Living in Our Own Soap Opera

In an e-newsletter I get, there was a link to a site so that one could get a 'soap opera' name. Of course I had to try it. (My soap name is 'Nivea Killington.') This brought up a memory of being in a Tee shirt shop, and laughing hysterically at a pink one with a big silver star, and the words "Starring in My Own Soap Opera."

How true this is! We're not only living in our own soap opera, we're living in our family's soap, our communities soap, our place of employments soap, our countries soap, etc. etc. Layers upon layers of story created by and for us, to have an interesting experience of this particular dimension.

Someone asked me the other day "Why can't our lives just be peaceful - why do they have to have drama?" I thought about a rejection letter I received once -- on it the editor had written, "add some tension, some drama, and it will be sellable.' After I got over being rejected, I thought about it. I mean really - would you watch a TV show if it didn't have any drama? In other words, there's nothing wrong with drama -- just don't get carried away with it.

In New Thought we're told we're the author, the director, the actor, and the critic of the story of our lives. Perhaps we could ask ourselves:

Am I owning my stories, or thinking someone else is causing them?

We are the meaning givers. No matter what is happening in our story, or who is participating - we are the ones who are giving it meaning. Change the meaning, change the experience.

How much attention am I giving to the story?

Am I replaying the story over and over again? Is it taking precedence over everything else in my life? How many people have I told? Stop focusing on it! Come back into the present moment.

How much longer am I willing to live in the story?

Years ago, I heard loud banging noises one night and discovered my garage was being broken into. I called the police. They told me thieves often return to the scene of the crime. I ended up not being able to sleep that night, or many nights after. Finally I called a dear friend. After I told him the story, he asked me “How long was the actual experience of discovering the break in?” I thought about it and answered “60 seconds.” He then asked me “How long are you going to let 60 seconds ruin your life?” I started laughing. I realized that a 60 second memory was affecting my health and my sanity and had been for two weeks! From that moment, all fear was gone.

Some dramas are a lot longer – like the fires in Colorado, the hurricane in Florida, no power in Maryland, the starvation in Somalia and the wars in Syria, etc.. These things are all real, yet the same questions can be asked.

The Truth is, there's only One Story, and that's a Divine Story, with an infinite number of ways of expressing it. No matter how desperate or dramatic a soap opera it is, it’s always a story about returning to one’s Self. Let's be gentle with ourselves while in the process, yet remembering we're always coming 'home'.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT:

We live in an infinite field of potentiality. A field that is Divine Energy - everywhere present, all powerful and all knowing. This Energy is our life force. It animates our bodies, and is used by us

though our thoughts and feelings.

Remembering this, I now declare my 'soap operas' are fear-free. I focus on the good, the exciting and the True. I create stories that bless myself and others, and are wonderful experiences for all.

I also declare that when I forget and find myself in the midst of a painful soap opera, I can rely on the Divine Presence Within to gently and humorously remind me of who I am, and guide me back to my right and perfect Path.

How grateful I am to know every story, no matter how peaceful or painful, is leading me back to my Real Self.

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

Time is Nothing To God

Sometimes it seems like we pray and pray and what we’re praying for doesn’t manifest.  Dr. Holmes says somewhere in the Science of Mind that Spiritual Mind Treatment (affirmative prayer)  is an active thing – it doesn’t stop being active until we accept that it is done (or we give up – and then it works by not working).  Time is nothing to God.

Years ago, when in ministerial classes, I went to see the film “Witness.” During the part where the community has come together to build a barn, I ‘saw’ my future Center being built by its congregation.  25 years later it is happening.  I’m no longer the pastor of the Center for Spiritual Living East Hawai’i, but the Vision was active all that time, until the consciousness was ripe for the manifestation.

2 ½ years ago, I told a group of people that I KNEW I was going to meet President Obama.  One of the people, who had been at that party, took both of us downtown this past Tuesday to see the President when he was here in Baltimore.  After his speech, he came down to greet people – as he passed us, I said “Aloha Mr. President” and his eyes lit up as he said “Hey, Aloha!” and shook my hand.

