This page is a compilation of the words of wisdom which Rev. Larrye-Marie Heyl is sending out during the month of April while people are in stay-at-home mode because of Covid-19. These are listed by weeks, starting at the beginning of each week so that you can read in a logical order the messages about that week’s theme.
Week of May 18– May 23: GRITS!
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
May 18:
This week’s Words of Wisdom are called GRITS – not the eating kind, or the Girls Raised in The South kind, but rather the grits associated with this acronym:
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
GRITS Lesson #1: Release can take a conscious effort!
Throughout this week I plan to talk about how we can learn to live more fully in love, peace, calm and joy by letting go of the thoughts that sabotage our connection with our best self.
As our acronym for GRITS implies, getting to full joy in our lives implies granting release, letting go of things that are not serving us. Have you ever thought that release of things requires us to be conscious of what it is that is needing to be released? We have to mentally grant that release, consciously allow it to happen.
Ernest Holmes in Lessons in Spiritual Mind Healing wrote:
“Our subjective thought patterns are so filled with the belief in sickness and limitation, which has been handed down from countless generations, that we all have an unconscious conviction of the necessity of suffering. To get away from this we must plunge through these subconscious reactions and endeavor to merge into the realm of pure Spirit, the Unconditioned, the Perfect and the Absolute.”
The thought patterns of limitation can be widespread – “not good enough,” “not smart enough, “not rich enough, “not thin enough” – you get the picture.
As Holmes states, often what is keeping us from loving fully, being peaceful or calm is not even consciously on our mind – we have to “dig up” what it is we need to release through prayer and other spiritual practices such as journaling or meditation. When we learn to plunge through the subconscious reactions, we learn to grant release of those things that are robbing us of our joy, peace, and calm.
So how do we endeavor to “merge into the realm of pure Spirit”?
I invite you to adopt a spiritual practice that you do every day – and it only takes a couple minutes.
Set your iphone or a timer for a specific time of day. When the timer chimes, take three deep nourishing breaths and then ask your heart this question:
What infectious thought might I grant release of today that is sabotaging my joy?
(I use joy because when I am out of my joy space, I am not fully living a life I love. Instead of joy, I invite you to use any God quality – love, freedom, peace, calm, or your chosen word – that allows you to live life fully.)
• If you get an answer from your heart, ask your heart two more questions:
– HOW might you release that thought? AND
– WHEN might I release that thought?
Knowing what to release doesn’t mean you are ready to release it.
Be patient with yourself!
• If, after a couple minutes, nothing to release comes up for you, thank your heart and continue
your day, knowing that perhaps you are not quite ready to release today.
Before you move on with your day, take a couple minutes to write down the messages you received. You can ALWAYS trust your heart to tell you the truth. (I invite you to get a journal dedicated this practice, but it is not necessary for you to have results. The journal might allow you to see your progress through time – and the places where you are really stuck and might want to seek a practitioner to help.)
The work here is whether or not you are ready to Grant the Release. Also, some things are very much a part of our behaviors and beliefs because they have been handed down from generation to generation. You might be surprised what comes up for you.
For example, one thing that came up for me in doing this practice was an ingrained belief that “you have to work hard to be successful.” I came to realize that working hard and working smart are very different – and that when I trust in the Divine as my Source, any anxiety I might have about finances disappears. I also realized that some people, like myself, really do LOVE their work and find it a joy to do.
May you find in your daily practice a way to grant release of anything that is keeping you from living a life you love living.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to plunge through subconscious reactions and merge into the realm of pure Spirit?
May 19:
Today’s Words of Wisdom continue our Granting Release portion of GRITS –
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
GRITS Lesson #2: When release is granted, there is space for peace, calm, freedom, love, and joy!
A summary of yesterday’s Words of Wisdom might be what Ernest Holmes states in 365 Science of Mind:
“Until we release all of our own previous mistakes and failures, pain and suffering, we shall merely be monotonously repeating them today.”
Since I suspect none of us want to monotonously repeat our previous mistakes, failures, pain or suffering, I want to talk today about completing the release once you grant it.
Alan Cohen, in A Deep Breath of Life, tells us:
We cannot preserve the past; we must release it to make way for a fresh new future.
When you do spring cleaning and clean out closets and drawers, what happens is that you have some empty space. I realize that it is nice to have extra space in our home situation. With our minds, it doesn’t quite work the same way.
When we clean out the thoughts in our minds, we do make way for a fresh new future. What is important is that we realize that releasing these thoughts is similar to dragging something on your computer into the temporary trash can. It can remain there and be retrieved. “To make way for a fresh new future” it is necessary for us to prevent our minds from returning to the thoughts that are not serving us that we worked hard to release. How might we do that?
Replace old thoughts with positive thoughts about how we want our life to look.
For example, if you have released a thought of “not enough money,” try replacing it with the afformation:
“How is it I so easily and willingly know money is coming to me from unexpected places in unexpected ways?”
If you released a thought of “not smart enough,” try replacing it with
“How is it I so easily and willingly embrace the knowledge I have as unique to my life, serving me well?”
You get the idea, right?
The more often you repeat the NEW thought, the less likely it is the OLD thought that you released might creep back into your mind – somewhat similar to the “hold time” expiring on the computer trash can.
Jesus said: “Ask and it is given!” If you are having trouble releasing disempowering thoughts, Believe these words! How often do we fail to ask or to remember:
“There is a POWER from which we are inseparable, and we can use it.”
The definition of release is: “allow or enable to escape from confinement; set free.” What if you just decided that you were going to use the Power from which we are inseparable to escape from the thoughts in your mind that confine you – to set yourself free from them? Take a moment and imagine what that might feel like!
May you release any past, disempowering thoughts, and embrace new thoughts that bring you to a fresh new future.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to release what I need to release, and fill my mind with new, empowering thoughts?
May 20:
Today’s Words of Wisdom continue our Infectious Thoughts portion of GRITS –
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
GRITS Lesson #3: Infectious thoughts sabotage us living the life we love living.
Have you ever felt that the love, peace, calm, and joy were slowing leaking out of your life? Maybe it feels like more than a slow leak – more like the dam burst. In this time in history, with so much focus on the corona virus, we are bombarded daily with news – a lot of it not so good news!
In Can We Talk to God? Ernest Holmes writes
“Man, as we understand him, is the result of his conscious thought and act,
plus his subjective reactions to life,
plus that indefinable something which is the Spirit in him.”
Today we are talking about the Infectious Thoughts that creep into our consciousness and impact our reactions to life.
One definition of infectious is “likely to spread or influence in a rapid manner.”
Let’s look at those infectious thoughts which spread or influence ourselves and others in a rapid manner. Some thoughts which pop into our consciousness are fleeting – they come and we release them, or they come, create a smile or perhaps a twinge of pain, and then we let them go to move about out day.
The infections thoughts are the ones that linger and gnaw at us. They keep showing up, very often stealing our joy or our peace and calm.
Pause for a moment and think about the last few weeks. Has there been an infectious thought that keeps popping up for you? For me, it seems I cannot escape the thoughts that the coronavirus is infecting people on this planet whom I love and care very deeply about.
Once we become aware of the infectious thoughts we have, we can take action and choose what we want to do. How? We create a management plan for our infectious thoughts. It might look something like this:
The first step is to become aware of what we are thinking, to notice how often we are drawn to a thought that is influencing us “in a rapid manner,” that is, impacting us as soon as it comes to mind.
The second step is to choose what it is we want to do with that thought. The wonderful gift of humanity is choice. We can allow our thoughts to bring us joy or pain, and we can choose to release the thoughts that bring suffering. There are no guarantees this choice comes easily or without effort. As we talked about the last couple days, we must choose to grant release of the infectious thoughts that are creating suffering.
The third step is to take action. Determine what it is you can do about the thought.
For example, when I begin to think about the coronavirus and my family and loved ones, I am aware that my heart hurts, my throat might tighten. Now I have a choice. I can choose to continue to worry, or I can take action which helps me release the worry. For me, the action that helps me grant release of the infectious thought is often a text message or a phone call to interact with the person for whom I am worried.
Because this particular thought for me is indeed an infectious one, I often am repeating my action. It might take a while for the infectious thought to dissipate or for me to truly embrace Divine Order. The important part of this scenario is that I become the one who determines if I let the thought become a slow leak to my joy in life, the dam breaking, or neither of those. My actions can plug the slow leak so that my joy is not drained.
May you become aware, choose, and take action to eliminate any infectious thought that is blocking you from living a life you love.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to manage my infectious thoughts and live a life I love?
May 21:
Today’s Words of Wisdom continue our Sabotage portion of GRITS –
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
GRITS Lesson #4: Infectious thoughts that sabotage rob me and everyone I encounter of peace and serenity.
Yesterday the words were about the Infectious Thoughts that creep into our consciousness and impact our reactions to life. We looked at words of Ernest Holmes from Can We Talk to God? which I want to repeat for you today:
“Man, as we understand him, is the result of his conscious thought and act,
plus his subjective reactions to life,
plus that indefinable something which is the Spirit in him.”
Today I would like to focus on the “indefinable something which is the Spirit” in you. That Spirit is why infectious thoughts rob not only you of a wonder-filled life, but also those whom you encounter.
Pause and think of a really great day you had in the past few months. Perhaps it was a holiday before all the changes occurred due to the pandemic. During that day, picture how you were feeling. How did you encounter people that day? Were you kind and positive? Did you ask them about how they were doing? Was there perhaps a smile on your face? Might you have told them positive stories or situations related to your life and the day?
Now pause and think of a not-so-great day you have had. If you can’t think of one then WOW – you are living a fabulous life. Perhaps your day was one that occurred due to the changes necessary because of the pandemic. During that day, picture how you were feeling. How did you encounter people that day? Were you kind and positive? Did you ask them about how they were doing? Was your face smiling or flat? What did you talk about – how good life was or troubles?
