BEING A VESSEL FOR TRANSFORMATION

“New Thought principles are very similar to AA principles. Some research by ministers and practitioners reveals that Bill Wilson and Ernest Holmes, the founder of Science of Mind knew each other and spent time together when creating their respective programs.”

“Bill W and Ernest Holmes, the Founder of the Science of Mind philosophy (Religious Science) were good friends and often traded concepts and socialized together. No wonder that many ‘Science of Mind – New Thought’ ideas are in AA and vice versa.”

As we grow on our spiritual path – the healthier we become spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically – the happier and more loving we turn out to be with ourselves and others. By combining the power of New Thought with the Twelve Steps – we create a powerful foundation of principles that we can actively apply to the process of awakening to the Divine.

The 12 Steps, 12 spiritual principles, 12 promises, and 12 action steps:

• JANUARY – Step 1 – We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.

The Spiritual Principle is; Honesty

We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.

“Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free’”

The Spiritual Malady of Powerlessness

Page 52:2 – We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn’t control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn’t make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, and we couldn’t seem to be of real help to other people.

Page 60:4 – The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in their own way.

If their arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he/she wished, the show would be great. Everybody, including them self, would be pleased. Life would be wonderful. In trying to make these arrangements our actor may sometimes be quite virtuous. One may be kind, considerate, patient, generous; even modest and self-sacrificing. On the other hand, one may be mean, egotistical, selfish and dishonest. But, as with most humans, he or she is more likely to have varied traits.

Bill W. Says, “It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. I saw that growth could start from that point.”

• FEBRUARY – Step 2 – Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

The Spiritual Principle is; Hope

We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

We will embrace our hurts and pains and become stronger because of them.

The atheist or agnostic who wants nothing to do with any sort of God can still make a start on step two. The cliché heard throughout AA is “fake it till you make it.” Some of the most deeply spiritual people we have seen in recovery made a humble start on the second step this way—blindly following this simple advice to – “give prayer a chance.” Those of us who took this approach and forced ourselves to pray on a daily basis have seen a slow but sure faith grow out of it—a casual dawning on our minds that a higher power is indeed working in our lives. The step doesn’t say “we believed in a higher power…” The step says “we came to believe…” Like almost everything in recovery, step two is a process.

• MARCH – Step 3 – Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.

The Spiritual Principle is; A Journey of Faith

We will comprehend the word serenity.

We will heal our differences with our “Higher Power.”

In the second step we searched deep within ourselves and found our own higher power whom-ever or what-ever that may be to us that will give us hope, strength, and courage.

Sometimes it’s best to break down important words and phrases in order to find the true meaning of what’s being said. Let’s start with decision, which means making up your own mind. Before you can make a decision one must completely think the problem, thought or idea through. There should be no other influences, this is something that you have to feel and be ok with inside. Your decision in this third step is a commitment that you’re making.

Turn our will and our lives over to the care of God doesn’t mean giving up your life – it means letting go of old negative ways of thinking and the way we lived our lives in the past. Using the strength, hope, and courage you receive from your higher power to make better choices with healthier thinking.

With the third step we have to be completely willing to turn over the way we think (which has been negative) as well as our actions (which have been negative) over to our ‘higher power’ as we individually understand God to be. This is a decision that has to be made deep with-in ourselves and can take some time to do. It’s easy to say but not always easy to do. We must actively be mindful that our higher power loves us, gives us strength, courage and hope.

• APRIL – Step 4 – Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves

The Spiritual Principle is; Courage

We will know peace.

We will come to grips with our burdens, mistakes and secrets

During the first three steps I have turned my attention from my addiction and the wreckage that it has done to my life to the God that I have come to realize can deliver me from my addiction. I have faced the truth of my situation and turned this situation over to the God who can help me. Now it is time to start seeing things as they truly are rather than through the glass of my addicted mind and heart.

The first step in this process of “getting real” is to take an honest inventory of my life. Exactly where have I been, what have I done and how far did I go in my addictive behaviours? When and where did they start and where have they led me? This is a vital step away from my addicted life filled with chaos and insane behaviours towards a conscious life filled with more personal power and serenity.

From 12Step.org

• MAY – Step 5 – Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

The Spiritual Principle is; Integrity

No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.

We will grow in spiritual, self and relational trust

How It Works:

This is perhaps difficult, especially discussing our defects with another person. We think we have done well enough in admitting these things to ourselves. There is doubt about that. In actual practice, we usually find a solitary self-appraisal insufficient. Many of us thought it necessary to go much further. We will be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so.

The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome our addictions and unhealthy behaviours. Time after time we have tried to keep to ourselves certain facts about our lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, we may have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably we backslide. Having persevered with the rest of the program, we wonder why we fail. We think the reason is that we never completed our housecleaning.

We took inventory all right, but hung on to some of the worst items in stock. We only thought we had lost their egoism and fear; we only thought we had humbled ourselves. But we had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until we have told someone else all of our life story.

• JUNE – Step 6 – Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

The Spiritual Principle is; Willingness

That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.

We will grow in self-love, esteem, respect and worth

Alcoholics Anonymous’ step six is another step that can be deceptively complicated. This step feels like a respite from action following the brutal honesty and heart-felt sharing of steps four and five. This step, as the AA literature says, separates the men from the boys.

Removing negative characteristics would seem to be an obvious goal. None of us wants to be cruel, dishonest, glutinous, promiscuous, etc.

Step six does not ask us to do anything to actually get rid of our character defects…it simply asks us to prepare for the event. Making a thorough attempt here is important because doing so will improve our chances of having success in the steps that follow.

The Purpose of Step Six

Step six is another chance for us to demonstrate the degree to which we have found humility. At this point we have dug deeply into the recesses of our minds. We have thoroughly searched and learned important lessons about ourselves. Despite the difficulty of the task, we have shared our shortcomings with another. Soon we will be extracting the poison that has been holding us back for so many years.

Step six is a time for us to take a deep breath and get ready for this blossoming of freedom.

• JULY – Step 7 – Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

The Spiritual Principle is; Humility

We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

We will grow in self-less service and will heal our selfish, narcissistic and self centered behaviours and thoughts.

At this point on our journey we realize that the only presence that can truly meet our needs is God. We no longer have to rely on ourselves or others to solve our problems. During the first 6 steps we became aware of our problems, looked at our lives honestly, revealed our secrets and became ready to change. Our honesty and pain have humbled us to open our mouths and pray for the removal of our shortcomings; one defect at a time. If we are fearful, we again pray to feel the comfort of God’s presence. We prepare for this step by holding nothing back and by learning to draw nearer to God; becoming more comfortable in the presence of our Higher Power.

Using our 4th step inventory as a guide to prayer, we “work” step 7 – by Humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings and surrender our will to God so that we may receive the serenity necessary to achieve the happiness we seek. Step 7 is a vitally important part of our cleansing process which prepares us for the next part of our journey. We trust that God hears us and will restore us to wholeness, and our willingness to accept God’s help builds trust and confidence in ourselves and in God

Some behaviours may remain with us after we complete step 7, but we have an opportunity to transform them into positive traits and use them constructively. With God’s help our lives can be rewarding. By continuing to practice humility and accepting the tools the Universe has giving us – we begin to aspire to living a more Christ-like life, sharing with others the love we have received.

We now rely on our infinite God rather than our finite selves, and we pray, “My Creator, I am now willing to surrender all of me, good and bad. I pray that every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to serve God and my brothers and sisters is removed. Grant me strength, as I go from here, to do your bidding. Amen.”

• AUGUST – Step 8 – Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

The Spiritual Principle is; Forgiveness.

Self-seeking will slip away.

We will learn to live in reverence of all life.

“Steps 8 and 9 are concerned with personal relations. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know…

“Having carefully surveyed this whole area of human relations, and having described exactly what personality traits in us injured and disturbed others, we can now commence to ransack memory for the people to whom we have given offense… We shall want to hold ourselves to the course of admitting the things we have done, meanwhile forgiving the wrongs done to us, real or fancied. We should avoid extreme judgements, both of ourselves and of others involved. We must not exaggerate our defects or theirs. A quiet, objective view will be our steadfast aim.”

• SEPTEMBER – Step 9 – Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

The Spiritual Principle is; Justice. Meaning fairness and impartiality

Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

We will grow in the power of spiritual discernment.

Although these reparations take innumerable forms, there are some general principles which we find guiding. Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be. -A.A. Big Book p.79

After we have made a list of people we have harmed, have reflected carefully upon each instance, and have tried to possess ourselves of the right attitude in which to proceed, we will see that the making of direct amends divides those we should approach into several classes.

There will be those who ought to be dealt with just as soon as we become reasonably confident that we can maintain our sobriety. There will be those to whom we can make only partial restitution, lest complete disclosures do them or others more harm than good.

There will be other cases where action ought to be deferred, and still others in which by the very nature of the situation we shall never be able to make direct personal contact at all.

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 83

• OCTOBER – Step 10 – Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

The Spiritual Principle is; Perseverance.

Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.

We will embrace and practice the law of circulation

Steps one through nine have sensitized us to see the truth about our own behaviour and the manner in which the rest of the world, especially people, respond to our actions. Having developed this awareness, we come to see, during each moment of each day, what is really going on. In other words, we are living in the truth of the moment.

We have, in addition to a new awareness, also developed some measure of ability to actually control our actions. No longer are we simply sleep-walking under the direction of old habits—habits, the way we think and act when we are not thinking about what we are doing, and our elaborate delusions. The process of exchanging good habits for destructive old habits is, unfortunately, laborious, and we don’t always respond in accordance with the principles of A.A..

When we retire at night, we constructively review our day by asking ourselves, “Were my behaviours and actions in alignment with my Higher Power.” If the answer is an astounding “yes” – Welcome to Recovery…

• NOVEMBER – Step 11 – Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.

