Played a gig last night. Some holdovers from my past attitudes about playing music: “Oh, I’m cool!”; “People are gonna dig me when I play this!”; etc. – i.e., coming from the ego.

Realized an “attitude adjustment” is in order: in fact, it looks like my attitude in playing music has fallen behind my attitude in other activities! I realized the better attitude to take is “I do this for the glory of God!” Then, I realized that I want to take this attitude in everything I do!

Rather a traditional wording, but the right spirit. Thinking of what Rev. Michael said during the streaming Agape class, his usual emphasis on us being here to express the “Love-Intelligence that governs the universe”.

In meditation this morning, worked with the words, “I’m here to express the Infinite”, and a modified version of my chant: “Infinite Oneness, Infinite Life” (etc.).

THIS IS IT!

I don’t play music, get buff, have a relationship with a woman, etc., etc., to feel good, show how cool I am, get acceptance, etc. I do EVERYTHING I do to express the Infinite! I’m here to fulfill God’s desire for creativity, for expression, through and as me!

Wow, I can’t wait to see how this is going to radically affect how I look at and do everything! I’m feeling the positive vibes, the “incredible lightness of being”, and the big smile on my face already!!!

One thing that’s mentioned a lot is “we are here to give our gifts”. Playing a jazz gig tonight, I decided to play with that attitude.

More than ever before, I really felt it! It was a new way to feel about giving, and a much more joyous, empowering one. Before, giving felt “nice”, like “the right thing to do”, “a higher way of living”, etc. Now, playing music with the intention to give, it felt like an acknowledgment that I am empowered, that I am capable, that I am whole, that I have something to give, that I am “overflowing” with good, so I have plenty to spare, and share!

With this feeling, I also felt that I’m beginning to really understand abundance principles, like the Law of Circulation. When I give – when I act from the attitude of giving – I’m declaring to the Universe, “I have- I’m able to give”, and the Universe responds by giving to me. No matter whether I’m giving a lot or a little – by giving, I’m participating in the flow, so I’m in it, a part of it, and the good flows from me, and back to me!

Woke up 1/4, with a strong assurance: the paradigm for my work, and for my entire life (!), is definitely set and clear! Every choice, every direction, and every action – indeed, every moment – is now based on Spirit’s guidance!

So this means: no more planning what I “can do”, based on what others have done (although I will still check them out for inspiration!); no more deciding and proceeding based on “what’s the best thing to do” in my career, or life. EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME, comes from my connection- my oneness – with Spirit: always looking to THAT direction, with everything from planning to deciding whether to accept or decline, pursue or not, to the actual doing of the creative work, etc.

Now the nagging thought, “How am I going to do this? “ (with so many options available, esp. in terms of my transformational career, and continuing spiritual education) is settled: I will let go of all the surface mind chatter, and “tune in” to Spirit, to get that guidance that is always perfectly right.

Doing this, I am assured that my career path, and my life, is unfolding in the utmost beautiful, perfect way, and that all the actions and directions I choose, and the way in which I “do my thing’ is the absolute best, is perfect!!

This is a complete assurance that my live events, my recordings, my writings, my day-to-day (moment-to-moment) interactions – everything – are completely based on that spiritual connection, and are therefore right, deep, inspired, and inspiring!

I’d already made the transition from the old “me here, God up there” concept to “God’s everywhere, including in me” many years ago. Still there was a sense of separation: “I want to commune with the Source”; even “God and I are one”, while affirming unity, still feels like it’s talking about 2 separate entities.

But “I am That”! “I am Spirit”! “My essence is God”! “I am made from God”! There is no separation- although I am not the totality of God (by any means), I (and you and everything) am (we are) It!! (And “Thou art That”!)

