There seems to be something about the fall season that makes me want to get down to work. It’s like I’m following the collective consciousness of getting things done to prepare for winter. As I think about this, I recognize a pattern – Fall is actually for the harvesting of our work … uh oh -- my propensity to procrastination is showing. (big grin) However, years ago, I made friends with my propensity – I know I work well under pressure.

Some of us are still searching for that “right thing” to do – our Purpose. We go to countless seminars and read books to “discover our bliss “as Joseph Campbell taught us. There’s frustration because we think we haven’t done it yet. Perhaps, as Buddha said "Your work is to discover your work--and then with all your heart to give yourself to it."

We can let go of some of the frustration by realizing The Path is as important as the discovery! Every step we take serves us in some way.

How do you find your Purpose? With intention. Try this simple statement:

“It is my intention to do the work I came here to do.”

Now pay attention. The Universe will immediately bring you hints and opportunities. Listen to your heart – It KNOWS. Carl Jung wrote: “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” As you find that thing that makes your soul sing – get committed to it! Refuse to let fear stand in your way. I know from experience that when one stays committed, numerous doors of opportunity fling themselves open, and Divine Guidance makes the right door for the moment shine brightly. With Infinite Intelligence guiding us, we cannot make a mistake. All that we do serves our higher purpose. Know too – that our Purpose will stay the same yet it will change in expression as it grows. What I know is that it will keep opening us up in deep surrender to the Powerful Wholeness inside ourselves.

I am so grateful to have found my Purpose … and for the all the gifts I have gotten along my Path. I also thank God for the people I’ve attracted to play with me. YOU are one of those I am grateful for this Thanksgiving. Many blessings to you.

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

There is only One Mind – the Mind of God. This Mind is infinitely intelligent and unconditionally loving. It is the Source of all things, including me. This is the mind that I am using right now. Always have been, and always will be. As I think, I set this Powerful Mind in action through Love and Law.

I choose to be a conscious co-creator. I place intentions into Spiritual Law and know that Law works according to my level of acceptance. Today my intention is to know what my Purpose is. I am filled with ideas, desires, Visions. I celebrate my place on the Path of Life, knowing it is exactly where I am supposed to be.

I am so grateful to be able to have a soul-satisfying purpose. I am grateful to be able to use my God given gifts with ease and grace. I celebrate my life, knowing it is a Divine Life, because the Truth of me is that I am an expression of the One Life.

With a grateful heart I release my word, and move forward on my Path with joy. And so it is.

Something that has become quite clear to me with the current events of the world is how we humans still have the propensity to make enemies.

When stuff happens in our lives, we look for someone to blame. A hurricane occurs, lives are lost, homes are destroyed, chaos reigns … suddenly the U.S. government is at fault. Our employments ends … we fixate on our boss being too greedy, or too demanding. Our relationship ends and our mind is full of what they did or didn’t do that ruined it. Something happens in our circle of influence, and suddenly we start feeling like people are out to get us.

Granted, many of us in New Thought, move beyond that enemy-making period and take responsibility for our part in the event … but that first response bothers me. How can we get past making them wrong?

Perhaps we have to get honest. Nothing is really about the other person or people – it is about ourselves. Taking responsibility for our creations is partly how we choose to respond to what we’ve created. I remember the last year of my marriage – feeling like I was on a hamster-wheel of resentment. I had a litany of grievances that went through my mind constantly – the main one being “He’s so emotionally unavailable.” It wasn’t until I had moved 3,000 miles away that I realized I was unavailable. Then I tried to blame it on him – “If he wasn’t so unavailable, I wouldn’t have shut down.” In getting honest with myself, I realized that I chose to withdraw in retaliation. And it wasn’t until I realized my choices that I was able to stop making him the enemy and forgive – not only him, but myself.

Colin Tipping, founder of the wonderful Radical Forgiveness technique, sent an e-letter suggesting that we forgive the hurricane. Here’s a link to his example: www.radicalforgiveness.com/content/katrina.asp
Perhaps we could use this for other situations in our world, globally or personally.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “He prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small.” Many of us are praying daily for the survivors and their families of not only Hurricane Katrina, but the people in the Middle East, and in our own neighborhoods. Have a look at where you have created enemies before you sit down to pray today. Praying without forgiveness is not loving all things great and small.