The Spiritual Principle is; Spiritual Awakening.

We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.

We will learn the power of the pause before we speak and act.

Step 11 is a continual reality check and compass. It keeps one grounded in the reality that has brought one out of bad habits, unhealthy and addictive behaviours. It keeps one in a safe place through keeping a conscious contact with God. Through prayer and meditation one maintains this conscious contact with God by finding the path to sanity, serenity and joy that each person seeks.

“Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it – than we would refuse air, food or sunshine. And for the same reason – when we refuse air, light or food the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions and our intuitions of vitally needed support – As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God’s reality, the nourishment of Spirit’s strength, and the atmosphere of Grace. To an amazing extent the facts of A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.”

- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97-98

If we have had little or no experience with prayer, we should probably begin in a simple fashion. That means putting aside perfectionist concerns about praying “the right way.” We should pray simply and forthrightly with our Higher Power as a loving Presence, not worrying about what we should and should not say. Through prayer and meditation – one deepens their conscious awareness and relationship with our Higher Power.

• DECEMBER – Step 12 – Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

The Spiritual Principle is; Universal Love.

We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

We will actively share the message of God’s compassion.

The joy of living is the theme of A.A.’s Twelfth Step, and action is its key word.

Here we turn outward toward others who are still in distress. Here we experience the kind of giving that asks no rewards. Here we begin to practice all Twelve Steps of the program in our daily lives so that we and those about us may find emotional sobriety. When the Twelfth Step is seen in all its full implication, it is really talking about the kind of love that has no price tag on it.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 106

The selfless service of this work is the very principle of Step Twelve. We received our recovery from embracing our Higher Power, so we now make ourselves available to share recovery with those who seek it.

Most of us learn in time that we can only carry our message to someone who is asking for help. Sometimes the only message necessary – is the power of example. A person may be suffering but unwilling to ask for help. We can make ourselves available to these people, so that when they ask, someone will be there.

– Ernest Holmes

• The Greek Philosopher Plato developed the philosophical concept of transcendence.
• The verb “to transcend” means “to go beyond” something. In Transcendentalism, it meant that there are truths that go beyond, or transcend, proof. These were truths that were simply “known” but could not be proved with logic. These truths were a private experience of faith and conviction.
• The German philosopher Immanual Kant gave Transcendentalism its name.
• Kant, with other German thinkers, influenced the views of some important English writers; the poet-critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, and the Scottish philosopher-historian Thomas Carlyle. These three, especially Carlyle, exchanged ideas with Ralph Waldo Emerson of Concord, MA.
• It was Emerson who brought the movement to New England and nurtured its growth in this country.
• American Transcendentalism thus began in the 1840′s as Emerson interacted with Longfellow, Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Thoreau and Lowell. This influential group of people were all born within a few years and a few miles of each other in New England.
• Transcendentalism was the beginning of American interest in Oriental thought. Emerson and his friends read the Hindus, Confucius, Buddha and the Mohammedan Sufis. The Bhagavad-Gita was very influential to Emerson.
• Transcendentalism became an eclectic composite of Oriental, Greek, English, French, German, and native thought.
• Transcendentalism is a belief there is a higher reality and greater knowledge than that manifested in human mind. It divides reality into a realm of spirit and a realm of matter. This division is made by many of the great religions of the world.

Major Influences in Science of Mind

There are three creative thinkers that greatly influenced Ernest Holmes (1887-1960) as he moved along his spiritual path and developed Science of Mind. They were:

• Ralph Waldo Emerson, the distinguished New England philosopher and essayist (1803-1852)
• Thomas Troward, an eminent British jurist and metaphysician (1847-1916)
• Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, a mental healer (1802-1866)
• Emma Curtis Hopkins, a greatly respected American teacher and mystic, often called the “teacher of teachers” (1853-1925)

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson’s entire life was one of spiritual exploration. He has been called “the Father of New Thought” because he was instrumental in gathering together a group of intellectuals, writers and philosophers to explore the transcendental philosophy.

Emerson entered Harvard College on a scholarship at age 14. He became a Unitarian minister. He wrote eloquent essays on many subjects.

Emerson thought every man is an individual-ization of the one and only God. He thought that at the center of our being we are all operated on by spiritual laws which execute themselves.

Emerson is not thought of as a New Thought writer, but rather as one of the sources from which New thought drew a great deal.

Reading: Emerson’s eloquent essays that particularly reflect Science of Mind thinking are Self-Reliance, Spiritual Laws, Compen-sation and The Over-soul.

Ernest Holmes and Emerson

Ernest Holmes was a spiritual seeker. Born in 1887, he was primarily “home schooled” by his mother, who was an ardent reader. In his teens, Ernest began a search for the similarities in all the worlds’ religions. He read extensively about all of them. He was deeply moved by the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Holmes said, “Reading Emerson is like drinking water to me”.

Thomas Troward

Thomas Troward was born in the Punjab, India in 1847, educated in England and returned to India to become a Divisional Judge in the Punjab, which is now Pakistan.

His chief interest lay in the field of religion. He explored the Indian religions and studied comparative religions. He studied Indian lore and sacred writings as well as Hebrew and other ancient scriptures. He was an ardent student of the Bible and was drawn to Emerson’s writings. The concept of reincarnation was a strong influence in his thinking

He associated himself with the Higher Thought Centre in England and became a noted leader of British New Thought.

Troward was interested in formulating a theory of mental healing. When he was asked to label it, he called it “Mental Science “.

Troward began by examining the universe. He saw things that seemed to have a quality of livingness and some which did not. Since the difference was not always sharp he concluded that there are degrees of livingness. Further searching led him to conclude that what makes the difference is intelligence.

Reading: Trowards The Dore Lectures contains a logical, intellectual explanation of this rich philosophy.

Ernest Holmes And Troward

Holmes discovered Troward’s work in 1914, two years before Troward died. He said “This is as near to my own thoughts as I shall ever come”. He began speaking on Troward’s writing to growing groups when he was 25 without realizing his lifetime ministry had begun. He totally absorbed Troward’s ideas and deeply linked them with his own thinking. He was one of the main channels through which Troward’s ideas reached American circles.

Phineas Parkhust Quimby (1802-66)

Phineas Quimby was an American mental healer whose ideas greatly influenced the New Thought movement, a religious-metaphysical healing group. He originally studied mesmerism and became a practitioner of hypnosis. He claimed that he could heal by mere suggestion. Quimby believed that illness originated in the mind and was created by erroneous beliefs. He taught that when a person opened their mind to God’s wisdom, they could conquer any sickness.

One of his patients and disciples was Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. When Eddy moved into her own work she denied Quimby had made any contribution to the theory of Christian Science.

Emma Curtis Hopkins

Emma Curtis Hopkins, more than any other single teacher, influenced New Thought. She was born in Connecticut in 1853. She was educated at Woodstock Academy there and remained for a time as an instructor.

In 1882, she went to Mary Baker Eddy (founder of Christian Science) because she was ill. She was healed. She then devoted herself to the study and growth of the Christian Science approach. She became a practitioner and served as editor (1884-85) of the Christian Science Journal. Within another year, her independent quest for spiritual truth created an impossible situation between the two religious thinkers and she began to explore other metaphysical writings.

In 1886 she left Mrs. Eddy and moved to Chicago where in 1887, she established the Christian Science Theological Seminary, an institution founded to promote teachings similar to those of her mentor. She quickly won a following. She branched out and taught classes in New York, San Francisco, Kansas City, Boston and elsewhere. Among those influenced by these lectures were

• Melinda Cramer and Nona Books, co-founders of Divine Science;
• Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, who established the Unity School of Christianity.
• Harriet Emilie Cady, author of Lessons in Truth;
• Annie Rix Militz, founder of The Home of Truth; and
• Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science.

Because her influence was so pervasive in these New Thought organizations Emma Curtis Hopkins came to be called the “Teacher of Teachers.”

Unity, Divine Science and Religious Science are the three largest organizations within the present-day International New Thought Alliance (INTA).

Emma Curtis Hopkins was a genuine mystic. She emphasized this element in all her teachings and writing. She drew upon the Bible, the non-Christian scriptures, and the works of the world’s great philosophers and saints in her teaching. Her mysticism was a very potent influence upon Ernest Holmes.

She spent time in London, where she had contact with Thomas Troward and other British leaders of the New Thought movement. She eventually ceased using the name Christian Science and began teaching privately.

Ernest Holmes and Hopkins

Ernest Holmes studied with Emma Curtis Hopkins in her later years when she was teaching only individuals. He felt she was among the greatest of the mystics.

Reading: Hopkins’ Scientific Christian Mental Practice is a powerful treatise on mental healing.

Who is Ernest Holmes?

Ernest Holmes is the founder of the International Religious Science movement which is recognized as one of the leading viewpoints in modern metaphysics. Science of Mind is a spiritual philosophy that easily applies to everyday living while also expanding the student’s sense of their relationship to God and their place in the Universe.

Known to his family as the “question mark”, Ernest Holmes was a passionate seeker of knowledge. He embarked on a path of independent thinking at age 18. He was deeply moved by the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He then found Judge Thomas Troward in England who further defined elements of the philosophy that was formulating in his mind. He began teaching Troward everywhere he could. He was also touched by the work of Emma Curtis Hopkins who had begun to influence other great “New Thought” leaders.

He wrote Science of Mind which is used as a textbook in many New Thought churches.

• Began lecturing on Troward 1916
• Published his first book Creative Mind
• Published The Science of Mind 1926
• Established the Institute of Religious Science 1927
• Founded Science of Mind Magazine 1927
• Revised The Science of Mind 1938
• Reorganized the Institute to become the Church of Religious Science 1953
• Dedicated Founder’s Church 1960
• Made his transition 1960
• Church became known as United Church of Religious Science 1967

Reading: The Science of Mind, Living Science of Mind, This Thing Called You, This Thing Called Life, What Religious Science Teaches and many more.

