The Most Important Thing

A friend and I were doing creative writing exercises together. We closed the experience with an exercise she had brought called "My Last Lesson" based on the lecture given by Randy Pausch and the book The Last Lecture.

When the timer rang, we set down our pens and began to read what we had written. We both felt that in the end, the most important thing is Love.

Here's mine:

My Last Lesson is that Love is more important than anything. Money is nice to have, material things are good, places are fun to visit, and meals are wonderful. But all is colorless without Love.

Everything and anything can be done with Love. Love with our fellow humans, love with animals, plants -- with any living thing. Just let yourself Love.

And let yourself Be Loved. We work on being the one who's doing the loving and forget it's got to be received as well.

Mostly let the Universe love you. Appreciate everything as a Divine Gift - a gift of Love. If everything is considered as Divine Gifts of Love, the challenges would be smoother, the pains would be bearable, and life would be experienced as the precious gift it is.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I recognize there is One Life – the Divine Life that is everywhere present. It is within us right now. It is Love and Love is all there is.

I declare I am ready and willing to open my heart and live fully. I am open to experience my Divine Self and all the wonders of Loving.

I am the Beloved in whom God is well pleased. I take this to heart and I feel Love as It fills me up and spills out into my world. There is nothing to stop me from experiencing It and sharing It with all.

Love brings me great health in mind, body and emotions. It radiates throughout my financial life, my work life and my relationships. I know this for myself and for everyone I meet. We are all Love in form.

Gratefully I release these words into Spiritual Law knowing it is so and so It is.

Just one person away ...

"Your demonstration is just one person away."   ~Rev. Helen Street

When my dear friend and prayer partner mentioned this quote from our teacher, I suddenly thought of my experience when I first got to Hawai'i. My dog was in quarantine. I was staying with a friend and really wanted my own place. I didn't have a job and was having a hard time finding one. I was beginning to wonder why I had shaken up my whole world and moved to an island 2500 miles from home.

I was in ministerial classes at the time. That Thursday night I asked the class to pray for me to find the perfect job. Rev. Helen told me to stop worrying, trust the process, take Friday off and go to the beach. So I did. As I walked down Kahala Beach I saw a woman laying on a towel with an Abyssinian cat on a leash by her side. I love cats and this one drew me to it like a magnet. I ended up sitting with the woman for a few hours talking and playing with her cat.

Later that afternoon the phone rang. It was the secretary of an accountant who wanted to know if I'd like to come in for an interview. Now I had left resumes all over Honolulu, but not at this man's office. It turns out the woman with the cat was a bartender ... one of her regulars was complaining that his office manager was leaving suddenly .... and you can guess the rest of the story!

My demonstration was just one person away.

When I stopped stressing about not having a job, and the rest of my story -- everything fell into its perfect place. I learned I didn't have to Make things happen - I could Welcome them.

What are you trying to make happen in your life? Do your spiritual practices, open your heart, and welcome it in. Spirit is waiting.

Spiritual Mind Treatment

There is One Perfect Power in the universe. It is infinitely intelligent and unconditionally loving. It surrounds and encompasses us. It is everywhere. It is our life. I trust that in every moment, the Power for Good is working in and through us.

I now choose to let go of all my self-imposed doubts and fears. I allow myself to fully benefit from this Power for Good. As I speak my word for my life, knowing I am now fulfilled in every area, whether it be health, wealth, creative expression, or relationships, I know these words are being immediately acted upon. I step up in eager expectancy, welcoming in all I attract with my clear mind and pure heart.

I smile as I notice all the avenues Spirit works through. I know my demonstrations can be just one person away, and when I welcome them in, all is revealed because I trust! How wonderful and simple this is!

Gratefully I release these words to the Creative Process and allow each moment to unfold in grace and joy. And so It is.

Love and Tolerance

The other day a friend posted a picture of his parents who were celebrating being married 50 years. I asked him to ask them what the secret of a long lasting relationship was. His Mother said that if she had to put it in one word it would be "tolerance."

That reminded me of the first time I'd asked that question,  26 years ago. Tag and I were getting married - we lived in Hawai'i and had family and friends there for the wedding. We took them to a large luau as part of their touristy thing. During the breaks of a wonderful show with dancing & music, the MC asked "Who's here on their honeymoon?" and several people raised their hands. "Who's here for an anniversary? " he asked, and more people raised their hands for each year that he mentioned - 1st, 5th, 10th, etc. As he got up in numbers there were fewer hands going up, and when he got to 50, a couple sitting at a table close to us raised their hands. 

On the way out of the hotel grounds, I found myself behind them. "Excuse me" I said, "I'm getting married in a couple of days.. can you tell me the secret to a long lasting relationship?" The old man turned and looked at me with big cow eyes, and then looked at his wife "Absolute love and devotion" he said. She flung one word over her shoulder as she continued walking - "Tolerance." I laughed, but it made me start thinking about it. You need both - Love and Tolerance.

Tolerance is defined as a 'fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.'

It seems like this is something we could use more of in the collective consciousness. Imagine how countries would act toward each other with some tolerance. Imagine what our political scene would look like with some tolerance. Imagine how our families would work with some tolerance.

Regardless of the definition, I hear a tendency to use the word with a bit of "well, I don't like it but I'll put up with it" attitude. What if we used the word 'acceptance?' It seems softer. For me it is recognizing that not everyone is going to think like I do - it's their right to think the way they want, - and being OK with it. All relationships, no matter what kind they are , could use some of this!

This week, let's practice accepting each other. The best way would be to practice seeing God in everything - the Divine in me recognizes the Divine in you. The Divine in me recognizes the Divine in everything!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I celebrate the powerful presence of Life within all things. I look around my world and see It everywhere. It is manifested as everything! This Presence within and around all is The Divine. All powerful, all knowing, absolutely everywhere.

