SACRED THINKING REVISITED – THE 7 BELIEFS: BELIEFS 3 & 4

Continuing our exploration of the seven core beliefs from my book SACRED THINKING: Awakening Your Inner Power (LINK), this post looks at beliefs 3 & 4. The first post (LINK) looked at Beliefs 1 & 2.

BELIEF THREE:

The Universe is constantly changing, moving toward greater and greater complexity. This is done through a process called evolution, which has been going on at least since the Big Bang – our name for the origin of the universe. Evolution appears to be a process through which Spirit manifests increasing degrees of complexity and intelligence in Its creation. As of now, human beings exist at the pinnacle of evolution, so far as is known. It can be said that greater intelligence emerges from potential to actualization by means of evolution. Human beings have reached a point in our evolutionary development where we can and do consciously affect the process of evolution.

“This is exactly the position that modern philosophers take; it is called the theory of emergent evolution, which means that when nature needs something, it demands it of itself, and out of itself makes it. So, in the evolution of the human being, when it was necessary for him to grasp, fingers were produced. When, then, if it is necessary for you and me to know something we do not know, can we not—according to this theory of emergence—demand the information of ourselves and have it come to be known?
~ Ernest Holmes,
published in Science of Mind Magazine, July 2011

Holmes’ explanation reflects a mid-20^th Century knowledge of evolution, but it is generally accurate. Seen through the lens of metaphysical spirituality, evolution is the methodology for the development of Spirit’s expression AS our universe. Our universe evolves in a cosmological sense, our planet in a geological sense, life in a biological sense, and humans in a psychological and spiritual sense. The only constant in this scenario is change. Nothing is static, all is dynamic.

It is best to think of evolution as a flow, a moving image, rather than as a series of photographs. Human evolution flows like a river, sometimes wide and slow moving, sometimes very rapidly. We are currently in the rapids of evolution – things are changing faster than in the past. However, regardless of the rate of evolutionary change, the process of emergence is always at work. Everything is moving, vibrating, expanding or contracting.

“Others will arise who will know more than we do; they won’t be better or worse, they will be different and know more than we do. Evolution is forward.” 
~ Ernest Holmes,
Sermon By The Sea- Asilomar, Saturday, August 15, 1959

BELIEF FOUR:

The Universe and everything in it is infused with intelligence and is self-organizing. Behind every thing is an invisible Power, a Power that is the Ground of All Being, and The Animating Force. This Power expresses as the physical or manifest universe and the energy therein. This Power expresses impersonally – it is fully available to all.

“You belong to the universe in which you live, you are one with the Creative Genius back of this vast array of ceaseless motion, this original flow of life. You are as much a part of it as the sun, the earth and the air. There is something in you telling you this — like a voice echoing from some mountain top of inward vision, like a light whose origin no man has seen, like an impulse welling up from an invisible source.”
~ Ernest Holmes

In order to become spiritually realized, we must fully transcend believing only in the evidence of our senses. The senses have evolved to help us negotiate our physical surroundings. The Source of everything in those surroundings is invisible to our senses. Spiritual realization, the process of discovering this invisible Power, does not separate us from our physical surroundings, it allows us to know ourselves for what we are and to know our surroundings for what they are – projections of an invisible Power imbued with intelligence.

“Sooner or later we have to risk everything. We have to gamble on the invisible and risk all that we can see and taste and feel. But we know the risk is worth it, because there is nothing more insecure than the transient world.”
~ Thomas Merton

Spiritual realization is a process of awakening to our inner reality, the mystical reality which is behind all physical expressions of reality. The mystic is one who has cultivated a relationship with the inner self, a capacity we all have. It is kind of like learning the inner operations of a clock and discovering what makes the hands show the time.

“Invisible connection is stronger than visible. To arrive at the basic structure of things we must go into their darkness.”
~ Heraclitus

This quote from Heraclitus is over 2,000 years old. The idea of an invisible Power in back of all things is not new. It remains a key to developing a powerful and mature sense of personal spirituality.

As always, your comments are welcomed. The next post will explore beliefs 5 & 6 from SACRED THINKING.

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard