Practical Mysticism: Practical Mysticism 6: Understanding, Acceptance, Application

Hi there, and welcome once again to the Practical Mysticism blog. In the previous post in this series—Practical Mysticism 5, Understanding, Acceptance, Application—it was suggested that there are three components to spiritual awakening on the path of mysticism. In post number 5, the component of “understanding” was the focus. If you haven’t already read post number 5 (or watched the audio presentation on YouTube), or if you’re in need of a refresher, I would suggest that first you either read the previous post or watch the video before proceeding on with the current post. The video version is embedded in the post which can be found in the May 2021 archives, labeled Practical Mysticism 5.

The second component mentioned was “acceptance,” or more specifically, the acceptance of the metaphysics and principles put forth in blog post/video number 5, and in other previous posts. Acceptance of the principles and metaphysics is essential for correct application. If you’re able to accept the principles and metaphysics without any inner conflict, then that’s all that’s needed. If the radical nature of the principles and metaphysics causes some resistance to accepting them, I would suggest provisionally accepting them, sort of like a scientist accepting a hypothesis, and then applying them in the spirit of an experiment so you can discern for yourself their validity.

At this juncture, I won’t say anything more about the component of “acceptance,” as acceptance is up to the individual mind. Today’s video will focus on application, but first, let’s have a very concise review of some foundational metaphysics and principles we need to have both understanding and acceptance of:

1. Understanding the seeming world of matter as a dreamlike world of unreal appearances. Understanding that what appears to be a physical world is only a series of mental images which are not outside the mind. The apparent world is all mind and only mind.

2. Understanding the entire world of images as one unified tapestry of illusion because it is one unified dream in the mind, much like a nighttime dream. Understanding that this world of images is a counterfeit world; a temporary veil of images attempting to block our awareness of God’s Infinite Spiritual Kingdom of Reality.

3. Understanding that though invisible to the senses, but here now, is God’s Infinite Spiritual Kingdom of Reality. Understanding that God’s Infinite Spiritual Kingdom of Reality is All That Truly Is, and that the mental world of illusion has no beingness, no substance, no existence, and no reality whatsoever.

4. Understanding that God’s Being is this Infinite Spiritual Reality, and because we are one with God, this Infinite Spiritual Universe of Reality is our identity as well! Understanding that our identity is not a body or a person, but is the invisible Infinite Eternal Spiritual Universe of Reality and Oneness! I and my Father are One!

I find it helpful to view the application of the metaphysics and principles as a two-sided coin: one side of the coin is choosing Truth, and the other side is releasing illusion or falsity. We choose the Truth of the nature of God and of ourselves as abstract, incorporeal, Infinite, Eternal, Boundless Spirit which is Reality here now, and we release the falsehood of a human identity apart from God, and the falsehood of a world of mental images. The releasing of falsity also includes letting go of all thoughts, beliefs and concepts associated with humanhood and the false world.

Using the triangle as a metaphor for the split mind, choosing Truth and releasing illusion entails rising from a consciousness of duality, separation, and false beliefs, to a consciousness of Oneness and Truth. To repeat and reinforce what the practice of this choice entails: We choose the Truth of the nature of God and of ourselves as abstract, incorporeal, Infinite, Eternal, Boundless Spirit which is Reality here now, and we release the falsehood of a human identity apart from God, and the falsehood of a world of mental images. The releasing of falsity also includes letting go of all thoughts, beliefs and concepts associated with humanhood and the false world.

Let’s look in more detail at what that looks like in application.

Concisely put, defenselessness and trust are the two basic practices: Thinking, feeling, and behaving defenselessly, and putting complete trust in The One Infinite Spiritual Reality or God, which is also trusting in our own True Identity. Defenselessness and trust go hand in hand. I repeat: Defenselessness and trust go hand in hand. In order to release all defensive human thinking and behavior, we must trust in Spirit. The defensive behaviors are replaced with trust in Spirit. The practices of defenselessness and trust are predicated on the choice for Truth; the choice for True Identity as One with God, as The Boundless Eternal Whole Complete Incorporeal Reality of Oneness. This is the nature of God and of our Self because I and my Father are One. In This we trust.

Let’s continue our journey of looking deeper into the details of applying the principles and metaphysics. Please note that all practices and applications require both an awareness of thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors, and a commitment to choosing Truth over and over again, until a consciousness imbued with Truth becomes the natural state:

Let’s return to five areas of application of principles and metaphysics that were touched upon in the previous post/video number 5 in this series. I’ll first read through all five in their entirety, then today in part one, we’ll look at three of the five areas of application in more detail, as well as in the context of defenselessness and trust.

Giving no credence or power to any evidence of the 5 senses. Giving no power to any so-called person, place or thing. Seeing the world of images as one neutral tapestry of illusion and therefore not reacting to anything.

No longer seeking outside for safety, supply, love, or for anything at all.

