It can seem complicated, but it’s really very simple. When you find yourself in the present moment, a whole world of spiritual nourishment opens to you. We have all experienced this – when you’re on a long vacation, working out, being with your child, making pottery – suddenly, you find yourself IN THE MOMENT. Time slows down. You have a sense of presence. Often, you are filled with a feeling of well-being – of ‘all’s right with the world.’ And often new thinking and spiritual insights present themselves to you.
The present moment, and the spiritual nourishment it provides, is always available. It’s just that your mind is often too busy to experience it. We all need the mental rest and refreshment, as well as the deep sense of connection and purposefulness, that you find there.
The Three Principles, and the Single Paradigm they reveal, give you the understanding and the map you need to find your way back to the present moment. Every time you get caught up in your thinking, and then REALIZE that you’re feeling your thinking in the moment, and not whatever events and circumstances are happening in your life without the mediation of thought, you find yourself back in the present moment. Your mind clears itself of all the thinking you don’t need, and the world of the present becomes available to you once again. That’s where you find the spiritual nourishment you need for your heart and soul.
I’m running a webinar series on Resiliency in the Workplace for a group of leaders in Florida. One of the participants asked: ‘What is it about the spiritual nature of the principles that is helpful to people’?
I can’t say that I have the answer to this question. Principles are infinite in their implications (how they work and how they don’t work) as well as their applications (ways that they are useful in life). What people gain from them can be as varied as there are people to learn about them. But here’s one idea that was offered by one of the participants from the webinar series: because principles are consistent and constant, knowing about the psycho/spiritual principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought gives you a feeling of always having a place to come home to. There’s comfort in that. I can add that as you continue to look there, and experience the benefits of re-connecting with that sense of ‘home’ – feelings of psychological security and safety, as well as mental calm and well-being – it becomes second nature to know that, no matter how far from home you stray – how anxious, insecure or stressed out – you know from experience that psychological safety and security are just a thought away. This is one of the many ways that the spiritual nature of the Three Principles is helpful to you. It’s simply a question of remembering that they’re there and aligning yourself with them.
I had a client recently, whom I shall call Sarah, who was stuck in her life, and had been for years. A successful artist, Sarah’s marriage had also been stalled out for many years. When she found me, Sarah had been studying the Three Principles online for several years, and while it had helped her in many ways, she was also using the Principles to avoid her uncomfortable feelings about her marriage. “I can use Thought anyway I want,” Sarah would tell me, “and I’m not upset about my marriage unless I think about it in ways that upset me.” Not only did the marriage continue to remain stalled out, but so did the rest of her life. She was isolating herself from friends and social activities, and hadn’t been in her art studio in years.
I finally told Sarah that what I sensed from her when she talked about her marriage was fear. She was startled but very interested. “Fear!” she said. “That’s something I’ve never been able to have.” Given her background and growing up experiences, I understood why Sarah felt that way about fear. Simply becoming aware that she was afraid in that moment was the beginning of significant change. She knew that the fear was coming from her thinking in the moment about her marriage. Knowing that gave her confidence and a sense of calm about her fear. Her head cleared, and she began to get good ideas about the challenges she faced. She had some good, hard, honest conversations with her husband that allowed them to adjust their marriage so that it worked for both of them. Then she began re-connecting with friends and getting involved with community events. She even got back in her studio and started painting again. The last time we talked, Sarah said: “I’m tasting joy in everyday moments. I’ve never had that experience before. I’m making a point of noticing that.”
It doesn’t get better than that!
