This article comes from John Morton’s sharing on March 24, 2018 with the faculty of the new Peace Theological Seminary two-year Master’s Program in Transcendent Leadership scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2018. It is also published in the New Day Herald Magazine. 

I certainly have been called forward in what I would consider a form of Transcendent Leadership in this work of the Traveler. I do consider that I am also here at the pleasure of the Traveler. That’s my life. It’s “Lord, what would you have me do?” That’s one of my common prayers. We have an opportunity here in the seminary to learn how to apply ourselves into Soul consciousness, spiritual consciousness, loving consciousness. Our purpose in MSIA is Soul Transcendence so if we were doing Transcendent Leadership, would that be Soul transcendent leadership? I hope so.

Let’s consider that you are gathering a group who can use your spiritual gifts. Let’s claim that you do your levels of loving with great excellence. It’s when we do something less than loving, that it can become difficult. If you focus your intention on being loving, and someone asks, “Are you loving?” what would the answer be? “I am loving.” And if that same someone says, “Well, you’re not acting very loving,” that’s an opportunity for you to move up in your levels of loving. That’s how I look at it and I see that as an opportunity in this program.

Who would be the greatest demonstration of loving? It doesn’t have to be only one who can do the greatest loving and the rest lose. It’s great that there would be an aspiration for the greatest loving; a declared focus and valuing of loving. I am already seeing that. But then practically, how would we know loving is in play? I think it is very important to realize, “Yes, there are ways that loving reveals itself.”

Practical Ways to Up Our Levels of Loving

John-Roger gave us a lot of practical ways to up our levels of loving. The ground rules he gave us in workshops and classes could also apply in our lives: take care of yourself — so then with those gifts of caring towards yourself, you are going to be caring for others — and don’t hurt yourself and don’t hurt others.

Have you ever hurt? I have. And the best loving to me is what comes from our source, from who we are, as a demonstration and then the willingness to go to that. That’s a big key. One of the teachings that came out of J-R’s mouth was, “The willingness to do gives the ability to do.” For me, this is a transcendent power that we all have.

When we attempt to communicate from that place that’s real and authentic, from our heart, the truth of who we are, something magnificent works and happens; something I relate to as communion gets into our midst and it’s like “where two or more are gathered.” [“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).] That energy field can be quite powerful.

I am concluding that the opportunity for a greater manifestation of Spirit into the planet is here in the room, here in this work, and here in this program. We’ve had this privilege, honor, sacred trust, over and over, and I do consider we have something here on the order of the Ark of the Covenant. Not the physical ark. We have it spiritually; we have the energy field of it. I see that there is a great treasure being handed to us, and at times it’s like stalking the Spirit, searching for the Spirit.

What Would be the Most Transcendent Leadership?

What would be the most Transcendent Leadership? I do consider that there is a service here that we are all applying ourselves to that is something larger than any one of us — another level of transcendent leadership — and that is being Spirit-led.

For me, transcendent means higher consciousness, and there’s a truth that it is higher and better, such that when I look at what we are doing as human beings, I see a movement where everyone’s life is dynamic and changing. In the changes is the opportunity to move into the better. It’s clear to me that this is an opportunity we always have in every moment — the opportunity to shift for the better — to conduct myself, ourselves for the better. And as we do, something better comes into our midst.

What better than to have what that spiritual presence is, that’s anointed of the Spirit, guiding and present in our midst, and then be doing something that J-R called the one accord.

Transcendent Leadership has some kindness in it and something that would change the way we relate to each other into a higher, more transcendent way. Let’s do this work in such a way that kindness is somehow experienced more.

How Can Greater Loving or Levels of Loving Work?

How can greater loving or levels of loving work? One way I hear it is “perfectly” — that love is the main presence. It is the primary way we would relate to who are we, what we are, what brought us here today. Let’s consider that love brought us here and that’s transcendent. God is love. That’s a transcendent statement.

And then, we are of God’s creation and yet there’s some process that’s in a dynamic flow and is a dynamic opportunity. There is greater loving possible for all of us. Something that we do would bring loving that transcends what we could contain in loving. So there would be another level of loving. The righteous — the ones who are sparked in this divine purpose to wake up to loving and transform ourselves to loving — would in some way be transforming our creation and what we are connected to so this world would be transformed to the loving. Because one person, even one person transforming, would put that vibration into the entire planet.

The Best is Yet to Come

The way I relate to that is it’s encouragement. It’s inspiration that the best is yet to come. We’re coming in and saying, “What we are doing in the Transcendent Leadership program is getting the best to come and to become.”

What that becomes is something in which everybody needs to experience it within themselves so that the leadership is alive. We have a living God. So however we’re getting spiritual directive, it’s alive.

The Spirit Within

A large part of this program is going to be conducted with what Spirit does inwardly with each person and all of us together. So taking time to be in spiritual exercise is important. What that means is we take time to go quiet, be silent and go within. So let’s do that now and open ourselves to the presence of the Divine.

