 years ago in the form of Study Letters by I.F. You judge the similarity to the Laws of Quantum Physics.

I.F. said that there is a blueprint for each person's life, but within that blueprint there are many possible variations and fluctuations,ramifications and many areas in which to operate

Every one's blueprint for life is to expand consciousness. To grow and become more aware of who and what we really are and to live in accordance with our blueprint. But the way we grow is up to the individual.

Life is a constant stream of choices. it is a choice from the very beginning.

As you expand your consciousness you make better choices. it is all a mathematical process. Use discrimination, wisdom and selectivity combined with balanced living to structure a whole (HOLY) life.

It fits so well with the ideas that thoughts are things and that we create our lives by what we think. We think thoughts or health, wealth and happiness along with the desire to be more conscious then we live a full productive life. The more conscious or god-like we become the better choices we make. The better choices we make the more conscious we become.

It works in the other direction also. The worse choices we make the more bestial we become and the lower our consciousness becomes. The lower our consciousness the more bestial. It brings up a very interesting occult question as far as reincarnation goes. According to some of the Eastern Religions you can be reborn as an animal. Something to think about?

Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller is a retired math professor and electronics engineer. He has been studying astrology, runes, radionics, metaphysics and alternate healing treatments for over 30 years. He is 70+, in very good health and lives in the boonies of the Pocono mountains with his wife Lory. His writings are unique and refreshing. To see more of his writings visit his websites.

http://www.olevikingshop.com/

and

http://www.runes-for-health-wealth-love-now.com/

Or go to Google and type in his pen name RAGNAR STORYTELLER for his listings. He is also a ghost writer and will write and article for you. Email Ragnar for his FREE 10 PART MINI-COURSE, "How-To use Quantum Physics in Your Every Day Life to Attract More Wealth, Health and Love, Now." You can contact him by email.

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The Sound of Soul

Have you ever wondered if soul has a sound? We may experience the sound of soul more than we know. Any time you move your attention to the inner dynamics of what lies behind your body and your mind, your soul will reveal itself to you.

Soul can be experienced outside your body and your mind as well. Just the other day, I was riding in my car with my friend Suzanne. We drove by an old barn that was caving in upon itself.

At some point, this barn stood upright. It was strong and enclosed many vehicles and animals for years. As with people, this barn aged over time. What once was a structure capable of containing many experiences of life, now, became a broken reflection of moments filled with life suspended in time.

You and I are a structural mind/body system that holds experiences within us just like this barn. As we recall these memories, these past experiences move our awareness toward an expression of experience where stillness allows us to re-live soulful memories filled with life and vitality. These inner visions, feelings, and experiences are our soul's way of speaking to us.

In silent reflection, our attention moves into expressions of living that are eternal. It is the part of us that is aware of our awareness. The part of us aware of our awareness and not identifying with the need to compete, become successful, or any other manifestations of the material world.

Our soul is the identification with what lies behind all appearances of separateness. This part of us needs no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no hands to touch, no tounge to taste, and no nose to smell. Our soul is completely free of any expression of our world. Our soul is the part of us that infuses all these qualities of attention.

Our soul is the silent spaces between every thought, word, and deed. It is a pregnant silence, all pervading, all knowing, and filled with eternity. Our soul is a connecting point from the world of flesh and the world of Spirit. The sacred human relationship between the form and formless states of our being create a spacial quality of existence within and beyond us whereby infinite possible correlations become the path of our soul.

* Try this exercise:

The next time you wake up in the morning, listen to your surroundings, just listen and do not analyze any sound. Let your attention be drawn into the sounds around you. Notice how far they are from you or how close. Do not try to define anything - just notice. You may hear birds, cars on the street, or the sounds of your home. Now, notice the part of you noticing all these sounds. What does this part of you sound like?

There is another sound within you. It is the part of you constantly speaking, analyzing, and judging. This part of you begins to plan your day, organize, and worry. It is the part of you that drives you out of silent witnessing all the events taking place around you. This part of you will get you out of bed in the morning.

At this point, learn to integrate the two consciously. They are going on anyway. This way ordinary events in your life will become sacred human awareness and a life filled with gratitude for every moment. Did you notice the difference between these two sounds? One moves your attention into the material world. The other moves you deeper into silence - the part of you aware of life's inner qualities the Sound of Soul.

