Gaia's Artistry


About Spirit


by
Bill

An Introduction

1spirit - 1: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.

(Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Tenth Edition)

As this is the first in my articles for this column About Spirit, I would like to explain some things that might influence the way you read it. The title, About Spirit, suggests that we are talking about It (that One) animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms (Spirit). Too, the title implies that by discussing these issues we may come closer to, reasonably close to (About), the Spirit of Life Itself.

After each main title "About Spirit" I will give the common topic to be discussed followed by a pertinent dictionary definition of a key word used in the article. Why the dictionary?

Dictionaries are the best way for us to understand words that are being used by authors that we don't know. When I began my spiritual path, some 20 years ago, a wise spiritual mentor said, "If you're going to study the Spirit you'll need a good dictionary."

Dictionaries present knowledge of the rest of the group that "we" don't know - example:1;"we - 1: I and the rest of a group that includes me." Well, I know who "me" and "I" are but how about you, the rest of that group? Not knowing the answer to that question, the best I can do is consult the dictionary.

For a word to be printed in the dictionary, it must meet rigorous standards.Publishers question academicians, authors, technicians, theologians, and the public at large, to mention a few, and to insure the word is in common usage, is spelled correctly, and what the word means to them. Then they take a consensus of the responses they receive, assuming the word has been in use a considerable amount of time, and print it in the dictionary.

Dictionaries also print words alphabetically and chronologically - that is, they first print the word using its first definition when it was originally introduced to the common language. Its first use is important to know when studying spiritual issues because the Spirit was here, on earth first, before the first word was uttered. Therefore, the spirit of a word can be more readily found in its first definition. For like reasons, in the dictionary, it is also good to go back into the history of a word, to find what earlier renditions of the word meant, and what languages it came from.

The first definition of the word "1spirit" is our current focus. The dictionary then tells us that Spirit is first "principle." As a word "principle" is first "a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption." Assumptions, doctrine, and law are fundamentally thought forms. Then to think of something, we must be conscious of what we are thinking about. But spiritual principle is not just any form of consciousness. All in Spirit is absolute and thus spiritual principle is first ALL habitually right thinking. Think about It.

Too, ideal to psychic thought is thinking right all the time, and when there is no time. As a guide then, for me, the Spirit becomes my answer person when my thinking needs to be right - It's my habitually right answer person. Let's see if we can see what's right in the way others thought about Spirit:

2Lao Tsu (600 B.C.) Chinese Master spiritual philosopher and sage said that the Spirit could not be named and then he called It "The Tao." The Tao (pronounced Dao) he said was "the mother of ten thousand things." (Tao Te Ching) 3Jesus the Christ of Nazareth (4 B.C. - 30 A.D.) called the Spirit (speaking in Aramaic) - "Abwoon." In English we interpreted Abwoon to mean "Father." (Matthew 6:9) But, Abwoon might better be translated "4The Divine Parent." (Prayer's of the Cosmos) In the 13th and 14th Century, Hebrew Mystic's writing in 5The Kabbalah, called GOD "Ein Sof" and Spirit "sefirot." Of sefirot and Ein Sof, they said that they were "One." And that One is "THE ALL OF EVERYTHING." Think about It.

Many times I will say to you, "Think about It." When I do, I am asking you to think about the Spirit of Life and any question you may have about anything you've just read about It. Think deeply about It. By thinking deeply about It, you will reach deep down within yourself, to a sole level, and your answer will be there.

I end each of my articles with a thought - a word I attribute to Spirit and meaningful to me. The word that I use is Abwoon. By saying Abwoon, to myself, in my brain, I hope to evoke the Powers that Be - I just let that word resonate there for a moment. And, for just a fleeing moment, I like to thank Them for allowing me to write to you.

Abwoon

Disclaimer: Please do not believe anything that I say About Spirit. Anything that you hear or read here please check it for clarification with the Spirit of Life Itself.

Bibliography:

  1. Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Tenth Edition; Merriam-Webster, Incorporated; Springfield, MA, U.S.A., 1993.
  2. Tsu, Lao, Tao Te Ching; Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English; Vintage Books, Random House, New York, 1972.
  3. Jesus the Christ of Nazareth, The Holy Bible; Christian Heritage Publishing Co. Inc.; 1986.
  4. Douglas-Koltz, Neil, Prayers of the Cosmos, Harper & Row, Publishers, San Francisco; 1990.
  5. Matt, Daniel C., The Essential Kabbalah; Harper San Francisco/HarperCollins Publisher; 1998.