The Deepest Magic
The Deepest Magic
In C. S. Lewis’s story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there is a defining moment when the white witch of Narnia slays Aslan the regal lion who has befriended and protected the four children, visitors to the enchanted kingdom. Aslan sacrifices himself for his friends, giving up his life to save them. As the good folk of Narnia and the children grieve the loss of this great being, another magic arises unexpectedly, magic deeper and older than the dawn of the world. This wonderful magic brings Aslan back to life.
Through meditation, by entering the stillness beyond thought, we discover this primordial magic that is deeper and older than time. The enduring reality is our transcendent spirit that silently watches the sensory pageant. The real you is shining awareness – blissful and at peace. You are visiting this world of motion to discover truths about yourself and develop mastery over the waves of matter.
Our true nature is eternal fire and light. The essential self lives deep within, unscathed by outer turmoil. Sages learn to climb into the divine “I” and watch the outer storms pass beneath them. Once you drop the delusion that you are an isolated entity, the entire universe begins to operate through your body. The greatest experience of life awaits you. – Emory Michael
Photo by Pixabay
Thoughts to Live By
The Universal Heartbeat
Nature has one supreme law that organizes life in matter. It is revealed in the alternating pattern of our breath, our pulsing heartbeat, the cycles of day and night, sleeping and waking, the ebb and flow of tides, the coming and going of the seasons, even in the sequence of our footsteps. It is the universal heartbeat, the cosmic pulse of life. It is nature's way.
Everything we do creates ripples in the ocean of being. All our thoughts and actions, even slight gestures and facial expressions, send forces into space. Like our breath, our heartbeat, and the ebb and flow of the tides, these actions obey a two-way motion. The outflowing cause eventually returns to us as an effect. The forces we release into the currents of life return to us on the wings of universal motion. This is the law of the echo, the boomerang, the backlash. Life sends back to us, mirror-like, the effects of the causes we generate in all that we think, say, feel, and do.
To understand why your current situation has come about, you have to consider the driving forces. Sages know they can't escape the consequences of their own actions. Environment mirrors the driving forces of consciousness -- the oxen that lead the cart. Our thoughts, feelings, actions and intentions create our life. Your environment is your consciousness crystallized.
The law of causation is the supreme law of matter in motion, the primary driving force in nature. Balanced reciprocity is its heartbeat. When we act, the universe reacts; when we give, the universe gives back. Every effect is preceded by a cause; every action is followed by a reaction. In the measure that you give, so you receive. We give to ourselves and we take away. Each is the source of his experiences. Each is the author of her life.
Because the echo effect is not always immediate, many have yet to realize this truth. But the material universe is constructed upon this essential principle: our lives are impacted with the results of the forces we ourselves have released into the ocean of existence. Begin the day with love, live the day with love, end the day with love -- this is the way into the secrets of creation. – Emory Michael
Angel by Sano di Pietro
The Power of the Spoken Word
In order to realize the truth...
In order to realize the truth of our being we need to sensitize our organism to a higher range of vibrations and frequencies. This requires attuning to higher plateaus of consciousness in order to open channels of communication with the deep levels of being so that we can begin to sense the inner presence, the god-self we truly are. Doing so liberates us from imprisonment in a sense-bound range of vibrations that chain us to matter and lock our consciousness in this 3-D world of illusion.
Our love for truth draws us close to the sacred mysteries – the truth that will make us free. Each of us contains the sublime knowledge of the universe within our deep self. Right speech is a cornerstone in the temple of sacred living. “Words that are true and kind,” said Buddha, “can change your world.” The spoken word is a magical power, a high gift bestowed upon humanity by nature and the spirit. When we speak, we mimic the creative beings that have brought the spinning worlds and starry systems into being. We imitate the gods. We can transform our mood with the right words. Try repeating the words, “love, joy, and peace” a few dozen times, deliberately and with attention. It is impossible to hold on to a despondent mood for long. The words we speak are an expression of our thoughts. Nothing matters more than the thoughts we hold in our consciousness.
There are moments in a conversation when we speak words that are helpful, even inspired. This is a sign that our words are coming from a deeper source, our spirit presence. Periods of silent reflection and meditation open deeper channels in the mind and allow these inspired words to flow from us more easily and often. Practicing awareness of the flow of your thoughts insures that you are the one behind the wheel in your life. Speaking words that are beneficial, helpful and kind make us masters of our destiny. Our life is blessed as we speak from the heart.
– Emory Michael
Buddha in Meditation
The Secret of Light
We are here on a cosmic mission...
We are here on a cosmic mission, but we are only visiting. The inner world is eternal; the outer sensory world will some day vanish like ice cubes in the sun. What we learn and experience we take with us as a quintessence of wisdom, a condensation of eternal light we retain forever, the fruit of this life. Authentic sages do not attempt to escape material conditions. They know that our coming here is for a reason. Sages seek to live in harmony with the subtle wisdom, learning to live masterfully in this sensory realm.
The greatest secret of the light is that you are the light. Your body is formed of stardust; and your spirit is fashioned from the eternal divine fire that has created the stars. Our true home is in the eternal light. Nothing we believe or disbelieve changes the fact that our essential self will outlast the constellations. The inner path is the journey that enables you, the real spiritual you, to become conscious of its being.
The best way to realize the nature of the universe and your own self is to cultivate the feeling of love in the heart. Sages and mystics love the world because the universal spirit is present in all things, poured out like a stream of light into the mightiest mountain range and the tiniest grains of sand. Sages express love without needing to possess or control. They spread out waves of kindness, embracing all in the heart.
The perennial wisdom states that everything outside us perishes; one thing alone does not perish – the loving diamond essence in the center of your soul.
– Emory Michael
Lotus Unfolding on Pond by 김 대정
The Greatest Gift
The divine worlds are working...
The divine worlds are working out a wise and loving purpose through the lives of every soul on earth. Each person has a unique task and role to play in the evolution of the world and of humanity. The wisdom we need to fulfill our task is often displayed in the living book of nature. Spring is the time for planting in anticipation of a future harvest. All of us are planting in the gardens of life and ultimately we reap what we sow. The season of harvest is sure to come. In the measure that we give, so does the living universe give back to us.
The greatest gift we can offer is to turn toward the light of the inner presence and become vessels for this radiance. As we fill our minds with wise thoughts of the sacred traditions we grow close to the light. Learning to quiet the mind and rest in stillness, we bring to awareness a deeper presence. In contact with the sacred center in our hearts, we become focal points for projecting light and wisdom in the world. Sowing seeds of light, we embody the transcendent. The secrets of life are revealed to those who love and cherish the light. – Emory Michael
Photo by Nandhu Khumar
The Source of Happiness
The kindness we give...
The kindness we give is a blessing to those that receive it, but it also transforms us in the giving. James Allen relates a startling example. He describes a hardened inmate at a prison in central England, a man notorious for his mean-spirited, incorrigible ways. One day he corners a tiny mouse in his cell. He keeps the mouse in a box the guards give him, and feeds the creature bits of food, doting on its welfare and deriving pleasure from its company. Caring for this tiny, vulnerable creature changes his whole personality. His concern for the mouse draws out his tender feelings. From beneath his hard shell, a loving, caring spirit emerges. When he is released from prison he takes the mouse with him to begin his new life.
In feeling love, we are in touch with the magic of life – and with the inner harmony that flows from the mysterious heart of the cosmos. The feeling of love in the heart is the source of happiness. Happiness comes to those with love in their hearts. – Emory Michael
The Shift of the Ages
The Shift of the Ages
The apostle Paul declared that new life begins with a shift in our attitude. “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” he said. This is the inner meaning of the theological concept of conversion, and the true meaning of repentance. Not simply that we ask forgiveness, but that we alter our thinking and live in a new way. This shift in awareness is comprehensive. It includes our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. The way to change your life is to change your mind. In other words, shift your inner focus. Our journey on the path of light begins as we become conscious of our inner life.
The Greek word for the transformation of consciousness is metanoia. This is the true “shift of the ages,” of which so much has been written. “The shift” is not something external. It is a subtle awakening of awareness. We shift from identification with the densities of matter to connecting to the pole star of our spirit. The highest form of metanoia, of transformation, comes when we awaken to the realization that our true being is within. Beneath our thoughts and feelings pulsates the mystery – the treasure of our eternal self. The “shift of the ages” is a reorientation of our inner life so that the center of our awareness is awake in the spirit and no longer limited to the outer mind, ego, and physical body. We discover a guiding star in our soul, the eternal source of light that exists beyond thought. – Emory Michael
Mudra of Peace and Enlightenment
Receiving the Light
The Sanskrit expression Namaste...
