Put Your Mask On First

I’m sure you’ve all heard the longstanding example that’s been articulated when trying to convey the importance of taking care of yourself first before you can take care of others. This analogy refers to the in-flight safety checklist performed by flight attendants prior to the take-off of a commercial airline. Included in the explanations of how to fasten your seatbelt and how in the event of landing in water the seat cushion can be used as a flotation device, is the explanation of how to use the emergency oxygen mask. It basically goes like this…“In the event of a sudden change in cabin pressure while the flight is in progress, an emergency oxygen mask will be deployed from the ceiling of all passenger seats. If you are traveling with special needs passengers or small children, please be sure to put your mask on first before assisting with the needs of others…” I’m paraphrasing here, but you get the gist of the instruction. You have to take care of your needs first (so as not to pass out due to lack of oxygen) before helping anyone else with their needs. This in-flight safety example has multiple meanings and has served many a motivational speaker in illustrating the proper progression of directed focus one should use in order to be most effective for themselves and others.

I use this well-worn analogy here because in my own personal life, I have come to realize that this poignant example has an even greater level of spiritual importance than even the obvious parallels would suggest. It speaks directly to a spiritual sequence of events that must take place before any measurable success can be attained in our personal quest for spiritual enlightenment and the manifestational creation of love and abundance in our lives. You see, it’s all about building a strong foundation; the cornerstone of which is self-love. Before any of that other (woo-woo) spiritual stuff can even begin to work, you must first start with a clean spiritual pallet of unconditional self-love. You must first learn to love yourself unconditionally before you can be a conscious co-worker and channel for Source.

As I said, this serves as the foundation…the cornerstone for everything else that you do spiritually in order to have the greatest impact. Think of it this way. You may be going through the proper motions of exercising the laws of attraction and abundance in your life, but if this manifestation is being performed in an internally toxic vessel of fear, worry, and a compromised self-esteem, what do you think will be the outcome; what do you think will out-picture? If these attempts at enlightenment and abundance are being performed in a womb of self-loathing or thinking yourself unworthy, then you are merely sabotaging any attempts at success you may be trying to attain. Another way of looking at this is when you are living from this lower vibrational state of consciousness, you are spiritually misaligned, and subsequently offline. Remember this simple truth, YOU ARE GOD; God is love, therefore you are love. There is no separation because you are Source itself. The feeling of separation is merely an illusion. Begin to express within yourself that you love yourself unconditionally, regardless of whatever you may have screwed up yesterday or an hour ago. Your love of self is not and should not at any time be based on any external reason or excuse (or internal for that matter).

It’s all about choice. You have a 50/50 choice to decide how you want to feel about yourself. You see, what is implicit in this argument but rarely articulated verbally is that by not exercising unconditional love, by default you are practicing a form of unconditional self-loathing. Can you imagine saying an affirmation like that out loud? “I hate myself unconditionally.” Well, you may not be saying this outwardly but this is certainly the energy that we all too often give ourselves while trying to go about our day-to-day existence. THIS MUST CEASE.

So now, let’s assert a new affirmation. Repeat after me, “I am God, …and God is me. I love myself unconditionally.” See, it even rhymes! Repeat this over and over again until you actually start to feel the love building up inside of you like a warm nurturing flame. It is Source love reconnecting and filling in the spaces. When you do this, you are aligning your consciousness with your higher self and with Source. This is the foundation, the strong and essential foundation (like building a sturdy home) that forms the basis for everything else we try to manifest in our lives using the spiritual principles. It’s all about the proper sequence. You have to fuel the inner tank with pristine love first before driving the wonderful spiritual vehicle that is you.

When you live from this center point, there is no fear in the equation. When you live from this consciousness, you become the glowing conduit of love that Source needs and requires in order to light up the world around you. So put your mask on first; love yourself unconditionally first. Feel the power of a conscious recognition that you are of Source. Then go about doing what Source does, creating universes. Happy manifesting everyone!

Spirituality and Elbow Grease

Creating your universe in accordance with both your individual state of consciousness and sincere intention requires a combination of spiritual energy and personal effort. The formula is not that difficult to understand or even execute, but takes a certain level of discipline, consistency and daily focus that some of us may or may not be willing to exert. This is of course your choice as to whether or not to be an active participant in your own manifestation, but what must be made clear is that something will manifest, whether you are conscious of it or not; ignorance or lack of effort is not an excuse. So it seems to me (and this is just my 2¢ worth) that you might as well be an active and aware part of your own manifestational existence and experience. Again, it is not rocket science in understanding the how’s and what’s of the process. Certainly there are a myriad of books on the subject pertaining to manifesting things in your life. But one of the things that often get lost in these instructions is the importance of right-thought followed by right-action, a combination of spirituality and elbow grease. This is when the rubber meets the road.

