Everything has an origin and Formulas for; the Soul is no different. For almost a year, I continued seeing the number 333 popping up all over the place. Having no idea what it meant I could just sense it was something of great significance. A sequence of events took place leading up to my Heavenly Father revealing to me the meaning behind the 333. The two that had the greatest impact on me would have been (1) I was drawn to study the life of the late great Nelson Mandela. I saw in him such a balanced approach of love that it appeared to be super natural. I came to the conclusion that he possessed the same thing that was displayed in the life of the Apostle Paul and that thing was freedom. Even though, he was imprisoned for a long portion of his life, he was indeed a free man. I was left with a question that would begin to pull me in the direction of a solution and that question was: how can we obtain the clarity, focus, mind-set necessary to truly live as free men and women? I began to receive my answer in part, but it was not yet a full pitcher. I learned over time, that sharing things that we only see in part can be very dangerous. Not having the full pitcher, often leaves too much room from us to insert our own opinion based on our limited experiences. This is also why we are urged not to judge a thing before its time. So, while patiently waiting for the full pitcher to come together, I received the sad news of the late great Mandela’s health declining. As the year was rounding up, I was made aware the he had transitioned on to something greater on December 5th, 2013 which also happened to be my 33rd birthday. Three days later, I began to receive another portion of the full pitcher. Even though, this offered me great confirmation that something significant was taking place, I still did not have the full pitcher. So, I just continued to be open knowing that the full pitcher was near. (2) About three months later, I’m at my favorite place to people watch. This place is the Las Vegas Blvd. Strip. Being that I’m willing to gamble in business, but not in casinos and I’m willing to try almost anything once but not drugs or alcohol, it probably wouldn’t appear that I would enjoy the Vegas strip as much as I do. The truth is I never grow tired of seeing people from all different walks of life going there for a week or so of enjoyment. The majority of the faces I see there, shine with excitement. While standing out in front of the Caesar’s Palace enjoying the water show. The majority of the people here seem free. They don’t appear to be worried or fearful. They seem to be exactly where they want to be and doing exactly what they want to do. Then the question arose, is it possible for the majority to obtain this sense of freedom and walk every day, as though, our steps are ordered? In the middle of the fabulous water show, the solution hit me like a ton of bricks. I then realized that I had left my journal in my room, which was on the other end of the strip (something I never do). So, I broke out into a sprint toward my room. After almost being hit by a couple of cars and probable offending a few people, I arrived. The entire picture begins to come together, it was so clear as if I were watching a movie. I saw then clearly that there are formulas in which we can apply to our lives that will free us from the unnecessary bondage and weights of life while drawing us closer to our reason for existing. All of these formulas are 3 parts and there are three formulas to each chapter. Our prayer is that by the end of the 7th chapter, you will be able to not only apply some of these formulas but also develop your own three-part formulas that will not only benefit you but also the world around you. The formulas for the soul lay in the three-part plan of thought, action, and faith…and from this constant circular exchange or flow, one can better him or herself and grow in life. However, it is not simply the matter of growth from within and bettering one’s life. No, the purpose of living is not solely for bettering oneself. Living is meant to be a state of sharing and interacting with others; therefore, the formulas for the soul are based on a balance between the self and the universe, the spirit within us and the spirits within others, our psychology and the sociology, we share and develop via interactions with others. When our inter-working aligns in function with the workings of the natural world, we have a healthy balance, a sense of peace. When we consider the ebb and flow of society and our own sensibilities, many of us find a sense of dissonance and misalignment. We feel that we are somewhat outside of the timing or exchange of needed events or tasks to maintain, an even transaction for peace between individuals and society, the body and nature, the spirit and God. Here is where formulas must be established.
Many may feel that thinking in terms of formulas seems scientific and, in that sense, undermines the sense of spirituality and being close to God. However, is not the Bible—a guide to living in peace and the best means to draw closer to God to live justly? Are not the commandments a list of God’s will for us as to how we interact among each other and thus, seek function and structure that serve to maintain balance in us, resulting in peace? Did not Christ provide teachings that stressed loving God with all our heart and soul and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30-31)? Are not formulas plans set forth to be followed in order to engender events that result in reaching a premeditated goal? Yes! Therefore, within the Bible there is a cavalcade of formulas, and thus, with the Word of God and the grace of God, exploration of numerous derivative formulas of living rooted in the Bible arise. Here lies the significance of the ‘Formulas for the soul’.
