Sharing GOD's Secret

It was 2007, and I was on my way to the airport. On a long business trip to Europe or Asia, I always pick up a couple of books to while away some time on the plane. I found "A New Earth" by an author I had never heard of before. The title looked intriguing so I bought it. Later as I passed the security line I saw "The Power of Now" by the same author; it was then when it clicked; yes, I had heard of Eckhart Tolle, the new spiritual author on the block. It turns out the "A New Earth" was a symptom of my own awakening. Today, nine years later, I am one of the millions of initiated light-workers Eckhart Tolle had with his book in mind.

The irony was that when Eckhart Tolle submitted his first book, "The Power of Now", to a publisher it was rejected on the grounds that this idea is as old as spirituality itself. True, how nice that another publisher brought it on the market as it quickly lid a fire in the New Age community. So perhaps we should just remind each other from time to time of the ancient wisdoms that apparently have to be rediscovered by each individual spiritual traveler for herself. GOD's "secret"  has been out there for millennia, ready for everyone to discover it. "The Power of Now" is one catchy phrase, but there are so many others. The Old Testament is full of spiritual insights, as were Jesus' teachings. The Sufis know it, as does Taoism, Buddhists and Hinduism. 

The note below zooms into a little book that is a spiritual master piece, "To Have or to Be", by Erich Fromm. The author was foremost a psychologist, with a passion  for the Talmud, spirituality and socialism as well. Erich Fromm knew GOD's secret, just to fall in love with life; to do something with your life that is both purposeful and passionate; to learn to recognize the distracting whispers of the ego that keep you from the WAY. Erich Fromm also realized that magic tends to happen when we wrestle with life on a path that is of GOD. Lastly I would add that enlightenment is not something that you aspire to get one day; enlightenment is a state that you can enjoy moment by moment, as long as you use some of these insights below as your milestones. Everyone can be a light worker. Hope you join us too!

God's Secret - The Problem Statement

Problem Statement: Separateness 

Adam and Eve, what is the sin they have committed? To face each other as separated, isolated, selfish human beings who cannot overcome their separation in the act of loving union. The sin is rooted in our very human existence. Being deprived of the original harmony with nature. Being endowed with reason and self-awareness, we cannot help experiencing our separateness. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Problem statement: Me, Myself and I

Our picture of physical reality does not correspond to what is "really real" and, mainly, in the sense that most people are half-awake, half-dreaming, and are unaware hat most of what they hold true and self-evident is illusion produced by the suggestive influence of the social world in which they live. Knowing , then, begins with the shattering of disillusionment. Knowing means to penetrate through the surface, in order to arrive at the roots, and hence the causes; knowing means to "see" reality in its nakedness. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Mental greed - and all greed is mental, even when it is satisfied via the body - has no satiation point, since it's consummation does not fill the inner emptiness, boredom, loneliness, and depression it is meant to overcome. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Everything and anything can become an object of craving: things we use in daily life, property, rituals, good deeds, knowledge, and thoughts. While they are not in themselves "bad", they become bad; that is, when we hold onto them, when they become chains that interfere with our freedom, they block our self-realization. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

But if the greedy person thinks only of money and possessions, the ambitious one only of fame, one does not think of them as being insane, but simply annoying; generally one has contempt for them. But factually, greediness, ambition, and so forth are forms of insanity, although usually one does not think of them as illness. To be driven by irrational passions is to be mentally sick. To the degree that we achieve optimal growth, we are not only (relatively) free, strong, rational, and joyous, but also mentally healthy; to the degree that we fail to reach this aim, we are unfree, weak, lacking rationality, and depressed. (Erich Fromm quotes Spinoza in "To Have or to Be")

Problem Statement: Having, not Being

Greed is the natural outcome of the having orientation. It can be the greed of a miser or the greed of a profit hunter or the greed of a womanizer or the man chaser. Whatever constitutes their greed, the greedy can never have enough, can never be "satisfied". (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

What is fully describable is our persona - the mask we each other wear, the ego we present - for this persona is in itself a thing. In contrast, the living human being is not a dead image and cannot be described like a thing. In fact, the living human being cannot be described at all. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

If I am what I have and if what I have is lost, who then am I? Nobody but a defeated, deflated, pathetic testimony to a wrong way of living. Because I can lose what I have, I am necessarily constantly worried that I shall lose what I have. I am afraid of thieves, of economic changes, of revolutions, of sickness, of death; and I am afraid of love, of freedom, of growth, of change, of the unknown. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

The fear, then, is not of dying, but of losing what I have: the fear of losing my body, my ego, my possessions, and my identity; the fear of facing the abyss of non-identity, of "being lost". (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

GOD's Secret - The Solution

The Solution:  At-One-Ment

There is but one way to save ourselves from this hell: to leave the prison of our egocentricity, to reach out and to one ourselves with the world. If egocentric separateness is the cardinal sin, then the sin is atoned in the act of loving: "at-one-ment" is Middle English for union. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

The Solution: Purpose and Passion

The joy of a mitzvah (the fulfillment of a religious duty) is he only way to get the Holy Spirit. (Erich Fromm, quoting the Talmud in "To Have or to Be")

In order to avoid decay, we must strive to approach the "model of human nature", that is, we must be optimally free, rational, active. We must become what we can be. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Joy is what we experience in the process of growing nearer to the goal of becoming ourselves. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Activity is "wholesome" only when it is rooted in and expresses the ultimate ethical and spiritual demands.  (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Only in the process of mutual alive relatedness can the other and I overcome the barrier of separateness, inasmuch as we both participate in the dance of life.  (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

In non-alienated activity, I experience myself as the subject of my activity. Non-alienated activity is a process of giving birth to something, or producing something and remaining related to what I produce. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

The Solution: The Holy Now

The active, alive man is like a "vessel" that grows as it is filled and will never be full. 

(Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Freedom in the sense of being unfettered, free from craving for holding onto things and one's ego, is the condition for love and productive being. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

The mode of being exists only in the here and now. The mode of having so exists only in time: past, present and future. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Knowledge is no particular thought but rather it peels off (all coverings) and is disinterested and runs naked to GOD, until it teaches HIM and grasps HIM. (Meister Eckhart in Erich From, To Have or to Be) 

The Solution: Being, not Having

One of the main themes of the Old Testament is: leave what you have; free yourself from all fetters; be! (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Do not lay for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

There exists only the act of loving. To love is a productive activity. It implies caring for, knowing, responding, affirming, enjoying: the person, the tree, the painting the idea. It means bringing to life, increasing his/her/its aliveness. It is a process, self-renewing and self-increasing. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

They respond spontaneously and productively; they forget about themselves, about the knowledge, the positions they have. Their egos do not stand in their own way, and it is precisely for this reason that they can fully respond to the other person and that person's ideas, because they are not holding onto anything. While the having persons rely on what they have, the being persons rely on the fact that they are, that they are alive and that something new will be born if only they have to courage to let go and respond. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

To the extent that we decrease the mode of having, that is of non-being - i.e., stop finding security and identity by clinging to what we have, by "sitting on it", by holding onto ego and our possessions - can the mode of being emerge. "To be" requires giving up one's egocentricity and selfishness, or in words often used by mystics, by making oneself "empty" and "poor". (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

While having is based on some thing that is diminished by use, being grows by practice. The 'burning bush" that is not consumed is the biblical symbol for this paradox. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

We human beings have an inherent and deeply rooted desire to be: to express our faculties, to be active, to be related to others, to escape the prison cell of selfishness. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Every new step contains the danger of failure, and that is one of the reasons people are so afraid of freedom. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Master Eckhart taught that to have nothing and make oneself open and "empty", not to let one's ego stand in one's way, is the condition for achieving spiritual wealth and strength. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

We should not be "filled" with our knowledge, or hang onto it, or crave it. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

Living structures can be only if they become; they can exist only if they change. Change and growth are inherent qualities of the life process. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

The Buddha, the Awakened One, calls on people to wake up and liberate themselves from the illusion that craving for things lead to happiness. (Erich Fromm, To Have or to Be)

GOD's Secret - Conclusions

What may appear to you as a tour de force was just a little book full of ancient wisdom by a wise man, Erich Fromm. Every single line in it - very quote cited here - can lift you to that state, just as the simple title "The Power of Now" tried accomplishing a few decades later. Having this insight is huge, but living it is priceless. And that is where GOD's mission comes in. Find this path, hold HER HAND every step of the WAY and you are enlightened. If this all sounds all a bit overwhelming right now, why don't you start with a mission statement, to be one of us. GOD will do the rest. Of you only one thing is required, do your best every step of the WAY, and share GOD's Secret with others.

What is Your Way?

I was sitting in a car with another investor and I told him that I was assuming coverage of a different region than I had done before. He asked me why, and I responded "My boss told me to do it - so be it." He looked at me and only said, "Well, you are a soldier."

You may like Christian Wiese's writings, and yes, that is who I am. I am describing a Way, but hardly the Way. The Psychologist C.G. Jung once discovered what he called our Archetypes -different personality types, roles that seem to be written into our collective subconscious - and we all seem to be gravitating towards one. Mine has loyalty written all over it. I once came up with the 3 Cs that define Christian's Way: Care, Creativity and Community. I care about the community I am operating in and would give everything to see things through that I care about. I am the love that the Christ talks about, just as I am the soldier that Lord Krishna appealed to on the battlefield in the Bhagavad Gita. Love and loyalty are my sources of creativity and strive, but as I said before, it is my Way and hardly the Way.

Find your source of originality but don't make a religion out of it. The word religion is based on the Latin root "to bind"; always act from your nature but don't tie yourself to anything but the Way. You are everything! There is a time when the soldier has to rebel and there is a time when the player has to make a stance. There is no wrong or right, there is only the Way. As the reader of my writings knows, I am also a Tao traveler. As Lao-Tzu discovered many thousand years ago, the Way comprises everything: the solder, the mother, the trickster, the wise woman and so much more. Do your job in whatever shape or form, then go your jolly Way.

Everyone on a spiritual journey has to make a first step towards Her. So what's your Way?

Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ has come again (Revised)

When I was in graduate school many years ago I had a strange dream. Jesus Christ was actually living among us, but he turned into a drug addict - thousands of years of reincarnation took a heavy toll on him and his spirit finally gave in. I then saw myself marrying my wife and we both ascended to Heaven together. You can imagine my surprise when I woke up! Intuitively I understood what this dream was all about. It could only mean that I had to venture out in the "real" world and put my spiritual mission on hold. As it turned out for me personally, real world and spirituality don't have to be in conflict.  Today I have both feet in the real world while I am still able to share my spiritual journey with you!

A few years ago I came across A Course in Miracles. In it, the voice of Jesus is channeled through a psychologist, Helen Schucman, who provides a breath-taking reinterpretation of Jesus' teachings in today's psychological language. When I googled her life story, I realized that Helen Schucman might have been quite conflicted about these insights as she spent years in depression afterwards  - in apparent contradiction to everything this book is about. Yet A Course in Miracle and Jesus's teachings are very real and very relevant. At least speaking for myself, A Course in Miracles has transformed my life.

