compassofmyheart

Jesus said, “Come Follow Me”

I’ve always thought that he meant simply to be a follower of his ways….to love one another….to follow the instructions in the bible, etc. I’ve come to think of it as much more. “Follow me” has a much deeper meaning if you look at the smallest of details. Jesus performed miracles and told those around him that they could do the same. Of course he was a master at what he did, but could we be co-creators of miracles in our daily lives?

Miracles come in all types and sizes….we’ve each had something in our lives that has been miraculous….an unexplainable moment that changed a situation from negative to positive. Some might say it was just a fluke or a coincidence. Far from it……whenever those words are used, something special is either happening or something is being highlighted with meaning.

A miracle could be as simple as seeing a beautiful flower in an unexpected place on a day you really needed a moment of beauty to lift your sagging spirits or as unfathomable as the healing of a terminal disease. I believe that when you open your mind to the possibility of divine energies, even in seemingly small happenings, miracles increase exponentially. I want to introduce you to a very important book that helped instill my belief in miracles and still benefits me years after reading it. It is my hope that it will be a blessing to your life as it has been to mine.

The book is The Twelve Conditions of a Miracle by Todd Michael. In it the author examines even the most basic of Jesus’s actions that he believes made the conditions ripe for miracles to happen. It is truly a magnificent book that can teach a person how to create these very same conditions so that they alongside God may co-create their own miracles.

The conditions laid out are gleaned from the ancient text of the bible in the original language. The author translates it from Greek to Roman and then to the orthodox translation. I know many will argue, but I, and many others, believe that much of the text of the bible we know today has possibly been misinterpreted and/or changed by the scribes or monks who copied them before printing became available, whether purposefully or accidentally. It is not a stretch to imagine the power to be gained in changing portions outright to support the agendas of past monarchs, governments, and other powers, such as religious institutions, over the years.

The “decoding” of the ancient text changes our understanding of that text by aligning with the original meaning of words/phrases in the contexts that they were originally used. For example, the Greek root word for book is biblia. Because the bible was the first book printed and widely distributed, the word bible became synonymous for the word book. So if I were writing and translating around the 15th century and after, the word bible could refer to any book. Over the years, of course, the word bible became known as the word of God and the word book was more widely used a few centuries later to describe other printed and bound written work.

While this is a very basic etymology lesson, it serves to show the relationship of a word to its time and place. Words evolve, are born, and die….think of gay, blog, and pager. Yet, the original author’s essence remains when the words retain the intended meaning that existed in the original time and place he lived and wrote in.

With his method, he explains the first sentence of the Gospel of John, “ ‘In the beginning was the Word….’” becomes “In the beginning was a thought with powerful potential, a creative intent that ultimately gave rise to the entire universe.” As you can see, the text becomes much more complex, meaningful, and rich.

The author, Todd Michael, attempts to decipher and divine the truths of the ancient text of the parables, and I believe he is successful in doing just that. I truly pray that you enjoy my discussion of his work, but I strongly suggest that you read Todd Michael’s book in its entirety. It is a shining light in the darkness……

“Each moment as you walk this ridge that is your life, you make a choice. Whether you are aware of it or not, each moment you choose to pour the water of your thoughts down one side or the other [On one side lies the world you live in now, the world of ordinary struggle and uncertainty. On the other side, stretching away in all its majesty, lies the world of self-empowerment, the world of self-creation — the dimension of the miraculous, where dreams unfold with perfect precision.

On this side lies heaven.]

You either choose to sow thoughts of uncertainty, conflict, and lack, or you choose to sow thoughts of fulfillment, happiness, and ease — visions of intentional, positive creation. ……you choose each second to remain either in the dimension of the ordinary or to enter the dimension of the miraculous.”

The first condition for a miracle is called the Alpha Passage by Michael. He believes it is the gate “that will enable us to enter new dimensions of understanding and personal power.” He also speculates that it remained hidden until humanity had advanced to a state of evolution that could handle its great power and use it efficiently and responsibly.

