Gratitude is Possible

My Mother taught me how to read before I was in school, and had an excellent library of old books, probably from her childhood. One of the books I read was Pollyanna, which gave me the first survival method I learned as a child. Pollyanna had many things happen in her life, and not all were good - just like me. Her Father had taught her "The Glad Game" before he died, which helped her cope with the rest of her life. I started playing that Game. No matter what happened, I would find something to be glad about. Over the years, my Glad Game became a Gratitude Game and I still play it today, even more consciously. In fact, way before Oprah suggested it, I was writing 5 things I was grateful for in my journal just before going to sleep every night.

 

Gratitude might be hard for the people affected by Hurricane Sandy, for those whose "happily ever after" has ended, for those who have lost their jobs, or had a medical diagnosis that is scary. There's no shortage of tragedy and sadness in our world, yet gratitude IS possible!

 

I remember reading a story in Reader's Digest years ago about a young man who loved to read philosophy and science. His Father was constantly urging him to get outside and play, but he just wanted to read. He'd rather be in the library than the gym. In high school the young man finally joined the football team to please his Father. Towards the end of the season, he was involved in a accident on the field and ended up a paraplegic. All he could do was lay in bed. Friends visited him, expressing their sympathy that he could no longer play football. He was so depressed and angry. He blamed his Father for his physical condition. One day a friend brought him music and books on tape and a cassette player. It wasn't long before he told him, "Thank you so much for the gift. I realize I'm glad this happened. Now I can do what I love to do. I can study philosophy and science."

 

At any moment our lives can change dramatically. We can go down the path of victimhood or we can find something to be grateful for. Which path would you chose?

 

Let's use all of November to be consciously grateful for all we have attracted and experienced and all that is to come. As Meister Eckhart said "If the only prayer you say is thank you, that would be enough."

 

AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER

 

I open my mind and heart to the realization that God is absolutely everywhere. In the midst of chaos, and in the stillness of meditation. It is a feeling of deep unconditional Love. I now let this Love well up within me, and spill out into my life.

 

As I feel Love, I am grateful for everything. For the people, pets, plants, and things I've surrounded myself with. For the wonders of Nature and the blessings of Spirit. For the adventures my life is filled with. For every experience I have attracted in my life.

 

As I walk through my life being grateful, Spirit gives me even more to be grateful for. My feeling of being grateful is catching. Everyone I'm in contact with feels grateful as well. How good it is to know this Truth is manifesting always.

 
Gratefully I release these words to Spiritual Law knowing it is done. And so it is.

The Great Sandy Challenge

To desert the Truth in the hour of need is to show that we never understood the Truth.
Ernest Holmes "Gateway To Life"

As I sat at my computer looking out at neighborhood trees radiant in the sun, the brilliant gold and red invited me outdoors.  I opened the front door. My front yard is a carpet of leaves.  It wasn’t that way yesterday. Now there are almost bare branches.  It is still a beautiful Autumn morning.  The sun is shining and there is a crisp feeling in the air.

The news is full of Hurricane Sandy – they’ve dubbed it “Frankenstorm,” saying it could be the worst one in our lifetime. Yet nothing in my immediate surroundings would have me believe that.  This doesn’t mean I am denying that it could happen, it’s just my observation on how life can change in an instant.

However, one of the tenets in the Declaration of Principles of the Centers for Spiritual Living, is "We Believe in the control of conditions through the Power of this Mind."  Hurricane Sandy gives us an amazing opportunity to put this Principle to work and prove it to ourselves. I've seen it work for weather before -- ask any of the couples I've married over the past 26 years :)

I’m inviting everyone to participate in what I’m calling “The Great Sandy Challenge.”
Let's use our wonderful minds and imagine the Hurricane moving back out to the ocean.  We don’t have to pray that it disappears, just that it changes course.

Now, the question is:  “Do you believe?  Do you believe we have the power to change the course of events?”   Many of us do when it comes to our personal lives, yet when something BIG seems to be happening we don’t.  Why?  What are we afraid of?

Perhaps it’s that we don’t feel safe in declaring the BIG things.  It all comes down to Trust.   Do you trust there is “a Power for good in the universe and you can use it?” as Dr. Holmes said?

