A Sound and Practical Spiritual Philosophy of Living

 A Sound and Practical

 Spiritual Philosophy of Living

Live to Learn

Learn through experience that life is a school. Recognize that the existence of error and evil push us towards the love of truth; pain and suffering make us search for the secret of happiness; hardship and disappointments teach us about courage; insecurities and uncertainties urge us to hope; and the ego and its follies pull us towards unselfishness. We could not dynamically choose the divine life if there were no self-life to forsake. Have faith that the entire universe is friendly, in spite of all appearances to the contrary.

Be Strong 

Allow the pressures of life to develop character. We don’t perceive spiritual truth until feelingly experiencing it, and many truths are not really felt except in adversity. Learn wisdom upon experiencing tribulation. Practice to more faithfully give God sincere cooperation, more cheerfully endure the tasks of our emplacement, more faithfully carry out the program of God’s arrangement, more patiently go through the trials of His selection, more persistently and cheerfully tread the path of His choosing, and more humbly receive credit that may accrue as a result. The disappointments hardest to bear are those which never come. The weak indulge in resolutions, but we act so consider allowing the daughters of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Love Truth

That which is old and also true must stay. Likewise, that which is new but false must be rejected. But that which is new and also true, have faith and courage to accept. It is not the purpose of true religion merely to bring peace but rather to insure progress. And there can be no peace in the heart or progress in the mind unless we fall wholeheartedly in love with truth, the ideals of eternal realities. The more truth we know, the more truth we are, the more of the past we can understand and of the future we can comprehend.

Live in Love

Learn to love our fellow human beings by getting to know their motives and sentiments. If we can only comprehend the motives and sentiments of our associates, we’ll understand them better. If we know our fellow human beings, we will eventually fall in love with them. To become acquainted with one’s brothers and sisters, to know their problems and to learn to love them is the supreme experience of living. Devote our life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world for love is the ancestor of all spiritual goodness and the essence of the true and the beautiful.

Love Like a Father 

Love as a real father, the Universal Father loving and forever seeking the welfare of us creatures. Begin to look upon people as God looks upon us so that we can love human beings as God loves them. Show mercy, promote peace, endure persecutions, and throughout all of these trying situations love even our enemies. But the love of God is intelligent and farseeing so parental affection makes provision for the necessary discipline, guidance, correction, and sometimes restraint.

Live in Laughter

Take ourselves less seriously. Humor is the divine antidote for exaltation of ego. When we attempt to magnify our self-importance, we stop to contemplate the infinity of the greatness and grandeur of our Maker. Upon doing so, our own self-glorification becomes sublimely ridiculous, even verging on the humorous.

Rest and Play

Equally divide life between work and play, for religion may be balanced by humor. Profound philosophy may be relieved by rhythm and poetry. Learn the value of rest and the efficacy of relaxation. Realize that the best method of solving some entangled problems is to forsake them for a time so that when we go back fresh from our rest or worship, we can attack troubles with a clearer head and steadier hand, not to mention a more resolute heart.

Be Patient

Truth is defined only by living — it must be personally experienced. Those who are not interested in discovering the truth must be allowed time so that the trials and difficulties of life create an appetite for wisdom and higher learning. Do not reveal God to those who do not seek for Him, since the spirit concept cannot be mechanically forced into the mind. Become hungry for truth as a result of the experiences of living, and desire to know God when contacting with those who may be more acquainted with the Creator.

Discuss Tactfully 

Be prudent in remembering that the argumentative defense of any proposition is inversely proportional to the truth contained.

Be Tolerant

For a while, many will continue to show a personal preference for traditional religions, but the religion of the spirit entails active participation of mind and soul – personal experience. All other religions may profitably study and assimilate the best of the truths contained in every other faith, for all contain truth. We can borrow the best in our neighbors’ living faith rather than to denounce the worst in their lingering superstitions and outworn rituals. Refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those who seek salvation; instead, labor only to put something into these hungry souls.

Commune with God

Go apart to engage in periods of solitude to survey the problems of living and seek for wisdom and energy to meet the demands of life. Quicken and deepen the supreme purpose of living by contacting with divinity. The strain of living — the time tension of personality — may be relaxed by the restfulness of worship. Learn how to step aside from the rush of life and escape the harassments of material existence. Refresh the soul, inspire the mind, and renew the spirit by worshipful communion.

