How connected to God are you? Do you invest in your spiritual life daily, or are you inclined to check in only occasionally? Do you participate at all? Do you even believe in God - an omniscient, creative force, from which all other things have originated? Do you know that Christ is real, or are you still learning? How about Holy Spirit? Do you feel that “fire” and passion within you, guiding and assisting you? What have your experiences been?

How we perceive God, our connections to same, and the experiences we have, shape our lives; sometimes, in ways we couldn’t imagine. How disciplined are we in our spiritual practices? Truth be told, most of us aren’t as disciplined as we could (or should) be in that area. I believe most of us go through cycles. Experiences show up for us as gauges in our learning and to spawn new levels of understanding along our journey. They show up to teach us about our surroundings: people, choices, our beliefs, our ignorance, our wisdom, our egos, our resolve - our faith. They allow us to see if, and how, the choices we've made have altered our realities. Has it been for the better? If so, good! If not, why not? What have we been thinking? Where have we placed our focus? What have we been fueling? Are we nurturing our spiritual lives, or have we lost our connection to God? He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is we who change, step away, loose faith, wander off the ranch… however one wants to frame that, we are the responsible parties. We should endeavor to discipline our minds, let alone our speech, no longer allowing them to run amuck. What’s the old saying? An idle mind is the devil’s playground? Having good mental, and verbal, disciplines are the best ways to guard our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23-27 tells us:
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life. Put away from your crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swede to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

We must take great care in choosing, with intent, that which we place in the gardens of our minds, for those seeds tend to sprout in our hearts, become spoken in our words, and lived in our realities. Contemplate words as being like frequencies, because they do create an energetic frequency when being spoken. They vibrate outward and affect the world around us. Once loose, they cannot be taken back, and so much suffering is caused by a spur of the moment comment, typically made out of anger, frustration or ignorance. How often have you said something you’ve wished you could take back? Wouldn’t it be better to have never uttered those words? Conversely, how often have you wished you would have said something, only to have the moment slip away forever?

By and large, our thoughts are the point of origin for our suffering, or our blessing; the roots by which our gardens grow. We may experience situations that start the cycle, but after that, it's the continued investment in the event/s that drives us. When something shows up that creates distress, we must first bring awareness to our thoughts. From our thoughts, all else follows. Our minds are meant to be useful tools, but the Sacred Heart is supposed to take the lead! That’s the seat of God within us. If you KNEW that God lived within you, how much care would you take to protect Him? How much time would you spend in communication with Him? How vast would your thoughts of Him actually be?

We all have thoughts. What are you broadcasting to the world? Is it good (God) stuff, or other? Are you an energy giver or an energy vampire? Yes, we are affected by the thoughts and frequencies of others. How often have you said something like, “I love being around that person. They have good energy!” Or “That person has bad energy.” Regardless of origin, our thoughts continue to flow in the invested direction, the feelings are then recreated, and before we know it, experiences show up to reflect to us, in what we have been investing. Sometimes over, and over, and over again. When the message is good, and we reinvest in that, it can be a wonderful experience; however, as humans, we tend to focus on that which is not so good, and our investment can play out in unforeseen ways. Are you listening for the whisper of Holy Spirit, or waiting for the brick?

We may not set out to create the exact details that appear in our lives, but from an energetic standpoint, the experiences that manifest match what we have been broadcasting - good or bad. Not unlike a radio, we are only able to receive what we tune to. We’ll never get 95.5 (the "God" station), if we’re tuned to 101.7 (not the God station)! We should endeavor to bring awareness to our thoughts when they wander into areas undesired, and choose other. Most of the time we go about our lives without true, conscious awareness or intent, lacking understanding of all the potentials that exist when we unconsciously allow our minds to wander; at that point, our minds truly are the devil’s playground. He loves to run amuck in the follies of our minds - an integral part of a structure that aids in manifestation. As we think, we become. Along with this, our words, feelings, and actions create our experiences. As we think, speak, and act (or don't act, which is in-and-of-itself, an action), feelings are evoked. What we think, how we speak, how we act, and the feelings that arise, are the true power behind the realizations of experiences. They are the fuel. Toward what are we putting our feelings? What is it that we are fueling, and where is God in all of this?! He is in our free will choices, which is a gift, but often feels as if it’s a double-edged sword. Free-will is what we are truly fueling. It’s where our energy goes, and what we are putting feelings and actions toward; unless of course, our free will has been subverted. This does happen, much to my dismay, but that’s a topic for another discussion.

As we discipline our minds, replacing old, negative patterns with better choices, new habits are formed, not only in what we speak and how we act, but more importantly, in how we feel and what shows up for us in our lives. This begins a ripple effect, passing through our personal energetic systems, as well as the energetic systems of those around us. The goal? Alignment between all levels. When the mind is in alignment with the heart, we’ve begun to understand the fullness of God. As I said before, the Sacred Heart is the place where God resides, and the mind a valuable tool; remember though, it is only a tool. Allow yourself be lead by the Holy Spirit.

As with any discipline, whether it be learning to walk, play an instrument, operate a vehicle, swim, draw, dissect, or managing our minds, success is gained through experience, through repetition, through practice. Besides being life-lessons, what if our experiences show up for us to practice what it is we claim for ourselves as we grow and change? Would that alter our perspective?

Where are we placing our thoughts?
How does that make us feel?
What will that create?
Does if feel good (Godly) or other?

Of what things are we speaking?
How does that make us feel?
What will that create?
Does if feel good (Godly) or other?

Are we taking action, and from what perspective?
How does that make us feel?
What will that create?
Does if feel good (Godly) or other?

We must learn to properly operate the miraculous creations with which we’ve been blessed. In today’s world, we might refer to them as our “biological computers.” That is our work as Spiritual Beings living the human experience - to care for God’s creation - each one of us a unique expression and fractal iteration of God. Where we place our attention, energy flows, giving power to our focus - good or bad. Where energy flows, investment is made, experiences manifest, and lessons are revealed. Knowledge, wisdom, and growth are gained for those that can step outside their egos, take responsibility, be open to a larger understanding, listen for the still, small voice, and walk the road less traveled. There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.

Eyes to see.
Ears to hear.
A heart to know.
A mind with which to learn & discern.
Hands & feet with which to take action.

May “the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)