As I become more aware of the Truth of these statements, it is easier to be accepting of the behaviors of people in my life. I know that essentially everyone wants the highest and best for all. Even if I don't think it looks like it, I declare we are opening to a new way of being. We are open to seeing the Truth in each other, and that Truth is God. God is Love made manifest.

I declare right now "I am committed to being more tolerant. I am part of the solution. I promise to honor and respect The Divine in everyone and every thing."

Gratefully I release these words, knowing Divine Mind is assisting me in attaining and maintaining the consciousness I have declared. And so It is.   

Good Friday?

I woke up this morning thinking about Good Friday -- and asked myself (as I've done so many times before) what's so 'good' about this day. 

The Baltimore Catechism declares that Good Friday is called good because Christ, by His Death, "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing." Good, in this sense, means "holy," and indeed Good Friday is known as Holy and Great Friday among Eastern Christians. In other countries it is called "God's Day", "Holy Friday", "long Friday" and "suffering Friday."

I've avoided the suffering of Jesus on the cross my whole life. I remember being a child in catholic school and having to sit in the front row of the chapel. The crucifix on the wall behind the altar was huge, and the artist had done an amazing job of making Jesus' face writhe in agony.  Having been beaten severely as a child at home, I loved being sent away to live at school, yet I was so dismayed to walk into the chapel, which was supposed to be a place of safety, and see more pain. Having an avid imagination, I could almost feel the nails and the crown of thorns.

Over the years I have experienced various types of suffering, and I avoided it just like I did Jesus on the cross. One day I begun to understand that to fully have the delights of my humanity, I had to stop avoiding suffering. I had to realize I wasn't 'weak' by experiencing pain, I was authentic.

One of the side affects of awakening to my own pain, was seeing the pain of the world. Jack Kornfield writes in After the Ecstasy the Laundry: "By facing the pain of the world, we awaken a fearless and merciful heart, the universal birthright of humanity."

Today is Good Friday, and Passover begins. There is a full moon. Sunday is Easter - and Buddha's birthday. Let's ask ourselves "Where am I still resisting Life? Where have I crucified myself to beliefs that no longer serve me. Where have I allowed myself to be enslaved? Let's reap the harvest of these things, and move forward - celebrating our own rebirth!

In the same book, Kornfield shares a story of a nun going through the rituals leading to Easter and she says "This is God's purpose for our sorrows, to connect all our hearts." Declare with me: "I will awaken my own fearless and merciful heart, and by doing these things, connect with the compassionate Global Heart of humanity."

What a glorious resurrection!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I am ready and willing to deepen my experience of The Divine. I open my heart and mind to a greater understanding of every aspect of Life. God is Life - It is living in, through, and as us. It is unconditionally loving and infinitely intelligent. It is everywhere around us. We experience it with all our senses and more.

Knowing this, I choose to no longer deny or avoid anything. I am open to experiencing every range of emotion. I let go of thinking vulnerability is weakness - in Truth it is my strength. I honor my sorrows and my joys, glad I am alive to do so.

I feel the Compassionate Heart open within me.  I celebrate the lives of all. We are being reborn into our true nature and this is good, because this is God.

Gratefully I release these words into the Law of Mind, knowing they are done. And so it is.

Look Within

The following piece has been around the internet a few times, and I'm sure, like me, you laughed when you read it:

I was having an out of body experience and almost astral traveled away yesterday, so I grounded myself, did some toning and got centered with the help of my spirit guides and then the phone rang, and sensing the negative vibrations, I threw the I-Ching and checked my numerology chart, nearly having a primal, but my energy was too blocked. I used self-hypnosis to go into a past life regression, but only went to age three. I found my wounded inner child there, plus a spirit attachment and alien implant. I thought about exorcism, but couldn’t bring myself to let go of the attachments.
So I did some bioenergetics and self-parenting, took some flower essence and ate an organic oat bran ginseng muffin, but my inner child wasn’t feeling nurtured yet. To fix this, I had a Rice Dream Frozen Pie, which, of course, made me hyper, so I did the relaxation response technique I had just learned at the Self Healing Angst Tree Defoliating Center while listening to my subliminal tapes.
But that left me feeling depersonalized, so I did some polarity work, foot reflexology and therapeutic touch, then rebirthed myself, and called Moon Beam, my body worker, to make an appointment for a Shiatsu/Reiki/Rolfing/Feldenkreiss/Japanese deep tissue massage. Unfortunately, she flaked out and never returned my call, so I decided to energize my crystals and did some positive imagery because all my visualization techniques and affirmations made my space feel invaded. It was then that I realized Mercury was retrograde, and the solar flares were at a high intensity level.

It goes on for about 3 more paragraphs. This morning when I read it again, it wasn't so funny. I realized many of us might not go to such extremes, but this is, in essence, what we do ... we look outside of ourselves for help, comfort, guidance, etc..

Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, or any of these modalities, but in the piece above you can see the person thinks the Power is outside of themselves. They are dependent upon outer stimuli to bring themselves into alignment. Truth is - there is only one thing that really works - going within -- and that means meditation and affirmative prayer. (at least in my Reality)

Many people try a modality and do it for a week or so, and if they're not getting the results they want, they quit and try something else. Spirituality is like exercise - it takes consistency, time and discipline. We might feel a bit better physically after walking every day for a week, yet if we stop, our bodies revert to where they were. We begin to realize exercise is best as part of our daily routine - something we'll be doing for the rest of our lives. Meditation and affirmative prayer (or any modality) feel wonderful after a week, yet if we stop there, we revert back to our old ways of thinking and feeling. I believe we ought to pick one thing, and do it consistently for at least 3 or 4 months to see what effect we create with it and how it feels. If it's working, keep it up. For me, meditation and affirmative prayer have been part of my daily routine for years, and will be for the rest of my life!

