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Creative Power
Power over Conditions |
Foundation Two:
As a creative center of Spirit, I have the power to improve the conditions of my life—and it is my sacred duty to do so.
I have power over the conditions of my life. Spirit is the Infinite Power and I, by virtue of my unity with Spirit, have the power to “infuse with Spirit” all the conditions of my life. The conditions of my life are, essentially, an out-picturing of my own consciousness, a reflection of who I feel myself to be. Thus, the extent to which I can alter my own consciousness, my own beliefs, and that which I hold to be true about myself—bringing them more in line with Spirit Itself—is the extent to which I can bring about uplifting changes in my life.
My own nature contains every quality of Spirit and those qualities can only find expression through me, through my own livingness. The grace of Spirit alone cannot transform me: I, as a human being, through the intelligent and earnest application of my own consciousness—in consort with Spirit’s creative power—am the crucial factor that can bring about my own transformation. Being the whole of who I am, experiencing love, connection, and joy, and using my creative power to uplift the conditions of my life is my sacred duty, it is how the will of God is expressed through me.
The Creative Process
The creative process comes through the individual, through you. Though Infinite Spirit creates and sustains the whole universe it can only act on the plane of the particular through the individual, through you. It can only experience the fullness of its glory through you. That is why you, in your unique expression as a human being, are so dear to Spirit and its creation. It is your sacred duty as a human being to experience this fullness and joy for yourself, through the creative upliftment of your own life.
What is your sacred duty in life? What is God’s will for you? Is it to live, obtain a few goals, enjoy a few pleasures, do some good deeds, and then die? Or were you called for something more, something greater? The greatest thing is to become an instrument of Grace, to become a living testament to Spirit itself. But you don’t do this by becoming holier than thou, or quoting a few scriptures, or donating to your local church—or giving up your individuality—you do this by becoming a true and authentic human being, by experiencing the divine and wondrous qualities of your own nature in and through your own life. That is your most sacred duty. That is why you were created in the first place—to know and be the divine human that you are.
Power Over Conditions
You are not powerless. You—when you’re truly able to co-create with Spirit—have the power to change the conditions of your life.
In practical terms, having power over the conditions of your life does not mean that you can change everything, or create any reality you want, or overcome all of your basic tendencies, or transform yourself into some perfect person; yet, by actuating a positive change in your consciousness, in your belief system (and in your very sense of who you are) your outer conditions will begin to change accordingly. And that is because your own consciousness (ever-unified with the power of Spirit) is the cause and the outer conditions of your life are its effects—however, because of a lifetime of mis-training, most people don’t see this. Most people have it backwards—they take their assumed limitation as their starting-point in life instead of their vast freedom.
You may not always be able to create or attract what you want but you will always attract who you are and what you believe. So, be the greatest you can be. Each day come to believe, more and more, that you are a creative center of Infinite Spirit and live your life accordingly.
Looked at from another perspective, having power over the conditions of your life means that you do not allow conditions to define you. You do not allow your thoughts, memories, actions, opinions, feelings, etc. to determine your fundamental sense of self. As you become more anchored in the fullness of your being—the ever-changing thoughts, feelings, and circumstances of life will have less sway over you.
Having power over the conditions of your life also means that you are not impelled to react to circumstances (or even your own thoughts and feelings) in your usual, conditioned manner; that you are able to embrace the present moment just as it is, without trying to change or fix anything. You come to live in a way where you have thoughts and emotions, they don’t have you.
Self-effort is necessary but it can only get you so far. For true transformation you must find a way to open your existence to the all-giving power of Spirit, the very Spirit that exists as your own true nature. The teachings of The Nine Foundations can help with that. Enlightened teachers can help with that. Being in a supportive relation with other people can help with that. Prayer and meditation can help with that.
Life is Positive
Life is positive. Spirit is positive. All the qualities of Life and Spirit such as life, beauty, abundance, and power are positive; and these qualities are drawn into your life by aligning yourself with the positive pole of Life. Spirit always creates from the position of the positive. Nothing is created or transformed through the negative. Only positive intentions, only creations aligned with the ever-positive nature of Spirit can produce truly positive and beneficial results. Creations (i.e., thoughts and actions) that are born of negativity, such as fear, frustration, selfishness, repentance, desperation, etc., (all of which are alien to Spirit’s own nature) are sure to produce negative results.
This foundation involves the alignment of oneself and one’s consciousness with the positive pole of Life; it involves making a conscious choice to embrace the positive (and the highest potential) in oneself and in others. It involves the conscious creation of positive thoughts and emotions, and the cultivation of positive beliefs (while not dwelling on negative thoughts or emotions). Through our constant and conscious application toward the positive, life-affirming pole of Life we will begin to effectuate a positive change in our subconscious mind; over time this alignment will become “second nature” and effortless, and this will bring us a constant supply of all the good things in life. It will bring us all the things we can never get too much of—life, livingness, and joy.
Creative Power
In terms of creative power, or manifesting power, it’s important to understand that every thought is creative; every feeling is creative; every belief is creative—meaning that every thought, feeling, and belief directs Spirit to manifest corresponding conditions in your life. Constant creation takes place whether you are aware of it or not. In fact, most of what is being created in your life, by you, is something you are completely unaware of. Our consciousness is one with the creative power of Spirit; thus, we are always creating, we are never not creating, both on the conscious and subconscious levels. And this is why most people cannot create the kind of life they want—because they are, unawares, always creating division, always creating that which they don’t want. They think one thing yet feel something else; they consciously strive to fulfill one desire while deep-down feeling something that counters that. In this state of division one’s creative power is difficult or impossible to direct because the subconscious mind is always creating a counter-creation that nullifies one's consciously-intended creation. What we must do in order to fully possess our creative power is to have our sense of self be whole and undivided where our subconscious beliefs are in accord with our conscious desires, where the whole of our consciousness is in harmony with the all-creative power of Spirit. To do this we must do inner work; we must understand and recondition our deep-seated and limiting beliefs. And this takes practice. This takes support. This takes sincere effort.
In every case, what you believe to be true (the deep-seated, subconscious beliefs you have about yourself and the world) is what you get; this wins out over what you want, or desire, or ardently pray for. What you believe to be true is what you are always creating for yourself and what you are always getting. So, if you want to change what you get you must first change what you believe to be true.
For example, you may pray to a Higher Power to bring you wealth but deep-down you may feel that wealth is not important, or that you don’t deserve wealth, or that it’s not your destiny to be wealthy, or that it’s selfish to pray for wealth, or that God’s bounty is limited so you should not ask for too much; or even the pernicious sense that you are not deserving of God’s favor. So, you consciously seek one thing but subconsciously feel something else. In all cases you get what you believe to be true not what you pray for. Every time you don’t get what you want or what you pray for it’s because you are unwittingly creating another reality for yourself. You are using your creative power in a way that binds you, and deprives you of your own bounty, rather than freeing you and delivering unto the joy and abundance of life. So, it our task to change that.
Whenever a person prays, or does affirmations, or engages in the creative process to get something from the universe or some Higher Power he is doing so because he believes that what he is trying to get is missing. That’s his belief. That’s his starting-point. That’s his first creation—I am in lack. His second creation is that he does not have the power to deliver to himself what he wants, but some Higher Power, out there, does. This is another example of how people who are taking steps to improve their condition might, unwittingly, be undermining it by the deep-seated beliefs that are promoting their actions. Remember, every thought, every belief, is creating something.
At this point some people may give up. They might fall back on the approach of doing nothing, of avoiding any kind of conscious participation in their own development, or of giving up their will to some conceived-of Power (so it can handle everything for them)—but this does not stop their creative power from creating things they don’t want because it is always creating, on every level. The only thing this give-up approach does is transfer your power to your subconscious mind and out of your conscious control. Then, the past (and your old beliefs and concepts) simply get repeated. Without your conscious intervention, without you making a change in your fundamental concepts and beliefs, what you had in the past is what you will get in the future. The subconscious mind is limitless in its capacity to support the individual yet it can only repeat existing patterns; it cannot create something new. Only the individual, through his own intention, through his conscious participation in the creative process—in accord with the All-Giving Power of Spirit—can do that.
For true and lasting transformation, for empowered creation, a person must be undivided. His conscious and subconscious minds must be in harmony, and both minds must be aligned with the creative Power of Spirit. Then his life and his being will be one with the heart of Creation itself; it will become and outpouring of love, light, beauty, and wonder. One’s life is already such an outpouring, only now a person will be aware of it and co-creating it. This is the highest aim of the Second Foundation. This is the state we intend to move toward.
Quotes
The world is my conditioned consciousness objectified. That which I feel and believe to be true of myself is now projected in space as my world. The world—my mirrored self—ever bears witness of the state of consciousness in which I live. (Neville, Freedom for All, Ch. 1)
We cannot think into manifestation a different sort of life from that which we realize in ourselves. … we cannot give what we have not got. And, on the other hand, we can never cease creating forms of some sort by our mental activity, thinking life into them. Therefore, think [and feel] Life, illumination, harmony, prosperity, happiness—think [and feel] these qualities rather than this or that condition of them. And then, by the sure operation of the Universal Law, these things will form themselves into the shapes best suited to your particular case; they will enter your life as active, living forces that will never depart from you because you know them to be integral to your own being.
(Troward, The Hidden Power, p. 64, 66)
>> More on Creative Manifestation (Neville)
__________________ ◊ ◊ ◊ __________________
As a creative center of Spirit, I have the power to improve the conditions of my life—and it is my sacred duty to do so.
I have power over the conditions of my life. Spirit is the Infinite Power and I, by virtue of my unity with Spirit, have the power to “infuse with Spirit” all the conditions of my life. The conditions of my life are, essentially, an out-picturing of my own consciousness, a reflection of who I feel myself to be. Thus, the extent to which I can alter my own consciousness, my own beliefs, and that which I hold to be true about myself—bringing them more in line with Spirit Itself—is the extent to which I can bring about uplifting changes in my life.
My own nature contains every quality of Spirit and those qualities can only find expression through me, through my own livingness. The grace of Spirit alone cannot transform me: I, as a human being, through the intelligent and earnest application of my own consciousness—in consort with Spirit’s creative power—am the crucial factor that can bring about my own transformation. Being the whole of who I am, experiencing love, connection, and joy, and using my creative power to uplift the conditions of my life is my sacred duty, it is how the will of God is expressed through me.
The Creative Process
The creative process comes through the individual, through you. Though Infinite Spirit creates and sustains the whole universe it can only act on the plane of the particular through the individual, through you. It can only experience the fullness of its glory through you. That is why you, in your unique expression as a human being, are so dear to Spirit and its creation. It is your sacred duty as a human being to experience this fullness and joy for yourself, through the creative upliftment of your own life.
What is your sacred duty in life? What is God’s will for you? Is it to live, obtain a few goals, enjoy a few pleasures, do some good deeds, and then die? Or were you called for something more, something greater? The greatest thing is to become an instrument of Grace, to become a living testament to Spirit itself. But you don’t do this by becoming holier than thou, or quoting a few scriptures, or donating to your local church—or giving up your individuality—you do this by becoming a true and authentic human being, by experiencing the divine and wondrous qualities of your own nature in and through your own life. That is your most sacred duty. That is why you were created in the first place—to know and be the divine human that you are.
Power Over Conditions
You are not powerless. You—when you’re truly able to co-create with Spirit—have the power to change the conditions of your life.
In practical terms, having power over the conditions of your life does not mean that you can change everything, or create any reality you want, or overcome all of your basic tendencies, or transform yourself into some perfect person; yet, by actuating a positive change in your consciousness, in your belief system (and in your very sense of who you are) your outer conditions will begin to change accordingly. And that is because your own consciousness (ever-unified with the power of Spirit) is the cause and the outer conditions of your life are its effects—however, because of a lifetime of mis-training, most people don’t see this. Most people have it backwards—they take their assumed limitation as their starting-point in life instead of their vast freedom.
You may not always be able to create or attract what you want but you will always attract who you are and what you believe. So, be the greatest you can be. Each day come to believe, more and more, that you are a creative center of Infinite Spirit and live your life accordingly.
Looked at from another perspective, having power over the conditions of your life means that you do not allow conditions to define you. You do not allow your thoughts, memories, actions, opinions, feelings, etc. to determine your fundamental sense of self. As you become more anchored in the fullness of your being—the ever-changing thoughts, feelings, and circumstances of life will have less sway over you.
Having power over the conditions of your life also means that you are not impelled to react to circumstances (or even your own thoughts and feelings) in your usual, conditioned manner; that you are able to embrace the present moment just as it is, without trying to change or fix anything. You come to live in a way where you have thoughts and emotions, they don’t have you.
Self-effort is necessary but it can only get you so far. For true transformation you must find a way to open your existence to the all-giving power of Spirit, the very Spirit that exists as your own true nature. The teachings of The Nine Foundations can help with that. Enlightened teachers can help with that. Being in a supportive relation with other people can help with that. Prayer and meditation can help with that.
Life is Positive
Life is positive. Spirit is positive. All the qualities of Life and Spirit such as life, beauty, abundance, and power are positive; and these qualities are drawn into your life by aligning yourself with the positive pole of Life. Spirit always creates from the position of the positive. Nothing is created or transformed through the negative. Only positive intentions, only creations aligned with the ever-positive nature of Spirit can produce truly positive and beneficial results. Creations (i.e., thoughts and actions) that are born of negativity, such as fear, frustration, selfishness, repentance, desperation, etc., (all of which are alien to Spirit’s own nature) are sure to produce negative results.
This foundation involves the alignment of oneself and one’s consciousness with the positive pole of Life; it involves making a conscious choice to embrace the positive (and the highest potential) in oneself and in others. It involves the conscious creation of positive thoughts and emotions, and the cultivation of positive beliefs (while not dwelling on negative thoughts or emotions). Through our constant and conscious application toward the positive, life-affirming pole of Life we will begin to effectuate a positive change in our subconscious mind; over time this alignment will become “second nature” and effortless, and this will bring us a constant supply of all the good things in life. It will bring us all the things we can never get too much of—life, livingness, and joy.
Creative Power
In terms of creative power, or manifesting power, it’s important to understand that every thought is creative; every feeling is creative; every belief is creative—meaning that every thought, feeling, and belief directs Spirit to manifest corresponding conditions in your life. Constant creation takes place whether you are aware of it or not. In fact, most of what is being created in your life, by you, is something you are completely unaware of. Our consciousness is one with the creative power of Spirit; thus, we are always creating, we are never not creating, both on the conscious and subconscious levels. And this is why most people cannot create the kind of life they want—because they are, unawares, always creating division, always creating that which they don’t want. They think one thing yet feel something else; they consciously strive to fulfill one desire while deep-down feeling something that counters that. In this state of division one’s creative power is difficult or impossible to direct because the subconscious mind is always creating a counter-creation that nullifies one's consciously-intended creation. What we must do in order to fully possess our creative power is to have our sense of self be whole and undivided where our subconscious beliefs are in accord with our conscious desires, where the whole of our consciousness is in harmony with the all-creative power of Spirit. To do this we must do inner work; we must understand and recondition our deep-seated and limiting beliefs. And this takes practice. This takes support. This takes sincere effort.
In every case, what you believe to be true (the deep-seated, subconscious beliefs you have about yourself and the world) is what you get; this wins out over what you want, or desire, or ardently pray for. What you believe to be true is what you are always creating for yourself and what you are always getting. So, if you want to change what you get you must first change what you believe to be true.
For example, you may pray to a Higher Power to bring you wealth but deep-down you may feel that wealth is not important, or that you don’t deserve wealth, or that it’s not your destiny to be wealthy, or that it’s selfish to pray for wealth, or that God’s bounty is limited so you should not ask for too much; or even the pernicious sense that you are not deserving of God’s favor. So, you consciously seek one thing but subconsciously feel something else. In all cases you get what you believe to be true not what you pray for. Every time you don’t get what you want or what you pray for it’s because you are unwittingly creating another reality for yourself. You are using your creative power in a way that binds you, and deprives you of your own bounty, rather than freeing you and delivering unto the joy and abundance of life. So, it our task to change that.
Whenever a person prays, or does affirmations, or engages in the creative process to get something from the universe or some Higher Power he is doing so because he believes that what he is trying to get is missing. That’s his belief. That’s his starting-point. That’s his first creation—I am in lack. His second creation is that he does not have the power to deliver to himself what he wants, but some Higher Power, out there, does. This is another example of how people who are taking steps to improve their condition might, unwittingly, be undermining it by the deep-seated beliefs that are promoting their actions. Remember, every thought, every belief, is creating something.
At this point some people may give up. They might fall back on the approach of doing nothing, of avoiding any kind of conscious participation in their own development, or of giving up their will to some conceived-of Power (so it can handle everything for them)—but this does not stop their creative power from creating things they don’t want because it is always creating, on every level. The only thing this give-up approach does is transfer your power to your subconscious mind and out of your conscious control. Then, the past (and your old beliefs and concepts) simply get repeated. Without your conscious intervention, without you making a change in your fundamental concepts and beliefs, what you had in the past is what you will get in the future. The subconscious mind is limitless in its capacity to support the individual yet it can only repeat existing patterns; it cannot create something new. Only the individual, through his own intention, through his conscious participation in the creative process—in accord with the All-Giving Power of Spirit—can do that.
For true and lasting transformation, for empowered creation, a person must be undivided. His conscious and subconscious minds must be in harmony, and both minds must be aligned with the creative Power of Spirit. Then his life and his being will be one with the heart of Creation itself; it will become and outpouring of love, light, beauty, and wonder. One’s life is already such an outpouring, only now a person will be aware of it and co-creating it. This is the highest aim of the Second Foundation. This is the state we intend to move toward.
Quotes
The world is my conditioned consciousness objectified. That which I feel and believe to be true of myself is now projected in space as my world. The world—my mirrored self—ever bears witness of the state of consciousness in which I live. (Neville, Freedom for All, Ch. 1)
We cannot think into manifestation a different sort of life from that which we realize in ourselves. … we cannot give what we have not got. And, on the other hand, we can never cease creating forms of some sort by our mental activity, thinking life into them. Therefore, think [and feel] Life, illumination, harmony, prosperity, happiness—think [and feel] these qualities rather than this or that condition of them. And then, by the sure operation of the Universal Law, these things will form themselves into the shapes best suited to your particular case; they will enter your life as active, living forces that will never depart from you because you know them to be integral to your own being.
(Troward, The Hidden Power, p. 64, 66)
>> More on Creative Manifestation (Neville)
__________________ ◊ ◊ ◊ __________________
