Good Morning Garden

            The fifth main aspect of God is Soul. Soul is that aspect of God by virtue of which He is able to individualize Himself. The word individual means “undivided.” Most people seem to think it suggests separateness but actually individual means undivided, and God has the power of individualizing Himself without, so to speak, breaking Himself into parts.

The third main aspect of God is Love. God is not loving but Love itself, and it would probably be true to say that of all of the seven main aspects this is the most important one for us to practice. There is no condition that enough Love will not heal. The Bible deals with the nature of God, and as the Scripture develops, the idea of God becomes clearer until toward the end it says,

… God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him
1 (John 4:16).

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
(John 13:35).

Where there is fear there cannot be love. The best way to rid yourself of fear is to realize divine Love. If you love God more than you love your microbe, your sickness, your grievance, your lack, or your fear you will be healed. We have all heard many stories of exceptional people who were able to go among wild beasts in the jungle without being hurt, and there are many other histories on record of people who passed through extraordinary dangers of other kinds quite unscathed. To realize God as Love is the remedy for fear.

Divine Love never fails, but the important thing to realize is that divine Love must be in your own heart and cannot operate from outside, so to speak. When your prayers are not answered it must be bec ause you have not fulfilled the conditions of the law, and, ninety-nine times in a hundred, it is because you are lacking in a sense of love for all. Practice love every day and watch your thought, and watch your tongue, and watch your deed, that nothing contrary to love finds expression there.

The amount of love we have in our hearts will be demonstrated in our lives. Through God we have infinite power and capability. However, that power and capability will not flow into our life without love in our hearts. The love we experience in our hearts is the channel through which God’s power flows. The narrower the channel, the less God’s spirit runs through it. When we truly want some outcome in our lives, we must love enough to achieve that result. It is not our ability, looks, charm, discipline or intellect that answers prayers, but it is God’s love flowing through us. And while all the these attributes are desirable, they can all be turned into negativity without being guided by love. Love conquers all, sees all, overcomes all and knows all. When we grow love in our hearts and minds, sew love in our thoughts, words and deeds and show love to all we meet, we overcome fear, lack and loss. It is then that we truly express God’s power here in our Garden and claim the joy and gladness God intends for us.

Growing love’s garden

Z gardener

The second main aspect of God is Truth. God is not truthful but Truth itself, and wherever there is Truth, there is God. There are many things that are relatively true at certain times and places only, but God is absolute Truth at all times and in all circumstances. As soon as we touch God, who is the Absolute, relative things disappear.

To know the truth about any condition heals it. Jesus said, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

You should realize God as Truth when you want information on any subject, or if you suspect that you have to deal with deceit. If you believe that someone is trying to deceive you, claim that divine Truth dwells in the person concerned, and is expressed through him. If you realize this clearly enough he will then speak the truth. When you have to transact any important business such as signing a lease or a contract, spend a few minutes realizing divine Truth and if there is anything you should know it will come out. Of course people may have no desire to deceive you and yet for some reason you may not be given the whole story. I know of several cases where serious misunderstandings were prevented because somebody realized God as truth and so all the facts were brought out. I know also of cases where intentional dishonesty was frustrated in the same way.

We all strive to know the truth and follow it. When we put our selfish desires and limited understanding aside, and accept God’s truth and infinite understanding, then we can know the truth and follow it. It is through God’s spirit that we can fully comprehend and seek the truth. And, it through God’s love and grace, that the truth will make us free.

Living free,

Z gardener

All the old traditions tell us that there is more than one path to the great Goal. Just as there is more than one road up every great mountain, and yet all reads meet at the top, so in the spiritual quest there are several roads, all of which lead in due season to the one great End.

There is the path of knowledge. True knowledge of divine things is one of the appointed paths to attainment; but that path is by no means for everyone. And there is the pathway of action—of organized activity—and the world needs this too; but this again usually calls for a special gift, and special circumstances in which to apply it. And there are others.

The shortest and the easiest pathway of all is the pathway of Love. It is the one pathway that is open to all, irrespective of what their personal conditions or circumstances may be. For every man, everywhere, the true attainment awaits through the yoga of Love, for yoga means union and it is our union with God that makes the attainment possible.