The first condition is emptiness. Before performing the miracle of feeding the multitude with a few fishes and loaves of bread, Jesus went into the desert. If you consider the desert as the opposite of most places, you realize there is very little there. For the most part, it is devoid of the things needed for survival….food, water, shelter. If you go to the desert, you will not typically run into anyone — it is a place of isolation. It is the same principle as meditation…to become empty, to withdraw, to be still, to clear the mind of chatter. In this way important information, guidance, and ideas can come into the vacuum, where they can be focused, and potential can be created. Empty space attracts and pulls energy to it according to the laws of physics. Of course the author’s explanation is much more detailed and scientific, but this is the gist of it.

In my headspace meditation yesterday, he talked of the blue sky always being available, but there are clouds floating by. Even when the sky is completely obscured, the blue sky is there behind…waiting. That is truly what meditation is — clearing the clouds so that you can see the blue sky. In this metaphor, the clouds are our constant mind chatter, the problems of living in the world and our reactions to it, other voices we have chosen to allow in our head space, and the ego mind who thinks it knows things that oftentimes are inaccurate. The blue sky represents divine intelligence — you are always connected to it! Unfortunately, many disturbances block and weaken that connection. Meditation is a way to “swim” through the junk of the world and break through to blue skies.

“When the activity of the conscious mind or ego becomes perfectly quiet, the full energy and light of the One pours through the self unobstructed.”

The author (and I) believe that this leads to miraculous conditions….such as coincidences which many call synchronicities….being at the right place at the right time, having that book in your hand when you are ready to understand it, meeting people that can help you, door after door opened that reveals your destiny. I try to remember to pray a prayer every morning after waking….Lord please guide me today in all ways….tell me where to go, who to see, what to say, and what to do. This prayer is just another part of the process as God requires an invitation to enter… “Ask and it is given.” God allows people their free will….so asking is an important step.

Michael also talks about creating space in the external. To receive the miraculous, the world around you should also take on a state of emptiness. If you are experiencing a sense of lack in any area, you are most likely holding onto to something that you should let go of. I’ve read a lot of literature on just this subject and it all seems to concur. For instance if you pay your bills, but with a tight fist, bad attitude, barely letting go attitude….money won’t be attracted to you, won’t flow through you, to you. If you are so impoverished that you hold on to every little crumb that you become selfish and callous to those around you, you will also block the flow. In the original parable, a small boy shares what little he has and feeds a multitude. This is an example of the power of sharing what you have. If you don’t have money, share your prayers, the work of your hands, kind words, things you don’t need anymore, hugs, love….it will come back to you via the space you have created through giving. If you are a doubting Thomas, test the universe….give something with your heart and see what happens. It may not be in the same currency, but you will get a return……

Michael lists 9 things that will set you on the path to putting this condition into action. (I have simplified them and added my own take on some of these from the pearls of wisdom I have acquired as well):

1. Clarify what you lack or need and search yourself for how you may be holding back just such a thing from the world around you.
2. Begin to release some of your resources….do this calmly without fear.
3. Practice patience and confidence…fear creates blockages.
4. Continue with number 3 as a lifelong habit…..flow is real….think of water…the flow of it. Money or any resource (love, emotions, learning, relationships, work, creativity, etc.) will stagnate if not flowing freely. This means being able to receive as well as give….and again, the attitude with which you do it, will carry the energy you give it. If you give or carry out your obligations with bitterness or resentment, you will receive in kind…Like attracts like. Water seeks its own level…..
5. Expect (make ready) and Visualize what you want…. try to feel the feelings you want your vision to invoke more than the details of what you hope to get…..i,e….a mate that makes you feel comfortable, happy, loved, and you are immensely attracted to rather than someone who is 5’7′, 120lbs, brown hair, green eyes, rich, etc. God is better than you at deciding the specifics that lead to the feelings you desire.
6. Meditate
7. Spend time in quiet, alone, and in nature. “Forests, mountains, and open spaces contain great energy and power.”
8. Exercise….again, flow of energy.
9. Fast when able …..fasting creates a state of emptiness whereby your bodily resources can focus on healing and thinking without being bogged down by digestion, elimination, blood sugar control, heaviness, etc.

“…you choose each second to remain either in the dimension of the ordinary or to enter the dimension of the miraculous.”

2–12 conditions of a miracle from Michael Todd’s book forthcoming.