What follows are two examples of what came through me while using the method described in the INTRODUCTION to AS IF FROM GOD. Share yours as you feel comfortable doing so. Have fun being I AM individualized! Jim :>)
PS As with most of my photography, I refrain from labeling entries so as to hold the spaciousness for observers/participants to hear and see their own perceptions and perspectives. Thus passages are numbered for ordering purposes only. Jim
2
live with
loving compassion and a loving heart.
have compassion for
yourself
that you may accept
all
I give you
fully
all I give you.
have compassion
for others
that you may share
all I give you.
your loving ways are
that rich
that others will feel
your compassion for life.
be compassionate today
and this will be an unusual day
as man sees it
but a day
as a day can be lived
as you see it.
be fully in Me today
and every day.
3
it’s time now
to go past the daily nuts and bolts
to the higher levels of Being
things that most folks
don’t even begin to think about
like the air you breathe
the water you drink
the earth in which you plant.
all those things are taken for granted by most
yet they, too
are My gifts of Life
for Life.
each of these I created
in My image
just as you and all others are.
thus these, too
are sacred in their nature
and Loving in their intent.
they don’t try to be anything they’re not
merely only what they Are:
My Essence
in but a different form
just as males and females
are different each in their own way
yet are part of one Unit
in Oneness of their complete Being.
help others see this about Life
all of the Life I give
so they may learn to regard it
with respect for its dignity.
respecting the dignity
of earth, sky, water, and plant life
is a foreign notion to most humans
yet your Indians knew it well
although even most of them are leaving this now
under the regimen
of the unhappy search for money
primarily, at least.
all need to be awakened to the idea
so they hold these creations
sacred
just like you hold the rest of My creations
sacred
for these are of Life
as Me
living Essence.
Welcome to Creation Spirit!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Welcome to the first posting from AS IF FROM GOD, a recently published book to have come through me.
AS IF FROM GOD
By Jim Young
Introduction
Originally received in prose form during communion with God over a particular ten-month period of my life, this psalm-like verse has evolved as a natural expression of my relationship with God, the divine consciousness which is my Highest Self. The portion you will see represents what has been received from this relationship. Hence, it reads as if from God.
Most of us seek to connect with a God separate from us, corresponding to what we have been taught through religious doctrine, no matter what the source. The real Truth, however, is there is no God separate from us. God is our Highest Self found only within. This is an important distinction to be made, for as long as we hold a God outside us as the Truth, we will be investing our energy in dualism and thus unable to reach the real Truth of our Being. In part, the testimony you are about to become familiar with is put before you to instill a desire to go within, into the silence, the only language God speaks. As the contemplative mystic Thomas Keating tells us, all else is a mistranslation. It is within where you will come to more fully comprehend your real identity and live true to only it. Otherwise, you will continue to live in a world of illusion, which can only profess to be real when it is not real at all.
As I shared earlier pertinent versions of this material with others, I found the wisdom I received in this verse could well apply to anyone, no matter where they are along their journey. One way or another, in one place or another, we are all on that same narrow road. We seemingly struggle in common, even though our greater or divine consciousness is of the One. And although our timing may be different, the messages contained herein can apply to all of us as our spiritual awareness comes increasingly into focus. Read another time, and yet another, different pieces of eternal wisdom may appeal to us, touch us deeply, or even send us along our path to yet another insight or uplifting twist in our journey.
Each time I began converting the prose to this more lyrical format, I found myself actually praying the verse. By converting the language from God's Word to me, to God's prayer as me, I have found deeper meaning, a more penetrating commitment, and an even richer form of love. Indeed, God's presence has at times felt overpowering, yet as a simple quietude embracing my heart. I suggest you take this approach with each of these poetic verses: one at a time, in reverence for each as it speaks just to you, knowing any resonance you feel is the Truth for you, and is for your highest good only.
