The Christ Spirit

John 1:9  “He was the true light which lighted every man who came into the world.”

Colossians 1:25-27 “I became a minister… to preach the word of God everywhere, even the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations…which is Christ in you, the hope of our glory.”

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but he shall find for himself the light of life.”

          There is one Spirit that unites all humanity.  We call it the Christ Spirit.  Jesus not only knew the Christ Spirit.  He knew that he was the Christ Spirit expressing as an individual human life going by the name Jesus.  This Spirit, this “true light that lighted every man” who has ever come into the world is our spiritual source.  Without it there is no life for us.  But it is buried beneath layers of temporal human identity that we cling to ferociously.  Jesus mission was to awaken us to the glory that lies underneath this illusion of separate human identity.  And only when our deepest aspiration is to find for ourselves “the light of life”, the glory of “Christ in you”, can we truly follow in the masters footsteps, do the things that he did, and join him in the Christ Spirit.

          Humanity lives under the illusion that we are all separate beings, competing for life here on this planet.  Jesus understood that we are a part of each other, forever connected by the Spirit that flows through us all.  That is why he taught to love your enemies, “so that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven, who causes his sun to shine upon the good and the bad and who pours down his rain upon the just and the unjust.” (Matt. 5:45)  Jesus lives in the one Christ Spirit that gives life to everyone.  He knew he was this one Spirit even as he taught his disciples. 

          Only from a consciousness of “Oneness” can we grasp where the master is taking us.  In a very real sense “the belief in separation is the cause of all evil”.  To enter the Christ Spirit, we must rid ourselves of the belief that it is “us vs. them” and replace it with the realization that it is only “us”.  This defies everything that humanity teaches.  But, Jesus understood a far expanded reality.  He knew that you are not “only human”.  There is something glorious underneath – an expanded reality of Self that reaches beyond the frailties of this separate human identity that we defend. 

          We can enter the Christ Spirit where everyone has their roots.  Others may call it by another name.  But there is only one divine spirit of humanity, one true light that has been sown into the soul of every human being.  There aren’t competing teams here in the earth.  We are all children of God (no matter how badly some seem to handle their individual freedom).  It is the spirit of the whole, “the light of life” that gives life to an unlimited number of individual expressions exploring all the possibilities this world has to offer. 

          Herein is the crux as to how to follow in the master’s footsteps.  Jesus was an individual expression and often spoke as an individual.  Yet, he also was the whole and could speak powerfully as the Christ Spirit, the very spirit that is in everyone.  That is the challenge before us if we are to follow him into the Christ Spirit.  We must learn to fluidly move identity from the perspective of the individual to the perspective of the whole, so as to live in awareness of both at the same time.

          But we already dabble in this awareness.  When someone sacrifices for another, they have recognized that the whole is served by their action.  This is why Jesus taught that leadership is expressed through service, not individual power.  Service makes you part of something greater than yourself.  And that places you on the path to Christ consciousness.

          Shortly before Jesus left his disciples, he suggested that they would see him again soon.  He added, “In that day you will not ask me anything.”  Jesus expected that his disciples were well on the path to Christ Spirit awareness, and that they would join him there in this illumined realm where we all know that we are directly connected to God.  He expected them to joyously discover that he was within them.  We all share a space within where there are no boundaries between us.  Entering the Christ Spirit is the greatest experience of intimacy available in any dimension of life.

          Therefore, I suggest that we begin this quest to follow the master (not just talk about it) by realizing our teacher and way-shower is already available within us in that “light of life” from which we draw our every breath.  If you desire the ultimate companion and help-mate on this journey into higher realms simply call out within and feel the response.  The further you go the clearer your teacher’s presence within you will be.  You must still take responsibility for mastering yourself. It’s not a free ride.  But ask for help and you will get it.

            Intellectual understanding is not enough.  We must turn each piece into an experience.  We must feel, in our hearts, what we say in our minds.  We must make it a part of us, not just something we have considered.  To this end, we will apply spiritual practices over and over until the energy that they elicit becomes part of “who we are”.  This is how we “hear the words and do them”.  This is how we “build our house upon a rock”.  It’s time to walk the talk.

PRACTICES:

AFFIRMATION:  An affirmation is positive prayer statement of a Truth that we aspire to express.  Thus, when facing illness we might affirm, “I am filled with the Healing Life of God.  I am Healthy & Strong.”

           Some will tell you that an affirmation is designed to put a positive idea in your subconscious mind.  Though that will happen, I do not believe that to be the purpose of this practice.  We are not trying to put something “in”.  We are calling something “out”.  We are calling into expression a truth that already lives in our “soul” but is not presently expressed in our outer life.

          When using an affirmation.  Declare it with sincerity and deep feeling.  Then listen for an inner energy response.  Try to feel the response to these words from deep within you, though it may be so subtle at first as to almost miss your attention.  Keep affirming until you feel something.  Then, each time you repeat it, the energy response should be stronger.  Thus, it becomes a joy to affirm.  What we are reaching for is not in the words.  It is in the energy experience that the words merely symbolize.  This energy experience of the Truth you desire to express weaves itself into the very fabric of your daily consciousness and becomes part of the identity  you are expressing.  This in turn has an impact on your outer circumstances.  Always listen with your feeling nature for the energy behind the words.

1.  Call within to the Master Jesus Christ as your Teacher:

          a.  Call “Jesus Christ” within yourself & listen for response.  Put sincerity  and desire into your inner call.  The response could be a subtle emotional flow, a quiet knowing, or something unmistakable.  Everyone is different and subtle is more common than dramatic.  Keep calling until you feel a response.

          b.  Affirm:  Jesus Christ is my Teacher.  I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

          c.  Affirm:  The Spirit that is in Jesus Christ is in me Now!

2.  Contemplate ONEness (being the Whole):  In quiet meditation move from being your individual human expression to the perspective of being the “whole” of the Spirit of God expressing as humanity – the Christ Spirit – the spiritual archetype from which we all find individual expression.  Be the identity that expresses through every human being.

          a.  Affirm:  “I am (your name).”  Then, switch & affirm, “I am the Spirit of  Humanity!”  Keep switching back & forth.  Try to feel both possible identities.

          b.  See yourself in harmony with everyone and everything.  Affirm:  “It’s all God!”

3.  Affirm your desire to merge your consciousness with the Christ Spirit:

          “I am an expression of the Christ Spirit.  I belong to the Christ Spirit!”

          “I desire the Light of Life!”         
          "I serve the Whole!"