beliefs
Walking Two Moons In Their Moccasins
To judge, or not to judge, that is the question. Now, even the least religious of Christians will tell you that it is not a good idea to stand in judgment of others. In fact, Matthew 7:1-5 clearly states: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” However, there is a little-known addition to this spiritual wisdom to be found in John 7:24: ” Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
Wait a minute? Did Jesus not instruct us never to judge? Yes, he implored us not to judge, but he also asked us to filter our experiences through the wisdom of spirit, or the eyes of divine love, before making any judgment. Indeed, some sound judgment is necessary in life. If we never judge anything at all, we may potentially become doormats to others. That’s certainly not what any wise spiritual teacher would recommend. But we need to be sensible, humble and kind in the process. We must ask for divine wisdom and guidance when considering what we say to others, as well as ourselves.
Judgment is related to karma and the ‘golden rule,’ in that we receive back what we dish out. This is not good if we hold onto our rigidity, unable to see others’ points of view. But if we open our minds and see it from another’s point of view, then we will more fairly and compassionately balance our judgments. We must remember the Native American wisdom, “Don’t judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.”
What Is Christ Consciousness?
The mystic and clairvoyant Rudolf Steiner predicted more than a century ago that humanity is entering a time in which a new spiritual awareness or higher consciousness shall emerge. Steiner named this new awareness Christ consciousness, a transformative energy that would transcend orthodox, dogmatic religion.
Steiner explains that Jesus was able to tap into a higher level of consciousness that comes from the realm of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine. He became “christed”to show us how to accomplish the complete activation of the spiritual seed we all have within our soul. “The rest of humanity must now, in imitation of Christ, gradually develop what was present for 33 years on the Earth in one single personality,” he writes.
Jesus understood that even just a little speck of this higher energy, no larger than a mustard seed, could transform human beings into exalted beings of a higher dimension. The essence of Christ consciousness is therefore simply this: Jesus came to teach us that the blessed pathway to our inner divinity and the glorious kingdom of higher consciousness already lay charted within the heart of each one of us. All we need to do is follow it.
The concept of higher consciousness or spiritual enlightenment is found in many world religions. Christ consciousness is also known God consciousness in Protestant Christianity; Cosmic consciousness in Hinduism; and Pure consciousness in Buddhism. Renowned psychic Edgar Cayce referred to it as “the Christ pattern”. Channeler Paul Selig describes Christ consciousness as a higher energy vibration at which one realizes that “God is the frequency of every cell in your being.”
Christ consciousness is therefore an awareness of the higher self as an expression of the Universal Consciousness. It is an elevated state of spiritual awareness that one achieves through self-realization and unity with God Source, Spirit, the Divine.
Respect Is A Blessed Spiritual Practice
Nothing disturbs the existence of the person who is spiritually conscious and respectful. For the believer her faith is the rock that nothing shakes. The worst storms can come, yet she’s still there, firm in her belief.
A faithless, disrespectful life without higher consciousness is perilous at best, and rife with fears, and many tears. The days tend to get darker, and the future more and more uncertain. There is little to offer hope, and life seems meaningless and transient.
But faith makes life full, smooth, and blessed. Surrendering our fears and worries to God, Source, Spirit, the Divine is liberating and transcendental.
Of course, a fulfilled, spiritually aware life is not without challenges, problems, responsibilities, and effort. Idleness and laziness will delay our soul evolution. Spiritual growth and enlightenment require effort, dedication, passion, and commitment.
For all worthwhile achievements, victories, and successes in life, we must have faith, courage, and respect; be ethical in all our choices and actions; and clearly decide what we want to achieve.
Everything that unfolds in our life begins with our own attitude and our level of respect. Those who do not respect themselves, others, and nature, cannot demand any respect in turn. Respect must guide us every day in everything we think, say, and do. It is the most important moral value and duty of every soul in human form.
Three Laws That Determine Our Fate
Just like there are physical, mathematical, and chemical laws that govern the material world, there are also spiritual principles that direct the metaphysical realm. These spiritual rules are known as the Laws of the Universe and they play a significant role in our life, whether we realize it, or not. Becoming more consciously aware of these laws can make our everyday life much easier, and more joyful and prosperous.
The Universal Laws have been intuitively practiced by shamans, occultists, and metaphysicians since the dawn of time, but only entered mainstream awareness with the publication of the Hermetic philosophy book The Kybalion in 1908.
This classic book lists only seven fundamental Laws of the Universe. In time, other authors and teachers expanded the catalogue to 12 fundamental laws and 21 sub-laws. Together these laws are known today as the 33 Spiritual Laws of the Universe.
Although all these laws are equally important in spiritual practice, manifesting, and conscious living, I find the following three are most practically relevant in my work as a psychic reader.
The Law Of Perpetual Transmutation Of Energy
Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change form. Everything material or physical, including all living beings are at first subtle, pure energy. Only with time does it become a dense, materialized energy manifestations that are visible to the human eye.
So, if we want to change or manifest something significantly in our own life, we must understand that our fate and fortune starts with our own energy.
Faith As A Spiritual Science
It is generally assumed that all forms of ‘faith’ is merely matter of ‘belief.’ In other words, to have faith is seen as having belief that is blind; it is a belief without reason, evidence, or experience. However, there is another kind of faith that develops through a reciprocal relationship.
According to the Vedic teachings and the practices of Krishna Bhakti (awareness of, and affection for Krishna, the Supreme Person) faith begins with hearing spiritual knowledge from a liberated soul, who is beyond the four defects of material conditioning.
Ordinary people (or conditioned souls) have four defects due to their contact with material existence. These defects are:
- The tendency to make mistakes.
- To be illusioned.
- The propensity to cheat others.
- To have imperfect senses.
At the initial phase of faith, there is an appeal to the intelligence of the conditioned soul that evokes exploration of knowledge through hearing deeper spiritual insights, which in turn appeals to their intelligence to apply it.
From the experiment of applying it, comes observable experiential results that corroborate the truth of what was initially heard from the transcendental authority (liberated soul).
This confirming experience not only yields faith in the knowledge and process applied, but it also forms an evidential knowing beyond a mere baseless, ‘blind’ belief. Therefore, developing a relationship with God through Bhakti-Yoga or Krishna Consciousness is a spiritual science.