Spiritual Thinkers: Michael Beckwith

Perhaps best known for his appearances on Oprah and in the film, The Secret, Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith has been a spiritual leader to the thousands of members of his California based Agape International Spiritual Center for more than 20 years. It was started with little more than a few dollars in savings and a group of like-minded thinkers.

They gathered in his living room with the intention of spreading a “New Thought/Ancient Wisdom” based message. Today, the non-denominational, multi-cultural spiritual center (whose name, Agape, is actually Greek for love) has gone on to reach millions of people.

Not only is Beckwith the author of three spiritual books and is regularly featured on news shows and in spiritual publications the world over, he’s also co-founder of the Association for Global Thought, an organization dedicated to planetary healing and transformation. So what is Dr. Beckwith’s message and what can you learn from it – no matter what religion you believe in? Read more to find out!

Agape principles
Beginning with the belief that God is good, therefore life is good, Beckwith preaches positivity, hope and universal consciousness. He believes that we manifest our own destinies and encourages us to approach life aware of the possibilities and intent on creating them. Not to be confused with The Secret’s controversial stance that we are responsible for every thing that happens in our lives – good and bad – Beckwith doesn’t deny that difficult things happen, sometimes seemingly without reason. However, he stresses that we’re all responsible for our own evolution in the universe. Translation: you can’t control the world, but you can control your reactions to it. Reactions which can generate a positive outcome, regardless of the situation.

All about you
In addition, he stresses that every person is an individualized expression of the god “love-intelligence” that rules the universe. In other words, all you have to do is be yourself and you’re in keeping with what god (goodness) wants. Now this doesn’t mean we’re all perfect just as we are, rather Beckwith’s point is that all of us are capable of awakening to the god/love-intelligence within ourselves and giving expression to the unconditional love, compassion, wisdom, bliss, peace and creativity that are inherently part of existence. He encourages meditation and participation in a spiritual community. The journey isn’t always easy, but with an open heart and a loving support system in place, we can do more than survive – we can thrive, as individuals and a global community.

Universal heat
Finally, Beckwith reminds us that the universe is in a constant state of expansion. He says this is the source or our individual evolutionary impulses and notes that it’s because of the universe’s growth that we all have the ever-increasing capacity to expand into our fullest potential. Confused?

Simply put, Beckwith sees human beings as spiritually and metaphysically linked to the world at large. In turn, as knowledge and science expand, so does spirituality and human potential. In other words, like the universe, we are all works in progress who can evolve, grow and transform – and the relationship is reciprocal. By putting these principles to work – not just in study, but in practice, Beckwith believes that we as people can make the world at large a better place, helping the universe to evolve as we do.

An easy way to look at it: be the change you wish to see and eventually, you’ll not only see it, you’ll spread it!