Pride vs. Humility: A fresh perspective on why it matters

Before I delve into the main subject of this blog entry, I just wanted to provide a bit of background.

As has been the main theme of this blog, without divulging too much personal information, my life has been going through a big of a transition. It is a stretching, growing process. I recently had an event happen that has caused me to get shaken up a bit and get refocused. Hence, composing another blog entry. Through the process of this event, I've received further clarity into my greater vision, and doing what I have to do to bring this vision into reality.

Late last Friday night, into early Saturday morning, I was discussing this with my friend and explaining the synchronicities I had experienced earlier in that day which lead me to believe that in spite of my current visible circumstances, I am indeed on the right path. As we sat outside talking, around 2 AM, I began looking at the stars and telling my friend how I never really was a star watcher but lately I've been feeding upon a lot of discussion of ancient wisdom and their knowledge of cosmology and astronomy. He pulled out an app on his phone that shows the names of the stars, planets, and constellations. Then a pop-up within the app said "Happy Astronomy Day!" October 4 is Astronomy Day. Astronomy Day occurs twice a year, and on that day people will get together for star watching parties. It was the first time I'd star watched in at least a decade, if not 15 years or longer.

The following day I reflected upon the significance of the date. Astronomy Day: 10/4/14. 10+4=14. So I figured there must be something for me in this number 14. So I Googled it, and here is what I found (from the same source that hit me with the significance of the number 15 earlier this year):

http://sacredscribesangelnumbers.blogspot.com/2011/06/angel-number-14.html

"Angel Number 14 is a message from the angels asking that you keep your focus,positive affirmations and intentions on manifesting your goals and aspirations. 
Repeating Angel Number 14 can be a sign from your angels that they are there to assist you with manifesting your true desires.
Angel Number 14 is a message that if you act with caution and wisdom you will be successful in business, money matters and life in general.  Begin worthwhile projects that will bring long-term benefits and future success.
Angel Number 14 encourages progressive change, renewal and growth, and tells you to share your knowledge and wisdom with others.  It also tells you that what you put your efforts towards will reap rewards in the future."

It's pretty much dead on for where I am right now. What does this have to do with this particular blog entry? When do I get to the actual subject at hand? Well, if I'm to take some of this message for me, I have to take all of it. "...tells you to share your knowledge and wisdom with others..." Now, I'm a humble man and I'm content with just living my life, fully aware of the impact that even my smallest actions can have on the great big world around me. But the more I step out of my comfort zone and actually interact with others, the more it hits me that most people don't think like me. I'm different. And while I don't consider myself wise, nor to have any great knowledge that isn't available to anyone else, I do seem to have a particular insight and wisdom that the world would benefit if more people shared this perspective.

So here we are. One of the things I was talking about with my friend is the issue of Pride vs. Humility. He has long been skeptical of the existence of God, especially as revealed through the Bible. I like to say that I found God through the Bible. And while I may scare many Christians away, the God I've come to find, from what I've seen and experienced, is far too grand to be confined into a single human train of thought. I don't think that God is so insecure in Himself (Herself, if you will) that God gets worked up over the name you call God. God is more a force than a name. And while God has a nature and characteristics, naming things is man's turf. Don't get tripped up on semantics. It's the concepts and intent that matter.

So this friend has recently found himself surrounded by Christians who are constantly preaching to him. He considers me as one of the Christians that have been placed into his life, but says I'm different because I don't preach to him (Although I did kind of go off on a tirade one early morning in Prague, but that's a different story). For me, this is simply because I've glimpsed the divine manuscript of life and I don't find it my place to convince others of God. There is nothing more personal than our own souls, and it is our own souls who must make this voyage of personal discovery to find out who God is, who we are, and our relationship to God. In glimpsing this, I am convinced that everybody is exactly where they need to be right now. I don't worry about the person going through the struggle, because I've come to understand that all things work for good. It's simply a matter of now having a big picture/grand scheme perspective. I like to call it an eternal perspective. 

So my friend complained about Christians telling him that rich people can't get to heaven. I explained to him that the Bible says nothing of the sort. People are twisting the words of Jesus. Jesus did say "It is easier to get a camel through the needle of an eye than for a rich man to enter heaven." But Jesus was a spiritually conscious man. He did not say that people with a lot of money can't go to heaven. What he was referring to is people who deem themselves as rich and powerful, and therefore have no need for God. One doesn't need to have a lot of money to be arrogant and think themselves rich. 

