Beyond the Zone: God and The Spiritual Journey

http://www.craiglockbooks.comand http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/craig_lock.html

www.religiousunity.wordpress.com and his various other blogs are at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.

(Obsessive…or WHAT!)

Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981

(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig

Publishing Guidelines:

These thoughts, in point-form (as with all my articles) may be freely published… “in a spirit of sharing”. Thanks so much, Oprah.

“We share what we know, so that we all may grow.”

SHARING SOME SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS FROM SOME OPRAH WINFREY SHOWS

Submitter’s Note

These are some of my favourite thoughts from some of Oprah’s most memorable interviews on her great show, that I jotted down many years ago (and came across on my old and trusty Brother word-processor free advertising, thanks). So thought I’d share … in a “spirit of enlightenment”. Here are my notes (brief). I hope, I trust that they may be of interest, helpful and even perhaps be “enlightening” to you. Enjoy…

1 THOUGHTS from INYANLA VAZANT (1998)

You get what you BELIEVE!

Set boundaries, Forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made.

Accept where you are, accept that maybe this is not where you want to be, accept that you can do something different and then being willing to take a risk.

“Those who risk everything are truly free” (or something like that…though you don’t have to go that far!)

You don’t get what you’re looking for, you get what you believe!

The key here is intention… and desire.

That’s what you put out… and what comes back to you. It’s, the law of cause and effect (ie. karma).

Get in touch with your spiritual self and start telling the truth- basically it’s a pretty simple message!

There are things you will go through in life that you will never understand…and there are some things you’ll understand instantly. All had to make you who you are!

I never look for what I want. I just remember what has already been done, and therein make myself content.

My favourite spiritual reading comes from the 27th Psalm:

‘The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall. Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear. I am confident that God will save me. The one thing I want from God, the thing that I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his temple, living in his presence every day of my life, the lighting in his incomparable perfections and glory.’

That’s my favourite psalm, because it’s the 27th Psalm. Because the temple, to me, is the world. The world is a holy place, if you perceive it to be that way. The temple, to me, is not some building. The temple is my own self. I greet other people, I see the temple in them, and so it’s about being in a constant of willingness to see the abundance and glory around you.

My other favourite Psalm is 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Oprah: “And to me, the Lord is not defined in just religious terms. To me, the Lord is that which is truth, that which is joy, abundance, integrity, that which is light, that which is peace. Delight yourself in those things, all that is God, all that God encompasses, and he – it, the universe – will give you the desires of your heart.

1998

***********************

2 SINGING SENSATION JEWEL

On July 22 1998

Singer and poet, Jewel: “I believe God granted my dream.”

“There’s divine order to all things, you just gotta get with the flow.”

God can dream a far bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself.

My goal was to help people. I realized how alone I’d felt in the world and how people’s kindness had touched me so deeply and how thoroughly it changed my life. And when I lived in my car, that was my dream, was just to help people feel less alone.

I think every gets to a point of despair at some point or another.

I just realized that you can’t fight the enemy with despair. You have to stay – I love Martin Luther King, just because he stayed so focussed on where was change possible, where was hope possible? And there is always some tiny place in your life where change is possible, where betterment is possible and being focussed on that. Because your reality becomes what you focus on.

What you focus on increases.

HOPE. Seeing who you really are at your highest is who you will become.

* EXPECT it!

* DREAM about it!

* GIVE BIRTH to it in your being!

* KNOW , really know that something good is coming down the line!

OW: Finding its way to you , like all things find their way to God’s children.

OW (again): “Poetry stirs the divine within us and whispers all the things there are no words for.”

THOUGHTS on THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS

“In ancient Rome, the gladiators went into the arena with these words on their lips: “Let me win; but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Let us begin the Olympics (very Special)

Thank you

Ms Eunice Shriver

Every torch that’s lit ignites the spirit of every child who was ever told a normal life was not possible.

It’s not what you were born with, but what] you bring to the table. You know, that if you run that race with everything God gave you, you’ve won.

Everyone’s experience is different. It’s that sense of respect and dignity that comes from seeing that no matter what you have, you’re OK.

Just give it your very best, if you try to bring your spirit out. You don’t have to seek acceptance somewhere else. Try your best.

Do your best, try your hardest, give all you’ve got, you’re OK!

“And I was saying in the back of my head, ‘I can do this, if I want to do this’. Because I know God is mighty and he’ll help me, push me through this.”

– a guest

“Don’t let nobody down you (anyone put you down). And if somebody does down you, pick yourself back up, have faith…keep faith in yourself and keep going.”

Extend yourself in spirit.

*****************

3 OPRAH’S ANGEL NETWORK

On April 15, 1999

Ms Julian Johnson: “It’s people like you (Steven) that continue to inspire me.”

A Mrs Graham :

“I want to contribute as much as – just our small family can do and inspire other people to get out in their own community, because there’s a lot of need out there.”

Mrs Graham continues…

“This has enriched all of our lives, made us so much closer as a family… and most importantly, taught us that even the tiniest effort can mean so much.”

4 MARIANNE WILIAMSON

Prayer for Kosovo (1998)

People feel so devastated by the human tragedy in Kosovo

Marianne on the power of collective prayer , collective meditation.

Gandhi said that the world is making a transition now from power centered in brute force to the power centered in soul force. War is an exercise in brute force; whereas peace is soul force.

Martin Luther King, Jr said that “we have each of us in our hearts a power more powerful than bullets”.

It’s the power of everyone doing it at once that can a real difference in the world.

Shared by craig (“Information and Inspiration Distributor, Incorrigible Encourager and People-builder”)

“To all of us who believe Love rules, Stand up and let it shine.”

– “another anonymoose incurable romantic” from ‘The Shack’ by William Young

About the submitter:

Craig is following his dream of touching lives (hopefully!) in the “vast unchartered world of cyberspace”. He truly believes in the great potential of every human being in the amazing journey of life and loves to encourage people to share their individual spirits and talents, so that they become all that they are CAPABLE of being.

The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” (including ‘Endless Possibilities, Far and Grand Horizons‘, as well as his various e-books on the spiritual journey) are available at:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://goo.gl/vTpjk

The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.peacepursuit.wordpress.com

http://drmartinlutherking.wordpress.com/

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock

www.religiousunity.wordpress.com and his various other blogs are at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.

(Obsessive…or WHAT!)

“Together, one mind, one life at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, empower, uplift, encourage … and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials.

Change YOUR world and you help change THE world… for the better”

Sharing some Spiritual Thoughts and Principles from Neale Donald Walsh’s ‘Conversations with God’ (Part Two)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by craig lock

Article Title: Sharing some Spiritual Thoughts and Principles from Neale Donald Walsh’s ‘Conversations with God’ (Part Two)
Submitted by Craig Lock

Category: Spirituality, spiritual books, ND Walsch, spiritual thoughts, the spiritual journey, God, thoughts on God

Web Sites: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Z6BFX0

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 and http://goo.gl/vTpjk

The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.anewdawnbook.wordpress.com

www.sharefaith.wordpress.com

http://religiousunity.wordpress.com

www.peacepursuit.wordpress.com

http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com + so many others I can’t keep track (obsessive or WHAT!)

Other Articles are available at:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig)

Publishing Guidelines:

This article (as with all my articles) may be freely published, electronically or in print.

We share what we know, so that we all may grow.”
#

Sharing some Spiritual Thoughts and Principles from Neale Donald Walsh’s ‘Conversations with God’ (Part Two)

Submitters’s Note:
This article (in point form) was largely based upon notes I’ve taken from Neale Donald Walsh’s series of books ‘Conversations with God’, whilst studying the link between the human mind (psychology) and spirituality. Whilst I may not agree with all of Walsch’s views and beliefs on the concept of God, a “Higher Power’, I’m sharing this piece to hopefully stimulate thinking and discussion on these concepts from Walsh’s personal ideas and beliefs on the ‘airey-fairey spiritual journey’ (and do ‘try to test’, further explore and then apply these principles in ‘real life’).

