© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com

What is “a Christmas Day?”  I invite you to consider an addition to the view offered by the Christmas story, a view that can make every day Christmas for you.

Can you allow yourself to accept that the significance of Christmas is even the birth of Jesus? It can be so much more. It can be that the Christ was revealed. It is a wonderful time of love, respect and gratitude for Jesus’ birth as he had the courage to reveal to the world the secret of a holy consciousness that is always present. 

 As we read and hear the Christmas story every year, eventually it goes beyond our individual minds to the part of us that can be awakened.  Many men and women go through their entire lifetimes without this area of consciousness ever being awakened.  It is available to them always.

A Christmas Day is a day of renewed dedication to the nature of God and prayer. We can live with our intellectual understanding, practicing it until we experience our own Christmas morning, a morning of spiritual rebirth, a dawning in our consciousness of the nature of the Christ.

An influential teacher in my life, Joel Goldsmith, wrote:

“The birth of the Christ is your Christmas Day and mine. It is that particular moment in which there is something in the nature of an awakening or in the nature of an awareness in which you realize that something is now functioning of which you heretofore were unaware. It may only be in fleeting glimpses. It may be in a few individual experiences, but for all, the experience is the same. …

Realize within yourself the Christ, the Christmas Day. Let every day be a Christmas Day of realization, and then loose that Christ into the world and let It touch those who are prepared.”

I wish you the joy and wonder of a Christmas Day, this day and every day.

Much joy and many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.Rhoberta.com

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©  Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com

Have you ever seen a person so caught up in their spiritual that they seem to be a little odd, a little tipped? That happens sometimes when a person cannot seem to live effectively in the world, meeting his or her human responsibilities while retaining that inner area of consciousness open to spiritual impuluse. They seem to unable to maintain the spiritual balance of living in the world without being swept up in the world.

So, it’s a question for us to consider:  to what extent can we stay in the marketplace, surrounded by competition, struggle, strife and jealousy that sometimes characterizes business or work, and yet maintain an awareness of that Power and Presence that is unknown to the material world?

That take spiritual balance: the ability to maintain both your spiritual awareness and be effective in the world without veering to one side or the other, blending the two into one harmonious whole.  To do this, we cannot give our whole day over to worldly pursuits, but neither do we give our whole day to meditation.  Yes, we meditation frequently for a minute or two to maintain an awareness of the Presence and our best direction.  Then, we go out and live this awareness by meeting the daily challenges and opportunities the world provides. It is possible to be “in the world but not of the world” as it says in the Bible. And, it requires spiritual balance.

The mystical way is one of intense inner stilness in the midst of incredible outer activity. It calls for a nonattachment to ther things and persons of the world. Not the kind, though, that creates that “crackpot” way of being in the world! Not floating in a vacuum with no base on which to rest. Some attachment is necessary, and it is found only in the Spiritu within which becomes our anchor.  Knowing that we are inseparable and divisibile from Spirit, we can be less and less atttached to the constantly shifting changing picture of the human world.

It is not a good idea for anyone to attempt to live beyond his or her attained state of consciousness. We know we are not at the stage of walking on water, so, we wisely take a boat! We cannot let our egos push us to try to walk on water. That is true folly.

Every difficulty we face is, in some ways, a matter of imbalance. If we begin our journey on the Path by remembering the importance of spiritual balance, keeping our perspective with the vision always before us, with our heads in the clouds and our feet firmly planted on the earth, we can keep our spiritual balance and achieve our goals.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…providing you with success solutions for life, love & livelihood

www.Rhoberta.com

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©  Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com

I’ve learned that any focus on “getting” is a mistake.

In the last few years, many folks were brought to the awareness that their focus and thoughts make a huge difference in the outcomes in their lives. Unfortunately, films like The Secret (which wasn’t one)  make it seem like a magic bullet. You want. You focus. You get. That may seem like quite the neat trick to those new to the process, and, it certainly can seem to work that way…for a while.

Soon after The Secret came out, a former coaching client of mine gave me a mournful call.

“We watched The Secret. We read the book. We did everything it said and we got great results. We were able to sell our house in a down-turning economy and get a great deal on a new home in a much more upscale neighborhood. We didn’t think we could qualify and yet, we did. Now nothing is working. What are we doing wrong?”