I then mentioned how the single most misquoted verse in the Bible is "Money is the root of all evil." The Bible doesn't say that. They are misquoting 1 Timothy 6:10, which says that "The LOVE is money is A root of ALL KINDS of evil." I then told him that pride is the root of all evil. It was pride that caused Lucifer to liken himself as beautiful and have no need of Creator God and be cast down from heaven. It is pride/arrogance. It is thinking that we, ourselves, are God. It is considering ourselves to be greater than we are, and better than others. When one doesn't consider themselves as better than others, one doesn't mistreat or exploit others.

My friend has had discussions about pride before. He understood that it was pretty much thinking that you don't need God. So I explained to him why it matters. Is it a matter of ending up in Heaven vs. Hell in the afterlife? I'll leave that up to the theologians. But this is what I explained to him, in a perspective that even left me a bit speechless after having explaining it:

Heaven vs. Hell and afterlife aside, my friend is spiritual and understands the one-ness of all. Even scientifically speaking, we all come from the same original source. And when taking into consideration the transmutation of energy and our relationship to the grander whole, we never do die. A chicken that eats feed converts it to energy, which then helps it grow and develop muscle, which man will take to eat and convert to fuel. The chicken has died, but hasn't died. It now lives as fuel and energy for a human. So when a person's body dies, the energy that breathed life into the body simply becomes another form of energy. 

What does this have to do with pride? Well, God isn't concerned with whether or not creation thinks they need God. The force that is God goes on whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. It is a matter of scientific and spiritual Law. Such as the Law of Gravity. It existed long before an apple fell onto Isaac Newton's head. It didn't need acknowledgement in order to be. But when we consider ourselves to be better than others we are out of the natural flow of the universe. We are out of sync. And we cannot function properly if we are out of sync. I likened it to a piston thinking that it didn't need the rest of the engine. But we are all just one part of the whole. But humility says "I am just a part of the whole" It acknowledges its place.

Now, our place as a part of the whole is a topic for another blog post. Knowing who we are is humbling yet empowering at the same time. And I explained this to my friend. But I told him that the divine manuscript will go on whether we acknowledge our role or not. And when all is said and done, even if we don't acknowledge the greater whole, we still play our part. But here's the kicker: Don't you think life would be so much more fulfilling if we ARE aware? If we ARE conscious? When we are ignorant of this we are constantly chasing, never satisfied. When we are aware we are grateful and not easily moved by circumstance. 

Jesus said that He came that we may have "Life more abundantly." This is the fulfilled life. A TRULY rich life. And no, it has nothing to do with money. 

(For the record, my personal view on money itself is that it is a tool in the world economic system in which we live. I am not opposed to people accumulating money for themselves, so long as it's not at the expense of others. I simply believe that money doesn't make a person rich. This doesn't mean that people should live without it - it simply doesn't equal a fulfilled life by itself).

The Tortoise and the Hair

This post doesn't really have much to do with hair, other than the fact that my long hair has become a bit of my identity (See my profile description). No, this blog post is more about the tortoise. Well, turtles. And more signs along my journey.

Yesterday morning I was feeling physically exhausted. I'd spent Saturday afternoon helping my best friend help someone move. It was just the two of us, as the man we were moving for is out of the country. It was a great workout and great fun, just physically exhausting. I texted my friend that I was going to go for a jog as more of a spiritual exercise, since my body didn't have much to give. He replied that he, too, was exhausted and sore.

So I go for my jog and come across a rogue turtle:

Why are you wandering out of your pond, Mr. Turtle?

I took a picture of the turtle and posted it on Facebook, then went along my way.

This morning, still feeling a bit worn out, I decide to go for another jog to get out in the sun and meditate. As I come around the area where I saw the turtle yesterday I'm wondering if there is any spiritual significance to turtles. So I Googled "Spiritual significance of turtles" and see this:

http://www.universeofsymbolism.com/turtle-symbolism.html

"Turtle spirit animal gracefully teaches us the art of adapting to new surroundings and environments ... Brings the gifts of longevity, blessings, journey ... Carries the energies of self pace, patience, protection ... The turtle has the wisdom of knowing that all things come in perfect and divine timing."

This definitely resonated with me. But then I thought to myself, "Not everything has a spiritual lesson in it. But isn't that what being awakened is all about? Seeing the signs and lessons in all of the small things? Lord, if this is from You, let me see another turtle today."