Now, this experience wasn’t exactly as I’d imagined … we didn’t actually get introduced – he doesn’t know my name.  Yet, I did “meet the President” and it gave me Godbumps.

Our prayers are always active, no matter how long it takes.   Here’s another thing:  I didn’t actually ‘pray’ for this to happen – I made a declaration with feeling and intention.  (We might say that an affirmative prayer is a more formalized declaration.)   Our words have power!   It is just as important to listen to what we’re thinking and saying with feeling as it is to put the feeling and intention into our declarations!

If you’ve been praying for something for a long time – don’t give up – TRUST!  (an acronym for TRUST is Totally Rely Upon Spirits Timing). Observe your feelings as you make your declarations.  It takes intention plus feeling to create a demonstration and it takes Trust.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

We live in an atmosphere of Love and Law – an infinite field of creative potentiality that is just waiting for us to speak our word with intention and feeling.  This field is Source Energy.  It is everywhere present, including within each of us.

Remembering this, I remind myself that my words have power.  All the Power of the Universe is behind them, so I pay attention to what I am thinking and feeling.  I pay attention to what I believe about my world and the people in it, including myself.

I choose to use the power wisely.  I am the vehicle of The Divine to create greater good everywhere I am.  I create peace, love, prosperity, health and joy in my life, knowing that as I do so, I am uplifting the consciousness of humanity. 

With a grateful heart, I celebrate making a difference by being the difference.

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

I Have Forgiven Myself

Lately it seems like everything I read has been about revealing and healing our shadows. Globally we've been watching the revealing on the news. Then there are the energies of the eclipse, the 5 planetary line up, etc. all being touted as a movement for personal and planetary revealers of shadows so the Truth can shine forth.

Regardless who's telling us to do this, the idea is a good one. Many of us have secrets hidden away in the back rooms of our minds. Those secrets are taking up space that could be filled with Light! Those secrets are keeping us thinking we're not enough, that we're separate from the Truth of our being - which is Divine.

For years I've taught and talked about forgiveness. I have forgiven so many people ... lately I realized that since I am the creator of my reality, the only one I really had to forgive was myself. So I took a lot of deep breaths and did a seven day self-forgiveness process. The first couple of days were hard. I kept remembering things I hadn't thought about in years. I was definitely cleaning those back rooms of my mind, and I was getting depressed at the amount of work I had to do! I felt like slamming the doors and abandoning the process.

However, I knew it would be beneficial. Regardless of whether the doors were slammed shut or not, the stuff was still there - and actively running in my memory banks, which meant they popped out as behaviors and feelings I didn't necessarily like. I recommitted to the self-forgiveness process. I didn't want to quit. I prayed to make it easier.

I love the way the Universe shows up for me! I read my astrological sign in a newsletter from Rob Brezney:

"Don't pretend you can't see the darkness. Admit to its presence. Accept its reality. And then, dear Cancerian, walk nonchalantly away from it, refusing to fight it or be afraid of it. In other words, face up to the difficulty without becoming all tangled up in it. Gaze into the abyss so as to educate yourself about its nature, but don't get stuck there or become entranced by its supposedly hypnotic power. I think you'll be amazed at how much safety and security you can generate for yourself simply by being an objective, poised observer free of melodramatic reactions."

I LIKE this -- I don't have to do anything about the shadow -- I don't have to dwell in the yucky feelings the memories bring up. Just acknowledge them and walk away!! Dr. Holmes, author of the Science of Mind and founder of what is now called Centers for Spiritual Living, basically said the same thing: Acknowledge what you've created and change your mind.

The rest of my process was much easier. I realized I'm not the same person who stored away that stuff in the back rooms. The rooms are now cleaned, the windows are washed and they are filled with Light. I FEEL lighter - and this is a good thing!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is one Life - God's. There is one mind - God's. There is one heart - God's. Since God is absolutely all there is, this one Life is my life. This one mind is the mind I am using, and this one heart is where I live.