Ernest Holmes wrote in the Science of Mind Magazine: "We generally seem to resist change, even that which is better for us.  We also appear to resist being what we really are.  We need to learn carefully and surely to permit ourselves to accept the fuller expression of the Mind that is within us." 

This Mind is Divinity Itself. It is within and wants to express Itself more fully as YOU!

Do your spiritual practices and keep up the Go(o)d work!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is that within me that is so powerful. It is the Universe Itself. It is the Divine Substance that is all things.

I now honor this Presence by choosing a spiritual practice and spending the time, consistently, to open myself up to It. As I do this, I find that my life becomes balanced. Through this greater awareness of The Divine, I bring more prosperity, health, love and right livelihood into my experience. I attract people of like mind. I am living in Grace.

How grateful I am to have realized that I do not have to look outside of myself for any of these things. Everything is within me, because that's where the Divine is. How grateful I am to experience Peace.

I release these words into the Law of Mind knowing they are so, and so it is.

"You will always receive help within a second of a prayer. To recognize the help, you must see everything in your life from that second on as a part of the answer to your prayer." - Caroline Myss, author, speaker

What if this is true? What if everything - whether we judge it to be negative or positive - was part of the answer to our prayers?

I know many of us feel that as soon as we've really gotten focused on our spiritual practices or classes, life seems to get sticky. Sometimes we wish we'd never gotten involved because 'things were so much easier before.'

Imagine a glass of water that 's been sitting still for awhile and has developed a sediment on the bottom. When you start pouring in fresh water, that sediment gets disturbed and begins to come to the service. The more water you pour in, the higher that sediment rises, until finally it spills out over the sides.

This is what I think happens with us. We're that glass of water that's been sitting around for awhile. We're comfortable -- we live in the upper portion of the glass where the water is clear. We don't even notice that the water's stagnant. We do notice there's something not quite right, some underlying feeling that wants us to move forward. So we take a class, or do our prayers and practices consistently. We're pouring in fresh water. That feels good. Then we realize we've been comfortable in our uncomfortableness, and now the uncomfortableness has been loosened and is coming to the surface. Some people want to stop here thinking "this spiritual stuff isn't supposed to make me feel bad!" and some do stop, because they don't want to be uncomfortable.

Some are able to do what Carolyn Mace says: "...see everything in your life from that second on as a part of the answer to your prayer" even if they didn't know that was what they were doing. They keep going, moving through the uncomfortableness - accepting that it's there, loving themselves through it, and knowing that everything is part of the answer. If we did that, we would find that as we keep pouring in the fresh water - (our prayers & practices) - the uncomfortableness would move out of our experience!

Does this mean you'll never be uncomfortable again -- no - but you'll know how to work with it, because you'll know it's a part of the process in revealing the Truth.

Dr. Holmes writes in the Science of Mind; "The Truth is instantaneous in its demonstration, taking only such time in Its Unfoldment as is inherent in the law of a logical and sequential evolution.  In this invisible law of unfoldment, we must come to trust, and although we do not see the way, we must believe that the way IS and IS OPERATIVE.  We must trust the Invisible, for It is the sole cause of that which is visible. . . . "

See everything as an answer - and TRUST!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Lifting my consciousness above and beyond the human condition, I declare I dwell in a consciousness of Being, alive, awake and aware of playing in the realms of Infinite Potentiality.

Creative Principle is at work in every facet of my experience. Regardless of my past, or what might come up while I am doing my spiritual work, I know Spirit is with me. I am guided and nurtured at all times.

Because I know this, I am motivated, empowered and inspired by Divine Intelligence within me to continually move along my Path. Nothing outside of me can prevent my growth. Nothing outside of me can prevent my conscious awareness of the Truth of my being. Today I know, without any doubts, that Life is moving through me creating more good all the time. I love allowing It to do so.

I rejoice in the fulfillment of my good. I celebrate my awakening to my spiritual magnificence. I honor the Presence that makes all this possible. I release these words into the Law of Mind knowing they are already so. And so it is.

Thank You Dr. Holmes

January 21 is the 125th anniversary of Ernest Holmes' birth. Dr. Holmes was the founder of Religious Science, my faith tradition -- a tradition that changed my life, and the lives of thousands of others. Holmes was a radical thinker for his time, and I think he would have really enjoyed the times we live in now. I think he would have followed science avidly, been outspoken about how to live in times of recession and unrest, and he would have been really proud of what we have achieved as an organization coming back together.

You know the question "If you could have a dinner party with anyone, who would you invite?" 
I'd invite Dr. Holmes, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Jean Huston, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Elizabet Sahtouris, Dean Radin and maybe even President Obama. Dr. Holmes could hold his own in any of these conversations -- biology, science, philosophy, anthropology, philosophy and politics. What a magnificent evening it would be!

Dr. Holmes created a teaching that works for and with everything.

 

Borrowing knowledge of reality from all sources, taking the best from every study. Science of Mind brings together the highest enlightenment of the ages. ~Ernest Holmes

It isn't a teaching that you learn once and you've got it. It know it keeps growing in me as I continually study and embody it. It takes a constant re-recognition of The One, acceptance of Love and Law, a surrender of the old way of being, and trusting the process.

 

You are more than you appear to be -
Life is greater than you have ever known it-
The best is yet to come.

Thank you Dr. Holmes!

 

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is One Life, that life is God's life, that life is perfect, and that life is my life now.

This is my Truth. As I continually open myself to a deeper understanding of it, my life reflects its beauty and grace. Good and more good is attracted into every area of my life. I share what I know and what I have with joy.

I celebrate this with every fiber of my being. I am so grateful to the One's Presence and Power in my life and in the life of all I know.

I release these words knowing they are so, and so it is.

Creating Our Year

The other day my long time prayer partner and I were talking about the feelings we share during the holiday season. Compassion, love and a desire to feel great joy are so prevalent in the collective consciousness that we've named them "Christmas Spirit." We've all heard people say "I wish these feelings would last all year long."

Knowing everything is choice, we decided it can, and we're choosing to experience it all during the year. To do so, we have given each month a quality to focus on.

Want to join us? Here are the qualities, along with an activity to be done daily, and some ideas I've come up with to experience the qualities. I'm going to get a journal, title it "My Year of Christmas Spirit" and write down how I experienced each day. ( and post it on FaceBook too)

Joyous January - consciously look for one thing that brings you joy. (A blank calendar to fill in the way I want. A cats purr. My TV shows coming back on.)

Fabulous February - pay attention to your physical being -- do one thing to feel fabulous & look fabulous & have fun doing it! (Wearing purple - definitely my color! A long soak in bubbles.)

Marvelous March - allow yourself to marvel at at least one thing. (a starry sky - how do they stay up there? Fleece is so warm - and this from pop bottles?)

Amazing April - let Nature astonish you every day (WOW - those tulips! Look at the birds!)

Merry May - allow yourself to laugh like a child. (ever try laughter yoga?)

Jubilant June - let your heart be filled with joy. (Look at a new baby, kitten, puppy)

Jolly July - do something silly and fun every day (blow bubbles, swing on the swings)

Awesome August - think about someone or something that's inspired you. (My teacher Rev. Helen Street, single mothers who work & raise their families)

Super September - let yourself think supersized dreams. (I see myself on a Nile cruise with a Beloved)

Opulent October - do something that makes you feel rich. (Acknowledging the beautiful things that surround me - and the people who gave them to me)

Nourishing November - eat gratefully every day (I am so grateful for homemade soup, stews, salads)

Delightful December - be like a child for the holidays (whoo hoo - I'm playing secret Santa!!)

There's an adage that says "The energy flows where the attention goes." It's up to us to create our year the way we want it - so let's have fun with it!!

"....And lovingly this Wisdom shall  respond to me, lawfully taking the content of my consciousness and making it into my reality." ~Ernest Holmes

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

All there is is God — in the multiplicity of form and experience, in the richness of Life, in the many expressions of nature — and me. I am Spirit in form.

I am ready and willing to consciously experience my life as God's Life. God is Love, and Love is the Power of Creation. I joyfully choose to create the 'Spirit of Christmas' all year long. I do it for myself, and as I do it for myself, I do it for others.

I allow myself to really feel my feelings, and as I do, I realize Joy is my true nature. I choose to have a good experience, and Life manifests through me delightfully. Life is fun, filled with love, compassion and kindness, and it is good.

Gratefully I release these words into the Law of Mind rejoicing in their Truth. And so it is.

What if?

A Facebook friend, Eric Steven Rankin (author of "The Aquarians") wrote:

On the winter solstice a couple of days ago (when the northern hemisphere of Earth began to experience ever more light with each passing day), comet Lovejoy appeared on the horizon and was called the "most incredible sight I've ever seen" by a crew member aboard the International Space Station. This is the comet that was supposed to have been burned up by it's close pass by the sun, but instead survived to create a visual wonder at Christmas/Solstice time. And it's name is Love-Joy? What are the odds of that? Maybe we're getting a message!

(Here's the view from the Space Station: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoZIwtgEqKY )

What if we are getting a message! I got excited about this idea. What if Comet LoveJoy was foretelling a new age, like the star the Magi followed to find The Christ. This time though, there is not one Christ, but many.

What if we are now living in the period of time that people of the future call the "The Shift," the "Time of Transformation" or the "Age of Enlightenment"? You can't deny that the consciousness of humanity is changing rapidly. I see it changing for the good.

If we believe it, we have a great responsibility. Each one of us is participating in creating our future in our own way and it is up to us to expand our boundaries and do our best for the good of all. This means to be conscious of being conscious. To honor and respect all the many aspects of Life: the earth and all it is made of, the plants that grow upon it, the insects, the birds and the many forms of Life that pollinate it, and all animals - including ourselves - that feed upon it.

It means to truly pay attention to our relationships with each other, whether we are interacting with our friends and families, strangers in the market place, or walking by a homeless person on the street. It means realizing at a deep soul level we are all One.

Brian Tracy writes "The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good."

We're all spiritual adventurers, exploring the greater good - following a messenger called "Love-Joy" and creating a world that works for everyone! Let's make it a Great One!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

As I awaken to a new day, a new year, I do so with gratitude for all that I was, all I am, and all I will be. Though it seems like I am always changing, the Truth of me is unchangeable, as the Truth of me is God.

I declare this year to be a year of amazing experiences - a deepening in consciousness, and expansion of mind. I declare this is a year in which even ordinary, everyday experiences are felt with a spiritual awareness. I declare this year to be one of health, wealth, and creativity. I declare this year to be one of Love and Joy.

I celebrate the newness of 2012. I am happy to be here to experience another year. With a heart filled with gratitude, I release these words into the Law of Mind, knowing they are so, and so it is.

Taking a 'Reading' of the Collective

Every year I like to observe what I call the "consciousness of the Collective" as I look at all the holiday ornaments and decorations in the stores. I pay attention to the colors and the styles, as well as talk to the clerks, asking them what they've sold the most of.

This year the word that came up over and over was "classic." The most purchased ornaments were round balls - red, gold and silver. I also noticed a proliferation of penguins and the color magenta in various store displays.

The word 'classic' means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality.

The color red stands for Life and Love ... Gold for Illumination ... and Silver for balance of mind and emotions.

Penguins bring focus as their gift. Magenta is a color of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. Magenta is a color of transformation. It helps create harmony and balance in every aspect of life; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

So -- my "reading" of the collective consciousness is this: once again there's a longing to go back to what we think of as "better times" ... the classics. Yet we're realizing that what's important is Now. We're beginning to be more and more conscious and balanced in our lives ... time being precious, love being most important... and we're becoming more focused on creating and sustaining something of value in our world.

This is a very good thing.

Blessings for an amazing Christmas. Pay attention, stay centered, breathe in Love. Recognize every moment as a gift -- because that's what it is. A gift of the One Life that is living as YOU!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Today I acknowledge the Spirit of Christmas. It is that Love that has no beginning and no end. It is surrounding me, uplifting me, filling me up. It is who I AM.

I am open to the rebirthing of the Christ consciousness in and as me in this moment. I am ready to move into the place of Universal Harmony. I am balanced in every way, and this is good, very good.

I am grateful for knowing that there is only One Life - this Life is God's Life - and this Life is my life now. I now relax in sweet surrender knowing only the best is here now.

And so it is.

Re-inventing Family Ties

'Ike aku, 'ike mai, kokua aku kokua mai; pela iho la ka nohana 'ohana.
(Recognize others, be recognized, help others, be helped; such is a family relationship.)

When I read this Hawaiian proverb recently, a memory flashed into my mind.
I was outside, enjoying my rosebushes in my Hawaiian garden. The phone rang, I rushed into the house to answer it. It was my Mother. She started berating me because I hadn't contacted her recently. The conversation ended abruptly and I fretted about it for quite awhile. I had instantly turned into an 11 year old, feeling shamed and guilty and tried to defend myself.

The holidays are family time - and some of you, like me, had an "interesting" childhood. Perhaps some of you even wanted to divorce yourselves from the whole 'family' scene, as I did by running away at age 16. Yet even though I was in my 30's during the above memory, I still was attached by family ties. Those ties were labeled "should" and every year while my parents were alive, I wrestled with the idea that I 'should' go visit them. I wasn't brave enough not to go, yet I dreaded it and the holidays always turned out terrible.

(When I moved to Hawai'i, I had a wonderful excuse -- I was too far away! I created my family of choice and started looking forward to the holidays.)

Now that I'm more spiritually mature, I realize I was perpetuating the holiday crazies with my family because I expected them to be a certain way. The Universe only says Yes - so of course, I got to experience what I was expecting. Dr. Holmes wrote in the Science of Mind - "Principle is not bound by precedent." which means that just because something always happened a certain way before, it doesn't mean it has to happen that way again. If my parents were alive today, I might join them for the holidays, and I would do it as an adult. I would recognize them, allow them to recognize me. I would help them, and let them help me. I would be totally present, with a different consciousness - the consciousness that recognized them as unique, individualized expressions of The One. We would have a much different family relationship than we'd had in the past.

I can't do that physically anymore -- but I certainly can do it in my mind! Can you? Sometimes family time means accepting them just they way they are and loving them anyway - loving The Divine within them.

This year let your family ties be ones labeled 'Love.'


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

God is love, absolute calm, and harmony in all things. This is my Truth. God is everywhere present - so love, peace and harmony are within me as well. There is That Within Me that reminds me of this at every moment.

As I move through my holidays, interacting with family, friends and co-workers, I remember. Just because something was uncomfortable in the past, doesn't mean it has to be that way again. I declare right now, that I remember that I am the one that brings the consciousness I want to experience with me - no matter where I go or who I am with.

This year I choose to experience the Love that this season is really about. I choose to recognize the Christ in all life. As I do so, It is recognized in me. I allow myself to be of service this season, and to let myself be served. I am comfortable with my family of birth, my family of choice, and my global family. I remember we are All One.

With a grateful heart I release these words into the Law of Mind, rejoicing in their embodiment!
And so it is.

Leaving the "stuff" behind

Ernest Holmes writes: "The subjective mind is the seat of memory and contains a remembrance of everything that has ever happened to the outer person. It also contains the family and race characteristics. It retains these memories, in a certain sense, as mental pictures. The subjective mind might be compared to a picture gallery, upon whose walls are hung the pictures of all the people whom the individual has ever known, and all the incidents which he has ever experienced. (SOM p. 347.4)"

I've had the pleasure of visiting family this month -- two sisters in Florida where I officiated at a niece's wedding, and my sister in New Hampshire for Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for these experiences. I didn't experience a 'family' feeling as a child, and for much of my life I didn't know how to deal with 'family' since I didn't have a good model. I took those mental pictures I had as a child and compared everything to them. There were pictures of what I'd experienced, and pictures of what I thought it should be like. I tried to analyze myself into what I thought a 'family' feeling would feel like.

I was not raised with any of my sisters. In the past, I have analyzed how I might have turned out if I was. I compared our lives and wondered if I would know how to love better. I realized that in my 'picture gallery' that Holmes refers to were not only portraits of the people I've known, but those portraits were colored by either my past knowledge or my imagination of who I thought they are. My knowledge really had nothing to do with them -- it was all something I made up.

During these recent visits, I decided to just appreciate my family, who they are, and who I am with them and I've had a great time!!

Today I got an e-mail from Alan Cohen with this quote -

"Love does not require analysis, just appreciation."

I've decided to close my photo gallery while new, current photos are being created.

As you have your family experiences this holiday season, let yourself leave the past behind, and appreciate each person in the present moment. This is truly a freeing experience!


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

God is Love -- the greatest healing agent in the Universe. God being Love - It is everywhere, including within us and all life.

Knowing this, I let go of past perceptions and approach all things as new. I let go of analyzing events according to my past. I am willing to experience each person and each experience as if it was the first time.

I choose this day to appreciate everyone and everything in my life. I know all are God!

With a grateful heart, I step into my Now with a sense of freedom. It is good, very good. And so it is.

Gratitude is the Key

In the early '90's I started a Gratitude Journal process that I'm still doing. Every night I write 5 things I am grateful for. A few weeks ago I started posting a daily picture reflecting something about gratitude on Facebook. I have so much to be grateful for, I could continue to do these two things forever and not be able to list everything. My life is so full, and I can see how using gratitude as a spiritual practice has been a key point in making it what it is. As I focus on being grateful, I constantly have more to be grateful for.

The Chinese have a proverb: "When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them."

I interpret this in three ways:
One -- Many of the things we're grateful for seem to come from outside of ourselves -- so be grateful to all who have made them possible.
Two -- Be grateful for your own consciousness. Everything you have, you created in consciousness first. You're the one who planted those seeds in mind that have become visible.
Three -- Be grateful for the Source of all ideas -- that powerful Presence Within You -- the One Mind from where all ideas come.

I feel Gratitude is the highest form of thought - the key to the Universe.

When you celebrate Thanksgiving in what ever way you choose to do so, remember this proverb -- and

make it a sacred practice.

THANK YOU for being in my world.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is only One Mind - the Mind of God. It is everywhere present. It is where I am and It is within me. I am where It is and I am within It.

I live in gratitude and am in perfect alignment with Divine Mind. I accept my Divine Nature and the Divine Nature of absolutely everything.

The Universe freely and unconditionally supplies me with everything I require. I know no lack of any kind. Divine energy fills me up. I am powerful, loving, healthy, inspired, creative, peaceful and harmonious. My life is good, joyous and abundant. I am satisfied and fulfilled.

How grateful I am to know I am an important part of the Whole. God lives though me, as me. All of Life is grateful to me for being open and receptive to It.

I now release these words with a grateful heart. Life is good. And so it is.

One Truth, Many Paths

Every once and a while, someone comes to me and asks why our Center doesn't teach other healing modalities, like Reiki, EFT, or things like channeling, etc.. Then there are others that are adamant about not having anything but the Science of Mind taught in our Center or on our book table.

My response: It's all God - all Good. What ever works for you - go for it! Personally, I love Spiritual Mind Treatment, our form of affirmative prayer - and over the 25 years I've been a Religious Science Minister, I have seen the Truth revealed in so many people, resulting in bodies and hearts healed, minds transformed, and lives becoming magnificent.

Some say the Science of Mind is not enough. When Mike Dooley (author of Notes from the Universe) was in Baltimore, he started his talk by saying that people would come to him, telling him they loved his books and his "notes," but when was he going to do something more advanced? He'd look at them and say: "What's more advanced than "It is done unto you as you believe?" I loved that!

The Science of Mind doesn't deny any methods of healing, or forms of religion. None of them are wrong or more right than others. It teaches what our founder, Ernest Holmes, discovered after he realized the golden thread running through most of the major religions and philosophies of our world. Though many spiritual teachers have said it in different ways, in my opinion, this golden thread can be summed up by two statements: "All there is is God" and "It is done unto us as we believe."

This means that beneath all these other modalities, is our teaching. God is Law, and the Law is - It is done unto us as we believe. For any modality to work we have to believe it will. What ever I believe will work, will work for me -- what ever I don't believe will work, will still work by seeming to not work.

Some modalities say a person doesn't have to believe for their method to work -- yet in asking for a session, there's got to be a part of the asker that 'hopes' it will work .. and if that hope - or the need -- is strong enough, it will work, without their conscious awareness of believing it will do so. If a modality seems to work the first time, they'll try it again, and again, until their hope become a conscious belief. That modality might not work for others, but it will always work for them. Thank God we have so many options to choose from!

One day we'll realize that we all have the Power we attribute to others. We'll realize it is within us, and when we realize that, we'll KNOW there is really nothing to heal. How do I know this? Because it's all God. And that's the Truth!



SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

The Universe is made of an amazingly powerful Energy that is the Source and Substance of all things. This Energy works through a part of Itself called Law. It works through us, as us, at all times, just as it works through all Life.

Knowing this I now let go of any judgments I might have about other ways of doing things. I know each person is on their right Path, and this Path leads them to the Truth of their Being. I pay attention to my own Path, and allow myself to be expanded by the contemplation of It.

As I walk my Path, I see we all desire the same things, and so I Know for all of us an eternally embodied feeling of well-being, peace, harmony, and love, and this is good, very good.

I celebrate all the ways we come to Truth, knowing they are all part of the Divine Whole. I celebrate the way that works for me, and I let It be my Good. I celebrate the way It works for others and I let it be their Good. I release these words with a deep sense of gratitude, and I let them go. And so It is.

Trick or Treat

I read online that Halloween has become a 6 billion dollar business! WOW!!

Here's a different kind of Trick or Treat, doesn't cost us anything - except what we want to pay in spiritual coin: ... written by Rev. Karen Weingard, in Beverley Hills.

T here is only one life and that one life  is God’s life expressing fully as my life
R adiating all of the qualities of love, joy, peace prosperity, compassion and truth
I know these qualities are to be expressed thru me as God’s divine purpose  
C aressing every precious being as I acknowledge that the power of the
K ingdom of Heaven is taking place within 

O ne family organized in unity of the spirit 
R ejoicing in the love and joy emanating throughout  universe

T hriving in our singular purpose of bringing our unique gifts to the planet
R ecognizing our mission is to be  love
E xpanding fully  as the brilliance of our evolution
A nd allowing the abundance of spirit to reveal completely
T hroughout every aspect of creation


AND SO IT IS!!

Have fun and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Be Vigilant

Last week I bought a woman's magazine for a recipe I wanted to try. I finally got around to looking at the magazine this week. As I flipped through it, I had the weirdest feeling ... part of me wanted to rip out the recipe, and put the magazine in the recycling. I didn't want to finish looking at it. So I started again at the beginning to see why.

In a 232 page magazine, 25 full page ads were for food, 21 were for cosmetics, 21 were for medications, (and some of those were 4 pages long) 17 were for household items (cleaners, etc), 9 were for house items like furniture, floors, etc., 7 were for clothes, 2 were for credit cards, and 1 was for a car. This does not include all the little ads filling up the spaces.