I kept on jogging. As I finished my jog, I did NOT see another turtle. As I turned into my neighborhood I felt satisfied, still. Then I caught a glimpse of a bumper sticker on a car that said "Live a Little on the Wild Side." I said to myself, "Yes! That's for me!"

Then I look at the other bumper stickers on the car, and what do I see? A sea turtle.

I've maintained peace along my journey in spite of circumstances. I have faith that everything is for a reason, and everything comes in perfect time. This wasn't about learning that specific lesson. I've caught a small glimpse of the divine manuscript of life and trust the author. No, this wasn't about that. This, to me, was just a matter of being romanced. Life is a dance and the entire universe a love song. We just need to pay attention and be in tuned to hear the song and dance. Today, I danced.

Expanding

I took a nice jog this morning. I enjoy my outdoor jogs because I often receive a lot of insight in those moments of worship. As I was jogging I was reflecting about what I've been going through in recent weeks. Honestly, I've been going through a very deep, dark place. The worst depression I can ever remember going through. But it was going through this that I've come to understand that I am not my mind (epiphany #1 on this link, which I stumbled across on the day I was at my darkest and just a few hours after my mother texted me, "You are not your mind.") This was a liberating revelation. I literally went from a place of dark depression to surreal peace and joy within minutes of grasping this. But that isn't exactly what this blog entry is about.

Along with that text from my mother, she kept texting me "Expand....expand....expand." She was speaking to my spirit, as she's done since the most comfortable days of my embodiment (there's no place like Mommy's womb). She did not expect a reply from me, and I'm sure she knew that I knew what she was doing. So as I head down a stretch of my jog I got to contemplating expansion and growth. Because I like to work out (I see all things as being related, so I try to take care of my body with the exception of my ice cream addiction), my mind went to the place of muscle growth. Because faith is like a muscle. In order for there to be muscle cell growth the old muscle must be torn prior to expanding. 

All growth is a stretching, expansion. Where there is life there is expansion. Life begets life. There is also death of the old to make way for the new. From the time you began reading this up to right now countless cells of your body have died and countless more have grown in their place. If we are to grow in faith (which, as I just pointed out, is a simple Law of the Universe - life begets life), then we must go through a stretching, an expansion. This is the place where I have been. The death to the old, stretching, expansion can be painful at times, but new wine is put into new wineskin because of its ability to stretch and expand (Matthew 9:17). 

Now, as I turned the street corner on my jog contemplating this I counted 15 lizards scurry across my way over a 1/4 mile stretch. So that brought me back to my mother, once again, and an experience she had with a lizard yesterday (read full experience here). 

"Teaches listening to intuition in dreams, visions and perceptions throughout the day. Be aware of the emotions surrounding your impressions. Aids in illuminating fears and doubts and how to change them. Lizard can teach about objective and compassionate detachment. Do you need time to rest and relax or step back from a situation? Is it time to move forward? When lizard appears, listen carefully to your inner guidance of feelings and emotions. He will give strength in taking the next steps."

Going out in a place of faith can be frightening. But during this time I have learned to detach myself from my fearful thoughts. I am spirit. I am love and light. I can say "Be still my soul," and fearlessly step out to my destiny with peace. And in learning this through first-hand experience, I am expanding. And in expanding, this vessel increases its capacity of the divine essence. More room to love. Brighter light to shine.

So I Googled "significance of the number 15" since I counted 15 lizards.

The Meaning of Numbers: The Number 15

The number 15 in the Bible pictures rest, which comes after deliverance, represented by fourteen. The 15th day of the first Hebrew month (Nisan) is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a day of rest for the children of Israel (and for Christians). The 15th day of the 7th Hebrew month begins the Feast of Tabernacles, also a day of rest.

God told Abraham in a vision, just as the sun was setting to begin Nisan 15 on the Hebrew calendar, that his descendants would end up as slaves in a foreign country (Egypt). They would, however, eventually be set free (Genesis 15:12 - 16). Many years later in Egypt, God miraculously delivered Israel’s firstborn from the death angel just as Passover began after sunset (Nisan 14). Then, 24 hours later (just as the sun was setting to begin Nisan 15), the children of Israel began to leave Egypt (Exodus 12:40 - 41). This night is referred to as the 'night to be much observed' (Exodus 12:40 - 42, Deuteronomy 16:1). God's prophecy of freedom, given to Abraham on Nisan 15, was fulfilled years later on the exact same day.After dying on the cross, Jesus' body is placed in a Garden Tomb as the sun was setting to begin Nisan 15 in 30 A.D. (Matthew 27:57 - 61, Luke 23:50 - 55, John 19:38 - 42).