Problems, the Formula, the Solution
The problems we face, demand a formula for a solution. The Bible provides a guide with a road map from point A to point B. However, due to God’s blessing of freewill that many of us have unfortunately misused, the road map’s path becomes convoluted and in order for us to learn, at times we have to fall down in order to respect the fact that we can stand up and walk with God. This is no different than learning how to stand and walk as babies. With each fall, we gain a new knowledge beyond the examples and assistance given to us from family, young friends, and teachers. Eventually, we reflect the success of our teachers by being strong and learned students. When we learn from God throughout life via directly experiencing His grace like the piercing ecstasy felt by St. Teresa, or through the actions and words of others, or through trial and error in an attempt to better understand God and simply trust in Him, we then begin to see the course of His formula, His plan for our spirit, our soul.
When people consider who they are, they identify themselves based on how others perceive them and align the composite perspective of society alongside, how they feel about themselves. The thing is one cannot exist without the other in most cases, except when one is a recluse—but nevertheless, the recluse still considers society’s perspective of him or her and stays clear of it. We cannot escape how we feel about ourselves, and we forever are in a constant state of assessing where we are in our lives, whom we are strong for, who is strong for us, and beyond all the physical and mental checks and balances we are left with spirit. The spiritual evaluation is a constant experience that takes many forms and concerns throughout our lives. We try to measure the immeasurable. With no means or scale to measure the infinite power and influence of God, all we can do is live in the moment and measure the constant of God within ourselves. However, God is within us and outside of us. All we can do to formulate a means to assess our progression as living spirits is to note and explore the essence of God in the physical world and the focal point of the spirit and the body, the metaphysical and the physical which lies in the conscious infinity of the mind.
When we appear non-conducive in society, we have to consider the nature and logic of the society in which we live. Does conformity impose on personal freedom or assist in it? Do personal ideologies reflect an interpretation of the grace of God within us or are personal ideologies a matter of freewill gone awry? Do we fight with God within us or fight against God’s plan for us? Within the formulas for the soul, one must note perception is shaped by what we have had, currently have, or will have; this includes physical possessions, experiences, relationships, thoughts, dreams, aspirations, tragedies, and victories. Perception can be misleading, thus, the formula that we generate must be generated in which we align our needs with the greater needs of society that are agreeable to the nature of growth, awareness, and the love of God.
The formulas for the soul is not rooted in approval from others, but rather, establishing confluence with others in accordance with God as He can be interpreted and understood in nature. We must be able to sense God and make best of His tutelage and blessings (positive sanctions), and when we fall, we must learn from His discipline (negative sanctions). The formulas for the soul seek balance not narcissism; the formulas seek to reveal not a sense of living with no sense of self, but rather, a sense of God manifested within oneself. The formula is like any other equation. The result is to have balance within one’s life—no extremes.
How we see ourselves is reciprocated by how we are addressed by society, not solely based on our rank or function, but how we are received and appreciated or not. However, at the base of life, we have to consider being objective to over-ride being too focused on how we feel, negating that we are no more the center of the world or the universe than the next man or woman. True, some may feel world leaders and those who lead wars and the like decide who lives or dies and to an extent it is unfortunate that the body can be destroyed, but not our freedom, our sense of life, the power within is in God and with God. It is within God’s formula for our soul, from the original conception of humankind that we knew God, knew Him as love, and knew Him as freedom. So, in that sense, beyond the reciprocity of our psychological state and the state in which we live among others, there is always the constant of love, freedom, wisdom, and peace of God dwelling within us. The formulas for the soul are the means of accessing and dwelling in this state of peace and generating the means to live. We live best where the beauty of God within us can be enjoyed consciously and manifested in the physical world, no matter the trials of life we experience.
The formulas for the soul go beyond history, time, and conflict; they entertain and explicate the sense of aspirations we all have and need to be at peace and to grow. We have to be open to God and at the same time prepared to expel the ideologies, we know may sound good but restricts us. These may sound like ideologies that celebrate life, but may only celebrate self—and to celebrate self can be a form of pride. Pride is the main means that we undermine our own liberation through God, we undo our formula for our soul. It is a matter of tapping into the collective psyche, the collective soul of humankind, and adding beauty to it as it adds beauty to us. It is a matter of transcendence in which the spirit of glory within us is manifested in how we assist and live among and for each other.
We are all but children, and when we do not feel fulfilled in life, we either feel wronged, neglected, or abused. Few of us learn how to share in order to overcome the woes of once being unfulfilled in life. Such emotions drive us as youth and adults to generate formulas of selfishness, deception, and apathy. These formulas reflect pain—not so much physical but the pain that injures the soul, injures the spirit, and creates impasses or rather between ourselves and God. In other words, the more we focus on pain, our own gain, and turn from sharing with others, the more we begin to lose our humanity, lose connection with our own soul, and only dwell in the physical world…which is not the fullness of living.
