MASTERING THE POWER OF LIFE
By Christian Michael SteeleBalboa Press
Copyright © 2012 Christian Michael Steele
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4525-4754-1Contents
Preface.......................................................................vIntroduction..................................................................xiii1. The Seed...................................................................12. The Life Stream............................................................293. Evolution of Consciousness.................................................214. Knowingness................................................................475. Identity...................................................................596. Totality of Being..........................................................797. Self-Mastery...............................................................1078. The Stages of Life.........................................................1459. Stage III: The Trials of Life..............................................16110. Stage II: The World of Action The Drama of Life...........................17511. Stage I: The Experience of Life and The World of Form.....................19712. Stage IV: The Love of Life................................................25513. The Violet Transmuting Flame..............................................291Footnotes.....................................................................319About the Author..............................................................323
Chapter One
The Seed
"The greatest trees often grow from the darkest soil."
Developing an understanding of our being that covers the entire spectrum, from a disempowered state to who we are going to be when we achieve perfection, is the goal of the seed concept. Encompassing who we really are creates a transformation with real changes. We naturally reflect this insight back on ourselves so that we may see our self within this process. With this new insight, we are able to see not only where we are, but also where we are going. This enables us to reach our goals more quickly and efficiently. We will, with our new understanding, begin to embody the concepts discussed and see ourselves differently. Embodying the concepts is different from understanding them (this will be discussed more later). This natural growth process produces a state of being in which we will know ourselves to be the masters of life.
The concept of the seed not only describes a growth process, but is also a real conception that takes place within your being. The segments within the seed are parts within this overall process. These segments do not exist independently; they are overlapping. As you begin to understand the fullness of these segments, they begin to interweave with each other to form a greater and more encompassing concept. It is a conception, as this seed implants inside your being. The more you develop, revisit, and learn about these understandings, the more this seed is nourished. The more it is nourished, the more it grows.
As the seed inside you grows, it creates a new center within your being—a center that is strong and capable enough to encompass your entire being. It is a center that progressively shifts as you move ever closer to finding the divinity within you. It allows you to create the space whereby you can find your true self. This divinity within you contains all the love you need to hold and support every aspect of your being. It is the true freedom that we all desire.
Most people have a very limited understanding of the totality of their being. As a result, they have a limited experience in life. Their mind cannot conceive of anything more than who they think they are. The understanding discussed here will replace the limited one from our past with one that is not limited but honors the true grandeur of our being. Either knowingly or unknowingly, we have held onto limited understandings for a long time.
Most of the time, we don't even think about it until somebody makes us aware. Letting go of your limitations and smallness is easier when you can compare it to the truth of who you really are. You can let go of your limitations by choosing to accept and step into this grandeur.
Your world is merely a reflection of your being. As you change, so does your world. Embarking on your path is a conscious choice to evolve and grow. As you evolve, you increase the vibratory rate of your consciousness. This is the ascension process—the raising of your being into a perfect state. Limiting conditions, such as your state of health or biological age, can be overcome through this process. If you can realize who you really are, you will know that nothing is impossible. Anything that can be conceived can be accomplished; however, this does not mean that no work is involved.
Everyone on this planet is actually participating in this process. There are many different ways to evolve and many different paths to take. It is hard to believe, especially when considering the state of humanity, that we are all part of the same plan. Each individual is unique and functions at a particular level based on the quality of one's personal growth and awareness, as well as the influences of many belief systems.
The ascension process can be looked at in many different ways and from many different perspectives. Rather than trying to expound on the entire process, I find it helpful to divide the whole into smaller components to bring clarity and simplicity. These segments are not only part of the same process, but are also integrally related and overlapping. In fact, each part does not exist without the others.
Terminology is not as important as the concepts themselves. Many people get caught up in terminology; however, what you call something is not as crucial as finding it within yourself. When this occurs, you can call it whatever it is for you. Most people, including myself, have had to piece this process together from many sources. Our predecessors have left us many breadcrumbs. Often, when making a new discovery within yourself, it can be difficult to find where to place it and how it fits into the overall picture. This concept and many of the understandings that follow were founded by the Ascended Masters' teachings and furthered by what was given to me directly.
