I want to share with you an exchange I had with my wife while we were having breakfast the other morning. We both were enjoying the navel oranges we were eating when I felt a seed, removed it from my mouth with my fingers, and dropped it into my other hand. As I inspected it, it came to me just how miraculous it was to realize that within that small seed was the “intelligence,” the capacity to manifest a twenty-foot-tall tree capable of bearing hundreds of other oranges year after year, given the proper environment, nourishment and care. All of that potential within such a tiny seed.

As I allowed my wonder to lead my thoughts, it was a natural place to go when I likened that same miracle to the miracle we each are, as spiritual beings in human form. We begin life as a miracle conception born out of the need for two beings to connect and for a moment become as one. Out of that shared experience, we each are blessed with the capacity, the divine intelligence, to evolve into the human life form of a baby, complete with all the various life-sustaining systems necessary to support our birth and eventual manifestation into the divine beings we show up as today. All of that remains a mystery we are still trying to fully understand.

When we open up our hearts, we too are able to access powers that enable us to manifest unseen and unlimited possibilities. Like the tiny orange seed, we need nurturing and care to fully realize our potential. The special gift we share as human beings is the ability to choose. We can, at any moment in time when we are not feeling fulfilled in our current life, choose to interrupt the pattern of living we’ve adopted, knowingly or unknowingly. And the moment we decide to harness our innate God-Power by opening up our hearts so we can discover what is greater within, our whole life can change!

And as I write this blog, the question arises, do people who are reading this really believe it? Or is it perhaps still a “nice idea on paper but in the real world…” It’s important we be honest with ourselves as to what our answer may be to the question, because it also can lead us into the realization that perhaps our faith is in what we say we don’t want! That’s how it was for me for many years, although I didn’t know it at the time. I couldn’t see it.

Why? I was still being guided by shadow beliefs and rules of survival. I still was invested in trying to construct an outer image of myself that everyone else would find acceptable and lovable. Let me share with you, if you don’t already know, that is an energy-depleting activity because I was looking to others to validate my worth while a part within me was feeding my brain with subliminal shadow messages that were the direct opposite of what I wanted to hear.

You may have heard this before, but I’m going to repeat it because I know it’s true: When we recite affirmations, affirming the Truth of who we are and of our connection with God and the God-spark that is within each of us, we must truly let go of all thoughts that are about the outer world and eliminate even seeing any of the outer world while we move into a consciousness for prayer and meditation. That is why we are asked to get comfortable in a space where we won’t be disturbed by anyone or anything and to close our eyes so we aren’t visually distracted by anything. To settle for anything less is “going through the motions” and there can be no spiritual connection with that divine nature we claim to have. It takes the discipline of a daily practice of sitting in The Silence, having “primed the pump” with Faith and an inner conviction that you really are a unique expression of God! There is only one of each of us and we have been given the gift of Life through the Grace of God, here in this life, to accomplish what we’ve come here to do. God provides us with all that we need to accomplish our life missions. We just need to become still, listen, and take action, based upon that inner guidance which comes when we are ready to fully receive it.

Namaste, Steven