The Holy Trinity (V1 P17) – An alternate meaning to consider

July 29, 2017July 29, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

The Holy Trinity. The Sacred Trinity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One God and three persons. Surely, you have heard about this concept and have dwelled on its meaning.

Are you a true believer? Are you a doubter? Have you dismissed this idea altogether? Have you considered alternate meanings of this concept?

Barring atheism, it is safe to assume that most ideologies believe in one all- powerful life force – a Creator. The universe and all of its inhabitants owe their very existence to God, the all powerful entity, by whatever form or name you assign to it.

How and why did this idea of a Holy Trinity come about? Can we ascribe an alternate meaning to it than that which we have been conditioned to believe?

Traditional Viewpoint: God the Father = God, the all-powerful; God the Son = Jesus Christ; and the Holy Spirit = the Holy Spirit. One God – three persons.

Consider the following alternate viewpoint: God the Father = God, the all-powerful; God the Son = the God that resides within each of us, our soul; and the Holy Spirit = the space between us and God, the spiritual tie between our souls and God.

God, the all-powerful and omnipresent being, the Creator – similar under both viewpoints. That Life Force that is responsible for all that was, that is, and that will be.

Jesus Christ, God’s likeness in the form of man, the Son of God. Human beings, or God’s creatures – are we not sons and daughters of God. We are His creation, we serve him, all of our lives are due to his having bestowed upon us His gift of life. The God that is within us = our soul.

The Holy Spirit, that light and connection and bond, that guiding force between God and Jesus. Or alternatively, between God and our soul, between God and us. Our guardian angel, our spiritual guide, our intuition, etc. All of the God sent assistance that we need, that our soul needs, to evolve spiritually.

God – outside of us. God – within us (our soul). God’s presence between God and our soul. Father Son Holy Spirit

Absorb that possibility. Feel the sense of purpose that comes with true understanding of the direct tie from God to us. God, the all-powerful; through his Spirit; to our soul. The God outside/without us; the God inside/within us; God between God and our soul – His guiding light and guiding force that dwells between our God and our soul.

To me, it makes sense and it resonates within me – driving me to better understand what my purpose is in this life that God has bestowed upon me.

God is for all to share. God is within us all. God provides us with a spiritual guide to assist us in our spiritual evolution. Consider the alternate meaning of the Holy Trinity.

KGM

Strive for Selflessness (V1 P16)

July 23, 2017 / downtoearth333 / 1 Comment

It is extremely difficult to put your ego aside… completely aside. Think about that for a moment. Work backwards in your mind and think of the events that took place in your life over the last 24 hours. What was acted upon by you with others being at the forefront of your concern? What was acted upon by you with yourself at the forefront?

It is on the verge of impossible to master this exercise in one’s life. But the greater portion of your life’s pie chart dedicated to serving and putting others first, the great the rewards to you – in this physical life, in the evolution of your spiritual being, and in the next stages of both.

Practicing daily mantras, praying, and just keeping the focus of your purpose on helping and serving others will keep you from tipping the scales in favor of the ego. The useless and counter productive results derived from a selfish and self centered existence will be replaced by the refreshing, uplifting and perpetually improving results that will be derived from a life more heavily weighted in selflessness.

Think, meditate, focus on your trust life’s purpose. Act with kindness and love towards others. Provide a smile, a helping hand, an arm upon which to lean on or grab onto, an invitation to join you and others when applicable – all of these can by life changing acts for both you and the recipient(s) of your kindness and unselfish gestures.

The more that you give, the more that you will be given. Strive to be a positive force, a warm and shining light, a difference maker in the lives of others. Become as close as you can to being one with the universe by giving, listening, and offering kindness to all of God’s creatures.

Within this realm of selfless kindness you will also be creating an environment within which you will indeed thrive and evolve. Your rewards will be exponentially greater than that which you have disbursed from your kind and loving self.

Only by sharing of yourself can you share in the infinite and abundant treasures of the universe.