Before I tell you my response, let me share something important with you: it is who you are and how you are in the world that counts in the big picture. It’s not what you are “getting.”  It is your relationship with God that makes all the difference. If you are simply trying to use a thought-system, the change in you will work for you for a little while. If you want a life that works, you have to do the work to change your consciousness…and, you have to maintain that change moment-by-moment.

My response to my client, a woman I had come to know absolutely prizes and measures her success by her possessions was:

“I’m delighted for you that you have experienced what changing your perspective and practices can do for you.  What are your current spiritual practices?  Now, I don’t want to hear about your affirmation rituals. I want to know about your spiritual practices. What do you now do differently in relationship to God as well was in relationship to people, circumstances and conditions in your life?”

She had no answer. She did nothing different except focus on what she wanted to buy more of, visualized it and believed she would simply draw it to her. That is NOT a spiritual practice.

When we are faced with the appearance of any discord, inharmony, pain, lack or limitation and we are tempted to make a mental effort to indulge in vigorous thought-taking, affirmations and denials in order to achieve the peace or supply we want, it is a good step. But here is a radical thought that stems from a commitment to remembering that you and God are One:

Whenever there is an appearance of discord, you can simply relax.  You don’t have to make any mental effort if you know and believe that your good does not come to you by force or mental power. It comes from the very gentle Spirit.  It doesn’t come from striving, by making big efforts, by engaging in vigorous positive thought or affirmation. It comes from the depths of your being, in the stillness, in quietness, and in confidence.

You are never separated from God and God can only do for you what God can do through you. So, give.  That’s your job. God will take care of the rest. I know this.

SoulWise Blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
Catalyst to creating the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you & serves the life of the world.
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com

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©  Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.SoulWiseWays.com

When we were writing Soul Solitude: Taking Time for Our Souls to Catch Up, I had to include my favorite question:

“For what might this be good?”

I call it “the magic question.”  It is simply the quickest shortcut from “Ain’t it awful?” to “Maybe I can do something with this?”

When something happens that could quickly take you down a rabbit hole, you can immediately shortcut that journey by asking “the magic question.” You’ve shifted your attention from why it is potentially disastrous to a broader perspective, acknowledging the bigger picture.

I don’t know about you but I know that I will never be up high enough to see the Grand Plan. What I do believe is that all is working itself out in the highest and best way for all concerned, even when, to my limited vision, it appears otherwise.  Hence, the power of “the magic question!”

Is it possible that I need to throw away my rose-colored glasses?  Certainly. Anything is possible. BUT, if I had a hundred dollars for every time I’ve heard someone say this of an event that, at the time, they thought was a tragedy and nearly the end of the world, I’d be an even richer woman:

“You know, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened! Couldn’t see it at the time, but that’s the truth.”

We are just not up high enough to see all the whole picture. We see only our circumstances and conditions. And, believe me, I know that they are not the truth! We are so much more than our circumstances and conditions, yet, many folks react to them as if they were a)real and b)ours. Neither is true. It is simply our limited vision at the moment that leads us to think they are real and ours.

We can help keep our “eyes on the prize”, our focus on the larger Life, by using that simple question as early as we can in response to anything happening in our world:

“For what might this be good?”

Many blessings, much joy and great love,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
….leading you to create the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you and serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com
www.ForWomenEntrepreneurs.com
www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com

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© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

We have all heard the directive to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  It occurs in some paraphrase in each of the ten major spiritual traditions and religions of the world.  So, there must be something to it, right?

So, what is this kind of love?  Love in the spiritual sense is not something far-off and removed from us. It isn’t anything that can come to us. It is already a part of who we are, already well-established within us.  AND, it is universal and impersonal.  This wonderful love can pour out from us in abundance because we have a never-ending supply.

Now, that might seem contradictory to the evidence in your reality.  What about those people who seem to complain about everything and everybody?  Where’s that never-ending pouring of love through them?  Just because it’s available doesn’t mean folks avail themselves of it.  The electricity is always just waiting at the switch for you to turn it on, but some folks just like to sit in the dark.  Enough said.

Where does all this wonder, light and joy come from? In my opinion–and, that’s all I can offer you here after fifty years of study and practice, our receptivity to the understanding that God is Love, and God and man are one, leads me to the evitable conclusion that there is no way to love God without some of that love flowing out to our neighbor…all the time.  It’s flow!