A comment about this form of verse might serve well. While taking a poetry writing workshop I heard the instructor’s admonition to s l o w d o w n verse so the reader could permit the real meaning to enter both mind and heart. Given the context of the rapid lifestyle we generally embrace, he admonished us to do anything we could to slow down the process of reading and assimilating the messages created from the heart. It takes a special "listening" to "hear" them at the heart level, quite unlike the intellectual approach to reading verse many of us were taught. Reading from the heart takes us past the influence of the ego and the intellect to the spiritual meaning of life. From my perspective, spiritual meaning is the only meaning that is real, and of greatest importance in fulfilling our divine purpose in life. I have removed the titles from each verse for the same reason: so any expression of my ego, although unintended, would more than likely not influence your own personal rendering.
The result has been for me to translate the earlier form of prose into verse of a more vertical format, "stretching" the language, giving it more space in which to be heard. In a very real sense, the space between the lines provides a bit of solitude that speaks to us every bit as much as the printed word. Indeed, for those who are willing, it provides an opportunity to hear in the silence of one's heart something much more profound than the actual printed word.
This form is a deliberate, purposeful way to get us to slow down enough to more fully absorb meaning and to give impetus for wanting to gain similar, deeper meaning in all aspects of our lives. In a sense, it is a lesson on listening to life, no matter in what form of relationship. This listening lifestyle can only lead to much richer relationships with whomever or whatever we invest such attention. It thus becomes a way of living compassionately in all we are and do. Such is the reality of Love.
You might well ask: “What form of prayer has led to all this?” I have recommended this particular method to a number of people as a way of finding God’s answers about daily life directly from God within, instead of from other, more external, sources, and in each instance they have obtained some powerful truths for themselves when used as directed.
Briefly, because we all connect to God through prayers and reading the Bible and/or other sacred, inspirational works and acts, this is a means of setting the stage—our heart condition—for an even deeper “communion” with God. On a weekly basis, or even daily if you are more ambitious, after you have in some solitudinous manner paved the way with a regularized intimate time with God, sit either with paper and pen in hand, or at your computer, and ask the three questions cited below, one at a time, and record what comes through you.
The questions and potential answers are not something you think about, for regular thinking will only “manufacture” a canned, superficial, intellectual response. Contrarily, what we are looking for is a loving response that comes from a much deeper place than the intellect, through your hands onto paper in a process called automatic writing. It is tantamount to recording intuition and inspiration, or, as some would call it, God’s Word. Believe me: you won’t need an interpreter to gauge the response, even though it more than likely will seem highly unusual at first. Do not be at all concerned with its unusual nature. This nature is what signifies its Truth for you, and only you—and you will he enlightened by its profound simplicity.
A word of caution: be patient and utilize an attitude similar to one used in sitting meditation. By all means, let go of control and all judgment as to any possible answer. You don’t need to ask anything but the three questions, for God—the Highest Self you surely are—already knows what’s really on your mind and will answer accordingly. Placing yourself in the hands of your own divine consciousness is what provides the answers, as you will soon find out, and not the questions themselves. So merely go within with a heart open to serving Thy Will. Go within your Self with an attitude that says: “I am here, ready to listen. Speak that I may truly hear.” Then let go of all outside influence so you can really hear—and surrender to the sure Truth of that divine awareness.
Here you go!
The first question is:
What, Lord, are you saying to my heart?
Then listen without judgment and simply record what you have been given, without any embellishments from your intellect. You will know when this answer is complete by the gap in creative energy which ensues. Give thanks when finished, and go on to question #2.
Question #2: How, Lord, am I to respond to this?
Follow the directions for #1 in their entirety: ask the question; patiently listen; record without embellishment; and then give thanks when finished.
Question # 3: What, Lord, do you particularly want me to remember?
Follow the directions for #1 in their entirety: ask the question; patiently listen; record without embellishment; and then give thanks when finished.