KGM

Personal Values/Mission Statement (V1 P15)

July 13, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

Much time is spent by businesses, some successful and some not so much, on defining and attempting to do business by CORE VALES. Money, time, energy and much soul searching is spent on trying to do just that. The ability to do this successfully generally results in profit, employee retention, and passionate customers. The failure of one or both of these objectives will generally lead to declining business results, negative workplace energy, fragmented company culture, and a confused and dwindling customer base.

How much time have you spent on defining and living by your core PERSONAL VALUES? Have you a personal MISSION STATEMENT? Are you succeeding in this life task?

One must break down those core values that they wish to represent to themselves and to others. It is okay and also it is essential to a system of perpetual improvement to include aspirational values. Those consist of those values that one does not yet have in their tool belt as a functioning human – but that one aspires to one day obtain and display. Think. Reflect. Dwell on all of the qualities that you would like to exude as both a physical and spiritual being.

Your core group of values can be few in number or it can be extensive. The key is that they make up the “you” that you are striving to become. This set of personal core values will change over time as one evolves along their life’s journey. You should never be fully satisfied and should constantly try to improve. But you should still take great satisfaction upon attaining and exuding each of your personal core values.

Celebrate your personal and spiritual growth. This spurs on continued and greater success as you aspire to be more. Never stop challenging yourself to keep improving. Never shy away from defining a true aspirational value for yourself. Never surrender to the fear of failure.

This can be as simple as “Be respectful, have a strong work ethic, and have faith”. It can be as broad or detailed as you would like it to be. It is yours to shape and mold throughout your life. Define it, embrace it, and live by it.

Periodically review your personal values and personal mission statement. Celebrate it. Add to it and modify it to reflect the “you” that you are now, at this moment, striving to become.

It is one of the most important things that you will ever do. Don’t shuffle it off to some future date. Embrace this task and just do it. Your life’s journey requires it and your evolution as a spiritual being will continue to benefit from this exercise.

KGM

Note to Self – Be On Time (V1 P14)

July 8, 2017July 8, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

Some words to live by: Be on time.

Respect your time as well as the time of all others. Do what you must in order to always be on time. If you must get up earlier, leave sooner, add buffer time to your planning – whatever you must do and whatever works for you, you must do it. Force yourself to always be prompt and ready when the time has arrived to be, do, or say somewhere or something.

By not doing this, you are making a statement to yourself and to others that you do not care enough about the person or event, or both, to do what is necessary to be there on time. This is truly a toxic statement and will only result in hurt feelings, negative energy, and a loss of respect in you and what you represent to the world.

Embrace your responsibility to be on time. Be confident that it is beneficial and will be a positive element for you to participate and be present. Accept the small sacrifices that you may have to make as character building and TAKE PRIDE IN BEING ON TIME.

Just a light thought to end on. Yesterday was Ringo Starr’s 77th birthday. Ringo, as steady a drummer as there ever was, is referred to by Joe Walsh as “a human metronome”. Truly, one who took pride in being “on time”. Happy Birthday Ringo! Peace and love, as he always says.

KGM

Precious (First Thing in the) Morning (V1 P13)

June 28, 2017June 29, 2017 / downtoearth333 / 1 Comment

foggy-sunset-tree-landscape-early-morning-fog-nature-trees-grassy-hills-91988378 Embrace the day. Seize the day. Awaken with passion. All of these may seem like meaningless sayings – but they hold truth and powerful sentiment towards how you face not only the coming day but life itself.

Think about your daily routine. The hours that you may spend getting ready to go somewhere (work perhaps), commuting to and from somewhere, taking part in activities that you are responsible for (as a parent, student, co-worker, interested party), etc. There are hours spent refueling your body through food and drink. There are hours that sleep requires each day to rejuvenate you and provide you with proper rest. There is not a whole lot left in a day when you factor in all of the items within your fixed and variable daily routine.

The first hours of the day provide the best opportunity for you to actually “own” a portion of your day. It is yours. It is the BEST time for quiet reflection, meditation, private thought, and prayer. It allows for an endorphin boosting walk, run, stretch or swim. There is not much, if anything, going on around you in the way of distraction and interference.