A Blessing of Transcendent Leadership

This might sound like a blessing, but it’s also my way of calling us forward into the higher consciousness.

Thank you, Lord, for being in our midst here. We have responded to Your call long ago, and now in this way, with this Transcendent Leadership program and all that is being prepared and is already prepared.

So those coming forward as students, faculty — and all those involved with the ministry — are doing what this is as Your work — as the work of Soul Transcendence — and bringing forward greater loving in each person, through all who are involved, and sharing that loving into the world.

We welcome this through the consciousness that is the Christ, that is the Mystical Traveler, and of all this being conducted as the Divine Presence, as the manifestation for the highest good of all concerned. That we are open, and in this openness we bring our willingness to serve. And in our willingness to serve, we are the Divine conductors. And we conduct It into ourselves with perfect protection. And we bring our trust, our commitment, our devotion into how all this is done. We also invite the clearing. So we ask that be done from the highest levels with whatever is needed, through Your grace.

And right now, we do experience the peace that is present and the great opportunity before us. We ask for Your direction again, coming from the highest good, that we become instruments of this Divine purpose. And we open it up into a field of cooperation, a field in that Presence we know as the Holy Spirit and the One Accord. We also ask for Your blessing that would transmute whatever is difficult, whatever is unnecessary and negative, so that ease and grace is what we find. And with what is challenging, that You would show us the way. Whatever is needed, that You bring it forward. You reveal it’s already present, and also being held in Spirit for when the perfect timing and the perfect way is fully in manifestation. You remind us that in our trust, we can find our faith, knowing that Your will is being done.

Again, we are those who are open, willing. We give thanks for the strength, the clarity, the vision, and the greater knowing of Your will being done.

We invite those who are assisting spiritually to come forward, and that we also open ourselves up to be in that attunement with whatever consciousness is being brought forward to assist each one, and to work with this in cooperation and collaboration.

You also reveal Your infinite patience, that if You have this patience, we have this patience. So there is no urgency. Whatever is necessary is a process that works through consistently making ourselves available to do whatever is necessary, and to hold in this purpose: that we can be revealed as those with great devotion, dedication, and that a sacred purpose is being brought forward here, calling us into the consecration of our will in oneness with God’s Will. And this is a cause for celebration.

Love is the way. Peace is the way. The joy, the delight in one another is the way. That as we demonstrate this with one another, that Presence in our midst can demonstrate it for each one and all of us together in this world, to bring forward whatever consciousness can be revealed on Earth as it is in heaven.

And with all this we give thanks that we can merely be a witness.

We thank You for that gift that is shared, that You are doing the work, and then it becomes we are doing the work together. And then it becomes all of us doing the work together. This is our vision.

Baruch Bashan

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We asked the faculty of the new PTS Master’s Program in Transcendent Leadership their definition of “Transcendent Leadership.” Here are a few of their responses:

Everyone is a leader. An important aspect of leadership is modeling what we believe and value about how to be in the world, and we all do that. The transcendent leader is one who is dedicated to ensuring that her presence and actions are in alignment and harmony with the Soul. Transcendent leader consciousness means living the awareness that all Souls are to be treated with the loving care and kindness that supports us as Souls to make our journey through this world. And it also means being gracefully willing to take responsibility each time things fall short. Repeat and repeat. – Joanie Clingan, Ph.D. PTS Dean, MSS in Transcendent Leadership

Transcendent leaders are aware of and have the ability to transcend – rise above – many aspects of human expression. In that awareness, they are able to hold in a consciousness that helps unbind others from their often self-imposed restrictions. – Gregory Stebbins, Ed.D.

Transcendent Leadership happens when we show up together in ways that are loving, honest, peaceful, and kind, serving with excellence here and now. Easy to say, at times challenging to do, and joyful to experience. – Andrée Leighton, Ph.D.

To me a transcendent leader’s potential for the highest good rests in the blessings of Spirit as she knows them, and all that is unknown, is then revealed through the distinct reciprocal unfolding nature of Spirit’s love for itself in the world. So to all those future transcendent leaders, pick up your potential and unfurl your distinct, exquisite expression of Spirit’s loving plan for you in this life in this world. – Karen M. Faherty Rosen, Ph.D.

To me, the “special sauce” of Transcendent Leadership is that we’re infusing the miraculous into ordinary leadership practice. This program bridges the extraordinary fullness of the reality in which we live as spiritual practitioners into the everyday choices, interactions, and expressions of leadership on the physical level. – Jeffrey Morgan, Esq.

The Transcendent Leadership consciousness is available to and present in all of us. This program offers a process of awakening to the Transcendent Leader within. – David Whitaker, MFA

To read more about Transcendent Leadership from the perspective of the program’s faculty, click here.

For more information about PTS’s New Master’s Program in Transcendent Leadership visit transcendentleader.org
Or contact Joanie Clingan at joanie@pts.org.