In my own experience, information and understanding have come to me in many different ways. There were times when I received a knowing in meditation or in a dream state. Other times, information was realized in an instant during a situation in my daily life. Most often, I received understanding through quiet reflection time in which I attempted to sort through and make sense of my daily experiences. My guides and teachers were always challenging me to keep an open mind and increase my awareness.
The following is a brief overview of main concepts in this book before I explain each one in greater depth. I feel it can be helpful to look at the overall concept before trying to grasp too many details at once. At the core of this concept is the life stream, which we will continually reference.
The Life Stream
The life stream is the core building block of our being. It takes precedence over all of the other components as it connects every aspect of our being together. It is your connection to and your relationship with Source. I relate to Source as God the Father; however, you may have a different perspective of Source. Perhaps you feel more comfortable with the feminine aspect or maybe with a different name. It makes no difference how you decide to relate. God will meet you anywhere and at any level you choose. It is your intention and your desire that will reunite you. Your life stream is a river that flows through the universe. Contained within this life stream is everything that you are, as well as your relationship to Source. It is your connection. There are many limitations and interferences that have diminished this flow to a mere fraction of its potential. If we are to increase this flow, we have to remove the restrictions and the interferences that block us from enjoying our life—whatever is robbing us of our life. In simple terms, we need to learn how to live again. It is only our ignorance that prevents us from establishing our life stream and reclaiming our lives.
Evolution of Consciousness
The evolution of consciousness is also described as a raising of consciousness or a development of consciousness. Consciousness may be thought of as an energetic field that extends around our being, which is created from and out of our life stream. On a more tangible level, it is virtually synonymous with awareness—that which we are aware of or that which we truly see. As we dispel and replace our misunderstandings with the truth, the darkness within our consciousness is replaced with light. The resulting increase in vibratory rate allows for expansion and, ultimately, a turning inward of consciousness. This turning inward is in direct correlation to the awareness that your divinity exists within you. Your consciousness will begin to recognize you as the authority and will no longer serve the outer mass consciousness around you. This raising and expansion allows you to eventually merge your consciousness with the higher consciousness that exists within your being. There is a continuous merging with higher aspects of your being as you get to know yourself on higher levels and detach from those things that are not you. Ultimately, this progression of consciousness becomes one with God- consciousness.
Knowingness
Knowingness is the discovery process through which we unfold the mysteries of life. We all have within our consciousness many belief systems, layered one on top of the other. They act as filters that interpret our surroundings and our experiences. Some are very thin and transparent, while others may be thicker and more blinding. Everything that exists within our world is present because it has an existence within our being. Our world is merely a reflection of our being. Ironically, we have spent way too much time believing in our experiences, when in reality we have been experiencing our beliefs. So how do we remove these belief systems when we've seen everything we've ever experienced through them? The answer is simple. By using the outer world as a mirror, we can reflect upon and see ourselves. By examining and reflecting on our experiences with a new perspective, from a higher point of view, we may discover the truth or truths that lie within. The processing that we do is to extract the truth from within our experience. Learning self-responsibility for everything that happens to us is essential. The truths become the knowing that replaces the old misunderstandings and ignorance that once existed within our belief systems. There is a shift from "believing in" to "knowing." Belief systems contain densities of discordant energies, which inhibit the expansion of our consciousness. Once removed, our consciousness is allowed to expand and increase its vibratory rate. By removing the layers that exist within our consciousness, or dis-covering our true consciousness, we then begin to experience a direct relationship with our surroundings—one that is not tainted or filtered by our beliefs.
Identity
Within our identity, we begin to see how the mind of this planet, or mass consciousness, is actually serving us and our growth. In this theater of evolution, there are ideals, or idols, that are created by the inhabitants of this planet for each role that exists. It doesn't matter if you're playing the husband, wife, mother, father, doctor, banker, etc.—there is an entity that exists in mass consciousness which is the ideal for that role. As we play these roles, we are not only influenced by them, but we affect the ideal through our relationship with it. Who we are and what our expression is helps evolve this ideal and changes it for everyone. It affects the entire world. We can experience much growth within these roles, and many experiences would be difficult to acquire without them. There is nothing wrong with this process, as it is serving us. We can play many roles within our lifetime and even within the same day. The trouble comes when we become too attached to these roles. We can embody a role so completely that we cannot separate it from ourselves. Hence, we lose our self in this process. Eventually all we do is experienced through this identity, and we begin to serve it rather than the other way around. However, through detachment we can see that something within ourselves doesn't change despite the parts we are playing. Our id-entity becomes more focused on our presence, our I Am presence, rather than the entity to which we are attached. Sometimes people refer to the I Am presence as your true self.