The spirit of Christ is with us always. You can discover it in A Course in Miracles or you can meet Him in every loving interaction that comes your way today. The spirit of Christ is wherever loving people are. Jesus the man did his work to discover the universal power of love for us; now we have to do our part. Re-live it, re-discover it but find your own unique way of expressing it. We already had the Christ and the Buddha and are consequently blessed to do our work on the shoulder of spiritual giants. So what's in store for us? For me personally, I discovered the Way - the Tao - in my daily work as a financial analyst. What spiritual insight will you pass on?

Peace

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
(A Course in Miracles)

The other day I asked in the Spiritual Networks community the question whether there is a dark force at work that wants to keep us from God, or whether our perceived God-separation is just based on our own illusions. The majority of the spiritual travelers thought that there was a dark force at play, but the thoughtful commentary made me realize that the answer to this question doesn't really matter that much.

You probably remember Jesus's story of how he resisted three temptations in the desert. He experienced a dark force and just ignored it. Buddha experienced the battle between good and evil as well and just kept meditating until the theater dissolved into nothingness. The philosophy of the Tao traveler is to interact with life. Our premise is that peace and love is always ours to choose no matter what. We don't engage in the battle of good and evil either.

Whether the ego is deliberately leading us astray or not, each time when we feel separated from God, a battle between "good" and "bad" will be brewing; whenever we perceive that we are "here", but want to be "there", a voice will pop up reminding us that we are fooling ourselves. Say, we discover that we are greedy, competitive or horny, but look for God's peace and love instead. The moment you feel disconnected from the Way, a dialogue will be raging inside.

Just step out of it! You can can avoid the yin and yang of spirituality every step of the Way. If greedy thoughts pop up, let's ask whether there are some authentic desires that we don't grant ourselves. If they are, work on those instead. When competition enters our mind, let's contemplate the cooperative solution. And if lust overcomes us, we can always ask whether love is nearby. Step out of the battle between good and evil. Peace is always yours to choose; that's the promise of your Creator.

There Must be Another Way

The Course in Miracles was born when the head of a psychology department got fed up with the quarreling of  his colleagues and one fine decided, "There must be another way!" A working group to find a resolution was formed and Helen Schucman volunteered to participate. Around that time she heard voices in her head. A couple of years later 700 plus pages of deep spiritual insights formed the book.

It is a little hard to stomach the idea that Jesus Christ channelled his updated message to the world with the help of a modern day psychologist, but it is not hard to see that Helen Schucman's mission is yours as well. You must have seen for yourself that well-meaning people get lost in their aspirations and career strive, or that seemingly healthy friends suddenly have to face life- threatening diseases; that some of our parents disintegrate in front of our eyes, or that even some of our children have to face the harsh realities of life well before they are supposed to. Why should we accept any of this stuff. There must be another way!

The Course in Miracles has become a religion for some, but you can test its main premise like any scientist would. In sum it claims, "There is no miracle you cannot have when you desire healing." Well, try and see whether it works in your vicinity of influence. When you see dysfunction, and when you are sufficiently fed up with the situation that you are willing to let go of your agenda, try to see what happens when you approach your environment with the goal of healing instead.

The surprise you will be in is the realization that our minds and fates are entangled in way beyond your comprehension. As you seek compromise, so will your friends, colleagues and so-called foes. As you drop your guard, so will they. Try this conjecture, what exactly do you have to lose? The good thing about dysfunction is that there is little downside in trying something new, but lots of upside if you succeed.

There must be another way! The truth of the matter is that there always is, but the change has to start with you. Make healing your hypothesis for a while and let us know what happens. A new prospective is well worth the try!

Finding MySelf Every Step of the Way

I do not know the thing I am, and therefore do not know what I am doing, where I am, or how to look upon the world or myself.
(A Course in Miracles)

That is a tough statement to accept. After all, aren't we all so enlightened, we the folks who dabble in spirituality? Yet, I have learned the hard way that people, problems and life's acts enlighten me and the outcome is often different from what I would have expected going into the situation. Jesus said in John (5:30): "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." Yes, that is the Way.

Walking the Way is a blessing for it nudges me to be mySelf despite myself. Once you recognize the beauty of this fact you have pretty much made it. The Tao connects you with your potential every step of the Way. All you have to do is to show up in every situation and face everyone who crosses your path whether you like it or not. He who sent you will do the rest through you.

On Loving Your Neighbor

A friend once told me about her priest who said that while the Christ says you should love your neighbor like yourself, in his experience there are some neighbors that you should love from a distance. Of course I understood his point, but somehow it didn't feel right when I heard it. Today I understand why. Walking the Tao is quite a different experience. Along the Tao you face anyone and everything that comes into your life. Walking the Tao is not about what should be, it is about reacting to the situation that presents itself.

Perhaps different from the Christian way you would never run after anyone either.You wouldn't try to convert anyone to experience the world you do. How could you? The Tao can be perceived but hardly be described. Walking the Tao is not about what you think or want to do, it is about reacting to the environment that presents itself. Everyone who is approaching you is meaningful. This is not a dogma but a trusted event that keeps on repeating itself.

Along the Way you learn that your perceived "foe" is as helpful in steering you in the right direction as your best friend. So why then would you call him your foe? And when you realize that the struggling guy next door is driven by exactly the same stuff that is bubbling under your hood, why would it be hard for you to show him your compassion? Along the Tao there is no good or bad, just stuff that makes perfect sense to you when you experience it.