The formulas of the soul seek to integrate different parts of life not rigidly defined by science, theology, or general philosophy. The formulas for the soul, we devise for ourselves are rooted in epistemology, the study of wisdom combined with our experiences, and addressing how well we connect to others with God passing between us and through us… We seek growth in wisdom, awareness, communication, comprehension, and the glory that follows—peace. The more people separate things in their minds and hearts and begin to focus solely on certain ideologies and look down on others, negativity ensues. This is what has arisen from religious conflicts, racial conflicts, international conflicts, conflicts between men and women, and conflicts between parents and children as far as generational woes. It is not so much that we must have a hive mentality like bees. No, God within us is as diverse as the innumerable manifestations of God in the universe. Just as society grows in integration, so must the individual integrate his or her spirit, body, and soul. The constant sense of division among humankind as a world society or the individual as a composite of physical, mental, and spiritual entities is an illusion or rather a seemingly basic way of looking at God’s formula for us. These divisions do exist, but they affect each other. And in the end, the soul is the foundation of all things, the sources of life, just as strength of a society is based in the balance between individuals’ rights and concerns, and how the individual adheres to the laws of society. In both scenarios of individual and society, and the trifecta (three parts) within each individual, the essence of balance supersedes the needs or focuses of any specific variable or factor in the ‘equation of success’ or ‘equation of peace’. The formulas for the soul integrate versus separate. True, people of God are not of the world, but they are in the world; thus, in that sense, they are separated by choice of living in pursuit of a deeper understanding of themselves rooted in God. However, all people were born and brought upon earth via God’s original design; thus, we are all kin. And as kin, we all share the same birthright and inheritance of God’s glory which is the foundation of the ‘Formulas for the soul’.
Significance of the Formulas
At times, our behavior, our sense of belonging and sharing, or the opposite thereof is a reflection of where we are in the strata or levels of society in which we have agreed to remain as adults. The problem, we see is that the formulas for the soul do not work when one fails to focus on the non-material, and instead, feels he or she will find peace for his or her soul in opulence and affluence… Such things have little influence on how we truly feel about ourselves and others. True, within society for the most part among the secular and even many among the spiritual community, there is a great display of material wealth, which is then in turn passed on to the less fortunate, and in that sense that is a formula. But for what? The unfortunate—may be so only in physical ways, as far as belongings, conveniences, and health; however, the supposed down-trodden often are fortified with the glory of and closer to God. Therefore, from this perspective, an observer would have to scale wealth not solely in the physical but in the sense of spiritual ties to God, and grasp the issue that the richest between the wealthy philanthropist and the less fortunate is mostly surface. The wealthy man or woman if poor in spirit, and his or her wealth is hollow, holding no true value only a means to enable function but not to clarify, inspire, or fortify purpose (Matthew 19:24). Here is where the less fortunate can have true affluence in spirit and reflect the significance of the formulas for the soul by living them and honoring the wealth of the soul, God bestows upon them.
Many in life are not challenged enough to strive for a better life and live with God; many struggle so much that they begin to settle for less and begin to turn from God. Both are tragedies in the very formula of life. They are not failures, but the reality and further reason, further significance for the formulas for the soul to be shared in word, in conversation, and in the very essence of how best to safeguard those who have never been challenged so greatly. For those who have never been challenged so greatly will fall so low, if they do not seek refuge and relief in God in order to rise to the highest. It is here where those who have great wealth should share with those who have great survival skills. It is true that one can be like King Solomon (1 Kings 3:3), great in wealth and great in love of God, or to be poor in spirit and have no sense of God; thus, living in darkness. But often, those who fail to value the glory of God are those who have involuntarily or voluntarily attempted to replace His glory and begin to exalt something created, which leads to the lesson of downfall, falling from grace. However, often those who are suffering, know this world is short lived only a pit-stop, not the end all of things and they will gain what wisdom and happiness they can in this world only to return from the glory from which all men and women arise from as living spirits in God.
Conflict, in many cases, feeds strife; strife fortifies the soul in some and weakens the stability of others. What this means is in hard times, many of us reach out to God and draw closer to each other, solidarity and oneness is our comfort, our strength. In other situations, many of us take an ‘every person for him or herself’ attitude; societies collapse or succumb to hollow senses of security ruled by the pride of the powers that be and the fear to connect with others. This may simply be a matter of trust and vulnerability being children of the same ‘parent’—love. Love draws people together in hard times and remains in better times, when it is actually sincere.