With trust, obstacles fall away. No matter how BIG it looks, when we acknowledge the fear, step through it, and allow ourselves to KNOW and FEEL something different, the world changes.

It’s all about consciousness!  What we see ‘out there’ is a projection of what’s inside us.
It’s interesting that this storm is two storms coming together – especially in the political climate of today.   But that’s another message.

Let’s claim safety, wholeness, and peace for all, and watch the Frankenstorm go out to sea.

AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER

With a conscious awareness that what I think and feel has an effect on my world, I now declare that it’s all good, it’s all God.

I refuse to buy into the media hysteria.  I know nothing is impossible using the Law. In the Law there is no big or little.

I now declare that this weather incident has transformed into a no thing.  People and properties are safe.  And we who are praying, realize once again, how powerful we are.

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

Everything will be alright?

I had the opportunity to see Arthur Miller's iconic play, An Enemy of the People. It was done very well. I can't say I 'enjoyed' it, as it made me very uncomfortable, especially in this political climate. At the end, as we were walking out, I told my friend I was having a very hard time with the ending of the play. There was no resolution, no happy ever after. She said "It's reality" and that made me even more uncomfortable.

I wonder if the fairy tales I read as a child instilled in me the idea that everything always works out - the girl gets the one she loves, money magically appears, a new cure arrives on the scene just in time, etc.

"Everything will be all right in the end. So if it is not all right, then it is not yet the end."

The success of this quote from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel proved to me that we all feel the same way. We want everything to work out.

The Truth is, every thing does work out -- it just might not work out OUR way - the way we think it should. There's an element of fear in our desire to have things go our way. We're afraid if they don't, life will be hard, or we won't find love, or will end up penniless.

In times like this, I have to remind myself that there is an Infinite Intelligence at work here. Everything is working out for the highest and best for ALL concerned. not just myself. This doesn't stop me from desiring the outcome I want, but it does relieve me from disappointment if things don't turn out the way I want them to. I can let go of my fears, because I know the infinitely intelligent Mind of God is at work, and in hindsight, I will see that everything did work out for my highest and best good.

AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER

We live in an infinitely intelligent field of creative potential. This Field is the Mind of God. In this Field is both Love and Law .. love points the way, and Law makes the way possible.

I now let go of having to have everything exactly my way. I am ready to place my desires into the Law with Love, knowing I am working with Infinite Intelligence, and It is working with me. When ever I start to feel disappointed in results, I breathe deeply, remember that everything is working out for the highest good of all, and let go and let God do Its perfect work. I know this work is done in, through and as me.

I rejoice in being a vehicle for the highest good. I am so grateful to know that Spiritual Law always works. I now release these words knowing they are so, and so it is.

Mystic

I was called a mystic the other day.  My instant image of a mystic was one of a person who sits in meditation most of the time, someone who is mostly silent, yet when they speak, what they say is profound.  They have direct experiences of The Divine Presence.

That's not me -- yes I meditate and I spend much time in silence.  However, I love laughter.  I have an 11 year old's sense of humor.  Yet I seem to 'know' things without reflection, study or any logic involved.  People will call me about books they've read and are excited about, and as we talk, they say "Oh, you've read this book already."   No, I just know.  I also pay attention to my intuition.

I decided to look at what Ernest Holmes wrote about mystics.  First I went to the glossary of the Science of Mind:   under Mysticism ... Mystics -- two sentences jumped out at me:
"A mystic is one who intuitively senses Reality.
A mystic does not read human thought but senses the Thought of God."

In Chapter 20, What the Mystics Have Taught" he writes:
 "A mystic is one who intuitively perceives Truth and, without mental process, arrives at Spiritual Realization."

Reading this chapter, I began to understand we are all mystics.  How do we get there?   Holmes writes "... there should be a conscious courting of the Divine Presence."

What we learn through experience is all we can know about God, so a conscious courting of the Presence would bring about more divine experiences, which in turn would reinforce our awareness that  we really do live in a spiritual world.  We'd be grateful for absolutely everything, and we'd be able to Feel the Presence.

Living as a mystic would change everything.  We'd no longer have our stories of trauma and drama.  We'd no longer be in a place of judging ourselves or others.  We would only see the Highest Good in everything.

