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Philanthropy is an essential yet sometimes misunderstood spiritual principle. The word comes from the Greek philos which means “loving” and anthros which loosely means “humankind.” Philanthropy, in essence, means loving humankind. It is the practice and effort to increase the well-being of humanity - a spiritual quality that is more important than ever as our world gets smaller.

Philanthropy brings into play an indispensible spiritual principle of prosperity - stewardship. Stewardship is the recognition that you are the channel, and not the owner, of God’s abundance and supply. In the same way you are meant to express the power of prosperity to manifest abundance for your own needs, you are also meant to let that power of prosperity flow through you to others, as many times that is how God can reach those people.

In the aura, prosperity is seen as a brilliant turquoise light. It indicates the person is in the awareness of abundance. Yet when we are generous and philanthropic, we also generate a beautiful pure white light that radiates from our heart chakra. This white light brings in a tremendous redeeming and uplifting quality to our soul and aura. As the heart chakra, or Hermetic Center, is the nucleus of our human earth affairs and the seat of the soul, this divine white light uplifts the parts of our life and soul that need to be brought more into the light.

Most of us recognize the importance of caring for our loved ones. We lavish our attention and generosity on those we care about and are close to. Yet spiritually speaking, each of us has a karmic duty to help humanity itself for we are not only part of the family we were born into, we are part of the family of humanity. We are not only a citizen of the town and country we live in, we are a citizen of the world. The divine spark dwells in each of us. We talk about bringing the world together, yet there is a spiritual bond that already exists which unites all people of the world even if all of us are not presently all at peace with each other.

Be generous with your time, resources and services, not only to loved ones but to those who inspire compassion in you. Philanthropy should be as active a part of your life as any other activity you are engaged in. Seek out opportunities to help others as well when opportunities present themselves. When in the throes of our own struggles, we sometimes feel we have little or nothing to give, but of course this is not true. As a child of God, we all have something to give to the world, a service to perform that is for something greater than ourselves. As you express the spiritual practice of philanthropy, you are making your contribution to the family of humanity and you are blessing your own aura and life in wonderful and miraculous ways.

In Divine Light and love,

Barbara Y. Martin
Spiritual Director

Thank you to all of you who were at the Enlightening the Mind workshop at the Infinity Foundation in Chicago. The workshop went very well, and it was wonderful to see you there!

Easter is a very important occasion in the esoteric work. It represents the laying down of our lower self and the resurrection of our higher, divine nature; the victory of life over death, not only for Jesus but for ourselves as well. During this time, we celebrate the establishing of the Christ light on Earth, the light that is in the process of resurrecting the world.

We do not have to be of any particular religious faith to appreciate the spiritual significance connected to Easter. It’s open to everyone. In the inner worlds, Easter is a major celebration time. There are conclaves and ceremonies that go on as well as a great deal of prayer work. The divine draws especially close to humanity to bless and uplift us.

In celebration of Easter, make an extra effort to release something from your life you feel has been holding you back, and make a stronger effort to welcome your own Higher nature into your heart and mind.

A most blessed and Happy Easter to you!

We all know how important a good upbringing is. In childhood, we form patterns of behavior that we carry for the rest of our lives. If we were fortunate to have been brought up in a loving and supportive environment, that will carry us a long way in life even if later on we meet with adversity. In the same way, if we were brought up in a difficult and unsupportive environment, we can carry the mark of those experiences into adulthood as well.

Metaphysics teaches us that regardless of the kind of childhood we had, we have the ability to surmount any challenge or obstacle of our young years. No matter what kind of life we were born into, it’s up to us as to what we make of ourselves.

From the point of view of the aura, the first seven years of life are especially crucial because it takes seven years for the basic auric power to become fully engaged. This means that before that time, the consciousness of the child is particularly adaptable. Patterns of behavior are not yet fixed. This is true for the subconscious mind as well. Although the subconscious mind of the child is being filled with the experiences around it, those experiences have not yet been firmly established as a basic pattern of behavior.

At around age seven, the child receives what is known as the mental etheric body. This is a protective body that surrounds the auric field. It performs key functions including helping to channel spiritual energy into the aura. The interesting thing is once we receive this supportive body, it solidifies the energies of the aura itself. This is necessary to stabilize the auric power and give the child a steady spiritual footing. It also solidifies patterns established in the subconscious mind. This can work in our favor with the many positive and essential things that have been established there. Yet it can also set the stage for some of our tests and challenges later in life as it also solidifies undesirable behavior patterns.