If this process fails to provide you with anything useful at first, do not despair. Instead, persist without angst, and you will be richly rewarded. It, loving Truth—your Truth—is there simply for the awareness you bring to It. It just takes a willingness to get out of your own way and let your own divine consciousness speak to you in the silence of your being. Silence, after all, is the language God speaks. This is the only real prayer: communion with God, with the divine consciousness each of us is. When we go within and hear the still, small voice that is the awareness of the Truth we each are, this Truth is activated as our Being. In this way, the prayer and we are One—and all just for the hearing. In this way, when in spiritual awareness, each of us is a self-fulfilling prophecy. What more could anyone ask?
No matter what your response to this process may be, it has taught me this with indelible clarity: I know for sure I am embraced by a complete Love that is pure and unending, and this Love is converting me slowly but surely to Love more and more likewise. I wish you the very same.
Try this process a few times and see where it takes you. Do not steer the results, let them have their way with you. On the next post I'll share a few of mine, so you get the idea. I'd love to share in yours, and your questions and comments.
Have a great day being YOU, as the divine perfection you are.
Jim Young
By Jim Young
Introduction
Originally received in prose form during communion with God over a particular ten-month period of my life, this psalm-like verse has evolved as a natural expression of my relationship with God, the divine consciousness which is my Highest Self. The portion you will see represents what has been received from this relationship. Hence, it reads as if from God.
Most of us seek to connect with a God separate from us, corresponding to what we have been taught through religious doctrine, no matter what the source. The real Truth, however, is there is no God separate from us. God is our Highest Self found only within. This is an important distinction to be made, for as long as we hold a God outside us as the Truth, we will be investing our energy in dualism and thus unable to reach the real Truth of our Being. In part, the testimony you are about to become familiar with is put before you to instill a desire to go within, into the silence, the only language God speaks. As the contemplative mystic Thomas Keating tells us, all else is a mistranslation. It is within where you will come to more fully comprehend your real identity and live true to only it. Otherwise, you will continue to live in a world of illusion, which can only profess to be real when it is not real at all.
As I shared earlier pertinent versions of this material with others, I found the wisdom I received in this verse could well apply to anyone, no matter where they are along their journey. One way or another, in one place or another, we are all on that same narrow road. We seemingly struggle in common, even though our greater or divine consciousness is of the One. And although our timing may be different, the messages contained herein can apply to all of us as our spiritual awareness comes increasingly into focus. Read another time, and yet another, different pieces of eternal wisdom may appeal to us, touch us deeply, or even send us along our path to yet another insight or uplifting twist in our journey.
Each time I began converting the prose to this more lyrical format, I found myself actually praying the verse. By converting the language from God's Word to me, to God's prayer as me, I have found deeper meaning, a more penetrating commitment, and an even richer form of love. Indeed, God's presence has at times felt overpowering, yet as a simple quietude embracing my heart. I suggest you take this approach with each of these poetic verses: one at a time, in reverence for each as it speaks just to you, knowing any resonance you feel is the Truth for you, and is for your highest good only.
A comment about this form of verse might serve well. While taking a poetry writing workshop I heard the instructor’s admonition to s l o w d o w n verse so the reader could permit the real meaning to enter both mind and heart. Given the context of the rapid lifestyle we generally embrace, he admonished us to do anything we could to slow down the process of reading and assimilating the messages created from the heart. It takes a special "listening" to "hear" them at the heart level, quite unlike the intellectual approach to reading verse many of us were taught. Reading from the heart takes us past the influence of the ego and the intellect to the spiritual meaning of life. From my perspective, spiritual meaning is the only meaning that is real, and of greatest importance in fulfilling our divine purpose in life. I have removed the titles from each verse for the same reason: so any expression of my ego, although unintended, would more than likely not influence your own personal rendering.
The result has been for me to translate the earlier form of prose into verse of a more vertical format, "stretching" the language, giving it more space in which to be heard. In a very real sense, the space between the lines provides a bit of solitude that speaks to us every bit as much as the printed word. Indeed, for those who are willing, it provides an opportunity to hear in the silence of one's heart something much more profound than the actual printed word.
