I recently went on the web to search for “spiritual principles” to see what was there to bring joy and meaning to life. There were over three million sites. The first few pages of the search listed results like “six universal principles common to all people,” “twelve spiritual principles and laws for the Aquarian Age,” and “nine spiritual principles for getting everything you want.” It made me think, “Is it necessary to add my voice to those who want to help people get what they want?” I realized that is not my goal. I don’t want to help people in that way. My goal dear reader, is not to help you get what you want, but to give you the tools to experience your spiritual self–the part of you that is one with God, inseparable from divine Joy and spiritual purpose, and always at hand. With that experience you will find bliss, and you will have the spiritual tools to lift you out of material limitations.

To experience the fullness of joy you need to know the universal principles that have brought joy to every culture. If you think of the Buddhist tradition, its purpose is to eliminate suffering from the earth. The principles that eliminate suffering are the same principles that bring joy to the individual. For the artist, the fullness of joy comes not in the beginning stages of learning the craft, but when the tools of the craft are second nature and the expression of the art is unlimited. A musician may love music in the beginning, and that love supports him through the learning period. But, the real joy of the musician is in expressing the music in his soul.

The principles presented in this book are the foundation for a spiritual way of life. They are based on my decades of spiritual study and experience. They come from every spiritual tradition and reflect the teachings of the great, illumined masters. They are meant to show you another way to look at the world; one that, when experienced, frees you from much of the pain and suffering that comes from having materialistic values. These principles lift you out of living from a personal sense of ego to living through your spiritual faculties.

Mystical principles are universal, and many masters have demonstrated them. Each master spoke, or now speaks, to his or her followers in the context of a parent society. With the insight to pierce the cultural cloak, and the ability to ignore the sense of time regarding the ancient masters, you discover that they taught the very same universal principles that have been given to mankind over and over again.

The following masters spoke to me and gave me insight to the Inner Kingdom:

• Krishna, who taught Arjuna the secret of seeing through the illusion of death to the spiritual nature of life, taught me not to fear death.
• Moses, who revealed the name of God, gave me the conviction to experience the true nature of God.
• Elijah, who took God out of the whirlwind, the fire, the flood and the earthquake, and revealed Him as the still small voice within, taught me to become aware of my inner resources.
• Isaiah, who taught how to reason from a spiritual standpoint, taught me the forgiving nature of God.
• Lao-Keun-Tze revealed to me that Oneness is a way to follow, not a goal to achieve.
• Gautama, the Buddha, showed me the unreal and powerless nature of physical effect.
• Jesus, the Christ, the great way-shower, showed me that death has no power in the presence of Christ Consciousness, and assured me that all can do as he did. I accept the assignment.
• The Apostle John taught that God is love – something I discovered as a child.
• Saint Paul instructed to have that mind which was in Christ Jesus, and that is my goal.
• Rumi opened me to the ecstasy of oneness in movement and poetry.
• And from Mary Baker Eddy I learned that there is no life, truth, substance or intelligence in matter.

To all these great mystics from the past, the world and I thank you for the gifts you left behind.

I have also been blessed to know and study with some of the most noted twentieth-century mystics. Through their insight into the nature of the material world and through their healing consciousness I have benefited tremendously:

• From Krishnamurti I gained the discipline to remove all concepts of the appearance world from my perception and look at life without judgment.
• Joel S. Goldsmith opened my consciousness to the great I Am.
• And Virginia Stephenson, my mother, instilled the love of God in me and recognized and nourished my spiritual nature.

I am deeply grateful to all of my teachers, to those who have touched my life personally, and to those who left behind great spiritual legacies that continue to inspire me to live up to my spiritual potential and experience the joy of heaven on earth.

JOHN STEPHENSON, Kailua, Hawaii