I am reading the Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes daily readings. Today’s comes from a chapter called “Principles of Successful Living.” He challenges us to obey the Spirit. What is the Spirit? It is God or the Divine Presence within us. It is the Real us. It is the us that surpasses death. Some call it the ethereal body. Some call it “the Holy Spirit.” Deepak Chopra calls it the “quantum mechanical body.” The yogi Sri Arobindo calls it “The Life Divine.” I believe that there isn’t a philosophy or religion does not have a name for this “Self” that is our True Self; and yet, for many of us, we continue to live and depend on the physical manifestation (body) that is flesh and blood, fixing life from matter to matter. If we could truly understand that the true I is Spiritual, much of the suffering we experience would dissipate.

What does Ernest Holmes mean when he says “obey the Spirit!”? I have come to understand this to mean to follow and obey our Intuition. Intuition is not a hunch or prediction; it is God or Spirit knowing Itself as us. We all have this knowing within us. To obey It, is to listen and respond to those Inner promptings that we know are real, but sometimes deny. Spirit in us or our Intuition doesn’t always lead us the comfortable route. Sometimes it means letting go of everything known and familiar.

The other side of Spirit is Law. This is a mechanical Force, a Blind Force that simply obeys the will of Spirit. It is the Force that brings life to us in our experiences. It is simply the out-picturing of what we believe. It is the out-picturing of what we feel as our truth. It has no limits and it responds to everyone no matter who they are. It doesn’t know “good” or “bad.” It simply is a force let loose in the Field of Energy that is creative.

I’ve had a very full two months of getting to know myself in a deeper way. January is one of the most taxing times in our Center because of all that must be accomplished in the world of form during that month. Before that are the Holidays, which are full for any spiritual organization. February was filled with getting ready for an International conference, compounded by the loss of our beloved cat. This catapulted me into something that I’ve experienced only on rare occasions – a sinus infection caused by a dental issue. However, I know that it was more than that. It was a wake up call to take a deep breath and “obey the Spirit.” What is Spirit telling me? Many things that I’m just coming to understand. When I listen deeply, the answers come. Again, they are not always comfortable answers; however, I must obey.

I just celebrated my birthday with relaxing time away, which always assists me in getting more clarity on the four questions that Deepak Chopra invites us all to ask ourselves in meditation: Who Am I? What do I want? What is my purpose?What am I grateful for?

When we are in meditation and have surrendered to the Spirt, asking these questions will give us the answers that we seek. Again, the answers might not be comfortable. It might take asking them over and over and really listening. They might require changes. However, they will lead us into our life led by the Spirit, and we do have a mechanical force or Law that will just answer yes to us and drive our answers into manifestation.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren