Patience

Blessings from the Big Island of Hawai’i …

There is a plaque on the kitchen counter here that reads:

‘A’ohe hua o ka mai’a i ka lā ho’okāhi

“Bananas do not fruit in a single day”

This reminded me of my Mother’s saying: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And how true this is! Being born in the age of TV dinners, microwaves, instant whatevers and their evolution, we tend to want things and want them NOW! We have very little patience when we have a desire.

Yet – if we allow ourselves to look back at some of our successes – our demonstrations – we will see they came at the perfect time. It might not have been the time we wanted, yet it was perfect all the same.

One day, when I was being impatient, I had a mental image of the Universe as a huge machine with lots of gears, all whirling and twirling and meshing just so. I realized that all the movement was putting not what I wanted, but everything that had to happen so I could have what I wanted, in its perfect places.

I also realized I could force things to happen quicker – yet when I did, something was always lacking – things just didn’t fit right. Or I could spend my energies worrying about how or when it was going to manifest, thereby slowing down the process. I realized I had to start being patient and trust the Universe to do Its perfect work.

Think about that thing you’ve been treating for – how patient have you been? Are you trusting the Law and allowing the gears of the Universe to do the work only that only The Divine knows how to do?

The Law always works in Divine Timing, at the level of our receptivity. All Spiritual Mind Treatments are still active in Mind until we absolutely accept that which we’ve been treating for.

Yes, bananas don’t fruit in a day – yet they sure are delicious when they are ready!!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Gratefully I acknowledge The Divine. I know It is everywhere present, infinitely loving and all powerful. It is within me – the Source and sustainer of my life.

Recognizing this, I celebrate my willingness to use the Law for the expansion of my consciousness and the betterment of life for all. I let go of my impatience. I let go of any doubts I might have had. I declare that I know the Law works, and I let It work through me unimpeded, with ease and grace.

I now declare that the things I have been calling challenges are really projects in Mind. My job is to see the finished results and so I do. I see myself living a blessed life – healthy, wealthy, creatively fulfilled and full of love.

I feel so grateful for my awareness of Spiritual Law, so grateful to know that the results will be better than I ever expected. God is good, and all is well in my world. I release these words into the Law of Mind with joy and gratitude, and so it is.

Letting Go

Darling Phoebe, who I thought would be my forever dog, left today for her new home. I was her “permanent foster mom” for the owner, who breeds top quality Standard Poodles. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go to the States with me, and so this morning, with cuddles, tears and a heavy heart, I had to let her go.

It made me think about all the other times I have gone on what I call “Grand Spiritual Adventures.” There was always a letting go. I believe it is this way for all of us. We make sacrifices – and we do it consciously or unconsciously.

When I first came to Canada in 2000, I had shipped my 1989 Mustang from Hawai’i. I loved this car - - it had every bell and whistle you can imagine, and I looked really good in it. But more than that – my husband had given me this car, which made it a treasure of the heart.

One night after class, Brad, a student who has taught me so much over the past 9 years, was walking me to my car, and we were talking about attachments. Having just sold everything, left a successful church in Hawaii, along with my husband and family of choice – I said “I don’t have any attachments.” Brad said “Really?” and I responded “Well, my car. I really like my car – it’s the last thing I have from Hawai’i.” A few weeks later, when I returned from the Asilomar Conference in California, I discovered that my car, which had been parked on the street in front of my apartment, had been slammed into by a drunk driver, and totaled.

That’s when I learned that the root of the word ‘sacrifice’ is from the Latin meaning “to perform sacred functions.” You see, I wailed and cried for a few days about the sacrifices I had made to come to Canada, as if Something Else was making me do them. I was used to thinking of sacrifice as something awful – yet when I looked it up and discovered the words original meaning, I began to approach it with a sense of the sacred. I realized letting go is an important spiritual practice.

Will we be sad? Of course. Grief is natural and wants to be expressed. It is like a cleansing – a removal of another layer of dust to reveal the Diamond Within. We sacrifice something we have been - to be more – something more magnificent.

Phoebe is going to a new family who has another Standard Poodle to play with and lots of acreage. I am going home to the States, to a larger community and lots of possibilities. The members and friends of Celebration Centre are stepping into a new Grand Spiritual Adventure themselves, collectively and individually. And I declare it’s all going to be Good, very Good!


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

God is the only Presence. God is Love and Love is the only Power. We all live, move and have our being in Love. We are living the One Life of The Divine.

Knowing this, I now declare that letting go is a sacred experience. As we move through our Grand Spiritual Adventures, letting go so that we can be Revealed Truth in action, we know that only good is real.

We acknowledge our feelings, and allow Nature to nurture us through them, and then cleansed, we turn, with eager anticipation, to the New Path we have chosen.

As we let go, we let God fulfill our Souls Contract. This Contract is about awakening more and more each day to our spiritual magnificence. I declare that we claim it, feel it, and see it reflected in our world! How wonderful it is!

I release these words into the Law of Mind with a grateful heart. And so it is.

Luck Has Nothing to do With It!

I am leaving Canada the end of this year. I have accepted the position of Senior Pastor of the Center for Spiritual Living in Baltimore, Maryland.

At lunch after our Gathering last Sunday, as I was answering some questions about my new position, one of our congregation said “You are so lucky.” I heard myself replying “Luck had nothing to do with it! I’ve been treating for this for the past 24 years!”