Before we begin our talk I would like to say a few words about the word “Om”. It is a sound we hear about often in spiritual circles these days.  Sometimes we hum it, sometimes we chant it, and on many CD’s we listen to it.  But do we know and understand the meaning of this very powerful and ancient word.

The word Om, literally Pranava in Sanskrit means “humming.” The mantra Aum denotes God as the Primal Sound. This sound can be heard as the sound of one’s own nerve system, and meditators and mystics hear it daily, like the sound made by an electrical transformer or a swarm of bees, or a thousand violins playing in the distance. It is a strong, inner experience, one that yogis hold with great reverence. The meditator is taught to inwardly transform this sound into the inner light which lights up ones’ thoughts, and to bask in this blissful consciousness of light. Hearing it one draws near to God Consciousness.

So as you listen to this word in its many forms I hope this explanation will be of service to you in drawing closer to the Divine.

Now moving on to today’s main topic, “God is A Fun God”.

Today’s topic is entitled “God is a Fun God.” When you think of God do you think of fun, laughter, joy?  Can you imagine the Divine having a good sense of humour and fun?

For a moment think of God as the air you breathe – has air ever said to you,” Stop -your not happy so – no air for you today?” or perhaps say, “You had fun 8 years ago so no air for you today”. Or does the Divine say” You made a mistake, an error in judgement, you messed up (sinned) – so no air for you today.” Let us think of a few more examples such as:

“You haven’t suffered enough in life – so no air for you today”.

“You had great sex last night – start struggling for air”.

Has air ever said no to you in any way?

Imagine if deep down in the very core of our belief system and the root of our being we believe in a universe where God is a mean, malevolent, harmful, judgemental and vengeful God that sits in Heaven and is going to ultimately decide your eternity based on your behaviour here on Earth. Unfortunately this is the belief that many of us grew up with and how hard it is to change it after so many years.

I can almost guarantee this – if your parents did not have much fun in life, were not joyful, were not happy – that your understanding of God is that God is not a fun, happy and joyful God but rather a judgemental (probably Old Man in the sky) who watches and critiques our every thought and act.  It is time my friends to realize that this perception is totally incorrect and we need to learn to free ourselves from this view of life and God.

Traditional Christians like to point out how irrational it is to have any reverence for any other religion. They look at the ancient Greeks with their gods on a mountaintop throwing lightning bolts and say, “Those ancient Greeks. They were so silly. So primitive and naive.”  Not like Christianity. We have burning bushes talking to people and guys walking on water, old men out in the desert building ships out of worm wood, with no power tools and six hundred years old. Christianity… sophisticated.’

An Agnostic or someone who denies God’s existence may say “I’m neither arrogant enough to believe there is nothing out there that may be beyond my ability to comprehend that works against or even manipulates physical law – nor- and I self-centered enough to think that if one being did create everything in the entire universe ever, he’d give flying whoop what I do on Sundays. What I eat on Fridays, what kind of facial hair I have or even who I choose to have sex with”!!!

Here are a few funny questions and responses:

Q: Is it common for 50+ year olds to have problems with short term memory storage?

A: Storing memory is not the problem, retrieving it-is the problem.

Q: Where do 50+ year olds look for fashionable glasses?

A: Their foreheads.

Q: What is the most common remark made by 50+ year olds when they enter antique stores?

A: “I remember these”.

Some Background on Bodily Responses to Laughter and Fun:

Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.

We know that laughter increases these healing hormones. Maybe you have read some of the research on laughter by Norman Cousins. Or, have you heard about the man in India who started “Laughter Therapy”?  Actually one of our members, Gracie, teaches this method.  And in some hospitals today, they have a channel where patients can watch funny television shows and this seems to increase their immune response and hasten healing times.

Dean Karanazes, writing in the April issue of OUTSIDE magazine said about a completely not spiritual activity:

A great run definitely involves suffering. I think any adventure athlete will tell you that there’s honesty in suffering. You feel more alive than when you’re just cruising along. There are moments where you have very lucid thoughts. On day four, running across the Sahara last year, i nearly passed out at mile 23 of a 28-mile stage. I was dehydrated, it was extremely hot, I had exhausted my salty foods, and i was rationing my electrolyte tablets. My ears were ringing. My head was spinning. I was seeing stars. I finally sat down in the sand and just looked around. There was no one there. And I sat there for probably 15 minutes and got in my own head and said: Don’t get ahead of yourself. Be in the moment. Don’t think about the race you have to do tomorrow. Just take one step. Do your best on the next step. There’s magic in misery. I talked to God out there. (Karnazes, 46, won the 2008 Four desert Challenge, a 621-mile stage race across the Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, and Antarctic deserts)

You still want to allow your real self to enjoy life. But you also have to face the need to meet others’ expectations of you, and therein lies a problem. What’s the right mix (or balance, if you will) of meeting:

• the wishes of your true inner self, and
• other’s expectations of you? And how do we learn to give ourselves permission to truly enjoy life, a good laugh without feeling bad about ourselves.
• How to balance fun with other life responsibilities that may not be fun.

May I share a true and personal example?

Some years ago my life’s experiences gave me a vital lesson in finding the answer.

Things were going very wrong for me. I was trying to meet expectations placed on me by a number of people who were heavily influencing my life, expectations against which the inner me was fighting a losing battle. In reality of course I was pleasing nobody, least of all myself. The effect was a gradual erosion of my self-esteem and self-confidence to a point where they became virtually non-existent.

I had allowed my natural inner self to be totally suppressed, by my outer self and by various other people who at the time seemed vital to my life’s success. They were telling me, in effect, ‘don’t do what you want to do . . . come over here and do what I want you to do’.

They say the darkest time of day is just before the dawn. Isn’t it amazing how true that is of life? A small voice in my darkest hours was calling to me, in the form of a close friend asking me to join a choir. I loved singing and they wanted me in the tenors. But I was feeling deeply sorry for myself and said no. The requests continued to come and the answer continued to be no. Finally I gave in and said yes. Perhaps, I thought, a couple of hours of rehearsal each week would take my mind off my problems for a while.

When the choir welcomed me with genuine applause, a candle flickered within me. With encouraging comments on my singing and a growing sense of belonging, the flicker became a soft, steady glow. With each rehearsal, its brightness increased. I could feel the world embracing me again. Before long, the light was shining like a beacon, once again guiding my inner thoughts, revitalizing the inner me, increasing my self esteem and rebuilding my self confidence. It didn’t stop at the end of choir rehearsals. My newfound enthusiasm was rippling through the rest of my week into everything I was thinking and doing.

These events didn’t free my passion for singing. It was my passion for singing that freed the real me that I had for too long allowed to be imprisoned by other’s expectations. Needless to say, the first decision of my true self was to dismiss these people from my life  . . . and it felt great!

The passionate person I am today owes a great deal to these events and especially to that friend who insistently called to me during those dark days.

Peter Nicholls has written:

“Of course the realities of modern living force you to accept the fact that others will have expectations of you that might not sit naturally with your inner feelings – and this is not always a bad thing. There has to be a balance though. True life balance isn’t about managing your work and personal life responsibilities. Nor is it even about work and leisure. It’s actually about getting the mix right of meeting the needs of your inner self and the expectations others have of you. The mix has to be such that your true, inner self stays in charge of your big decisions in life.”

In essence, it’s about getting the right mix of ‘time for you’ and ‘time for me’.

So, I invite you today to invite the view of God as a loving and fun God into your life.  Yes, there is sorrow and difficulties in this life, but as a very spiritual Swami said (Swami Lokeswarananda) “Lean to the positive… Yes there is negativity, but in general try to lean to the positive side of life. That brings more joy and happiness.

Thank you.

This is a very beautiful story that will surely touch your heart. I hope you will enjoy it as I give the details.

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible.

Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him.

He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible, and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words … PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Here is another story, a true one shared with you by permission. (Joyce and Barry Vissell)

A Father’s Apology to His Son:

Hal, a participant in one of our workshops, felt moved to write the following letter to his now 24-year-old son, whom he had not seen in over a year.

Dear Brian,

“I need to apologize to you for some big mistakes I made in my fathering.

I hope this allows us to feel closer to one another.

My greatest hope would be for you to forgive me.

Although we have never talked about it, there were maybe half a dozen times in your childhood when I struck you in anger. One of those times stands out sharply in my memory, and I imagine in yours as well. I think you were about eight. I came home from a job that I hated, more frustrated than usual. You were throwing a ball in your room, which I had previously told you not to do. I heard the crash of broken glass and ran into your room to see you had just broken your window. I lost it and started hitting you, even several times in the face. I think it was the worst as well as the last time I have ever beaten you.

Afterwards you were crying and I felt terrible, but I never let you know my remorse or apologized for my cruel actions.

I want you to know how sad I feel for every time I hurt you, but especially for that one particular evening. It weighed heavily on my heart for many months, and over the years it has caused me much grief. I have often judged myself a bad father because of that episode alone.

I want you to know it was never your fault when I hit you. No child deserves to be hit by a parent or anyone else. I was needing to let you know how upset I felt in each situation. I was needing to express my anger, my disappointment with words rather than my hands. But I had never learned this from my own father. What I did to you I learned from him. It’s terrible how abuse can get passed down from generation to generation. My greatest hope is that this terrible legacy stops with you.

Although I believe I never hit you again after that night, it has taken me till now (with help) to understand that it is never too late to apologize and ask for your forgiveness. I am so very sorry for taking out my own frustrations on you. It was clearly wrong for me to ever hit you. I need your forgiveness, and also understand you might need time to forgive me.