What is going on? Sunrise, sounds of nature around you beginning to buzz as animals greet the day and plants glisten in the dew, the beautiful chimes of a nearby church clock signaling the early hours of the morning. All things to take in, to be thankful for, and to admire in their morning habitat.

I like to rise now at about 5:00 AM. This may seem late for some and too early for others, but it works for me. I get outside and take a 20 minute walk or run. Prayer, dreams remembered, and other reflective thoughts run through my mind between short bursts of pure silence and observation of the beauty around me. The world seems like a different place at this hour as traffic is scarce and the pressures of yesterday and/or today are not really at the forefront of my mind. This is my time. It is all about what I choose to make of it and it seems to provide me with a mega boost of energy and positivity.

I follow this up with about 15 minutes of stretching, a shower, and then off to the office. I am now usually heading out earlier than before I began this routine, in a much better mood to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of me, and feeling physically, mentally and spiritually recharged.

There is something magical about the morning. All of its secrets are there for you to partake in – it unmasks itself before you and lies quietly at your feet. It has no choice.

Embrace the day by enjoying the early hours of the morning. It will be a positive change in your life and you will truly enjoy these precious hours that belong only to you.

KGM

One Step at a Time (V1 P12)

June 22, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

612014766 The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Baby steps. Slow and steady wins the race. Dip your toe in the water. All of these are meant to show the importance of just beginning and not being overwhelmed by the sometimes overwhelming enormity of the task at hand or of reaching your goal. Just get started – one step at a time.

I have been discussing with some of my readers their past challenges of becoming locked up because they have looked at the final destination as so far away and potentially so difficult to navigate that they fail to make steady progress. It is vital to remember that the journey is sometimes never ending and that successful spiritual evolution is not reaching the final destination but rather making steady and perpetual progress as a human.

Start slowly and focus on your core beliefs – that which is most important to you. Work slowly outward from this inner circle and act upon your inner thoughts that guide you and walk you from A to B. If it is physical manifestation that makes up part of your life’s journey at this point in time – realize that doing something, anything, no matter how small will take you to a place a bit closer to point B. Any progress in the space between builds upon itself and will make it easier to take the next step(s). Progress will produce results that will be noticed and that will propel your mind, body and spirit into the positive acknowledgement that you are making inroads towards achieving your goals.

Similar to the placebo effect – you, having witnessed progress no matter to what extent, will be feeling positive about the progression from Point A to Point B and will exponentially build upon that progress. Your belief that you will get there will parlay the real results to date into exponentially greater results tomorrow. Faith, belief, positive thought, prayer – all powerful stuff, to be sure.

Always move towards your goal. Be in a state of perpetual improvement. Shoot for the stars and even if unattainable you will have made inroads on a path between yourself and the stars and the space between will be noticeably and forever changed.

KGM

Confessions of a Dying Man (V1 P11)

June 15, 2017June 17, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

From the moment that we exit our mother’s womb and begin our life outside the womb – our physical life here on earth – we are dying. Physical life is finite. Whether you believe that it is a one and only experience or one of multiple reincarnated physical existences, it is a finite experience that comes to an end when we experience our physical death.

What does dying mean to me? It means different things at different stages in my life. In my early years through my twenties – it was something so far off of my daily radar that I doubt if I spent five minutes a week dwelling on it. Now, in my early fifties, it is something that inevitably comes closer each day and yet is not as feared as it was in my thirties/forties. My preparation for the inevitable physical world death experience is to embrace “this” life as much as I can while I still can. And in doing so, to prepare my spirit for the next realm and whatever it may hold for “me”.

