From the Archives: Restoring the Soul

[First posted 4/13/10]

"I'm not afraid of death. I just don't want to be there when it happens."
— Woody Allen

While waiting with bated breath — or is it baited breath in this case? —for Tim or someone Risen to make the next move, life goes on . . . doesn't it? But I've decided to put it on pause for a week, having been working too hard, evidenced by my own personal signs of burnout in the past few days — places on my face twitching that shouldn't be moving on their own, underwear on backwards, migraines, making coffee without the coffee . . . things like that. Time for some restoration of the soul. So I canceled everything, told my patients I was moving to Bikini Bottom, and now get to stay up real late like a grownup and get up like a baby when I feel like it; even the cats are letting me sleep later, for a change. Actually maybe they think they've won and I've become like them now.

Sitting in the cool air but very warming sun with my miracle companions, and watching all the thousands of people moving peacefully together amongst the daffodils and tulips, I was reminded a bit of how it is in some of the most tranquil of Risen geographies, where each has gathered there because of the Principle of Affinity, and rests and moves in graceful postures, musical silence and joyful gratitude for just being alive in the fullest of fullest ways: as an immortal. As I leaned back against the grassy hill surrounded by other peaceful souls, I was reminded of the 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In lush meadows, he lays me down, beside tranquil waters, he leads me. He restores my soul.

In metaphysical language, when one sees "The Lord" in biblical texts, it is referring to the activity of the spiritual I Am as the ruling consciousness. This is the divine consciousness; the power of manifestation within us: Spiritual Man — or Authentic Self, as it's referred to in The Risen. When one resides in Authentic Self Consciousness, in god-consciousness, such realization is complete, and has no needs, no wants.

"Meadows," or fields have the spiritual meaning of a world outside god-consciousness, the worlds of manifestation that arise from the field of Reality that underlies everything. "Lush" indicates the over-abundance that is our divine gift of inheritance, merely for being alive. We manifest these worlds of abundance through our use of Mind. "Lay down" means to grow still and rest in that stillness.

"Water" symbolizes negativity, weakness, and lack of stability, as well as representing the great mass of thoughts that conform to environment. Every thought leaves its form in the consciousness, and all the weak, negative words gather in the underconscious as water gathers in holes. When we get discouraged, depressed, and give up, the undertow of these pools of negativity can sweep us away from the conscious awareness of Authentic Self.

When we are not at peace, disturbed by all the wants and needs of ego-mind, it is the return to Authentic Self Consciousness that leads us to a world of tranquility. It is Authentic Self — "The Lord" — that responds to our positive thoughts and words, able to do so without fear and with sanity — to decide how It wants "the world of 10,000 things" to appear: frightening and anxious, or safe and sound. When in Its Right Mind, It always chooses the only thing there really is. The waters become still and tranquil, no longer muddied and confusing. We know Who we are now.

"Soul" is our consciousness; our body is the expression of the soul; spirit is the individuality, the I Am.

Authentic Self restores our soul to its rightful place, the interior realm where we know who we really are. This orderly adjustment of divine ideas in our mind and body is also known as "the kingdom of heaven." "Divine" means "godly, or of the nature of God."

And what is God? Stop asking so many questions. Take two weeks off and don't call anyone in the morning.