Someday you may be a father. If that comes to pass, I think you will be a better father than I was to you. I sincerely hope my apology helps. I love you.

Dad:

Writing this letter helped relieve Hal of a burden he had been carrying for years. But there’s more. Two months later he received the following reply, showing what is possible through asking for forgiveness.

Dad,

Thanks for your letter.

I have to admit it came as a total surprise, even a shock. I’ve been busy with my life, so I haven’t thought about the “beatings” for a long time. Those memories were difficult.

When I first read your letter I couldn’t get past the bad feelings it brought up. I actually had to put it down for a few days.

But when I picked it up again and read it more carefully, I got what it was all about.

Wow.

Thank you for apologizing. I guess better late than never.

Yeah, I can begin to forgive you now. It helps a lot to know how bad you felt. I only wish I would have known that sooner. All these years I’ve felt it was all my fault, that I deserved to be punished.

From your letter I can understand that, of course, I never deserved to be hit, not by you or anyone. It’s probably going to take me some time to let all of this sink in. It’s kind of like having a new dad.

I love you too, dad. Thanks for writing.

Signed, your son.

So, does either of these two stories touch your heart?  Bring back memories? Can we take just a few moments and reflect and think about our own stories?

Who needs understanding?

Who needs forgiveness?

Who needs self-acceptance, acknowledgement and love?

Maybe you need to write your story and share it with a trusted person.  As Sidney Jourard, psychologist said in his beautiful book, “The Transparent Self”, the first step in becoming whole is to share our story, and let us ourselves be known to another without bluffing or hiding, and sharing our truth. Thus begins the journey of healing.

So together, let us repeat,

“Today, right now, I make amends with whomever I need to, and I forgive everyone I need to. I let go of the past, and in the present declare, that “I am complete, divine and in harmony. All aspects of my life now integrate together to make me full, happy, and complete.  I forgive as best I can, I let go, and surrender to the divine still voice within that loves me, accepts me, and makes my story one that I am able to own, experience, share and feel at peace with.”  And so it is.  Thank you God.

Have you ever noticed how often most people judge life’s events as either good or bad?  We seem to constantly be evaluating and measuring with our measuring stick whether things are going well or not so well. What we know from our spiritual search and understanding is that there is a way to see life from another point of view and to transcend the idea of good and bad. Let us explore how our spiritual experience of oneness can help free us from constant judging of bad in ourselves, others, and the events in our life.

Through the unitary spiritual experience of oneness we rise to a higher level of knowledge and insight, and come to understand that the difference between the two are not what we normally perceive. We understand that “the bad” in fact serves a very important purpose; that it is there to help us and the world around us evolve. In that sense it is just as good as “the good!”  Conversely through the experience of spiritual consciousness we begin to perceive that many things we perceive as “good” may not be truly good, and may just be expressions of our desires, attachments, and preferences.

How many of us have looked back over the course of our lives and have seen that the difficult experiences we have gone through (that at the time we perceived of as bad) was often the doorway to a new beginning or opportunity. If we can carry into our daily lives the consciousness of a plane beyond good and bad, we will be able to operate from a more centered poise, enabling us to make better decisions since we see the world from a greater depth and deeper truth. This in effect can only lead to greater success and happiness in life. Let us explore how we can learn to overcome some of the limitations of the mind so that we may explore the greater depth of which we speak.

Overcoming Limitations of the Mind:

Having spiritual experiences such as oneness helps us recognize that the source of our thinking process, our mind, is a very limited instrument. Before the spiritual consciousness our minds seem small and limited, filled with our own prejudices and justifications; limited in its awareness, perspective, and knowledge in life’s situations and circumstances. On closer scrutiny we discover that the mind and its thoughts tend to pick out one truth out of a larger truth, one piece of the puzzle, discarding the rest. Or it divides things into pieces or sections, not able to hold a wider truth or know the big picture.

From this discovery of the limitations of mind we can make the effort to break our attachments to our own attitudes, opinions, and habits. This effort can help us become more tolerant, energized, and open to the possibility of the full truth, not the limited truth that our own minds present us. This can only lead to greater knowledge, awareness, achievement, success, and happiness in life.

The spiritual experience often leads to an awareness that the things that occur outside of ourselves and the things within us have a direct correlation and relationship. The mind says they are divided, are of two different worlds, and cannot possibly have a direct relationship.

For example, how could changing an attitude possibly relate to a positive circumstance happening to you a few moments after be related in any way. Our minds suggest that such a relationship lies beyond the normal bounds of causality, space and time. Yet, that is precisely what occurs.

Our conclusion is that everything that is happening around you is a reflection of innermost thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. If something is wrong on the outside, you find the corresponding negative inner perception, change it, and watch life respond positively in kind. This in turn leads us to the understanding that we can and should take responsibility for everything that is happening around us, and can make inner changes to effect the world around us.

Interestingly, we have witnessed that if people take this approach, they can bring about an instant outer response from life. For example an individual changes an attitude about someone at work, and instantly gets a call thereafter that a new project has been agreed upon that that person is to lead; or a man cleans something he was reluctant to clean before and instantly finds out that he has run into some expected money. This is called a Life Response.

If your attitudes and opinions are reflected by the circumstances around you, then we can make an effort to change the world on the outside by making a change on the inside; by changing our attitudes, opinions, and habits, or taking a specific action. Under certain circumstances life on the outside can instantly respond to your inner effort.

If you can look at every positive and negative circumstance and match it to a corresponding attitude, value, or habit inside yourself, you will be well on your way to understanding the character of life, and gain the ability to master life. There is no faster way to change the world around us than by acting from a positive inner poise.

There are several helpful techniques  which may be of help to you in learning to switch your awareness and perceptions. Let us explore. These include switching our thinking when we become aware of something we need to change our thinking about, and secondly, practicing meditation on a continual basis to raise our consciousness beyond good and bad and transcend into a unity with all things.

Techniques:
Using Your Mind to Control Your Thoughts:

Whenever you are bothered by something outside yourself in your life, try to see the corresponding limited habit, opinion, or attitude. Then make an effort to change it at that moment. Better yet develop an action plan to change it in all aspects of your life!

Practice Daily Meditation:

When it comes to wanting a higher level of spiritual consciousness many people balk at the thought of daily meditation but meditation is the fundamental root to spiritual consciousness. Many people may not feel that they aspire to a higher state of spiritual consciousness, but by nature, we all eventually desire and move towards it.

The best place to begin when faced with a question like Why Meditate? is to take a closer look at what the mind is. The mind is a continuity of thoughts that present themselves in a linear arrangement in both our waking hours and when we are asleep (in the form of dreams). Our thoughts cause a reaction in our nervous systems that is known as stress. Some stress is necessary for our day-to-day functioning and some of it is unnecessary and can even harm us. Research has shown that it is the harmful stress that meditation can address and reduce by helping us to transcend the whims and worries of our minds.

Meditators the world over have been found to suffer less stress and anxiety, can transcend pain of any sort, can rejuvenate themselves easier after exertion, can deal with sleep problems, fatigue, deal with problems like weight loss, smoking cessation, gain confidence in communication with others, motivation in career and study and much else that is exacerbated by day to day life. And many who master the techniques, find improvement in concentration and all sorts of mental abilities.

As well as gaining a higher level of spiritual consciousness, the benefits of meditation is a general reduction of stress-levels, improved mental focus and concentration, and improved ability to experience a state of calmness – even in the midst of a busy city.

Constant practice of meditation has a profound influence on the consciousness and the mind. The mind is restless and loves constant movement and change. Meditation removes the restlessness of the mind, making it a better and more useful tool.

Meditation develops concentration, awakens inner peace and brings the mind under your control. Constant practice develops peace of mind, silence, inner quietness, joy and inner power that no outer circumstances can take away or change.

There are people who regard meditation as an unpractical, useless and meaningless pursuit. They consider those who seek inner peace and silence as dreamers, visionaries and unpractical people, who are out of touch with reality. This is an erroneous assumption. There have always been very practical, pragmatic and active persons, who also engaged intensively in inner, spiritual quest, some of whom you may find difficult to associate with meditation and spirituality.

This shows that practicality, common sense and spirituality can go hand in hand.

Living a spiritual life, and at the same time engaging in mundane activities is not unusual. There is no such rule that one has to abandon everything and live in an ashram or a monastery, in order to meditate and lead a spiritual life.

Success in meditation requires earnestness, persistence and strong motivation, but the rewards are great and valuable. After the mind becomes habitually calm and quiet as a result of a regular practice, one might discover that there is no need for special meditation sessions anymore, because inner peace and silence will be experienced at other times of the day.

When the mind is at peace, there arises a kind of calm, joyous and powerful consciousness, which is different from the ordinary, everyday consciousness. It is vast and endless, full of calmness, rest, happiness, joy, power and invincibility. It is a sort of an altered state of consciousness, which is not a state of trance or lack of awareness of the earthly plane. It is an awareness that encompasses both the earthly and spiritual planes.

After beginning to taste this consciousness of inner peace and bliss, you will find that sometimes you may experience it in your everyday life, not only while meditating. It may suddenly or gradually possess your awareness for some time, and then it goes away. At this stage you will need to make it constant. This is done by pacifying your mind, and by making the effort to remember and awaken it wherever you are, at any time, and under all circumstances. This is the way to turn it into your ordinary, everyday consciousness.

In order to hasten the awareness of the inner consciousness it is recommended that you become more aware of your thoughts as they arise and pass through your mind. Do not let them sweep you away. Just remain focused, uninvolved with them, and deeply aware of the consciousness that looks at these thoughts. Let the peace that wells up fill you completely.

I hope these thoughts and suggestions will be of some assistance to you on your daily spiritual journey in seeking truth that is beyond good and bad and to find peace through the unity that spiritual practices give us.