My priorities have shifted over the years. My intent now is to evolve my spirit as much as possible in this lifetime and in doing so making a true impact on those that I love. I have worked from within a series of concentric circles – like the rings of a tree – from the inside to the outside. Focusing first on my core circle, my closest group – God/Higher Power, spouse/children, mother/siblings, etc. – and then working outwards to friends/other family/community/co-workers, etc. Through a perpetual series of self-assessment I try to make sure that I am evolving in a positive manner and making an impact on my life, the life of those closest to me, and others through acts of kindness and being genuine and sincere in my thoughts, words and actions.

I truly know that I have a place in this world, that my actions and words can change my life and further the evolution of my spirit, that others will play a role in this evolution – I just have to listen to the signs, that intent will morph into manifestation and my life’s purpose will unfold before me – it has no choice.

As a dying man – I am a seeker, a practitioner, a perpetual learner, a curious student, a willing teacher when applicable, a being of light. I see all others as demonstrating or having the ability to demonstrate these same traits and characteristics. One only has to look within in order to find the way, the truth, and the light.

I am excited for this physical experience, grateful for it, know that I am blessed to experience it – but know in my heart that the enduring and everlasting life of the spirit is the more sacred and blessed experience. For this I cherish the thought of my life’s quest. I look forward to the next state of my spirit life with anticipation while also doing all that I can to make this physical life’s purpose a successful and fruitful one. I get off track, to be sure, as my striving towards perfection is an unattainable peak from which the space between allows for many trials, travails, pitfalls, distractions and “human error”.

My confession includes being human and with fault, being less than perfect, falling short in many areas and during many times in my life, hurting others when I have fallen short, hurting myself when I have fallen short. All part of dying on the vine – withering while trying to evolve. I feel refreshed that I have been able to self-acknowledge many of these “sins” of my physical life and feel as though the furtherance of my spirit at each point of reflection on these faults has brought me to some sort of inflexion point.

Is it strange to embrace the next spiritual existence while in the midst of the current physical existence? My yearning and hopeful continuous evolution feels like a launch pad from one to the other. My daily prayer, reflective thought, mantras, meditation, etc. has brought me to the point at which I now reside.

I confess to not always knowing the way, but I continue to ask God to show me the way. I confess to less than stellar behavior at times in my life, but I continue to break down the walls of my ego and see that it is ok to not be right and to admit to being wrong and ask for forgiveness. I confess to being stubborn and insistent for less than good reasons at times, but I am willing to change and embrace the universe and its continual signs and guidance in order to do so. I open myself up to the infinite and abundant knowledge of the universe and ask that I be allowed to partake in all of its wisdom in order to take me through my life’s journey in the most “productive” manner.

Specific to this life’s journey and to the evolution of our spirits – the eternal quest: If you have words of wisdom, of encouragement – please send them my way. If you need some positive reinforcement and I can assist you in any way – just let me know. Ask and you shall receive.

The end point of this finite physical life is unknown to me and to you. It will come, however. From birth to death and then to the space between – embrace it all.

KGM

Seek and You Shall Find (V1 P10)

June 13, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

Question: What is it that you are looking for? Define that and begin or continue the quest to find it.

Remember (V1 P1), we look and feel the way that we want to look and feel. If it is a physical health transformation that you seek, you have got to identify the required changers and then execute or implement them. If it is an emotional or spiritual transformation that you seek, you must clear the negative obstacles, live a positive and self-fulfilling lifestyle and make smart choices that will enable you to perpetually improve.

If you truly want to make a change in your life than you will do it. There is no substitute for proper rest, an organic and nutritious diet, moderate exercise, prayer, quiet reflective thought, meditation and for being kind. This recipe will sow the seeds for both physical and emotional/spiritual transformation.

There is no end to this pursuit as one can and should strive to improve, in all ways that matter to them, throughout their existence. To be in a state of perpetual improvement will leave no regrets in your wake. Onward and upward, as they say.

Look out your window and focus on one item that represents, even in some small way, the beauty and power of what has been bestowed upon us. Revel in its true nature. Thank that Higher Power that you relate to in your spiritual existence as the All Powerful. Quiet thought, a prayer of thanks, a feeling of subtle elation that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves – focus, be grateful, and realize that you will find your way and your true purpose.