Are we courageous enough to live like that?  Perhaps for a moment.  Breathe. One moment becomes another.  It's time  The world is calling.


Affirmative Prayer:

Going within, I recognize the powerful Presence that is absolutely everywhere.  I feel this Divine Energy flowing around and through me.  It is manifesting Itself as my life.

I choose to consciously pay attention. I court the Presence.  I claim It as my own Self.  I acknowledge it in others.  I see It in animals, plants, the earth - all of Nature.  I am walking on holy ground.   I am breathing sacred air.  I am opening my heart and mind to having a love affair with The Divine.   As I do this, The Divine shows up in so many ways, letting me know how much I am loved.

Gratefully, I celebrate the mysticism of Life.  It colors all experiences with Light.  I am so grateful to be able to see the Light, and know that It is coming from within me as well as from every spot in the universe.  God is good.   And so It is.

Ahhhh Autumn

Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn. I love this season. The colors Mother Earth wears are intense reds, yellows, purples and browns. Farmers are harvesting the last of their crops. It's a time of celebration for all of our blessings. It feels so rich and abundant!

Autumn is also a time of clean-up, recognition, thanksgiving and preparation for going within. As an equinox, it's a balance point between the light and the dark. I love using a seasons energies to follow a more natural way of living.

Let me suggest taking some time to be grateful for all you've 'harvested' so far this year. Let yourself clean up anything that is no longer serving you. Let go of any emotional baggage you're still dragging around. Accept that you might have shadows and sorrows, and embrace them - they are a real part of your experience - but don't let them drag you down. Understand that a healthy spiritual life finds balance in all things. Make plans for acknowledging all your Beloveds - those that are here and those that are not. And be grateful.

I want to let Gratitude be my Beingness this season. I'm going to take more time to do things. I'm going to eat slower. As grateful as I am for technology, I'm going to put down my smartphone or tablet, push away from the computer and limit my TV time. I'm going to look into the eyes of my family, friends and pets, or at the changing colors of nature, and be fully present in as many moments as I can. I'm going to experience Autumn.

The seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives are changing quickly. Let's enjoy every moment!

Affirmative Prayer:

The I Am That I Am is fully present within me. I celebrate this awareness. I let the Truth of It flood my being. I feel the Power and the Love. I am aware of Infinite Intelligence and perfect Grace.

Love blesses me as I choose to live in the present moment. I let go of trying to hang on to the past. I celebrate all I have done, all I have harvested by right of my consciousness. I know with God even more good things are possible in my life. I choose wisely what I want to experience and my life is filled with love, peace, beauty and laughter.

I acknowledge the gifts of The Divine. I gratefully stay in the present moment, honoring all that shows up as a reflection of the God consciousness within. God is good, and all is well in my life.

I release these words to the Law of Mind, knowing they are already so. I have revealed my Truth, and this is good. And so it is.

Prayer Changes Us

"While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation." --Maya Angelou

What a perfect lesson for these days!   No matter where I go, or who I talk to, the conversation always seems to turn to complaining.  It's about what "they" did or didn't do.

So what do we do as metaphysicians in these situations?

We pray.  We pray to remember who we all are -- Infinite spiritual beings having an experience we're calling 'human'.  

"The Baal Shem Tov says if a person prays and is the same person afterward, it is like they did not pray."   ~ Yehuda Berg

Prayer changes us.  In our faith tradition, (Science of Mind) we say the same thing -- and the thing that changes is our consciousness. 

Jesus say "Pray believing it is so, and it shall be."   "Believing it is so" is consciousness.

Once we believe something -- that something is always possible.

Perhaps you learned how to ride a 2 wheel bicycle when you were young.  Even if you haven't ridden a bicycle in years, if one showed up at your front door right now, you could still get on and ride it.   Granted, you might be a bit rusty, but riding a bicycle is in your consciousness.

This is why we believe affirmative prayer is the best tool in our spiritual toolbox. Prayer changes us.  We're not the same person afterward.    

I have a feeling that if more of us prayed instead of complained, the world would be a different place.

Affirmative Prayer

There is only One Life. This Life is God’s Life. This Life is Pure Love.  This Life is the life we are living right now.    God is Love therefore we are love.