There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment…(1 John 4:18).

…God is Love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16)

Sometimes popular culture reflects the wisdom of the Bible. Remember the words of John and Paul (the Beatles, not the disciples), “all you need is love”. In today’s scripture, John (the Apostle, not the Beatle) defines God as love and tells us perfect love eliminates fear. Thus, love is not only a state of being, it is God. And those who live in love also live in God and God lives in them. When we follow the path of love, we will inevitably attain oneness with God. Thus, all you need is love. So when we feel like shouting, “Help, I need someone”, turn to love and all our needs will be met.

One with love,

Z gardener

A great deal of confusion seems to exist in many minds concerning the precise avenue through which realization and harmony are to be attained.

The only solution is to contact the divine Power that dwells within your own soul; and to bring it to bear upon the various difficulties in your life, taking them in due order, that is, attacking the most urgent first. The real remedy for every one of your difficulties is, as we are told on every page of the Bible, to find and know the Indwelling Presence.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee (Job 22:21).

This, then, is the task, and the only one – to find, and consciously know, your own Indwelling Lord. You see now how the confusion disappears, and the perfect simplicity of the whole thing emerges once you realize this fact.

In order to know the indwelling God, we must get past the self and the false perceptions upon which the consciousness of self is built. We must let go of and rise above the self and then seek the inner self which is the presence of God in our lives. This is not easy. Every sense and perception we possess constantly tries to limit us to the physical world and our relation to it. To get beyond the self, we must let go of our human limits and self-consciousness and embrace the unlimited will and spirit of God. We must accept that God is our true self and that his spirit is the real power in our lives. Then we must live as if we are the host of God’s spirit and consciousness and act accordingly. So, the first step is to acquaint ourselves with god’s spirit, then accept His will and live according to it. This is when the puzzle comes together and all the parts seem to fit. It is also when it becomes clear what our path is, how we are to travel it and where it leads. Submission to God’s will is the path, right behavior is the way and life in the Garden God gave us is where it leads.

In the spirit,

Z gardener

The fourth name the prophet Isaiah speaks of is that of Everlasting Father. As Jesus so clearly pointed out, God is or Father, not merely our Creator. But we have to establish our own consciousness of this fact.

In the fifth place, we receive what is perhaps the greatest name of all, “The Prince of Peace.” Think what perfect peace of soul, if you could attain it, would actually mean to you. If you had real peace of soul, do you suppose that your body could be ill? Given real peace of soul, how easy it would be to find your true place in the world, How quickly and efficiently you could perform your work, Once you have attained true peace of soul, you have made it possible for the Child to teach you new things, utterly beyond the compass of your present understanding.

Of the increase of=2 0his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice form henceforth even forever (Isaiah 9:7).

In view of the fact that the weaker souls, the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the depressed, should find it impossible to believe that such good tidings could be true, the prophet clinches the matter with the definite assertion:
…
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:7).

Peace is what we truly seek when we strive for happiness. The path to peace begins with understanding God’s will and submitting to it. The path to peace ends in the Eden God gave us. That is the “place” where there is no end to peace and justice.

With zeal,

Z gardener

The Prophet Isaiah also calls this Child “Counselor.” A counselor is one who gives guidance. If you are worried because you do not know whether to take some important step, to accept a business offer, to sign an important document, to enter upon a partnership, to resign your position, to trust someone, to say something, the Child will be your Counselor.

In the third place the prophet reveals to us who the Child really is. It is no less than God Himself, “The Mighty God.” And truly the mystic Power that transforms, and transmutes, and transfigures, is God Himself, always present with you, and always available.

…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works (John 14:10).
Read John 14:10-17.

There is a voice within each of us that guides our thoughts and informs our behavior. It is the counselor sent by God to help us do that which we know is right and to help us when we are not sure what is right. We can chose to listen to that voice and heed its counsel, or we can chose to ignore it. When we ignore it, we will increase our difficulties and multiply our mistakes. When we hear and follow this voice, our lives become easier and we avoid mistakes. Heeding this voice opens the door to God’s power and to the Eden he created for us. It is our choice whether we heed or ignore this counselor.

Hearing and heeding,

Z gardener