Now this isn't necessarily bad - the magazine has to pay for itself & make some money, that's just business. What bothered me is the tone of some of the advertising. For instance, 21 full page ads for medications - "get a better grip on life" ... "after _________, you can have it all" .... "come out from under the cloud.."

21 full page ads for cosmetics - "gravity doesn't stand a chance" ... Erase age instantly ... "makes you look younger."

Then I look at the articles - "Why Your Food Isn't Safe" ... "Are Smart Cards Safe?" ... "Is Your Bedding Safe?" ... "Staying Safe in a Risky World" ... "Crisis Control" And, not one of the models in the clothing articles was above a size 4.

So - even though we're all going to do it, getting older is bad, we've got to be thin or we're not pretty, nothing in our world is safe, and if you take pills, you'll be OK. YIPES! All these are subtle messages, but they are messages all the same.

Now - for the magazines sake - I must say there were also very good articles amongst all the fear based stuff.

So why do I bring this up? It surprised me!! It surprised me how subtle negative energy seeps into everything in our lives. It made me more aware how we have to vigilant at the doorway of our minds - whether speaking, listening or reading!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is a creative Principle in this Universe that works for us by working through us. It is the working nature of The Divine. This Principle is both intelligent and loving. It is here for us, and It is within us.

I now declare there is a Silent Witness within me that guides me along my Life Path, leading me past the negativity and fear based effects of the world way of thinking. Though I might notice it, I am no longer affected in any way by the mass consciousness unless it is for everyone's highest and best good. I live in a new world. A world of Love, Life and Light. My world is supportive and nurturing, peaceful and harmonious.

I celebrate my decision to live this way. I am so grateful I can be more aware of my thoughts, feelings and beliefs. I celebrate everything as God and this is good, very good.

I release these words into spiritual law, knowing they are now part of my Truth. And so It is.

The Truth Sets Me Free!

During Oprah's 2nd Lifeclass, various people were shown in clips from past shows as they revealed a truth about themselves and their lives. The show's byline was "The Truth will set you free."

As I watched, I realized this is really what the Occupy Wall Street movement is all about! On the outside, it's about people and corporations and the misuse of funds, yet the bottom line is "No more secrets!"

When I think back over the past couple of decades and the scandals of various types - they were all secrets that had been revealed.

Oprah reminded us that holding onto secrets creates an atmosphere of shame -- and we all know that one!! It doesn't feel good at all! Revealing our secrets, releases the shame. It also allows us to take ownership of what ever we've been hiding.

What secrets am I hiding? or You? Good question. Sometime we've hid them so well, we don't even know who we really are. Let's join the party -- Let's Occupy Truth! If the secret is from the past, tell someone you trust and let it go. There is probably nothing you can do to change the experience - but you can change your energy around it. If you're living a secret now, just remember, if something has to be kept secret, it's something you shouldn't be doing. Move back into integrity. It takes a lot of energy to keep secrets. A lot of energy that could be used for other things!

All this revealing of the Truth is definitely setting us free -- on global and individual level. As we do the work, we are free to be the authentic beings we really are!!

Spiritual Mind Treatment

We live in an unconditionally loving Heart -- the Heart of God. This Love has been ours since we began, and will be ours forevermore. This Love is within us now, and nothing we could ever have done, or do now, can make this Love leave us.

Knowing this, I now allow myself to release what ever I've been hiding. I step out from behind the wall of shame, and declare my Truth. Regardless of appearances, I have always been doing the best I could at the moment. I let go, and let the space where shame resided be filled up with Divine Love.

As I do this, I now feel a lightness of Being. I am able to feel so many things now. My energy is free flowing, and I am free!

With a grateful heart, I breathe deeply and know my Truth. God is the only presence, Love is the only power.

I release these words into the Law of Mind, relaxing as I do so. I am free. And so it is.

Celebrating 25 Years

25 years ago this Sunday (Sept. 25) the Center for Spiritual Living East Hawaii received it's church charter and I was installed as the pastor. I had started that Center nine months before with 5 people in my living room -- it was an idea who's time had come!

When I started classes in 1981 with Dr. Leo Fishbeck of the Glendale, California Center, I had no idea that a couple of years later I would move to Honolulu, HI to study with Rev. Helen Street. When I left, Dr. Leo called me his Pacific Missionary. I had no idea how prophetic that was. I didn't know I would not only start a Center on the Big Island, but pastor one in Vancouver, BC, start one in Langley, BC, and then move to Baltimore, MD to pastor another one!

If someone had told me that over the years I'd be traveling on a woman's pilgrimage with Rev. Edwene Gaines in Glastonbury, England, meditating in the Great Pyramid and having lunch with Mrs. Anwar Sadat in Egypt, having lunch and a private moment with the Dalai Lama in India, visiting Machu Picchu in Peru, attending the Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona, Spain, or being on a first class cruise, studying Joseph Campbell and visiting Greece,Turkey and Italy, I would have laughed. Not me!! Before I went to Hawaii, I'd never even flown in a plane!

If anyone had told me I would be known for my writing and my prayer work or that I would have prayer clients all over the world, I would have giggled!! Yet I have boxes of cards and letters thanking me for helping them facilitate their healing.

These are only a few things I've experienced because I decided to turn my life over to Spirit. Not in the way of letting go of my self, but of consciously becoming more aware of my Higher Self and choosing to express It.

People have said "You're so courageous." Maybe I am, yet I don't see it that way. I've come to the edge of Trust so many times and been afraid, yet have kept moving forward and been amazed at the results. I truly believe what I teach. There is an Infinitely Intelligent and Unconditionally Loving Presence absolutely everywhere - and I am constantly learning more about It and opening up to new levels of It. There is a bottom line Law that all the great masters taught - "It is done unto you as you believe." I believe God can be trusted.

What would your life be like if you always trusted?