As I said this, I remembered another occasion. A group of us had arrived in Egypt in the middle of the night, tired and hungry. I went to bed as soon as I walked into the hotel room, and the next morning, opened the curtains to see the Great Pyramid in all its glory! I sat in awe on the balcony watching the sunlight move up the face of the pyramid and thought “I am so lucky!” and a voice inside my head said “Luck had nothing to do with it! You’ve wanted to be here all your life.”

Spiritual Law works whether we are aware of it or not, and it works according to our receptivity. Yes, I had wanted to go to Egypt since I was a child. I had pictures on my treasure map, and looked longingly airfares and tour companies. One day I received a flyer about a conference in Egypt called “Personal and Planetary Spiritual Evolution,” but after looking at the price, threw the flyer away. I couldn’t stop thinking about that trip though. Then the office phone rang and Terry Weiss of Power Places Tours told me I had been recommended as a speaker and would I like to participate? I couldn’t imagine who had recommended me, but said YES! After getting off the phone and doing my happy dance, I realized I was finally receptive to the idea of going, and the trip manifested in ways I could hardly imagine.

Dr. Ernest Holmes wrote, "But even God cannot give us anything unless we are in a mental condition to receive the gift. The Law cannot do anything for us unless It can do it through us. We live in the midst of eternal good, but it can only be to us what we believe it to be. We stand at the mouth of the river, but we must let down our own bucket if we wish it filled with the pure waters of Reality."

If you have a desire you’re waiting to manifest – don’t give up, no matter how long it takes. Keep doing your spiritual work. Check your level of receptivity.

And perhaps you might use this prayer by Dr. Kathianne Lewis of the Center for Spiritual Living, Seattle:

"Reveal to me the finished Kingdom though which I walk".


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

We live in an infinite Field of creative potentiality. This Field is Source Energy – the beginning of all that is, including us. This Field is impressed with our thoughts and feelings and becomes the 3D world we live in.

Knowing this, I now declare I am ready to step into my greatness. I let go of my little ideas about myself and release all doubts and fears. I step up to the River of Reality and drink my fill. I walk through a finished Kingdom and I recognize It!
Gratefully I release these words, knowing they are embodied deep within my subjective mind. I know God is absolutely everywhere – and where ever God is – all is good.

And so it is.

F. E. A. R.

Whoo Hoo! Friday the 13th! Started out with huge hail storm and a tree falling over in my neighbours back yard. Now, if I was superstitious, which I’m not (well, most of the time) or living in ancient times – these two experiences together could possibly be a disastrous omen.

It’s that ole fear of the unknown and constant search for meaning.

Rev. Shelly Downs of the Tree of Life Center in La Crescenta, California, posted this on her FB status:

“F.E.A.R. Many have heard this is an acronym for "False Evidence Appears Real"..... I have changed the focus a bit to be "Feeling Excited And Ready". For truly, what do we have to fear, when we are One with God?”

I love this!! We are so used to the feeling of fear that I’ll bet we mistake excitement for fear many times over. For instance – you’re getting ready to go on stage – you know your lines – you love acting – yet there’s that feeling in the pit of your stomach. Your mind says “Stage Fright” and you might flub a line. What if it was really excitement?

Or – You’ve been asked to go out with a new person for the first time – again you have that feeling in your stomach. Your mind says “What if he/she isn’t right for you?” and follows it up with the litany of sorrows from past dates or relationships. You might not go and miss something wonderful!! What if it was really excitement?

Or – you’ve applied for a new job, and you feel that feeling again. Your mind interprets it as “what if I don’t get it” and gives a multitude of reasons why. What if it is really excitement!

What if we had identified the feeling we were feeling in these examples as “Feeling Excited And Ready?!” How would that change the course of events?

Ernest Holmes writes: “In principle and in potential we are immersed in good for we are in the Mind of God. But we have freedom, or volition, to create in our own experience, out of the possibilities of life with which we have been endowed, the prerogative of heaven or hell. So we need to shake ourselves loose from the tyranny of fear and superstition and isolation and the emotional traditions.”

The Science of Mind (and many other faith traditions) teach: All there is, is God. When we truly embody this, we know there is nothing to be afraid of. Next time you feeling those feelings ask yourself “Am I really afraid, or am I Feeling Excited and Ready for all the good I am attracting into my life?” I choose excited and ready!!


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Gratefully I allow myself to breathe deeply and go to the center of my being. Here is where the fountain of all good begins – the Source of me. This Source is infinitely intelligent and unconditionally loving. It is everywhere I am, because in Truth, It is all there is.

Resting in this sacred space - I feel all fear I have about anything drain away. In its place I find peace – a Divine Peace I now realize was there all along. This Divine Peace moves through me, realigning everything unlike Its perfect pattern in every area of my life – my body, my work, my finances, my relationships. I feel a deep sense of harmony as I recognize how connected I am with The All.

How grateful I am to have this experience. I choose to let this feeling permeate my subjective mind, and it feels so good. I am feeling excited and ready to enjoy my life! It is God’s Life and I have made It a good one!

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

Bodies

With the holiday season arriving, we are beginning to hear complaints (though not too seriously) about the foods available. In Canada, Christmas baking is BIG – shortbread, cookies, fudge, fruit cake, butter tarts, mincemeat tarts, homemade truffles, lots of chocolates of all kinds …. Anyone besides me drooling yet? Oh – and eggnog – yumm! Some of us women joke that we might as well glue it to our hips since we feel that’s where it will show up anyway. Last year I heard myself saying “All I have to do is look at the holiday goodies and I gain weight.” And the Universe said “Yes, my darling,” and so I did.

