I'm rereading sogr after several years. Now I've read up ch 1, tomorrow will be ch 2.

and now I am realizing how limiting it is to settle for poverty. It really is. I was thinking about all the advancement type of things i've made, even the religious/spiritual ones, and NOT ONE goal was able to come about with out some type of material gain.

again not one.

so now, I am very much against settling for less. settling for less is not very virtuous.

so now I feel sort of free in a way, free to gain materials if I want to, since keeping myself down doesn't benefit anybody and most of the time when people praise poverty, its because of religious reasons. but religious/spiritual goals couldn't be achieved w/o riches. No churches/synagogeus/mosques/hindu places could ever be built or their books printed and spread could ever be achieved w/o riches.

so, now I am working on:

It is OKAY to achieve riches. ITs not going to make me evil.

has anyone else had to redo this thinking about riches and religion? redo the thinking since a lot or personal advancement in a religious/spritual way couldn't be achieved without it. religious scholars couldn't be achieved without funding to go to school, etc.

has anyone ever felt like they had to justify themselves for any material gain they achieved?

anybody else redoing this line of thought?

thanx.

I think the most important thing about material wealth is our attitude toward it. A quote from my faith will demonstrate the attitude I aim for.

Having attained the stage of fulfilment and reached his maturity, man standeth in need of wealth, and such wealth as he acquireth through crafts or professions is commendable and praiseworthy in the estimation of men of wisdom, and especially in the eyes of servants who dedicate themselves to the education of the world and to the edification of its peoples.
--Bahá’u’lláh

Hi Brenna,

I loved the passage in the book in which Wattles states,
"He wants all these things because it is himself that enjoys and
appreciates them; they are his creation. It is God who wants to
play, and sing, and enjoy beauty, and proclaim truth, and wear
fine clothes, and eat good foods. “It is God that worketh in you
to will and to do,” said the apostle Paul."

Not only is it okay to have riches, it is the best way to glorify God and to experience and appreciate the beautiful world he has made for us.

Love and blessings,
Rachel

hi Brenna,
your quote " is anyone else redoing his line of thought?"
that is basically what we are all here for especially those of us who haven't been successful practising other system. That is what the lifelabs are about. The good thing about it is that it is voluntary , you do it at your own pace for your own good and finally for the good of others who are associated with you. I know you are on the PG course. So basically you are here to redo your line of thought if it is not already in conformity to the principles of SOGR. I stand to be corrected though.
successfully yours,
Abdul.
NB... i need someone to highlight to me how to use the icons to separate other peoples quote within those fine blue lines. Don't laugh.

quote:

Originally posted by abdul:

NB... i need someone to highlight to me how to use the icons to separate other peoples quote within those fine blue lines. Don't laugh.

Abdul, just click the icon with the folder and " below to reply. That will put the post you are replying to in the post window.

AND!

PLEASE do not quote the entire post. Sometimes they're quite long and that makes for lots and lots of scrolling.

Delete everything except the lines you are replying to, and be sure NOT to remove any part of the brackets or the words QUOTE and /QUOTE because those are the codes that do the trick.

Also, if you click the blue tab that says "TOOLS" at the top of the forum, and then click "Help" on the drop-down menu, there's more on how to use the forum features.

quote:

NB... i need someone to highlight to me how to use the icons to separate other peoples quote within those fine blue lines. Don't laugh. Smile Smile

Abdul,

Great job! So many people stumble through life because they are afraid to ask for help when they want to do something new.

God bless you,

Caroline
My Gift To You: 50,000 Guaranteed Visitors To Your Site

thank you all very much for your replies. yes, you are exactly right. Its actually funny because I had tried sogr, and I had very little money and I needed some skirts. The exact amount, and colors that I wanted, I received. so I do know that it works, I just want to stick with it and go farther than before.

I almost feel like I've been scammed or something, like I've been scammed to settle for less when riches are needed to accomplish so much more.

anyways, thanx.

I know what you mean about the "scam." So many of us grew up believing that there is something wrong with wanting to have things and to do things. The people who taught us to work hard, sacrifice, be humble, don't ask, etc. didn't know -- they thought they were teaching us the truth. There is plenty of evidence to support the idea of lack, after all.

BUT............

According to SOGR, having and doing things is our birthright and the reason we were put on this earth! Isn't it great that we all had an opportunity to learn that? The knowledge was always there, buy the way. We just managed to "get it" whenever we did.