Thank you.

Today I would like to speak about sacred space.  It is the space in us and around us and between us and others that is holy, hallowed, precious, and perhaps transcendent.  The word sacred is closely related to sanctity or heavenliness or transcendent, venerable. It is a special place of love and respect.

I want to know if you can honour the sacred space between us and do you hold that space in reverence when we are not together. It all starts within ourselves. How sacred is the space within you, and how sacred is it within me. And, how sacred is it between us?

Trust is developed knowing that the space you present to me is the same one you hold for me when I am not around and vice versa. I want to know that if you display a positive appreciation and affection to me that it is the same or better when I am not around.

Here are a few more questions about how you hold space for your consideration:

How do you hold the space between others?

How do you hold your spiritual community?

How do you hold your workspace?

How sacred do you hold your children?

Do you have people in close proximity to you that is difficult to hold the space between sacred?  If your answer is yes to this one, this is a built in clue that is meant to help you determine what is good for you and what isn’t.

Then you can determine what you may want to consider doing to increase the sacred of that space and relationship.

Here at CIL and in many New Thought and Old Thought Congregations we believe in a forgiving and loving higher Power. We can start afresh and anew anytime we choose. You mess up one day you start again. Pick a relationship that is important to you – start today – telling yourself I am going to hold this relationship sacred, I am going to treasure and honour it, I am not going to get lazy with my thinking and speaking and I am only going to honour this space with the very best of my being.

A Personal Story from David

The personal story of David and his mother when she was dying ended like this:

“I crossed the bridge and I landed in her world – and I looked at her and she looked at me and said you are my son – with her hands she gently wiped my tears – she hadn’t recognised me and I hadn’t been there emotionally.” That was a time of great sacred space and respect and love between us which had not been for a

long,  long time.  Please don’t wait so long in your life to repair sacred space between yourself and others.

This miracle with my Mother represents the three invisible connectors – It is the relational space – the bridge between the worlds – it is the encounter; human essence to human essence – you know them – you just may not have connected/framed them.

Jewish Philosopher Martin Buber who wrote a wonderful book called “I and Thou” and several others describe the sacred space in this manner:

“Our relationship lives in the space between us – it doesn’t live in me or in you or even in the dialogue between the two us – it lives in the space we live together and that space is sacred space.”

That beautiful quote describes how Buber lived his life.  He always asked us to treat others as a “Holy Thou” not as an “It”, an object, not totally human. I wonder how often all of us interact and treat the space between as less than sacred and sometimes treat others as an “It” and not a “Thou” meaning sacred and holy.

If we don’t know about this space together we will actually pollute it unconsciously with all of our unconscious feelings and emotions in this space. I created this polluted space between my mother and myself because I unconsciously put all of my feelings and emotions of the past between us.

When we don’t know about this space we will pollute it quite automatically through a word – a reaction – a withdrawal – a look – a criticism – a judgment.

We put it there unconsciously – and the space becomes uncomfortable – and when the space is uncomfortable – we react to the discomfort of this space – the space becomes more uncomfortable and the more uncomfortable slowly but surely – the space becomes the more we react to the danger of this space – we react to the danger in the space – how do we react – some us react by exploding our energy – we shout – we say many words – we get intense – we talk louder.

On and on the list could go, so may I ask you what do you do in these times?

Some of us react to the danger by withdrawing our energy – constricting – hiding and once those two reactions come together as a reaction to the danger in the space – the danger grows and now we are reacting together to the pollution and danger we co-created in the relational space – so what should we do – how do we take responsibility for this space – this space is sacred- we take responsibility by crossing the bridge.

Crossing the Bridge to Reclaim Sacred Space in Our Relationships:

Sit down across from each other- put your feet on the ground come into the moment – be thankful for being alive – important beginning for walking across the bridge – then you begin to consciously and deliberately walk across the bridge – slipping the rubber band that pulls you back to your prejudices – your judgements – your identity – your ego – who you think you are – your emotions – your feelings.

As you go across the bridge there is a little transparent plastic bag containing within it a passport and visa – the reason it has to be transparent – you cannot bring anything of yours to the other side of the bridge – and when you land on the other side what do you do – you listen – you listen with an open heart – you listen with new eyes – You bring your open heart and eyes as – if you are hearing a new language for the first time – a new music – a new rhythm –  “The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” The French novelist Marcel Proust stated this and it is so true. When we cross the bridge to understanding and empathy with ourselves and the other person, we are able to listen with an open heart and learn to perceive situations differently.

You listen to the other person by repeating the words. You learn about the landscape in this other world. You repeat and ask “Have I heard you?” When this happens there is an “Encounter with the other”.

Let us explore this Encounter more fully.

First on a biological level:

The encounter is the resonance between two brains – relational neurobiologists call this resonance ‘the brain bridge’ – two limbic systems that resonate together – the seat of our emotions beginning to resonate together.

Relational neurobiologists have found that when there is this resonance between two brains, our central nervous system begins to calm down. They have also discovered that our brain is the only organ inside of us that doesn’t regulate from within. It regulates on the outside through another brain. We need each other for self -regulation. We can only regulate through the other – through the eyes of the other and through that resonance what happens then is very interesting.  It was discovered about ten years ago.

At that time the relational neurobiologists discovered that the mirror neurons we have in our brain give us our capacity for compassion, for empathy, for deep understanding of the other, and during the encounter these mirror neurons become very alive and what happens then is new neuro-pathways begin to form in the brain. Isn’t that amazing?  These new neuro-pathways give us the capacity to be in relationship because the brain has been found to have an enormous plasticity. This means that the brain can change at any time during our life- time. These new neuro-pathways that are formed in our brain – give us a chance to become more relationally intelligent and more relationally mature – so that is the encounter in the biological sense.

Another Explanation of Encounter:

In another domain it is harder to define what the encounter is. Simply said it is the meeting of two full human presences, it is the meeting of two life forces, two souls, two spirits, and the encounter of what is the essence of both parties, both fully human and fully engaged in this dialogue with each other.  As Martin Buber would say, it is the “I” in me meeting the “Thou” or holiness of humanity in you, and thus we both can respond and see each other as human beings not as objects. Thus we are able to have more empathy, more love and compassion for the other person and our encounter with each other.

In closing I would like to share with you a story that may help our understanding.

A man went to the tailor, Mr. Goldberg and wanted a suit.  When he tried it on it didn’t fit well but then a couple came by and said, “Oh that suit fits that man so perfectly—what an amazing tailor, a man in his condition and the suit fits him perfectly.

Well this is us. We are in this suit and we walk around in this suit because we have adapted to our life and we don’t even know this is a survival suit.

We know that this is us – for instance if we have adapted to being cold, distant, withdrawn, – I think this is me – inside the suit is our human essence – intact – inside of our survival adaption – we are our essence – and coming over the bridge allows our spirit to be nourished and this transformation to happen from the survival suit to our true human essence – it is being with each other that our true essence is revealed.

I started with a story about my mom. Now I would like to finish with a happy story concerning Libby, our daughter, not quite two years old.

I was working on my computer the other day and looked and there was Libby with bowls on her head.  She was wearing a new type of hat it seems. She saw the world differently. Oh, to have the wonder of a child to help us see things differently what a gift that would be.

Rumi, the Persian poet, musician and mystic said “Beyond right thinking and beyond wrong thinking there is a field – I will meet you in this field.”

Our children live in the field between a couple and the space between the couple is the play -ground of our children and they can blossom is this sacred space. The space between us all is sacred space – to cross this bridge and to encounter each other’s essence to human essence is a sacred experience.

May we all have more of these types of encounters in our life!

Footnote (Editor’s note)

More on this topic may be found on the Internet with Hedy Sychleifer – The Power of Connection Clinical psychologist and a couple and relationship therapy expert.

Today’s talk I have entitled “The Wise Ghost” because it is so close to Halloween and on November 1^st is All Saints Day—a day wherein many of the Catholic faith feel that all the Saints who have passed are very close to earth in spirit.

Today I want to share with you about one out of the three of the Holy Trinity in the New Thought Movement and in spiritual metaphysical thought. The three are Spirit, Soul and Body and because of the closeness to Halloween and All Saints Day I want to talk in detail about Spirit.

What Is The Spirit?

The Spirit is that which is within us is the part that is unchangeable, unmanageable and cannot be harmed by any human behaviour, action, or words. It is that part of us that is our spirit is the part that is within every human being – it is the exact same in all our brother and sisters. Meister Ekhart, a very holy saint in the 1200’s called this spirit the divine essence within. In the Hindu faith, this spirit is often referred to as the “divine spark” which is in all us, yet more hidden in some than others. Ernest Holmes in his wonderful book, The Science of Mind, a Philosophy, A Faith, A Way of Life describes this spirit in great detail. Holmes calls the spirit the Changeless Reality, and that personality is the instrument through which Spirit moves.

Our spirit cannot be killed off. As the story of Jesus and the resurrection so beautifully depict, spirit is the part that most metaphysicians believe moves forward and continues to evolve and spiral upward in an ever  expanding assent of awareness and higher consciousness.

If the term Spirit is hard for you to fully accept then call it energy that is unchangeable or Chi or the Tao as Eastern thought would describe it. The name is not as important as the understanding about what spirit does in our lives.

New Scientific Evidence and Research that is Amazing:

Neuroscientists reveal new links that regulate brain electrical activity – Researchers have made a major breakthrough in our understanding of nerve impulse generation within the brain. Brain cells communicate with each other by firing electrical impulses, which in turn rely upon special ion channels that are positioned at strategic locations in their membranes.

The heart contains special tissue that produces and sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle. It is these impulses that trigger the heart to contract. Each time the heart beats, it sends out an electric-like signal. The heart’s electrical signals can be measured with a special machine called an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG). Metaphysically, some say the heart is where our spirit and soul lie hidden waiting to open.