How grateful I am to know this as I allow myself to release the shadows I had buried deep within me. As I acknowledge them, I realize I am no longer affected by them in any way. I let them go. I am free - the Truth has set me free!  I have forgiven myself - giving my Higher Self more room to live in, through and as me.

I am standing in Divine Light, letting it fill me up and spill out into my world. I celebrate my conscious awareness of my Divinity. God and I are one.

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

Life Gave Me a Lemon

Yesterday I was watching a friend put lemon in her water and remembered a story from my past:

A friend was over for dinner, and we were making a dish that needed lemon. We jumped in the car and went to the store -- no lemons!! I said to her "We live in Southern California - there's got to be a lemon tree somewhere. Let's just know we're going to find one." We drove around for quite awhile, and there wasn't a tree anywhere. We'd given up and were headed back to my home when we stopped at a traffic light. I looked out the window, and there, behind a wall was a lemon tree. A few branches were hanging over the wall. I nudged my friend and pointed, and just as we both turned to look, a huge lemon fell onto the sidewalk! She jumped out and grabbed it, and we laughed the rest of the way home.

It was a perfect example of how the Universe provides. We asked, and we received. The funny thing was, we didn't receive until we gave up trying to find it ourselves.

I wonder how many of us are praying for something, and then trying to do it ourselves .. trying to manipulate the thing we're desiring into our lives?

Jesus said "Pray, believing it is so, and it will be." The lemon taught me to trust more. I can declare a thing, let go and let the Law do its job. Simple teaching, right? Now, how easy am I going to let it be!

Spiritual Mind Treatment

We live in an infinitely intelligent universe. This Intelligence is in everything and everyone. It works through Love and Law - Love points the way, and Law makes the way possible.

I now declare I am ready and willing to let Life be this easy. I speak my word into the Law of Mind with Love, and let the Law do the work. I no longer try to fix things myself, or make things work. There is That Within Me that knows how to do it way better than I can imagine. So I let It.

How grateful I am to have this realization and to remember that the Power is within. I celebrate the simplicity of the Law. I celebrate the unconditional Love that guides the way. And so it is.

Many Universes

Have you ever thought about how many universes are in this one that you're living in?

This afternoon I was weeding my garden and looked up to see a Stealth fighter jet, quite low and loud and not so stealthy, streaking across the sky. Up there, there's a whole universe with it's own language -- the language of flight. It talks in concepts of weight and resistance and wind and light ... and that's just one sect! The birds have a totally different yet similar language.

A few moments later, as I was reaching to the back of the flower bed, a brilliantly colored insect caught my eye. I watched it climb the stalk of a lily plant, navigating around the leaves. It was orange and green and yellow and black stripes. There was another universe, the universe of insects.

Later I came in the house and discovered a trail of ants and marveled at the universe they live in. I realized that even though the beetle I had seen earlier and the ants lived in the insect universe, they lived in another universe inside that one, each having it's own methods of communication. My cats came over to see what I was looking at, and here was another universe, one which interacted with mine quite well.

I have many houseplants who are living in their own universe. My housemate lives in her own universe, as do I, as do you. Universe upon universe, overlaying each other at times and yet always complete in their own way.

It made me think of Jesus' statement "In my Father's house there are many mansions..." and I had a new understanding: The universe is not only the body of God, it is where It dwells. Whether insect, airplane, animal or human, there is a place for everything. We can count on this and be grateful. All is God.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

In the cosmic scheme of things, there is only One, yet that One is individuated into countless onenesses. 'The Center is everywhere, the circumference is nowhere" as Emerson wrote. I now have a deeper appreciation of this Oneness and the uniqueness that comes from it. I am a unique expression of The One.

I choose to honor all God is in my life. I see the differences even while I know the unity of all things at a deep cellular level. All my judgments drop away and I celebrate uniqueness as a divine art form. I choose to love my own differences, knowing they are what make me authentically me. It is all God - all Good.

With a grateful heart, I release these words knowing they are so, and so it is.

