part0010

E motionally charged written words will be acted upon by the creative universal law that states: "Thoughts are Things." The main purpose of journaling should be to align with Spirit, or your Higher Self, which is the same thing as God (or Source), in order to write and create from a god-consciousness. God’s perspective is the only true perspective.

Spiritual laws and principles exist in the same manner as the familiar laws of physics. Similar to physical laws, which work for everyone and under all circumstances, the Laws of the Universe (Mind, or Universal Intelligence) work for and through everyone, without exception, and absolutely do affect the power of your journal. As you will see, the contents of your thoughts and beliefs create a measurable and exact outcome according to these laws. Your life and its circumstances are created through the science of the Mind that we live, move, and have our being within (God), as we live in a reciprocal Universe (see Chapter 8, "Reciprocity and Forgiveness").

People who are unfamiliar with the above terms often become confused and frightened at the mention of science and God in the same breath. To avoid any such notions, I want to state the following: Religious Science (also known as the Science of Mind) is the study and use of the knowledge of God, good, or Universal Mind and its laws through our thoughts. It is New Thought. It is NOT related, in any way, to Scientology.

Today, New Thought ideas, concepts, and discussions are common in society. However, many people do not realize that they are following them to some degree. For example, almost all of the programming appearing on the "Super Soul Sunday" broadcast on Oprah’s OWN Network is considered to be New Thought. Some modern New Thought leaders everyone is familiar with include Deepak Chopra, Arianna Huffington, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey, Gary Zukav, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, Don Miguel Ruiz, Tony Robbins, and Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, among others. If you read their books or have enjoyed their televised programs, you were enjoying New Thought.

You may be familiar with the book You Can Heal Your Life , which was written by world-famous author Louise Hay. She became a Religious Science Practitioner in the 1970s. Her book is considered to be a New Thought classic and has sold over 35 million copies. There are iPhone apps dedicated to her teachings, as well as worldwide conferences.

The basic premise of her book is, "The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experience." Ms. Hay was once quoted as saying, "Believe it or not, we do choose our thoughts." She is also a big fan of the power of positive affirmations, which states that a link exists between what we say and what we experience.

Louise Hay also wrote the book Heal Your Body in 1984, which correlates our thoughts and beliefs to disease present in our body. Today, the scientific and medical communities have conclusively established a metaphysical (mind/body) link between our thoughts and beliefs, and our health. Our strongly held beliefs have a tremendous influence on the quality of our subjective experiences. This concept is not new, but many people do not realize how or why it is operating in their lives. Not only does the spoken word have such power, but the written word also has immense power. Specifically, your written word!

Yoga is another example of how society is embracing the mind/body link. In the West, yoga has never been more popular. Guess what? Yoga is an ancient practice of communing with the essence of God that resides within you. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of yoga is not just about the burning of calories, and becoming more flexible and physically balanced. Yoga does provide these results. But the ultimate benefits are mental clarity and the recognition of the personal consciousness of Spirit within you. Many people report that after practicing yoga they feel calmer, become aware of an inner-self, feel happier, experience less anxiety, have better balance and improved concentration, and even sleep better. Practicing yoga is a very individual, internal experience – you actually commune with the Spirit within yourself (God), which is the reason it feels good.

The benefits of yoga have always been available and inside of you, even if you have just recently discovered them. Likewise, journaling like God can activate an untapped internal world and can open your awareness to an inner splendor that exists in all of us. Perhaps intuitively you have an inner, subconscious need to commune with Spirit. You can have a new thought and decide to try something new.

You have likely heard of Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment . It has sold over three million copies in the US and over six million worldwide. The premise of his book is that an individual’s point of power is in the Now, and that Now is all there really is. Such a simple fact, the implications of which were overlooked for so long. Thankfully, Mr. Tolle brought it to the attention of millions of people. The phenomenon of his book is another indication that society is ready for New Thought. The Now concept applies to journaling in this way: if the point of your power is always in the now, when you do write in your journal you should recognize not only the power of your words and thoughts, but the incredible power that exists in the moment!

In The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment Mr. Tolle emphasizes:

"If your mind carries a heavy burden of the past, you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future."

Let’s consider these statements and see how they relate to journaling like God. It is particularly important to realize the power of your consciousness in the moment you write. Recognize that the moment you put pen to paper is the Now – and that very instant contains the power of the Universe.

Writing about the past while in a vibration of angst, despair, or discontent will project the same into your future. You are writing about the past in the Now – which means that through your own consciousness all of the energy around any situation can be transmuted now. It also means that you are creating as you journal.

You may be tempted to write in a mentally frazzled way. Your ego may tell you that you have been harmed and others are at fault. However, as you will see, that is not the ultimate truth of the situation. I am not suggesting that you stifle or ignore whatever you truly feel or whatever appeared to have happened. But I am suggesting that after doing so, make certain that you consciously reflect back and ask yourself, "What would God write? How would God have seen this situation ?"

