Hearts at Work – January 2011

Hearts at Work

A Column by James Tipton

“Prosperity…some lists for the New Year”

 

In preparation for this New Year I have been reading a recent book by Roy Eugene Davis: The Spiritual Basis of Real Prosperity. Roy Eugene Davis is a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi). He is also the director of Center for Spiritual Awareness with world headquarters in Lakemont, Georgia and the author of over a dozen other books with titles like The Path of Light, Paramahansa Yogananda As I Knew Him, Self-Revealed Knowledge, and Seven Lessons in Conscious Living.

Davis writes that “We are truly prosperous when we:

Are spiritually aware.

Are mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy.

Have harmonious, mutually satisfying relationships with people with whom we associate.

Can appropriately relate to the world and its ongoing events and circumstances with confidence.

Can efficiently perform our duties and consistently accomplish our meaningful purposes.

Have our life-enhancing desires easily fulfilled.

Always have resources available that provide for our well-being and enable us to live effectively.”

Like other genuine spiritual teachers, Davis reminds us that “Habitual states of consciousness primarily determine personal circumstances, prevailing over even heroic endeavors to think constructively or to act effectively.” The good news is that “With even a modest degree of spiritual awareness and knowledge of the principles of cause and effect, we can soon learn how to determine our circumstances by our wise choices and constructive actions.”

William Wordsworth writes that in the process of “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”

The New Year is a time for lists, and Davis provides us with several, including this one…ways we weaken and waste our vital forces:

Superficial, useless talking.

Unhealthy dietary habits.

Irregular lifestyle routines.

Addictive behaviors.

Restlessness.

Purposeless actions.

Excessive stimulation of the senses.

Insufficient sleep.

Obsessive or habitual daydreaming or fantasy.

Worry.

Neglect of stress management routines.”

Regarding prosperity, the problem is not that money or other resources are deficient. The real problem is that we are deficient. Our ultimate goal is spiritual growth, but, Davis writes, “Spiritual growth without a prosperity consciousness is not possible.”

Here is a list of questions from The Spiritual Basis of Real Prosperity that you might want to cut out and carry with you, studying them several times a day:

Are your activities well-ordered?

Do you have priorities: duties, routines, or actions that you perform first because they are essential to your well-being and to living effectively and accomplishing your purposes?

Do you think that you do not have enough time to do what you want to do or to accomplish what needs to be done?

Do you perform nonproductive actions merely to appear to be busy, to avoid boredom, or to avoid having to think about more important matters?

Have you eliminated nonproductive actions?

Have you renounced personal relationships and social activities that are meaningless or which distract your attention?

Do you pray and meditate on a regular schedule?

Do you plan your work and other important activities so that you can efficiently accomplish your purposes, or are you drifting without a sense of meaningful purposes?

Do you allow behaviors, personal relationships, and circumstances to be determined by your moods and whims while naively thinking that the Spirit of God or your inner guidance is directing your path in life?

We have a fresh new year ahead of us, a new opportunity to live more wisely, more deeply, more joyfully, and yes, with more prosperity.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you. May your year be filled with blessings upon blessings.

[For more information about Roy Eugene Davis and his books and magazines, go to www.csa-davis.org]


For more information about Lake Chapala visit: www.chapala.com


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