Sam Oliver, author of, "A Fish Named Ed"

http://www.soulandspirit.org

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Are We All Angels, Watch This Video and Find out.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual and sell help articles filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

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Buddhism Religion Being Adopted in Many Facets

The Buddhism religion is growing in popularity. Many people are turning to Buddhism as a way of bringing peace and happiness into their lives. They enjoy the ritualized chants, meditations and lifestyle practices that the Buddhist religion offers.

The real secret to Buddhism, for those who are not aware of the faith, is that anyone can practice it. You can certainly enjoy and employ certain aspects that could enhance your life. Many people utilize Buddhism in some way every day but just do not realize it. It may be Buddhist art, meditation, a visit to a Zen garden or even yoga.

Yes, most Buddhists have a Buddha statue to look to for guidance and as a way to keep in touch with the Buddhism religion. Many people find the Indian and Tibetan artwork very relaxing and have incorporated it into their decor for their homes. With very pleasing color tones and a sense of tranquility, the Buddhist art is transforming many bedrooms and work places into Zen meditation retreats.

Speaking of meditation, the art of meditation practice is one that everyone should learn. It is a way to clear the mind and rid the body of stress. If you have had a bad time at work or you are under considerable family stress, meditation may be just what you need to find relaxation and a way to work through those problems. You do not have to assume some of the more traditional poses for meditation. Simply sit in a chair with your back straight, shoulders squared and your feet planted firmly.

You will then take in deep breaths through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. While performing this breathing exercise you should begin working on clearing your mind. This mini "meditation retreat" can help you relieve the stress and tension in your body. If you devote just ten or fifteen minutes a day to this when things get stressful, then you will be able to tackle those touchy situations in no time at all. It will give you the time you need to think clearly.

One aspect of the Buddhism religion that is practiced in gyms across the world is yoga. This form of exercise allows you to assume different positions and relieve the stress and anxiety that may be plaguing you. If you need help getting started or simply want more information, then there are many books on Buddhism for sale in your local bookstore or you can check them out at your local library.

Learn more about the buddhism religion at Mike Selvon portal, and while you are there download your FREE gift on the teachings of Buddhism.

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the Movie the Secret Was a Big Success, Watch Some Clips from the Oprah Winfrey Show on This Video

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

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The Real Meaning of Easter and Springtime

In nature and inside ourselves are energy patterns and dynamics that activate. Humanity evolved over a million years or more responding to the seasons of the year. Thus we have built into our genes, our psyches, a natural energy rhythm that we would do well to acknowledge and not avoid.

- finding Easter Eggs in an Easter egg hunt

- going to Easter Sunday church service when you don't go other times of the year

- getting in a car accident you never intended to happen, or did you?

- starting a love affair, whether married or not

- buying new clothes for yourself to go into summer with

- marrying the wrong person, and so later you have to get a divorce

- wanting to take a week's vacation instead of work at your job

- reading the latest mystery novels just out this year at this time

- going into nature with your friends and doing at least a walk there

- feeling depressed because you have nobody to love

THE ARCHETYPE OF EASTER-SPRINGTIME

What does the above list have in common?

- Why must you watch out for its effects?

- Why do certain celebrations occur traditionally at this transition from winter into springtime that is the 21st of March and the month of April?

In Jungian terms the archetype of Death-Rebirth becomes most active at springtime.

Death-Rebirth? What is that?

In nature and inside ourselves are energy patterns and dynamics that activate. Humanity evolved over a million years or more responding to the seasons of the year. Thus we have built into our genes, our psyches, a natural energy rhythm that we would do well to acknowledge and not avoid.

For what is not faced consciously in our awareness gets acted out anyway unconsciously.

Why do Norwegians every springtime take a week or more vacation at their summer cottages by the sea or in the mountains?

It's a wonderful thing to do. After the long Northern winter of more darkness than light, of more cold than warmth, the Norwegians are used to the seasonal shifts.

The spring equinox is the transition point when the hours of night equal the hours of day. We can imagine the long winter nights of the Northern countries, such as Norway. When spring finally arrives a sense of happiness comes with it, or so we think.

What about the dark side, the people who commit suicide when the spring comes, the people who have accidents?

One strange custom that has developed in Norway is that Norwegians when they go in the spring to their cottages also take along this year's published thrillers and mysteries. This type of genre is all about being killed and finding the killer. Why should a strong people who have just survived the winter then want to read fiction about death?