Are you doing everything within your sphere of influence and power to move yourself closer to your goals? Are you acting on all that the cosmos is giving you on a daily basis? Are you aware and receptive to Spirit’s nudges, golden-tongued wisdom and waking dreams that are a part of our everyday experience? Are you consciously aware of the miracles that take place all around you everyday? If not, then you need to take a step back and get yourself in spiritual balance so as to be awake and aware of all of the inner, intuitive energies taking place around you, and tune yourself to these frequencies so you can better read the tea leaves. This is accomplished through regular meditation and contemplation exercises, many of which are shown on the Ato1 Health and Wellness page. Once grounded and tuned in, it is important to do the daily work, the elbow grease necessary to act on impulses and nudges from spirit that are designed to move you closer to your goals, whatever they may be. Once done, you “let go and let God”, as the saying goes. Spirit is an omniscient, intelligent force, and knows vastly more than you could ever comprehend in terms of getting you closer to where you wish to be. You simply need to trust it and allow it to bring you closer without any preconceived notions of how to get there; stop being a control freak. Several options may come your way in the process, all having the potential of getting you where you need to be, but none necessarily containing the prescription of absolute certainty. Therefore, you must act on all of them, not just the ones you like more than others; you simply don’t know enough. As you practice this process more and more, you will begin to trust what is being told to you and feel a certain level of protection and guidance that you may not have been aware of before. This is a good thing and should be nurtured, developed and appreciated. Spirit wants you to succeed.

We are in a time now where the cosmic energies are much more refined and powerful, and the cause and effect relationship of our thoughts becoming things seem to be much shorter in duration. As such, this mental discipline becomes even more important to refine, for we want to make sure that we do not create the things we fear the most, but create our universe based on the energies of love and abundance. In the final analysis, the “things” that you attain through these exercises are not really what's important at all. What is important is your ability to trust in and understand the process of attainment itself. Remember, you are all Masters in training; celestial beings preparing yourself for eternity's call-of-service as co-workers with All That Is. The most important thing to understand throughout this entire process is that the skills you are refining are skills you have always had, for you are not learning anything but remembering what you already know. Our course of attainment and existence is, in the final analysis, one of validation through experience of truth already attained. Source, all knowing and all seeing, experiences life through us, for we are IT and IT is us. We Are One. So roll up your sleeves and get cracking; creation awaits.

What Is a Quantum Leap?

The phrase “Quantum Leap” has become a somewhat overused part of our social vernacular during the past several years. As such, the use of this term has become synonymous with major change, exponential growth, even a dimensional shift. While these generic references may perhaps provide a cursory glimpse into what it implies, in truth it is much more subtle and malleable than this. As just stated, some believe that quantum means a major shift. It may indeed have a major impact, but in truth it is an infinitesably small enhancement that is often indiscernible to our senses, nonetheless signifying a new paradigm.

Wikipedia states that “In physics, a quantum leap or quantum jump is a change of an electron from one energy state to another within an atom.” In our common vernacular, it has come to mean a radical change in the nature of something that is synonymous with an advancement or growth of some kind. All of this gets us closer, but its magnitude is still elusive. The term “quantum” itself actually means a discrete and often undetectable shift, but one that takes something to a different level; a new place. To put it another way, its actual mechanics are on the micro level, but its impact is on the macro level.

How and why is this spiritually significant? Because, as discussed in several earlier entries of Awaken to One, we are indeed entering into a quantum shift of energetic vibrational change. It is a creation wave that is currently impacting us now and will continue to have amazing results for each of us individually as well as the universe as a whole.

One of the most elegant aspects of our vast universe, which has continued to be impressively explained through the science of quantum mechanics is that there is a direct correlation and similarity of what happens on a micro level to what occurs on a macro level. The same shifts and designs (appearances) on the atomic level tend to also occur on the celestial level. This change of atomic characteristics from one energy state to another has an affect on the vibrational level of a thing. If this shift is great enough, it can affect all things.

What we’re talking about here is the enhancement and refinement of our vibrational density to another level; a higher level. With it our conscious awareness is expanded. Our understanding of the universe and the multiple dimensions in and around it is growing, and most importantly, or inner recognition of our Divine Source is being awakened and fully realized. With this higher vibration, even our physiology is changing. Our ability to manifest what we want in our lives will begin to occur much more rapidly, which makes it very important to practice mental discipline. Some of you are witnessing these occurrences already; others may be starting to connect the dots to things that have been and are currently going on in your lives.

With this expanded awareness, many pre-conceived notions and beliefs will begin to fall away, because you are now beginning to remember more and more the Divine truth that is implicit in your makeup. It has always been there, but now the sleeper awakens. It is indeed a major paradigm shift, and with this change there are bound to be some bumps and bruises along the way. But this is a part of the change process. Please know that in the grand scheme of things everything is in perfect order.

It should be pointed out here that evil, bourn from fear, cannot effectively function within this highly charged vibrational field. But fear can also hold us back and we have a choice as to whether or not we want to live within this consciousness, regardless of outer circumstance. Remember, your life is an inside/out creation and manifestation. Only higher consciousness with its foundation in love can prevail and live in this space. Ponder the implications of this for a moment. Again, one must choose where he/she intends to live and to be. Do not allow negativity and fear to hold you back. You have the power to decide where you want to be and where you want to go.

Where this quantum shift comes from will be explored more in later discussions, but like any wave, vibrational or otherwise, you need to make the decision and have the courage to ride it. If you don’t, you will be left behind until the next wave comes. As for me, there’s no time like the present.