As it turns out, as a species, we are innately vulnerable to “catching” other people’s emotions. Did you know there is something called Emotional Contagion (EC)? I was reading an article recently in Psychology Today in which Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., talks about Emotional Contagion, EC. She defines EC as the “process in which a person or a group influences the emotions and affective behavior of another person or group through the conscious or unconscious induction of emotions.” I was fascinated to learn that even mimicking a frown or a smile can cause us to interpret those expressions as our own feelings.
Let’s get back to that “indefinable something which is the Spirit” in you. It is the indefinable something in you and the indefinable something in others that binds us together and creates that Emotional Contagion. The result – when you allow an infectious thought to sabotage your calm, your peace, your joy, you are also impacting others whom you encounter.
We talked last week about recognizing what is “yours to do,” and then being willing to do it. Are you willing to allow the Divine to flow through you when you become aware of infectious thoughts that are sabotaging your life? Does it matter to you that your emotional reactions to your thoughts are contagious? Are you willing to do what is yours to do to overcome the infectious thoughts that sabotage?
Researchers found that when subjects “catch” positive emotions from others, they are more likely to view themselves and be viewed by others as more cooperative, more competent, and more collegial. Haven’t you noticed when you hang out with happy people, you tend to feel happier, have more energy, and feel less stressed? Want to be that happy person? Grant Release of Infections Thoughts that Sabotage!
May you recognize the “indefinable something which is the Spirit” in you and do what it takes to overcome infectious thoughts that sabotage your joy.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to tap into the Spirit in me and use it to focus only on my positive infectious thoughts?
May 22:
Today’s Words of Wisdom take a different spin on our topic of the week: GRITS –
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
GRITS Lesson #5: It takes GRITS to be me!
What does that lesson even mean?
In Romans 12:2 we read:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
So many of us allow our thoughts to sabotage us being who we came here to be – to steal from us the essence of our being. As I said when we began the week, thought patterns of limitation can be widespread – “not good enough,” “not smart enough, “not rich enough, “not thin enough” – whatever lack or limitation you have placed on yourself.
What if only for a few hours – or perhaps for all of today – you acted as though you believed there were no limitations on your life – no financial restrictions, no lack of wisdom, no time constraints. What if you decided to step into the unknown of the world of no limits, where anything is possible!
It takes GRITS to do that. You must be willing to grant release of contagious thoughts that sabotage you believing in yourself. You need to let go of conforming to all you hear in the world about limitations and how hard it is to do what you would love doing, and allow your mind to be transformed into new thoughts of possibilities.
In addition to grits, it takes courage and faith that the Divine is here on this planet.
In Observations Ernest Holmes told us this:
“If there is in life — and there must be —
something which causes evolution out of Life Itself,
why should it not follow that there is something within us
that causes us to evolve, to progress?”
Know within you there is something causing you to progress to your best self, and that you can depend on yourself to be transformed by new thoughts of fabulous possibilities.
In Science of Mind Magazine, Ernest Holmes told us this:
When we depend on ourselves we are depending on that inner voice that is God, speaking in and through man. “Man is the inlet and the outlet to all there is in God.”
May you have the grits to depend on yourself, on that inner voice of God speaking in and through you, and be fully yourself today and everyday.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today be the inlet and outlet to all there is in God?
May 23:
I want to wrap up this week by talking about Forgiveness, a companion of GRITS –
Granting Release of Infectious Thoughts that Sabotage!
GRITS Lesson #6: Forgiveness requires GRITS.
Yesterday we took a look at how GRITS help us be who we are. Today I want to talk about how GRITS help with forgiveness.
Pause for a moment and think about forgiveness. The act of another person was something that you were not expecting, or that disappointed you because you now are angry, upset, hurt, or however way you wish to describe the “injury.” When we feel injured, there is forgiveness work to do because we are imprisoning our self as well as the other person because of that injury.
Alan Cohen, in A Deep Breath of Life, wrote:
“If you keep someone in prison with your thoughts,
you have to sit at their jail door to keep them from escaping,
and thus become a prisoner yourself.
To free another is to free yourself.
When you give the gift of release, your spirit is healed.”
What might it take for you to free yourself?
What infectious thought about the person or situation might you need to release so you can give the gift of release and heal your spirit?
Someone once said that failing to forgive another person is like drinking a poison and expecting the other person to die from it. We poison ourselves when we allow anything other than love to be the essence of our spirit.
How might you see the action of the other person as a call for love? Obviously something in their past had them behave the way they did. Perhaps it was the “kick the dog” syndrome – they were hurt by someone else and then you became the dog they needed to kick to feel better. It makes little sense sometimes how we oftentimes hurt the people who mean the most to us. Not always, yet in most cases, you probably would not have felt angry, upset, hurt, or “injured,” if you didn’t care about the other person or their opinion.
In Richer Living, Ernest Holmes states:
“Whatever the mistakes of yesterday may have been, today is a new creation.”
Take a moment and decide if you want to live in the new creation of today or the mistakes – both yours and others – of yesterday. I doubt any of us chose to live in the mistakes of yesterday. Here is where GRITS comes in. If you want to live in the new creation of today, it is time to release any thoughts against others who, at least in your view of reality, made mistakes in the past. Consider what it would be like to forgive the person in your life who has “trespassed” again you, and in the process release yourself from guarding that jail door of resentment.
Have you ever noticed that if you take a deep breath and hold it, you have to release the first breath to take another breath? The same is true of forgiveness. You have to release holding on to the “mistakes of yesterday” to truly be able to enjoy today’s new creation.
In the forgiveness process, it is sometimes helpful to look at how the incident has helped us grow. You hear me say often: “There is no spot where God is not.” If this is true, then God is in the “injury” somewhere – perhaps to help you recognize a Truth or to expand how you can find the ability to love in spite of apparent ill-will on someone else’s part. Sometimes there is God in it in a way we might never understand. The important issue is that there was a call for love and it might be time we answered it with love and forgiveness.
Here’s a great release prayer you might want to use for a few days to help with GRITS:
I accept ______ (name of person to forgive.)
I bless ______ (name of person to forgive.)
I send love to ______ (name of person to forgive) because he/she called for love.
More words from Richer Living:
“Turning from the errors of the past and no longer carrying with us the
sorrows and mistakes of yesterday, today we may enter into a new experience.”
May you release the mistakes of yesterday and enter into a new experience.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to forgive those who I feel have injured me and move into the new creation of today?
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Week of May 11– May 16: I Can! I Will! I Must!:
May 11:
This week’s Words of Wisdom are centered around doing what is ours to do in the world. We each have different goals and expectations of who we came here to be. What I know is, when we figure out who we are meant to be, we can, we will, and we must do and be just that.
I Can! I Will! I Must! Lesson #1: If it is mine to do, then I Can, I Will, I Must do it!
Let’s start with the “elevator speech” version of this week’s words of wisdom – the short version on which I plan to expand over the next five days:
I Can …
…because I am a child of the Divine with the ability to do anything I set my mind to.
I WILL …
…because thinking about it and then not doing anything is fruitless.
I MUST …
…because if it is mine to do, then I benefit
and the other people on this planet benefit from my doing it!
Chris Michaels in Your Soul’s Assignment wrote:
“Like the pull of the sun on a flower, which causes the blossom to open
and turn toward the light, Spirit is urging you to a greater life. It is an inner voice that says, “This is not good enough. I made you for something greater. There is a better way for you to live.”
This week I want to request that you be open to blossoming into a greater life, open to knowing that you can continue to contribute, no matter what your age, and open to knowing that spirit is urging you to say Yes to all that life has to offer you, a better way for you to live.
Six years ago in May, at age 65, I uprooted myself from Portland, Or, to come back to Baton Rouge where I grew up and had my first roots. I returned to begin regular Sunday services for the Center, beginning on Mother’s Day. I left behind a network of friends and connections that I had spent over 30 years building. It wasn’t an easy decision, but somehow I had to say “Yes” to the call of the Divine that this was mine to do., to that something greater than me!
It’s hard to say NO to God! I knew this was a Divine calling, though not what I had personally planned to do with my ministry. Most of my friends were retiring and here I was starting a new life, thousands of miles from my support network. Knowing the pull of the Divine to come here helped me overcome the doubts, the wondering if I was “crazy” like many of my friends probably thought.
I left a safety net for the first year – I kept my home in Portland. I had never been afraid of change or of stretching my skills, yet this change felt HUGE – definitely out of my comfort zone! No harm in having a backup plan, right? I didn’t need one! I am living in joy every day!
Ernest Holmes in Help for Today said this:
“Whatever your years, there is in every being’s heart the love of wonder, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing childlike appetite for what next, and the joy and the game of life. You are as young as your faith, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, cheer, and courage, so long as you are young.”
May you find the love of wonder and an unfailing childlike appetite for what is next in the game of life.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to know that I can, to say I will, and to recognize I must live my life fully?
May 12:
Today’s Words of Wisdom are geared at the “I Can!” portion of “I Can! I Will! I Must!”.
I Can! I Will! I Must! Lesson #2: I have the ability to do anything I set my mind to do!
Yesterday I said the “elevator speech” portion of I Can! is this:
I Can …
…because I am a child of the Divine with the ability to do anything I set my mind to.
“I can’t change the direction of the wind,
but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
I don’t know who said this, but it certainly is great advice for living life. We can’t always control what is happening in our world or around it, yet we can always control how we react to it and how we let it impact our life.
How many people believe we each have the ability to do whatever it is that we can dream?
Do you believe you have all the strength you need, all the resources, all the ability to do whatever it is you dream?
Believe it! It’s true. As I have said many times:
“There is a POWER from which we are inseparable.”
All we need do is embrace it!
Many of us let this Power go untapped.