The formulas for the soul reveals a significance in being comfortable being vulnerable and trusting others who trust us; therefore, we share love and are bound to God. This is the same, means to: survive any tragedy or any evil by the power of the soul. We have to remember even death is not the end, so when we lose someone, we do not lose their love or lose our connection with them in God. Here, the significance of the formulas of the soul become more ethereal versus thoughts focused on the eternal in some distant realm of the imagination. Conflict in its many extremes shows that we are willing to self-sacrifice for love, in strength, in bonds we have with others and rooted in the love of God—the formulas for the soul in action. However, often times, conflict is not the catalyst to fortify the soul or to weaken the connection we have with God, but rather, it is the distance and dissonance that arises between members of families, communities, cities, regions, and nations based solely on often surface or frivolous differences.
Differences draw out strengths and thus, differences among people are good as far as their abilities being diverse, addressing problems, and solutions from numerous sides. Yet, such diverse people are united in their actions and thoughts, when it comes to establishing and maintaining peace. We must be diverse but not be divergent in matters of peace and living for God. Differences between people make differences within them (as far as talents, insights, perspectives, and interests) a problem. Yet in the beginning, God placed all manner and form of life in the water, upon the earth, and in the air, so among man, the diversity we have experienced in times of peace, war, slavery, and liberation is a variable God placed in the equation of life and formulas for the soul in which we must unlock to learn how to better live and thrive. Differences make things stronger when united. Different alloys in weapons, different species of plants yield the best fruits, vegetables, and grains. Even when it comes to animals and people, we have to have enough diversity genetically to bring about the best-equipped offspring. The same formula follows when it comes to a diversity of ideas, interests, and skills that individuals can bring into a society. Being extremely homogeneous leads to deeming more people are less worthy to dwell within that society; whereas, a pluralistic society rooted in common goals yields a far more extensive sense of camaraderie of allied peoples united in trust, care, and interest in each other’s happiness, peace, and quality of life. Thus, there is a sense of love drawn from the unity of numerous peoples just as there is glory drawn from possessing a number of options, drawn from careful study, and stabilizing balance.
Once we have balance, we can maneuver with ease in all facets of life; unless the impasses limit the maneuvering such as being physically challenged in some manner or not possessing the knowledge of certain things, as far as mental obstacles. It is not that we are handicapped, we simply have yet to apply the needed formula of the soul and then uncover and develop a means to implement a strategy and satisfy a need with action. In other words, a formula for anything means little unless it is actually applied and applied with consistency, efficiently. Noting that, the formulas for the soul themselves are infinite as in God’s plan is infinite; we have to note the significance of the formulas address mostly finite, mortal applications unless we unlock the applications to more spiritual dilemmas, we face daily. The formula serves numerous purpose in relation to our past, present, and future as we grow and mature in life.
Balance allows for one to be diverse in thought; yet, all thoughts must be unified to serve specific societal goals that benefit the individual and honor God. This is no different than people being diverse, but subscribing to one unifying credo and addressing the credo accordingly, to live in peace, progress, and enjoy prosperity. This has been essential to the ideal of many free nations in the world. True, nations like families or companies have their problems, internal conflicts, and struggles, but the formula is always significant. This formula is referred to, in the US, as the ‘American Dream’—the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuits of happiness. Each person has their own individual spin or perception of the American Dream or any nationalistic ideology beyond the nostalgia, but the way the formula for happiness works lays in the diversity of pursuits and aspects of happiness as a citizen. This manifests in being proud and promoting the ideologies of the country, and in many ways, incorporating those ideologies into one’s very psyche. This is why within any ‘free nation’, when political issues rise, or social changes generate dissonance, more people naturally seek to establish and maintain peace above clashes or simply tolerating others, which is a formula for further, more complex conflicts.
It is natural for humanity to live in peace within homes, cities, nations, and yet, we all find clashes within our souls, concerning decisions to act or to let certain things go. Why is it so hard to be pluralistic in our thoughts, yet unified in our goals? Formulas are often complex but serve the most simplistic of applications, and there are other formulas that are simple, yet within them they contain the essence of energy itself. For instance, Einstein’s E=MC2 specifically states that mass of a body is rooted in the energy of its motion—this is the kinetic energy which then divided by the speed of light (since we have yet to discover anything that moves faster) and squared. Now, how relative is this formula to the formulas for the soul? Basically, it reflects a pattern of thinking where Einstein presented a theory that expanded our understanding of the universe, showing that mass and energy are relative, they are in essence different forms of the same thing. And with the formulas for the soul, there are elements that show that in a physical/logical sense we are three entities: mental, physical, and spiritual; yet, all three reflect each other—all three, in essence are, the same. How so?