In trying to describe this feeling, the parental terminology came up: “God the Father”; “Mother-Father God”. Of course, this can bring up the old anthropomorphic concept, when taken anywhere-near literally; but felt, instead, it’s seen as a metaphor, which describes the feeling, the realization, that we are “made of God-stuff”, and the unity with God, without barriers, can be sort of likened to that of a parent with its child: an inseparable genetic and emotional / love-based connection. The feeling of an unbreakable family bond, something constant, etc.- but even more connected than that. Again, this is a metaphor, trying to describe an experience of God. As Bishop John Shelby Spong says, we cannot define God, but we can describe our experiences of God…

So we are describing this unity, this always-open communication (and communion). Another useful metaphor (which also goes along with modern science) is the communication between different parts of the body, like the brain and the eye, for example (both of which, along with all parts, and all cells, it has now been shown, have intelligence). So God and I (and you and everything) are parts of the whole (and the whole, of course is all God!), and there is constant connection and communication between all of these.

Aha! So God is all, and I am a part of that All! Not one with It; not connected to It- a part of It!

So, what’s the point? The point is, I’m not (we’re not) sitting here, separate from God, working toward communication and a feeling of unity. I am (we are) a part of God, inseparable, indivisible, always! So that omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniaction is always here, and no effort is required to “get it”. Joy! I am (we are) always fulfilled!!!

It occurred to me that these things that resonate with us are things we already know at some level- like the level of the super conscious mind, the Infinite Universal Mind, common to everyone, etc. Like that enlightenment that we already have, but don’t always realize.

So the introduction to the book I’m working on will say, “You already know this…this book is just a reminder to remember it” !

We already have everything we need!

However, recent experiences giving talks and doing my CD release concert, which included some public speaking, reminded me that the teacher is also the learner. The process of teaching – of communicating and sharing knowledge and / or insights – increases the teacher’s clarity and conviction, by requiring it!

So it’s a beneficial circle- the teaching feeds the teacher’s personal development, and the personal development feeds the teaching!

Some days, I manage to let go of these kinds of thoughts and stay with the inspiration. Others, I get distracted from them by activities, but they lurk in the background, often weighing me down.

Today, I got a very strong inspiration- facilitated, I’m sure, by the book “The Power of Decision” by Raymond Charles Barker and the work we’ve been doing with it in a Science of Mind class at Center For Spiritual Living – Windward O`ahu. Last night, we covered the second-to-last chapter in the book, and there was a lot about “not living small”, realizing that we are the means of expression of our Source, which is completely unlimited.

The thought I got was: these fears I get and the limitations they impose on what I think I can do during a given day must be recognized and let go of – it’s vital! I have a Divine Mandate: live to the fullest, express completely, love completely, serve the world completely! This complete living is not possible if I’m tied down by worries, which actually become self-fulfilling prophecies of doom!

I KNOW that I am staying with the inspiration now, because I realize that it – the Divine urge of infinite expression, creativity, love, and life – is so much larger, so much stronger than any fears or worries that might come into my mind! I not only choose to let go of them; I realize that letting go of them and embracing the inspiration is the only possible way, in light of the hugeness of the Divine Purpose!!

Breathing in fully and completely and feeling the joy of complete life, I prepare to start my day, knowing that it is an amazing day, wherein infinite abundance, love, life, and joy express completely through me

Stayed at the Kaua’i Marriott last night. Checked out about 6:30am, and told the front desk clerk I liked the recent renovations.

She smiled a big smile, and told me they’ve been full through the renovations, which is great, but sometimes challenging, because sometimes they don’t have free rooms to move guests into if they don’t like their rooms.

Then she smiled some more and said, “but we just enjoy serving- serving our guests; and the challenges just make us stronger.”

Amen!

For awhile, I didn’t really get it: I don’t love those parts of me; I want to get rid of them as soon as possible!

However, I realized today that this love isn’t a reaction- loving that which we like and not loving, or even hating, that which we don’t like. It’s an action- we start from a place of love, and love is what we do, regardless of the circumstances.

So when I do the action of love toward weak, confused, fearful parts of myself, I evoke a healing energy, which is part of the Universal Energy, which is Divine Love. Doing this, I can feel those parts of me get soothed and comforted, like a scared little child being reassured by a parent, with patience and love.

I intend to approach every situation and person with this love that starts with me!