Hello All….
I don’t know if any of you visit the Spirit of Ma’at website,( http://spiritofmaat.com ) but they have a monthly newsletter with articles that I have found pretty interesting.. Here is one that seems to go very nicely with some of the conversations going on lately.
Enjoy!
With Love,
Mary
The Test of Our Beliefs
There has been so much written in the Spirit of Ma'at Magazine over the last few years about this particular era, including this year and the next. Until now, most of what we have talked about could only be speculative, combined with intuitive guidance and the information being received from the world leaders of our spiritual communities. Now that we have entered into the most potent phases of this period, we can expect a first-hand look at how the energy is starting to manifest. This will result in changes happening in our lives and all over our planet. In part, what we will experience will be within a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual context. The physical manifestation of this energy is already happening with the incredible ecological damage coming from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, for example. What remains to be seen for us on a personal level is what the changes in earth energy will mean to us and how it will impact our beliefs.
One of the important issues to remember about today is that we are entering into a field of energy that is markedly different from the last several years. In the past, our planet was made up of an energy that was more about thoughts and ideas. Now we are in a period when we will find ourselves being called to take action on what we have been thinking and believe. Our period of time on earth is marked by ever changing cycles which become the motivation and backdrop for our advancement as spiritual beings and the basis for our unfolding consciousness. At the core of this journey are our beliefs, the ones that shape our values and influence the way we move through the world. They are also the drive and motivation behind the action we take each day. We could say the changes in our lives come from the events in the outside world. A more accurate statement is that we perceive the world around us based upon our shifting beliefs. What we believe holds the key to the door of our understanding, not only of how the Universe in which we live works, but also to the purpose of our lives.
The motivating factor behind our spiritual journey is the beliefs we hold and the way we integrate those beliefs into our everyday life. This is the basis for the continuing expansion of our consciousness. As spiritual people we are on a quest to prove our beliefs to ourselves. We want to know that what we believe is real. There is so much for each of us to gain from examining our beliefs as a regular part of our spiritual practice. This is one of the ways we insure our growing and thereby becoming the spiritual person we aspire to be. Whether we make a conscious effort to do this or not, life will certainly present us with situations that will ask us to take this step. The experience of confronting our beliefs may come from many directions and in different forms. There are life events like the death of a loved one, the birth of a child or the end of a relationship that will bring our beliefs into focus. We tend to stop and question where we are in relation to our beliefs when life feels out of control, or that we are not getting what we want.
What energy or effort do our beliefs create in the context of our personal needs as a spiritual people? In other words, do our beliefs support our growth and expanding consciousness? Or do they hold us in place and prevent the growth we want from happening? There are two sides to our belief structure. One is the active dynamic growth supporting energy that comes from our beliefs. On one hand, we can choose to hold our spiritual beliefs as an intellectual tool for helping us make our way through the day. And there is a part of our journey that requires us to do this. For example, our beliefs that takes the form of our moral compass which creates our sense of right and wrong certainly resides in an intellectual realm. Yet, on the other side of this coin is the stagnation that can occur if we continue to hold on to a belief long after it no longer fits with who we have become. The process of the spiritual path is about the continuing need for challenging what we believe. The next step is replacing anything that is outmoded with something that better supports who we are becoming.
What I am about to share with you is a synthesis of conversations I have had over the last few weeks with a number of people. These conversations deal with the issues we often face in regard to our belief structures. This time appears to be one of those periods when clarity comes into our lives and we get a laser sharp and objective look at what we are doing and the impact of the beliefs we are holding. Several people have related to me their long held beliefs about what they wanted in their lives. In the last few months, the opportunities have been presented for them to take a step forward and manifest their beliefs. They have been presented with the opportunity to translate a belief into first-hand knowing, only to realize they were not ready to take the step or, that they really didn't want to make the changes that would be required of them. One person said to me, "I live in a world I don't' believe in any longer and no longer have any feeling for it."