I stand in eternal gratitude for all that has been, is now, and will be. I look forward to the next 25 years - Thank You God!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

God in us, as us, is a mighty force for good. It is infinitely intelligent, and unconditionally loving. It is the Lifeforce that makes all things animate, and it is the energy that holds all things inanimate together.
 
Today I recognize The Divine as my 'life line' - people, places and events that have brought me to this moment. In this moment I honor all who have walked my Path with me, whether ahead, alongside or behind me - whether I have known them or not. We are all going home together .. home to a deeper understanding of the Truth of our being.

I honor all the places I have been. Each one has been God serving me in my growth. I know I have left each place better because I was there for a time.
 
I honor myself as well. I am the one walking the Path, co-creating my world. None of this would or could have happened without me. I celebrate my Self with joy and thanksgiving. I celebrate my choices. I see they have all been exactly what I needed to deepen my awareness.
 
I celebrate The Divine Within- knowing It is my true home. My life is God's Life, and I am making it a good one!! Gratefully, I release these words. And so it is.

The Face of God

A week ago, I stood at my bedroom window for a last look out before drawing the

blinds. The moonlight was just bright enough to see that there was something out by the brook. A doe and her fawns often eat from the green apple tree, so I turned off my bedroom light to get a better look. The moon glimmered off a handsome set of antlers! It was the Buck!! I've lived here for 7 months now, and this is the first time I've seen a male. I watched in awe as he stood there, still as a statue. A doe walked up to him and they touched noses, and then she went for the apple tree. It seemed as if he was keeping watch, and when she was finished, they walked away.

I felt honored, like Nature had opened a window and let me see into another world.

In his essay "Nature" Emerson writes "Nature is the gigantic shadow of God cast on the senses. The beneficence, the beauty, the mystery of nature are like the beauty, the beneficence, and the mystery of God."

All of Nature is conspiring to support us and every culture has given meaning to it. The Chinese consider the deer to be a symbol of happiness and good fortune. Indeed, its name in Chinese is a homonym for the word abundance. The First Nation peoples say that the gentleness of Deer is the heart-space of the Great Spirit which embodies His love for us all. Celtic stories are full of The Stag leading fairies through the forest.

Back to Emerson: The first paragraph of this essay has these lines:
"The foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe?"

Yes, why not? Let's spend time admiring Nature every day. See the wonders, the magic, the face of God.

Spiritual Mind Treatment

Everything around me and in me is God. Everything I can experience with my senses and more, is God. This is what Nature is - God. In Nature I see examples of how we are all provided for, how abundant and beautiful Life is. I see my own Self.

Today I declare my eyes are open to Nature. I allow Nature to nurture me, inspire me, empower me. Like Nature, I open myself to the givingness of the Universe. I rejoice in It's beauty. I am enriched as I fill my senses with the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and feel of Nature.

I am so grateful I can do this. So grateful for this amazing planet we live on and all that is on it. I celebrate God as Nature today! And so it is.

September 11

Back in the early 90’s, there was a sit-com on TV called Dinosaurs. I loved it. They talked about important issues with humor. In one program, the two legged dinosaurs and the four legged dinosaurs were fighting over the rights to a particular pistachio orchard. One side started carrying signs that read “We are right.” The one painting the signs got tired of writing all that out, and just put the initials W. A. R.

Flash forward to September 11, 2001 – No matter where we were or what we were doing, we all remember that date. It was a Tuesday morning … a morning we got up and went about our daily morning routines, not knowing something momentous was about to happen. I was living in Vancouver, BC. I came out of the shower to see my young roommate sitting on the couch crying. The TV was on, so I thought it was a sad movie. Then I thought maybe something had happened between her and her boyfriend. "What's the matter?" I asked. She just pointed at the television. I walked closer and thought what a weird movie -- and then as the scenes played over and over again, I realized what had happened.

For me, as an American living in Canada, the day was agonizing. I couldn’t do anything for anyone – all I could do was watch and pray. During a meditation that afternoon, I saw the twin towers as a gateway that had been blown open in our collective consciousness. It was a gateway of our choosing. We could choose to see the ‘axis of evil” flooding in, or we could see a wave of compassion flowing out. I chose compassion as did millions of people around the world. We began to move from feeling separate to a new idea of global oneness.

Other disasters have happened since that fateful day - each one shaking us to our core and giving us an opportunity to choose how we want to react.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the day our world changed in an instant – all because some people thought they were right and everyone else was wrong. It is a good time to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, and those that are still suffering the effects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally, by examining our lives to see where we are stuck in "We Are Right." It could be an issue with a neighbor, a boss, a spouse, a child, or even someone that’s not in our lives any longer. Whoever it is, we will know by the energy we feel in our body when we think about them. We can look at our personal disasters, do our forgiveness work if needed, and let those people (including ourselves) have safe passage through our minds and hearts.

I stand for Truth in Peace with all of you.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT


There is only one Life, that Life is God’s Life and that Life is the Life we are living right now. All there is, is God. There is no other. This Life is filled with possibilities. It is based in unconditional love, and works through spiritual law.

Knowing this, I now declare all wars I have had in my life are over. No longer do I hold anyone hostage in my mind. I open my heart and let go of my need to be right. I accept that each of us has our own ‘rightness” and others might not be the same as mine. I accept that regardless of appearances, the Truth always sets us free.

Today I choose to reinforce the Divine Pattern of Peace in my heart. I declare on an individual and global level we are able to see the blessings in all events. If we can’t see them immediately, we call them forth anyway, knowing the highest good for all concerned.

With a grateful heart I celebrate being a part of the Compassionate Heart. I rejoice in being able to allow Peace to reign in my life and the lives of others. I celebrate God in everyone and know the Peace of God at a deeper level than I have ever experienced before. The Law takes our declarations and makes them manifest, and Love heals and points the way.

The Global Heart is expressing more compassion, and that compassion leads to a deeper understanding of Oneness, and comes from unconditional love. God is Love and Love heals.

This is my Truth. And so it is.