Who are our neighbors?  Just the folks next door, in the next room or in the next town?  I think it’s important for each of us to think this through.  It sounds simple, but is it?  Is it literal, or, is there more?

So, who is this neighbor?  This may be a bit much to take in, but, I’m going to suggest that anything of which we can become aware is our neighbor, no matter whether it is a person, animal, place, or thing.  One of my favorite writers, Joel S. Goldsmith, wrote:

“Every idea in consciousness is a neighbor. …When we see God as the cause and our neighbor as that which is in and of God, then we are loving our neighbor, whether that neighbor appears as a friend, relative, enemy, animal, flower or stone. In such loving, which understands all neighbors to be of God,…we find that every idea in consciousness takes its rightful place. Those neighbors who are a part of our experience find their way to us and those who are not are removed. Let us resolve loving our neighbor into a spiritual activity, beholding love as the substance of all that is, no matter what the form may be.”   Practicing the Presence, p. 66

The good news about these ideas is that each of us now can simply be loving, no matter what the experience, conditions or circumstances. We do not have to think about it. We simply choose to be loving in all cases.

When I wrote Wrestling Rhinos: Conquering Conflict in the Wilds of Work, I did so because skills of communication, conflict and anger management and negotiation are essential to peace and productivity.  The same is true in the home and family, in fact, everywhere.  We find “our neighbors” everywhere, too.  Sometimes it is tough to be grateful for the many opportunities we get in a day–or a family–to choose to be loving.  That’s why I made it my mission when I created the Optimize Institute to teach people to communicate in ways that are totally kind and totally honest at the same time.  Doing that is loving.

I invite you to reflect on the neighbors in your life and how you can express love in your interactions.  I’m going to pet my dog, Mystery, for a bit…because I love him.

Great joy, much love & the recognition of the abundance that surrounds you always.
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to the life, love & livehood that fulfills you & serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com
http://rhoberta.com

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© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

No wishy-washy spiritual living! You know what I mean. It sounds like this:

“Everything is fine. I let go and let God.”

and, fifteen minutes later:

“How am I ever going to pay these bills? I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

That’s wishy-washy. Just like the old tub washing machines used to be, going one way and then the other, and then the other. They called it agitation but it’s wishy-washy spirituality.

We’re human. We forget principles when our emotions get hooked. We forget God when the television tells us the world is going to ##$$ in a handbasket. We get our knickers in a twist when there is more month than money.

And, we’re spiritual beings with choice and free will. That’s when we purosefully take ourselves in hand when the wishy-washy stuff begins and set ourselves straight…over and over. No matter how many times we have to do it, we find something to remember: a thought, an image, a quotation. We consciously place it clearly in mind and go in that direction. One like this, perhaps:

“I sense the presence of Life within me. I believe in It. I accept It. My most desirable life is mine now.”

Or, my personal favorite:

“I and the Father are one.”

That works for me. What works for you? Share it by clicking on ‘comments’ below and writing.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to align your values, vision, beliefs & purpose to create the life & livelihood you long for.
www.SoulWiseWays.com
http://www.forwomenentrepreneurs.com/

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© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

God is the Creative Principle, infinite, eternal, omnipresent, without beginning and without ending. Personally, I find it difficult to think about God AND a universe. To me, it is all one. In that same way, cause and effect are one. Just one. Amazingly, one. God, then, as the creative principle, is the cause and effect. The problem and the answer are one.

Without consciousness, we have no awareness, no knowledge. You’ll remember that Descartes said: “I think, therefore, I am.” Without consciousness, we would be unaware that we exist!
Understanding God as consciousness allows us to understand this universe as consciousness formed. Once we have that understanding–God as the causative principle of our universe–we can know that universal consciousness is ever producing and reproducing. It’s just like orange trees, continuously producing and reproducing oranges. It’s what it does!

It is not creating, but unfolding. Years ago in seminars, I would say:

“If you don’t like the movie that is playing, don’t attack the screen. Change the reel.”

People were constantly ready to attack what they did not like in their lives and assign causes to their misery or misfortune. They particularly like to play the “If only…” game:

If only I had money…
If only I had an education..
If only I had a relationship…
If only I caught a break in this life…
If only my parents were ….

They yelled, cried, screamed and flailed at life, often putting the face of some person on it which seemed to make it more focused to them.

“It is unfair, wrong, awful! I have been mistreated. I don’t deserve this.”