Love is a present of God; it is the natural state we experience when all the interferences are cleared away. The Tao does that for you. There is no philosophy, no religion, no embellishment needed. You can love your neighbor just as you love your children and yourself. Only one requirement is needed, you have to show up for life and you have to be willing to face the picture you see in the mirror. Learn to fall in love with life and you will recognize the Christ walking next to you soon enough.

The Secret of the Tao

I remember the time when I first read "The Secret", the book that claims that the universe is your oyster as long as you believe that it is. I had some reservations about the message. While I knew that the Law of Attraction is correct, I also felt our spiritual mission should first of all be about finding God. The words of the New Testament were ringing in my ears:  "But seek first His Kingdom and righteousness and all that will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

Today I would say that The Law of Attraction is just another esoteric way of living. If you feel that the Law of Attraction is your starting point, experiment with it as much as you like, and the more power to you if you are able to mentally bend the laws of the universe with your positive thinking. Actually, I am amazed how many scientific authors beat up on "The Secret" and their authors and dismiss the whole thing as nothing but nonsense. "The Secret" is true. The world you see is nothing but a function of your belief set.  The New Testament also says, "Verily, verily I say onto you, if you have faith as little as this mustard seed, you can say to this mountain remove yourself and it will. Nothing will be impossible if you have faith." (Matthew 17:20)

No matter what your starting point, I venture to say that eventually you will stumble on the Tao - the holy and magnificent interaction of the "I" and the world. You can only find meaning when you manage to merge with something that transcends the "I", and there is magic in this encounter. The Tao is the lesson plan brings you home to the Source. Along the Tao you are very much encouraged to practice your positive thinking. You see the signs that tell you to part the waters like Moses did, just as you sometimes see the signs that tell you to walk away. In short, you become Her instrument. Walking the Tao is the realization that life is so creative and just perfect as is if you don't let the "I" get in the way. But in all that, the "I" will always be perfectly happy as it melts away.

 So don't give up your big aspirations even if not all of your manifestation experiments work out. "The Secret" is true. Be open to the Tao and learn to be a true magician, the one who is here to manifest love wherever she walks. The beauty is, once love becomes the focus of your life you might as well put your magic wand safely away. Along the Tao there is love no matter where you look. No positive thinking is required; just observing the beauty of what is.

A Christian Power of Now

It is extremely difficult to reach Atonement by fighting against sin. Enormous effort is expended in the attempt to make holy what is hated and despised. Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment from the body necessary. All such attempts will ultimately succeed because of their purpose.

Your way will be different, not in purpose but in means. A holy relationship is a means of saving time. One instant spent together with your brother restores the universe for both of you. You are prepared. Now you need but to remember you need to do nothing. It would be far more profitable now merely to concentrate on this than to consider what you should do. When peace comes at last to those who wrestle with temptation and fight against giving in to sin; when the light comes at last into the mind given to contemplation; or when the goal is finally achieved by anyone it always comes with just one happy realization; "I need do nothing."
(A Course in Miracles)

The Christian Power of Now is different from the simple mandate to love your neighbor as yourself. It is the realization that by getting lost in the moment you are indeed free, and that this miracle can be achieved with the help of your brother. If you see an "enemy", the holy Now gives you the power to discover your own projection in him. At all other times you simply frolic with your friends in the divine Now. The Christian Power of Now is Eckhart Tolle's Power of Now with a human touch.

The Evolution of Consciousness

Learning of Christ is easy, for to perceive with Him involves no strain at all. His perceptions are your natural awareness, and it is only the distortions you introduce that tire you.
(A Course in Miracles)

What is the conscious "I"? Psychologically, it is a filter.  A filter that has been used to strengthen your identity.  The “I” expresses his opinion to show his preference about everything. Your desires, and with it the fears, in fact define the "I". Awareness is a different thing.  Awareness perceives the external environment and watches everything as it is without any judgment.  They say that we have the ability to consciously process about 40 000 external stimuli per second while our "system" in fact processes millions. So there is certainly a lot more happening under the hood than we are aware of, but the " I " gives us the impression that we are in charge of the most important decisions.

If you talk to a woman with dilated eye pupils, you - if you are a man - will find her automatically more attractive. The reason for that is that women who attracted to someone get dilated eye pupils, and the male subconscious brain picks that up. If you are a female reader and you feel smug about the robot nature of the male sexuality, I would like to remind you of the fact that around the time when you are ovulating you have a sudden preference for high-testosterone men. So who exactly is in charge here? Are we entirely driven by subliminal signals and is our conscious brain later just coming up with a reason for why we did what we did in the first place?

In the olden days we always lived in the divine Now. Whatever had to get done, got done. It was as if there was a voice inside of us that always told us what to do. Deep down inside we were peaceful and we were connected to our environment. From that perspective, which wasn't really a perspective at all given that we weren't aware of the alternative that our thoughts would come up with. At that time, we actually were all one, embedded in the Source.

Then we ate from the Tree of Knowledge and a world of duality opened up.  “ I “ and the mind is introduced.  " I " is separated from the whole.  It is as if a filter got introduced, a way of perceiving the world differently and reflecting on this perception. Your filter is telling you that you are different from the person who sits opposite to you at Starbucks. Your thoughts are telling you that this new colleague who had just joint the company seems nice, but he had a strange facial reaction the other day when you explained the project the team is working on right now. There is something about him that you need to be checking out.