What if you just decided that you were going to use the Power from which we are inseparable to make your dreams come true? You might be surprised at the results.
Try saying aloud: “I Can! I Can! I Can!”
It is time we take these words of Dr. Michael Beckwith to heart:
“The moment you claim your ability to co-create with the Spirit,
your human mind begins dissolving the false boundaries
that previously kept you from consciously operating the Law of Co-creation.”
Have you ever asked yourself what life would be like if you just … (fill in the rest for yourself). I suspect most of us have asked that question. Well, why not now? Why not take some time today to claim your ability to co-create with Spirit? You might be surprised at what the results look like.
May you remember today to say “I Can!” to your dream.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to know that I can, to say I can, and to claim my ability to co-create my dream with Spirit?
May 13:
Today’s Words of Wisdom are geared at the “I Will!” portion of “I Can! I Will! I Must!”.
I Can! I Will! I Must! Lesson #3: You have to dip your bucket into the well of life to be able to drink of life’s refreshing water!
Monday I said the “elevator speech” portion of I Will! is this:
I WILL …
…because thinking about it and then not doing anything is fruitless.
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
John Lennon
I’m sure after taking in yesterday’s words of wisdom that you are convinced that you CAN, you have the ability to do whatever it is you dream. Today it is time to see what to do.
How many people have a dream and even already know they can do it, yet never put any energy into making it happen? Failure to execute on a dream is like picking up the bucket of the well of life and never dipping it in to get the refreshing water. Meanwhile, life goes on!
So “up until now” you have not made your dream come true. Those three little words are very important because they put things into perspective.
When you have a limitation and talk about it, add those three little words and life shifts. For example, look at these two statements:
“I was afraid that I was not smart enough to get a degree” and
“Up until now I was afraid that I was not smart enough to get a degree.”
Do you hear the hope and the shift in the second statement? The second one implies a release of that old limiting belief and movement into a more empowering one.”
We are always AT CHOICE. I love the phrase Up Until Now in conversations – especially when someone is talking about something that seems difficult or challenging. The Up Until Now phrase tells the Divine that you know that it can be different –
it doesn’t HAVE TO BE difficult or challenging.
So … I’m asking you now: Is there something you have been wanting to do and knew you could do, and yet it never has happened?
Too often we have some great ideas, perhaps even inspired ideas and then we don’t execute on them so they become dormant. The disconnect is in the WILL to do it – the EXECUTION – taking action by moving your feet, so to speak!
An unknown author said this:
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
Are you letting life go on without putting any energy into your dreams?
Pause for a moment and think of something that you now want to have the WILL to do and execute on, even though UP UNTIL NOW you have not accomplished it.
Your will to do it sometimes is stronger with help. Jesus told us of the power of “two or more gathered together.” I personally have experienced that power many times in my life! So tell other people about your idea and create some excitement for you around it! Telling others might also have the added impact of creating a bit of accountability for you to hold on to your dream!
May you remember today to say “I Can! I Will!” to your dream.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to know that I can, to say I will, and to take action – to dip my bucket into the well of life to make my dream a reality?
May 14:
Today’s Words of Wisdom are geared at the “I Must!” portion of “I Can! I Will! I Must!”.
I Can! I Will! I Must! Lesson #4: When it is mine to do, I must say a tender Yes to it!
The first day of this series I said the “elevator speech” portion of I Must! is this:
I MUST …
…because if it is mine to do, then I benefit and the other people on this planet benefit from my doing it!
I am sure after embracing the words of wisdom so far this week that you are convinced that you CAN, you have the ability to do whatever it is you dream; and you WILL answer the inspiration by moving your feet. Today we talk about why you MUST do it!
In many people’s mind, as soon as you tell them they MUST do something, it becomes a dread. Can you relate to that? These words of wisdom offer you an alternative view of the word must when you are the one saying it to yourself.
What if you recognized that when it is yours to do, it is essential for you to say the Divine YES to it? You MUST do it because others NEED you to do it! You MUST do it because it is one of the reasons you are here on this planet to do. You MUST do it because you were inspired to do it, and somehow it is for the greater good – to help create a world that works for everyone! In Can We Talk to God?, Ernest Holmes wrote:
“The greatest good which our mind is able to conceive should be affirmed
as a part of our everyday experience. From such daily meditation,
we should venture forth into a life of action with the will to do,
the determination to be and a joy in becoming.”
I know I want some of that “joy in becoming” in my life. How about you? The way we get the joy is to “venture forth into a life of action,” and to say Yes to what is ours to do on this planet.
In the June 1965 issue of Science of Mind Magazine, this quote from Ernest Holmes was printed:
“If we learn to think of the Divine Life as flowing through our every action, we will soon discover that the things we give our attention to are quickened with a new energy, for we are breathing the very essence of Life into them.”
Breathing the very essence of life into them is what we do when we recognize that, not only can we and will we, WE MUST – for others, because it is ours to do to create a better world, a world that more closely resembles one in which we follow those words of Jesus: “Love thy neighbor as thyself!”
The amazing thing is also when we say Yes to something we were inspired to do, the Universe does seem to get onboard, and there is new energy around it.
Ghandi said “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Being the change is what the “I MUST” is all about. To create change in the world, it starts with each of us recognizing we cannot ignore the nudges from the small voice within, prompting us to do something that perhaps we have known for quite a while was “ours to do,” something that our unique set of skills and circumstances allows us to do.
May you remember today to say “I Can! I Will! I Must!” to your dream.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to know that I can, to say I will, and to embrace that I MUST say the tender Yes to do what is mine to do?
May 15:
Today’s Words of Wisdom are geared at a more in depth look at “I Can! I Will! I Must!”.
I Can! I Will! I Must! Lesson #5: Embracing who I am is the road to realizing I came to do great things!
Ralph Waldo Trine, in In Tune With the Infinite, wrote:
“And in all the great universe there is but one center – the Infinite Power that is working in and through all. The one who then has found a center is the one who has come into the realization of his oneness with this Infinite Power, the one who recognizes himself as a spiritual being, for God is spirit.”
Do you believe there is an Infinite Power working in and through you? If so, how is it that you think that Power uses who you are to do good work in the world?
In John 14:27, Jesus told the apostles they would do “greater works than these.”
Jesus healed the lame, cured diseases, even raised Lazarus from the dead. Do we really believe that Jesus was talking about doing greater miracles than the ones he performed?
Perhaps he was talking about the greater faith it would take to step fully into being one’s self in the many ages that followed his lifetime, to being bold enough to stay true to one’s beliefs.
I think the “I Can! I Will! I Must!” is the greater things of which Jesus was speaking. The most miraculous thing any of us can do is to live every moment of our life being exactly who we came here to be. It takes courage, integrity, honesty, forgiveness, grace, tenacity, understanding, faith and a whole bundle of other wonderful god-qualities to find our center, to stay in tune with who we are, to recognize we are spiritual beings, and to step fully into accepting everything we have been called to be while we are in these human bodies.
Ernest Holmes told us this:
“I have ability and talent and I am busy using them.
This talent is divinely sustained and marketed under a Universal plan of right action.”
May you remember today to say “I Can! I Will! I Must!” to your dream so you can be exactly who you are called here to be.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to know that I can, to say I will, and to embrace that I MUST do what is mine to do because I am destined to do great things?
May 16:
Today we continue our more in depth look at “I Can! I Will! I Must!”.
I Can! I Will! I Must! Lesson #6: My talents are divinely designated and I have an obligation to share them!
Michael Beckwith, in 40 Day Mind Fast Soul Feast, wrote:
“The moment you claim your ability to co-create with the Spirit, your human mind begins dissolving the false boundaries that previously kept you from consciously operating the Law of Co-creation. God has a gift to give to the world as you, beyond what your surface mentality may sometimes see. So when you commit to discovering and expressing your faculty of Divine Creativity, what emerges is living and expressing from a deeper dimension of your being. This is real aliveness.
What might it take for you to discover within you that faculty of Divine Creativity and allow yourself to emerge into a deeper dimension of your being?
When we say I Can, I Will, I Must, we are claiming our ability to co-create with Spirit. We are claiming the gift we are to the world as exactly who we are.
It is true that sometimes we stay on the surface of our being, failing to realize or fully utilize the unique gifts that we have to give. We fail to believe that we have within us a Divine creativity that we can use, a Power from which we are inseparable. Though we sometimes forget it is there, not remembering its presence does not make it go away. Think about it – just because a car is parked and not running does not mean it cannot take off when we put the key in the ignition and start it. When we fail to flip the switch for a light to go on, we stay in the dark; it does not mean light is unavailable.
Today I am inviting you to put the key in your ignition and start living your life in full running mode. Flip the switch of your thinking to ignite the light within you that has you feel immensely alive and creative.
May you live fully alive today, being the gift God gave to the world and showing up in all your glory.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to commit to discovering the full extent of my Divine Creativity, emerging fully alive, expressing from a deeper dimension of my being?
Week of May 4 – May 9: SHAPE Your Life!
May 4:
Last year we did a series called Shape Your Life. The essence of the series was to look carefully at several elements that allow us to shape our spiritual lives so that we are living a life we love living. The lessons are worth repeating.
SHAPE Your Life Lesson #1: SHAPE-ing your life is an on-going process.
During these Stay-at-Home times, I venture to say that what we deem important has changed, and perhaps we more fully understand what is meant by
“you reap what you sow.”
We have each had time to pause and ponder how it is we truly want our life to be, to shape our physical lives in a different manner because our mobility has been restricted. Are you curious what your life might be like if you had a magic wand that was like chalk and an eraser, allowing you to erase things and write a new story for yourself?
Are your interested in what your life might be like if you got into tiptop spiritual shape?
When we attend services on Sunday mornings – via FaceBook live these days, it is like sticking your foot into the Gulf of Mexico and letting all the rest of your body stay dry? Or perhaps a better analogy might be that you are playing in the shallow end of the pool – all the while being beckoned to the deep end for some real depth of knowing!