I recently had conversation with my Mother who is 87 years old that was tinged with a whole range of emotion. It was a hurried conversation. She wanted to tell me about what she believes and the place her beliefs hold in her life. She and my father need to move from their home of almost thirty years, to a more supportive living environment. This has become a pivotal time in her life, one which is requiring a lot of reliance on her belief structure. This move is also about her life coming to an end. It's one of those times we will all face sooner or later, when events call our beliefs into question and we have to take a closer look. As the conversation continued, the subject turned to me and what I have shared with her about my studies and what I believe. Her tone became angry and her words intolerant and insistent that her way is the only way to believe. Her words at another time would have been blistering for me. At this time and under the current circumstances, I knew she wasn't really talking to me or about me. She needed to hear herself talk about what she believes because she needs all the support she can get in order to move through these next months of her life. What she wanted was something I could not give her. She is the only one who can be certain of her beliefs. No one else can do that for her.
Another example of our need for proof of belief involves the Shroud of Turin. Many years ago friends of mine traveled to Turin to see the Shroud when it was last on display. This was before carbon dating suggested the Shroud is not that of the Master Jesus as has been believed. The queue was four hours long to the Basilica where the Shroud was on display. As my friends told me, they waited in the rain and slowly made their way to the entrance. At the doorway and as they entered the Basilica they witnessed people busting into tears even before reaching the location of the Shroud. My friends began to ask people what they were feeling and the reason for the deep emotional response to being there. Several people shared their hope that seeing the Shroud would finally bring an end to any doubt they had about their belief in Jesus and prove that he was real.
There is another contemporary issue that deals with belief. So many of the Baby Boomers who have worked hard for so many years and saved for retirement have lost all of their money earmarked for the future. The belief behind their everyday motivation was that working hard and saving money would insure an enjoyable and easy retirement. After the last few years and the current unpredictable financial future of our world, so many people have lost their belief that their dream will become a reality. People are forestalling retirement, in some cases being forced to continue working. The question many of us now face now is what to believe about the future.
There is a process we can start to integrate into our lives around our beliefs. We can start by making a conscious effort to listen to our self-talk. What conversations are we having with ourselves when we are moving through the day? How do the things we say to ourselves reflect our true beliefs? Do we even believe what we are saying? Or are we continuing to say things to ourselves that are easier to just repeat rather than risking the need to make changes in our lives. When we start to think in terms of our beliefs, things start to happen. As we move through our day, living our lives in a place of being conscious of our beliefs, we get stronger and our lives gain a new clarity and focus. It's like building a wall. As we add another brick that comes from challenging our beliefs, we become stronger. The act of being fluid in our expanding consciousness and allowing out belief structure to become ever-expanding gives us steps on our path. This opens to the door to higher- knowledge and understanding. When it is all said and done, we have to allow our beliefs to guide us to our truth.
For just a minute, let's go back to where we began. The important thing to remember in these next few months is that there is earth energy available to support us in getting a really clear look at our beliefs. This could happen through conversation with others or through something we see or hear. If we can walk through our days with this focus in the front of our minds, and we look at our world in this context, then we have an opportunity to receive some really incredible gifts.
Here are some questions for you to journal, meditate or pray on:
What is the source of your beliefs?
What do you believe to be the purpose of your journey in this lifetime?
Can you think of a personal belief that has transformed into another belief? Is the original belief still believable? If not, have you let it go?
Do you think that if your beliefs shift you have to take some kind of action in your outer life?
Your comments and questions are welcome. Please email me at [email protected] or visit my website www.StephenThomson.net. You can purchase my book The Secret Key by going to the Ma'at Bookstore.
About Stephen Thomson
Steve Thomson is a writer, teacher, and psychic, well-known throughout the United States. He leads workshops about metaphysical practices, including meditation, expansion of the psychic senses, spiritual magic, the Tarot, and the Kabbala. He also guides journeys to sacred sites around the world. For over 20 years, Steve has been a member of the Rosicrucian Order AMORC and he has been a student of Paramahansa Yogananda's, Self-Realization Fellowship for over 10 years. His book entitled The Secret Key is available through our website. He is currently working on a new book entitled Discovering Your Spiritual Truth — A Primer for the Path — Things to Think About, Meditate On and Journal, which will be available by the end of 2009.
You may write Steven personally at [email protected]
or visit his website: www.stephenthomson.net