“Action without attachment is the secret to a life without stress” – Deepak Chopra
I hope that Deepak doesn’t hate me for bastardizing the order and interpretation of the original Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Today I begin with the first of seven posts, one for each law.
This post is on ‘my first’ law, The Law of Detachment.
I say ‘my first law’ because, this is not Deepak’s first law. I chose the Law of Detachment first because it highlights a key virtue for enduring through the Coronavirus pandemic. It is expressed in the quote above, being detached from outcomes, is the key to living a stress-free life. With regard to the pandemic, we should simply trust God and be unattached to fear and worry about what will happen. That is the Lord’s job, not ours. The other six laws are equally important, but not as the first law, in my opinion.
I don’t believe that Deepak will be upset with me bedazzling the principles. Hating is not his nature. Besides, in this small life-transforming book Deepak asks readers to share the seven principles with others. I am doing so now with you.
Deepak Chopra’s book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, resonated with me so well that I took heed to each of the laws as I started implementing them in my life over 20 years ago. I was so astonished by these simple laws of living, that I shared the “good news” with everyone who I felt would be receptive.
I’ve given copies of the book in Costa Rica, South Africa, Europe, and other countries, including here in the States. I’ve given the book to friends, family, and complete strangers, in person, and through the blog and on social media.
“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.” – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Today I am moved to complete the series of posts on Deepak Chopra’s magnificent 82-page book, entitled The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, climaxing with my interpretation of the Law of Pure Potentiality.
I am both so moved by this principle that I have more content than I can share in one post. I, therefore, have divided the post on The Spiritual Law of Pure Potentiality into two parts.
The posts will complete my discussion of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Just as I have reread Deepak’s book for many years, I have no doubt that I will revisit these laws in future posts. Outside of being an honor student in ‘the school of hard knocks’, reading this book had the greatest positive impact on my spiritual growth and self-actualization.
I highly recommend that you read or reread this book!
In psychology, self-actualization is achieved when you’re able to reach your full potential. Being truly self-actualized is considered the exception rather than the rule since most people are working to meet more pressing needs.
They Have Peak Experiences – They Have feelings of limitless horizons
They Possess Self-Acceptance and a Democratic World View – They fully accept themselves. They also embrace other people for who they are
They Are Realistic
They Tend to Be Problem-Centered – They are motivated by a strong sense of personal ethics and responsibility.
The Self-Actualized Person Is Autonomous – They don’t conform to other people’s ideas of happiness or contentment
They Enjoy Solitude and Privacy – Taking time to themselves is essential for their personal discovery and cultivating their potential.
They Have a Philosophical Sense of Humor – They have a thoughtful sense of humor.
Self-Actualized People Are Spontaneous – They tend to be open, unconventional, and spontaneous.
They Fully Enjoy the Journey, Not Just the Destination
I have been writing and speaking about the truths described in this book for about 20 years. I passionately embrace its spiritual philosophy and strive to live closer to embodying perfection in it every day.
Here is a photo of the inside cover of my tattered version of the book. This copy was meant for my nephew who was in jail at the time, and who had repeatedly made bad decisions. He was in his 20’s at the time.
I remember explaining the principles to him, but I guess I forgot to give him the book. I found it one day when packing to relocate, either from San Antonio, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana or from New Orleans to Denver, Colorado.
Just as sincerely as I intended to present this book to him, I now present it to you with the same message, typed below.
But I will only break down my interpretation of this spiritual law after explaining my process for writing poems, songs, stories, or posts. Armed with an understanding of my creative process, my words may become more vivid to you.
“If you read this book very carefully, word by word, and read it until you understand it, your life can be changed positively, forever. Try to be open and receptive to the message. It will begin the transformation process. You can do this! Just choose to turn your life around!” – Luv Kevy
I am finding greater happiness each day now that I am pursuing my passion for writing.
I know that writing, creative communications, as well as, seeking and propagating what I see as truth are my passions. I know because I can’t stop thinking about them. Ideas pop into my head throughout the day, and in the middle of the night. I spend hours each day at the computer posting and researching, often not getting much sleep, and letting eating totally skip my mind.