Good News – and this is not Fake news: YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR STORY!
How? Increase your connection to that higher power that lives within each of us!
“Remember, just as water takes the shape of the pipe it flows through, the life principle in you flows through you according to the nature of your thoughts.”
~ Dr. Joseph Murphy
“Bad” News (for some) – SHAPE-ing your life takes practice!
Let’s take a look at the top 5 tips for physical fitness – at least when you are starting a new program and wish to be successful. These tips are apropos for getting into spiritual shape as well:
- Exercise daily. Do your spiritual practice EVERY DAY!
Hit and miss spiritual practices don’t work any better than hit and miss exercising or dieting. - Eat the right foods. Do the right things spiritually, such as:
– Hang out with people who lift you up spiritually.
– Read inspiring books, open your heart to Divine - Track your intake. Track which Spiritual practices you do each day
It pays to notice when/if you take time for your spiritual practices! - Get enough rest. BREATHE and stay calm and restful
- Stay motivated (set goals) Make a commitment to your spiritual practices.
Make your spiritual practices a priority.
Do not allow other things to take you off track.
Your question of the day is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to apply energy to my spiritual life and get in magnificent spiritual shape?
May 5:
For this series, SHAPE is an acronym:
Spirituality — Tithe of Time, Talent, Treasures
Heart — Lead with Happiness, Harmony, Honor
Attitude — Be Alive, Awake, Aware
Passion — Have Enthusiasm, Expectancy, Energy
Experience—With our story Prepare, Ponder, Practice
Today we delve into Spirituality and tithing of your Time, Talent, and Treasures.
SHAPE Your Life Lesson #2: Spirituality is an inward AND an outward job.
Yesterday I talked about the ways you can SHAPE your spiritually live. To be totally fit requires us to LIVE our spirituality fully. What does that mean? I might suggest that it is remembering, under all circumstances, that There is No Spot where God is Not!
Ernest Holmes in How to Use the Science Of Mind, tells us this:
In the moments of greatest human tragedy, individually or collectively experienced, nothing in nature is changed. The integrity of the universe is not violated nor the will of truth disturbed. The fundamental harmony, beauty, love and wisdom of the universe are not violated.
When we stay in the knowing of Divine Order, of knowing God is in EVERYTHING, no matter what it appears to look like to our human being-ness, that our “issues” do not change the Universe, we are truly living our spirituality.
Spirituality is not just an inside job, however; it requires outward demonstration.
Ernest Holmes tells us:
“We should allow the gifts of Life to flow out to everything we touch, everyone we meet, every situation we contact. Then, wherever we go, every situation is blessed, every person is helped, every discord is harmonized, without our even being conscious of it.”
These outward demonstrations typically take place in the form of a trinity of tithing Ts:
our time, our talent, and our treasures. Let’s talk about each of those:
Tithing of your time might be meditation, self-reflection, prayer. It means taking part of your day and dedicating it to what is essentially growing your spiritual muscles so that you can live in Kingdom 3 – where love is the dominant energy. When we grow our spirituality, it is easier to remember that everything is either love or a call for love.
Tithing of your talents might seem difficult in these stay-at-home times. Consider that there are people who can use each of your talents. If you garden, perhaps it is time to help your neighbor’s, your Center’s, or even your minister’s garden look nicer. If you sew, perhaps you can make masks for those who don’t have any or for doctors who need them at their offices. If you cook, perhaps you might deliver a meal to an elderly person or someone who can’t get out to the store. If you have a beautiful singing voice, record an uplifting tune on your phone and send it to your friends. There are numerous ways in these Stay-at-Home times that each of us might use our talents to help each other.
Let’s not forget your treasures. I read an article yesterday, with which I can relate, that said churches are seeing fewer donations these days because of the Facebook live services and not having people in community where we pass a basket. I realize these are words of wisdom, AND I want to make it easy for you to donate. So at the end of these words of wisdom, I am providing the many ways you can donate to Center for Spiritual Living Southeast Louisiana – a one-time event, I promise, because these emails are my gift to you. And if CSL SE LA is not your spiritual community, find a way to donate to that place where you are being spiritually fed during these stay-at-home times.
Ralph Waldo Trine, in In Tune With the Infinite, wrote:
“And in all the great universe there is but one center – the Infinite Power that is working in and through all. The one who then has found a center is the one who has come into the realization of his oneness with this Infinite Power, the one who recognizes himself as a spiritual being, for God is spirit.”
May you have a day of being in tune with the Infinite.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to strengthen my Divine connection, place action behind the trinity of tithing T’s of my time, my talents, and my treasures, and embrace that spiritual practices enhance all areas of my life?
As promised, ways you can donate to Center for Spiritual Living Southeast Louisiana:
Use Zelle or Venmo using the number: 225-287-8887
Text the amount you want to tithe to 225-320-5100
Use the Donate button on our website: cslsoutheastla.org
Send a check to:
Center for Spiritual Living Southeast Louisiana
c/0 Rev. Larrye-Marie Heyl
445 Magnolia Wood Ave.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
May 6:
Today we look at the H in our acronym SHAPE
Spirituality — Tithe of Time, Talent, Treasures
Heart — Lead with Happiness, Harmony, Honor
Attitude — Be Alive, Awake, Aware
Passion — Have Enthusiasm, Expectancy, Energy
Experience—With our story Prepare, Ponder, Practice
The Bible tells us to know in our heart. Today we delve into HEART and embracing happiness, harmony, and honor.
SHAPE Your Life Lesson #3: Lead with your heart for happiness, harmony and honor.
Yesterday I talked about the ways you can SHAPE your life spiritually. Today we look at the role your heart plays in shaping your life.
There is a beautiful short song by Erin McGaughan called In the Heart of God. The lyrics are these:
I am here in the heart of God … God is here in the heart of me
Like the wave in the water And the water in the wave
God is here in the heart of me.
Truer words could not be song. I am here in the heart of God AND God is here in the heart of me. There is NO SEPARATION from God.
I love the part about the wave in the water and the water in the wave because the wave cannot exist separate from the water.
Nor can we exist separate from God. We might believe that we are separate, yet the truth is that God is right where we are whether or not we choose to be aware of God’s presence. Spiritual fitness is impossible unless you lean into the Divine and take some time to LISTEN to what your heart wants you to hear.
Ernest Holmes, in an article on Peace and Protection tells us:
It is not just in religious adoration,
but in the stillness of our own heart that God speaks.
AND in Living the Science of Mind he states
The Secret Place of the Most High will be revealed
in the inner sanctuary of man’s own heart.
Our heart has a trinity of Hs – Happiness, Harmony and Honor
- Happiness for all that we are
- Harmony to live peacefully in communion with others
- Honor to honor ourselves and take the time it takes to listen
to what our heart has to say to us.
Confusius told us: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”
So true! Shaping your Spiritual Life is NOT a half-hearted effort. You lose part of the greatness of who you are meant to be when you play this game of life half-heartedly or when you approach your spiritual life or your spiritual practices half-heartedly. It takes FULL engagement of your heart, going with all your heart, in whatever it is that you define to be your spiritual practice for the moment, the day, the week, the month, the year – whatever timeframe.
Washington Irving said:
“A kind heart is a fountain of gladness,
making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.”
May you live today with a kind heart and see many smiles – be it in the form of a flower, from someone in your home, or from behind a mask.
Your question for today is this:
What is the ONE CHOICE I can make today to lead with my heart, and to go wherever I go with all my heart, knowing I am in the heart of God and God is in the heart of me?
May 7:
Today we look at the A in our acronym SHAPE – ATTITUDE!
Spirituality — Tithe of Time, Talent, Treasures
Heart — Lead with Happiness, Harmony, Honor
Attitude — Be Alive, Awake, Aware
Passion — Have Enthusiasm, Expectancy, Energy
Experience—With our story Prepare, Ponder, Practice
Life is impacted by how we see things. Today we delve into ATTITUDE, realizing that being alive, awake, and aware of our attitudes helps us live more joyful lives.
SHAPE Your Life Lesson #4: Be the artist of your day with an attitude of forgiveness and love.
The late, great John O’Donohue in To Bless the Space Between Us, wrote this:
“Each of us is an artist of our days;
the greater our integrity and awareness,
the more original and creative our time will become.”
I love this entire verse and especially being an artist of our days. I’m curious how often you realize that every comment, every action, every thought is creating your day, molding your time for that day, placing your mark on the canvas of your life for that day. How might your perfect day look?
Pause for a moment and think about how you would answer that question.
I would venture a guess that no one reading this actually put pain and suffering into that perfect day. Yet, often we allow our thoughts and our minds to take us to places that bring pain into our lives. We get aggravated about something, sometimes things we didn’t get done or things we did do that we thought were inconsiderate or unkind. We think about things that were done to us – living in Kingdom 1 of Consciousness. We might even let one small event taint an otherwise great day!
What if, each night when you went to sleep, you decided to release the day – release the good, the bad and the ugly of the day and give it all over to God so that you could start out the next day renewed?
You might have heard me paraphrase some words of Ernest Holmes:
”God is for us, and life holds nothing against us.”
If we wish to embrace this concept, how do we go about having an attitude that embraces that truth? I got my answer in Creative Mind by Ernest Holmes:
The highest attitude of mind, from which all else springs,
is one of perfect calm and absolute trust in the Spirit.
Ok, so the “Absolute Trust” thing can be pretty difficult and takes a LOT of practice! I know it IS possible. If we truly want to be artists of our days and live alive, awake, and aware of all the good that surrounds us each day, it takes trusting that those things that look “bad” or those days that look “disastrous” are just part of our journey.
Believe: There is No Spot where God is Not!
Everyday, choose to forgive anyone (including yourself) and anything (thoughts, words, actions) that creates hurt. Whatever the issues of the past for you, if you are still holding on to resentments and/or regrets, you are slowing down any new dreams that you want to manifest. To return to our artist analogy, when you hold on to old resentments, it is like trying to paint your masterpiece on top of a damaged oil painting. The end result is going to lack beauty.
When you say YES to letting go of resentments and regrets, you say NO to the slow poison that is draining your energy and blocking your connection with the Divine.
Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up
I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain…
To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue
to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life,
not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”
~ Kevin Aucoin
May you choose life today and be the artist of your day.
Your question for today is this:
What is the ONE CHOICE I can make today to believe life is joyful, and express love, forgiveness, and gratitude, knowing my attitude impacts everyone I meet?
May 8:
Today we look at the P in our acronym SHAPE – Passion!
Spirituality — Tithe of Time, Talent, Treasures
Heart — Lead with Happiness, Harmony, Honor
Attitude — Be Alive, Awake, Aware
Passion — Have Enthusiasm, Expectancy, Energy
Experience—With our story Prepare, Ponder, Practice
Life is impacted by how by where we place our energy. Today we delve into Passion.
SHAPE Your Life Lesson #5: Be enthusiastic about your life, infuse it with positive energy, and expect great results.
The word passion can swing in many different directions, and almost always is related to extreme intensity. Today when we say someone is passionate about something, we know there is enthusiasm and energy involved and we typically can expect something to happen around whatever they are passionate about.
Joe Plumeri, in The Power of Being Yourself, wrote:
“You can’t do passion halfway. Living your passion
means you’re all in. You trust your heart
and trust your gut wherever that takes you.”
What if we decided each day to be passionate, “all in,” with shaping our spiritual lives? When we are intermittently thinking about our spiritual practices, we are doing spiritual passion halfway; rather, be enthusiastic about them, put energy into them! Now I purposely said energy, not effort.
If we can remember that God is our source and do what is ours to do, the energy we put into manifesting can actually flow fairly easily because we tap into Divine Energy to help us in our own passions.
Emerson in Emerson’s Essays, “Circles,” wrote:
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
The way of life is wonderful. It is by abandonment.”
Did you know the word enthusiasm is derived from two Greek words: en theos, meaning “inspired by God?“ Emerson was right. When we partner with the Divine through our spiritual practices, we achieve great things because we allow our hearts to be touched by inspiration from God; and that inspiration creates a passion in our soul that drives us to action. This action results in us being all that we can be – doing things sometimes even larger than what we thought to be possible.
In Colossians 3:23 we read:
“Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm.
What if we decided each morning to have an attitude of enthusiasm for whatever we are doing?
What if we became thoroughly passionate about our good, expecting it to show up for us each day?
What if we truly awakened each day with an energy of feeling the Divine pouring through the cells of our being, lifting us up?
What if we believed the Divine truly was the source of all that we are – trusted the I AM that I AM, and let life flow through us as easily as water flows downsteam?
Pause now and imagine what a life that would be!
May you live today with an attitude of enthusiasm, expecting great good, and feeling the energy of the Divine lifting you up.
Your question for today is this:
What is the ONE CHOICE I can make today to take action around my dreams, knowing as I am more passionate, the Divine responds with like energy??
May 9:
Today we look at the E in our acronym SHAPE – Experience!
Spirituality — Tithe of Time, Talent, Treasures
Heart — Lead with Happiness, Harmony, Honor
Attitude — Be Alive, Awake, Aware
Passion — Have Enthusiasm, Expectancy, Energy
Experience—With our story Prepare, Ponder, Practice
Today we complete the SHAPE Your Life series by delving into Experience.
SHAPE Your Life Lesson #6: Life is impacted by the stories we tell about our experiences.
Aaron Lauritsen, in 100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip, wrote:
“It’s the ‘everyday’ experiences we encounter
along the journey to who we wanna be
that will define who we are when we get there.”
Just for a moment, think about something “bad” or “negative” that occurred in your life this past week that created suffering for you, and that you shared with someone else.
(If you didn’t share it, consider what you might have said.)
- Were you expecting the event to occur?
- Was the “story” you told positive or neutral or from a victim position?
- Did you see the good in the event – the love or call for love?
Our life is impacted by what we call our life-experiences, and, more pertinently, by the “stories” we tell about those experiences, by the way we frame the experience when we talk about it.
We are always at choice, but too often we forget the three Ps of Experience:
Prepare – EXPECT life to have glitches. You might think you know someone whose life seems perfect, and I suggest everyone has some glitches to deal with!
Ponder – Imagine what you might have or who you might be if you tell your life story differently or from a different perspective of knowing all is in Divine order, and that there is indeed something good to come out of everything.
Practice – We have a choice to make about every event in our lives and we can choose to practice loving – seeing everything as love or a call for love – so we can rewrite our stories to be supportive of who we want to be.
Dennis Merritt Jones, in The Art of Being, reminds us:
“Your entire life is a sacred experience,
so you can go through life looking for an experience “out there,”
or you can awaken to the fact that you are a spiritual experience,
wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.”
We do have a choice about how we talk about our life experiences, and what we put out there into that universe to boomerang back to us multiplied abundantly.
There’s a reason for that saying
“Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck.”
People who pick up pennies are recognizing that they are abundant – and the small signs are important.
Might you owe it to yourself to pause and ponder how it is you truly want your life to be?
What might you get and who might you be if you tell your story differently?
YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR STORY!
If we are to form and shape our lives, it requires us to practice how we experience life.
Eric Butterworth wrote:
“Remember, your fortune, your personal success, and your prosperity
are not in the hands of some “fickle finger of fate”
– nor are they determined by sudden changes in the economy.
The answer is in your conditioned ability to form and shape
the ever-present substance of the Universe.’”
The answer is in our conditioned ability … says it all. It takes practice!
What if you decided to practice daily …
… to see everything as love or a call for love AND
… to rewrite your stories to be supportive of who you want to be
Want a few of my tips on how to do just that? Here they are:
Find short-term rewards.
Example: Write your Wins for the day in your journal
Track your progress.
Catch yourself telling your story negatively and reframe it On The Spot …
You might even say something like
You know – that’s not the truth of who I am, let me restate that…
Engage your friends as allies …
Ask TRUSTED friends to call you on when you are telling negative stories…
Never ever give up.
Prayer works and it IS in God’s time!
Recognize that not only can we and will we, we MUST shape our spiritual lives, for ourselves and for others, because it is ours to do to create a world that works for everyone!
May you prepare, ponder, and practice the stories of your life so that they become positive influences on who you are and who you are becoming.
Your question for today is this:
What is the ONE CHOICE I can make today to rewrite my “story” to be an empowering one, knowing my “story” impacts what I manifest in life?
Week of April 27 – May 2: Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot:
April 27:
Since we are moving from Kingdom 1 to at least Kingdom 2, I thought I would use the words of wisdom to help you learn this week how to move into the more spiritual realms of Kingdoms 3 and 4.
Pilot Lesson #1: Be prepared to change course when necessary.
I borrowed the title of this series by the song of the same name by Sting. It’s a beautiful song. In case you are not familiar with the lyrics, let me share them:
Let your soul be your pilot, Let your soul guide you upon your way
Verse 1: When you’re down and they’re counting, When your secret’s all found out
When your troubles take to mounting, When the map you have leads you to dust
When there’s no information and the compass turns to nowhere that you know well
Let your soul be your pilot, Let your soul guide you – it’ll guide you well
Verse 2: When the doctors failed to heal you,
When no medicine chest can make you well
When no counsel leads to comfort, When there are no more lies they can tell
No more useless information and the compass spins,
the compass spins between heaven and hell
Let your soul be your pilot, Let your soul guide you – it’ll guide you well
Let Your soul be your pilot, Let your soul guide you upon your way
Imagine what life would be like if every person on the planet choose to let their soul be their pilots? What time better than the present to start this movement?
In Oregon when the big navy ships come into port for the Rose Festival, there are guide boats to keep them in the part of the river where the bottom is deepest – so they can navigate easily. Interesting enough, they are called Pilot boats. The same is true of big cruise ships coming into some ports. Can you imagine the chaos that might happen if the captains of those ships failed to pay attention to the direction that the pilot boats were leading them?
Sometimes in life when we are navigating through unfamiliar waters, we also need a pilot boat. The Divine is always ready and waiting there for us! When we fail to pay attention to that guidance, our life sometimes ends up in chaos.
I’m curious where in your life you are perhaps too deeply rooted in a certain way of doing things or perhaps think that your way is the best way, so you have closed your mind to other avenues of thought or ways of living. Have you closed your mind to listening to that small inner voice that is the pilot of your soul?
When we retreat to what is safe and comfortable, we build walls around ourselves and we become the ones imprisoned. Letting our souls be our pilots requires us to build our spiritual muscles so we are open to new ways of being and new ways of thinking.
Enough food for thought for today.
Your question of the day is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to break down the walls of my imprisonment and open my mind to listening to that small inner voice that is the pilot of my soul?
April 28:
The first verse of the song Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot is this:
When you’re down and they’re counting, When your secret’s all found out
When your troubles take to mounting, When the map you have leads you to dust
When there’s no information and the compass turns to nowhere that you know well
Let your soul be your pilot, Let your soul guide you – it’ll guide you well
Pilot Lesson #2: There are times to turn over the controls to another pilot.
Yesterday I talked about pilot boats. Sometimes harbors are dangerous and a harbor pilot familiar with that harbor actually boards the cargo ship or the cruise ship to take over the helm and guide the ship into port. The captains of the ship must trust these pilots to guide their ship safely into port.
