| You are probably familiar with the parable of the | | | | things we can learn from this story that will improve |
| Prodigal Son which appears in the Luke's Gospel | | | | our spiritual growth -- and our life -- right away! |
| 15:11-32. I am going to update the story as if it | | | | 1. Keep Using Affirmations, Denials, Meditation, and |
| happened today and I am going to take some | | | | Prayer to Develop Your True Spiritual Nature -- |
| liberties with it without losing the richness of its | | | | Especially When Things Are Good! |
| spiritual teaching. | | | | In this story, the younger son symbolizes our |
| In the parable a father has two sons. The younger | | | | undeveloped awareness of our true spiritual nature, a |
| of the two sons wants his share of the inheritance | | | | nature that tends to let our ego get in the way. Like |
| so the father divides his property between the two | | | | him, we learn Truth principles, use affirmations and |
| boys. | | | | denials, experience Truth principles working in our |
| A few days later the younger son buys some wheels | | | | lives. Our good manifests, and then we forget about |
| -- probably a Lexus, Mercedes, or Beamer -- and | | | | our connection to Spirit. Sound familiar? |
| leaves home to spend his fortune. But it doesn't take | | | | We use our inheritance (our manifested good) from |
| long to blow his fortune. A few trips to the French | | | | our Father (the I AM Presence within us) and go to a |
| Riviera, Europe, Las Vegas, New York and Hollywood | | | | 'far country' (which stands for our material |
| result in him squandering all that he has. | | | | consciousness). Enticed by the lure of plasma TV's, |
| He works on construction jobs, tries retail, and | | | | expensive homes and cars, Wall Street promises, |
| bartends for a while before he makes the mistake of | | | | lotteries, alcohol and drugs, and coconut rum |
| working for Enron. Then he signs on as a contractor | | | | ice-cream, we squander our good because we are |
| in Iraq before ending up on a hog farm in Eastern | | | | inconsistent in our Truth walk. |
| North Carolina . Hog farming is not a good occupation | | | | We believe advertisers when they tell us we are |
| for a young Jewish man, is it? He's going nowhere | | | | incomplete unless we buy their product or service. |
| fast. He finally comes to his senses and decides to | | | | We allow our material appetites to trump our spiritual |
| go back home. | | | | common sense. |
| When his father sees him in the distance, he knows | | | | Then we awaken to the truth of who we really are |
| it is his son. Perhaps he recognizes his son's walk, or | | | | (the prodigal comes to himself) and realize our |
| maybe the Duke ball cap his son is wearing. At any | | | | connection to Spirit (in the story the younger son |
| rate, he runs out to meet him, hugs and kisses him, | | | | says: 'I will rise and go back to my Father'). When we |
| and welcomes him home with open arms. | | | | go to our Christ Self, we find the happiness, peace |
| His son has practiced the apology he was going to | | | | and prosperity we seek. |
| use, but his father will hear nothing of it. His father is | | | | 2. Eliminate Any Thought of Separation Between You |
| so happy his son has come home that he gives him a | | | | and God. |
| new Perry Ellis suit, renews his credit cards, buys him | | | | In the story, while the prodigal son is yet far off his |
| Broadway tickets, and hands him the keys to his | | | | Father sees him (that means even though we forget |
| new car. | | | | our oneness with our Christ Nature, the God |
| His older brother becomes angry and refuses to | | | | Presence within us welcomes us (makes omnipresent |
| attend the gala. He tells his father that he has always | | | | substance available). All we have to do is honor our |
| worked hard, obeyed the family rules, gone to | | | | God-Mind connection. There is absolutely no |
| church every Sunday, and religiously attended | | | | separation in Spirit . . . only the perception of |
| prosperity workshops. "My brother," he shouts, | | | | separation we create. |
| "squanders his inheritance and comes crawling back | | | | 3. Release Any thoughts of Envy or Jealousy, and |
| home because things got a little tough. And you treat | | | | Know that You Are Worthy. |
| him like nothing's happened. I've been loyal all these | | | | The older son who stayed with the father all along |
| years and you've never given me what you've just | | | | represents our moralistic and judgmental poverty |
| given him." | | | | consciousness. Like him, we believe in lack because |
| The father reminds his son that he has always been | | | | we block our abundance with our doubts, fears, |
| with him and that all he had to do was ask. He could | | | | faithlessness, impatience, jealousy, and any other |
| have had anything he wanted. The parable ends with | | | | form of error consciousness which separates us from |
| the father telling his son that the important thing is | | | | enjoying the abundance we can have. All we have to |
| that although his younger brother was lost, now he | | | | do is ask, believe in our worthiness to receive, and |
| has been found. | | | | enjoy our prosperity. But we go to a "far country" |
| If this was all there was to this story it would be a | | | | instead of Headquarters! |
| homecoming filled with resentment and mixed | | | | Whether we go searching for our good (like the |
| blessings. On the one hand, a younger | | | | younger son) or fail to appreciate it when we're |
| materially-minded son is forgiven and rewarded with | | | | standing in the middle of it (like the older brother), |
| more material things. And a devoted older son feels | | | | we end up in the same place if we are inconsistent in |
| he is taken for granted. We also have a father who | | | | our meditation, prayer, faith, forgiveness, and tithing. |
| has the wherewithal to reward both sons, loves | | | | These are the metaphysical keys to accelerating our |
| them equally, and would do anything for either of | | | | prosperity. The sooner we outgrow our prodigal |
| them. | | | | choices and make prosperity-affirming choices a habit, |
| But there's more to the story. Much more! Let's take | | | | the sooner we'll enjoy the unlimited inheritance that is |
| a closer look -- a metaphysical look. Here are three | | | | ours, pressed down and running over. |