The soul is the seat of our personality – it is who and what we really are – The seat of real life and vitality; the source of action; the animating or essential part.

The Soul serves as the door way through which we can enter and touch our spirit – when we touch our spirit we connect to our wholeness – to our unrealised potential

Aristotle’s definition of the soul (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher.

Aristotle saw the soul as a life-giving force that animated the body to fulfill its potential. Soul was the directing force and actuality of any living organism and was related to the definitions of growth and reaching one’s full potential. Without it, the body or any living organism would not be actualized and as a result, be “dead,” nothing but mere lifeless matter.

Why do you want to do your inner- work? Because we do not want to be lifeless matter – It is through our soul that our spirit is revealed. A wounded or unhealed soul covers up the doorway to our spirit.

Your Soul Illumines and Heals what Your Mind Can’t See!

Clear Your Mind – Feed Your Heart = Empower Your Soul!

Inner work Transforms Fear and Pain to Profound Peace.

Inner work allows your Heart to be deeply nourished and Satisfied.

And it opens you up – making available the Incredible Wisdom and Power of your own Unique Soul, your Inner-God-Self

Become really, really HAPPY! With a clear and happy soul we are then always sourcing our spirit and feeling the joy and happiness of being connected to our inner self, our Spirit, our divine Essence that can not be changed or destroyed.

So learning to connect with our Divine spirit within is a wonderful pursuit to have in life. That Spirit could be called our Divine, All- Wise Friend.

Would you like to have an all-wise friend who is always available, to help you stay grounded in peace—no matter what is happening around you?

Would you like that friend to:

• Always tell you exactly what to do for your own best interests.

• Actually knows your whole situation – forwards and backwards so that judgments for your direction and decisions are based in truth and wisdom.

• Gives you the most reliable help to develop the very special work that you are destined to do–the reason you came to life on this planet?

• Give you unconditional love, forgiveness, inspiration and support all the time?

• Help you heal anything that bothers you?

• Help you build strong, healthy relationships?

That friend – is your inner – soul – child – God-Self. That friend is always available to you through thick and thin, happiness and sorrow, and will never leave you or forsake you.

Your God Self, and the very real experience of your Soul can be yours at every moment!

However, for many of us we are battling our false self, our persona and that hinders us from connecting more deeply with the divine spirit within. Let us explore this in more detail.

This is an example of the typical battle that is waged between our soul and our false self. Our false self says don’t try painting, writing, dancing, singing because you will not be any good at it – it may have even said to you today – don’t wear a costume to Church because that would be silly – you will feel out of place, people will look at you funny – but meanwhile the soul is saying, “it would be nice to paint, to write that book, to dance, to sing, to be feel free enough to wear a costume to CIL.”

Often times it is freedom the soul wants the most – freedom to create – to express – to innovate – to evolve – to just Be – but the false self who in general owns our inner ear wins out. The reason for the false self in winning out when it comes to this battle – is because of being shame based raised – that has ingrained into our mind indelibly that if you are not perfect at something from the beginning than you just don’t do it.

One of the greatest obstacles that stop us from doing something new or different – that may ultimately lead us to some form of success – is our fear that we won’t be any good at it – because that is what our false self is telling us… Perhaps we should all learn from Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, yet lived an inspired and exciting life. She said, “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.”

“I think we should feel as though we are on a mission. Not a mission of sadness to save souls – they are not lost, and if they were, you wouldn’t know where to look for them – but a mission that glorifies the soul. Not to find we are here for salvation, but for glorification–the beauty, the wonder, the delight of that Something that sings and sings and sings in the soul of humankind,” Dr. Ernest Holmes, Founder of Religious Science.

Isn’t that a beautiful quote and challenge for us all?  And it is through opening to the Divine Spirit within, the real Self, our divine essence that we become more real, move loving, more authentic and our Spirit increasingly grows and blossoms and people whom we met can feel it and know that there is a special “magic” within us that draws all good to it. I would like to close todays’ talk with another wonderful quote of inspiration from Ernest Holmes.

“Within Me is that which is perfect, divine, complete, that which was never born and will never die. It is that which lives within me and is God—the Eternal

Reality.  This divine spirit within is peace, poise, power, wholeness and happiness.  All the power that there is and all the presence that there is, and all the life that there is, is God, the Almighty Living Spirit, and this Divine and Living Spirit is within me—now.” and I give thanks.

Thank you for reading this talk and I pray you will feel the Divine Spirit within you more and more each day.

Introduction:

Is finding peace within yourself your number one priority? When we are on a spiritual journey this is what we are striving for – and one of the greatest spiritual tools we can use in striving for peace is practice of turning one’s self inward toward one’s vision. As you may know, CIL is celebrating the second year of our joining together as a community, and what a wonderful time it has been with its opportunities and challenges.   Working with our Vision and visioning together helped us get here. Let us explore both concepts.

Vision is a funny thing. We all know it doesn’t mean what you can see in front of you with your eyes. It isn’t the tangible reality you face every morning; it isn’t the wall that you can probably see when you lift your eyes from the computer screen and it isn’t the thing that opticians can correct with the right glasses.

Vision is far more mysterious. It is almost a spiritual thing – something private and deep inside you – that slowly grows and takes shape if given the right conditions. If you nurture your dreams, fuzzy feelings, intuitions and hunches it begins to take root. If you entertain your hopes and pay attention to your passions, abilities, talents and interests your vision starts to look very healthy indeed.

Your vision becomes a sort of spiritual goal – whether in your personal and private life, your business world, your education or other. Sometimes it is so crazy it never could be real – but more often than not a vision is not crazy but is just something that we have not made real yet.

The clearer we can see our vision the easier it will be to get there and make it real. We need to feed it the right information, do some homework on options, respect our natural abilities and talents and let it take tangible form. Writing it down, drawing it, telling someone, planning, trying a prototype are all steps towards making our intangible “spiritual” vision something tangible concrete and very “material”.

As you make your vision concrete and start taking steps to make it happen you will become aware of the journey that you need to undertake to transform the “unreality” to “reality” – the invisible to the visible – the unseen to the seen. You will see the steps you need to take, the sub-goals you need to achieve as stepping stones to making that vision real.

Every great leader, every successful business person, every ordinary man and woman who has ever made a difference has had a vision. They have had a dream in tune with their deepest passions and longings; they have shaped it into reality one step at a time, making the “unreal” real through hard work, persistence, dedication and sometimes a little luck.

Can you think of the people who have influenced your life greatly? What was their vision and how did their vision impact your life? I think of some of the really great ones, for example, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, or perhaps your parents or a friend. How did they impact you in your life? And the reality is that you can do the same with your life.  Your vision may influence many more people than you realize at this moment because of your vision. So how do you make your vision become real?

The Visioning Process:

Vision, or sight, is the process by which a person “sees” using their eyes. Sight works much like a camera – vision is achieved using a refractory lens that focuses light waves (the picture) onto nerve endings (the film), which carries the message into the brain

A spiritual vision is the process by which a person sees through their intuitive eyes.

The visioning process has been around for thousands of years and, in fact, probably predates the process of prayer. It is what Ernest Holmes is referring to when he said, “True prayer must be ‘Thy will be done.”(Science of Mind, pg. 268) or where he encouraged us to daily say, “Perfect God within me, which is God, come forth into expression through me as that which I am; lead me ever into the paths of perfection and cause me to see only the Good.” (Science of Mind,  pg.185.)

Visioning, as we use the term, is similar to what many present-day Christian Churches are calling Contemplative Prayer and yogis for thousands of years have called Contemplative Meditation.

What is the difference between visioning and the technique of visualization?

Visualization is a beginning phase in metaphysics in which we mentally conceive of something we want. We imagine doing it or having it and we generate the feelings that would accompany the experience. Visualization involves having an idea of what we want to accomplish or how we want to live our life, then imaging that goal as already achieved and establishing the necessary mental and emotional vibrations to bring it forth and manifest it. Visualization is a beautiful and wonderful stage in our evolution, and it’s very important.

Visioning is a process by which we train ourselves to be able to hear, feel, see, and catch God’s plan for our life or for any particular project we’re working on. An organic process that has evolved for me as I grow spiritually, it is based on the idea that we’re not here to tell God what do or to ask God for things but to absolutely be available for what God is already doing, to open ourselves up to catch what’s already happening. When we do visioning, we align in consciousness with our divine purpose, which is to love and to express a greater degree of life. Then we open ourselves to catch a sense of how that expression is supposed to occur through us.

Have you made yourself available for God’s vision for your life to work through you?

As we mature along the spiritual path, explains Michael Beckwith, we move through four stages of consciousness most of us go through as we practice our spiritual life and intentions along with the visioning process.

Four Stages of Consciousness in Spiritual Life:

Stage one = Victim Consciousness. This stage finds one in constant reaction to things happening “to me” at the hands of a power outside of our control.

Stage two = as the Manifestor. In this stage you take responsibility for your life and put the laws of the universe to work for you.

Third stage = Channel. We enter this stage when we surrender our will to a higher intelligence that functions “through us.”

Stage four = Being Consciousness. In this very high spiritual phase the person manifests as an enlightened living. In the state of enlightened living the person becomes aware of others and feels others to be themselves and that all of us are a part of the community of Earth. We become a beacon of light for all in this stage.

Interestingly the vision of CIL is to be a beacon of light, a community of enlightened members who are AWAKE SPIRITUALLY and aware of our connection to the Universal Source of all Good, all power, all healing and all light.

David’s Personal Sharing:

The above descriptions sound so wonderful and it is the hope for all of us, but I do want to share with you a little about my own journey and struggles during the past two years wherein we have visioned and started to make our vision a reality.