ANGEL NUMBER 15

Number 15 is a blend of the vibrations of the number 1 and number 5.  Number 1 relates to new beginnings, activity and assertiveness, tenacity, achievement and success.  Number 5 resonates with the attributes of making life choices and important changes, adaptability and versatility, resourcefulness, motivation and idealism. Number 5 also relates to doing things your own way.  Number 15 tells of independence, sensitivity, creativity, teaching others, and the energy of love.

Angel Number 15 is a message from your angels that your ideas and thoughts are prompting you to make some much needed changes in your life.  Your angels are encouraging and guiding you to make positive life choices and are supporting you through these transitions.  Have no fear about making these major life changes as in the long-term they will prove to be of great benefit to you and others.  You will be ridding yourself of old restraints and constraints and will be making room for ‘new’ to enter your life.  

Angel Number 15 is a message to keep your thoughts and actions focused upon your goals and aspirations in order to manifest your highest ideals.  Use positive affirmations and visualizations in order to keep your outlook bright and receptive.

Angel Number 15 is also a message to use your initiative and personal tenacity when making choices that concern your own well being and life path as only you know your true heart’s desires.  You have the inner-wisdom, talents and abilities to achieve all that you strive to.

I'll end this with a confession. My mother is always talking to me about angels, and the other day she was telling me to command my angels. I didn't say anything to her, but I thought to myself, "I don't even really think I believe in angels. She's the one who's had angelic experiences, but I can't recall ever having an experience of my own with angels." 

Be aware of the emotions surrounding your impressions. Aids in illuminating fears and doubts and how to change them. Lizard can teach about objective and compassionate detachment. Do you need time to rest and relax or step back from a situation? Is it time to move forward? When lizard appears, listen carefully to your inner guidance of feelings and emotions.

UPDATE 6 April 2014:

I was reminded by my friend that I also found $15 worth of change in my house while doing a thorough cleaning in January. 

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

A little over two months ago (right around the time of my last blog post) I went on an epic cleaning kick. I spent 10 days cleaning every corner of my home and car from top to bottom. No detail went untouched. I didn't understand this drive when I first got the urge, but as I got lost in this process I came to see how deeply spiritual the experience was.

As I cleaned, I saw that there were some things that I kept thinking that I needed that I had all along - I had simply neglected them. I gathered every last stray penny I found, put them in rolls and deposited them in the bank. Over $15 worth. We often hear people talking about being thankful for the little things and seeing how blessed we truly are. Well why don't we do the same with the smallest unit of currency that we possess? We treat them with disdain, often relegating them to a place underneath our couch cushions or in a random drawer. But every last penny we possess is a gift.

I came to see that neglecting my home was a reflection of how I viewed myself. If I visit somebody else's home, I take extra caution to keep everything as clean as possible out of respect for my host. Why would I be so negligent to my own home? Do I not think that I, to, deserve to be treated with such high regard and respect?

Since going on this cleaning kick I've made it a routine to dust and vacuum every Sunday morning. It is a spiritual act for me. Everything is related, and how we treat our homes and our bodies is a direct reflection of what we think we deserve, whether consciously or subconsciously. If you're looking for some spiritual insight, I recommend doing a thorough cleaning. Try it and see what you learn about yourself.

Love your neighbor as yourself; Your neighbor IS your self

"Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d]  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[e]  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

Love your neighbor as yourself. Well, in John 17:11 Jesus prayed: "Holy Father, keep in Your Name [[a]in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are one]."

If Jesus is Logos, He spoke and the heavens and earth were formed, then this prayer is already done. Everything in the universe is interconnected. We are all one. If you lie to somebody, you're lying to yourself. If you betray somebody, you're betraying yourself. If you love and bless somebody, you're blessing yourself. Your neighbor IS your self. Meditate upon this. The unity of all mankind.

This is why we treat others as we would like to be treated - because what we are doing to others we are doing to ourselves. Why do we hear all of these mantras all the time? Because your neighbor IS your self.

And just as important to all of this is that you must love yourself. If you do not love yourself you cannot love others. If you're having trouble loving yourself, find find out how God sees you. The entire universe is His love song to YOU. We are one with Him. Jesus was madly in love with God the Father because they saw each other in one another's eyes. God is madly in love with you because He sees Himself in you. It's the divine dance of the universe. Learn the nature of God. This is your true nature. And "God is love" (1 John 4:7).