This form is a deliberate, purposeful way to get us to slow down enough to more fully absorb meaning and to give impetus for wanting to gain similar, deeper meaning in all aspects of our lives. In a sense, it is a lesson on listening to life, no matter in what form of relationship. This listening lifestyle can only lead to much richer relationships with whomever or whatever we invest such attention. It thus becomes a way of living compassionately in all we are and do. Such is the reality of Love.
You might well ask: “What form of prayer has led to all this?” I have recommended this particular method to a number of people as a way of finding God’s answers about daily life directly from God within, instead of from other, more external, sources, and in each instance they have obtained some powerful truths for themselves when used as directed.
Briefly, because we all connect to God through prayers and reading the Bible and/or other sacred, inspirational works and acts, this is a means of setting the stage—our heart condition—for an even deeper “communion” with God. On a weekly basis, or even daily if you are more ambitious, after you have in some solitudinous manner paved the way with a regularized intimate time with God, sit either with paper and pen in hand, or at your computer, and ask the three questions cited below, one at a time, and record what comes through you.
The questions and potential answers are not something you think about, for regular thinking will only “manufacture” a canned, superficial, intellectual response. Contrarily, what we are looking for is a loving response that comes from a much deeper place than the intellect, through your hands onto paper in a process called automatic writing. It is tantamount to recording intuition and inspiration, or, as some would call it, God’s Word. Believe me: you won’t need an interpreter to gauge the response, even though it more than likely will seem highly unusual at first. Do not be at all concerned with its unusual nature. This nature is what signifies its Truth for you, and only you—and you will he enlightened by its profound simplicity.
A word of caution: be patient and utilize an attitude similar to one used in sitting meditation. By all means, let go of control and all judgment as to any possible answer. You don’t need to ask anything but the three questions, for God—the Highest Self you surely are—already knows what’s really on your mind and will answer accordingly. Placing yourself in the hands of your own divine consciousness is what provides the answers, as you will soon find out, and not the questions themselves. So merely go within with a heart open to serving Thy Will. Go within your Self with an attitude that says: “I am here, ready to listen. Speak that I may truly hear.” Then let go of all outside influence so you can really hear—and surrender to the sure Truth of that divine awareness.
Here you go!
The first question is:
What, Lord, are you saying to my heart?
Then listen without judgment and simply record what you have been given, without any embellishments from your intellect. You will know when this answer is complete by the gap in creative energy which ensues. Give thanks when finished, and go on to question #2.
Question #2: How, Lord, am I to respond to this?
Follow the directions for #1 in their entirety: ask the question; patiently listen; record without embellishment; and then give thanks when finished.
Question # 3: What, Lord, do you particularly want me to remember?
Follow the directions for #1 in their entirety: ask the question; patiently listen; record without embellishment; and then give thanks when finished.
If this process fails to provide you with anything useful at first, do not despair. Instead, persist without angst, and you will be richly rewarded. It, loving Truth—your Truth—is there simply for the awareness you bring to It. It just takes a willingness to get out of your own way and let your own divine consciousness speak to you in the silence of your being. Silence, after all, is the language God speaks. This is the only real prayer: communion with God, with the divine consciousness each of us is. When we go within and hear the still, small voice that is the awareness of the Truth we each are, this Truth is activated as our Being. In this way, the prayer and we are One—and all just for the hearing. In this way, when in spiritual awareness, each of us is a self-fulfilling prophecy. What more could anyone ask?
No matter what your response to this process may be, it has taught me this with indelible clarity: I know for sure I am embraced by a complete Love that is pure and unending, and this Love is converting me slowly but surely to Love more and more likewise. I wish you the very same.
Try this process a few times and see where it takes you. Do not steer the results, let them have their way with you. On the next post I'll share a few of mine, so you get the idea. I'd love to share in yours, and your questions and comments.
Have a great day being YOU, as the divine perfection you are.
Jim Young
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