"You know you got to go through hell before you get to Heaven . . ."

So I'm listening to Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner" on my way in to work, and it's such a beautiful morning, so I've got my sun roof open, windows down, Steve Miller way up loud (as God intended) and I hear that line ~ "you know you got to go through hell before you get to heaven." Well, as I am wont to do, I start thinking about that line in terms of the Law of Attraction, and what it signifies in a broader context. Many religious traditions teach that being here in a physical body on earth, "separated" from Infinite Intelligence, striving for the perfection of the Christ ~ which by the way you'll never reach, but strive anyway, but you'll never get there because you are imperfect from beginning to end, but strive anyway, but you'll always have the stain of Original sin, but strive anyway ~ is hell-ish, and that our *reward* will be achieved once we have left this physical plain ~ maybe, if we've reached some level of perfection, but first maybe a stint in purgatory, which by definition is "a process of purification in which the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven." But, you know, what's a few thousand years when you're looking at infinity?

Ugh.

So in the context of the Law of Attraction, here is a much more uplifting and empowering accounting of Life.

Infinite Intelligence, desiring to know itself fully, focuses a infinitesimal part of itself (the Soul) into a physical body ~ maybe that's why traditional religions seem to harp on how small and unimportant we "are" ~ here in Earth school, if you will, and that is US. We are not separate from God ~ we are God and God is us. Did you know that science has found a signature, encoded by the Creator, in each cell of our bodies, which says, "God / Eternal Within the Body?" It's encoded in our DNA!

The Soul, that part of Infinite Intelligence (InfInt) that sparks life in us, is InfInt wishing to experience and expand its understanding. The Personality (some call this the Ego) is that which is capable of discerning a preference, and as such Ego/Personality is an essential component of Life experience.

The Soul wants it all because it understands the Infiniteness of itself and perceives its limitlessness and infinite freedom. The Personality's role is to work within the context of "time" and "space," and understanding the perception that there is limited span in each life time, it prioritizes and discerns preference based on priorities. The Soul then experiences the Personality's preference, all the while expanding and evolving, and all the while encouraging the Personality to become aware of how it makes its choices, and to align its focus with the Soul. Even when the Personality, through its focus and dominant essence, "chooses" what may be perceived as a "negative" experience, the Soul continues to expand because since InfInt is always life-affirming, it perceives the Personality's "negative" choice ~ "I don't want to be sick / poor / lonely / useless" ~ in an expanding, positive way ~ "I am wanting to feel healthy / prosperous / belonging / valued." The physical discomfort we feel ~ worried, scared, fearful ~ when we are focusing on the lack of what we want is an indication from the Soul to our Awareness that the essence of our focus is out of alignment with the Soul's nature as a limitless, infinite, light-bearing piece of Infinite Intelligence. IT IS NOT REAL.

Infinite Intelligence knows its true essence which is love, and love has access to and the ability to manifest all things and especially good and desirable things, things which are ours by DIVINE RIGHT. But the personality has been conditioned to forget that, through family and cultural conditioning, religious conditioning, and the world in general. This is why it's preferable to cultivate a perspective of being in the world and not of the world. In the Gospel of Thomas verse 42, the Master said, "Be passersby." When you get caught up in, or attached to, things of this world (meaning you see them as real and essential to your ~ the Personality's ~ happiness, well-being, and security), you return to a state of perceived separateness -- HELL.

And in that state, you perceive that contrast as HELL. But contrast is helpful because without it, we could not discern preference, we could not look for something better, and we must look for something better because it is in the looking that we create, and that's what draws life force to us and that is what creates more life!

This Universe, of which Earth is an important part, is contrast-based ~ that is to say everything, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, has its opposite and as we grow and learn and experience, we experience that contrast. From that contrast, we discern our particular preference, in any given circumstance. When we focus on our preference, we go within ~ "the kindgom of heaven is within you" Luke 17:21 ~ by virtue of our thoughts, and then our feelings. And as we stay focused on our preference, we feel better and better because we are focusing on something we desire and we enjoy how it feels to experience that preference, that desire. (Unless we are in a state of resistance, where we doubt our ability to manifest our preference, or where we doubt our deservedness ~ THAT is a whole different note).

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why "you've got to go through hell before you get to heaven." It's all good!

When you understand your true identity, that you are Infinite Intelligence in a physical body for the purpose of creating life in all ways, you will release your fear (whatever name you give it) and it will become easier and easier to focus on your wonderous creations, rather than worrying about what you perceive as "already is."

So ~ when you are feeling anything other than good, your Personality is not in alignment with the Soul. You are focusing on what you do not want, rather than what you do want. Train yourself to turn your attention back to what you do want ~ this is what the Master meant by "turn the other cheek." Turn your focus away from the lack of what you want, back to what you want, and continue to do that until it becomes second nature. (It's actually your First Nature, but, you know, tomato, tomato . . . .)

One of the best ways to align your Personality with your Soul is to get yourself into a state of appreciation. Everyone has something in their life that they can feel true appreciation for ~ the weather, nature, music, being ALIVE ~ so get yourself into a state of appreciation for what you already have, especially if something of which you already have is very similar to what you want to manifest. For example, I recently went out with a man who has many of the attributes that I'm looking for in a life partner. Right now, we are too far apart on the path to manifest a shared vision with regard to relationship, but I'm focusing on those parts of him that make me feel good ~ I like that he is kind and open-hearted, he has great eyes and a great voice, he's very tall, he's smart and funny. In a state of appreciation, I am allowing into my experience more and more of the same so that that relationship that I have expressed a preference for can come through ~ it might be him or it might be someone else. Either way, it's there and coming to me.

A state of appreciation and focusing on feeling good is an empowering aspect of this creative process. In the Gospel of Thomas verse 41, the Master says, "Whoever has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has nothing (focusing on the lack) will be deprived of even the little they have." Yes. If you stay focused on the lack long enough, then you will eventually manifest total lack.

Fortunately, lack has a much slower, denser vibration to it and takes a lot longer to manifest than the higher vibration of abundance and appreciation.

The Master said, "Congratulations to the person who has toiled [PREFERRED] and found Life" in the Gospel of Thomas verse 58.

He also said, in verse 70, ""If you bring forth what is within you [YOUR DIVINE IDENTITY AS AN INFINITE, LIMITLESS BEING OF INFINITE INTELLIGENCE], what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you [IF YOU STAY FOCUSED ON PERCEIVED SEPARATION AND DIMINUTION OF WHO YOU REALLY ARE AT YOUR CORE], what you do not have within you [will] kill you."

We make life very complicated but at its deepest, core nature, there are only two choices: life-affirming or life-denying.Which will you choose today?

"Good night, New York, we love youuuuuuu..........." \ii/