One time I was watching a video of a woman named Helen Collier, who was putting a question to the group, "How do you know, you are in your Holy Christ Self?'

What Helen said, I was so impressed with, was, "you know you are in your Holy Christ Self (also know as your higher self), when you are being positive.

I realized what she said was so simple but it was also most accurate.

Lately, I have gotten to remember how easy that advice is, but not so easy to keep. 

Maybe, I have gotten off course of the divine will at times and gone through some interesting things.

We like to say, here on this Mission Saint Germain website, the path is practical not just always about the deep understandings of the Universal mysteries.

In fact, I believe God and the Masters teach me most through my daily walks through life and especially the encounters I have with people. Then there is always that very interesting equation when we want something and another part of the Universe doesn't seem to want it to happen.

Now, I remember something learned that was attributed to Buddha, Yes, that Buddha, the former Prince Siddhartha, that supposedly walked away from a palace and life of very lofty comforts, including leaving behind his twin flame and child, to wander, become an aesthetic and renounce worldly and physical pleasures.

Not sure, I’d be running to do that.

But Buddha, wound up preaching the noble truths and one of the things he said was inordinate desire was the root of suffering.

Now, just being a practical guy, trying to walk this path, here in the West, in California no less, I’ve got a few interests or indulgences. I try and consider to keep a Spiritual perspective about the things that I let my energy go to.

Sometimes I wish I was surrounded by more people that are following the Spiritual path. It would make things probably more supportive to each other.

Buddha also said, community or "Sangha," was one of the three jewels, we need to make it on the path with, because really we know it is not a worldly path, trying to keep right with the Ascended Masters teachings especially, but we do live in the world.

So some of you might know, recently I attended a seminar on the Teachings and practices of Mother Mary. Forgive me if this story is getting too autobiographical, but I have not made too many confessions lately and its feels right to share from the heart in simple terms and ways.

Well, on that third day of the Mother Mary class, the instructor asked us to give her some suggestions that the group could make prayers of intercession for, to the heart of Mary.

Well, I said, "The Lakers"

She maybe being from Australia and not LA didn't seem to understand, said, well what about this Lady, and I said not Lady, but Lakers as in Los Angeles Lakers pro basketball team. 

I guess I should point out she did not put the Lakers on the prayer list, they have been winning a lot lately and it has captured a lot of my interest, maybe too much, not sure if it has been the interest of my higher self, so much. Maybe I was crossing over into that inordinate territory Buddha warned about.

Maybe that is why they call these things creature comforts, I don't know. But as long as they were winning I was feeling positive, so I was just going on that path.

Being positive has not been easy lately for a lot of people. A lot of things have been affecting people, the economy, business and coming by money has been tight, even our own faith in things can get tested, so more than usual I felt I needed something to keep me interested.

These darn basketball games became my outlet, but I can't say it was always making me happy.

I was still trying to do the right things in my Spiritual path, but soon i got the sense i was getting too attached to outcomes, which is another Buddhist teaching, non-attachment.

On the other hand, I began to wonder, is it easy just to never have any passion for something you want? I needed some desires. It was a good test to learn about my interests, about getting fed up with things I wanted to change and being motivated to do things.

Its interesting how easy it is to lose a certain harmony, a certain inner peace or balance we need to make it through tougher times. Times when there is an uncertainty that we feel uncomfortable with. Parts of us want to say, "I don't want to be positive! I want to be angry, I feel pissed or this is frustrating" but unfortunately or fortunately that doesn't help us.

That was the test before being or feeling positive, could I maintain some balance about things and work on becoming positive. It was about taking steps.

Well, one of the things we learned about at that Mother Mary seminar is we build up a certain positive momentum by disciplining our energies. We can store these positive energies like as a reservoir in our feelings and in our thoughts and especially in our outlook. But the key is we have to maintain it.

There is also a lesser-known Spiritual equivalent made available to us that is helped by keeping our harmony and by trying to be in a positive or receptive state.

I don't think I was close at times to doing that. Mentally yes, "I got it" but I was having a tough time internalizing it.

It was like my outer self was praying for something positive to happen first, but it was also a struggle within myself, if outwardly things were almost agonizingly progressing. 

It wasn't very much fun watching myself go through this, nor is it for any body.

This is really where it separates belief from theory. I think that Spiritually one' s faith is tested sometimes severely when we are so trying and striving and my God do we need a break.

I recently have been around four situations where people I know are either having their homes foreclosed on or are living  (renting) a house that is being foreclosed.

Now, that is stressful.

Sometimes, I just feel able to come away from some situations where I really feel for people and all I can do is pray and let it go.

I wonder how much we are really making it by God's grace.  Wouldn't it be great if we could all get little faith envelopes where we open one of them up and in Gold lettering it says, "Hang in their Homer! Love, God

I know that Saint Germain talks about we are all ministering servants to life and yet there is so much of a sense of surrender we have to accept.

I though again about Helen Colliers words about being in your higher self, when you are being positive. I decided to just devote more of my energy to notice when I was being positive about things and notice when I was slipping.

Sometimes, I just have to feed my inner child, to keep me going.

Maybe that is where the whole Lakers thing has come in for me.

Recently, I went through a period where almost all the Limousine runs I drove, were resulting in a no-tip situation.

We call those no FL's or No Financial Love.

Now I was really beginning to think God and the Masters must love me because it has been said God chastises those he loves, but I also think we earn our true spiritual nature by how we deal with situations.

I have to admit I was developing a pretty unappreciative attitude when the people were departing my limo with "thank you's" and no FL.

Eventually, after gagging on my own sour-ness I just gave in started again to be just plain grateful that I would even have a job.

It wasn't like magically tips started flowing back, but I did feel the grace of God's love flowing into me, again.

I think I was probably getting a C+ on the being positive meter.

I even discovered to start using the Violet Flame to help me out again, though I actually was trying to do a Violet Flame decree service over the internet broadcast, while watching the TV screen with a Lakers game.

Something transcending did happen though, I began to realize I had to give myself a break; I needed to not take things so seriously. They say, "Joy" is a mark of the Holy Spirit, so I decided to take myself out in the World and just look for opportunities to express Joy.

I went to the Supermarket and I looked for people I could make eye contact with and Smile.

I watched and waited for opportunities to be polite, like letting another car go before me or being patient and let someone ahead of me in line have their space.

It seemed pretty simple, but I was getting a "Joy Buzz" from life.

Maybe the Soul and the personality have to find a way to make peace with the circumstances in life.

Sometimes we are able to be present for the deeper understandings of life's mysteries and we can face responsibility for managing our minds and our feelings head-on.

Sometimes, we have to care for ourselves in a gentle comforting way, while we make our way to solutions and keeping a sense of hope about things.

That is, it seems to be is the whole usefulness of being positive, even if the actual feeling of positive seems to be a delayed action experience sometimes.

I still have kept watching those Laker games with an eager zeal, though sometimes it is maddening, but I guess I’m not alone.

I read a user's comments after a recently hotly contested game, saying he didn't know if his emotions could take it anymore.

I laughed at that one, cause I knew what it felt like, but still it felt useful to be that interested in something.

Maybe I needed it. If anything it will become some test of personal mastery, how I handle things.

It will at least be a huge test to stay positive

Do you think Buddha was a Laker fan in his time?