Of course, we develop patterns of behavior all through our life, good and bad. I’m talking about deep seated patterns that are established early. The philosopher tells us, “Give me the first seven years of a person’s life and you can have the rest.” And this is a direct reference to the tremendous impact this formative time in our life has on us.

After the age of seven, we can certainly change any bad habits we’ve acquired, but now more effort is required. We all know it’s not always easy to change a bad habit at any time, but the patterns from childhood can be among the most difficult to turn around.

Here again the Divine Light can be of tremendous assistance in rooting out any difficult or painful experiences from childhood that are adversely affecting us now. The great purifying energy of the orange-red flame and the healing power of the blue-white fire can do wonders to release any adverse patterns in the subconscious mind formed in those first seven years. It takes patience and determination to turn things around, but you will be amazed at how effective an ally the Divine Light is in this part of your life.

In Divine Light and love,

Barbara Y. Martin

The very words are exciting and uplifting.  We are all looking for more joy and happiness in our lives. Yet, from the spiritual perspective, joy and happiness are not the same things! Joy is of the spirit while happiness is part of our human experience. You might say that happiness is a stepping stone to joy. Happiness is a reaction to positive experiences in your life. When something goes well, naturally you feel happy - and rightfully so. Yet at the same time, you must remember that happiness is conditional. What can make you happy one minute can make you sad the next. If you have the things you want, you are happy. If you don’t, you can be sad or despondent.

Joy, on the other hand, is not dependent on any external conditions. Joy is a perpetual condition of the spirit. When you are in your true joy state, you can be joyful even when physical conditions are terrible. You can express joy at any time because you can always tap into your spiritual life. In the aura, happiness is seen as a light pink energy while joy is seen as a richer, almost fuschia pink. 

The Hermetic Center or heart chakra is an incredibly important part of our spiritual anatomy. Located in the middle of the chest, it is the seat of the soul. This means the soul is registering the experiences of life through this center. That’s saying a lot.

It is essential to keep our Hermetic Center moving strong. If the spiritual energy of this center is weak, it is difficult for the activities in our life to move in a positive way. From the point of view of the aura, the Hermetic Center is the energetic nucleus of our personal affairs. You might call it our action center. We need to constantly impress the Divine Light upon this center to keep it vital. One of the most important energies to have strong in this center is the emerald green ray, as this brings in balance and stability to all that we are doing. Another essential ray is the bright orange. This ray brings in motivation and enthusiasm. If I see this ray in the Hermetic Center, it means that the person is active in life, not sitting on the fence, and is pursing the things that need to be accomplished.

Let us know your experiences in working with the Hermetic Center!

The subconscious is an amazing part of our mental apparatus. It’s far more encompassing and powerful than most people imagine. The subconscious is the seat of memory.  It is a vast storehouse of thoughts, information, and experiences. If the brain is like a computer, then the subconscious is like the hard drive that stores all the information the computer has.

The subconscious records everything you say, think, feel, do verbatim and forgets nothing. You need the subconscious mind.  You could simply not retain all that information in your conscious mind. The subconscious mind allows you to automatically perform everyday activities such as driving a car, brushing your teeth, eating, etc. It is said that 95% of bodily functions are regulated by the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is essential in other areas such as building a healthy and dynamic character. The positive things we do are impressed upon the subconscious and form a positive pattern of behavior.

Problems come when negative experiences or destructive patterns of behavior are impressed upon the subconscious. Those negative thoughts or patterns are retrieved later to the conscious mind and this can wreak havoc in our lives. For example, if we are a smoker, we have generated not only a physical addiction, but we have programmed that behavior into our subconscious, which make the habit even harder to break.

By itself, the subconscious mind cannot change anything you send into it.  It does not have free will as does the conscious mind.  This is why you must be very careful how you program the subconscious mind.

The Divine Light is one of the most effective tools to help cleanse the subconscious mind of disturbing thoughts and mental patterns. Spiritual energy can also help rebuild and strengthen the subconscious with new spiritual power. What many people do not realize is that when a thought is impressed upon the subconscious, there is a spiritual energy associated with that thought that is impressed as well. This is why remembering an old, painful experience can be so disturbing. In retrieving the memory, you are also retrieving the destructive energy associated with that memory. By working with Divine Light, you can release that negative energy diffusing its power and disturbing effect. The thought itself is not erased, just the adverse effect.