Magazines are now coming out with articles about weight programs for the holidays. Indeed weight loss is one of the biggest money making ventures around. Open any magazine, or go to your local bookstore and see how many different ideas there are about weight loss for both women and men.

Yes, at the bottom of all of our concerns about our bodies are ideas – ideas we’ve accepted according to where we live and what’s in style. Ideas that are based in fear – fear that we won’t be pretty or handsome enough, fear that we won’t be acceptable in society - plain old fear of not being enough!

Nithya Shanti, a spiritual teacher in India, wrote as his status line on Facebook one day: “Our bodies are magnificent. They are condensed Divinity. There is nothing in them at all to despise or be embarrassed about. Any cultural or religious ideas to the contrary can safely be abandoned at once.”

The Ancient Hawaiians believed the bigger you were the more mana you had (mana = spiritual power). Our bodies are condensed Divinity – or we could say thick thought. How does this idea change the way you will see yourself the next time you look in the mirror?

Looking at my body from this perspective erases the guilt of holiday eating. I will be conscious about what I’m eating and I will allow myself the pleasure of experiencing this once-a-year feasting.

Together, let’s abandon the fears of not being enough because of what we look like. Let’s enjoy being in a body. It’s an amazing self-repairing earth suit, designed by us, with abilities to experience the world we’re creating through our senses! It is God coalesced into form for our adventure here called Life.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is only One Life – God’s Life. I am an expression of this One Life, living in a body I have created with my thoughts to be here now.

How grateful I am for every cell of this body. I have eyes that see, ears that hear, a nose that smells, a tongue that tastes, and hands that touch—and these things that allow me to experience through my senses are only a tiny part of the wonderful organism that I am. I am grateful for my skeletal structure, my muscles, and tendons. I am grateful for all the organs that are within me and the work they do for me automatically. I am grateful for the blood that moves through my body, bringing oxygen and removing that which is no longer necessary. I am grateful for my brain and all the electrochemical activities that run the body.

I now let go of any negative thinking I have been doing about my body. I choose to see it as the condensed Divinity It is. I am grateful that I now realize that this body is truly the Temple of the Most High.

The I AM that I am loves and nourishes and uses this body with great respect. I see this reflected in the way I treat my body. It is God in form.

I release these words into the Law of Mind, knowing they are planted deep within my subjective mind, becoming a builder of my universe, and this is good, very good. And so it is.

Imagination

Halloween’s an interesting time of year. It’s a time when we give ourselves permission to be creative – it’s also a time when we give ourselves permission to be scared and make it fun. In the human experience we seem to fall easily into mental scary places. We fear illness, the world financial situation, or that our jobs or our love will end. We find ourselves imagining all sorts of scary stories but it’s not fun.

Years ago when I was living in Los Angeles, as I was driving home from a week long trip, I saw that the hills in which I lived were on fire. I started worrying about my cats and my home. Various scary scenarios flashed through my mind until I could hardly breathe, my heart was pounding and every muscle in my body was rigid. As I kept driving I realized the fire wasn’t anywhere close to where I lived. I was so grateful my home was safe yet it took me a little while to come back to normal physically. This experience made me realize how powerful my imagination was.

Our imaginations are one of the most awesome tools in our spiritual tool box. Yet our imagination cannot tell what is real or not real, so letting our imagination run wild from a fear base can cause effects that are not conducive to our highest good.

When the darker side of our dreams seems to bleed into our imaginations, it is the perfect opportunity to work through our fears. How do we do this? First we admit we are afraid. We face them head on and recognize them as dream blockers. We claim the Truth about them. They are not Real. We don’t beat ourselves up for being scared. We laugh at the costume that fear took!! Then we get busy and have fun imagining what we really want!

J. K Rowling, author of the delightful Harry Potter books, said in her 2008 commencement address to Harvard: “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

One Power, one Presence – one Heart, one Mind. This is The Divine. The Source and substance of all there is, including me. I celebrate my conscious awareness of this One, as I speak my word into spiritual law:

No longer do I let fear immobilize me. No longer do I let fear take over my imagination to block my dreams. I declare I am fear-free. I use my imagination to visualize a world that is fear-free. And it feels good.

I also declare that anytime fear creeps into my imagination the Silent Witness gently and humourously reminds me that this is not my Truth.

I am so grateful for this wonderful tool. I build my Vision for my life with ease and grace. I experience what I imagine and it is good.

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

Thoughts

Bonnie, a wonderful artist friend of mine in Hawaii, posted a picture on Facebook of a living room that was totally black and white except for a few red flowers. I found it interesting to read people’s reactions to the picture. To Bonnie, who’s also an interior decorator, the picture reflected a room that was elegant, dramatic and sophisticated (tho she wouldn’t want to have to clean it) … someone else thought it was too sterile … I wanted more red.

I reflected on our thinking processes. Some like everything to be black and white. Some like lots of drama. Some like lots of colour, lots of details. Some like simplicity. No one is wrong. We are all right in our own way. My right might not agree with your right but that doesn’t make either of us wrong. Imagine how our world would be if we could accept this.

The Hawaiians have a forgiveness process that is popular right now. Ho’o pono pono. The word means “to be the cause of making the right right.” There is no wrong. There is only a revealing of a higher Truth.

The Truth is we are all unique individualized expressions of the One Mind. How grateful I am that we don’t all think the same! Whether your world is black and white or full of colour – I KNOW it is beautiful!!


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I recognize the powerful presence of The Divine all around me. It is in everything, everywhere. It is the Source and substance of all that is. It is the Lifeforce within me. It is – and it is all there is.

Today I declare I am willing to let go of any judgments I have about how others think or live their lives. I now see them as another unique expression of God. I appreciate our differences.
I am also willing to let go of any judgments of how I think. I appreciate my uniqueness.

Because of my willingness, I see the blessings of Peace filling our world. I sense a calmness filling my atmosphere. Life is good, very good.

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

Willingness

Rev. Yvonne Davidson, a friend in Kelowna, sent me this story and I had to share it with you:

I had the opportunity of meeting a wonderful Chiropractor who has been working with David and I since March. He said he had come to Kelowna to heal the city.

He accepts a patient, X-rays them, sees them three times a week for three months, twice a week for three months, then once a week for three months. His theory is that we have to train the body to re-member how to hold the adjustments he gives it.

What amazed me is that he asks each patient how much they can pay per month and if they can't pay anything, they don't, and whatever they can afford is what they pay for their treatments! No balance piling up, no accounting each month.

He belongs to Trinity Baptist Church and is a very delightful, cheerful and positive Christian, who knows all about how the mind and body work together. Our philosophies differ very little.

He told me he used to go to church every Sunday and volunteer his time. One day he thought; "There are lots of people who volunteer here". So now every Sunday he goes down to the Mission where they do a breakfast for the homeless and he does around 30 Chiro adjustments for street people. Here is a man who really walks his talk.

Yes, here is a man who really walks his talk. I love his willingness to know his gifts so clearly and give them regardless of what our society would say. I can just hear his fellow chiropractors – “You mean you just give it away? You can’t do that!” Yes he can and yes he does.

My teacher, the late Rev. Helen Street, used to say that within 5 minutes of conversation she could tell what God the person had. As I read this e-mail, I see a man whose God is a loving, giving God. One that supports him in doing the work he knows he must do. One that he trusts.
I love this God.


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I acknowledge the Divine Energy that is within us all. This Divine Energy is the Source, the sustainer and the substance of all. It is Love working through Law. It is, and It is all there is.

Knowing this I speak my word into this wonderful Energy and I declare “I am ready and willing to be all I can be. I am ready to give my gifts to the world and I am ready to trust that everything needed to do this work is already at hand.”

I celebrate my willingness, my courage and my ability to trust. I am so grateful for these Principles and the Universe’s constant reminder of them. I gratefully step forward in faith and do the work I am here to do. God in me, as me, is living a wonderful life!

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

Change

Someone said the other day that the world is changing and because of that, their life was changing. It’s true, our lives are changing and will never been the same, moment to moment. Change means the process of becoming different. Aren’t we always doing that? Don’t we desire to do that? We want to become more authentic, more loving, be more of service, and in order to do that something in us must change. Change is natural on the physical level – yet we are so afraid of it.
Holmes writes in the Science of Mind “All seeming change is merely the play of Life upon Itself.” Creation demands change as Life creates by a process of Divine Self-Imagination, and Life’s imagination flows through us at the level of our receptivity. The only thing that ever changes is form. The form might be our job, our home, even our relationships. Because of our fears, we often resist change when everything inside of us is urging us to move! I call that urge a sense of Divine Discontentment.
Holmes also writes: “Nature will not let us stay in any one place too long. She will let us stay just long enough to gather the experience necessary to the unfolding and advancement of the soul. This is a wise provision, for should we stay here too long, we would become too set, too rigid, too inflexible. Nature demands the change in order that we may advance. When the change comes, we should welcome it with a smile on the lips and a song in the heart.”
Yes, change is happening, and always will. Let’s move into our changes with a clear understanding that Who We Are in Truth never changes, just the forms. Let’s welcome change, knowing it is an advancement of our soul.


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I acknowledge and celebrate the powerful Presence of the Divine right here and now. I know It is absolutely everywhere including within me. It serves me though Law according to my awareness of It, and I serve It with Love.

I now declare I am ready to accept that Who I Am in Spirit is changeless. I am Spirit in form, and it is the form that changes. I accept these changes as results of my consciousness. Every change in my live is about advancing my expression of Self, about growth in consciousness, and about having a deeper experience of the Divine. I declare that change is good!

With a grateful heart I let go and let God guide me to my highest good and greatest joy. I release these words into the Law of Mind, knowing they are done. And so it is.

Training

Several times a day I take Phoebe through her “training” routine. The normal “sit, stay, and heel,” etc. This morning was exhausting! She was being a wild child!! She wanted to do what she wanted to do and I had a really hard time being the pack leader. Part of me just wanted to let her run and play and be a dog, yet I know that if I let up on the training, it will be more difficult the next time.

On the walk home, I realized our minds are a lot like puppies. They need training. Consistent training. And even when we think we’ve got it, we need reinforcement training.

I know we sometimes get discouraged or overwhelmed by this work. Sometime it seems so hard! We do our Spiritual Mind Treatments, we journal, we meditate, we listen to great messages on Sundays, yet still, that thing our heart desires isn’t manifesting. We’re not happy. Why is this? We’ve let our minds go wild.

I don’t know how many times over the past 30 years that I’ve been in this teaching when I thought “Oh to be ignorant again – ignorance is bliss.” Yet when we’re ignorant, we fall into the collective unconscious way of thinking. What’s in the collective unconscious you ask? Turn on the radio or your television, and what ever the story is, it’s probably based in fear! Remember, we attract what we are predominantly thinking and feeling!

We’re like spiritual athletes, constantly assessing our performance, moving into more training. And as most athletes will tell you, training in a group is a great experience. Classes started this month – are you in one? That training brings awesome rewards!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Gratefully I honour The Divine Presence within us, among us and around us. It is the Sustainer of Life, Love and all things. It is all there is.

I know this Presence as both Love and Law, therefore I now speak my word into this Law, declaring:
“I am an excellent spiritual athlete. I have a trained mind, and the trained mind is the dominant mind. I know that as I declare a thing, it is done with ease.”

Because I have declared this, the whole Universe rushes forward to make this my reality. Doors open, opportunities abound. Life is good.

I celebrate my conscious awareness of Principle, and the knowledge of how to use it to create a world that works for everyone including me! I live my life in gratitude, and it is good, very good.

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

Celebrate!

I love following the multifaith calendar. There are so many celebrations, so many delightful rituals.

Tonight at sundown Rosh Hashanah begins. This is the Jewish New Year. There are many rituals and prayers involved in this holy time – and the one I resonate to is Tashlikh (Hebrew for “casting off”). During the afternoon, people go to a large, natural body of flowing water and “cast off” the previous years sins by throwing pieces of bread into the water. The word ‘sin’ in the biblical Hebrew, the generic word for sin is het. It means to err, to miss the mark.

Tomorrow, September 19 is Navratri (or nine nights), a Hindu holiday that honors Shakti or the Divine Feminine/Mother and looks to her for spiritual cleansing, guidance, and enlightenment.

Dr. Holmes writes in the glossary of the Science of Mind, under Feminine Principle: “The Universal Soul. In us, the subjective or subconscious intelligence. The Universal Medium or Soul has been called the “Womb of Nature,” and the “Holy Mother,” because It is receptive to the Spirit, and is impregnated with Divine Ideas. It gives birth to the Ideas of the Spirit, and is, therefore the Feminine Principle of Nature.

Even the holy days of this month are telling us to clear the clutter to make room for what we want to manifest in our lives!! There’s a brook running through our back yard – I am going to use the Jewish ritual to let go of all the things I might be holding against myself or others. My main error or the mark I might have missed would be to think that myself and others are not God.

Then I will use the Feminine Principle to consciously connect with my Hearts desires and let those take the place of the ‘sins’ I let go of. My Hearts desire is to be happy and of service to my world. To be loved and loving. To feel all my feelings. To see everything as Divine.

How would you use the energy of these holy days?


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I celebrate the holiness, the wholeness, of the One Life that is the Source and Sustainer of all things. I know It is absolutely everywhere, including within me.

In this Oneness is both Love and Law – Love pointing the way, and Law making the way possible. I now speak with Love into the Law and declare: I am willing to let go and be more Real. I am willing to accept my Good with an open heart and mind and arms. I am willing to accept the Truth of my being, which is God.

As I declare and feel my willingness, Life fulfills the desires of my heart. Both the ones I am conscious of and the ones I am not. I see Life opening up for me as I open up for It. And this is good, very good.

Gratefully I release these words, celebrating their being embodied deeply in my subjective mind, and seeing them manifest. And so it is.

Safe Passage

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

Flash forward to September 11, 2001 – No matter where we were or what we were doing, we all remember that date. It was the day the universe as we knew it toppled. Chaos reared its ugly head and smiled a horrific grin and all hell broke loose. A reactive mode set in with a vengeance – one whose effects we are still experiencing today.

Our world changed in an instant – all because someone, somewhere thought they were right and everyone else was wrong.

Today I invite you to honour those who lost their lives on 9/11, and those that are still suffering the effects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally, by examining your life to see where you are stuck in We Are Right. It could be an issue with a neighbour, a boss, a spouse, or even someone that’s not in your lives any longer. Whoever it is, you will know by the energy you feel in your body when you think about them.

It’s time to give those people safe passage through your mind and heart.


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

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

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

Gratefully, I rejoice in being able to allow Peace to reign in my life and the lives of others. I celebrate God in everyone and know the Peace of God at a deeper level than I have ever experienced before.

God is good, and all is well in our world. This is my Truth. And so it is.

Relief!

This morning, while letting the dogs play at the dog park, I stopped to sit and enjoy the fantastic weather and watch the dogs play. Across the grass from me was a trash can, and it was so interesting to watch people come to the can, gingerly holding a bag, throw it in and walk away with a visible sign of relief!

At one point I started smiling, and then it turned into laughter. I don’t like carrying around a bag of fresh dog poo either. I know that feeling of relief when I finally get around the course to a trash can and can let go of it. But that’s not why I was laughing.

I was remembering a workshop I attended in the early ‘80’s led by the actress, Gloria Manon, called “Break Through Drama.” It was the first workshop I’d ever taken of its type, so it had extra impact. At one point I was sort of embarrassed/amused by a term Gloria used – she called our old beliefs, (the ones we were hanging on to regardless of how they were working in our lives) “precious turds.”

As I sat on that bench in the park, I could see how gingerly each person held their bag of precious turds. They did anything to prevent from dropping them, all the while, trying not to touch them! They stopped to talk to people along the path, and tried to ignore that they even had them.

You see where I’m going with this? Isn’t this what we do with our lives? We have all sorts of interesting crap we’ve picked up over the years, and mostly we try to ignore it. Occasionally we remember, and then do everything we can to avoid it. Once we allow ourselves to let go of it, however, Wow – what a relief!!

