Practical Spirituality--Reclaiming Your Identity is Success

This self improvement article is written by John Gilmore.

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I watched a TV show one night that talked about applying spiritual techniques to one's life in order to be a financial success. Apparently, the people doing the presentation were saying that you would be monetarily successful if you applied the techniques of positive affirmations, visualization, and gratitude, they would attract riches to you on all levels. The odd part was that they were saying that a reflection of your happiness and spirituality would be monetary possessions. That level, to them, was as important to every other one.

They also said that people were poor, because they attracted poverty to themselves. They were sad because they attracted sadness to themselves. Every condition, according to them, came about because we are creators and we attract those situations to ourselves. This sounds good, but in reality, I don' t think that it is true. This is what I think of when I think of what I call the "Dark Side of Aquarius." The "Age of Aquarius" was supposed to be an age of enlightenment when the spirit was poured out on everyone. As a result of this, each person would realize their divine makeup and reclaim their creativity. The reason why I call it the "dark side," is because it is the same old materialism that we experienced during the age of Pisces, disguised to look like spirituality. If you are a spiritual seeker, or someone seeking success in your life, be aware of the same old monkey in new clothing.

As we explore their ideas more fully, and bring them into the light of reason and real circumstances in the world, we can see that they are not completely correct. They are a little bit of truth, twisted together with the same old deceit of an older age. People don't attract everything that happens to them. Some things just happen. It is crazy for a person to think that the whole world revolves around him, and that he is creating accidents here and their through the use of his subconscious mind. Some things are attracted because of one's thoughts and behaviors. Sometimes there are behavioral patterns repeated over and over that affects one's personal life and relationships, but to say that you are in a community struck by a tornado because all of you somehow drew it to you because of fear of a tornado is a bit ridiculous.

This way of thinking sounds different, but it is blaming the victim. It blames poor people, disabled people, people who are oppressed and broken for being that way because they brought it on themselves. It also tells them that they will continue to bring these problems on themselves until they change by being happy. This implies that one who is being exploited and oppressed needs to be happy first, before they can change their situation, or they will always be exploited. We have heard that before, explained differently.

Another thing about this success philosophy is that it takes a one-hundred-eighty degree turn away from the teachings of every religion, that were created to help us realize that we are more than material beings, and that success is not measured by happiness and a lot of material possessions. It uses these techniques to lead us away from spirituality and growth instead of to it. Most religions advocate for a quality of life that is measured by joy that overcomes the need for material things. They suggest using visualizing and using positive affirmations to get the material things that you want and money. True religions suggest using visualization and positive transformation to transcend materialism and the need for material things.

The truth is that we all have worth. If we are rich, or if we are poor, we have worth. Moving from poverty to riches has nothing to do with being spiritual. It has to do with learning how to change our situation and working, step by step, to do so. When we do this, work in the material world, we will gain material things. When we work in the spiritual world, we may gather spiritual things and material things, or we may not. Even Jesus was said to have been supported by the women who followed him from city to city. It is therefor important to find your beauty. Seek your beauty and union with the Divine, by whatever name. When you have found that, all of the other things will be added unto you.

You don't seek God so you can have a lot of money and fame, however, you seek God to transcend the need for money and fame so that you can be who and what you truly are. Do not find yourself caught in the web of the Dark Side of Aquarius. Partake of the real Age of Aquarius. Walk in love and in peace, realizing who and what you truly are by throwing off the chains of mental oppression and the continual chase of the carrot at the end of the stick. Only then can we find true success and live in joy and peace.