Many people still hold onto archaic or fundamentally damaging and negative religious belief systems, and may feel that New Thought leaders are "wolves in sheep’s clothing," or are even the Antichrist referenced in the Bible. This notion is absolutely false and ridiculous. The truth about Spirit was misguided and eventually lost altogether when man-made religions taught that God was a man in the sky who either loved you or hated you. The true reason that the messages of New Thought authors and thinkers have become popular is that humankind intuitively knows that the thoughts/concepts they present are true.

The status of the God-man relationship became a conditional one based upon a lowly man’s (or woman’s) actions and their professed beliefs. This twisted view further states that God is a superman who, upon your death, would either allow you to enter through the gates of heaven or toss you into the eternal flames of hell. Is that a loving God? Somehow, this absurd understanding overtook the world and still stands true for so many. The list of absurdities along this line of thinking are too numerous to mention in this book. Truth was covered up, but thankfully it was not possible to destroy it. Despite the many false, damaging, and contradictory ideas perpetrated by many Western religions, they do contain some ideas and conclusions that are actually true and useful – a "golden thread of truth." New Thought is actually very old. In reality, a lot of its teachings and ideas are not "new" at all but are based upon ancient tenets that have been evident for thousands of years.

The "golden thread" can be understood by reviewing and examining the statements and teachings of Jesus, Buddha, Aristotle, Solomon, and Confucius (as well as others) and identifying simple truths that are present and common to all of them. I encourage you to look within your very own heart and consciousness for Truth – because that is where it can be found. Answers are always within, never without.

Ernest Holmes realized these similarities existed and wrote about their significance in his book How to Use the Science of Mind :

"We should waste no time in futile arguments as to what religion or spiritual outlook is right or wrong, but gladly accept the evidence of anyone’s prayer and faith as a demonstration of that person’s belief. Too much time is lost in arguing whether or not one’s philosophy is the only correct one, her religion the only true one, his method of procedure the only effective one. Let us leave these arguments to the contentions of smaller minds and try to find the thread of Truth running through all systems. Let us build on the affirmative and forget the negative."

The "Golden Thread of Truth" can be described as universal truths which, in some way, run through every major religion in the world. These truths include:

New Thought principles include the above concepts in addition to the following:

Focusing on the Golden Thread of Truth and New Thought concepts regarding God/the Universe and applying them to your journal writing will create improved conditions in your life. Truth is eternal. Just as the sun is always shining above the clouds even on the foggiest and darkest of days, the love and truth of Spirit is always shining. I am so thankful this is so.

In order to experience the benefits of New Thought and the Golden Thread for yourself, you must be willing to surrender any beliefs that are damaging your life, or that are contrary to your intuitive common sense. I have found that some beliefs are not beliefs at all: they are just societal "norms" people profess to believe in due to societal or familial pressure.

The reality is that many people now suspect that something else is going on spiritually. Society is smarter than ever. Every day new discoveries about humanity and our Universe are being uncovered. The old paradigm cannot contain or explain current technology and modern facts. Clearly, we exist in an intelligent universe beyond our full comprehension. As a result mankind is "waking up."

It is impossible to fool the Universe. If you internally persist in lying to yourself about what you truly feel and believe, you will undoubtedly invoke fear and uncertainty into your subconscious mind. The fear of not truly committing to the norm, combined with being dishonest with yourself, could out-picture as shyness, disdain, and mistrust appearing in your life in one way or another. In order to avoid those consequences it would be wise to BE HONEST in all ways.

Intuitively, we know right from wrong, good from bad, and Godlike versus ego-like. We know which beliefs are not serving our highest good. We can also identify those societal beliefs that carry well-founded doubts in our minds.

In order to journal like God you must have an open mind, and consider a new way of being and relating to the world. Honesty is mandatory. You are hereby granted permission to entertain new thoughts – particularly where old thoughts are holding you back! It’s okay to admit to yourself that some things you were taught in church, by your parents, teachers, friends, family, or society at large, are simply not true (for you).

Many of us grew up believing or being told that the following statement is true:

This belief (among others) is responsible for a majority of Western society’s personal anguish. Think about it: if you are told from birth and through adulthood that you are basically "no good," and combine that with the law that states "thoughts combined with beliefs and feelings create your reality," what could be the only possible outcome? You would likely go through life feeling like you don’t measure up, you’re not good enough, and you don’t deserve the best. Why? Because you were born damned, and every day presents a struggle to overcome that state. So much suffering has occurred as a result of such a simple yet false Biblical statement: poverty, envy, lack, bad relationships, divorce, struggle, and sickness. Yes, all of that from just one concept. Simply absurd!

To make matters worse, many of us were told that our sinful nature is the essence of our being, that we are constantly perpetuating and committing "sin." For example, regarding the sinful nature of money the Bible tells us, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." Why would anyone believe that something as wonderful and useful as money could be evil? Why would you not deserve to have money in your experience, and to use it to your heart’s desire?

By its very nature, there is nothing inherently wrong with money. And since God/Spirit is present everywhere, it follows that God is present in and around money, which therefore makes it good. (There’s a new thought for you!)

Unfortunately, the list of supposed sins contains many normal and natural aspects of being human that are not sinful in any way. "Committing" sin adds to the layers of guilt, shame, and unworthiness that rule your life. "It’s sinful to _______(fill in the blank)." Here’s a list of supposed common "sins" that many people commit every day:

Can you imagine how much subconscious guilt, shame, and self-hatred is sown when we believe that almost everything we do bears some sort of sin?

Understand that all of the above activities are not, in and of themselves, sinful. It is your right and privilege to enjoy every one of them, if you so choose. Contrary to what you may have been told, a God-like being does not keep a record of your sins. Instead, the laws of the Universe play out in a different way. There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying a glass of wine. The only "sin" that could exist would be contained in the thoughts and energy you have while enjoying it. There is nothing inherently "wrong" with any activity, unless it is done with the energy of deceit, revenge, malice, selfishness, or knowingly hurting yourself or someone else. "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."

That being said, if you falsely believe an action will hurt you simply due to its "sinful nature," it will likely produce internal guilt and shame. Herein lies another problem.

The laws of the Universe tell us that the energy we put out will return to us in an experience. In keeping with that thought, you will either pay the price or reap the benefit. There is no sin in doing something in a loving manner that harms no one, including oneself.

Journaling can be used to facilitate a greater awareness of the God-essence within you. Every day countless thoughts, judgments, and feelings pass through your mind. These are the architects of your life. When you make yourself aware of what you are thinking, believing, and feeling, you can put yourself into a position of power and choice. Take a look at your life and circumstances. Maybe it’s time to have a New Thought.

Getting back to the Adam and Eve debacle (original sin), you also have been granted permission to openly admit to yourself and to others that you do not believe that story. Perhaps something similar to the following statement is true for you, or some variation:

"The notion of inheriting sin from Adam and Eve is nonsensical to me. In fact, I believe all babies are born as original blessings. They are totally pure. I believe all babies are love in form. All babies everywhere have inherited the good and glorious attributes of a mysterious, loving energy that is responsible for their existence. God can never leave them or forsake them. Therefore, they are worthy of every good thing, now and always. That means I am, too!"

These affirmative statements about babies would create an incredibly powerful journal entry, particularly if one were battling the unworthiness syndrome that plagues so many of us.

Consider the two differing viewpoints on the Adam and Eve story. One states that we are their descendants and, therefore, have inherited their sin. The other states that the entire story is nonsense and in fact, we are each beloved emanations of Source or God. Which one seems true to you, and why? If both of them do not resonate as true that is okay. It is up to you to decide for yourself what to believe and how to feel. Remember, you will reap whatever you sow in consciousness.

In contrast to the sinful Adam and Eve story, try to imagine what life would be like if upon your birth and every day thereafter, your parents, teachers, and clergy told you the truth about yourself. Daily, you were informed that you are a beautiful, worthy, and loved emanation of Spirit, that you deserve the best in life! Not only that, but that everyone else does, too! Imagine if you had no resistance or difficulty believing in your innate worthiness. What would be the only possible outcome? You would likely go through life feeling worthy, loved, empowered, deserving, and precious. Every day would be a joyous experience.

Journaling like God can assist you in achieving these profound shifts in the perception of who and what you are, resulting in positive changes in your life.

Through my research and interactions with clients, I have determined that the following beliefs are present in the subconscious minds of most individuals, particularly if they were brought up in a traditional Judeo-Christian religion. These beliefs are harmful, and greatly contribute to an individual’s experience of suffering:

I encourage you to contemplate each of the statements referenced above and ask yourself if any of them are true for you. Remember, honesty is mandatory. Do you believe any of them – or anything even similar to them? If so, you will likely want to remove such beliefs from your subconscious and replace them with true, God-like statements (see the next paragraph). The above statements, if believed in and accepted as true, will certainly produce suffering, lack, and a feeling of unworthiness in your experience.

If you recognize any of the aforementioned harmful beliefs as active in your life, I suggest that you consider the following alternative statements. Clear your mind, take them into your heart, and honestly ask yourself if they are true:

It is impossible to escape the effects of the universal creative laws of God. Life itself acts as a mirror that produces a reflection of whatever is held in consciousness. This concept is of utmost importance because, upon reflection, it will become clear that your life is simply the out-picturing of your beliefs. Everything "good, bad, or indifferent" in your life is a result of your own consciousness. Spirit allows us to experience only those things we can conceive of and deeply believe as being possible. We receive what we believe – always!

If you are continuously suffering, you may be looking at appearances and circumstances and choosing to believe they have some kind of power over you. When we realize the creative power of our thought – our ability to co-create with Spirit – we also realize that things and circumstances are effects and, of themselves, have no power. These are magnificent realizations that will leave you awestruck and rejoicing! Why? Because you can proactively and consciously change what you believe, and therefore change your circumstances.

Have no fear. Do not beat yourself up over perceived mistakes – to do so would be to perpetuate suffering. As Maya Angelou has said, "I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."