Here’s something else I noticed – if a person doesn’t see that their dog has pooed – everyone around tells them and then watches them to make sure they clean it up! This seems to be what’s happening in the collective consciousness at the moment. The success of Debbie Ford’s Shadow Work, and the work of others, shows us that we might as well consciously participate!! Enrolling in Science of Mind courses is a good way to examine your beliefs as well. We can all use a good consciousness cleanse!!

Here’s to feeling a great relief!!




SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

I recognize the powerful Presence of Divine Love. It is absolutely everywhere, including within me. It is the air I breathe, the things I touch, taste, smell, hear and see. It is all there is.

This Presence works for me, by working through me, according to my dominant beliefs. Knowing this Truth, I hereby declare I have released all that does not serve me. My mind is now filled with thoughts of beauty, peace, wisdom, health, wealth and creativity. My mind is filled with Divine Thoughts.
I focus on God, the Good, and as I do this, my life begins to reflect this Good.

What a relief this is. I have let go of worry, doubt and fear. I have accepted Christ Consciousness as my own. I know the Truth, and this Truth has set me free.

With a grateful heart, I release these words, knowing that I have already embodied them, and this too is good, very good. And so it is.

Moments

I watched an interesting video on YouTube today. It is called “16: Moment”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNVPalNZD_I

As I watched, it evoked memories – many different memories. Suddenly I realized it would do that for anyone watching, yet each person would have a different experience of it. Each person would be attracted by different moments in the film, and even if we were attracted to the same moments we would have a different experience of them. The memories that were evoked would be different. This is how we give meaning to things we see in present time – by what we know about things through our memories.

This is the way life works. We are all experiencing a different reality. We are experiencing the same story, but with different content because of the value we have given our memories of our experiences – especially the first time we did anything. We are born, raised from childhood to adulthood, get dressed, fall in love, fall out of love, have jobs, wash dishes, have colds, make love, have arguments, etc. Our lives are basically the same. Jesus, Buddha and Hitler all did the same things. However the meaning we give these experiences is different.

Our lives are made up of little moments. The more I study the Science of Mind, I realize how important each little moment is. It is like our little moments are beads strung on our timeline. Hmm, I just thought of a rosary. Did you know that the rosary has four sets of "Mysteries of the Rosary" - Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious? What if we are the Universes rosary? How would we be prayed? What are our mysteries? OK, I’m getting a little out there – but really, what are the moments of our timeline like? It’s up to us. Are we creating knots or beautiful, translucent beads. (Even sorrow can be beautiful.)

Make some beautiful memories with your little moments today.



SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

We live in an infinite Field of creative potentiality. This Field is God. It has no beginning and no end. No boundaries. It is absolutely everywhere. Within It are both Love and Law. Love points the way to various possibilities and Law makes those possibilities real.
Today I choose to let go of yesterday and see each moment as brand new. This moment right now is fresh and unconditioned by my past. This moment is expanding into the next moment and the next, and I feel the preciousness of all of them.

My eyes are open to see a new reality. My mind is clear. My heart is pure. I choose to experience Love and Light and Joy. I choose to experience the Wisdom within me. I choose a Divine Reality that continually makes all things new. I come to this Reality with the wonder of a child, feeling loved and blessed.

My life is a string of beautiful moments. I am so grateful for this. So grateful to have the awareness to choose wisely. So grateful to be aware of the Power within my word, and grateful for my embodiment of Truth.

I release these words into that Infinite Field, knowing they are so, and so it is.

Truth

Dear Ones,

There is only one Mind, God, Infinite Good, Infinite Love, Infinite Truth. This Mind rules and governs all. This Mind is my mind now.
The Life, Love and Mind of God are in action in me at this instant. I am filled completely with the light and Spirit of Truth. Through my mind God thinks. Through my heart God expresses Divine Love. Through my body God expresses perfect life, health and vitality. There is no life, truth, substance nor intelligence in evil; God, the Good is all there really is, and I am surrounded and filled with It.
In my life God is the only activity now taking place. I have spiritual wisdom, spiritual perception and spiritual discernment. I love Truth, speak Truth, rejoice in Truth, for God is Truth. Amen
Raymond Charles Barker

I love this Spiritual Mind Treatment. It says it all. Imagine what our lives would be like if we really believed it!

A church I drive past often inspires me with its marquee statements. This week’s is “Want a new life? God takes trade-ins.”

If we really embodied the above S.M.T as our Truth, isn’t this what we’d be doing – trading the life we are living now with its limitations for one of limitlessness? Trading a life of physical, mental or emotional pain for one of peace?

Go ahead – read the Treatment again – and read it with as much feeling and belief as you can. Read it out loud. Read it until you really FEEL it, and watch what happens in your life!!

Blessings, Rev. Angelica

Note: Dr. Raymond Charles Barker was ordained at the Unity School of Christianity in 1940. He later affiliated with Religious Science, and at the request of Dr. Ernest Holmes, the founder of Religious Science, opened the first Church of Religious Science in New York City in 1946.
Dr. Barker served as President of the International New Thought Alliance from 1943 to 1946. Later he served as President of Religious Science International from 1954 to 1957, and again from 1959 to 1962. Well known throughout the New Thought movement for his writings and lectures, Dr. Barker spoke in every major city in the United States, as well as in Europe and South Africa. His many books and pamphlets, including “Treat Yourself to Life” and “The Power of Decision” have enjoyed steady sales through the years, and have touched the lives of thousands of readers in all walks of life.