Well, don't think everything is just fine in the springtime. Norway has other forms of death for you, like quicksand in the forest because the ground is no longer frozen. Or how about you are hiking up the big mountain in Norway and suddenly the ground under you on the path just collapses into running water and mud and you are swept off the mountain to your death?

Yes, things like this happen every year in Norway. Several deaths occur to hikers in the Norway mountains when the springtime is arriving. Death is not over. Springtime is also the time they find the thawed-out bodies of those Norwegians who have chosen to commit suicide in the past winter by going into the forest and sitting under a favorite tree and freezing to death.

Deaths like this are no stranger to the Norway clime.

What is going on?

Since Death-Rebirth is the archetype of springtime this means that one must experience death first and then rebirth, then new life. The religion knows this with its Black Friday and then its Easter Sunrise service.

You don't have to go to an actual church service to feel the effects of Death-Rebirth. But the archetype is there.

Part of the monastic service is to have a midnight service and the lighting of the new pascal candle which has nails in it representing the crucifixion.

Thus built into our psychology is the recognition that we have to acknowledge our suffering and hurt and go through a letting go process to release ourselves into new birth.

The beauty of doing a sunrise experience is that you experience in nature Death-Rebirth, and this experience becomes a conscious part of you for as long as you live.

I went with some friends years ago and drove to the top of the local mountain, Mt. Diablo, in Northern California. There in the darkness we waiting all night looking out over the near and distant cities that kept their street lights on, the energy of humanity. We talked. We meditated. We knew the significance for us in our own lives of the Death-Rebirth experiences we were going through. Finally from the stone-walled walkway we saw the dawn breaking in the far distance. We had stayed up all night in our vigil and sharing together.

Here was our reward: the new dawn to a special day of rebirth. It is never to be forgotten.

Of course, the important level is to also take such things inside.

As a dreamwork psychologist, I wanted to figure our why when I lived and taught in Norway that the Norwegians read the new mystery novels at springtime. They did not know consciously themselves. It was a fad that most of them did.

Could it be that the Norwegians had waited out the long winter cold and at last when they did not have to be so strong any longer they could indulge in reading about surviving death?

What is the essence of these death-defying thrillers if not to catch the murderer before he or she catches you.

We all know we are under sentence of death but with indefinite reprieve, as Victor Hugo, the French writer, put it, but we don't know when our death will come. Will it be this year or the next, or after that? But it will come.

It's great in reading a thriller to realize that though there are deaths in the story, none of those victims are you. You are alive one more year, or so you hope.

Thus for me in the Norway sun and rains, and the new leaves on the branches of the trees, I felt a certain sadness. I was so glad to be alive still another year, and always planned to make good use of my "luck." But I also knew that one of these years the spring would come and I would not be there to marvel in its new life. The very wooden Norway house I lived in could have been built by those no longer alive. I lived in a dead man's house. And if not the house being there after me, at least the other houses of our community in the country of Norway, beloved land of all the seasons, would surely outlive me.

Whether by the sea in spring in California, or high atop the mountain elsewhere, it is a time to go adventuring and meditate on all your life is now.

What must you lose and give up? What must you sacrifice so you don't have to sacrifice life itself, even gruesomely as recounted here?

Better to realize the death part of your life now, the letting go of what can never more be. This is the base, the preparation to look forward to, and to experience through choice the new life you will dedicate yourself to with passion and awareness, as you live further your existence purposefully on this earth.

View Drs Kaplan-Williams' extraordinary blog at: http://strephonsays.com/blog/2008/11/hello-potential-members

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

The Devil and the Mystery

Most Christians know more about the devil than they know about "The Mystery." Even so, they do not know any more about the devil than they should know. They should know more about him, so that they can truthfully say, with Paul, "We are not ignorant of his devices" (II Cor. 2:11). Certainly every Christian should know more about "The Mystery." God wants every Christian to know "The Mystery," and to make it known to others (Eph. 3:9). You say, "Then it would no longer be "The Mystery." Certainly not. Why after over 2,000 years should this divine truth still be a mystery so far as ninety-nine per cent of God's people are concerned? Can you answer this question? It is true that the devil doesn't want any one to understand or even study this divine truth. But is not God's will to be desired by Christians more than Satan's? Doesn't God's power exceed the devil's power? Satan is mighty. God is almighty. Genuine spiritual Christians know that God's power exceeds Satan's power.