I declare that we start acting like this is our Truth.  I know for myself, that as I move through my days, I shall no longer see the effects of the world as being against anything. I see them for what they are – an old paradigm dying – and a crying out for recognition.  I recognize the chaos as part of a divine process.  Everything is not falling apart, it is falling into its right and perfect places.  I see this personally and globally. 

I know that regardless of appearances, Great Good is being revealed.  I am so grateful to be living in these exciting times.  I am so grateful to the Source of all for my constantly expanding realizations of Spiritual Truth, and the understanding of how to apply it here and now.

I release these words into spiritual law, knowing they are so.  And so it is.

Find me one person who is for something ....

Lately, as I've read about politics, chicken sandwiches, banks, and all the "they did this"finger pointing, I keep thinking of what Ernest Holmes said in his famous "Sermon by the Sea" speech:

"Find me one person who is for something and against nothing, who is redeemed enough not to condemn others out of the burden of his soul, and I will find another savior, another Jesus, and an exalted human being."

How do I become that person? What comes to me is one of don Miguel Ruiz' Four Agreements

"Don't take anything personally."

I know this is hard to do, especially when it seems like we're the ones that others are against ...

however, one of the things I learned from Emma Curtis Hopkins is that everyone is always doing what they think is right, and we live in a country where they have the right to do that.

Perhaps we have to let go of fearing that the ones speaking the loudest, or who have the most money, will make us think a certain way. That's impossible. No one can make us believe anything unless we let them.

Perhaps we're afraid that if we don't fight, the world will change in ways we don't want it to. The world will change whether we fight or not - that's the only constant here - and we may or may not like the way it changes. 

Each of us must do what's right in our hearts. I'm hoping that we're growing in conscious so we don't try to fight fire with fire -- indeed - I don't want us to fight at all. I want us to stand in the Truth of our being - To know in our heart of hearts what's right for us, and to move toward it in ways that are peaceful.

"This country has a fantastic destiny. I still say to people, “What is the meaning of USA?” It’s not United States of America. It’s ultimate state of awareness." - Her Holiness Sai Maa

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is That Within Us that is always working for the greater good for all. I choose to believe this is True, and I open myself to be a conscious vehicle for it. I know Love is the greatest healing agent in the universe, so I let go of fear, of hate, of resentment, etc., and just Love.

I declare that everything is happening for our highest good. I don't necessarily know what that looks like, but I am willing to be a part of it. I start by being conscious of how I am treating people, whether or not I am giving them safe passage through my mind.

I celebrate the Divine always, in all ways, and in all people. How grateful I am that I can do this.

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

Today was one of those days where it's harder than usual to hear the news. Many of us are wondering how could a person do this? How could someone arm themselves to the teeth and enter a theater and start shooting? We hear that his apartment is full of explosives. We realize that this was premeditated. We want to hate him for what he did ... yet the Truth is, this experience was a huge call for help - a call that wasn't answered during the build up to what happened today. Why is that? Maybe we'll never know. "Why" is usually a futile question. Perhaps this is where Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len's Ho'oponopono practice comes in. Dr. Lew said that he "was simply healing the part of me that created them.” That process is "I'm sorry, Please forgive me, I forgive you, Thank you."

I want to look at this incident from my micro and macro points of view (personal and cosmic - and my opinion).

In the micro we think "I could never do something like that" .. yet a very long time ago I had an experience that told me this type of rage is possible for anyone. I came home to see the cord to the phone running across the living room and into the bedroom, with the door closed most of the way. I could hear my husband on the phone with his ex-girlfriend .... and from what I heard, she wasn't his 'ex' -- he'd never stopped seeing her. We'd been married less than a year. I was furious. I kicked the door open and grabbed the phone cord so hard it not only pulled the phone away from him, but it pulled the cord out of the wall. He stood up yelling and came toward me. I found myself backed into the open coat closet. There was a wooden hanger there. For a moment I went into a stillness. I saw myself taking that hanger down, smacking it against the door jam so it would break and have a sharp point, and stabbing him with it. I've always been a peaceful person, and the idea that I was even thinking about doing this shocked me. I remember thinking "I'm not going to jail for anyone." I ran past him and out of the house so I could cool off. Thank God.

