This article by John Morton was originally published in the New Day Herald in September of 2000.
As we bring ourselves into spiritual exercise, there is a sacred openness. We bring what is in us as an offering to God. What do we have to offer God that God does not already have? Our choosing to attend to God. That is the first focus of an initiate: our attention to God. – John Morton
There is a principle of Soul Transcendence called “let go and let God,” and spiritual exercise is the practice of Soul Transcendence. When we practice spiritual exercise, we give ourselves the opportunity to do Soul Transcendence — to have that direct experience and to know that there is something real there for us. By the practice of spiritual exercise, there is always an experience that is given to us to keep us vitalized. A holy, living breath is constantly being delivered so we do not die or perish.
The reality is that we are being constantly awakened and shown the illumination that is the Light of God. We are being allowed the vibration that is the Sound of God–the inaudible, inconceivable experience. Can that be a more available or more consistent experience? That is entirely between you and the Lord. How you are ministered to during spiritual exercises is the Lord’s domain. That includes the pace, the reality, and any occurrences that take place. It is so diverse that it becomes unique to each individual and sufficient so there is never a lack in what is being ministered. It sustains us.
If we are in any way in negation of our experience in spiritual exercises, we are up against our ignorance and our darkness. This is what confronts us. If we were to take any aspect of the negation as a belief or as a principle to base our life upon, then our life would be based on a negative, which is a denial of who we are as a spiritual being and as a Soul.
That process and the things we associate with negativity can become very painful and disturbing. The reality of our experience of who we are is one of eternal peace and love, a blessing of constant, unconditional loving. As we partake in that, it translates to the levels in us that are endarkened or closed through the negative force. There is a confrontation there that works as a testing of our patience. We always have a choice to hold with patience, and that holding is through our entire life in this world. For us to demand that God reveal the fullness of our spirituality while living in this world is to place ourselves against our living reality as a human being. Being human, we do not have access to the fullness of the spiritual reality.
As human beings, we have an endarkened state with a negative reality as an imperfect reference point. As a test, that negative state would deny who we are spiritually, as if to say, “You are not who you are.” But as long as you know who you really are, someone saying that “you are not who you are” does not matter. It is not material to your personal experience of who you really are.
And so it is with Spirit. The things that go on with this world are not real material to the Spirit. They do not hold substance. The substance of the reality of Spirit is an eternal loving quality, and it is our opportunity in the Spirit to uphold the spiritual standard — to love all. Love constantly. Love in all ways. That is a constant choice, and in loving our Lord God, we come into an availability that we refer to as spiritual exercise.
As a way of making ourselves available, we bring our attention to the Light of God. How do we do that? By our intent, which supercedes our mental, emotional, and physical states, anything not being revealed, or even things we imagine going on unconsciously as a state of nothingness or darkness. All of that is what we are to confront as a holding and a waiting on the Lord.
As we bring ourselves into spiritual exercise, there is a sacred openness. We bring what is in us as an offering to God. What do we have to offer God that God does not already have? Our choosing to attend to God. That is the first focus of an initiate: our attention to God. We bring our attention into the experience we have with God’s way. We have that first as an inner experience of revelation. As we have that revealed to us, we take on that responsibility.
If you have a singular glimpse of a moment where the Light and energy of God is revealed — even just for an instant — you then have a responsibility for the rest of your life. You have seen and you have known in that instant. You might have a sense like, “Maybe I made that up. Maybe that was not real. Maybe I am no longer worthy. Maybe God faked me out. Maybe that was the devil masquerading. Maybe, maybe, maybe.” Regardless of the conditions, we are called upon to hold and to trust in God.
Part of what goes on with an initiate of the Soul is that you get to take responsibility for your creation. You get to go into it in every way and in every level and work it. It is a lot of work and a lot of just “hanging in there” and enduring. You may feel like asking, “When is this going to be over? Why am I still dealing with something I have done already?” Whenever you do not come to peace with your creations and let go by letting God, then you will have judgments that you continue to hold against yourself and God.
If you hold negative judgments, then you will manifest them in the negative levels of God’s creation. That means anybody, any time, and any place. That is a big list. How do you clear that and let that go? You begin where you find yourself. In spiritual exercise, there is a focus of calling on the Lord’s name. In doing this, wherever you are and whatever is with you or confronting you, you will be lifted. That is the promise. If you will hold yourself into this focus with the name of God and do what you can in your ability to focus upon the Light and Sound of God, then you will be liberated of your illusions and negative creations.
As an initiate, your job is to hold an intent even as an imagining or a mocking up of the Light and Sound of God. Of our own power, we do not do this. By God’s power and grace, it is done to the degree that we are able to handle the experience. Spiritually, we are not given anything we cannot handle.
How does it work? God chose us and we choose back. Why does it work that way? Co-creation. Why would anyone stop that? There is no good answer, other than we forgot or we don’t know better. We entered into illusion. With that went a separation and a choosing into negativity. As we realize who we are, we stop that. We put an end to the process of creating negatively. We hold a constant, uplifting focus and use everything to lift. That works by coming into cooperation with the energy that is constantly lifting. That energy is spiritual. That is the energy that is constantly lifting and returning into the God-force. We enter into that by doing spiritual exercise, which is a form of worship.
Does that mean we just chant the tone or say the words? No. It is all of what goes with that, which is to make ourselves available to attend to God, to wait on God, and to watch with God. If you think that gets to be boring or routine, that is not the reality of God. Boredom is the reality of your creation when you are lazy and in a state of separation.
If you create laziness, slothfulness, darkness, nothingness, and idleness, then you will need to deal with the results of not taking the responsibility that is your creation. It is no surprise that what you have created shows up for you to deal with. You are a creator. How do you deal with what you have created when you don’t know how? Take on the consciousness of God, which is an eternal power of love. Take that on and love whatever you find.
The reality is that this extends to a constant spiritual exercise. Your family becomes a spiritual exercise. Getting dressed becomes a spiritual exercise. Going to the doctor, paying the bills, driving in the car, doing all the routine and mundane things in life — all that becomes a spiritual exercise. As you love it all in the world, it translates inside of you. You come into a loving rhapsody and harmony that transcends. Love will flow in and out so there will be no stopping it. There will be no holding you back. You will be in a consciousness that cannot be denied.
It is every Soul’s heritage to overcome denial. We do that by our faith. How do we do faith? By paying attention to what in reality moves our life. Just paying attention to it. If you do not know where to start, start with your breath.
Baruch Bashan.