UPDATE 13 January 2014:

Upon further reflection about this, I've realized something even more profound. Those around us, even the whole universe, is US. Our perception is our reality. We do not see truth, we interpret what we perceive and it becomes our reality. Yet my reality is different from yours. Your reality is different from that of everybody else. Reality, the world around us, is simply US. It's the way that OUR minds interpret it. So when you see someone, you're not seeing that person. You're seeing your mind's interpretation of that person. When you love yourself and understand this truth (our reality is US), then it is only natural to love the entire universe - because in loving it we are loving ourselves. If a person is angry at you, know that they are angry at themselves.

My daughter baked some brownies the other night and left them in the pan over night. The following day, while she wasn't in the kitchen, I put the brownies in a container and began to wash the pan. As she came by the kitchen I showed her the pan and didn't say a word. Her immediate reaction was: "You ATE them??? You threw them away???" She was very upset. I didn't say a word.

After a few seconds I asked, "How do you feel right now?'

She told me, "I'm mad!"

I asked, "Why?"

She replied, "Because you threw away all of the brownies that I made!"

I explained, "You're mad because that's your reality, but it's not truth. Had you known truth you would not be mad. The truth is, they're right here in this container."

Peace, love, and blessings be upon you who read this. May your spirit comprehend if your mind has difficulty.

Salt of the Earth

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." - Matthew 5:13

I've always wondered what the heck this meant. No sermon I've ever heard had satisfied me. They just kept seeming to come up short. Sure, they meant well, but in the end they just came across as human demagoguery with little spiritual revelation.

I was watching something about salt and its importance in history. The word "salary" comes from salt, as do many other words. But then one man said something that leaped out at me. In essence, it is salt that is traveling through our brain to form our thoughts. Our consciousness is essentially salt. We are the consciousness of the earth. We are one with the earth and it with us. We are its voice, its consciousness. 

Our blood is also primarily made of salt. Blood is the life essence. We animate this earth. We are the living, conscious manifestation of the earth and the universe. 

"4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." John 15:4-8

God abides in us as we abide in him. In church I learned it as our union with Christ. Reflect upon this mystery as if your very being depended upon it. For in the end, this IS your being. This is who you are.

A dream

About 3 weeks ago I began taking blue lotus extract. I first took it to see its relaxation effects. After using it two or three times I noticed that I had a dream. And every night that I take it now I have a dream. It doesn't matter if I take it early in the morning or just before bed. In my dreams I've seen people that I hadn't seen or spoken to in years. I've traveled to places, well, that I've only dreamed of. Last night I had a different dream.

I dreamt that I was with my family visiting my sister's house. She has a 2-story house. I'm assuming there's an attic, although I don't remember based on my Grand Tour of the place when they first moved in. As we were there it began raining hard. Suddenly the whole area was flooded, and the flood waters were rising rapidly. I rushed to get my children up to the attic, as the first floor was completely submerged and there was no end to the rising waters in sight. After everyone was safely in the attic, I scrambled to get some of our most valued possessions. Finally I made it up to the attic with everyone else.

The rain was still coming down hard, waters still rising. I started getting concerned that we'd drown in the attic. We were trapped, waters still rising. Then my daughter (Age 11) said to me confidently, "They're going to open the tunnel underground and the water is going to go down it." My reaction in my head was, "You silly child." I said to her, "It doesn't work that way. If there were a tunnel underground it'd be the first thing that fills with water before it began to rise." I felt hopeless.

Then, with a sudden gush, the water began to recede. It was like the plug being pulled from an old bathtub. The rain stopped. The house was ruined, but no longer submerged. The ordeal was over.

When I woke up I immediately knew the meaning. I've recently been going through a stressful situation, and there have been numerous occasions where I've said to God, "I don't know where this is going, but something's got to give. Things can't keep on this way." The rising waters are the mounting stress, and the attic was our last stand. I've done everything I can to protect my family and keep them dry, safe, and happy. Relief is coming soon. When it comes, it will not be a gradual relief, but a supernatural, miraculous relief that defies human understanding.

I won't go into specifics because I believe that this could apply to anybody with any particular stressful situation. While I believe this dream was intended for me, if I can encourage others through it, so be it. But not everybody's journey is the same, so your answer may not be exactly the same as mine. This, though, I know is true: We are not abandoned. None of us. Continue to live, love, and dance in the loving, reassuring embrace of our Father.