The Sanskrit expression Namaste, which means, "I honor the light within you," is a refreshing reminder that the divine principle lives in each of us. This celestial spark may be covered over by layers of darkness, yet it pulsates in the heart of every human being. We search for the source of light in vain if we cannot see the divine in those around us. The more we see light in others, the more it will be active in ourselves and in our lives. And to receive the light, we must learn to release it through our own actions and thoughts. Love and light expressed draw to us the sunlight of the divine world, making our own souls radiant. Seeing the light of the soul in ourselves and others -- and releasing it through constructive thoughts, words, and actions -- is the cornerstone of sacred living.
– Emory Michael
Young Woman in Yoga Posture
I've Waited All My Life For This
A little girl of about five...
A little girl about five years old came into our shop with her mother, who let her buy some glow-in-the-dark stars. Beaming, the delighted little girl plunked the stars on the counter and said with great feeling, "I've waited all my life for these!"
Whether we've been waiting a few years or a long lifetime, what we desire is close at hand. Often by our attitudes and conflicted thoughts we push away from us the very things that bring happiness. "You are the veil that hides the paradise you seek," said the twelfth century mystic Saint Brendan of Ireland. In keeping our thoughts attuned to the ever-shining sun within us, we find a path of light open up before us.
As we open our hearts and radiate blessings to others, we release the light and love from within, dispelling darkness and drawing magic and love into our lives. In giving of ourselves, we harmonize with the universal law of love. As we seek the light by giving kindness and gentleness, we find that the source of light we seek is in our own hearts. – Emory Michael
Photo by Pixabay
The Most Powerful Medicine
It's wise to remind ourselves...
It's wise to remind ourselves that good health begins with a positive mental attitude. Poor health is often a result of worrisome thoughts, frazzled emotions and long-term bodily fatigue. Good nutrition and healthy sleep habits contribute enormously to our well-being. Healthy diet is essential, and eating wholesome natural foods (and avoiding highly processed foods laced with chemicals) creates a foundation for good health. Ultimately, our capacity to resist illness comes from a strong immune system built on the foundation of healthy body, mind, and spirit that invigorates and strengthens us on cellular levels. The greatest power to heal self and others comes from a mind imbued with the light of wisdom and a heart filled with kindness toward all life. The most powerful medicine in the universe is the emanation of a loving heart. – Emory Michael
Photo by Jess Bailey Designs
The Light that Guides
The course we set in life...
The course we set in life determines our ends. If you aim at nothing, you're sure to hit it. Throughout history, sailors and voyagers have set their courses by the stars. This is because the fixed stars offer clear and certain reference points by which to chart a direction. The fixed stars and constellations represent the divine thoughts and archetypes that are the background to earthly existence. Behind the scenes of physical life breathes an unseen universe of immense grandeur. Our individualized spirits are a part of this limitless universe of light and beauty. It is from this world that we have come, for we are spirit living in form and even our physical bodies are fashioned out of the condensed light that has a spiritual origin.
In order to chart our course through life, it is helpful to have a guide and reference point -- a kind of "star map" -- to lead us unerringly to our goals. Those who have seen beyond the veil of physical matter into the world of light have left roadmaps and guideposts in the form of the world's wisdom teachings. These can help us navigate the storms and straits of life and enable us to reach our destination. Studying the inspired messages of the world's illumined sages -- called by some the "perennial philosophy" -- will help us find our path into a world of truth and happiness. As we seek the light by expressing kindness and goodness, we discover an unquenchable stream of inspiration. In living serenely, we discover the source of truth that guides us from within, the "star" of our own divine nature. – Emory Michael
Photo by Artem Saranin
The Stories Inside
The Stories Inside Us
I once told the English folk tale of The Three Little Pigs to a class of Kindergarten children. Afterwards, a little girl looked up into my eyes with a face bright as that September day and said, “You must have a lot of stories inside your body.”
Her words convey the charming wisdom of childhood. We all have countless stories inside us. They fill every cell of our being, and can chain us to the past with hurt or shame. These stories are also a book of wisdom that leads to the portal of self-realization. Ironically, though our stories contain a wisdom as vast as the world, they are not who we are. Our stories contain a golden key to realization of who we are, yet of themselves will not open the door. Like signposts, they lead us to the cliff’s edge. To realize who we are and take flight into the cosmos of love, we must leap beyond our stories into the pure atmosphere of our inner being.
