Attachment to Stuff Only Weighs You Down
By Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified
Among most people there is a strong attachment to owning things. The United States has especially become a consumption-based society, one in which many have actually come to believe that what you own is who you are. This same attitude is steadily being exported to second and third world countries as well. Please don’t misunderstand me here. There is nothing wrong at all with people buying material goods (i.e., nonessential items) when they feel like doing so — I most certainly do. Problems are bound to develop however, when that feeling is based on an ill-founded premise that continuing to purchase such things will actually provide them with genuine happiness, security, or even improved social status.
During an average month in the United States, we are barraged with literally thousands of messages originating from a variety of sources, the majority of which are designed to get us to buy either a product or an idea. As a result of this media-driven culture, we have millions of people taking on significant amounts of debt just so they can ‘own’ and become attached to and/or burdened by more and more stuff.
The Belief Formula on www.PonderCentral.com
I just received this email from www.PonderCentral.com, where I subscribe to the daily inspirational quotes Ponder has been sending out for over 9-years; and, Thanks! to Jeff Maziarek for using this excerpt from The Belief Formula… I was just talking about this earlier today; you should always remember: before it was here, it was an idea… Thoughts are things; and, "that which is formed comes from that which is not seen." Think about what you want, have faith, ask, and receive.
Here’s the email:
Pondercentral published a new entry entitled "PONDER on THIS for Friday, August 1st, 2008 by Pete Koerner in THE BELIEF FORMULA" on 7/31/2008 5:38:00 PM, written by Jeff Maziarek.
PONDER on THIS for Friday, August 1st, 2008 by Pete Koerner in THE BELIEF FORMULA
"All physical, or formed, things come from the unformed, or non-physical, realm. What brings that energy here and assembles it for us is the overarching principle of the Universe in which we live. Our essence is desire, or the desire to give and receive; our essence is love, attraction, and receptivity. We derive our essence from our Creator; the essence of that which created us appears to be that of love and of giving. You need only “Ask and ye shall receive.” The great ones remind us, “You have not because you ask not.”
We are here as the result of thought; and we receive all things as the result of thought. Some people call this prayer; but regardless of what you call it, it simply is. And it is simple. The answers to our prayers are the things we see and experience – all of them. If you are physically aware of it, it is the answer to a prayer. The answers to prayers are all we know. We just don’t know that we know."
Pete Koerner, in "The Belief Formula"
To subscribe to Ponder Central’s daily inspirational messages, just go to: www.PonderCentral.com
Jeff Maziarek is also the author of Spirituality Simplified. For more information, and free audio downloads, just visit: www.SpiritSimple.com
Spirituality Simplified: Why Is It We All Tend to Act like We’re "Judge Judies?"
The tendency on the part of human beings to "judge" (i.e., label, criticize, condemn, and so on) plays a significant role in fostering separation among people. For whatever reason, our minds have what appears to be a natural inclination to pass judgment on people, places, situations, etc. While no one wants to be considered judgmental, as this description carries a very negative connotation, the fact is everyone does judge. It is essentially impossible to completely avoid making judgments, for nearly every one of our thoughts has some judgment associated with it.
Spirituality Simplified: When You Take Care of the Present the Future Takes Care of Itself
By Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified
What I am about to say may shock you, but other than those times when you are looking forward with joyful anticipation to an upcoming event, practically all of the thoughts you entertain about the future are in fact rooted in fear. In particular, the desire to know what will occur, and the urge to make detailed plans to ensure one’s own security down the road, are both related to the ego’s need for safety as a result of its deeply held fear of death. You can deny the truth in this, arguing that it is only prudent that a person plan for the future. However, if you are able to look deep within yourself, you will realize that it is indeed an accurate observation concerning human nature. To varying degrees, every single one of us is apprehensive about the future (i.e., the unknown), and so we burn amazing amounts of energy trying to get a hold on something that quite simply is impossible to grasp. According to Fr. Anthony DeMello in "Awareness":
Spirituality Simplified: Self-Forgiveness Isn’t Always Easy; But It’s Worth The Effort
"Self-forgiveness is not always a simple task, especially in the case of acts that caused significant pain or distress to other people. Nevertheless, if you aren’t willing to release all of the resentment you feel toward yourself, how can you expect to be forgiven by whomever it is that you harmed? Moreover, without self-forgiveness, you simply cannot move forward in your spiritual growth, nor can you hope to succeed in your personal healing efforts. To assist you in this process of forgiving yourself, I highly recommend the use of the following prayer, which I came across a few years ago in a book called The Angels Within Us by John Randolph Price. It is one that has always been of great value to me in my own efforts to release myself from past mistakes:
Do What You Love and the Money Truly WILL Follow
By Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified
The importance of doing what you love, is one that is embraced by virtually all of this era’s most prominent personal and spiritual growth authors. In fact, the adage "do what you love and the money will follow" is very commonly known, but just why is this so? In response to this question consider the following passage from Arnold Patent’s book You Can Have It All:
"When you choose to make doing what you love the core experience of your life, you move into alignment with the Universe. Immediately, the infinite supply of energy is available to you. You feel the aliveness that comes from having the unlimited energy of the Universe flow through you. This aliveness influences the energy signals you emit, and the people and circumstances that will support the continuation of your feeling of aliveness are attracted to you."