In order to have success in your life, you must expect and nurture success. Then and only then can success manifest. It takes effort to turn around conditions like depression, sadness, frustration that have seeped into the subconscious mind. Those patterns were not generated overnight and it will take your dedicated attention to turn them around. The point is you can and are meant to turn them around. By working the spiritual energy, you can quicken the process of strengthen your subconscious mind.

With your subconscious as your ally, you can accomplish great things. You have unlocked a tremendous positive power in your life. On a daily basis, take time to cultivate positive patterns in your subconscious and nourish it with God’s light, and you will see your life blossom.

In Divine Light and love,

Barbara Y. Martin

We want to thank everyone who contributed to Spiritual Arts Institute this year. It is you who make the institute thrive.

We are looking forward to an exciting 2008. As has been our running theme, there has never been a better time to get involved with metaphysics. The divine is coming closer than ever to uplift souls who are calling out to God for help and inspiration. We urge you to redouble your efforts in 2008 to live the highest ideal you can set for yourself. Great spiritual blessings await those who follow their heart and walk the path of enlightenment to the best of their ability.

The divine dearly loves us. Even though the world may seem topsy-turvy at times, the Holy Ones urge us to stay close to the light as this is our salvation. Be kind to others even if they do not show kindness to you. Be patient with yourself and others, as life must unfold in God’s time.

Do your best to meditate every day.  Call on the Holy Ones and Divine Light as often as you need to maintain your divine oneness. You are a blessing in God’s eyes.   

Happy New Year and see you soon in 2008!

Most people who are spiritually minded understand and express gratitude. When it comes to expressing gratitude to God, we are stepping into a state of eternal gratitude, for God is always in the process of giving to us. In the aura, gratitude shows up as a beautiful pink light especially around the emotional body. When you give thanks to God, not only are you expressing your love to the divine, you are also lifting yourself up out of the vibratory rates of the lower self and stepping into a state of joy that comes from the Higher Self. Feeling a steady flow of joy is part of being in the God consciousness. If you’re down in the blues and feeling blah all the time, you’ve disconnected with the higher consciousness, and naturally you won’t feel like there’s anything to be grateful for. When you find yourself in one of these lower states, immediately turn things around by giving thanks to God for all the divine does for you. Be grateful for everything, the little as well as the big, as this keeps you in touch with the higher and keeps your light expanding. No matter what is happening in your life, there is always something for which to be grateful. Happy Thanksgiving!

It is estimated that today one in three people are looking to better themselves through personal and spiritual growth. It is a wonderful time where, despite the increasing challenges of life, we are seeking to find real answers to life’s biggest questions. In the pursuit of spiritual development, there is an essential part of us that we employ which gives us the power to grow spiritually. This essential part is your auric field.The aura is not just about pretty colors around someone. The aura is an essential part of your life, because the aura is the blueprint of the soul. It is the aura that gives you the power to develop your soul. As you expand and elevate the power of your aura, you enlightened your soul. This miraculous pilgrimage of the soul shows itself very clearly in the aura. There are three basic shapes to the aura depending on the spiritual development of the individual. These are: the square, rounded and pointed-oval shape auras.The square-shaped aura is the primitive aura. We had this shaped aura when our soul was very young, and we were just beginning to learn how to harness spiritual energy. The square-shaped aura can also be the devolved aura. The devolved aura is different from the primitive aura in that the colors are much more menacing and violent. The worst aura you can have is a devolved aura.From the square-shaped aura, we grow into the rounded aura. The rounded aura is the aura in evolution. It is also called the mixed aura because it has both enlightened and unenlightened colors moving through it. From the rounded aura, we mature into the pointed-oval aura. The pointed-oval aura is the enlightened aura. It shows someone who, if not at the spiritual pinnacle, is very near the spiritual summit. In the enlightened aura, there are no dark colors. The colors are very bright and organized and such a soul has also developed the celestial pearl-luster colors.As a person develops their soul, the colors of the aura become more vibrant and defined. The divisions and compartments of the aura brighten and become more organized. You will see beautiful shades of blues, greens, yellows and pinks. The energies coming from the chakras or energy centers also become more brilliant and the chakras themselves become more developed. And naturally, souls advancing on the path begin to drop more of the darker, unenlightened colors. There is no part of the aura that is not affected and enhanced as the soul evolves. You have a glorious potential that is your destiny to reach. Use the divine energies that God gave you to nourish your soul. And always remember that your aura – that miraculous part of you – is always there to help you in your climb upward back to God.

In Divine Light and love,

Barbara Y. Martin