Our bodies live in the “world of stories” – this theater of light and shadow featuring the drama of our lives. The deepest part of us, our spirit, lives in a world of luminous serenity, untouched by confusion and sorrows. As we make the effort to connect with this inner light, we shine from the inside. We become allies with the magical force that brought the universe into being. – Emory Michael
Books on display at Luminata in Monterey
The Soul's Metamorphosis
The Soul's Metamorphosis
Once I was late for an appointment and could not find my car keys. I looked everywhere frantically, thinking they were lost. Then I checked my pocket one more time. They were in my trouser pocket the whole time.
We already are that which we seek. The presence is our own I Am, here and now. The self that we seek is hiding in plain view, seeing through our own eyes, listening through our ears. It is our own awareness, in this moment.
The soul of the universe lives in each of us. Life is designed to help you reach the place where you become aware of this inner space. The whole evolving drama is designed to coax you to awaken. We may not think we are making progress, but we can be sure that as we persist in focusing on the inner light, more radiance shines from our hearts, for what we focus on multiplies. More grace and synchronicity will be magnetized to our field. Over time we change radically in our souls. Nature’s image of this change is the butterfly.
What for the caterpillar is the end of the world is for the butterfly a new creation. A caterpillar is a lowly creature, considered a pest by gardeners, that crawls on its stomach and consumes plants. By contrast, a butterfly is like a winged flower. It contributes to the economy of nature, pollinating plants, and is a thing of poetic beauty. Just as a caterpillar must build an inner protected world to grow wings and transform into a butterfly, so do we need to create a safe inner world in which our consciousness can metamorphose. The creation of this inner realm is the fruit of meditation, the inner activity by which we grow the wings of our soul and become contributors to life. As we grow the light in our souls, life becomes the joyful magic of living in the heart. – Emory Michael
Photo by Cindy Gustafson
Gratitude – the State of Grace
The word grace touches on the mysteries...
The word grace touches on the mysteries of transcendence and blessing. It comes from the Latin gratia, meaning gift or kindness. It is the root of gratitude, the inspired feeling that opens a portal into a higher world. In many languages, grace is synonymous with thankfulness -- gracias in Spanish, grazie in Italian. A grace is a prayer of thanksgiving at mealtime. Grace is also considered a divine quality, as in the expression the "grace of God," implying a heavenly benediction or saving influence. Experiencing grace in this celestial sense implies receiving a gift or mercy that is not necessarily earned or deserved -- hence the specialness of it. Even so, grace need not be difficult to obtain. The right attitude can draw grace to us.
The way to live in a "state of grace" is to feel thankfulness. In feeling gratitude, our soul emanations make an impression on the subtle ethers and elicit a response from the universal web of life, pulling blessings our way. Gratitude leads to a loving outlook, for not much separates gratitude from love. The grateful state of mind releases a transcendent force from within us, enabling us to embrace even the darkness and hardness of life. With gratitude in our hearts, we realize that without darkness, we could not see the stars.
Photo by Johannes Plenio
The Hidden Power in Your Life
The Hidden Power in Your Life
A hidden power is sweetly and mightily ordering all things. Learn to feel this power and acknowledge that it is streaming through your life circumstances. It is the enduring background of peace and wisdom that props up the scenery on the stage of your life. It is evolving your awareness and the consciousness of all living things.
Think in terms of the smooth operation of divine spiritual law. Seek to perceive how this loving, gentle, wise energy is working through all events, seeking to bring harmony and better conditions. The inscrutable intelligence of life is designed so that all things conspire together for good for all involved. Whatever confronts you as a test or challenge, remain calm and you will find yourself safely guided to an ultimately beneficial conclusion. Construct your life on the foundation of spiritual laws and principles that always work unfailingly. When you act, the universe responds. When you give, the universe gives back. Trust that as you sow seeds of light and kindness in the garden of your consciousness and you will reap a harvest of happiness. – Emory Michael
Watercolor Painting by Mia Michael
The Magic of Light
The Magic of Light
The greatest mystery is the mystery of light. When we discover the source of the light, we discover our very self, for our true nature is light. Through inner stillness, we grow in awareness of the light of our inmost essence.