Spirituality Simplified: COMMUNICATION FROM GOD (INSPIRATION)
If you tell the average person that you pray on a regular basis, odds are that most would consider your statement to be nothing out of the ordinary. Conversely, if you tell someone that you actually heard a message or received an insight directly from God, it is likely that a majority of those same people will at least doubt what you say; at worst some might think that you could be a candidate for some psychotherapy.
Spirituality Simplified: Is God Confused, or are WE?
"The very questioning of the origin of the Bible is often considered sacrilegious by many a devout Christian, but is it unreasonable to want to know who wrote such an important literary work? Of course not. It is not solid reasoning, in my view, to simply accept the entire Bible as the “Word of God,” solely because a religion or religions say that it is. Why not? Because it has a number of inconsistencies and contradictions. For example, the Old Testament contains a fair share of violence with turmoil, and includes memorable passages such as the oft-quoted “an eye for an eye,” while the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament include admonitions such as “love ye one another” and “turn the other cheek.” Which of these clearly conflicting messages, then, is the actual Word of God? Or, are we to assume that God has different rules for different periods of time?"
Jeff Maziarek, from Spirituality Simplified
*For more information on Spirituality Simplified, or author Jeff Maziarek, check out: Spirituality Simplified
*Also, make sure to check out Ponder Central and drop them a "Happy Nine-Year Anniversary" note for providing inspirational, uplifting, and enlightening excerpts from some of the greatest authors and works of this age for over Nine-Years! Thanks for the "reminders," Jeff!
Spirituality Simplified and Jeff Maziarek on WCPT AM Radio in Chicago
PONDER on THIS Compiler to be Interviewed on WCPT AM Radio in Chicago on Sunday April 20th, 2008
Posted by Jeff Maziarek at 4/17/2008 9:33 PM and is filed under About Jeff Maziarek 
On Sunday April 20th at 11:00 a.m. Central Time, Pondercentral compiler Jeff Maziarek will be a guest on the "Seeds for Success" radio show co-hosted by Carolyn Gable and George Watts on WCPT AM in Chicago.
For those living in the Chicago area, the show is available on the 820 on the AM dial, and it can also be heard from anywhere in the world on the Internet at www.wcpt820.com. The show will feature a lively discussion about spirituality and other related topics. For subscribers in the Chicago area, the call in number for the show is: 773-774-8585.
Please tune in if you have an opportunity to do so!
Carolyn Gable is President and CEO of New Age Transportation, Distribution & Warehousing Inc., a multi-million dollar enterprise based in Lake Zurich, Illinois. She is also the author of "Everything I Know as a CEO, I Learned as a Waitress." For more information about Carolyn click here.
George Watts is the founder of AST Management in Chicago. He has published two books, “Power Vision” and “Buy Straw Hats in January”. For more information, click here.
Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified
For information on Jeff Maziarek and Spirituality Simplified, go to: Spirituality Simplified
Or, visit www.PonderCentral.com
Spirituality Simplified: They “Know Not What They Do”
As you undertake the effort to practice forgiveness in your life, it is also appropriate to take into consideration the words of Jesus as he neared his death, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Although this statement is familiar to many, I believe that most individuals would believe instead that those who harmed them were
actually well aware of what they were doing.
From my experiences on this path, I’ve come to believe that a person who does harm to another is simply doing what they know how to do at the time given the level of their awareness of spiritual principles, nothing more, nothing less. While it can be difficult to adopt this perspective when an individual does something that is really mean or hurtful, if you got down to the heart of the matter, you would find they were merely doing the best they could in that moment to deal with their own life’s issues and fears.
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The Belief Formula