Enjoy…

*
We keep waiting for God to tell us, show us, and God keeps waiting for us to show Him/Her/It. We’re waiting for the One who waits for us. God is a God of creation.

Truth exists nowhere outside yourself.

The soul is the sum total of every feeling you have ever had. It is multi-faceted, including the mind, intellect and impressions. (I believe the soul is the sum total of our mind, will and emotions, whilst “spirit is the outpouring”).

Express and experience yourself as the grandest version of the greatest vision you ever held about Who You (really) Are.

Find a ‘place of beingness‘ in your life. Just BE. Have no attachment to results – then you see your life in a larger context, see your purpose in a larger way.
I like the concept of INTENT (the reason why I’m sharing this article).

All of life is spiritual and every step you take is on a spiritual path. You are a spiritual being.
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

It’s up to YOU to create a new reality. God does care about your experience (??). God simply doesn’t care HOW you go about creating it.

Raise your vision higher and higher and live by the dictates of that vision. Seek to share with others what you have come to know of yourself, what you have come to be. Meditation exposes you to the “inside of you”, your absolute truth.”

*
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE:
Is to discover, then fulfil and honour that purpose (one reason why I write!). Life is a DECLARATION.

N.B:
The purpose is life is not to please God. The purpose of life is to be your AUTHENTIC SELF. Act out and BE the “real/true you”. The only problem of humanity is a lack of love; as love breeds tolerance, peace. The fastest way to get into a place of love and concern for all humankind is to see all humankind as your family, as we are all connected through our shared humanity.
Opportunity. Experience Who You Are – what meaning do you give to events? The purpose of religion is to put the fear of God into us.

What is needed is not a change of circumstance, but a change of consciousness. Fired with emotion and passion, in our own little ways and in our own little spheres of influence, we can all raise our own consciousness, then perhaps ignite the public consciousness with those people whose lives we may touch. So it’s up to each
ONE of us to do just do our best – what one person can do to make a difference, a better world. To be ourselves!

Jesus supported everyone in being just who they wanted to be.
He gave them strength, courage and wisdom – he was a great encourager.

Make a new mind. Jesus’s great gift was that he saw people as they truly are. He refused to accept appearances; he refused to believe what others believed of themselves. He always had a Higher Thought and he always invited others to it (one can never go higher than one’s thoughts).

Yet Jesus also honoured where others chose to be. He did not require them to accept his higher idea; but merely held it out as an invitation – with great compassion. .

Another “tinker” (philosophers) thoughts…

“Is it not possible that Jesus meant himself only as an ‘example’ and that he believed that only by following his ‘ways’ could someone reach nirvana… er… spiritual fulfilment and ‘heaven’? This is the way I originally saw it. I never saw Jesus as pointing to himself but pointing to a spiritual ‘way’. “

I like that!

*
When in doubt, rather err on the side of compassion (and kindness)
You must stop seeing God as separate from you and you as separate from each other. As my good friend Lindsay, ‘the prophet and prayer-warrior’ says: “When a person goes to church, you take God TO church with you.” Love gives all and requires nothing!
It’s a shift of consciousness – the change that must be made can be made only in the hearts of men and women. Develop a global consciousness – the source of this new consciousness.

Use every moment to think the highest thought, say the highest word, do the highest deed. Then you are living at the “highest level of consciousness”. In this you glorify your Holy Self, and thus glorify Me. Make every moment of your life an outpouring of love.
Give everything, require nothing.
By your shining example. seek only godliness, speak only in truthfulness, act only in love.
Be a light unto the world.
Be a gift to everyone who enters your life and to everyone whose life you enter – the gift of you experiencing and fulfilling who you are. Make of your life a gift – YOU are the gift.
Be a living breathing example of the highest truth that resides within you.
It’s a process of self definition (not self discovery), of growth (not learning), of being (not doing).
The path then becomes not a struggle, but a process. Man’s struggle is his search for God, the fulfilment of self, the expression of truth. Greatness of the human spirit.
The guidance you are getting is to follow your heart; listen to your soul. Hear your Self and so acquire great wisdom.