But let's take an inventory. As we take in the world-wide political situation, the distress of nations, with even the so-called Christian nations on the verge of bankruptcy and destruction, we may wonder that Satan has such power after 2,000 years of Christianity. But we believe that Satan knew what he was talking about in Luke 4:6 when he told the Lord Jesus that the kingdoms of the world were under his control. The Lord was right when He called Satan "the prince of this world."

When we consider the millions and millions of people of the world religiously, and see what the devil has done to them, surely we give a hearty "Amen" to the statement of I John 5:19, "the whole world lieth in [the evil one]." In his tricks to keep sinners away from the saving gospel of Christ, Satan is called "the god of this [age]" (II Cor. 4:3,4). To accomplish his purpose with people who want some kind of a so-called Christian religion, the devil transforms himself into an angel of light and instructs his servants to pretend that they are missionaries of Christ (II Cor. 11:13-15).

Then let us consider what the devil has done with Church members who are actually members of Christ's Body, God's one and only Church today. Note God's instructions in Ephesians 4:3-6:

"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one Body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Meditate"the unity of the Spirit." Where is it found? One faith, one hope of your calling, one baptism. One Body. How many sects and denominations? Several hundred. How many bodies? One Body. Note Ephesians 1:20-23:

"Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in [the heavenlies]. Far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."

Christ is in the heavenlies. Christ is the one Head of His one and only Church, which is His Body, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."

No matter how loyal, zealous sectarians may defend and contend for their denominational churches, the student of the Word of God knows that "denominationalism" is absolutely unscriptural. There is one, and only one, true Bible Church and that Bible Church is denominated, The Body of Christ, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." In Ephesians 3:6 that one Church is called the "Joint-Body" (see the Greek).

Members of Christ's Body are seated with Christ in the heavenlies and are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6 and 1:3). One reason why God wants all men to see "The Mystery" is expressed in Ephesians 3:10,11:

"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in [the heavenlies] might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The Mystery then, is divine truth concerning "the heavenlies" and "according to the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." By searching the Scriptures we find that this divine message was not in fulfillment of prophecy, but was a spiritual program predestinated by God before the foundation of the world.

We have seen how Satan works politically as "the prince of this world"; how, as "the god of this age" he blinds the unbeliever to keep him from believing the gospel of salvation. In Ephesians 6:11-20 we learn of Satan's spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies, his opposition to the message and the messenger of "The Mystery," divine truth concerning the heavenlies. Note Ephesians 6:11,12:

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [in the heavenlies]."

And note Ephesians 6:19,20:

"And [pray] for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

Why was Paul a prisoner of Rome? Hear his own words: for "the mystery of the gospel." Read this again in Colossians 4:3,4 and hear his testimony in Ephesians 3:1-3:

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words)."

Note God's Word in Ephesians 3:9:

"And to make all men see what is the [dispensation] of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God."

Here we see "the dispensation of the grace of God" and the dispensation of the Mystery are linked together. This glorious truth was made known by revelation to the Apostle Paul, who became the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. Do we appreciate what he suffered for us? Let's get into the Book and try to understand the message for which he suffered.

While Paul knew that religious men were opposed to "The Mystery" and were determined that he should not preach that divine truth, he knew that he was not wrestling against flesh and blood; that his real opponent was the devil as the ruler of world darkness in the heavenlies.

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:3 and 4 that Satan blinded minds. But note his request for a very specific prayer in Ephesians 1:17,18:

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Paul did not want minds blinded to "The Mystery." He knew that it required a special spirit of wisdom and revelation to comprehend that particular glorious truth.

Yes, the devil succeeded in getting Paul in jail for "The Mystery," bound as an evil doer unto chains. But from his prison cell he wrote: "The Word of God is not bound."

God wants you to know and to make known this glorious truth...which should have ceased to be a mystery more than twenty centuries ago.

This article originally appeared in the Berean Searchlight, the free monthly magazine of the Berean Bible Society. For over 60 years, the Berean Bible Society has been proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.

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Can you believe this guy, if you look up these verses in the Bible, you will see that there and there, but how did he come up with these ideas about the Sabbath, teenagers and the fact that the Bible is repulsive.

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Lighting Your Path From Within

You might have heard the expression, 2009 is your year to shine. Please, let that be true every year! Yet there is truth in that statement. The Universal energies are revved up at the moment to help bring your evolution to new heights. This is a highly charged time to help you create the life of your dreams, and more importantly, fulfill your higher purpose. As you radiate your inner light, you act as a beacon of hope and inspiration for others, and truly make the world a more beautiful place.
2009 is a Universal year of 11. (We derive this by adding the numbers 2+0+0+9=11). 11 an extremely powerful number; in numerology, it is considered a master number. As the name implies, master numbers require skill and dexterity as they present great challenges and subsequently, immense rewards.

