Thinking About Life
By Mary Bradley McCauley

  At the moment I’m wondering where I am in my life? For some time now, I have been on a spiritual path seeking enlightenment. My spiritual nature has been directing the movement. I feel that once my spiritual identity was defined, an automatic pilot took control and all roads lead to inner vision.

I know that many of my road maps have been designed by the masters including Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Swedenborg, Emerson, Thoreau, and Kant. Numerous others, who have navigated the world of thought and chartered the course of philosophy, have been my guides.

Emerson wrote, "Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world".

As my thoughts and perceptions define who I am, my direction becomes clearer. It fades from a mirage of tangible assets to a vision of keen conception. Within my mind I can clearly see the unity of nature and I become one with it. I am guided by the awareness that life is nature, and nature is God.

After years of study, I have come to the metaphysical belief that God is life. God is the creative energy force that exists in every molecule of life. God is intelligence; God is life; God is the existing force of nature; God is all that is.

When I consciously perceived this awareness, I was in a state of awe. I thought I had entered the New Age, and then realized through my philosophical and religious studies, that the New Age is as old as esoteric thought. The concept of the I Am, which is New Age thought, was taught by countless sages, philosophers, and religious leaders, including Jesus. I believe that when He said, "I Am Who Am", and "The Kingdom of Heaven is within", he said it all. "The Father and I are One".

This is a powerful concept. When we know that God is in all that is, and that we are a part of the whole, we seek to perfect the whole unit. The body itself is a prime example of this. Our bodies have an intelligence that directs all actions. When we are injured, that intelligence activates the healing process. The same intelligence generates each breath, each heart beat, our digestive systems, the various means of elimination, the blinking of our eyes, etc. If we look at the universe as a ‘body’, we see there is an intelligence that directs the action of that body.

When God, our Creator, Universal Energy, whatever nomenclature you use, breathed life into being, that life came from the source. That source is within all that is. I choose to call that source God. I choose to believe that God is within our being..

The human nature of our being has always been dual, both body and spirit. The depth of the body is mind, while the truth of the spirit is God, the "I AM". Once the "I AM" is acknowledged in the human mind, the consciousness, it cannot be denied. It is the all, the complete, the everything.

When this state of awareness is reached,, all that exists in the physical world is viewed with a different perspective. Joyfulness comes into the heart. Birds sing with an endearing sweetness, the trees elegantly sway in the breeze, and the awareness of the unity of all that is becomes a reality. Material possessions become less important, and physical satisfaction is less dominating. One rejoices in the awareness of our true nature, and life becomes less stress filled.

Divine mind flows through all of us. Some use it for good, some for evil, and some never use it at all. Some people live by instinct; some use only the conscious mind; and others have learned to allow the super conscious mind to direct their actions. I liken this super conscious mind to what the religions call, ‘holy spirit’.

I believe the spirit within us is as invisible as the air we breathe and just as real. I believe that when we acknowledge our spiritual nature, and learn to work with it, we then have the power of the life force, the power of our Creator, in our lives.

In my perception of the Universal flow of time, I sense that God, that creative force, has been in a state of continual perfecting. We can see this when we look at history and the evolution of life. That which is not needed, becomes extinct. The material substance of the universe changes, as fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes change the geography of the planet. The ethereal substance of the universe also changes. Hate, greed, avarice, and self indulgence change the spiritual flow of life, but that can be reversed with love, understanding, kindness, goodness and charity.

The original species of life existed by instinct. When humankind evolved and the cognitive brain became functional, the thinking process led many away from purely instinctive actions. We are imbued with instinct, a conscious mind, and a super conscious mind. One we can perceive, another we can direct, and the third is the life force that exists in all of us.

To me, that super conscious mind is divine mind, that which gives power to everything. It is the power that can make a 102 pound woman lift a car off a child. It is the power that some people have learned to use to heal their bodies. It is the power that can create something from the spark of an idea or concept.

It is important to learn how to direct the power. Any faculty of life becomes strong only with use. Developing your spirit, your super conscious mind, your God power, will give you the tools you need to have everything in life you want.

Mary Bradley McCauley is a student of spiritual teachings and a writer. The above essay is from her book, "The Essence of Me", http://"www.mypeoplepc.com/members/sismc/writingfromtheheart/

Her novel, "The Gift of Annon--The Secret Something Within" is in the process of being published.

http://www.mypeoplepc.com/members/sismc/howtotakefreecruisesandtours/

You can contact Mary at mbradleymc@yahoo.com