Totality of Being
Totality of being is the development stage where we begin to understand the vastness of our being and how we function despite being separated from Source and fragmented. Knowingness allows us to see the limitations we have blindly accepted; limitations that keep us from realizing the grandeur of our being. We often identify with and function within smaller fragments of our being, unaware that we are really part of a much greater being. Totality of being is the reconnecting, or the "putting yourself back together," so that we may function once again as a single unified being. As long as we remain in our smallness, we remain slaves to this world. As we decide to grow and reunite our being through virtues and truths, we reclaim the grandeur of our true Self. The world will no longer be a fearful place, full of scarcity and misery, but a joyful place. When you apply this truth to your life, you will reclaim your innocence and your true power. The world will be your playground for you to enjoy and create your God-given desires.
Self-Mastery
Self-mastery is a unique category because it requires the use of time. Up until this point, everything has been a matter of recognition and awareness. Self-mastery requires you to practice and cultivate your expressions and your gifts. It is in the doing that we get to strengthen and perfect our spiritual muscles. Your "knowing" gradually transforms into "being" as you integrate your knowing. There are many aspects within your being to master: learning how to live your life and not someone else's; learning how to love; mastering your attention, intuition, and intention to create the world you want; having the courage to stand in your truth despite the currents that try to sweep you away; mastering the will and perfecting desire; and finally, aligning yourself with your divinity and becoming a perfect representation and expression of the Godhead in you. These are the goals of self-mastery.
Chapter Two
The Life Stream
"To truly live one must first understand life."
Life is happening all around us yet few are aware of what it truly has to offer. Life is commonly seen as something that is outside of us, but as we grow we begin to realize it only appears to be "out there." Once this new perspective occurs, we realize that life is not out there at all but rather within our being. It is actually energy, a consciousness, a living entity that exists within. It is something we find inside us, something we connect to, and something we form a relationship with. It flows like a river from the infinite Source within the center of the universe to connect every aspect of our being together.
Recognizing your life as a stream of energy may be difficult at first; probably the most difficult concept in this book to grasp. This concept often builds on itself slowly, so be patient with yourself. This core understanding will be expanded upon as it is approached from other perspectives in the chapters that follow. You may experience a period of time when some concepts are in bits and pieces floating around in your mind. Eventually, all will come together. Give yourself time when reading this book so that these understandings come together into a solid foundation within your mind.
Your life stream originates from Source and passes through the essence within your being. This essence is often referred to as the presence of God, or I Am presence, although the name you give it is not as important as the respect and relationship you develop with it. Your life stream traverses through the universe and eventually enters your body through the top of the head and anchors in your heart and into the Earth. This is why babies are born with a soft spot on the top of their heads. They are trying to maintain their connection with God as long as possible. Some have referred to this life stream as the "silver cord." It is what keeps you alive and keeps your heart beating. Every concept we develop originates from this central theme of the life stream.
Just as a river flows through the countryside so does your life stream flow through the universe, passing through many spheres of consciousness. Many tributaries or offshoots from this life stream may branch off in to different parts of the universe. Your life stream may simultaneously be supporting many existences on other evolving planets, each with a different purpose, each contributing and drawing from the primary life stream which is you. Your Higher Self, which will be discussed shortly, oversees each of the developing souls on these planets. You never lose anything, but only gain from all of your cumulative experiences.
The further you travel away from your primary life stream, through a tributary, the more difficult it is to express your true essence. The connection to Source is not as strong. The more you begin to realign your fragmented selves and connect with your primary life stream to a greater extent, the more you rediscover your own perfection that always existed. You gradually transition from a being that is more a part of the world that you inhabit to a being that is more of your life stream and your God presence. In other words, you become more of your true self. The goal is to realign yourself to bring the fullness of your life stream into this body so that you may express the fullness of your life here and now.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from MASTERING THE POWER OF LIFEby Christian Michael Steele Copyright © 2012 by Christian Michael Steele. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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