Welcome to our Sunday Talks, an exclusive series for the patrons of the inspirational living podcast.

Today's talk was edited and adapted from The Gift of the Spirit by Prentice Mulford, published in 1913.

There is one spirit, one power, one force in the universe, but its different manifestations

or channels of operation are countless.

It moves the breeze, the ocean, the avalanche, and the earth in its orbit.

It moves the seed to grow, the plant to blossom,

the flower to color itself with inimitable hues. It colors the bird's plumage and gives power

to its wing. Its highest known expression is in humanity, because in us this force is most concentrated.

It is a spiritual gift, which when matters look dark and stormy, when debts are pressing,

when friends seem to fall away, keeps our mind in a mood quite as buoyant and cheerful as when success shines upon us.

And when we have this gift, or in other words, have developed the power to hold continually such a mood,

we command success and must have it, because then the silent force of our mind is felt by other

determined minds, be our bodies sleeping or waking, and it keeps them interested in us,

and working in some way on our behalf. When we hold the mood of confidence and determination, we are connected spiritually with all other confident, determined and pushing minds.

We become a part of such minds, giving to them of our force and receiving their force in return. We are thus with them and moving forward to success.

Spirituality is not living in dreams, or living in the clouds, or having a languid air,

as if the things of this earth were beneath one serious consideration, simply

to be endured rather than enjoyed.

Spirituality means the greatest acuteness of intellect, the greatest foresight, the greatest

amount of spirit or power gathered in a person, and the wisest expenditure of that power.

It means the greatest governmental ability,

be that ability exercised in the small empire of a household

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