Dear MSIA Family,
I have been involved with John’s new (and first) book from early on in the project, and there are some things about it I think you might like to know. (Now, you are going to hear some enthusiastic words from me. However, you can give thanks we didn’t get Tom Boyer to write about this, because he’s is a complete fanatic when it comes to the book!)
This collection of commentaries, stories from his life, and blessings that John has brought forward over the years, is a show stopper for several reasons.
The design was undertaken with aesthetics as an important objective. This is one beautiful book. The paper feels good to touch and is a kind of paper that causes the colors to be very vibrant. The binding is a special (and costly) one that allows the pages to lie more flat than regular books when the book is open. And the page design, layout, even the typeface, were selected to make the book highly pleasing to the eye.
The content is outstanding. The book is filled with gems from John, and we’ve presented some excerpts below so you can see what we mean. One of the neatest things about the material is that this is pretty much a “jargon-free” book. (No jargon was harmed in the processing of this publication.) What this means is that you can feel completely free to give this book to anyone who enjoys uplifting material. They will find words that are familiar and that have the same meaning to everyone, whether they are used to hearing spiritual concepts or not.
John’s blessings are awesome. There is one that says, toward the end, “I have a message for you. You can decide from whom it comes.” I get shivers every time I read it. When we were working on the blessings, it became obvious that many of them were pure poetry, and so they are presented in verse form. Anyone who is open to it will feel the Spirit that fills John’s heart and his words.
I am telling you all this because, if you haven’t already seen it, I think you’ll enjoy taking a look at John’s book. I believe that you will find the messages stir you and the blessings lift you. Maybe you’ll want to buy a copy to keep by your bedside or on your desk or coffee table.
Even more, I suggest you consider this a fine gift for people you care for. I have several clients who are not particularly familiar with MSIA to whom I have given the book as a gift. I have given other MSIA books I love, like the Tao of Spirit, Forgiveness, and Spiritual Warrior to friends I know are interested in what we study. I will give The Blessings Already Are to a wide group of folks, because I don’t think there’s anyone on the planet who wouldn’t enjoy and appreciate it.
Of course, I will close my letter to you by saying,
Baruch bashan, the blessings already are.
Love,
Laren
Here are some JM Gems from the book:
From Chapter 1: The Blessing of it All
The first blessing is loving. If you are invoking and evoking your loving nature, it will lead you into the highest consciousness. Loving is the opening. It is the portal. All pass in loving. All enter through loving. Consider this: If you were entirely loving, nothing would bother you.
From Chapter 2: The Blessing of Choosing the Light
If God chose to “let” the Light be, was there also a choice present to not let there be light? The choice to let there be light is fundamental to our own daily creations. As we encounter this world of shadows and reflections, we have the choice to let the Light of our revelation illumine our consciousness to the reality of our experiences.
From Chapter 3: The Blessing of Receiving and Giving
Soul Transcendence, the direct awareness of our spiritual connection with the Divine, is a process of realizing the detached, nonmaterial state that is the source of our true wealth and prosperity. It is high time to practice expanding our abundance and riches as we learn to let it all go and pass it on to those who are able to receive. Many sacred scriptures tell us that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. It is not too smart to attach ourselves to the materiality of this world such that when the Lord gives or takes away, we are ill prepared for either. It is our heritage to learn to freely receive and give. This is a great key to a life of ever-increasing abundance and riches. The source of the supply is unlimited, and the opportunities on the planet are more plentiful than ever.
From Chapter 4: The Blessing of Loving One Another
It will always be true that each situation in our lives is a challenge and an opportunity to choose into the Light. The only difference is the degree to which we find ourselves challenged by the nature of each situation. Perhaps it is most challenging to choose into the Light when we are happy and contented because we have a tendency to forget the importance of choosing the Light when we are at our best. There is a wartime saying: “Everybody in a foxhole knows God.” When we are at our worst, even the most devout unbelievers call upon God. God always answers our call. The question is, are we listening? Are we hearing God’s answers and abiding by those answers?
From Chapter 5: The Blessing of Accepting Perfection
I look upon negativity and pain as messengers of better opportunities that are available. Negativity and pain tell us that things could be better and that, often, the way things are is unnecessary or available for improvement. Some people might ask, “What about situations when the negativity and pain get worse and worse no matter what I do?” I have often heard John-Roger refer to his mother’s saying, “If it does not kill you, it will strengthen you.” And what if it does kill you? In reality, only the body dies. You live on, strengthened by all your experiences, no matter how severe. Am I saying that none of the occurrences, situations, pain, negativity, and the like in the world is a problem? That is exactly what I am saying when problems are represented as tragedy, againstness, discouragement, and so on. A world without problems is a perfect world. God’s world is a perfect world. It is not without trials and lessons, but it is only our human judgements that create the illusion that God’s world, the world we are living in, is imperfect.
