YOUR mantra for the week: “I love money and money loves me in return.”
Christianity emphasizes constantly that God loves the poor. It has come to a point that seems to imply that God does not appreciate the rich as much.
I do not know whether this was done deliberately by the Church or was adopted for convenience from the writings of philosophers who proclaimed that religion was really the opium of the poor.
The Church often quotes one of the beatitudes that says, “Blessed are the poor… for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In my young student days at the Ateneo, I used to feel much guilt about the wealth that my parents had; my father, having been a rich agnostic, began to look like the very devil himself.
It was only when I realized that the actual wordings of the Beatitude was, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In metaphysics “poor in spirit” means humility and not lacking in money.
Also, I finally understood the Parable of the Talents which in Matthew 25:29 says, “To those who have, more shall be given and to those who have a little, even the little will be taken away.”
At first I thought, what an unfair God we must have, but then, when understood metaphysically, I realized Matthew was not just talking about material possessions but also “our thoughts and our feelings.”
I was so relieved to know why the rich get richer, and why it is difficult for the poor to free themselves from poverty. The rich clearly think in terms of abundance and, therefore, attract ideas that bring more riches. The poor, on the other hand, come from thoughts and beliefs in lack and limitation, thus producing poverty.
Furthermore, think about this: To those who have a lot of worries and fears, more shall be given and to those who have little to worry about, even the little shall be taken away.
Way to prosperity
“Iamism” illustrates what positivism can do—the more positive our thoughts, the better we feel, the more fortunate we are.
I always start this column with a mantra to emphasize living abundantly through our thoughts, our feelings and the words we speak. If you want to attract more money, let me share 10 fabulous money affirmations:
1) Money is easy to come by.
2) Money is the root of unlimited good.
3) Money is not dirty, it is rated wholesome.
4) Money creates greater good.
5) Money can buy you things that you love.
6) Money is God in action.
7) Money grows on tress of positivity.
8) Money is like electricity; it lights up my life.
9) Money gives me the ability to respond prosperously.
10) Tithing is the surest way to prosperity.
Thelma’s introduction
On June 19th I launched my fourth book on Iamism, “You Are God as You.” Some people declined the invitation due to the book’s title. They could not accept the concept that they could possibly be God as themselves.
This, of course, did not surprise me; in fact I expected it. Now if those who declined had instead honored me with their presence, they would have understood the logical explanation for my book’s title.
If you used the same title in the first person, it would have read, “I am God as me.” In the Old Testament, the name of God was “I Am that I Am,” suggesting that the Creator of the Universe is the big I Am and we are all the small I Am, who create our lives through the use of those magic words, I Am.
In Iamism which I establish and teach, the three persons in one God are: I Am, you are, he/she/it is. Calling someone or others unintelligent or stupid is likened to our calling ourselves stupid, too The bottomline is, you are the creator of your own life through the use of your I Am.
The big I Am or God did not create your good (suwerte) or bad (malas) fortune. It is the way you use your I Am that creates it. And the sooner that you are able to take this concept, the faster you can unleash your limitless potential. And this, to me, is the truth that will set us all free to live our lives fully and responsibly—no blaming, no judging, no complaining.
My heartfelt gratitude to Thelma Sioson-San Juan for her very generous introduction to the book:
“I remember a few dinners in the ’80s when George Sison would hold court not so much because he meant to, as because it was pretty hard for us, his dinner companions, not to listen to what he was saying. Whether it was politics, high society, God, or about our relationships, he seemed to be saying stuff we were hearing for the first time. It was always an ‘aha moment,’ whether we were drinking red wine or not.
“It was in one such dinner that he was telling us that then strongman Marcos would be succeeded by someone who was not in politics at all. Nobody on the floor—we were sprawled on the rug—believed him. A Cory Aquino wasn’t even on the radar.
“Was George a clairvoyant? No. A fortune teller? No. An astrologer? No. An activist? Not anymore. A political detainee? That’s in the past. A preacher? Not solely. A New Age guru? To some, perhaps. Even today, it’s a challenge to tag George Sison. It is harder still to define in one word what George Sison does or who he is or what he believes in.
“To make things easy, I identify him as our Inquirer Lifestyle columnist whose writings can swing from the mystical to the banal, from the metaphysical to the political, from the profound to the gossipy. When we ran into him last year and broached the idea of him writing for Inquirer Lifestyle, we had the chi-chi society in mind. But no, he said, that would be too confining, and besides, he had moved on from that.
“So, we let him do it his way. And we were proved right. His way is unique.
“George has a way of making you believe you can have an ‘aha moment’ 24/7.”
The book will be out in all National book Stores soon.
Oh-promise-me rings
Bulgari recently launched its bridal line, engagement rings and wedding bands—which I propose be called Oh-promise-me rings, to emphasize my belief that marriages should be preceded by a long period of living-in before taking the plunge.
Couples never really get to know each other until they cohabitate under one roof for at least a few years. But even then, there are people who have lived-in for almost a decade and yet separate soon after the marriage contract is signed.
This piece of paper seems to have the sense of losing one’s freedom so totally, and has become a piece of property owned by the better half when, in truth, marriage should be two whole people coming together to share their individual wholeness.
The Bulgari bands are fabulous and would be beautiful keepsakes even if there is no wedding in the future. They can also be called friendship rings because, in today’s world, people who part ways, married or not, stay friends for one reason or another.
Baby’s identity crisis
We were driven to Greenbelt 5 in Volvos to view Bulgari’s wedding jewelry display. When favors were pulled, Frannie Jacinto won the prize as always.
Frannie, like a typical cheerful Gemini, told the story of how the irrepressible Baby Arenas approached her, held her hand and said: “I really miss you guys but tell your husband Rupert that I always watch his concerts.”
To which Frannie replied: “I am sorry, Baby, but Rupert does not sing in concerts. He is a photographer and I am not married to him, although I wish I were as slim as Tina.”
I wonder whether Baby remembers who she said “I do” to.
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