Colour

I do a lot more walking now that I have a puppy. Morning, noon and night. Each time is so different. In the morning, everything looks and smells fresh and green and fills me with a sense of a newness. At noon, things have been hot and dry and yellow seems to be the predominant colour. At night there is no colour ... just shades of black and grey .. even the street lights fade out the colours.

I used to be afraid of the nighttime when I was a child - perhaps it was because of this - no colour. Colour helps us define things. Our interpretation of colour gives meaning to Life. We judge things by colour and have given a positive and negative meaning to each colour. For instance, to me, green is growth or jealousy, yellow is creative energy or illness, blue is peaceful beauty or loneliness, red is life or anger. Black and its various shades, are power, or death. (and makes you look thinner - LOL) Black symbolizes the unknown… and here is might be why I was afraid of the dark. Everything looks different, and feels unknown.

As adults, we’re not comfortable with the unknown, either. We sometimes stay in our uncomfortableness because at least we know what it’s like.

With Debby Ford’s new film “The Shadow Effect” there’s a lot of talk about the unknown within us – the beliefs and feelings we’ve hidden away because we couldn’t deal with them at the time. I believe this is what is going on in the collective consciousness as well. We are beginning to realize that things aren’t always as they appear – and that in Truth, we’ve judged a lot of people and things on appearances only. That we don’t really know anyone or anything, until we know our Selves.

This is why I love our teaching. A deep study of Science of Mind Principles helps us to uncover the “shadows” that are still active in our consciousness, and having an effect on our lives today. We not only break through those shadow places, we begin to realize we are more than we ever thought we were. We are the very Presence we have been afraid of. We begin to realize all judgment is really self-judgment, and is unnecessary. All our shadows are replaced with brilliant colour and Life has more meaning than we could ever believe possible!!

Here’s to Life in all Its radiance, shining brilliantly through us!
Blessings, Rev. Angelica


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

Gratefully I recognize the powerful Presence within and around us. There is no spot where God is not. God is both Love and Law, and it works through us according to our thoughts and feelings.

Therefore, today I declare I am ready to stand naked in the Truth. Freed of all my shadow effects, having claimed the disowned parts of myself. I am whole and holy. I am healthy, wealthy and wise. I am loving and beloved. I am complete in my Self.

My life is so much brighter because of my declarations. I am shining the Light so brightly that all who see me, know The Divine. My way is one of blessings, and everyone around me feels the effects.
How grateful I am to be here now, to recognize my Self, to honour my Self, and to rejoice in The Self in everything.

I release these words to the Law of Mind, knowing they are done. And so Is is.

Solitude

I was listening to a college professor being interviewed on the radio and as he told of a time when he brought up the idea of solitude to his students, he said one of them asked “Why would anyone want to do that?” It made me sad.

I equate solitude with silence, and this made me remember a bus ride years ago in Honolulu, where I watched one person after the other get on plugged into their Walkmans. I felt sad then too, because it felt like they were isolating themselves and because I felt they couldn’t be without noise. (Of course we can never be without noise, we can only choose the noise we want to listen to.) Now we have Twitter, FaceBook, My Space and numerous other social media sites. We can be alone in our homes yet not be alone at all.

Solitude has its benefits. Though its meaning is akin to loneliness, I think it’s the state of being alone without being lonely. It is being at one with yourself, providing time that can be used for reflection, meditation, creativity or enjoyment. Think about this for a moment, everything we do, even those things we do with others, we actually do by ourselves, so solitude isn’t something to be wary of!

Moments spent in solitude give me a rich, fulfilling peacefulness. I enjoy the quiet or creative moments, coming away with a feeling of satisfaction. I love walking in a wooded area, feeling the energies of the trees, listening to the birds, smelling the rich loam. I love writing at my desk, with only the sounds of nature and my pets around me. I love relaxing in a bubble bath, reflecting on my good, or sitting in my prayer chair, experiencing a deep meditation.

In our busy worlds, solitude is something we have to cultivate. It sooths our nervous systems, clears our minds, empties and then fills our hearts. It replenishes our soul. This is the most important benefit of solitude – replenishing our soul!

Ernest Holmes writes in the Science of Mind: “We are on the path of experience, just waking to the real fact of our true being; as we awake we find we are surrounded by many false conditions, but there is something within which remembers the real state. If we will sit in quiet contemplation of good, as an inner experience, we will experience the good which we contemplate.”

In moments of quiet solitude, we remember who we are – Spirit having an experience we’re calling being human.

Be still and know that I am God.


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

As I go into the silence, I breathe deeply and can feel the presence of the Source of all there is. I spend time here, remembering that all that I understand Spirit to be, I am. Spirit is not only within me, It is all around me, and even more than that. It is everything, manifest and unmanifest. It is Life Itself.

My soul yearns for me to consciously acknowledge it with spiritual nourishment. This silence is nourishment. As I move into the silent spaces between each breath, I let all thoughts be on God, the Beloved of my soul. I breathe deeply again, allowing peace to permeate every atom of my being. My body is refreshed and renewed. My mind is clear and my heart is pure.

I declare that I enjoy spaces of solitude in my life, and I cultivate more of them each day. These spaces replenish my energy levels and I am able to do what is mine to do with grace.

I am so grateful for the awareness of the beauty and benefits of solitude. I am grateful to be able to be in constant communion with Spirit. I release these words into the Law of Mind and know that they are done. And so it is.

Never surrender consciousness to circumstances.

When Wendy Craig-Purcell, author of "Ask Yourself This: Questions to Open the Heart, Expand the Mind and Awaken the Soul," used this statement as her status line on FaceBook one day, it caught my mind and wouldn’t let go!