Sometimes in our life there are situations or conditions that appear to be too much for us to handle on our own. The road seems treacherous or we try to navigate the situation and discover that there is not enough information for us to move forward. When that happens, we might seek help from our friends and ministers. Sometimes the real answer is releasing control of it and turning it over to the Divine – letting our soul guide us, knowing we are guided in a perfect direction, safely moving to a destination exactly where our human vessel is meant to be.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to release control in some area of my life that is not working, and trust my soul to guide me in the perfect direction?
April 29:
We continue our pilot analogy today.
Pilot Lesson #3: What matters is arriving safely at the final destination.
Today we are discussing airline pilots. Did you know that planes are off-course about 95% of the flight? The plane goes slightly off course – maybe a little wind gust – and then the pilot or the autopilot corrects the direction to put the plane back on course. What matters to the passengers in the plane is that they arrive safely at their final destination – and this is the pilot’s job. The pilot monitors the direction and uses the autopilot and his instruments to achieve this goal.
Our spiritual lives are often like planes. We are heading in what feels like the exact right direction, feeling very much connected to that Divine Presence within us, and then something happens – a life wind gust – and we get slightly off course. Sometimes we can auto-correct. For me, this happens when the situation is familiar and I have already mastered what to do in the “off-course” moment. Other times we need more help to get back on course; we need to look at our “instruments” – at those things that we use as our compasses in life – to correct our path so that we arrive safely at our final destination.
My instruments vary, depending on the magnitude of the situation or how far off-course I feel. Sometimes it is a short prayer. Sometimes it is meditation. Sometimes it is a distraction, like a walk in nature, singing an uplifting song, of playing the piano – all of which help me reconnect with the pilot in my soul. Sometimes it is taking a moment to remind myself that everything is in Divine Order. Other times it is calling in what my sister calls my “prayer warriors,” who pray with me and help me to remember that God is in it somewhere. For the Covid-9 situation I use my three breathe “instrument:”
Breathe 1: There is only One Life.
Breathe 2: That Life is God.
Breathe 3: That Life is my life now.
The thing about “instruments” is that you have to know what they do and what information they provide. That takes practice when you are not in your “plane” and off-course. It means practicing using them regularly.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to study my instruments so that I know how to use them when my spiritual life is off-course?
April 30:
The second verse of the song Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot is this:
When the doctors failed to heal you, When no medicine chest can make you well
When no counsel leads to comfort, When there are no more lies they can tell
No more useless information and the compass spins,
the compass spins between heaven and hell
Let your soul be your pilot, Let your soul guide you – it’ll guide you well
Pilot Lesson #4: When the compass is spinning, wait.
The last three days we talked about various types of pilots. Today we address the patience it takes to let your soul be your pilot. Sometimes we seem lost and nothing seems to help us find our way. That’s when we get out our life compass. What if our compass on life seems to be spinning – trying to settle in on our true North? That is when it is time to slow down and wait.
These days we all know a lot about slowing down and waiting – at least to some degree. I know the Stay-at-Home mode has, at times, tested my patience. I like to plan and know more definite information about the future. Is our governor going to keep us safe and not rush back into opening up, which has unknown consequences? Will it be safe to travel this summer? Will I be able to see my sister and the rest of my family? Will the things I am doing to stay healthy continue to work in a new open environment? Anyone else noticing some spinning around the future?
Let’s talk about the compass for a moment. A compass is designed to point to true North. When it is spinning and not settling down, it is typically due to a malfunction, such as an environmental interference or perhaps magnetic fields nearby. Sometimes just by walking a short distance the compass settles and quits spinning.
There seems to be a lot of similarities to our spiritual life and our internal compass, our soul. When we are unsettled and can’t seem to decide where our “true North” is, it may be time to take a look at what environmental interference may be happening.
— Are we living in victimhood around something?
— Are we forgetting, as pogo, the comic-strip possum, reminds us:
“Wherever I go, there I am again!”?
— Is it time for us to look at what routines we might have changed or let lapse?
— Are we trusting what we know to be true or listening to false beliefs about one’s self?
Letting our souls be our pilots requires us to trust we are guided well. We must trust our internal compass is zeroing in on the right direction, not spinning out of control. That trust comes from staying connected to the Divine through a daily spiritual practice. Your practice may be meditation, prayer, walking in nature, reading spiritual material, singing or listening to uplifting songs, or any combination of those practices or others. Whatever your practice is, the essence of trusting our inner compass to be in good working order is consistency. If your internal compass is spinning, perhaps it is time to ask where the malfunction might be and move away a bit – into your spiritual practices – so your internal compass can settle into your true North.
So, do your spiritual practices regularly. Make them a priority. Slow down a few times a day and breathe in the marvel of this planet, this solar system, and the fact that you have taken thousands of breaths already today without having to focus on how you did it! Aren’t our human bodies miraculously intelligent?
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to keep my internal compass in top-knotch order, knowing it then guides me well?
May 1:
It is hard to believe it is already May. The days are running together for me sometimes because my routine is off. In pre-covid-19 days it was easy for me – if I were at the gym for Tai Chi, it was Tuesday or Thursday. Otherwise it was another weekday. Saturdays I was at the Center all day. Sundays were easily defined. Now the routine is off and about the only day I know for certain, without having to put in a bit of effort, is Sunday.
Truth is, when I am feeling “off” or closed in by a situation or something going on with the Center, it is especially important for me to surrender to something higher than myself for answers, to let my soul be my pilot and be willing to listen, to be alone with Spirit.
Pilot Lesson #5: Letting your soul be your pilot requires contemplation and mindfulness.
Being alone with Spirit and embracing the power of prayer is essential to my internal peace. In those quiet moments of contemplation and mindfulness about living in the now, my soul rises up to remind me that there is only One Life, which is God, which is perfect, and which is my life now.
I was contemplating the One Life yesterday as I was counseling a friend. I remembered a phrase that I read in one of Ernest Holmes books that talked about healing, so I went on a search for those powerful words. Health can be physical or mental, yet these words of Holmes in Thoughts Are Things apply to both:
Your life is of God. Your health is an expression of the Perfection of Spirit within you. As you recognize that there is a River of Life within you, which flows from the eternal Source of all Life, you need to open your mind and accept the full influx of Its life-giving Power.
Such powerful words and a beautiful analogy of the River of Life within each of us. Rivers rise and fall as water enters from various sources. When we open our mind and accept the full influx of life-giving power from the Source of all Life, it is natural for us to feel alive. We are allowing the “Great Physician” within us to rebuild, replace, and repair any dis-eased parts of our self, replacing them with revitalized ones. As our River of Life is filled to the brim with revitalized life, it can feel like we are in a canoe that is easily being carried down a gentle stream. This feeling of ease results from accepting the full influx of the Divine, and letting our soul be our pilot.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to accept the full influx of life-giving power from the Source of all Life, allowing the Great Physician within me to rebuild, replace, and repair any part of me that feels dis-ease?
May 2:
Today we are concluding the week on the topic of letting your soul be your pilot.
Today’s lesson is an extension of lesson 5 in the form of words from John O’Donahue:
Pilot Lesson #6: Your soul knows the geography of your destiny better than you do.
I read the previous quote the other day while doing some “spiritual reading” and I found it quite apropos to this week’s topic, as are these words from Teresa of Avila:
I cross the bridge into the silent bliss of my Castle. I close the drawbridge and forbid all outside influences from entry into this holy place that is my soul. Here in my Castle, I am alone with God. Under God’s light and companionship I discover the depth and beauty of my soul. I embrace the power of prayer. I open myself to divine guidance. I surrender myself to become as a channel for grace, healing and service as God directs my life.
There is a lot being said in those few sentences – all of which show a surrendering to letting her soul be her pilot. When we tap into our souls, into that heart-space within us, we become a channel for grace, healing, and service, and our soul does become our pilot.
We learn to discover the depth and beauty of who we are and embrace Divine guidance.
I’m curious what realizations occurred this past week and who you are becoming. Were you able during the week to enter into the silent bliss of your Castle and be alone with the Divine? I hope so. If not, it is never too late to close the drawbridge and forbid outside influences from entry so that you can be alone with the Divine.
We are all familiar that when we plant a seed in soil and nurture it, it grows into what it is meant to be. The apple tree does not wish to be the peach tree. It just is what it is. If each of us would plant our thoughts of being exactly who we are into Divine soil and nurture those thoughts through our spiritual practices, then we would discover the depth and beauty of who we are. To me, that sounds perfect!
I end with the quote and words of wisdom from John O’Donahue:
“When you are compassionate with yourself,
you trust in your soul, which you let guide your life.
Your soul knows the geography of your destiny
better than you do.”
~ John O’Donohue
So here’s the question for the day:
What is the one choice I can make today to plant the seed of who I am into Divine soil, nurture it through spiritual practices, and trust my soul to be my pilot, realizing my soul knows the geography of my destiny better than I do?
Week of April 20 – April 25: All About Me:
April 20:
Since Mother Nature, in the form of a pandemic, has literally sent us each to our rooms to think about who we are and who we want to become, I thought that talking about who we are might be a good topic for this week’s Words of Wisdom.
Ernest Holmes in Science of Mind wrote:
“Ultimately we shall see that the Universe rests on the shoulders of Love; that God is Love; and that all the errors of man are the result of ignorance of his own true nature. The happy outlook on life is always constructive; the understanding heart is always filled with sympathy and helpfulness toward all. An evolved soul judges no one; condemns no one, but realizes that all are on the road of experience, seeking the same goal, and that each must ultimately find his home in heaven.”
Those words are food for thought for a year’s worth of words of wisdom, yes?
This week we’ll hit the highlights.
Let’s start with a few words about seeing that the Universe rests on the shoulders of Love. You hear me say often that everything is either Love or a Call for Love. This is a fabulous thought, which I truly believe and typically embrace. Sometimes this concept is very difficult to put into place – especially when it is our inner self calling for love because we don’t think we are good enough or smart enough or rich enough.
