Many times you have heard me say, “Take care of yourself.” I mean that on every level. When you do take care of yourself in all ways, then you lift into Spirit and experience the freedom of your Soul. – John-Roger
This article by John-Roger was originally published in the Movement Newspaper, November of 1979.
Out of God comes all things. Nothing can harm you…no Soul is lost, although many Souls may be confused. And that confusion is brought about by the negative power that is often called the devil, although I often call it “the prover.” It will prove that you are worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. You do not reach the kingdom of heaven by luck or by good fortune. You reach it by your good works. Doing good inside and doing good outside is God.
You cannot enter the kingdom of heaven by way of pride, either. You cannot entertain the idea of “I’m better than you, holier than you, more beloved than you; therefore I can take from you and give nothing in return except my love, if you are smart enough to catch it.” That is a deceitful trick and if you play that, it will be played on you in return and at the exact moment when you don’t think you can stand it.
Clear up levels in your life that are deceitful. Clear them up NOW. If you do, you’ll find many interesting “side effects.” As you clear up your deceit, you’ll find that your insomnia clears up, your envy clears up, jealousy clears up, greed clears up. Desires start dissipating, and you find out that life is to be lived more abundantly and in so much more joy than you ever imagined.
It is a good life that the loving God has prepared far you. Your loving God resides in your spiritual heart as the Beloved — as you. The God I know is no dummy. He has prepared the way for you to live here joyfully. He has prepared many different paths and ways so that all people may find just the way that they are most comfortable with, and through which they may discover just what it is that they need in this world. God has prepared churches with great pomp and ritual for certain types of discipline, as in the traditional Catholic and Protestant churches. He has prepared the more mentally oriented churches, such as Science of Mind, Unity, and Christian Science, for another type of discipline. He has prepared Far Eastern disciplines — Zen, Hinduism, etc. for other types of discipline. There is something for everyone. It is all laid out like a smorgasbord, and we can go in and partake of whatever we like — until we get sick of it, or until we are fulfilled, or until we decide we’d like to try something else. God has given us the freedom of choice.
And with that freedom of choice comes the responsibility of choice. You are responsible for all that you do in this life, for all that you say and for all that you think. All of these actions are powerful, and you might want to be aware that there are consequences for your actions. I listened to a program on the radio one day; it was a dramatic program. In the story, there was a statue, and tradition had it that people made wishes at that statue and the wishes would come true. A man and his wife were there; and the woman wanted to make a wish. Her husband said, “No, don’t. Don’t make a wish. Let’s go.” They argued and he left. After he left, she made her wish, which was for $15,000. The husband was a policeman; and the next day, in the course of his duties, he was involved in a chase; his car overturned and he was killed. The day before, he had taken out a new life insurance policy; the proceeds were $15,000, to be paid to his wife upon his death. True, radio programs are not necessarily reality, but it is reality that you get what you ask for… although you often get it in unexpected ways and often when you no longer want it. So it is important to be careful what you ask for.
I have wondered, if a wise person were granted three wishes, what would they be? The first one might be for the granting of unlimited wishes, if that be for the highest good. And if that were not the highest good, then the second wish would be to live in health, wealth and happiness. And the third wish would be that the second wish be accomplished without hurting anyone, without taking advantage of anyone. Those might be wise wishes and wise choices. And you can make those wishes at any time. And you can fulfill those wishes at any time.
I see many people who profess to live in the Light and to know the Light consciousness and yet live their lives in ways that take advantage of others, that hurt others and that attempt to get something for themselves without an honest return. You do not get away with anything, even if you kid yourself that you do. When you hurt others — financially, emotionally, mentally, physically — you not only hurt them (and you are responsible for that), but you hurt yourself by assassinating your own character. If someone comes to you to be uplifted and you are so down on yourself that you can’t give them a smile or a hug or a pat on the back, then you have cheated them of your Light. And you have cheated yourself of their Light that would shine for you in return. This concept of exchange is important. On every level, you pay your way in this world, whether it is in an exchange of smiles, an exchange of services or an exchange of money.
Sometimes these things can become subtle. Perhaps you know someone who does massage or body therapy of some sort. If they ask you if your back is hurting and offer to work on it for you, why do you think they did that? Do you think that they might have been exercising their awareness and ability as a professional practitioner, being of service to you, loving you — and that they may deserve acknowledgement and an exchange from you? If the charge for their regular treatment is $100.00, and they are a friend, you might offer them a few dollars — something to make it a fair exchange. You might offer to take them to dinner and the movies, thereby making some demonstration of your appreciation for them taking care of you. Be aware that they have their own set of needs. If you find yourself just taking and taking and taking, there may come a time when people no longer feel like giving to you. We all like an exchange; it tends to keep the karma clear.
A person wrote to me one time and said, “You’re here to help me. How come I can’t reach you when I need help?” And I wondered what kind of help they were after. Help when they’ve neglected themselves? Help when they’ve taken advantage of people and then find their universe no longer supporting them? Help in continuing that kind of existence? Help in promoting themselves in the physical world, when my job is Soul Transcendence? The help that I give is spiritual help, and in those levels of Spirit, I am immediately available. On this physical level, it is wise to go to someone who has skills in the areas in which you need assistance. If you are ill, go to the M.D., to the chiropractor, the massage technician, the people that are trained to handle the body. If you are confused and disturbed mentally, go the psychologist, the psychiatrist, those who are trained to assist you in those areas. If you want help with your taxes, go to your local tax man or lawyer. I am not equipped to assist you in those areas. My work is in Spirit.
And part of my work is to tell you that it is in your own best interest to live in honesty. Be honest with yourself; be honest with others. Live by the laws. And live by the rules that are a part of your immediate environment. Fulfill the agreements that you make with yourself and with other people around you. Fulfill your agreements to your family, your employers and employees, your friends, your landlord, your doctor, your dentist, your creditors, etc. When you fulfill the obligations that you have agreed to, you’d be surprised at the freedom you manifest in your life. And when these levels are clear, the energy that you are able to focus into your spiritual exercises becomes extremely powerful. When you are free on these lower levels, you can thrust more deeply into Spirit, because you will not be distracted by anything. Your focus, your direction becomes one-pointed and is hampered by nothing. And you will experience a freedom and a joy and a soaring of Spirit such as you have never even imagined.
Many times you have heard me say, “Take care of yourself.” I mean that on every level. When you do take care of yourself in all ways, then you lift into Spirit and experience the freedom of your Soul. And, my friends, that is one of my actions with you.
Baruch Bashan.
WATCH A SHORT VIDEO “WHAT IS SOUL TRANSCENDENCE?” WITH JOHN-ROGER