Sometimes I feel a little silly for not getting this before. I can go back to journals I wrote in high school and find some of these principles written there. But it's taken me all this time and all the intervening experiences to bring me to the point where I really know how to use this knowledge. Also, being exposed to really great teachers and mentors helps a LOT.

I'm very grateful for SOGR, Wattles, Rebecca, Croz, Phil, Dawn, Julia, Andrew, and many others who have helped me and so many others. Now you get to benefit from all of their help, too!

Love and blessings,
Rachel

quote:

Originally posted by Rachel:
I'm very grateful for SOGR, Wattles, Rebecca, Croz, Phil, Dawn, Julia, Andrew, and many others who have helped me and so many others. Now you get to benefit from all of their help, too!

Love and blessings,
Rachel

Aww, how kind of you Rachel, but I've gotta tell you. Your posts of late have been inspiring to me and I often go, "wow! Good one Rachel."

I am happy to be back on the forums. But, going out of town again. I'm sure grateful.

quote:

Originally posted by azsunbeam:
Aww, how kind of you Rachel, but I've gotta tell you. Your posts of late have been inspiring to me and I often go, "wow! Good one Rachel."

Shucks.... thanks. You're opinion means a lot to me.

Umm, welcome back and have a good trip?

Love and blessings,
Rachel

quote:

has anyone else had to redo this thinking about riches and religion?

MANY people have had to deal with this.

A man named T. Harv Eker has created a seminar he calls ‘The Millionaire Mind Intensive’. It’s been going on now for years, in cities around the globe, and one of the MAIN points he hammers home is, MOST if not ALL people who have trouble creating wealth have the beliefs that ‘Money is bad, Money is evil. The rich are bad. It’s wrong to want money. Etc., etc., etc.

One of the interesting stories he tells is of a man who made millions each year, but would be broke again at the end of the year. He said he was often surprised how bad his investments would turn out, how he kept losing money.

After attending Eker’s seminar he realized that although he was very good at accumulating money, he felt extremely GUILTY about holding on to it. He told how his mother used to preach the gospel of ‘money is the root of all evil.’ Overcoming this thought took a lot of doing because, in other regards, he deeply respected and loved his mother. Finally, though, he became comfortable with having money and went on to become a happy multi-millionaire.

Many other prosperity teachers, including Bob Proctor, Catherine Ponder, Reverend Ike, Joseph Murphy, Jerry and Esther Hicks, Wayne Dyer and others, have found they need to make it clear that money is not evil; it’s just a tool for living. In other words, many prosperity teachers realize there are MANY people who have a bad idea about money.

Of course, just as a hammer or any other tool can be used to create or do something destructive or evil, so can money. But similarly, money can also be used for many wonderful, beneficial things, just like any other tool.

Money is just a tool (albeit a very versatile tool).

Phil

its so nice to hears someone else agree. yeah - its frusterating especially if you've ever argued with someone telling you that you don't need a vaccuum, just a broom - yeah as you're sneezing, and eyes are watering. or you only need one - whatever garment, and two is excessive. cutting back does not have any religious benefit - how can you focus on being better, when you're constantly worrying about your state of lack?

its frustering.

anyways, thanx.

Brenna, where are you in the Practical Geniuses course? There's a whole session and LifeLab on this very topic right toward the beginning (because it's so BASIC).

i finished ll 1 and 2, and right now i just want to work on journaling thrm out of my system so to speak

quote:

Originally posted by Brenna:


has anyone ever felt like they had to justify themselves for any material gain they achieved?

Hi Brenna,
If I may understand you,what justification do you need if realy you have achieved what you realy desired.
I am always glad and grateful for all that I ever desired and achieved and I dont need anyone to praise me for my achievements.It is a personal stuff to me.In fact I am always more than happy.

quote:

has anyone ever felt like they had to justify themselves for any material gain they achieved?

How would you justify the breath you just took? No difference. You are worthy of all good.

If you feel you need to justify anything in your life, ask yourself: To WHOM do I need to justify my life?

Rebecca
You are truely an intelligent person
I have been reading your site for almost 4 years
and never contributed.
I have read every comment you have made, it is my daily routine to check the site and see if you have made new comments.
They are always right to the point, which is absolutely an incredible achievement.
I read SOGR 4 years ago and it has truely changed my life for the better.
I am truely grateful for people like yourself.
You always speak the truth and put enourmous time and effort in replying to comments.


Eternally grateful


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