In 2006 I made a huge change in my life – stepping into doing something that I had known for at least a few years was the only way that I would find my true joy again. I made the change and then began to doubt my choice, to wonder if what I had done was insensitive or selfish on my part. That word “Selfish” was a big trigger for me. The guilt was getting to me and it was definitely a call for love, so I did what I recommend people do – I sought out the help of a practitioner. She asked me if I really believed our philosophy that we are all one. When I said “absolutely,” she told me these few words that cross my mind regularly:
“If it is good for you, then it is good for everyone.”
When we seek out a choice that might appear to be “All About Me,” and know it is a choice that is loving to our self, then we are seeking higher ground for the One life to which we each belong.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice you can make today to do something that is good for you, something that supports you having more joy and peace in your life?
April 21:
I’d like to look at the part of yesterday’s quote that states:
all the errors of man are the result of ignorance of his own true nature.
What do you think the world might look like if we embraced that errors of man – of any being on this planet – were just a result of ignorance of his own true nature? What if instead of getting upset, we embraced educating others about man’s true nature?
Let’s face it – you can’t fix stupid! We do, however, have a choice about how we react to it and what actions we take.
Example: I am still seeing a lot of what I might call “stupid” out and about. Even with all the news about it, people are still going into stores without masks and sometimes invading other peoples 6-ft perimeter. So, what choice might I make? Ok, honestly, my initial reaction is typically – “Really, don’t you care about living or about not infecting your elders?”
I am getting better at the time it takes me from that reaction to realizing that its ignorance, not stupidity (OK – a fine line there) AND that what I can constructively do is to “see that the Universe rests on the shoulders of Love” and to be loving and send prayers while I keep my distance.
How is this a lesson related to All About Me? Think about it – what you think matters! What you do matters! Your actions impact yourself and others.
We see examples everyday of “errors of man.” Sometimes the error comes from a public figure with lots of influence and sometimes it is from a loved one in our own space. The truth is we can touch others hearts without even speaking to them. We know there is only ONE life and in that One Life we are all connected. Sending love and prayers to those who are displaying ignorance is far more effective than letting the error raise our blood pressure or take us out of our own connection with our true nature.
Your question for today is this:
What is the one choice I can make today to remember there is only One Life and whatever happens, I can become a shoulder of Love on which the Universe can rest?
Week of April 13- April 18: Dancing with the Divine:
April 13:
We are beginning a new week, and a new spiritual year began yesterday on Easter Sunday, so it seems appropriate to me that our theme for the week be Dancing with the Divine. I plan to provide a few words of wisdom to help you discover how Divine guidance in our lives is the same as dancing with the Divine and letting the Divine lead.
Dancing Lesson #1: Choose a Partner to Lead
Have you ever watched Dancing with the Stars? If you have, you have seen some wonderful dances AND some really bad ones. Some of the stars needed to take the following advice from this unknown author:
Dancing is the art of getting your feet our of the way faster than your partner can step on them!
The truth is that dancing involves two people working together. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is and looks uncomfortable and jerky. When one of the partners realizes this and allows the other to lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. Suddenly, the dance begins – it is as if two become one, moving beautifully.
(This is how the winners of Dancing with the Stars dance – as one!)
The same is true in our spiritual lives. The Dance with the Divine takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from us as we listen to the gentle guidance from the Divine. When we learn to allow the Divine to lead and guide us, the beautiful dance begins.
So today, ask yourself this question:
“What is the one choice I can make today to allow the Divine to lead, to lean in and notice the gentle guidance of the Divine?”
I have more dancing lessons for you tomorrow!
April 14:
My words of wisdom this week are about dancing with the Divine.
In case you are in need of laughter and jokes during these stay-at-home times, I thought I might provide one today:
What kind of dance does a bun do? aBUNdance!
(Ok – bring out your 6-year-old self who might like it.)
Dancing Lesson #2: Trust Your Partner
When I was a little girl I remember dancing with my dad – my feet on his, not even touching the floor. My sister was older and a much better dancer – she could command attention on the dance floor. Anyway, what is also true about good dance partners is that they trust each other. I trusted daddy completely to keep me safe and love me no matter what. In a dance, the follower must trust that the leader is not going to create any collisions or move to an unstable area during the dance. The follower must be completely willing to allow the leader to guide them safely during the dance, catching them when they leap and spinning them at the exact right moments.
The same is true in our spiritual dance with the Divine. We must trust Divine guidance. I realized a few years back that the word guidance is G U I followed by dance. God – “U” and “I” dance. Yes, God, you and I dance! We each must be willing to trust this dance with God, to trust that we get the perfect guidance about our lives. That means trusting the Divine to guide us safely along the path we need to be taking. It means, in those times in our lives when we might feel we are spinning, we accept the spinning is to enhance the dance. We must be willing to take the leap of faith to do those things we might not believe we are capable of doing, knowing we have our dance partner as a safety net.
So today, ask yourself this question:
“What is the one choice I can make today to dance with the Divine, trusting the Divine’s lead and knowing the Divine is leading me through all aspects of my life?”
I have more dancing lessons for you tomorrow!
April 15:
More words of wisdom today about dancing with the Divine.
Dancing Lesson #3: Line Dancing requires Syncing with a Group
I love line dancing. A group of people gather on the dance floor – all wanting to have fun – and they dance together in sync. (OK, some people stay in sync better than others.) Have you ever noticed people that the line moves back and forth, they often turn several times, just to end up back to where they began, and they start the dance steps over again. What you possibly have not noticed is, as the line dance goes on, the group seems to become more in sync and the view of the whole group dancing improves, looking better and better as each new cycle begins.
The truth is the the line dance is also one we do with the Divine. Sometimes we join together with others in a community. We often move through common steps together, and sometimes others in our spiritual community can help us become more proficient in our spiritual dance. As we repeat the “steps” we get better at them – with the help of others either by example or by individual coaching on how to proceed.
So today, ask yourself this question:
“What is the one choice I can make today to join a line dance with the Divine, allowing others to enhance my understanding of Spirit and knowing that as I continue the dance I’ll get better at it?”
Before I go, another joke to make you laugh, which is great medicine for the soul.
An avid line dancing couple go to the doctor for a checkup because they are having trouble remembering anything except all the latest line dances. The doctor finds them in excellent health, but suggests that writing things down may help their memories off the dance floor. That night the husband gets up to go the kitchen and the wife asks for a dish of ice cream, suggesting that maybe he write it down. He says “I don’t need to write it down” She says “Well, I want strawberries on it, so maybe you better write it down” “I don’t need to write it down.” he says and walks off in a huff. Twenty minutes later he comes back with a plate of bacon and eggs. “I told you to write it down” she says, “You forgot my toast”.
I have more dancing lessons for you tomorrow!
April 16:
More words of wisdom today about dancing with the Divine.
Dancing Lesson #4: Ballroom Dancing with the Divine
One of my favorite dance styles is ballroom dancing. Fortunately someone I dated in high school was a great dancer and we could cha-cha great as a couple. As you are no doubt aware, there are many styles of ballroom dancing. Today’s dance lesson lets you know which one to choose when dancing with the Divine, depending on the music in your mind. We’ll start with the Cha-cha, since it’s one of my favorites.
Cha-Cha
If you have ever danced the Cha-Cha, you know it has a lot of back and forth movement, as well as some side-ways movement. Yet you always come back to your center, both feet together. When you are needing to make decisions on which you are wavering into a centered place, perhaps it is time to Cha-Cha with the Divine. Imagine yourself in a cha-cha with the Divine and allow yourself to be guided to your center to make the correct decision on something that you have been pondering.
Tango
Ever have a day when you are feeling a bit sassy and bold? If so, perhaps that is the time to dance a Latin dance like the Tango with the Divine – allowing yourself to boldly step into something perhaps a bit daring for you. Allow the Divine to guide you to know where in your life you are to be bold right now.
Jive
The jive is a jazzy swing dance that requires syncopated timing yet also introduces changes in rhythms but with a relaxed, fun-loving approach to the timing. The jive is fast-paced and very versatile because the rules are meant to be broken. So if you are feeling like there is something drawing you to live joyfully, something that is calling you to make changes and you want the changes to flow in a relaxed, fun way, perhaps it is time to Swing with the Divine. If you feel yourself drawn to changes that come in a quick-paced yet joyful way, Jive with the Divine.
Waltz
Have you ever felt like you just needed to trust that someone was taking care of things, wanting to let go and be guided in exactly the right way – wanting someone else to watch out for those “bumps in the road” or “obstacles on the path” – then perhaps it is time to allow the Divine to Waltz you through your day, allowing yourself to lean into the knowing that you are being divinely guided. When you want to feel yourself waltzing through your day with the Divine in charge, allowing yourself to easily rest in the arms of the Divine, do the Waltz with the Divine.
So today, ask yourself this question:
“What is the one choice I can make today to choose the perfect ballroom dance with the Divine, knowing that no matter what choice I make, I am divinely guided through the dance floor of my day?”
Laugh Alert!
Before I go, another joke to make you laugh. Stop reading now if you the last ones have made you groan.
What ballroom dance will a chicken not do?
The foxtrot!
I have more dancing lessons for you tomorrow!
April 17:
It is hard to believe it is Friday. Anyone else having trouble tracking days during our Stay-at-Home?
I hope you are enjoying your dance lessons.
Dancing Lesson #5: Street Dancing with the Divine
Have you ever been walking in a big city and run into street dancers?
Street dancing comes in many forms. Did you know that the Celtic clogging was considered the first form of street dancing back in the early 1900s. Of course, street dancing today takes on many different forms.
I doubt it would really be considered street-dancing yet does anyone remember Gene Kelly dancing down the street, swinging around the lamppost? He was showing extreme joy in allowing what IS – He was singing in the rain and even the rain couldn’t dampen his high spirits.
