Commandments 5 & 6

Remembering who you are

As we’ve been going through these Ten Commandments of Religious Science, I’ve noticed that I am reminded how important it is to listen to the still small voice within.

It’s so easy to get lost in the distractions of the everyday, to let the ego take over and drown out the voice that reminds us of who we are.

In the middle steps of treatment work, we use that time to focus on what we want. And in order to do that, we need to get clear about who we are. Commandments five and six work to open up that pathway, and help us to examine things in our life a little closer, a little more intimately.

So, Commandment Five is: “I always honor myself, and do not give my power away to anyone or anything.”

This commandment gives us a clue as to what it means to honor ourselves. When we feel someone or something is directing our lives, that’s a clue that we are not honoring ourselves, and it’s time to get clear about who we are and what we want.

This isn’t being selfish, and it’s not being egotistical. When done in concert with Divine Mind and the allness that is God, what we are doing here is redirecting ourselves so that our actions – and our thoughts – are in alignment with core principles. This way we have a greater sense of empowerment and of peace, and in so doing have access to far more mental and spiritual resources than we otherwise would.

Of course, this isn’t always easy. People frequently give away power without even realizing it. Some people give that power away by taking on addictions of all kinds. Other people give that power away psychologically, clinging to other people’s ideas of who they should be, rather than honoring who they really are.

When we honor who we are, we are acknowledging the All-God by adding our own unique flavor to the mix– and bringing ourselves into that divine circle. We are allowing our unique abilities to carve our path to a good life. The rest is the pursuit of the falsehoods.

The Sixth Commandment is: “I am healthy in body, mind and spirit.”

This is a reminder to take the time to scan the three aspects of our internal being. How is your body – what does it need from you right now? Is it better food to nourish it? Is it more exercise? Or perhaps it’s something as simple as deeper breathing.

And your mind – what is it doing? What habits are you forming, and where do you want to redirect it? Do you want more of something, or less of something? Would you define what you are doing with your mind right now as “healthy”? Take the time to step away, practice meditation, and get clear about what occupies your mind, and then consciously choose how you wish to continue.

Finally, the spirit. This is our feeling sense, our heart, our compassion. When our body and our mind are at peace, the spirit naturally follows in concert. We are able to connect more easily with others, redirect our thoughts with ease, and recognize our connection to that Universal Mind.

If you find yourself thirsting for an extra connection to spirit, take the time to listen deeply. Adjust your actions so that this part of you feels nourished as well. We’ve all known people who have a healthy mind and body that provides them with great achievement in the external world, but little spiritual peace. We need all three in order to feel that our journey is being fulfilled.

Next week, we’ll move deeper into the commandments as we look at how we operate when we engage in the external world.