Grateful Blessings, Rev. Angelica

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT
There is only One Heart – the compassionate heart of The Divine. There is only One Mind – the infinitely intelligent Divine Mind. These things are absolutely everywhere – not separate, but One – One incredibly impeccable Creative Energy that flows though and is all things, including me.
I now choose to be open to knowing where I have created enemies in my heart and mind, and I release them. I forgive and I let go. Infinite Intelligence moves through me, guiding me in the right choices, the right responses to my world.
I open my heart to the One Heart, and I love all life, big and little. I let my life be a blessing to my world. One moment at a time, I choose to see the perfection of The Divine in all Its manifestations.
Gratefully I release these words, knowing they are already so, and so it is.

Last night a friend and I attended a Red Hat Society dinner meeting in a restaurant in Coquitlam. About half way through dinner, as I looked around the room at 30 different red hats and the women wearing them, I just had to smile. We are all so unique and beautiful.

We learned there are now 40 thousand chapters globally -- Over a million members! The movement has grown from a woman’s idea using a poem and a red hat as a gift to her best friend, and then other friends, just 5 years ago!! Now there are Red Hat sections in Hallmark Cards and other stores!

Now who was it that sang that song “Girls just want to have fun!” ?

I believe this movement became so popular not just because women of a certain age wanted to have more fun in their lives, but because Life wants to flaunt Itself authentically and outrageously. As children we play and laugh and think nothing of it … now we take our lives so seriously we have to schedule in play!

Another reason is that there is an unconditional acceptance of who we are and our age. It doesn’t matter if one has a loud laugh, is married or divorced, is working or not, is slender or voluptuous, blond, brown, red or grey - indeed, the idea is to be authentically alive older women who just want to have fun!!

Do you have to wait until 50 to live life authentically and unconditionally? No way! The time is NOW! My teacher, the late Rev. Helen Street used to say that the belief humanity has that this dimension is a school where we’re enrolled to learn spiritual lessons is wrong. We are all the Spirit we are ever going to be – we’re here to learn how to be fully human. Rev. Carol Carnes wrote me in an e-mail the other day:
“Oh Yeah, I am on that page of us all being fully human… compassionate, passionate, alive, juicy, feeling, reverent, in awe ...laughing at ourselves, aware of something greater, creative and playful! To me, that is the whole thing. .. .we have always been spiritual but human is a whole new opportunity to experience God....”

If anything, the Truth is – if this is school – this is recess!! Let’s Play!!

Blessings of laughter, Rev. Angelica

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT
Oh Great Spirit of Joy, fill my heart with laughter!
With a grateful heart, I realize the Truth of my being. All there is – is God. The Divine Energy of Life that fills the atmosphere of the Universe and more. It is the Source of all things, the animating Lifeforce in all things. It is my own Self.
Today I let go of my need to take life so seriously. This does not mean I am in denial of the people or events that need my compassionate presence. It does mean that I am willing and ready to experience it all authentically. I am co-creating my experiences with Divine Energy, and from this moment on, I choose to create them in the Spirit of Joy.
I can now laugh at myself and the things I have created with ease. How great and powerful I am!! How delightful that I can choose at every moment to move into the center of my being where Joy resides, and create again.
I am so grateful that I have uncovered Joy in my life – it is my natural state of being. I know this because I know Joy is an attribute of God … and whatever God is, I am. I celebrate Life today!! And so it is.

This morning for inspiration in writing this message, I pulled a Daily SOM Card and read: “Every person may talk to God, but the answer only comes back according to our concept of God.”

I laughed - first, because yesterday I was mentally reviewing some of the Spiritual Mind Treatments (affirmative prayers) I have done for myself, and considering why they haven’t yet come into manifestation, and second, because Spirit is so clear!!

Everything comes back to our concept of God! Yes!! I say I believe in a Principle that is infinitely intelligent and unconditionally loving. I say I believe It is all knowing, everywhere present, and all-powerful … but around these unmanifested Treatments, it seems my god is a wimp!!

Have I been falling back into the concept of Something outside of me, that judges my deservability? Have I been thinking that some things are too hard for God? Once again, I find I have to re-evaluate my concepts - go back to basics.