Anyone can go into a rage - how we react to that rage is what's important.

On the macro level -- I believe we're entering into a new paradigm -- The Age Of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment is where "My religion is kindness", we're full of compassion, we're realizing Oneness, and have a conscious awareness of how everything is consciousness.

The old paradigm is "Might is Right" ... war is sexy, competition is approved of, it's ok to fight for territory, etc.. The old paradigm is dying. Each horrific man-made event is part of that paradigm trying to stay alive.

Everything is happening just as it should.

And even though everything is happening just as it should, it doesn't stop us from being sad or afraid. So what do we do?   Be with our feelings - really feel them, don't allow ourseles to numb out. Then turn those feelings into compassion, and pray for all concerned -- and that's all of us.

AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER

The I Am That I Am is fully present within me. I let the Truth of this awareness flood my being. I feel the Power and the Love. I am aware of Infinite Intelligence and perfect Grace.

Love blesses me as I choose to live in the present moment. I let go of trying to hang on to the past, even if it was just a minute ago. I let go of resisting change - resistance is futile. I choose wisely what I want to experience and anything unlike good is released from my subjective mind.

I have compassion for those that appear to be misguided. I bless them on their Path, because I know they are on a Divine Path just as I am, no matter what it looks like to me. Everyone is. This is the only judgment I allow myself. Everything and everyone is just where they are supposed to be.

I am so grateful I can choose to stay in the present moment, honoring all that shows up. I release these words to the Law of Mind, knowing they are already so. I have revealed my Truth, and so it is.

Why Am I Putting Off My Good?

I've been talking to a man from Balboa Press, which is the self-publishing division of Hay House. He calls me once a month to see how I'm doing on my book. Every month I tell him, "Well.... all I've got to do is collate the articles...."

 

The other day, we chatted for a moment, and then he said, "Did you know that you first contacted us 508 days ago?" For a moment I couldn't breathe. "508 days?" I thought "That's almost a year and a half! I could be holding a book, or even two books, in my hands right now!" I wanted to cry.

 

After I got off the phone, I asked myself "Why am I putting off my good? What is it that's keeping me from completing this project?" I know that when I finally do it, the other books won't seem so hard, and I will finally allow myself to do what I've always loved to do, and get paid for it!

 

The only answer that came to me is FEAR. What am I afraid of? Rejection? I can't be rejected by a publisher when I'm self-publishing! Except, oh dear, that means I've been rejecting myself.

 

Well, before I got off the phone with the salesman, I made a commitment to myself. It's time. For my birthday on the 19th, I'm choosing to stop putting off my good. He's calling me around August 1st, and that day I'm going to sign the contract for the self-publishing package whether I'm finished collating or not.

 

This means in the next two weeks, I get to do 3 things:

1. Decide which book to publish first --- Prosperity 101 (based on my 6 different "Thank God We're Rich Campaigns") or the 365 daily reader based on my ("Friday Messages" that I've been writing for 10 years! .. I wonder what a good name would be)

2. Manifest the $1500 for the package

3. Collate the chapters

 

Part of me feels relieved, and the other part feels overwhelmed. However, now that I've made the decision, I am no longer afraid.

 

FEAR really is False Evidence Appearing Real. What good have You been putting off? Join me in going for it! Let's use the following affirmative prayer to move beyond our fears and see our greater good manifest in, through and as us now!

 

AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER:

 

I acknowledge that there is a Powerful Presence within me desiring to express Itself through me. It is the One Life of God - infinitely intelligent and unconditionally loving. It is impelling me to open up to It greater than I've ever done before. It already knows Itself as a bigger idea of me. I now let go of my littleness and let the Spirit flow.

 

I stop blocking Divine Expression with my self-imposed excuses. I now open my mind and my heart to do the work I am meant to do. I let Divine Inspiration flow though me with ease and grace. I celebrate my conscious awareness that everything needed for the fulfillment of this Divine Desire is already at hand. I trust the Universe to guide me and support me in every way.

 

How grateful I am to have made the decision to play a bigger game in the realms of infinite potentiality. How grateful I am to know that God's got my back. I now release these words into the Law of Mind, knowing they are so, and so it is.

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.