It is evident what many of the challenges are at the moment; we are all aware of the crumbling global economy and the energy crisis that threatens our standard of living. And yet, these crises initiate an immense opportunity for us to change our collective future in ways that galvanize our innate healing and creative powers.

Every crisis, whether personal or universal, is a message from our soul to seek a new restorative path. Our current global economic collapse reveals a necessity for us to build healthier more efficient businesses based on the principles of integrity and service. Our pending energy deficit is a directive for us all, at long last, to end the cycle of depleting and polluting our earth's resources in favor of harnessing the unlimited power of nature in a clean and regenerative way. There can never truly be a shortage of energy; it is all around us. As long as the sun is shining, the winds are blowing, and the waters are flowing, we have an unlimited supply of vital life-giving energy. You too have an unlimited supply of infinite creative Source energy that you can tap into at any time to invigorate your life.

We are fortunate now to experience the powerful vibration of 11. The highly charged 11 is considered the number of intuition and illumination. In fact, the word LIGHT reduces to the number 11. The 11 vibration emphasizes the need for you to rely on your inner light, to align yourself with Spirit to find your true calling, and illuminate your path from within. Should you choose to place your faith in the external material world for your security, you might experience confusion or fear. However, if you choose to listen to that voice inside of yourself that believes in the goodness within and around you, and trust your unique calling, you will always find your way.

You might hear people refer to 11 as being a number of the number of wishes. Perhaps you have an awareness that seeing 11:11 signifies something magical. Your thoughts are indeed more potent during this mystical alignment. The shape of the 1 is like an antenna, creating a conduit between you and the Divine. In the Tree of Life, the number 1 is at the top of the tree, at our crown where we receive our inspiration, as well at the bottom of the tree, where the divine becomes manifest into being. 1 is the Alpha and the Omega. The sacred geometry of the number 1 allows you to receive inspiration from Spirit and materialize those visions into reality very quickly. It is electric!

The double 1s in the number 11 create something even more profound. Look closely at the shape of number 11; the double columns of the creative 1 energy represent the pillars of the soul - a portal into a higher realm. Should you have the courage to walk through those pillars into the unknown, amazing opportunities await you!

So how do you do this? How do you face the unknown without fear? One thing to remember is that you came into the world with an intention. Not one person on this planet can offer your unique brand of humor, wisdom, creativity, kindness, healing or love. If you chose to incarnate at this time it is because you had something you wanted to learn and contribute. Any gift inside of you was given to you by the same infinitely powerful Creative forces that will help you bring these gifts into being. If you were given a dream, you were also given the tools, power, strength, and support to fulfill your heart's desire. All of the forces in the Universe will help you manifest your purpose.

The genius of your creation resides inside you like a seed that is planted deep within the earth. A seed innately knows the correctness of its purpose while it unabashedly reaches towards the sun. It needs only careful tending to reveal its true magnificence. Your spirit is like a flower that needs proper nourishment to grow and thrive. Just like a flower, when you express yourself in all of your beauty, all who experience you will bask in the joy of your being.

You might want to reflect on what seeds you are cultivating in your life right now. Are you nourishing seeds of joy, hope, serenity, love, and compassion? Are you honoring your spirit by living passionately and expressing your truth? Or are you focusing on what is not working in your life now and what you are afraid of?

Your passions will inevitably lead you to your purpose, and joy will guide you towards your calling. You know you are on the correct course when you are passionately engaging in your journey, flowing with the natural rhythm of your life. During these moments all of your cells will wake up and say "Yes! This is it! Keep going! It is like being on a highway and seeing signs towards your desired destination. Spiritual energy is light. It actually feels light. When you feel joy within you, you radiate a positive loving energy and those around you cannot help but feel better in your presence. And truly, your ultimate calling is to be joyful and share that joy with others.

Consequently, when you feel heaviness, confusion, or fear, that's your body's way of telling you that you are not in alignment with Spirit. Material concerns, while very real, can often distract you from your soul's truth. Feelings of worry, regret, comparison, can all seem very rational and logical, yet can take you out of your awareness of the now. The energy of the future is being created by the energy that you are cultivating in the moment. So while you are engaging in worry about your future, or regrets of the past, you are merely perpetuating a continuous cycle of worry. Rather, a series of simple and beautiful present moments will create a future of joy and serenity.