The language of light is love. Love is written into the heartbeat of the universe. The laws of life are manifestations of divine love extended into nature, or matter. In order to comprehend this universe of light, one must love. In order to know oneself and to realize the inner light, one must become love. The universe has made its home within you. As we commune with the light, we discover the radiant inner cosmos. Life becomes the joyful magic of living in the heart. – Emory Michael
Photo by Tobias Bjorkli
The Ocean of Life
The Ocean of Life
We live in the universal ocean of life – a complex field of energies, elements and forces. By the law of affinity, we draw to ourselves the elements that correspond to the nature of our thoughts, feelings and deeds. Just as a fish absorbs from the water precisely the minerals and particles that correspond to its nature, so do each of us attract, from the great etheric ocean, forces that have an affinity with our inner makeup. If we change our “nature” – that is, the qualities of our inner world of thought, feeling, moods and imagination – we change the flow of forces we attract. Each impulse toward a better life instantly releases from the ocean of life elements that improve our world. When we send out thoughts of love – a vibration from the heart – the heart of the universe responds.
Thinking and feeling are sacred processes. Time-honored methods of meditation and prayer are ways to transform our inner life of thought and feeling and to unfold the qualities of our deeper self. These practices elevate our consciousness and link us to the divine source at the center of our being. They are a kind of sacred breathing – a reciprocal give and take from a higher world of celestial inspiration. When our inner life shines with the light of wisdom and the warmth of kindness, we release radiant loving currents into the ocean of existence. We link ourselves with the living Source that transforms us. – Emory Michael
photo by Emiliano Arano
The Heart of Giving
The Heart of Giving
The universe rests upon the order and perfection of laws that govern life. Divine law manifests through every event and experience. These dynamic principles can be seen in the motion of the planets, the tides, or the fall of a leaf. The ancients called this perfect order of things by the name cosmos. The essence of religion, stripped of its dogma, is learning to live in harmony with the universal sacred laws.
The universe is an expression of light, and love is the essence of light. Nature, or matter, is a manifestation of divine love. Love is written into the heartbeat of the universe. The laws of nature are the manifestation of divine love, and love is expressed in giving. To give is to extend the love of God into earthly life. In giving, we align with the divine order of the universe. We liberate ourselves from darkness and take steps forward on the path of eternal light. In giving of ourselves, we become co-creators with the power that brought the universe into being. – Emory Michael
Photo by Javon Swaby
The Space Inside Us
The Space Inside Us
Our multidimensional being spans all levels of creation. Like an atlas of human anatomy with transparent overlays of the various systems – skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous system, and so on – our being has “levels” of energy far deeper than the physical. In sum, these energy layers are a vessel of inner forces. Our essence has been covered over by many veils of matter – a kind of sensory matrix that hides but also reveals the inner splendor. The sensory world is what ancient sages called maya – a kind of virtual reality created by electrical signals from our nervous system and brain that register motion of the quantum sea. Maya is the dream world – real to our senses, but ultimately as ephemeral as soap bubbles.
The old Newtonian view sees the world as a kind of machine. That view persists today, yet it would be truer to say that the universe is a living organism – a breathing, pulsing sea of consciousness. You are an individualized microcosm reflecting the totality – a spark of the universal life force itself. When human beings realize their unity with the source of life, they will cease to inflict harm upon other creatures, for what we do to another we do to ourselves.
In every human being the divine spark sleeps. Through the process of spiritual awakening the spark stirs to life and the flame of love and light burns ever more brightly. We fan the flame by thoughts imbued with wisdom and by elevated feelings of inspiration, kindness and serenity. Beneath our ordinary thoughts and feelings the deepest mystery lies hidden—the mystery of our own true self. – Emory Michael
Angel from Raphael's Resurrection
The Essence of Creation
The Essence of Creation
The universe is an idea in the mind of God. The physical world of so-called matter – which is really light set in motion and partially crystallized – is a manifestation of thoughts. Matter is condensed or solidified thought. Your personal universe is an interplay of ideas and forces set in motion in you and by you. The world is an out-picturing of the vibrations of thoughts. Take away the motion created by the activity of cosmic and human thinking and the world would disappear. Nothing matters more than what you are thinking. Nothing is more important than the nature of the thoughts you think. Thought stimulates feelings, and the emotional element added to thought provides the motivation to act. Your life is shaped by your mind and your mind is shaped by the desires that drive you. When you concentrate on a visual scenario you create an energetic blueprint that coalesces into the very conditions you visualize. Mind is the matrix of all things. The inner world of consciousness is the womb in which our future life gestates. Action brings into being the substance of our thoughts and our dreams. To create a better world, first picture it in your mind, and then take action to bring it about. This is the essence of the creative process. – Emory Michael
Watercolor Painting by Mia Michael