One of the biggest indicators that I am pursuing my purpose, is when I lose all senses of space and time. This happens when I’m are deep into an effort, and look at my watch and surprisingly notice that 6 hours have passed, when it seemed like only an hour.
Another indicator is not being able to pull away from a project of passion. Like everyone, I have hundreds of items to get to on my task list. But I always gravitate to that same ole task, diligently working it, ignoring the others. No matter how far behind I may get on other ‘to do’s’, I repeatedly go back to the one task that gives me the most joy.
These repeated escapes from reality into manifesting my vision is an indicator that I may have discovered or am discovering my Dharma.
Dharma is our purpose in life, with the belief that we were all created with a unique talent or ability to offer to the world.
But it’s not a passion that is pursued blindly. It is pursuit while adhering to other spiritual laws, and doing so with a sincere intention to help others, with this special talent or ability.
The reason that finding your purpose in life is so important, is that finding your purpose is synonymous with finding happiness. We’re all meant to be happy, and finding our Dharma is the only path to lasting happiness.
So, follow your Dharma no matter what it is, no matter how much you may get discouraged.
Remember, living your Dharma is the only way to optimal and permanent happiness.
My good friend Dale is a culinary arts extraordinaire.
He has been this way since we were roommates in Dayton, Ohio, back in the 1980s. He is quite talented and creates everything from scratch. The cakes that he bakes for clients are imaginative and breathtaking.
“I see the law of Karma the way I look at banking. I make as many deposits as possible, and few withdrawals from the Karmic Bank. Eventually, my balance increases, and I’m paid with dividends and interest.” – Kevy Michaels
I choose to believe in it because this belief steers my life’s journey in a divine direction.
It reminds me that there is an effect to every cause, consequences to every action.
Without this God-driven gauge, in some variation, I would always do whatever my egos tell me to, without regard. Navigating towards divine wisdom is not a good job for my ego.
The law of Karma is a better navigator for my life because Karma is driven by my soul, which naturally gravitates toward divine spirit. The links and videos will explain this statement below.
For now, try to embrace the concept of Karma is being a divinely guided mechanism that corrects our lives.
Many people believe in Karma, but most don’t fully understand the concept, like me, until I did an analysis of this spiritual law, using various sources for guidance.
The Law of Intention and Desire is one of Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws that resonated with me, more than I had realized, until I read and researched it, in preparation for this post.
For those of you who have read the book, you may realize that I have not been following the order in which the seven laws are presented. This is intentional.
Though I agree with the order of the laws as presented, especially with the first one being The Law of Pure Potentiality¸ I post in accordance with where my reflections, prayer, and meditations lead me, on that day. This may cause a bit of confusion, when one law builds on another, on which I have not covered. I intentionally try to buffer this from happening, by breaking the laws down into, hopefully, easy to understand elements. When appropriate, I also relate to applying or not applying the law to my real-life experiences.
Most people who have read the Seven Spiritual Laws likely read it the first time in order, and many subsequent times, out of order based on what moved them. I read this book for the first time over 20 years ago and have read it, and passed it out, around the world, many times.
Though I will cover all of the laws, in my chosen order, here is the order in which they are presented in Deepak’s book:
Pure Potentiality
Giving
Karma or Cause and Effect
Least Effort
Intention & Desire
Detachment
Dharma or Purpose in Life
This post focuses on the Law of Intention and Desire.
“All that counts in life is intention.” – Andrea Bocelli
One of Kevy’s Favorite Spiritual Laws – From The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success – The Law of Least Effort
The Law of Least Effort is one of Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws that resonates with me as much as The Law of Giving and Receiving.
It doesn’t resonate with me because I live it exquisitely. I am still trying to perfect practicing it. Some parts are very challenging, given my circumstance. What excites me about this spiritual law is that, after reading Deepak Chopra’s 7 Spiritual Laws of Success multiple times, I finally understand it. I ‘git it’ now!
This law states that you will attain those things that you desire when you put the least effort into attaining them. This sounds nonsensical, I know. But, the law makes a lot of sense when you dig deeper.
It does not mean that you can be lazy and sit on your seat cushions, and that blessing will knock on the door and say, “It is I. I am here to bless you”. You certainly need to work hard to overcome your challenges and to reach your goals, but what is more powerful than work alone, is harnessing the powers of God and the universe.
In harnessing this energy, we will expel less foolishly. When striving to reach a goal, simply put, get closer to God, and further away from directly challenging the obstacle before you.
This law requires: Acceptance, Taking Responsibility, and Defenselessness.
The Law of Giving and Receiving is one of Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws that resonates with me most. It resonated with me so deeply some 20 years ago when I read his book because I thought of all spiritual practices, I surely had this one correct. I freely gave for most of my life. I remember giving gifts to my teacher in the third grade, and to a girl in the neighborhood, Cheryl Neal, just because giving felt good, and the smile that I received in return was priceless.
There could be no possible way that I had this law wrong because I was the type of person who would give the shirt off of my back. In the late 1990s to the early 2000’s, during the Y2K scam, I came into vast amounts of money, working as a traveling systems consultant, a road warrior. Since I had little social time, I ‘did it up’ on the weekends.
All of the friends around me seemed to wait for my return anxiously, for they knew that I was a free giver, and I had money. During this period, though I made a few million dollars. I would use my debit card, and had over $ 50 K in only one of my checking accounts! In spite, I didn’t have much to show for it. I paid for others’ international trips, cars, extravagant gifts, concerts, loans, you name it.
I did not really give with expectation. Well, at least I thought I didn’t. I just gave to be nice. I really didn’t need all that money. But in reality, I had this entire law all wrong.
I gave mainly because I wanted others to like me. I wanted my family to love me. So, I kept priming the pump. It got me into trouble, though.
In an effort to prove, ‘that I didn’t forget where I came from’, I supplied and funded what friends desired so that my weekends were not empty. That would ultimately lead to me being the one to buy the drugs, weed, coke, and alcohol. I was giving, with the intent of gaining acceptance. It destroyed a season in my life until I got wise to the Law of Giving and Receiving. That was over 15 years ago.
Ironically, the same people, including family, who betrayed me or turned their backs on me in the end, when I was either sick or experiencing trials, were the same ones to whom I gave to so generously. That really hurt, and it caused me to go to the other extreme of becoming reclusive, and less trusting for a period. I am still pretty cautious in that regard.
Though I thought I gave without expectation, I was expecting something… acceptance and love. Sometimes, I expected praise or an expression of gratitude for being so generous but didn’t even receive a thank you.
The exception was with my mother, and with God. I gave to her and God, expecting nothing in return. In both cases, I felt as though I had already received their blessings and that I was actually repaying them. I guess that’s why in these scenarios, I received so much more in return, mainly wisdom and knowledge, and this minor thing call transformation.
The biggest part of my thinking about the Law of Giving and Receiving that I had incorrect, was believing that Giving and Receiving are separate acts. They are not separate, and the law only works if you do both. I gave freely, but, I thought it was kind to not receive, gracious even. But I was breaking this law, and stunting my flow. I didn’t realize this like most people probably don’t.
In one of the articles below, it refers to Giving and Receiving as depending on each other. They are both seasons, within the same flow of spiritual energy. I find this to be true. So, I knew that I had to humble myself to receive, while still generously giving.
The post went further to state that there is no receiving, only giving, for when one gives to another, the receiver gives a proper place or use for the gift given. Both parties are actually giving. That’s an interesting way to look at it.
When I gave service to my mother as her sole caregiver, I did it right. By that time I was quite familiar with the law. I gave everything to her or up for her, without expectation: money, investments, business, credit, reputation, health, and peace of mind (battling my siblings), and I did not worry about the consequences. And, I received royally, gaining discernment on every virtue that I believe God admires.
In return, I was spiritually transformed, bestowed with priceless gifts.
Today, I keep Giving and Receiving united, practicing the law as I believe God desires. But I still recognize those who are like I once was or worse off. Most people are Givers or Takers, but not both. Either can be disappointing.
So, what I now do, is take personalities out of the picture. Whoever I give to, I regard it as giving to God, giving to the universe, or as making a Karmic Deposit.
I see our deeds as either deposits or withdrawals from a Karmic or Spiritual bank. I try to make deposits into this figurative bank account every day. I rarely make withdrawals, but I am paid dividends and interests unexpectedly, usually when I need it most. God is the comptroller of the Karmic Bank and decides when I Receive blessings.
I don’t give with expectation of any specific gift in return anymore. I know that in doing so, I am in tune with all of the universe. I am part of the same exchange that nature participates in, as with the different cycles of weather, seasons, day and night, and all things that God has created.
Therefore, outside of the individuals or personalities involved in this exchange, I focus on what I Give and Receive from God and the universe, and know that according to law, it will be returned to me, ‘blessed and multiplied’.
“Here are helpful articles and videos that dive deeper into this subject.” – Kevy
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38
“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.” – Psalm 37:21
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ― Mother Teresa
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens
Like the symbol for infinity, giving and receiving are actually one thing with polarized or dualistic aspects. When you look at the symbol for infinity, and imagine energy flowing through it from one side to the other and back again, which side can you say is the giver? Which side is the receiver?
The answer is – they both are!
Giving cannot occur without a receiver. Receiving, therefore, is actually an act of giving. Receiving gives the act of giving someplace to go.
In truth, only giving exists. In the physical Universe, where we experience the illusion of separation, it appears that one person can give an object, such as money, and receive something in exchange, such as clothing or food.
If you examine this “exchange” closely, you will notice that the only action that occurs is giving. One gives money, and the other gives the money someplace to go. The other gives food or clothing, and the other gives the food and clothes someplace to go.
The need for exchange is created by the mind which believes the illusion of separation.
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” – Luke 6:38 “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and [there is] that withholdeth more than is meet, but [it tendeth] to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” – Proverbs 11:24 – 11:25
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.” – James 4:17
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7
Passages in this section express the general spiritual principle of giving and receiving. When we give to one another, freely and without conditions, sharing our blessings with others and bearing each other’s burdens, the giving multiplies and we receive far more than what was given. Even when there is no immediate prospect of return, Heaven keeps accounts of giving, and in the end blessing will return to the giver, multiplied manyfold. We must give first; to expect to receive without having given is to violate the universal law. On the other hand, giving in order to receive–with strings attached, with the intention of currying favor, or in order to make a name for oneself–is condemned. See also The Golden Rule, pp. 172-74.
“Those who act kindly in this world will have kindness.” – Islam. Qur’an 39.10
“One must pour cold water on the ground before he can tread on soft soil.” – African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria)
“Giving simply because it is right to give, without thought of return, at a proper time, in proper circumstances, and to a worthy person, is enlightened giving. Giving with regrets or in the expectation of receiving some favor or of getting something in return, is selfish giving.” – Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 17.20-21
“I first began to understand the Law of Giving and receiving, after reading Deepak Chopra’s book, The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success. I have read this less than 100 page book and continually work to abide by these spiritual laws of the universe, or of God. I have passed copies of this book, as it requests, to many people in many countries.” In my opinion, this law is one of the most important of the seven laws. I will discuss the remaining six laws on future posts.” – Kevy
“This video uses and analogy of giving and receiving that I used for years. I see giving and receiving as making deposits and withdrawals from a Karmic bank. We build up our balance, and eventually received interest and dividends.” – Kevy
Deepak Chopra’s book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, resonated with me so well that I took heed to each of the laws as I started implementing them in my life over 20 years ago. I was so astonished by these simple laws of living, that I shared the “good news” with everyone who I felt would be receptive.
I have been writing and speaking about the truths described in this book for about 20 years. I passionately embrace its spiritual philosophy and strive to live closer to embodying perfection in it every day.
I am finding greater happiness each day now that I am pursuing my passion for writing. 