Fear not 

Do not make the mistake of fighting our enemies with their own weapons. Fear and anger weaken character and destroy happiness so do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who spitefully use us. Be not overcome by evil but rather overcome evil with good. The measure of the strength of our character is the ability to resist the holding of grudges and our capacity to withstand brooding in the face of deep sorrow. Impatience is a spirit poison; anger is like a stone hurled into a hornet’s nest. Fear none in heaven or on earth. In liaison with God, nothing is impossible.

Live Our Dreams

Some people enjoy some success, but we have begun an endless unfolding of an almost infinite panorama. We started a limitless expanding of spheres of opportunity for exhilarating service, matchless adventure, sublime uncertainty, and boundless attainment. Be humble as we seek for goals of spiritual wealth — for God — and we will not have to wait for rewards in a distant future; we are rewarded now. Find the kingdom of heaven within our own heart, and we will experience happiness now. When we search for God, we are searching for everything. When we find god, we will have found everything. God is the greatest experience in human existence.

Remain Positive 

Bear our responsibilities well and carry on in the face of disappointment. Bear up bravely when plans are thwarted and purposes temporarily defeated. Religion does not remove or destroy human troubles, but it does dissolve, absorb, illuminate, and transcend them. Remember that our most disappointing disappointments often become our greatest blessings, just as the planting of a seed necessitates its death so that it can be reborn to bear the fruit of new life and new opportunity. If we fail, rise indomitably to try anew. If we succeed, maintain a well-balanced poise–a stabilized and spiritualized attitude. Effort does not always produce joy, but happiness requires intelligent effort.

Stay Vigilant

Idealism suffers due to the baser orders of humanity. In all attacks which might be made upon us, try first to determine whether the aggressor possesses moral judgment and spiritual reason — if not, we can defend ourselves to the full capacity of resistance.

Work as a Team

It is difficult for religion to survive as the private practice of isolated individuals. This has ever been the error of the religious leaders: seeing the evils of institutionalized religion, they seek to destroy the technique of group functioning. There is a real purpose in the socialization of religion. Our group purpose is to actively dramatize the loyalties of religion, magnify the lures of truth, beauty, and goodness, foster the attractions of supreme values, enhance the service of unselfish fellowship, glorify the potentials of family life, promote religious education; provide wise counsel and spiritual guidance, and encourage group worship. Life is but a day’s work; do it well. The act is ours, yet the consequence is God’s.

Remain Humble 

Realize that we increase our burdens and decrease the likelihood of success by taking ourselves too seriously. When we feel important, we lose energy to the wear and tear of ego dignity so that there is little energy left to do the work. We can do important work if we do not become self-important. We can do several things as easily as one if we leave ourselves out. If we aspire to greatness we should learn to humble ourselves.

Justly Withstand Ignorance

Prejudice blinds the soul from the recognition of truth and is inseparably linked to selfishness so abandon it. Social inequality may drive us to altruism. Prejudice can be eliminated only by the abandonment of self to service. Search for God to progress towards perfection. Strive to let go of long-cherished conceit, envy, and deep-seated prejudices. Ignorance breeds suspicion, and suspicion is incompatible with the essential attitude of sympathy and love. Grudges and vengefulness are held in direct proportion to ignorance of the inner nature and true longings of our fellow beings. Shrewd, wicked, and designing men are not to be permitted to organize themselves for the exploitation and oppression of those who, because of their idealism, are not disposed to resort to force for self-protection or for the furtherance of their worthwhile life projects.

Pray Often 

An appropriate prayer to Michael/Jesus for all God’s children: “nevertheless, Your

will be done.” Pray for values, not things; and for growth rather than gratification. Do not be so slothful as to ask God to solve our difficulties, but never hesitate to ask him for wisdom and spiritual strength to guide and sustain us while we ourselves resolutely and courageously attack the problems at hand. Pray even in nature amidst the quiet surroundings. The words don’t matter so speak from the heart. One may avoid vain repetitions and meaningless phrases. Pray honestly, unselfishly, with fairness and without doubting. And have faith — living faith.

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