By John Ashbrook
The expansiveness of the spirit world is beyond comprehension. It extends throughout the entire universe and is made up of an infinite number of spiritual spheres. These spiritual spheres cover the entire scale, from the lowest to the highest, and are separated only by dimensional vibrations. Distances are not measured in earthly terms; instead, they are measured by spiritual distance. Spiritual distance is relative to spiritual development; higher spiritual development equals less distance or limitation. So, for a highly developed individual, there would be no distance from one dimension to another.
ON SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
The spiritual path has shape and dimension. When you think of your spiritual path, visualize an ascending spiral staircase where every forward movement produces a corresponding, incremental movement upwards.
ON RELATIONSHIPS
It is important to remember that all relationships are reflective and, therefore, self-revealing. Look closely at the circumstances of your relationships with others and realize that you are consciously experiencing the exact state of your own inner relationship. Change your inner relationship, and you will see a corresponding change in your relationship with others.
ON EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS
All paralyzing, self-destructive emotional attachments result from ignoring your knowing, your natural, intuitive certainty. For example, ignoring pain, physical or emotional, creates an attachment to negative stimuli and a fear of the right and natural opposite pleasure. Living in pain becomes normal rather than abnormal.
ON PRAYER
Learning to pray is an important part of an individual’s spiritual development. The key to effective prayer is concentration. Just as with everything else on the spiritual path, there are several layers or levels of concentration. When praying for your loved ones, thereis first the mental aspect of thinking of them, and then there is the more concentrated aspect of bringing the depths of your feelings into your wishes for them. This requires patience and steady practice, but it is also valuable spiritual training. If you find your thoughts wandering during prayer, do not become flustered; just start again where you left off.
Cultivate emotional and mental relaxation. This will aid your concentration and strengthen your focus. Ultimately, prayer will result in the cultivation of a spiritual frame of mind that produces thoughts that you cannot achieve when you do not pray. Prayer takes you to a level of excited spiritual awareness.
ON NEW AGE MARRIAGE
The partners of a New Age marriage will find each other as a result of their independent work on the path of spiritual development.
They will be attracted to each other on the basis of their similar spiritual maturity. The woman combines her intelligence, independence, maturity and confidence with her natural feminine energy – her intuition, her softness her gentle trusting yeildingness. The man brings not only his physical strength, mental abilities, and natural assertiveness but also his previously concealed heart, feelings, and gentleness. These attributes complement each other. Two such developed people can form a spiritual union—a new model of marriage for a New Age.
ON RISK
Whatever you fear – rejection, hurt, criticism, disapproval – you must know it. You must state and then face these things that prevent movement. Then and only then can you summon the courage to take a risk. If you want to grow there must be the involvement of risk. One of the natures of fear is a refusal to risk. You cannot overcome fear without a willingness to lose. Refusing to take a risk indicates an ungenerous spirit. There is nothing ungenerous about the universe. If you wish to tap into its power, its generosity, then you must be willing to align yourself with it. This means giving over the control to a power greater than yourself, trusting its benign nature. The universe favors and rewards those who trust it.
ON THOUGHT FORUMS
Your thoughts and feelings create spiritual forms that are visible to those in the spirit world. A spiritually developed individual who has attained a level of inner harmony will create thoughts that form beautiful visions in the spirit world, gardens, landscapes, and artworks.
This is true because in the spirit world, the limitations of matter, distance, and time do not exist. Therefore, creation is almost instantaneous. For example, if a group of human beings pursues an honest, sincere effort to raise their spiritual vibration through a mutual commitment to inner work, then a magnificent temple will be built in the spirit world as a result of their communal effort. As their development progresses, so will the manifestation of this beautiful structure, which symbolizes their spiritual unfolding.
ON THE FUTURE EARTH
The spiritual evolution of humankind is a gradual but steady purification of each and every soul. This purification of souls results in the refinement of matter into spirit. As this refinement process continues, the vibrational rate of Earth is constantly rising, counteracting the limiting force of the material world. This results in a population that looks younger, healthier, lives longer, and operates on a higher plane of consciousness. This guarantees universal peace, unparalleled prosperity, creativity, and joy. The planet will be more beautiful and free of extreme weather, and as this vibrational ascension continues, even the concept of distance and time, as we
know it will cease to exist, replaced by the infinite magnificence of the eternal moment.
John Ashbrook