Did that stance help them? Of course not. They didn’t like the movie of their life, so, they attacked the screen. Our “life projector” can only project what’s on the reel–our consciousness. It was the reel that needs changing.

One of my favorite spiritual teachers, Joel S. Goldsmith, wrote:

“Consciousness is always unfolding itself and disclosing itself to us in infinite form, in infinite ways, in infinite varieties. …Today our consciousness is unfolding and disclosing itself in every new way, in every new form, and always increasing abundantly.”

Consciousness is awareness. It’s not thinking, not mental activity, not holding thoughts. It is awareness, it is as Ernest Holmes wrote:

“We should take the highest thought we have, and attempt to enlarge on this consciousness until it embraces a more vital concept of Reality. Consciousness in this sense means an inner embodiment of ideas. If one wishes to demonstrate prosperity, he must first have a consciousness of prosperity; if he wishes health, he must embody the idea of health. This is more than faith; it is the knowledge that we dealing with Law. While a certain consciousness may be mechanically induced, of course, the more spontaneity put into the mechanical word, the more power the word must have. …Each maintains a stream of consciousness in the One Mind, and anyone contacting this stream may objectify it….the individual stream of consciousness is always omnipresent…”

Consciousness is causative. It is our consciousness that contains the entire universe. It becomes the law unto our world. The moment we can consciously feel and realize the presence of God, we have the quality of being that removes all belief of erroneous conditions in our lives. This changes everything!

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
….leading you to the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you & serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com
Dr. Shaler is the founder of Spiritual Living Network, free social networking for spiritually-minded people

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© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Founder, SoulWise Ways™

There is no end of inquiry on the spiritual path. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.

As I am writing SoulWise Ways, I am having to pay great attention to the clarity I can bring to my thinking before I can actually write the book. That seems imperative. So, the questions:

Do you have a soul?

Are you a soul?

Are you part of a Soul?

What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments and thinking on the subject.

When we wrote SOUL SOLITUDE: Taking Time for Our Souls to Catch Up, we wrote it for a general audience and very consciously chose to say ‘our souls”. In that book, we discussed the soul as the Authentic Self. We offer the Webster’s dictionary definition of soul:

“the immaterial essence, animating principle or actuating cause of an individual life; the spiritual principle embodied in human beings; all rational and spiritual beings of the universe; an actual or essential part; a moving spirit; man’s moral or ethicalnature; that quality that arouses emotion and sentiment.”

And, we offer a definition from Dr. Dennis Merritt-Jones:

“The truth is there is only one Soul and it is the Soul of the Universe. Individual man’s soul is simply that point within him where the Universe (or God) personalizes Itself. We believe that the soul is man’s creative medium and is therefore subjective (or subject) to his conscious thought. The soul is that perfect part of our being which accepts us and our actions, never judging us as right or wrong, always ready to “assist” us in achieving whatever we choose to do when we believe we can do it.The soul has been referred to as the “mirror of mind” because it reflects the forms of thought which are given it. WE choose the thoughts it reflects or, in other words, brings into experience.”

These two definitions offer our readers a point of departure for understanding the concept of soul.

What are your thoughts?

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

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© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

What is our Soul? That’s a big question that many spiritual teachers and mystics have endlessly written about. When I decided to create SoulWise Living, I knew I had to find a simple, clear definition. Books and books have been written about our souls, so distilling all that is an ongoing task. And, then, sharing my thoughts is another.

I was delighted to find that Webster’s dictionary was a help. It clearly supports the spiritual essence:

Soul:

• the immaterial essence, animating principle or actuating cause of an individual life
• the spiritual principle embodied in human beings
• a person’s total self

Those are the first three definitions. What a great start!
So, for today, I’ll leave you with this question:

Would there be anything better than to have a life driven by the animating principle or actuating cause of life, living through the spiritual principle embodied in us, and, being whole and complete?

That would be SoulWise Living, wouldn’t it?
Stay tuned. There’s more…much more.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Consultant. Coach. Counselor. Catalyst.
…leading you to the life, love & livelihood that fulfills you & serves the life of the world
www.SoulWiseWays.com

Dr. Shaler is the founder of Spiritual Living Network, free social networking for spiritually-minded people.
You can receive inspiring insights daily. Subscribe to www.DailySpiritualQuotes.com

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