Now is a potent time to ask yourself - what do I really want to do with my life? If I wasn't afraid of the consequences, or what people thought of me, or who I would be disappointing, what would I really do? Instead of asking your head for the answers, ask the wisdom of your heart. Take a moment to put your fears aside, relax with a deep breath, sink into the infinite lightness of your being, and ask your heart, what do I really want right now?

The answer could be something very simple. Perhaps you would like to have more time to yourself, garden, dance, or do yoga, or something more pronounced like starting your own business or moving to another part of the world. Anything that nourishes your spirit and feeds your soul will lead you towards your destiny. When you nurture your gifts, bringing them life, energy, and power, you are tending the growth of the great miracle of creation that is YOU.

I remind you in these tumultuous times, as the winds of change blow in your direction, that you need not be afraid of the dark. You have all that you need for your spiritual journey within you; your passions to energize you, your imagination to inspire you, and your intuition to guide you towards your destiny. You will inevitably meet other courageous dreamers along the way, who dare not dim their brilliance. Together, you will illuminate the path for many brave souls to shine brightly like stars in the sky, and the whole world will celebrate in a glorious festival of lights.

Kari Samuels is an Intuitive Counselor with an international clientele. She helps guide others towards the realm of inspiration, self-awareness, and divine living. She utilizes a variety of modalities for a holistic vision of our spiritual journey including numerology, tarot, astrology, and transpersonal psychology. It is her joy to help others manifest their greatest potential. Visit her website at http://www.karisamuels.com

Getting Up Earlier

David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation Part Two

What Changed My Thoughts
Power Of Myth

Is 2012 Really the End of the World?

Maybe just the end of the world as we know it. No, the world is not going to implode or explode or be completely destroyed in any form for that matter. 2012 is a new beginning, not an end.

There has been so much said about all this, from the bible, from Nostradamus, from Edgar Cayce, from the Mayans. In 2012 we will truly be able to experience heaven on earth. For some, this has already started. We are already feeling these changes. There are many people on this earth who have Ascended from the 3D reality to the 5th Dimension reality already. The Earth herself has ascended from 3D to 5D. In 5D time and space are different, they do not exist in the same way as they do in 3D. This is why so many people are having experiences outside what the "norm" has been the past few thousand years.

Some people think the financial meltdowns etc. are really bad news. It is just a change, different things going on, it doesn't have to be bad news. Everything is perception. A lot of people are being forced to change the way they have been thinking, or the way they have been doing things. So much of the world's issues right now are related to the old 3D ways crumbling. It is a new beginning, not an ending.

Jesus (or whatever Ascended Master you relate to based on your religion or lack thereof), IS coming. It is the Christ Consciousness in us all. Jesus "the man" is not going to just show up one day to save us. Its not quite like that. The consciousness of Jesus will show up for us all as soon as we realize that we have access to it. It is your own greatness, your own Christ Consciousness that will save you. Your realization that you are God. We ourselves are the second coming.

What makes things so hard is the separation from the divine light and love of all that is. For many years people have turned to religion, or leaders that tell us that things are outside of ourselves. Those in perceived power don't want us to know that the power of EVERYTHING is within us. We are all one.

The talk of hellfire and hell coming to earth for those that do not accept Jesus into their lives is true in some ways, but not in the literal sense that some organized religions would have you believe. It has to do with those that accept they are the creators themselves. Those that can see and feel their own greatness will truly be creating a heaven on earth for themselves and those around them.

Those that rely on (or "worship"), things from the 3D reality -- money and ego and external power -- truly will be in a hell on earth. Earth and her energy is changing, has already changed. We, as a species, are learning that we can create whatever we want here. It has very little to do with ego and power. There are many on the earth right now who are here to help with this transition. Many lightworkers who are ascending and "getting it" are here to help you. Many are actually devoting their lives to helping others remember where they came from and what divine beings they are. The first wave of Ascension is over. There are many Masters on this plane of our planet right now. Willing to help you to realize you don't have to stay stuck in 3D any more. Many people think Jesus is a saviour, as in separate from you, that will come and rescue you from your life, your existence, yourself, your perceived sins. God is not going to "make people go to hell". What kind of loving God would actually make people go to hell? If all one does is worship money, control or power they WILL likely end up in their own hell. This will be their own doing (or undoing) though. It will not be something that is done TO them.

