How do we stay awake? What helps us not scatter? What supports us in remaining mindful?

How do we receive, generate and transmit substances without which everything gets hard and cold. In the absence of presence what will grow up is heart-break.

Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) = a good periodic table of the spiritual elements, access route to wholeness, by which we participate in wholeness. Keep re-orienting toward the whole. This cuts through the egoic tendency of “How am I doing?”

Our immediate work has to do with the direct cultivation of a stock of these qualities. This needs to be done indirectly. In the esoteric tradition one works with the energetic component of these elements. This is what we were born for.

Nurturing the Fruit of the Spirit:

Work directly with positivity, strengthen the affirmative, positive, intelligent and affirming agent in yourself.

Know quietly within yourself that you belong. Know that you are good. You have a contribution to make. There is strength within you. Be here. Trust in yourself to do what conscience tells you.  

But beware of judgment and remember, positivity cannot be thought or practiced with a focus on outside behaviour. It is not repression of that which is perceived to be negative. Don’t sublimate negativity. At least sit with the negativity even if you can’t transcend it.

Motivation is everything. If you are using positivity to mask the negative you are on a slippery slope.

Positivity is done in classic spiritual practice in two ways:

1. conscious absorption – immerse yourself in it.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things.

(Philippians 4:8)

You are what you eat. Consider what most westerners are eating.

But beware of spiritual by-passing. People who are afraid, go shopping.

2. imitation – huge caveat: this must come from the inside not the outside. If imitation comes from the outside we get into trouble. We look at external behaviour and try to copy it without realizing that the qualities we are seeking externally can only be generated from within.

This is not about mannerisms but about hearts. Copying mannerisms is creating on the outside that which can only truly come from within. Mannerisms are easy to copy. People need not only to see the goodness but receive the goodness, an inner quality that is transmutable.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

(Galatians 2:20)

Jesus lives within you as you live in him. Jesus lives in you as you. Just keep turning toward the Source.  

Wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 5:25-31) – the wise virgins can’t just give their oil to the foolish. Oil is non-transferable. Oil can only be generated from within by engaging in conscious work.

Our view of the “true self” is often just a cleaned up “false self.” We become wounded at the places we are most vulnerable; but these are our most authentic places.

Find something in you that lives beyond death and live out of that now. What is the quality of your aliveness? It is there. Develop the body that can find it.