It has been very difficult for me.  Coming from another country to Canada, and living in a small city has been challenging for me. The financial pressures that have faced my family have been great, and here I am at nearly fifty years of age with a first child—so beautiful and so wonderful and yet so scary because I want to live a long, long time to see her grow up.

I am not sure that I have been able to inspire many of you to begin a spiritual practice or to love God with all your heart and that is a challenge. However, from all my experiences with ministry in many places I know that any good vision comes with its challenges.

Thank you for letting me share some of my challenges and concerns with you.

Let us move on the exploring our creativity, our hearts desires and how to obtain them.

Blocks to Creativity and Manifesting Our Heart’s Desire:

The greatest block to creativity and listening to our heart’s desire is the editorial mind or Inner Critic within our minds.  This means constantly judging ourselves and criticizing ourselves, or feeling not good enough to have our desires or blocking our creative process through self-doubt and sabotage.

No one can heal us, save us, or even teach us.  Gurus, teachers, and/or healers are here only to simply hold the light elevated enough for each of us to heal, save, and teach ourselves in direct relationship to God.  Changes only happens within when we have the willingness to no longer be separated from ourselves and others and to directly find out how it is that each of us is a gift from God.

We pray that those of us doing spiritual work find a way to return back to a simpler life here on Mother Earth.  We understand that there are challenges – that the energies are intense, that many are sensitive to the accumulated consciousness that many of us want to escape, run, give up or find others to save us.  But I promise, the only way out is to go back into your life fully, accepting all of what surrounds you as a gift from God here to serve you so that you may grow, learn, release and find the unshakable truth of your own serenity within.

Please try to keep life as simple, mundane, and ordinary as possible.  In this way, you will find little miracles in the small deliberate activities such as that of holding the hand of a loved one, cooking a wholesome meal your body can appreciate, cleaning your home so that it smells fresh, watching a movie that delights you, taking a shower to nurture you, work that gives you pleasure and moments of silence for your own tranquility.

Many seeking God have become lost or stuck in their false-self – or what can be referred to as spiritual side effects.  These addictions to outside phenomenon have attracted energies of lower vibrations that make it difficult for many to evolve to the next level.  Only when we are evolving can we rest in the lap of God in this lifetime and find the treasure we are looking for right beneath our own two feet.

In closing, I would like to ask you a few questions which I hope you will respond to and perhaps write your answers on paper to keep and share at a later date.
As the creator of your life, what is your vision? What is your innermost desire?

As a member of this spiritual community, what is my Vision for CIL?

And finally, last but not least is the question of what is my Vision for my Community/World?

I pray for each and all of us will learn to vision and see more and more of our hopes and dreams manifest in our lives and in the lives of others.

Thank you.

Today’s topic is on learning how to make appropriate judgements in our life so we may continue to grow spiritually.  This topic could also be called learning to discern more clearly spiritually.  To discern is to perceive clearly, to see clearly what is in front of us rather than seeing from a clouded point of view. There is a Russian Proverb that may help us set the tone for our discussion. It is “When you meet a person, you judge him or her by his clothes; when you leave the person you judge your response by the heart.”

Have you heard this story that really demonstrates our perception and judgement?

It is told by a person who is in a bar having a drink. The story goes like this:

“There I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when a large,
trouble-making biker steps up next to me, grabs my drink and gulps
it down in one swig.
“Well, whatcha  gonna do about it?” he says, menacingly, as I burst into tears.

“Come on, man,” the biker says, “I didn’t think you’d CRY. I can`t stand
to see a man crying.”

“This is the worst day of my life,” I say. “I’m a complete failure.
I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me. When I went to the parking
lot, I found my car had been stolen and I don’t have any insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home. I found my old lady in bed with the
gardener and then my dog bit me.”

“So I came to this bar to work up the courage to put an end to it all,
I buy a drink, I drop a capsule in and sit here watching the poison dissolve;
That’s when you, you jerk, show up and drink the whole thing!

But enough about me, how’s your day going?”

What a story! I imagine the biker’s perception of the situation changed dramatically when he realized and understood the truth that he in fact was the one who had just drunk the poison, and well— who knows the consequence?

As Jim Horning says;

~ Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. ~

The definition of judgement is coming to an opinion or decision about something.

Hopefully, as we grow spiritually we learn to make these judgements with increased wisdom. However, how many times have we done something just like the guy in the bar – what appears to the eye at the moment – we believe to be the truth – but with further exploration it is only a part of the truth- but we not only make a judgment – but more importantly we act on the judgment we have made. So let us explore in more detail how to make healthy judgments.

How to make healthy Judgments:

I want to do this! What’s This?

You’ve done it before, made a decision that you regretted or wished you could take back. Making judgments is a part of everyday life – as you often come to conclusions about people you see before you even meet them. The decisions you make can have a drastic impact on your life, opportunities and personal perception, but having a strategy when making decisions will teach you how to make better judgments along the way.

Here are five disciplines that can help you make better judgments: You may want to think of a situation you have had in the last little while and consider your reactions and responses as we go through these five disciplines.

1.    Listen to what is said. One of the most important processes of making a judgment in your primary relationship is to listen to what the other person is saying to you. This often requires you to have an open mind that is not predetermined, but rather, full of attentiveness that is both focused and sincere.

2.    Ask probing questions. This means to ask questions a little more deeply and get beneath only the words a person is saying. For example, what if the biker had thought to ask “Is there anything in that drink that I should be aware of?” Open-ended questions that leave your counterpart with the option to expand on their answer will provide more information in order for you to make your judgment. Asking questions that require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should only be to clarify a specific point in an explanation.

3.    Weigh the evidence. Whether your judgment is on how you initially feel when meeting someone or on a decision that is difficult and has to be toiled over, you should always consider the provided evidence. Weighing the evidence of truth should be an objective practice that allows you to look at the facts and come to conclusive results before making a decision.

4.    Check yourself first. Am I impulsive/compulsive ? in our bar example we might ask “ do I often grab drinks that I shouldn’t grab!” Your personality and attitude can sometimes get in the way while making judgments when you only focus on what you want to hear or see. This will cause you to only find evidence that supports what you believe instead of what really may be happening. When making a judgment, take the time to ensure that you are checking your attitude and personality at the door before making your choice.

5.    Communicate your final decision effectively. After you have made your judgment, make sure that the way you convey it is in line. Appropriate and effective communication, when you are in an argument for instance, can help dissolve anger that may result from a realistic decision you have come to. Use the appropriate tone of voice and tempo when talking about the situation. This can be an effective tool to use on others when they are listening and deciding to accept or reject your judgments.

Judgmental, prejudiced and biased individuals make far-reaching pronouncements based on limited information. We all know such people. Their false and extreme generalizations give them away.

Here are a few examples of what some people may say in this judgmental way:

“Anyone who uses curse words is obviously stupid and uneducated!”

“Rock-and-roll fans don’t know the first thing about music!”

“People who don’t regularly attend religious services are heathens!” and I don’t even want to get into statements based on prejudices and bigotry in this talk.

However, most people realize that being judgmental is an unattractive trait. If you look around, you’ll find that most judgmental people are disliked and avoided. The answer to Mom’s reproach of, “Why don’t you call your mother more often?” if truthful would probably be, “Because you’re judgmental and tend to pick on me, so it’s unpleasant to talk to you.” When people stop being judgmental, they often discover a level of personal happiness that had eluded them.

Yet none of us can help forming opinions of other people. So how does judgmental thinking differ from making judgments? Let us explore this in detail as the differences in being judgmental and making appropriate judgements is an important task in human and spiritual development.

Judgmental people state their views and observations in authoritative terms; they decree what is right and wrong, what should and should not be, what is good or bad. Making a simple judgment, however, does not carry these ominous overtones. “Billy has poor table manners” is a judgment. The judgmental person would add something, such as “Therefore, he’s a slob who was raised by cavemen!”

We make judgments constantly. “He’s good-looking.” “She dresses well.” “He seems to lack a good sense of humour.” “She’s overweight.”

In forming opinions or making judgments, there is no moral overtone, no further conclusions are drawn, no inferences are made about the person’s character. We just have the observation or the perception.

As soon as we add “therefore” to the observation, we are likely to be judgmental. “He talks very slowly,” is an observation, “therefore, he must be stupid” is a judgmental conclusion.

If you look out for your own “therefores” you are less likely to sit in judgment over your fellow human beings, which will be all to the good for you and them.

Is there a difference between making inferences, drawing conclusion and making judgments?
To me, they all seem like the same strategy.
Inference is when you “read between the lines”. The author does not come out and tell you, but you just know from the reading. For example, Bob’s favourite color is blue, and he is wearing his favourite shirt. What color do you think the shirt is?)

Drawing a conclusion is based on written evidence from the story, so you can make a determination. You can pick out evidence and examples to support your idea. For example, Pandas only eat bamboo. The panda is eating. What is the panda eating?

Making a judgment is when you have evidence to support different ideas, but you pick one idea and someone can pick another and neither is necessarily right or wrong. What is the best idea based on the evidence in the story?
To pass judgment is to give your opinion, especially when it is a criticism.

To reserve judgment is to not give your opinion until you have more information.

So, where are you in all of this discussion with so many definitions to think about?

In what areas of your life do you feel you are too judgmental even on yourself, and what situations do you think you have shown real discernment and wisdom?

David’s Personal Thoughts and Reflections:

Most of us spend a lot of time in life trying to guess how others may judge us and then we attempt to adjust our actions, behaviours, words, our ways, our life accordingly. To some degree this is helpful if we are getting and giving honest perceptions of a situation. But I worry sometimes about my sermons and delivery.  Will they be thoughtful enough? Will they help? What is my delivery going to be like?