It reminded me of a story from my time in Hawai’i. I had a wonderful dog named Hobbs. He traveled with me from Los Angeles and went through quarantine. I had heard Hawai’i had a terrible flea problem so Hobbs and I made an agreement. He would not get fleas!!

I lived for awhile with a friend who was going to university to be an organic chemist. He used to sit with Hobbs every night and examine his fur. I finally asked him what he was looking for – and he said “Fleas.” I told him about my agreement with Hobbs and he laughed at me. “All dogs have fleas!” he said “you can’t stop that, especially in Hawai’i!” and went back to examining his fur.

I got nervous since I knew that what you look for you will find, so after class one night, I told my teacher, Rev. Helen Street, what was happening and what I was afraid of. She hugged me and said “Don’t worry honey, the trained mind is the dominant mind,” and walked away.

I was in Science of Mind 300, studying to be a practitioner, and knew I was going to be a minister, so I figured I had a trained mind. I went home, reminded Hobbs (and myself) of our agreement, told my friend he could look all he wanted, but he would never find anything. Sure enough, Hobbs never did have any fleas. Even my Vet had a hard time believing it!!

What does this story have to do with us today? Many of us are experiencing the effects of circumstances in the world. We have surrendered our consciousness to facts not Truth. We have surrendered our consciousness to fear.

Ernest Holmes writes: “Begin to act from your dominion. Declare the Truth by telling yourself there is nothing to be afraid of, that you no longer entertain any images of fear.”

Our Truth is God is all there is. God is both Love and Law. The Law will attract to us whatever we focus on. Let’s stop focusing on fear and focus on Love.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is only One Mind – God’s. This is the mind I am using. In this mind is everything I need to live the One Life – God’s Life.

Knowing this One Mind works through Law, I now declare that I let go of the world’s facts, and remember I am co-creating this life. No longer do I need to conform to the world ways of thinking. I have no need to surrender my consciousness to circumstances. I am no longer afraid.

I choose to experience a good life. I know Divine Mind is Infinitely Intelligent and knows what this means to me, and therefore attracts to me all that is necessary for the fulfillment of my good. I stand open hearted, open minded, and with open arms, ready to receive. I surrender to my highest good and greatest joy!

With a grateful heart I release these words, knowing they are embodied deeply in my subjective mind. I experience the All Good with grace. And so it is.

Esther

Almost 20 years ago, I was present at the birth of a darling baby girl. The past 3 days I’ve had the privilege of interacting with the woman she has become. Wow! Esther, my Goddaughter, is absolutely delightful! It amazes me how someone so small and helpless grew up to be so beautiful and self-assured.

I moved away from Hawaii when she was 10, and missed the teen years, which sometimes makes me sad because we grow up and change so quickly. I’m sure every parent has felt the same. This is a reminder of how precious each moment of life is.

Kahlil Gibran wrote in The Prophet: “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.” Not only do I see how Esther has grown physically and in her personality, I notice her Spirit as well. It’s like her Spirit is the same as it always was, she’s just grown into It. And this is a beautiful thing!

I just asked: “At this time in your life, what would you say is your most important Life Lesson.” Esther responded, “That we have the power at any given time to be happy. It’s not the experience that makes us happy, it’s what we choose.”

Excellent piece of Wisdom for today!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

How delightful to be aware of Life’s longing for Itself as us. Love and Law together, working through us, for us – Spirit in form. Each of us, a unique expression of The One, moving through time, expanding our awareness of Self.

I am so grateful for every expression of The Presence in my life. I honour each as Life made manifest. I acknowledge and appreciate our differences while celebrating our Oneness. I rejoice in the wisdom that I experience through them. I honour the Sacred Messages that each has for me, and the ones I have for them.

God is absolutely all there is – and is showing up wonderfully in my life!! My Life is more magnificent because of conscious awareness of this! How grateful and blessed I feel!! And so It is.

Little Things

Yesterday friends treated me to the movie UP! in 3D and dinner for my birthday. I’d never seen a 3D film before and it was great fun!

In the film, Russell, an 8 year old, is talking to Carl, a 78 year old, telling him about his trips to the ice cream store with his father … he ends the tale by saying “It might sound boring, but sometimes it’s the boring things I remember the best.”

That line resonated with all 4 of us during our discussion of the message of the film at dinner.

On the way home I was thinking about how so many are looking for their “Purpose.” In my observation, we think our purpose is supposed to be some Big Deal, something that makes us famous and leaves a legacy. What if in the looking for something bigger, we’re missing the real purpose in the “boring things we remember the best.” If you stop and think back on your lives right now, what is it that you remember? Granted it could be a big event like the birth of a child or a wedding, yet I think it will be times spent with family and friends, doing the day to day stuff.

I believe our Purpose is to experience God in everything - and God is Love. Love isn’t all fireworks and passion – it’s also the “boring things.” Our lives are made up of a strand of little moments – let’s give them the value they deserve!


SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is only one Life – God’s. There is only one Love – God. I am so grateful to be aware of this magnificence in, through and as me. My Life is God’s Life, and since God is Love and God is all there is – I too, am Love.

Today I declare “I put Love in action in all my little moments.” If I find myself out of Love, I breathe deeply and remember Who I Am - Love in action. It is up to me to give value to my moments, and so I do, gratefully and gracefully.

I declare I am achieving my Purpose – constantly acknowledging God in every moment and everyone.

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