So you see there is in fact a psychological filter in addition to that biological filter. It is a voice that feels it has a choice in every perception, every thought and every action. Who knows, perhaps in the olden days the divine voice would have said, "oh, my friend just had a strange thought while I was talking, but it absolutely has nothing to do with our project, so let me given him a couple of seconds to return to what I am saying." So in fact, you have a completely different experience of interconnectivity when the noisy voice in your head shuts up.

What the Tao is telling you is that you can get back to this divine state of connectedness. We are one. Let the Tao show you that this is not just a good sounding spiritual notion but in fact so. Sure, the subconscious still drives you. Who you are married to or who you are hanging out with, for example, had been decided eons ago and with the help of a little hormones, brain chemicals, scents and smiles and perhaps a sparkling sun on your first date, your "system" encouraged you to go along. You will never be able to change that fact that you are just taken for a ride. But what you can now do is to make your journey a connected one. You can set aside the psychological filter that disconnects you from the Now. As the Course in Miracle states in the quote above, all you really do is to return to the natural state of seeing things. Join our journey, where She treats, love abounds.

By Christian and Su Zhen

Putting Down the Ego's Dark Glasses

Our evolutionary biologist tells us that happiness is just a chemical released in our brain to induce us to behave in a way that benefits the replication of our genes. This perspective implies that we are driven like robots who are programmed to acquire as much as we can, to get all the status that we can get, to mate the most attractive and strongest partners and above all, spread our genes. Unfortunately there is little we can do about this programming, millions of years of gene competition sit pretty deep in our bones. What we can do though is to be mindful of where we came from and we can discover our Soul in the process. That is what our spiritual path is all about.

Take status as just one example. Have you ever observed how you talk to your boss and how you talk to a waitress in a cheap restaurant instead? What do you experience when you are all dressed up and sense admiring looks on you? Or how do you feel when you go out with an attractive partner? The point is that we perceive our social environment like a giant pyramid with some people above us and many others below. We do what we can to advance higher and higher on it. Sometimes it is conscious but often our actions and desires are subconscious. Yet we claim that with practice you very much can bring these tendencies out on the surface. More than that, we tell you that this pyramid is nothing but hot air. In the real world we are all on one playing field and together we are so much more powerful that you can imagine right now.

So how exactly do we get to this world? We say " I must not be competitive" and spend additional time with the waitress just to look caring; we try dressing down or deliberately don't go out with the prom queen or high school quarterback and try not to hang out with the in- crowd. Well, how special is that! Not only could we hang out with the in-crowd, but we deliberately decide against it to revolt against the regime. We hope you realize that there is just nothing you can do to step outside of this trap. All you can do is to observe. We can even write spiritual books with the intention to change the world for the better only to realize that deep down inside we want to be special like everyone else. So do what you feel like doing. Be as passionate as you like but be mindful. Let life - the Tao - show you who you really are while you run after your passions.

The ego is the psychological force that wants to exploit our biological wiring and wants to prove that we are different from everybody else. It claims that if we sit at the top of the pyramid and look down on everyone else we will be happy. Well, this is a fallacy. It is the acquiring, the getting somewhere that releases these happiness chemicals. Like Jesus said many thousand years ago, "What use is it if you gain the whole world and lose your Soul in the processs?" When you are finally at the top of your pyramid you will be sad and lonely indeed!

In the ego's world we can only gain when others lose. We can only be beautiful when others are less attractive. The ego doesn’t want to stand on the same ground with others. The ego always wants to be better. The ego craves competition. Looking through the ego's dark glasses, the entire world is nothing but a battleground for me and more me. Observe for yourself that we subconsciously use other people as a stepping stone to get a better image of ourselves.

But please don’t blame yourself or others when you discover this hidden agenda. Just observe! As we always say, leading a mindful life liberates us from the dark psychological force inside. You don’t really need to do anything about it. When you see so clearly that what you are doing is killing yourself and others, you will naturally drop your weapons. More than that. If you really look, your life is nothing but an invite to put down the ego's dark glasses and look again. The Tao will teach you that being is in fact having and that giving is getting. She will also show you patiently that the unimpressive waitress who just served you is an angel in disguise. You do not need to do anything. Live your life and discover that the pyramid you saw before isn't real at all. It only existed in your mind. Follow the cues of the Tao and observe how the fata morgana collapses. Suddenly all that you ever can perceive is an equal playing field of the Children of God. Go out and play, it is really a lot of fun!

By Christian and Su Zhen

Love Yourself

Most Religions practice Atonement - a time and scheduled process when you can let go of your perceived  sinful acts; a time when your higher authority forgives you for all your misdeeds. Wouldn't it be nice if you could let go of your guilt every day, or perhaps even better, not accumulating anything to start with? This doesn't mean that we expect you to be an angel, but rather that you accept all personalities about yourself.

Love has to start with loving yourself, even the darkest part. It is so easy to love our good part, just like it is easy to love a good person, but it is so difficult to love all the aspects of yourself that appear to be a little darker. It may be lust, it may be greed, it may be the hunger for social and professional recognition. Often these guilt programs run subconsciously since you are not always willing to face them. The psychological fact is though, whether you acknowledge these drives in you or not, you will punish yourself over your perceived misdeeds. Can you imagine that you are in fact cruel to yourself? Where do you think your illnesses come from - it is you beating yourself up over something. We are mad at ourselves and want to punish ourselves for our mistakes. Isn't this violent and aggressive?

When you are greedy, psychological programs are running that have been in the making for eons. Have you ever noticed how a soccer dad is spurning on his boy during the game and afterwards, when the team has won, tabs him on the back and says that the game is just about having fun. How can you criticize yourself for having competitiveness inside you, how can you blame your father or coach? How can beat yourself up for hormones running through your body, or society telling you subconsciously as well as openly that you should conquer women? Accept everything that is going on inside. Love all aspects of your being.

Every day we experience lots of different kinds of energy which we identify with and think that it is us. No, these energies are not you, they are just flowing through you. A personality wheel is spinning with different aspects shining through dependent on the energy centers that are activated inside of you and the triggers that are activated by your environment. Whenever, you identify with all the characters you create a false self for yourself. You probably realize yourself how these false selves are often in conflict with each other. The saint in you has an opinion about the devil in you. The truth is neither the saint nor the devil are you. The devil is your ego, as is the voice of the saint. This is how you fragment yourself. We are not saying that you should go and live out all your urges and desires, but we are saying that it is possible to integrate all aspects of your personality in a wholesome way. Acknowledge first all the drives in you and then do something creative with them.

Being in peace with yourself is the first step to building a peaceful society. Peace, love, and kindness should start with yourself. Stop attacking yourself and accept every part of you; to experience them as they are without judgment is your key to your peace and to becoming whole. Love every part of you, then you will be able to love every person who comes your way. Jesus says you should love your enemy - you should certainly be kind with yourself as well, right? May peace be with you!

By Christian and Su Zhen

Take a Walk to the Dark Side

I was drawing with the boys the other day out of a book that had step by step drawing instructions for ghosts, witches and similar Halloween folks, and the character they chose just happened to be Mr. Hyde. The boys were asking why he looked so sad and angry and given that I had little appetite to start a discussion about shadow personalities with kindergardeners, I said that Mr. Hyde felt sad and angry because his friend, Dr. Jekyll, didn't want to associate with him. They asked me how the story ended and I had to admit to them that Mr. Hyde got more and more destructive to get Dr. Jekyll's attention, but he never succeeded until the day when they both got locked up. They were sad to hear that, but then felt better when I told them that it was just fiction anyway.

I would guess that we all have a shadows personality, the demon on the other side of the shoulder, sitting just next to the angel.The spiritual path traveler has the added problem that he probably condemns his shadow; he doesn't want to associate with him and feels guilty about his dark drives. Yet, listening to the advice that I gave the boys, perhaps Mr. Hyde just wants to be acknowledged and wants to be understood.

A light worker has to have a shadow, so please understand that what you are going through is normal. Ask and the Tao will always tell you why your demon exists and why he acts the way he does. But you have to be willing to look towards the shadow, otherwise Mr. Hyde will never go away and probably scream louder and louder in the process. Hang out with Mr. Hyde and experiment with the dark forces until you understand them. When you understand the psychological forces as play, you perhaps can even incorporate some of your shadow demands into your persona without undermining your spiritual journey.

Eventually you will find a way to keep your shadow at arms-length, because the problem statement will never change, Mr. Hyde wants to march in the opposite direction of the light worker. Of course you will find this arrangement that works for you; this is your problem, you gave it to yourself to gain wholeness. Spiritual path travelers have powerful allies who help you finding and defining yourself. So relax my friend, wholeness is waiting for you. Take a walk to the dark side and find the way that keeps your shadow at arms-length permanently.

They say that the Christ and the Buddha at one time on their spiritual journey just said no to their ego. Three times in total the temptation came and went and then it was gone forever. This feat is hard to replicate and we ordinary mortals feel guilty that we don't have the willpower like the Ones we aspire to be. I have a slightly different experience. After a long struggle, a dark symbol appears, it flashes by you like a vanishing dream and at that point you just understand what the demon is up to. Willpower is required to get you to that stage, the never-ending back and forth, the dance of shadow and light, but the last step is as much an insight as a decision to abstain. Just like that the insight strikes and the ostensibly never-ending struggle is over!

Experimenting with Your Shadow

In the early years of the Internet when MSN and AOL had half of America on-line, I enjoyed exchanging sexual fantasies with folks who just like me never really did anything about it, but just wanted to have a little virtual trip to the dark side. Given my liberal European upbringing I never thought there was anything wrong with my behavior, but when the Tao got a hold of me, it became clear to me that discussing sex with strangers is not really consistent with my spiritual path, so I wanted to stop but to my surprise I found it hard to break free.

I had only a few 'Conversations with God' moments along my path given that I never really trusted who exactly was talking in these conversations, but at one point I became just so I frustrated that I just asked out aloud, 'So tell me True Self, what is the problem here?' A voice responded, 'You are cycling my friend!' Wow, I was dumbfounded. That was exactly what was going on. I must have spent a couple of years in a holding pattern, alternating between who I aspired to be and the regular missteps along the way when my demon got the better of me.

This gave me the idea why not to experiment with this dark cycle altogether? You have probably heard of the 21 Day Experiment. You do something consciously for 21 days, like breaking a pernicious habit, and trust that afterwards your subconscious has taken the change on board. Try it with whatever it is that you think is holding you back from your spiritual path. You will find that the first three days are really hard. It turns out that with a changed behavior you are literally re-wiring neural pathways in your brain but after a few days the going gets easier. It is hard to believe on day one or two when the withdrawal symptoms are rampant, but a completely different person will look at the world on days 12 or 13. When you have been through a few of those cycles you actually know that this is a fact and this knowledge gives you the motivation to keep the course.

The advantage of the 21 day rule is that you are not promising that you will break free forever. Actually, you can hear the demon laughing inside when you make a statement like that - you just promise to stay away from it for 21 days! That is a very different perspective and you can certainly accomplish this plan with some willpower. The advantage of the exercise is that you are no longer fighting your dark side, you are experimenting with it and you will soon realize that in this process you gain incredible insights about the other you - the one that you do not really want to associate with.