Mother's Day. I used to have a really hard time with this day.

When my adopted Mother was alive, even getting a card for her was difficult. They were all so sappy. There wasn't one that said "Even though you abused me, thank you for raising me," nor was there one for my birth mother that said "Even though you gave me away, thanks for giving me life."

It was also a difficult holiday because it took a long time to realize I was never going to have my own children. 

I had a lot of work to do and I did it. Forgiveness and Gratitude were the keys to my healing.

Sometimes something comes up that tells me there's more to do. My housemate's son and wife are having a baby any day now. I'm watching her go through the gamut of emotions waiting for her first grandchild. It hit me pretty hard that I'll never have that. Through the years I have experienced motherhood vicariously as I watched my girlfriends have children and now grandchildren, but it isn't the same.

Forgiveness and Gratitude are again the keys to my healing. I forgive myself for creating this experience.  How wonderful it is to be able to watch my friends with their children and grandchildren. How wonderful it is to have furbabies to love now. How grateful I am for the wonderful things I've learned from all the amazing Mothers in my life.

Today I moved into a new arena of gratefulness for Mother's Day -- the one I like to play in the most - the spiritual arena.

I am grateful for QuanYin - the Buddhist Divine Mother of compassion, for Durga - the Hindu Supreme Mother of all creation, for Isis, the Egyptian Divine Mother of healing, for Anu, the Celtic Mother Goddess of fertility and prosperity, for Blessed Mary, the Mother of the Christ and universal symbol of peace and grace, and for the Divine Mother of us all - Mother Earth.

Each of these Divine Mother's have left me a legacy, and I honor them for it.

Blessings for a Happy Mother's Day to all.

Spiritual Mind Treatment

Today I honor the Divine Feminine in everyone and everything, ancient and modern. I celebrate unconditional love and an unconditional givingness. This is the Love of God.

I now declare that with these words, hearts are healed and lives are transformed. 

We are absolutely willing to experience and express compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude. We open our hearts to our own Christ nature, and experience grace. We celebrate Life itself as It lives in, through and as us.

Together we say:  "I am the Mother of my soul, and I honor and love myself as the Sacred Being I am."

Gratefully I release these words, rejoicing in them. And so it is.

I'm lusting

I am focusing on prosperity this month. I'm calling it the Merry Month of Money! Remember that song from Camelot that starts out "It's May, It's May .. the merry month of May .." truth is the words are "It's May! It's May!... The lusty month of May!"

And money is something many of us lust after -- OK, maybe it's not actually 'money', but the things money can buy. For instance, I'm lusting after a Rav 4 and a Samsung Galaxy tablet. I'm lusting after the time when I see a great deal on a cruise or a trip and just buy it without having to figure out the money details. I'm lusting after a building for our Center. I'm lusting after seeing the monthly financial reports always in the black.

In Old English, "lust" referred generally to desire, appetite, or pleasure. Then somehow lust became associated with sexual desire, and declared bad by the church. Indeed many religions are based on letting go of desires. We got an idea that lusting - or desiring material things - is wrong.

The Truth is we are Spirit, having a material experience. We're living in a material world that we're making up as we go along and it's all here to play with, to enjoy.

If you've been thinking that having the things of this world is not spiritual, then think again. Why would God, as infinitely intelligent and as unconditionally loving as It is, give us desires, and then say no, you can't follow them? Why would It give us ideas of wonderful things to create, and then say no, you can't have them? Any "no" we hear comes from our culture, or our upbringing.

Let's do what we can this month to move beyond that old programing and realize that we're ready and willing to accept all of Life's blessings!

Here is an affirmation treatment Dr. Eric Butterworth wrote in Spiritual Economics:

I am secure, for I know who I am; a richly endowed child of God.
I am secure in all I do, for I know my oneness with the divine process.
I am secure in all I have, for know my treasure is in my mind, not in my things.
I live my life from day to day as if God's supportive substance were as exhaustless and dependable as the air I breathe, which it most certainly is." And so it is!

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.