Well, at face value the body is finite, but within all of us is the beginning and end of humanity, the fingerprint of God’s essence in the birth of man. We are our fathers and mothers in one and we are our children—basic genetics. Genes as they grow, and change stretch endlessly. The mind is capable of traveling to worlds beyond the stars or within the atom—or into new realms never before imagined; thus, the mind is virtually infinite. But it is the soul that is so unknown, in so many areas of understanding (in both religion and science), and thus, the soul holds the template upon which the other ‘two thirds of us’ aspire.
We find immortality through our children, those we teach, those we support, those we are able to protect and save—this is potentially ‘physical immortality’. We find immortality through things we say, that are remembered, what we create in art, music, and mere memory, through pictures that capture moments frozen in time in our minds—‘mental immortality’. But it is through God, who dwells within us as the very essence of what we know as the soul that we find comfort in ‘true immortality’—seemingly entering the world with a vague reference to a time before we are born and knowledge of the time after our bodies have terminated, and our minds in this world function no more. Physical life is a short period in our immortality with God. Innately, we somehow know this life begins as a surface life and what lies above and beneath is the soul—the soul in which we interact and make all other aspects of life, we experience, significant. Here lies the significance of the formulas for the soul as a means to address the unknown and delve deeper into understanding ourselves and others with a focus on living, sharing, and serving ourselves, others, and God…in the ‘eternal’ balanced equation…
One reason the formulas for the soul may seem not to work is because of ego. Our ego places the nature of earth before the nature of God. What that means is that ego will make you place science before faith, the physical world before the heavenly world. And with that, we begin to place less focus on God and enter darkness. There was a man whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell. This man was drawn above the earth and able to view it from a different vantage point. What he saw at first was a thing of beauty just as we are able to look out into the universe and see many stars, he was able to look down upon the earth and see many lights. These many lights were the lights that shined from the men, women, and children that have been illuminated by allowing the glory of God to shine from within them. As he continued to look, his continence begins to change what he saw had suddenly saddened him. All of these beautiful lights that shines all over the planet were separated. It appeared as though they were strategically divided without even knowing they were participating in such a great divide. This was such a sad sight because the man recognize that they were comfortable being divided and as long as they remained divided, darkness would be able to rule. What darkness you ask? This is the darkness that we all face, when we focus solely on one candle and do not notice darkness growing around us. When we stand together with each other, we bring greater light into the world. But when we fail to see this basic formula of stars growing in brightness that far exceeds them when they stand apart, we fall to the wayside, pumped on our own egos, constantly assessing if we are better than someone else, and what happens? Darkness surrounds us. Inflated egos push people apart whereas the humble soul draws people together that have them in common. The reason the ego is so easily deflated by issues in life is because the larger it is, the more fragile it is. And this is why, we should not place so much support in our egos because they fail us, but when we give humbly, we grow. Inflated egos do not allow growth.
Egos stop us from helping others unlike us whereas a humble soul allows us to help ourselves by growing to trust those we help. When we begin to conceive of living beyond distrust, we learn not to fear each other, and the individual and society grow closer. This is the formula for ideal living and thus, reflects the significance of the formulas for the soul. Yet, when we focus on the financial, legal, or socioeconomic challenges, we face changes that are averse to us and separate us from others. In order to respect each other, we need to address actual and perceived advantages or disadvantages that generate resentment and ill-will; otherwise, we begin to inflate the ego instead making the effort to help or be humble and accept help. The formulas for the soul’s significance in this sense would be removing doubt in order for one to trust, and when we share trust, we grow in mind, body, and soul. We are vigilant for what threatens life, and we become resilient to wayward thinking and wayward people. Yet, it still is a matter of learning to trust in God, share with others, and seek to grow. With the formulas for the soul, we rediscover our need to assist others and to respect them.
Within the next seven chapters, the basis for The Formulas for the Soul will assist in your path to developing your own formulas for your soul. Here is the template: there are three formulas that represent different aspects of life in the first six chapters. The seventh chapter is where you focus, you pray, you rest and allow the equations of your life to evolve into the formulas for your soul. Each formula will have a description, analysis, and Biblical reference.
There is a difference between spirit and soul. The spirit is the metaphysical double of our living selves—our consciousness external of the state of existence on the physical plane. The soul is the essence of our free-will it is what gives us the ability to choose and what lies in the balance.