See how your mind goes on autopilot on the day when you give in to your temptations yet again. Experience the rush when your dark side takes over. You will also realize that you are walking up and down a mental staircase in your experiments- the longer you walk down, the longer the climb up will have to be afterwards. Perhaps the term addiction is too strong to describe the struggle I went through, but I definitely got a feel for the hook that addicted people hang their hat on and an appreciation for how hard it is to unhook yourself from the robot inside.

You will learn in these experiments that the dark side tempts you on days when trouble is coming your way anyway. Initially I thought that the Universe was beating me up over my missteps, but in hindsight, I conjecture that your system just knows when you get ruffled a little and your demon gets active around that time just as your energy contracts in anticipation of the pain that is coming your way. If you repeat these cycles a number of times you will realize that these dark periods always pass very much like a dark rain cloud and before you know it the sun is shining again. You will also realize that the misfortune that hits you is perhaps not so bad per se, but that it is the lack of energy coming from the internal battle inside and the conscious effort to climb out of the hole that makes it so.

I was reminded of the opening statement of the Course in Miracles: 'Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the Peace of God.' Indeed, that is what these negative feedback cycle felt like: real for a couple of days and vanishing like a mirage in the days afterwards. You learn that the Tao is always out there willing to extend a helping hand; it is just that for a day or two a massive rain cloud is passing by, so that you have a tough time seeing Her hand. The longer you walk your path, however, the easier it is for you to see the Tao always in action - even on low energy days.

You will get incredible insights about your shadow when you experiment; in fact they are so intense that your experiment will not even feel like a misstep at all; it will feel like a precious learning experiment instead. Learn what the shadow really want from you. Perhaps there is something that you can adjust in your real life that is entirely consistent with your spiritual path. In my case I learned that by becoming more assertive in my dealing with people, the sexual fantasies lost their appeal. I also learned that body building was a great real substitute for my mental longings. Apparently my demon just wanted me to become a little more manly; why should that be inconsistent with my spiritual path?

You will outgrow your struggle for the very reason that you will get a comparison of the short-lived excitement versus the loss of energy and connection with the Tao afterwards. No thrill ride in the world can compensate you for the pain of being disconnected with the Tao, albeit only a day or two. Everything that was meaningful to me I couldn't do after I had indulged my dark side. I couldn't go to the gym for about a week, didn't have the mental peace to write a blog entry for a few days and more often than not, fell outright sick as my immune system took a beating. Of course I asked myself, is this just my super ego acting up or is this a message from the Tao until the day when I decided that it doesn't really matter. I miss my connection with the Tao way too much so I simply stopped one fine day altogether with these dark experiments when I felt that I didn't really learn anything new about myself any longer. I venture to say that the same will happen to you. Once the Tao has gotten a hold on you cannot help doing what you have to just because you realize that any resistance is futile.

We all admire Jesus and Buddha so much for their resolve to withstand their final temptations. Just don't forget that both also traveled a spiritual path before. Get the stuff that holds you back out of your system, find that creative outlet that appeases your demon and enjoy the day when you finally will break free!

On Faith

Since I am a Numerologist, I took six business cards for a meeting today just because the Number of the Day happens to be 6. When I put them into my suit pocket, I discovered that there already were business cards in it, and when I counted them I realized that exactly 6 were lying inside. The message of the Tao in this case is pretty clear: everything you think you need, you already have. Do not worry about anything!

The Law of Attraction folks tell you the modern version of Jesus' claim 'if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move.' The question of course, how do you get the faith that it does? Maybe it is helpful to turn the story line around. The trick is to find out that this world that looks so real to you simply doesn't exist the way you perceive it. This is something you can experience very much for yourself. I have noticed this in my interactions with others. To my surprise, as I changed my thinking about them, their behavior changed with it. Everything that you experience is an outcome of your belief structure.

'Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists. Herein lies God's peace', the Course in Miracles claims. Make this thesis your working hypothesis. Everything you see and experience in this world is a perfect opportunity for you to heal. You want something, while others want something else. Find the Path of the Golden Middle - the Tao - that works for everyone. You don't need faith at all to test this hypothesis, just try it. Your thesis is, everything is perfect as is if only I let all the parts interact the way they are supposed to. You can try that anywhere, at home as well as at work. How difficult is it to have faith in something that happens to you over and over again? Take the first step and let the Tao do the rest. Your faith will strengthen along the Way.

The Final Step

And if you find resistance strong and dedication weak, you are not ready. Don't fight yourself.
A Course in Miracles

Finding your True Self is an endless back and forth. 'Not this, not that!' You can only learn who you truly are by having both feet in life. Over and over you will be presented an opportunity to 'choose again' until something in your head clicks. All spiritual rules such as 'you are not your body', or 'avoid casual sex', can only cause frustration in you. You have to feel in your bones what is your True Self and what is not. Only life can teach you that, nobody else can.

One day something shifts in you; the ancient journey has come to an end. On that day you will feel the need to go all the way to eradicate all interference. Very much as the umbilical cord has to be cut when the baby needs to be separated from her mother, the remaining spot that stands between you and God has to be eradicated.This is the symbolically meaning of the last temptation of Jesus and Buddha. Buddha resisted sexual temptation while Jesus avoided a power trip. A final 'no' to the ego and the Kingdom of God was at hand.