Look at how things are right now. The world financial crisis is HUGE. Anyone who is very centred in, or worships, money or power at this point in time is RIGHT NOW in their own personal HELL. God certainly isn't putting them there. It is their perception of their time on earth that is putting them there.

Those that are suffering right now just need to look inside themselves, at the Christ Consciousness, at the God in THEM. Hanging onto the old 3D reality and the worship of external things like money or power or ego is what is causing them suffering. The always wanting more is causing suffering. There is enough on this earth for everyone. Some say they don't believe that...I've had people tell me to my face that I'm full of you know what just for suggesting such a thing.

The reality of it though....at least MY reality of it is that there is enough for all. If we take the greed, the control, the lusting for external power away, there is enough.

All through the bible it states that God is in all of us. Therefore, Love is in all of us.

Religions made the devil up to scare the heck out of people. There were, and still are, those that do not want you to know your own greatness. They don't want you to know what they know. If everyone knew, there would be balance. No one would be better than, or richer than. Everyone would just "Be".

Religions say the devil "fell from grace" because he wanted to be God-like. What better way to make people shun their own greatness, their own connection with God. Scare the crap out of them so that when they start to realize their own greatness, and that they are not just a "part of Source (God)", but that they are indeed Source (God) themselves, the creators of their own lives and spiritual journeys, they get afraid and experience more separation. As soon as people realize their greatness, no one will be able to control them. That is very scary for those that think they have the power over the masses.

We are all God-like. We are all creators, God is Love, we are all a part of God. This scares a lot of people and there are certain governments and religions that don't want people to know this, so they make up stuff like the devil or demons to scare people. They don't want the general population to realize their power, they would lose their own place in society; in the 3D reality they have created for themselves. Imagine if everyone knew just how much like God we are, how much a part of God we are.....no one could control us anymore. No one would have the power to "make" us fearful. God is Love.....the "devil" is fear.

So, is 2012 the end of the world? I certainly hope it is the end of the world as we have known it up to this point.

Do not fear the changes, embrace them. Connect with Source in your own way. Find and connect with your own internal Christ Consciousness, your own greatness.

When things are done with Love and not fear, nothing but God and Love can shine through.

There are many things going on. Being a psychic lightworker myself (for lack of a better term), I know that what I see and do, anyone can see and do. The biggest challenge is to KNOW that you can do it. It is just a matter of being open to it and having the realization that we are all Source.

Remember where you came from, remember your divinity. Connect with your own Christ Consciousness. Experience the bliss every day, feel the love every day. Live with Love not Fear of what is going on on our earth. Its all good...

I am a psychic living in British Columbia, Canada. I have been psychic since birth and have been doing psychic readings for others for the past 25 years. With these psychic readings I help people to enhance their own personal growth and assist them to realize their life path. I am also a medium and often when I do readings I have contact from the other side, whether from a loved one who has passed over or Spirit teachers and guides. Visit Psychic Medium for more information on psychic readings.

Developing Wealth Building Habit

The Religious Background of Unicorn Tapestries

The unicorn has been a mythical symbol since ancient times. Some of the earliest depictions of the unicorn are from ancient China and featured a creature resembling a large horse with a single horn protruding from its forehead. The writings and drawings of many ancient cultures throughout Asia and Europe included unicorns and eventually they evolved into religious symbols.

By the middle ages, the unicorn was considered both a religious and secular symbol by most of Christian Europe. The unicorn represented chastity, holiness, and purity, and was even used as a symbol for Christ. Because of the unicorn's important symbolism, it was often featured in tapestries and other art of the period. There are even references to unicorns in the bible, although some historians question their inclusion in the Bible because of translations issues. References to unicorns can be seen in Deuteronomy 33:17, Psalm 22:21, 29:6 and 92:10; Numbers 23:22 and 24:8; and Isaiah 34:7. These passages do not infer that the references to unicorns are fictitious or that unicorns are not in fact real animals.

There are many examples of medieval art and tapestries that feature unicorns and once they were accepted as a religious symbol they became very popular subjects. Unicorns represented purity and the myth perpetuated by their holy meaning was that only a virgin could tame a unicorn. Tapestries were common among the aristocracy in the Middle ages and were used as decoration as well as insulation for windows and openings. The most common tapestry designs were biblical allegories including unicorns. One of the most famous sets of tapestries are the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, Created in France in the late 1400's.