A BLESSING OF SURRENDER
Dear Lord, let us be awakened now, again.
Let us put aside our mind that tells us that you are not here and now. Let us put aside our doubts and our fears.
Lift us to the heart of the Spirit. Reveal again our joy, the celebration of our life as a Soul, as one who came into this world full of goodness, full of purity and dedication to truth, and alive with unceasing love through overflowing abundance, prosperity, and goodness for all.
Let us become a clear example of God’s life in this world. Quicken that Spirit in us. Cast away those things that keep us in unknowing so that we become knowers of God.
Let us have a vision now, an experience within that we take into this world, where we see our feet firmly upon the ground, that we welcome this day. We welcome the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We see the beauty, we know the harmony and the peace that is your will being done.
Let us be bold and clear in our expression of the Spirit. There’s no need to hold back here. Our goodness is full. It is strong. Let us behold you by your Spirit. The world can contain it no more. It directs us into our liberation; it lifts us beyond the limitations we find here.
We are not downtrodden by what we see in the world. We are not deterred by the pessimism, the negativity, the debts, the lack, or the hatred we may encounter in ourselves or others. We are not downtrodden by anything, as we are raised up by every situation.
We lift ourselves in your consciousness and in your energy. We are straightened wherever we have been bent by the weight of judgments or shame. In whatever ways we have been hardened and encased in ritualized ideas and concepts of restriction, we cast them away freely.
We reflect upon that which is the heart and the love and the joy, expanding past any limitations, any chains that would imprison our oneness with you.
We forgive ourselves for looking upon ourselves and others as prisoners, as less than divine. This is not our consciousness of love.
We bless ourselves as we bless one another.
We restore this world to a garden, to a pristine world, where good flourishes and harmony and peace are all that can be seen.
We are your children, bringing your deeds home. We gladly accept the opening of our heart that reveals your truth. Quicken us once again. Raise our vibration; lift us in your purpose. We are open. We are complete in our oneness with you.
We sing your praise. We hear your melody. The Sound and Light are all around.
Sweet surrender again. We let go. We let you, God.
Baruch Bashan.
Praise for John Morton and The Blessings Already Are
“John Morton truly communicates with beauty, strength, and loving. His heartfelt blessings are profound reminders of Spirit’s ever-present power and grace. Reading these blessings has served as a wonderful beginning to my days.”
—Stu Semigran, EduCare Foundation, President
“The personal strengths that John brings to his blessings inspire me to recognize and live from a greater sense of my own value.”
—Anne Naylor, author Superlife, Superlove, and SuperYou
“These blessings stir the Spirit inside. When I read them I am reminded once again that God is present with me in every moment.”
-Mark Lurie
“John Morton always takes me to the better part of me, to the place I really want to be looking, working, and living from.”
—Stede Barber, Editor, New Day Herald
“As I experienced the heart of John Morton I found within myself more peace, compassion, acceptance and loving.”
—Elliott Derek Politi
“John has a gentle wisdom which he shares without pretense. It is something we can all partake of. It requires no special talent or understanding—just a willingness to feel good about life for a while. And, in the process, learn something about ourselves and the Divinity which is an essential part of us.”
—Leigh Merrihew Hamel, Licensed Professional Counselor/Art Therapist
“John Morton’s book is a simple and elegant expression of the glory and majesty of Spirit in everyday life. He finds Spirit everywhere, and thanks to him, so do we.”
—Rachelle Zazzu
“I’ve heard John Morton speak many times. He touches my heart with his words. And there is an underlying quality which I find of even greater value: an essence of complete, unvarnished honesty.”
—R. L Griesinger, Colonel, U.S. Air Force, retired
“This book is a gift for your heart and soul.”
—Candy Semigran, Author, One-Minute Self-Esteem: Caring for Yourself and Others
“I am often amazed at the eloquence with which Spirit speaks through John Morton. To me, he expresses profound beauty and poetry while touching me deeply at the heart of my hurts, cares and concerns. His words will play back, sometimes for weeks, with resounding truth, directing and redirecting me into greater alignment with my purpose here as a Soul.”
—Rachael Morgan, Teen Insight Coordinator, Insight Southern California
The book is available for purchase directly through
MSIA; online at theblessings.org and amazon.com; and at many Barnes & Noble bookstores throughout the US. It can also be special ordered at any bookstore by simply asking for the book by title; it helps to provide the following ISBN number: 0-914829-67-X.