We need a consciousness shift on the planet, an awareness that the highest purpose of life is not the accumulation of the greatest wealth, but the DOING OF THE GREATEST GOOD.

I am co-creating with you your experiences; that I am a part of your decisions, choices and declarations. I have chosen YOU.
What is needed on this planet is a massive shift of consciousness, a change in your awareness. A renewed respect for all of life, and a deepened understanding of the inter-relatedness of everything.
My highest goal for you is to know yourself as the Creator.
What you CHOOSE, you experience. Happiness, etc?

As in all things, what you THINK is what you get (wysiwyg).
Live out your own destiny – your own consciousness creates the result.
Religion creates disunity.
Truth and God are found in the same place – silence.
Reaching God by the simple living of your life in goodness and in trust.

It’s a change in paradigm shift – it will take great wisdom, great courage, massive determination to follow the spiritual path.
I create my most wonderful tomorrows, when I live my grandest vision right now – in the present.
Be a builder of the dawn.
Be a light unto the world.

“To dearest mom
You have gifted me far more
than I ever gifted you .
This and you are a work in progress.”

THINK THE HIGHEST THOUGHTS (“tink da highest torts”)

Be all that you are capable of being… and have great fun along the journey (of self discovery).

craig (“information and inspiration distributor, incorrigible encourager and people-builder”)

“There is a rich tapestry of talent in every human soul, that
flows through (and from), the Source of our Being, the Spirit
of God, Life. So don’t spend your days stringing and tuning
your instrument; start making and playing your unique tunes
of music right now.”

“When I let go of who (and what) I think I am, then I become all that I am capable of being. Enjoy just being YOU, as you ride the rapids, er sorry, fall down the water-falls of life.”

“Let the light of your BEING shine brightly; so revealing Who
You Really Are. Be a Bringer of the Light, which emanates
from our soul, God, our Creator, the Source, the Essence of Life
(and Ground of our very Being).
Therefore, it can do more than illuminate
your own path.YOUR spirit will help makes the lives of
others easier by illuminating others paths. For this light
is our humanity, the spirit of God, truth, wisdom, beauty and
especially love…and it lies within each one of us. Through
your actions and your being, let your light, YOUR spirit
truly shine brightly on the world, like the radiance emitted
by a candle at midnight.”
– craig (as adapted from Neale Donald Walsh in ‘Conversations with God’ Book 3).

“God creates us with different gifts. Each one of us comes into the world with a different collection of life circumstances that often severely challenge us, things that give us joy and in expressing our talents allow us to bless the people, the world around us.”

“The task ahead of you can always be overcome by the power within you…and the seemingly difficult path ahead of you is never as steep with the great spirit that lies within you.”

“When I let go of what (and who) I think I am, I become all that I can be… and am capable of being.” – craig (as adapted and inspired from Lao Tzu)

“Love God, yourself (and so ensure a life-long romance) and also your neighbour.”

About the submitter:
Craig likes (no, rather loves) to share knowledge and insights from his life experiences to try and help others in ‘every little way’ he can… without being too much of a “Mr goody goody boring two shoes” (as he’s lost the other one!). He has been studying the human mind, ‘the last unexplored frontier’ for much of his life. His mission is in his own small way, to try to help people live happier, more fulfilling and successful lives. He is currently “working” on a book ‘God and Formula One: Beyond the Zone’ (and what he has written to date is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Z6BFX0 )

www.craiglockbooks.com

The various books* that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 and http://goo.gl/vTpjk

Craig’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.anewdawnbook.wordpress.com

www.sharefaith.wordpress.com