So I too have a lot of growth in this area of judging particularly myself and I want to be kinder to myself and judge myself less harshly.

In closing this discussion on this topic of making judgements as seeing more clearly so we may make more informed and wise decisions, here are two quotes that are interesting:

“It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered – shows lack of character.”–Dale E. Turner quotes

~ Many complain of their memory, few of their judgment. ~   Benjamin Frank

Perhaps as we grow as a spiritual community we will all practice these principles of making more discerned judgements about ourselves, our community and society at large?  I do want to add one final thought about Gandhi.  He said that he wanted to see truth (real clear truth) in whatever form it appeared. He gave his whole life to this way of seeing and judging and one time he said that his enemies were his friends. Imagine being able to live that way. And we all can as we practice seeing clearly and discerning with wisdom.

Thank you for your time and attention.

A Talk Given by David Jones on Oct. 10, 2010

Today I would like to talk with you about learning how to use the Spiritual Laws of Circulation in Your Life to create more happiness and wisdom and understanding of spiritual laws. These spiritual laws were given by Ernest Holmes, Founder of the Science of Mind Organization, and although written in the 1950’s are still vibrant, interesting and true in today’s world.

First, I would like to define what spiritual laws are and then spend some time with interesting examples on the Law of Circulation.

Spiritual laws have three constants which I will define.

First, they are inviolable. Secondly, they are immutable and thirdly they are Universal.  Let’s define each with Webster’s Dictionary definitions.

Inviolable means it is something that cannot be broken or harmed.

Immutable means not capable of change or unalterable.

Universal means all-reaching, cosmic, complete, total, whole, unlimited, catholic,  encyclopedic or in  other words very, very huge, universal and all-reaching without limits with time or space.

So these laws are very important and sacred and if we understand them we can

learn to live more in harmony with all divine, universal laws. Before getting into the Law of Circulation, I would like to discuss briefly the Law of Reciprocity.

It is this law that should always be borne in mind when trying to understand spiritual laws more fully because without understanding the tenets which underpin the whole notion of manifesting, one is likely to experience haphazard and inconsistent results.

Reciprocity is the act of giving and receiving in mutual measure. This does not necessarily denote exchange of the same medium, but it does mean that whatever you give is equal, by your personal measure, to what you have received. This is demonstrated beautifully in the axioms ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ or ‘You reap what you sow.’

A more user-friendly name for this law might be The Law of Circulation. Giving, to the place where you are receiving, keeps you constantly in the flow of circulating energy and keeps you in the flow of circulation, both giving and giving. It means not being stagnant or stuck or giving so much that you become depleted.

Remember the story from last week wherein we discussed the story of the tree and the boy.  The learning from that is that some give and some only take and this is not in harmony, and although the tree, for whatever psychological reasons gave and gave until it was only a stump, and the boy, who became an old man still took and sat on the stump of the tree, they were happy with each other.

But upon deeper introspection, we see that they were really quite dysfunctional.  Who wants to sit on an old stump in life when you could have an entire garden of trees? But, the man (grown up boy) had not given in return and thus in the end nothing was growing or vibrant in the relationship between the boy and the tree.  The tree gave until it was empty and the boy took only.

Let’s examine what actions and behaviours we may express when we are feeling like the tree – or like the boy. When we are feeling like the tree and feeling empty or we may try to numb it out. We may feel depressed, we may feel lethargic, and we may procrastinate. We may also feel used but not know what to do about it.

When we are feeling like the boy who is constantly given everything we may act out in countless ways and feel the world owes us everything without giving back. Can you think of movie stars, athletes, politicians or even friends who do this?

In this example, both the tree and the boy who later became a man were out of harmony because harmony requires giving and receiving, not giving only or receiving only.

Positive circulation is when things increase as a result. Negative circulation is when things diminish as a result. What you hold on to will keep slipping away until there is nothing left. You can never escape the law of circulation. If you try to stop the circulation of things, it will still circulate but in a negative manner.

It will be circulated through unexpected expenses such as paying for repairs and replacements of things that are damaged, stolen or lost. Look at areas in your life where you are prevented from keeping your money or being forced to spend it.

You proclaim that everything you have belongs to God when you give away a portion of it. The portion represents the whole. God accepts the portion as the whole. The portion that you give to God is blessed and therefore the remaining of all that you have is also blessed. As we circulate our money freely, more money flows into our lives.

We are all stewards of the universe resources. If you do not circulate what you have for the work of the universe, what you have will be taken away and given to another who is doing so. Don’t worry about people who are selfish and do not give. If you keep giving and being in flow, even what others hoard from you will somehow be made by the universe to be given to you. So you can rest in the truth that you will always have whatever you want and no one can hold it from you. You never have to withhold from giving others what they want just because they withhold from giving what you want.

You should give to where your giving would do the most good so that it would flourish. You should give to someone or some place that contributes to your personal growth or happiness. Give to those places where you receive spiritual nourishment. Give to people who inspire you, help you and love you. Give to where you receive the most joy. Give to where it makes you most happy to give. You should give, most of all, to a place where you are personally involved in.

Positive circulation increases the value of things because it is beneficial to both giver and receiver. Negative circulation decreases the value of things because it is detrimental to one or both parties. Positive circulation occurs when what is received is combined and transformed into something better and given away again. Negative circulation occurs when what is received cannot or isn’t used but is released in a state that is worse than before. An example is the money- making scams of life.

It is better to give in smaller amounts but more frequently than to give in large amounts but less frequently. It is consistency of giving and not magnitude that has the effect. When you give frequently, you are in constant flow and there is no stagnation. When you give only large amounts now and then, you will be in stagnation during periods where you are not giving. Think about constant circulation to keep the water in a tank fresh and clear, compared to changing it completely only now and then.

Whenever you give something to others, you should also allow them to give something back to you if they desire to. If they have allowed you the favour of expressing abundance towards them, you show also allow them the favour of expressing abundance towards you. It is perfectly all-right to set up an exchange of value by having others pay for what you have to offer. It is also a way of allowing circulation to take place that will lead to the increase of your own wealth and the wealth of the world.

We can’t give that which we don’t have. It is a joyful thing to have so that we can share. When you help people by sacrificing yourself to be of service to others, you will feel resentful for it and end up paying a much higher price. That is because correct giving must be a circulation and not just an outflow. When you give, you need to receive something in return in order to enable yourself to continue to give more. You can only give in proportion with your ability to receive. The best givers are the best receivers.

But often we don’t feel good enough about ourselves – to the point that we feel we have little to nothing to offer and don’t feel good enough about ourselves to receive from another. When we believe we are flawed – we feel as if we are not good enough and therefore of no value to others.

The following story illustrates this point.

The key to be abundant and happy with yourself is to learn to give and to learn when to receive.  It is the flow of life, flowing with energy and life and not stagnant From that space you can reach out and help others. Otherwise instead of changing the world, we are just tilting the scale from one extreme to the other.

Balance is found not when one is down and the other one is up, but when we’re are all at the same level where in our own personal way, we feel abundance, happy and fulfilled, that we are sharing our talents, resources, and gifts with one another.

Always give away whatever it is that you want. As we have said on other occasions:

• If you want love, give love.
• If you want money, give money.
• If you want knowledge, give knowledge.
• If you want understanding, give understanding,
• If you want compassion, give compassion.

You will always have already been provided by the universe with a certain amount of what you want. You just want more of it. If you give out of the little that you have, much more will come back to you. If you want to have wealth, first show others how to have wealth. Whatever you want, if you cause another being to have it first, you will have it in abundance.

You are in vibrational resonance with abundance through your physical acts of giving and receiving. Giving and receiving are the two polarities of the same frequency spectrum of abundance. That is why people who have the most are the ones that give and receive the most. God gives us his all to receive back our all.

The Law of Circulation states that all things in the universe are always flowing in circulation at an ever- expanding rate. What you give to one person, you will receive back from a different source, so you don’t have to give with the expectation of receiving back from the same person you give to.  Just know that what you give will always be returned to you multiplied from other sources. It works according to the law of cause and effect where the universe always mirrors back to you whatever you do.

So, I hope this talk on the Law of Circulation has been interesting and helpful to you in your spiritual journey especially as you learn and practice the principles of giving and receiving in your life.

I would like to add a personal note here and a few reflections.

I am very lucky in experiencing good health, in spite of a bout with my heart, and pursuing a life that centers on helping others. Yet at times, I am haunted with melancholy. Why? I am not sure but one way I combat it, without fully revealing its presence – is with the love, compassion and support of my family and friends. I do not thank them enough. Do you experience this? Does most everyone? I’m not sure but the rollercoaster of life still puzzles me and makes it one thrilling and sometimes frightening ride.

I remember reading the Eastern words, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” Written in simpler times, it reminds me that happiness is mostly a state of mind. Even though some of my goals are tantalizingly close, they are still beyond my reach, like the proverbial carrot dangled in front of a work- horse. Near enough to salivate but too far away to taste or nourish, it must mean it’s time to, chop wood and carry water.

To keep on trying because there are so many people in this world who are less fortunate than myself, making the world seem out of balance, a dangerous place for a peaceful life. We owe a lot to those who have too little food, no shelter or security. Most of those people are not within site, so it is mostly out of mind.

There are more than six billion people on Earth and that number is growing. Two billion are under nourished and thirsty for a better life. We owe that to them but how do we delivery? Everyone feeling fortunate needs to make a contribution, there are myriad of ways. They are easy to find, look in the newspaper or on the internet. Easing their pains will make the world a more peaceful place. I do not want to profess how but urge each to take action. Somehow it makes me feel better when I do. Maybe it will for you too.

I would like to end this talk with words from the Psalms:

Open my lips, O lord, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. Amen.

And I pray that as you practice the laws of giving and receiving that you will be blessed far beyond your imagination.