The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are perhaps the most famous examples of unicorns in art in the entire world. They were not discovered until late in the 1800's by Proper Merimee in a castle in Boussac France. They were damaged but were later restored and then put on display in the Cluny Museum in France in a room specially designed to house them. The novelist Georges Sands was responsible for making them so popular and included them in her writings.

It is not known who designed and wove the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, but historians do know who they were created for. The coat of arms on the tapestries belongs to the Le Viste family and the tapestries were probably created for this family in the late 1400's. Like other tapestries and art depicting unicorns, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are said to represent the human senses with the subject of the tapestries a virginal maiden and a unicorn. Five of the six tapestries represent the five senses, hearing, tough, taste, feeling, and sight. The sixth tapestry is one that carries some debate as some say it represent love, other think it stands for the "6th sense" while other think it represents understanding or empathy. Unicorns have long been a part of art and folk lore, and are still symbols of holiness and purity today.

http://www.touchoftapestry.com/servlet/StoreFront

Finding Something You Don

The Sun God Of Christianity

Laws Of Attraction Ideas
Don Miguel Ruiz

Proof of Life

Ah yes, I know this feeling: This is the part where I start to feel completely and utterly overwhelmed. I've come to know this place, the Land of Overwhelm. I visit so often, I might as well move my stuff here and take residence. I keep saying I want to do things differently, but what am I doing differently, really?

I look at my list of to-do's and the truth looks me in the eye: There is no humanly possible way you will get this all done today.

So I do what the experts tell me to do. I prioritize. I even look at my to-do's and figure out what can be postponed, what can be put off til that nebulous 'After-The-Holidays' time when supposedly everything in my life will get so much easier, and suddenly I will have limitless time to do everything I've been putting off. (Yeah, right.) I shuffle. I cancel an appointment here, a lunch date there. I put off going to the bathroom far too long. (My bladder understands I'm busy.) I've given myself permission to turn some "yes"es to "maybe"s and some "maybe"s to "no"s. I reschedule. I apologize.

And then, this morning, in my journal, I am practicing gratitude, making my list, checking it twice, of all the things I am grateful for in this moment. Doing my best to be present, to stay true to my core, to center myself, yada yada. And Overwhelm interrupts rudely, beckoning... "Hey! Don't forget about me. What are you doing journaling? Don't you have a butt load of things to do?" and then I try something different.

Adding to my gratitude list, I write in my journal "I am grateful for overwhelm." Overwhelm stops in her tracks and looks at me with a puzzled expression. I breathe into my overwhelm and decide to do it differently today. I don't need to resist it, to challenge it, to struggle, as much as overwhelm is one of my favorite struggles. Today, I'll simply dance with it.

For what is overwhelm, really, but proof of life? Granted, a full life, an overflowing life, and yes, I crave a simpler life, and yes I'd love to take a day of rest-but-there-is-too-much-to-do and yes, sometimes I feel like I am being swallowed, but today, I will practice gratitude for my stress- for the stress is proof of life, too. Do dead people feel stress? Do corpses feel overwhelmed? Doubt it.

There she goes again, even now, while I type this.

"There is so much to do..." her mantra, Overwhelm, whispering in my ear constantly, growing especially petulant when she thinks I have forgotten (silly notion- how could I forget?) "There is so much to do..." she whines "Aren't you overwhelmed???" Yes, I am.... yes, I know. Yes, there is. But here's the thing:

There is always 'so-much-to-do'.

Until I'm dead, of course, and then I'll have an infinite supply of vacation days. But knowing me, I'll probably reassign myself immediately into another body, come back right away, screaming my way back into the human race. That will be me, I bet, signing up for this thing, this messy, overwhelming, crazy, busy, stressful, beautiful thing called life, all over again.

2008 Lisa Olson

http://www.sacredinthecity.org

Lisa Olson is natural-born supporter of growth and expression who loves to create happiness, cool experiences and inspiring others to step into their authenticity. She is a "Spiritual Midwife" and Soul-full Living Strategist with an extensive background in life purpose coaching, marketing, promotions, event management and community building. A writer, artist and lifelong journaler, she facilitates workshops, groups, rituals and dance experiences designed to awaken the senses and stir the soul. She can be reached at lisa@sacredinthecity.org.

You Have To Start Somewhere