Dr. Holmes, founder of Religious Science, defines “God” in the glossary of the Science of Mind:
“The First Cause, the Great I Am, the Unborn One, the Uncreated, the Absolute or Unconditioned, the One and Only. Spirit, or the Creative Energy which is the cause of all visible things. Love, Wisdom, Intelligence, Power, Substance, Mind. The Truth which is real, the Principle which is dependable.”

The Principle which is dependable … This is the Powerful Presence within me that can and will become what I want It to become. I choose now to let go of Wimpy, and re-introduce myself to All Mighty GOD! That Principle that nothing is too hard for, or too big, or too scary. This is my True Self --- AND YOURS TOO!!

Blessings, Rev. Angelica

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

God is, and that is all there is. God is The Divine Energy that is the source of all creation. It fills every atom of the universe, because It is the Universe. God constantly recreates Itself according to my dominant thoughts and beliefs. It tailor makes Itself to become what I want It to be. It is my True Self.

Therefore today I declare I have renewed my concept of God/Divine Principle. I know I live, move and have my being in The Divine. It lives and moves through and as me. I declare that whatever I might have believed in my subjective mind that limited Divine Energy in any way is now transformed. God is my good, and I no longer block my good in any way. I am open and ready to experience my spiritual magnificence.

With a grateful heart, I release these words, knowing they are my Truth and the Truth sets me free.
And so it is.

Aloha 

Three times this week I have experienced the word “intimate” in relationship to an experience of God. The first time, I was driving in the car, listening to an Ernest Holmes tape; the second was listening to an essay by a SOM 300 student, and yesterday I saw it in the daily reading in the Science of Mind magazine. When this happens, I KNOW the Universe is trying to get my attention!

I’ve never really associated that word with my spiritual practice. Perhaps I should see what it actually means:
1. Closely connected (intimate relationship) 2. cozy (quiet, private, relaxed with each other) 3. private and personal (confidential) 4. thorough (very great and detailed as a result of extensive study or close experience = intimate knowledge) 5. Adhering closely (intimate union) 6. innermost (proceeding from within the innermost nature of something) or as a noun: a close personal friend.

Yes! All these definitions fit my ideal relationship to The Divine exactly. Yet, some might ask - how does one become intimate with an abstract principle?

Dr. Holmes writes on page 141 of the Science of Mind”
PERSONALITY CANNOT EMERGE FROM A PRINCIPLE WHICH DOES NOT CONTAIN THE INHERENT POSSIBILITY OF PERSONALITY. In each one of us, to each one of us, through each one of us, something is personalized, and that which is personalized is personal to its own personification! Spiritual evolution should make the Infinite not more distant; but more intimate.”

In other words, we are meant to know God not just through our minds, but through our hearts as well. Some of us are so busy using Principle as a quick fix or to manifest desires, that we’ve ignored the greatest Love relationship we could ever have! Let’s get intimate – and be the Beloved!!

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT
(An affirmative prayer - written in the first person to help you make it your own)

I live in a Divine atmosphere of Love. God is Love, everywhere present, infinitely intelligent and absolutely unconditional. Love fills up every cell and atom of my being. It surrounds me and supports me. It is my life.

Today I declare I am experiencing the greatest intimate relationship possible. I have let go of my doubts and fears. I have released my judgments. I have opened my mind and heart to the Love within me, letting It in with grace. God loves by means of me and It moves through me, as me, into the world. I live in and act from my firm foundation of Love. I am the Beloved in whom God is well pleased.

How grateful I am, to willingly experience an intimate experience of Divine Love. And so it is.

The other day I stepped on a scale and got depressed. What is it about numbers that has the power to do this? Or rather, why have I bought into the societal belief that numbers have power?
Think about it -- weight, money, time, success, just to name a few, are all based on numbers!! Weight - less is better. Money - more is better. Time - more is better though there never seems to be enough. Success - more is definitely better!
The Truth is, there are only 2 numbers -- or rather 1 number and nothing. 1 & 0 -- the binary system -- the system that runs everything!

I was channel surfing the other night and came upon a program that was explaining some Sekh teachings. One of the comments that caught my attention was:

The first Law of Prosperity is “Don’t Doubt.”