The ego is you, why would you fight it? Yet after many a back and forth the 'I' separates itself from the True Self and you actually have a choice to put it away like a snake disposes of its old skin. You never need to fight or avoid anything; all you have to do is to show up in life and find out for yourself who you really are and the evidence at hand will be self-evident. There is nothing theatrical about the last step - it may just require a little wiggle and the old skin will come off by itself.

The Number Symbols of the Lord

One is a symbol of the Daughter of God. Two is a symbol of love, for two soul siblings are standing side by side in unity. Three is an expression of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Three is holy, but it is still incomplete, because you are missing, the Daughter of God! Four is not only holy, it is whole as well. God is complete when you realize that you are home. Sometimes you see the number sequence 1:1:1:1 - the entire universe can be summed up in this holy sequence.

I write often about the Tao - Five is the number of the Tao. You haven't awakened completely, so life wraps yourself around you to bring you home. Five is the sum of three - the Holy Trinity - and 2, which symbolically means 'you experiencing life'. If you practice Bhakti yoga - the discipline of experiencing love everywhere - then it doesn't matter whether you are enlightened or not. You love the union, the self wrapped up in everyone else.You love period and in that holy feeling you have transcended the I.

Wisdom yoga is the path of separation - the discipline of separating the devine I from the illusion. It can be done, though I would caution everybody from running after enlightenment. Fact of the matter is that there is always a level on which the Daughter of God has already shown up, but similarly, no matter how advanced you might be spiritually, there is always a dimension where further spiritual evolution is possible. One step at a time my friend and, as long as it happens in the right direction, your path will as be easy to figure out as 1-2-3.

Six is a symbol of the Christ and it is a derivative of 2, the symbol of love. You can write 6 as 2+2+2, which is my love and your love united in the presences of the Lord's love. As Jesus said, 'Whenever two or more meet in my name, there I will be.' You can equally write 6 as 3+3. In that holy encounter of two soul siblings, the I melts on either side and all that is left is the encounter of the respective Holy Trinity, 3+3.

The New Christian Way

When a brother acts insanely, he is offering you an opportunity to bless him. His need is yours. You need the blessing you can offer him. There is no way for you to have it except by giving it. This is the law of God and it has no exceptions.
A Course in Miracles

Many of us, consciously or subconsciously, mind the part of the New Testament in which Jesus advocates to turn the other cheek. Yet, all His message really is, is to show us that it doesn't really matter. As the the Course in Miracles states, when your brother acts insanely, you can do what he says just to show that it is not important. The New Christian Way is about healing and becoming whole. You heal yourself and make yourself whole by interacting with everyone who comes your way. The solution that works for your brother and your sister is the one that works for you. This is the promise of the Holy Ghost. And if the situation tells you to stand firm instead, then it will be in the best interest of your brother and your sister as well. It is so much fun to figure out a creative solution to each and every problem. Along the New Christian Way there is only joy, laughter and love.

You may ask and what if I am taken for a ride while I look out for the agenda of someone else? You don't. You are a problem solver who finds the solution that works for everyone, yourself included. As the Bible says 'By their fruit ye shall know them, and they will recognize themselves.' Your meaning of success will likely differ from the way society sees it, so if you think you still have to prove something to others, your journey will likely lead you astray. Yet, you will know your meaning of success and even if once in a blue moon you make a mistake, you will recognize that this too propels you along your spiritual path. The New Christian Way brings joy and happiness for everyone, especially you.

Put on an Oxygen Mask Before you Help Others

Selfishness is all right. Go on, be selfish, as selfish as you like. Make up your mind what you want and go get it. When you've got it, enjoy it to the full and share it with your friends. Enjoy yourselves, have fun!
E. Graham Howe

I remember the story of a young girl who once met a famous Indian guru at an airport in the US and she boldly went up to him and asked if he had some advice. He took one look at her, smiled, and then just said 'Enjoy!' She immediately understood the message and pursued her not-so-holy desires before starting in earnest on her spiritual path.

Going out and helping people in the name of Christ is really hard. Can you really extend a helping hand without looking down on your brother? I have seen so many people who tried to help others but they exuded arrogance which they would never really have admitted to themselves. Perhaps it is better to follow the advice of E. Graham Howe and the Indian guru: go out, express yourself, have fun and get what you want and discover as you run into life's constraints that you truly care for your fellow beings. As they say, 'Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future'. Perhaps it is easier to remember that if you truly face who you are.

In a retirement speech a colleague gave this advice 'Put on an oxygen mask before you assist others.' Yes, she is right, you can only give whole-heartedly if you yourself feel that you have abundant resources. Sure, I am all for it if you like to come and give in the name of the Christ. Just make sure that you have reached that stage. Otherwise, there is no harm in going out and having a little more fun until you do. Make first sure that your well is functional before you share it freely with others.

The Christ and the Shadow

There is a way of life called "humanism", which asserts that kindness and service towards our fellow man will solve the many problems of our lives. This is better, but it is only partly true. It is not true enough, because we are not gods and should not undertake so willingly a god's responsibilities.
(E. Graham Howe)

Some of you may be on Christ's mission and I would be the last one to discourage you from it. Yet, be prepared for your shadow to pop up, the voice inside you that screams 'Hey, what about me?' A spiritual path is about understanding your personality, not a lofty ideal but the entire package. You are not God yet, so do not negate your dark side; accept it instead. If this screaming voice in your head becomes too loud, perhaps it is an invite to reposition yourself. The Tao will always allow you to express yourself the way you really are. Everything you experience is a perfect opportunity to let go. You are being digested by life; the dark force will be sucked out of you along the Way and with every sucking sound your true being shines a little stronger.