B. Everett Schnell

~Lesson 1~

Wasting energy

I am a Catholic. As most of you know I pray for people and especially for the priesthood during this time that the Church is under attack. Some of you reading these lessons may also know that I hold prayer gatherings from time to time. Many miracles have happened at these workshops through the power of prayer. One of the reasons I hold the workshops is to transfer a divine blessing, a charismatic gift from the Holy Spirit that has the power to re-kindle the Holy Spirit and the passion for the mystical Life within the individual receiving the blessing.

The laying on of hands is a powerful method of casting out demons, and transferring a powerful spark of spiritual energy into the student. If the student is conducting an active and sincere prayer life, and practices meditation then that person will usually receive a boost in the spiritual life. Some people will speak in tongues, some people will feel their body shaking or quaking. Early Protestants experienced this phenomena and they became know as Shakers and Quakers (Like the picture of the man on the box of Quaker Oats cereal.) Other people receive an inner healing; sometimes this is on an emotional level, intellectual level, spiritual level or even a physical level. It is not uncommon for a close friend or relative to be healed even though they may be far away from the prayer session.

Other people will experience inner lights or sounds, divine music or have waves of bliss or peace come over them. Sometimes people may not feel much at all, but then after leaving a prayer session they notice that the world is a little brighter and something or sometimes many things that were a problem before coming to the prayer session are now some how resolved. Other people will find that if they are in an unstable environment, this energy will stir things up hopefully enough that the person will look at what changes need to be made in their life to be in harmony with the Holy Spirit.

What amazes me the most is how people waste this divine energy. Energy is our most precious resource, for it is the means by which we transform our creative potential into meaningful action. Let's say we have an idea for a business... it is energy which allows us to transform this creative money making idea (or relationship forming, whatever, the WORK) into some meaningful action. Our bodies and our minds are channels for this energy; they determine the nature of its expression. When we take full advantage of all the possibilities life has to offer, our minds, our hearts, and our energy work together to harmoniously open us to the full richness of life and the deep enjoyment of experience.

When we are young, we have abundant energy. There is vitality in our actions that can carry us through any task, allowing us to accomplish whatever we need with ease. Yet because our energy comes so easily, we may not use it wisely. We direct it to our personal goals, and work well only at what we enjoy, holding our energy back from the more routine aspects of work and daily life.

We may think that when we avoid hard work, our lives will be more enjoyable; we want to save our time and energy for the things we prefer to do. We may not understand that success comes from effort and enthusiasm, that by avoiding work we let our energy go to waste and deprive ourselves of the possibility for growth. Life becomes like a stagnant pool instead of being a joyful ground for action.

What we waste in time and energy is gone forever. A part of our life is thrown away; we lose vitality that comes from direct and full participation in anything we do. When we believe we have all the time in the world, we tend to put things off, moving more slowly. Though we could be dynamically working each day, we let ourselves float, taking it easy, drifting from one thing to another. Then we "chill out" and watch TV, surf the Internet or get involved in meaningless activities. When we use our energy this way we seldom go deeply enough into anything to find real satisfaction; our motivation is too slack and our attention is unfocused.

Wasting our time and energy leaves us feeling empty and unfulfilled. We look at what we have done, and see very little if anything really accomplished. It is our unwillingness to embrace our work that prevents us from accomplishing truly meaningful goals. When old age approaches we may find ourselves regretting our wasted years; having squandered our energy, we discover the loss too late to do anything about it. Time almost mysteriously creeps up on us; taking our lives away and we find we have accomplished few if any substantial results.

By allowing our inner Witness to observe our pattern at work (This is called using the Witness-that aspect of yourself that watches your mental thoughts and activities of the body) we will see the many ways in which we waste our energy. When we do not give our full effort to our work, we do not plan well, and we fall behind in our commitments. We grow anxious and tense, but instead of directing more energy to our work, we begin to daydream, allowing our minds to become even less focused on what we need to do. Our motivation to work is further weakened; we look for distractions and often end up distracting those we work with. As these patterns continue, others must work harder to compensate for us, and resentment builds up and leads to conflict - which wastes even more energy.

Once we witness these patterns we can see the quality of energy we put into our work determines the benefits we will gain from it. Time and energy are resources that can help us accomplish any goal we wish; if we use these resources well, we can transform our lives. Therefore it is important to find the most effective use of our energy, and to take full advantage of each moment of our working time.

Start today and begin to focus on a simple task, becoming sensitive to how you use your energy. Honestly examine your motivation: Are you working as well as you could? How are you using your energy? Are you able to concentrate clearly, or are you pulled away by distractions? When you finish your work, examine the results. Are you satisfied with what you have accomplished? Did you complete your task quickly, or did it take longer than you expected? A routine task done with all your energy will be far more satisfying than a halfhearted involvement in a more demanding project.

Please re-read these lessons a couple of times this week. Examine them from your Work as a businessperson, work on any relationships, or lack thereof, and your work in your prayer and meditation life. These lessons are blessed with the divine grace that awakens you own inner spiritual energy. So don't waste it once you receive it! May the Holy Spirit bless and uplift your life. May you find some new success or miracle operating in your life. I pray that the miracle specifically be connected around the time you read this lesson, in order that you be blessed to see God's divine miracles at work. There are no accidents. Just be tuned in while reading these lessons and let the Lords energy work through the Holy Spirit. Look for a sign or blessing. A sudden telephone call leading to new opportunities, a sale that closes within a day of reading this letter. The wind picking up, or a breeze or draft in your room while reading this letter. Getting Goose bumps, or feeling a flash of heat, or hearing thunder or the barking of an animal in the distance. These are all signs that God is sending you energy and divine blessings. If possible, take at least ten minutes after reading this lesson, make the sign of the cross, say the Lord's prayer and then just sit quietly for 5-10 minutes with your eyes closed and just listen. Just listen for the sounds of GOD. In the beginning was the WORD.

Hail Mary!

Copyright © 2003, B. Everett Schnell

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