That is not only the first law of prosperity but of practicing our spirituality as well!! Don’t doubt! Treat and don’t doubt the effectiveness of your Treatments. Speak your word for health, and don’t doubt. For your new job, and don’t doubt. For love and don’t doubt!

Doubt is uncertainty in the context of trust. It implies challenging some notion of truth, or hesitating to take action due to concern that one might be mistaken. It is to hesitate in accepting something as truth.

Dr. Holmes writes in today’s 365 Science of Mind reading:

“When the intellect is no longer contradicted by our emotional reactions, by unconscious doubts and fears, then the word of our mouth will immediately bear fruit.”

To me, the opposite of doubt is trust and expectancy. If we are going to let go of doubt, what do we trust? That Powerful Presence that is absolutely everywhere in the universe, that honours our deepest beliefs and feelings through Its aspect called Law. Dr. Holmes writes that “Learning to trust will make us happy.”

How do we trust? In this world of mixed messages, it’s easy to slide into doubt. I believe we have to consciously set an intention to trust, and every time we find ourselves doubting, consciously realign ourselves with Truth. The more we do it, the more we re-pattern ourselves, and trusting becomes natural.

One of the ways we can re-pattern ourselves is working with the Law in eager expectancy. (In a way, doubt is expecting our Treatments will not work.) I love this writing by Dr. Holmes:

"What great joy should accompany everything that we do -- an expectancy, love. Love everything, praise everything, recognize all things, believe all things, accept all things. There is a laughter of God -- let's laugh it. There is a song of the Universe -- let's sing it. There is a hymn of praise -- let's praise it. There is a joy, a beauty; there is a deep abiding peace; let's experience it."

Now this is happiness !

Blessings, Rev. Angelica

SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT

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

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 that I am now healthy, wealthy, creative, loving and wise, I know these words are being immediately acted upon. I step up in eager expectancy, delighting in all I attract with my clear mind and pure heart.

I laugh and sing my praises for this wonderful Law that is always at work for me, through me. My life is joy filled. I am happy because I trust!

Gratefully I release these words to the Creative Process and allow each moment to unfold in grace and joy. And so It is."To make a difference is not a matter of accident, a matter of casual occurrence or the tides. People choose to make a difference."
Maya Angelou

With Canada Day and Independence Day just past, I found myself focusing on the Greatness of humanity. Sure, we hear a lot of stories about the so- called dark side, but I believe the Greatness far outweighs that … it just doesn't "sell" news.

From the mystery person who mowed the street section of grass in front of my home, to the man who comes to church every Sunday to help set-up, (whether or not he is going to stay for the service) even though his energy is very low, to the woman in Richmond who is responsible for an organization that shelters hundreds of homeless cats, and all sorts of people in between, my life is full of Great People who have chosen to make a difference in their world.

The movie "Pay it forward" made an immense impact on my life, because it showed the results of CHOOSING to be the one who makes a difference, and how far those choices can go without our awareness. The Truth of is that we are all a God Mission -- an outpicturing of Divine Life sharing Itself in many ways, and we do make a difference one way or another, whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Since this is our Truth, we might as well do it consciously, eh?

Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones of the Simi Valley Religious Science Church in California writes:
"As we evolve in our awareness … we discover a shift taking place in our goals, agendas, motivations and intentions. We begin to actually see ourselves as spiritual beings on a mission - here to give something special and unique to life, rather than as human beings here to see how much we can get out of life. I refer to this as “W.I.I.F.M.”: an acronym that asks a question which can be interpreted either of two ways, depending on how we have developed in our spiritual awareness; What’s In It For Me?...or, What’s In It From Me? As we grow and spiritually evolve there is a natural shift away from the concept of “for me” to “from me.” The receiving back from life comes automatically as a result of a What’s In It From Me? consciousness - the law of reciprocity guarantees it - as we give we do receive. Ultimately when it’s time to leave this planet, if it is a better place that it was when we arrived because of our presence here, our mission, was a success."

Allow yourself to meditate upon the Greatness of the people in your life.. appreciate all that they do. Then "Pay It Forward" this week!! Choose to be the one that makes a difference! You're a Great One too!