Welcome! Well, I've finally got the MySpiritualTrainer.com website up and running, and the introductory video talks up this blog, I suppose I'd better get some actual content up here!

Easier said than done, I'm afraid.

In fact, if you've been a REALLY early adopter, you've seen (and possibly even heard) this message before. I'm just now working out the last few bugs in the system.

I've got some wonderful content planned, and most of it will be video clips, so I'm very excited about that. The challenge, however, is that producing a video clip takes a lot longer than just writing an article. Personally, I think watching video clips is much more interesting than reading an article, so I think it's worth the extra effort. That does mean, though, that it may be a little while before I start getting regular content posted here.

Still, I'd like to have something up here for all of you early adopters. So I'll set some intentions and share a bit about what I plan to be talking about here for the next month or so.

Lately, I've been having a lot of fun exploring and playing with the model of the Four Kingdoms of Consciousness. This is a model that I believe Rev. Michael Beckwith (Agape in Los Angeles, and The Secret) developed many years ago. The first video will be an introduction to the Four Kingdoms, but here's a low-tech run-down.

The First Kingdom is Victim Consciousness. When we view the world from the First Kingdom, things are done TO me.

The Second Kingdom is Manifestation Consciousness. When we view the world from the Second Kingdom, things are done BY me. The Second Kingdom is where we encounter our ego. It's also where we create Princes, Parking Places and Palaces.

The Third Kingdom is Surrendered Consciousness. In the Third Kingdom, things are done THROUGH me. This is the consciousness of co-creation.

The Fourth Kingdom is Unity Consciousness. The Fourth Kingdom is true Enlightenment. In the Fourth Kingdom, things are done AS me. This is where all sense of separation from Spirit disappears, and we have an absolute experience of Unity with All That Is.

If you've been around the New Thought movement for any length of time, you may have encountered this model before. My take on it is a little different. I've seen it presented in a number of fashions, and over the past few years, as I've worked with it myself, I've evolved my own, individual approach to it.

For one thing, I don't believe that it's nearly as easy to experience Unity Consciousness as most people seem to think it is. The Fourth Kingdom is an experience of actual Enlightenment. The ego is totally surrendered and any sense of individual identity is gone. Only a handful of people on the planet have actually experienced this Kingdom of Consciousness, and fewer still are able to truly make it their base of operations. I believe it's possible to have glimpses of this Kingdom through meditation or spiritual practice.

Personally, I think that most of the people that I've met who claim to be in the Fourth Kingdom are demonstrating what is known as "Spiritual Bypass" and they're actually very much in the First Kingdom of Victim Consciousness. Most of them seem to be in the suburb of "Martyr Heights" which is a very popular neighborhood for people on a Spiritual Path. Geographically, it's very close to the Fourth Kingdom. You can look out your window and see all of the lovely property in the Fourth Kingdom just across the tracks. But the zip code is still very much First Kingdom, and no amount of self-delusion and spiritual bypass is ever going to change that.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

One of my first objectives as a Spiritual Trainer when I work with a client is to help them to consider that there is absolutely no judgment associated with these Kingdoms of Consciousness. Being in the Fourth Kingdom is not the ultimate objective. The Third Kingdom is not "better" than the Second Kingdom. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being in the First Kingdom of Victim Consciousness.

When we picture the First Kingdom, we so often assume that it's a terrible place to be. It must resemble the poorest, most dangerous, run-down slums in the world. It must be a place you wouldn't want to drive through in an armored car during the day, let alone walk through alone at night. And yes, there are definitely parts of the First Kingdom that fit this description. However, there are also some stunningly attractive luxury communities in the First Kingdom. There is some choice real estate there, with lush landscapes, and opulent furnishings. The First Kingdom can be a very attractive place to live.

That's why most of us spend most of our lives there.

While there's no judgment about choosing to stay in the First Kingdom, there is an objective cost. As comfortable and luxurious as some of our properties are in the First Kingdom, the cost of living there is steep—much steeper than we often realize.

So, in future posts, this is what I plan to explore. How can we recognize when we're in the First Kingdom? What is the true cost of living there? And when we're ready, how do we go about divesting ourselves of our First Kingdom properties?

It's a wide, wonderful, and very exciting reality out there. I hope you'll choose to explore some of it with me.

Namaste.