Street dancing is spontaneous and often un-choreographed. Sometimes we just want to express our own sense of being and are unconcerned with what the observers are thinking. We are so steeped in knowing who we are that we do not really care who is watching.
If you feel yourself trusting spontaneous events in your life to create something that is uniquely you, then you are street dancing as the Divine watches with delight.
So today, ask yourself this question:
“What is the one choice I can make today to street dance with the Divine, knowing I am creating something uniquely my own as the Divine cheers me on with delight?”
Laugh Alert!
Before I go, another joke to make you laugh. Stop reading now if the last ones have made you groan.
What animals are poor dancers?
The four-legged ones. They have two left feet!
I have one more dancing lesson for you tomorrow!
April 18:
We are at the end of our series for the week. I hope you enjoyed your dance lessons and read some words of wisdom to help you discover how Divine guidance in our lives is the same as dancing with the Divine and letting the Divine lead.
Dancing Lesson #6: Dancing takes Practice
When we watch dancers in the ballet or in a broadway show, there is one thing that is true of each and every one of them – they practice a lot to become proficient and they continue to practice. Anyone who wants to be a good dancer must learn the steps and then practice them so the timing is right, and so they can keep the correct pace with the music.
The same is true of our spiritual dance with the Divine. It takes practice – consistent practice. It takes being in tune with the Divine rhythm of life and being willing to keep the correct pace. If we consider this, we might see the REAL dance is the dance with the Divine within each of us.
In Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes states this:
“My feet shall not falter, for they are kept upon the path of Life through the Power of the Eternal Spirit. This Spirit is my spirit now. Guide Thou my fee; compel my way; direct my paths and keep me in Thy Presence. My feet are guarded and I am guided into the All Good.”
This coming week may you dance with the Divine, trusting the Divine to lead you into your All Good and to guide you gracefully across the dance floor of your soul.
So today, ask yourself this question:
“What is the one choice I can make today to dance with the Divine, trusting I am guided gracefully in my life across the dance floor in my soul?”
Laugh (or groan) Alert!
Before I go, one last dance joke for you. Stop reading now if the last ones have made you groan.
“What did the dancer feel after eight hours of dance rehearsal?”
The agony of de-feet. (Get it? Defeat)
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Week of April 6 – April 11: Alive, Awake, and Aware:
April 6:
I was suppose to be on tropical paradise vacation last week. It was in the back of my mind a bit, even thought I was very much AWARE that my calling was here in BTR suporting my community as the fear in the city and the discontent with stay-at-home seems to rise. So this week my words of wisdom will be centered around
ALIVE, AWAKE, and AWARE.
When you see a coral reef, it might look like one big plant, but everything is moving and growing. Think about all the animals that make up the reef. Some really latch on – the coral and the algae that are the basis of the structure. They shed their skeletons and recreate themselves – become new again – much like we have to shed the things that are not working for us and move to a higher level of consciousness.
In Love and Law, Ernest Homes states
“To become alive and build the greatest lives we must become something more, something worthwhile. There is not a day in my life that goes by that I do not take the time to unify myself in my consciousness with big things, to think I am one with all activities, all industries, all commerce, et cetera, et cetera, and just feel that thought reaching out and encompassing the largest fields of activity of the world. Then you are one with the infinite stars in the heavens, and that is to see things. It is that in our mental attitude that decides what we are to become and nothing else.
If you could feel your mental concept of your business touch the universal, you would only have to speak the word and it would come to you in a ceaseless stream.
April 7:
Awake means to cease sleeping, to become aroused or active again, and to become conscious or aware of something!
To be awake in Spirit means to become consciously aware of the Spirit in ourselves. We become part of the whole – of the Divine order in our world .. part of the One life that is God’s life and OUR life.
When we are AWAKE in Spirit, we are conscious of being a part of something bigger than we are – conscious of being awake to the knowing that EVERYTHING we need is right where we are – we can thrive NO MATTER WHAT! We can thrive in these Stay-at-Home times if we awaken to that which is in us that is calling us to be something greater.
Did you know that coral reefs flourish even though they are surrounded by ocean waters that provide few nutrients? They flourish because each part of the reef contributes – some depositing skeletons to keep the reef firmly rooted while others are moving in and out and bringing what is needed for the whole to thrive.
What is yours to do to help yourself and your community to thrive during these times?
Did you know that coral reefs flourish even though they are surrounded by ocean waters that provide few nutrients? They flourish because each part of the reef contributes – some depositing skeletons to keep the reef firmly rooted while others are moving in and out and bringing what is needed for the whole to thrive.
What is yours to do to help yourself and your community to thrive during these times?
In It’s Up to You! (1968), Ernest Holmes wrote this:
We try to awaken man to an inherent Divinity and Perfection which is in every living soul. Our whole process is an awakening. The spiritual nature never sleeps and something in you and in me senses this “imprisoned splendour” … (p. 35.2)
May today be a day filled with awaking to your “imprisoned splendor” and your own coral reef of community.
April 8:
These words from Ernest Holmes in A New Design for Living (1959) struck me this morning as I am becoming more in tune with Stay-At-Home and with our Alive, Awake, and Aware theme this week. Let us each be Alive, Awake, and Aware of the Divine Presence within us as we move through these changing times:
We are all living in a world of continual change, a world in which thought, thing, and experience are all in a constant state of flux. It is the very nature of the universe that there should be continual change and variation. It is a living world, the creation of a living creative Intelligence, not a static world created by a God now dead or departed who has left it to decay. No. It is vital and alive. The Mind that created it is not apart from it, but is always active in and through it.
But behind that which changes, behind that which causes the change, we have found that there is something stable and changeless. Something eternal upon which all of the external events depend for their very existence. Behind the endless process of change and the infinite variety of experience and expression there is That which does not change. (p. 50.1-2)
May you have a day in which you are Aware of “That which does not change” and allow that knowing to Awaken you to feeling very much Alive throughout this day.
April 9:
Ernest Holmes in the Science of Mind wrote
The Universe is a Spiritual System impregnated with Divine Ideas and peopled with Spiritual Forms. The ideas of God are perfect laws on their way to producing complete and perfect effects.
The Universe is alive, conscious, awake and aware.
It is love and life.
It is law and order.
It is a Cosmos.
As I think about those words in light of what is happening all around us – the virus, the deaths, the loss of our mobility as we used to know it, I realize, as I said on Sunday, that these times are an opportunity to roll away the stone of my entombed Lazarus and allow that within me which was dormant to become alive again. Only then am I producing “complete and perfect effects.” Only then am I living fully alive, awake, and aware of all that I have come to be on this planet.
May you spend some time today awaking to all that you can be,rolling away the stone of that which you have let die – for whatever reason: lack of time, didn’t think it was possible, too old, not enough resources… these are all excuses not to step into your own greatness!
You might be surprised at the AMAZING person the rest of the world sees as you!
April 10:
I was thinking about the coral reef analogies I have been using this week. Did you know there are relatively few species that are responsible for building the framework of a reef on which the other animals and plants take refuge. AND there has to be a structure for a coral reef to exist, which is why we so often see many reefs around sunken boats. Both coral and algae are able to extract calcium and bicarbonate from seawater and combine them into a substance called limestone, which is essential for constructing the skeleton of the reef. Don’t worry – I’m not going to give you a biology lesson about coral reefs AND it is an interesting analogy.
With our spirituality we also need a structure to keep it alive.
For some people that is a community, such as CSL SE LA, and for others it is only spiritual practices that are regular and persistent. Others – myself included – use a combination of those. Once we realize we have attached ourselves to this structure of spirituality, we begin to co-create with Spirit.
In 40 Day Mind Fast Soul Feast, Day 2, Dr. Michael Beckwith states
“The moment you claim your ability to co-create with the Spirit, your human mind begins dissolving the false boundaries that previously kept you from consciously operating the Law of Co-creation. God has a gift to give to the world as you, beyond what your surface mentality may sometimes see. So when you commit to discovering and expressing your faculty of Divine Creativity, what emerges is living and expressing from a deeper dimension of your being. This is real aliveness.”
May today be filled with you expressing your “faculty of Divine Creativity”!
April 11:
We are coming to the end of our Alive, Awake, and Aware week. Today is Holy Saturday and tomorrow is Easter Sunday – a day more of the planet is typically AWARE of their spiritual connections. So I thought the following quote from Christian Larson, The Pathway of Roses, was quite fitting.
“Wherever we may be or wherever we may go, the Christ is in the ship.
“For, lo, I am with you always.”
And it is our privilege, under every circumstance, to awaken the Christ.
When we do, {Spirit} comes forth invariably, and the winds and the waves will obey.”
Remember the disciples who became afraid and Jesus calmed the waves and walked on the water?
I am knowing for each of you that you can awaken to the Christ in your ship today. In these uncertain times of immobility and disease, the dis-ease has been steadily growing. Like the disciples, we seem to have forgotten that Christ is in our ship – that the peace and calm that is that Divine Presence is with us always.
Let us each take a moment to breath in the Christ consciousness, to be fully awake and aware of the Divine within us so that we can feel fully alive in each moment!
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Week of April 3 – April 5:
April 3:
Today’s words of wisdom remind us that there is an impenetrable strength within us that is connected with the Divine. Let’s remember to use it!
April 4:
My words are wisdom today are from a special friend Brian Geraths:
The left wing & right wing help to fly the same bird. Stand up to injustice, but play nice, we’re all in this together.
That which is indestructible is in YOU! 🙏🏻🙌🏻
April 5:
We live in a world of people with many differences, though I think we all have the same basic needs. What differs is the strategy for fulfilling the needs. Let us turn from critcism, judgment and all the other tragic expressions of unmet needs, and step into creating a world that works for everyone. Answer the calls for love today with love.
Here is how Rumi put it in his poem “The Guest House”
“The Guest House”
Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness
comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes
because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