Observing behavior in order to bring to awareness the motivation for the behavior, and no longer engaging in behaviors motivated by fear, lack, or littleness.

Raising to awareness all beliefs, thoughts, and concepts associated with humanhood and the false world, and letting them go.

Trusting in the ever present Infinite Invisible Spiritual Reality of Oneness. Stated alternatively as trusting in God, and/or trusting in the True Nature of Yourself, that nature being Wholeness and Completion, being Self Sustaining and Self Maintaining, being Infinite, Eternal, and Joyful.

We’ve already discussed number 5, the topic of trust. But let’s start here and go a little deeper. What are we trusting in Spirit for? Everything! Trusting in Spirit is the replacement for all former activities geared toward the survival and defense of the body, and for all things we formerly sought for outside of ourselves such as supply, safety, and health. Trust in the Completion and Wholeness of Spirit, it’s Self-sustaining and Self-maintaining nature, replaces all seeking, and all fear-and-lack-based behaviors.

Now, going back to number one, it reads as:

1.Giving no credence or power to any evidence of the 5 senses. Giving no power to any so-called person, place or thing. Seeing the world of images as one neutral tapestry of illusion and therefore not reacting to anything.

This practice is based on the fact that only God is Power. Stated alternatively, we cease from believing in two powers; from believing that both God is a power and that the images of the world are a power. This practice is a training of the mind. When we are tempted to assign power to anything in the world of images, we must catch ourselves and withdraw that assigned power. The world of images has no intrinsic power, only the power we invest it with by our belief. If we do not assign any power to any of the images, then there is no need to defend against them. This is where defenselessness is practiced. If I assign power to any images, I am inadvertently proclaiming them as real. Furthermore, if I defend against anything in the world of images, I am also proclaiming them as real. Let’s remember that the world of images is all mind and only mind, so what we perceive outside is really within as a belief or a concept. What we formerly believed was a world of matter is actually a world of ideas, beliefs, concepts only in the mind. Threat is a belief or concept, fear is a belief or concept, so are sickness and attack, and on and on and on. Since all beliefs and concepts are in the mind, the practice includes dropping these beliefs and concepts from where they actually reside. In mind.

If I defend against any of the images, I am actually keeping the belief in the mind, reinforcing the belief in the mind, and perpetuating the appearance of its complementary image in my experience. Why is this so? If I defend against something, say sickness for example, I am proclaiming sickness as real; but sickness is just a concept or belief in the mind. So I am then reinforcing the belief in sickness in the mind; actually holding the belief in place, which will then outpicture as sickness in the world of images. Defenses are very costly! They reinforce erroneous beliefs that are not in alignment with the Wholeness of Spirit, keeping the mind trapped in darkness. “Defenses do what they would defend.” Can you catch the meaning of that quote from A Course in Miracles?

In addition to giving no credence or power to any of the images, or to any erroneous beliefs and concepts in the mind and thereby living defenselessly, we also train our mind to see the world of images as one neutral, unified tapestry of illusion. This helps us to be non reactive and defenseless. We replace our former defensive behaviors with trust in the only Power, which is Spirit.

Moving onto number two:

2.No longer seeking outside for safety, supply, love, or for anything at all.

If we are trusting in the Allness of Spirit, and we have accepted that there is no world outside the mind, then we cease seeking in the world of images for safety, supply, or for anything. The practice is the cessation of seeking in what we formerly believed to be an external world. This is a form of defenselessness. If I am seeking outside for supply or money for example, then I am defending against lack, thereby making lack real in the mind, and perpetuating lack in experience. If I am seeking outside for health for example, then I am defending against limitation and lack, thereby making limitation and lack real in the mind, reinforcing it in mind, and perpetuating it in experience. We replace seeking outside with trust in, and dependence on, the Self-Sustaining, Self-Maintaining nature of Spirit.

So today in part one of discussing the application of principles and metaphysics, we looked at numbers 1, 2, and 5 from above. In part two, we’ll look more deeply into numbers 3 and 4. Here are all five areas of application presented once again in order for brief review:

2.No longer seeking outside for safety, supply, love, or for anything at all.

3.Observing behavior in order to bring to awareness the motivation for the behavior, and no longer engaging in behaviors motivated by fear, lack, or littleness.

4.Raising to awareness all beliefs, thoughts, and concepts associated with humanhood and the false world, and letting them go.

5.Trusting in the ever present Infinite Invisible Spiritual Reality of Oneness. Stated alternatively as trusting in God, and/or trusting in the True Nature of Yourself, that nature being Wholeness and Completion, being Self Sustaining and Self Maintaining, being Infinite, Eternal, and Joyful.

The final words for today will be a super brief reminder to choose Truth and to release falsehood….

And to practice defenselessness, and trust in Spirit.

If you have any questions regarding the material presented on the Practical Mysticism blog, please ask them in the comment section. Thank you. May Grace be your only experience.