And, best of all, feel the joy that is inevitable when you admit and truly believe that it is within your power to manifest, seek/find, evolve to that place that you are looking for. God is for all to share.

KGM

“I Me Mine” – (Heavy Waltz/Rock Song – Beatles) – Alarm Bell for Today (V1 P9)

June 9, 2017June 11, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

Written by George Harrison, it was the last new track recorded by the band before their split in April 1970. The lyrics have been interpreted by some as a comment from Harrison on the fractious situation within the group at that time. They have been interpreted by others as a comment on the evolving self-centered state of the world, in general, after the end of the 1960’s.

Whatever his true meaning behind the lyrics, as only George will ever really know, it should sound off as an alarm for us now more than ever to take stock of our own ego.

Think about what selfishness, self-centeredness, ego-driven, ego-maniacal, self-absorbed and similar words and states of personality bring to mind when you ponder upon them. What traits and characteristics do you associate with those that you would characterize as great people? What traits do you associate with those whom you would rather avoid and not live your life around? These words conjure up images of the latter, I am sure you will agree.

Much of the world’s crime, evilness, lack of civility, social ignorance and general ill state is partially, if not wholly, rooted in the I Me Mine mindset. Think about it. I want money so I will take it; I want that person’s spouse so I will seduce and have my way with that person; I want that and don’t care who’s it is nor how they acquired it – I will have it for my own, etc. My needs and wants are more important than the thoughts and feelings of others who may be hurt while I fulfill my desires. The I Me Mine mindset.

From a micro sense – sibling fights, school yard fights, local bullying, community sins, local crime, etc. From a macro sense – wars, cyber-crime, hacking to disrupt and cause havoc, cyber bullying, criminal gangs and associations, etc. It all revolves around the horrific self-assessment that one’s needs and desires outweigh everyone and everything else. It revolves around the end justifying the means to that end. It is tearing us apart individually and as a society.

Each person can start small and avoid this path, or if on it can get back to a path of spiritual well-being for themselves and for all who they may encounter. Focus on your core – your need to survive, to be kind to others, and to take care of your basic needs and those of your loved ones. Work for what you want. If you must wait for it, so be it. It will be worth the wait. Pray and meditate asking that your needs be covered and reflecting on what it is that you are passionate about and upon which you can act and get fulfilment in life. Act from within but treat those outside of yourself with the utmost care and kindness.

God/Higher Power first and then others second. You will be taken care of in more ways than you can imagine. What you give you shall receive multi-fold. All that you are blessed with will be more fully appreciated and enjoyed. Push the ego away from the forefront of your daily life choices. The more you push the less the need to push – as with all things, muscle memory/spiritual routine will take over.

Good song, “I Me Mine”, but only for listening pleasure and as a reminder to avoid the themes that it presents. Strive to not to follow them or be caught up in them for your own life’s journey.

KGM

Surround Yourself With Love (V1 P8)

June 7, 2017June 11, 2017 / downtoearth333 / Leave a comment

Think for a moment about what allows for an environment in which one can thrive. Any living creature needs certain things to survive – basic things, the fundamental “stuff” of which life itself requires. But there is another set of factors at play with respect to thriving in an environment.

Plants, animals, humans – all of God’s creatures – will separate themselves from others with respect to how well they succeed and flourish within their ecosystem, their community, their family, etc. What elements allow for this at the greatest levels?

Attention, care, nourishment, a helping hand, and so forth. The main commonality among all of these factors is that they come from a place of love. Love of self and love to and from others.

Surround yourself with love. Allow that emotion and that state to be strong in your life. Diminish the opportunity for it to be counter balanced with hate, envy, deceit, negativity. Force it to be so abundant that the scale is tipped so mightily in its favor that you cannot help but thrive because you are immersed in it.

God is love. God is within you. You are love. Open yourself up to it. Seek it and avoid the opposite. Surround yourself with love and thrive.

Goodbye for now.

KGM

Down to Earth

A human's companion to the human experience

Author: downtoearth333