Seven P's for Building Spiritual Muscle

In my lesson at Unity Spiritual Center Denver this past Sunday (watch here), I shared that as I have been contemplating the ways in which increasing physical strength is analogous to increasing spiritual strength, I devised what I am calling “Seven Ps for Building Spiritual Muscle.” After service, a couple of people said that I only mentioned six of them. I apologize. I am sharing them here in case I missed one on Sunday and for others who are interested.

Purpose

Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore once said,

“Your mission is to express all that you can image God to be.”

The ultimate purpose of our spiritual practice is to integrate and embody Christ consciousness. We engage in conscious spiritual practices to transcend the limits of our conditioned human minds, our learned and habitual ways of thinking and being, and begin to live the mission set forth by Mr. Fillmore.

We are here to express the qualities of the Christ, which were powerfully demonstrated in the consciousness of our elder brother and way shower, Jesus, and lived as love, compassion, and inclusion as he healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed the hungry.

The shorthand version is – Our Purpose is to Practice the Presence of God in all we think, say and do.

Practice

It is imperative that we engage in daily spiritual practice.

Meditation focuses awareness deep within to the quiet of our center. It helps to remove our awareness from the constant mental chatter and invites us into the stillness and silence. Meditation also opens our inner senses so that we are more readily able to hear the still, small voice of Spirit and see into the true nature of Being.

Prayer is the conscious attunement of our minds, our thoughts and feelings, to the Mind of God. Through the activity of prayer, we emanate energy from the consciousness of God and bring our outer world into alignment with our inner realization of God.

Contemplation opens us to deeper awareness and revelations as we focus our attention on a specific word or phrase. In the practice of contemplation we consciously attune our minds to a thought frequency and attract all that is in harmony with it. One of my favorite phrases for contemplation is, “God Is; I Am.”

Spiritual practices can also include physical movement, such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Sufi dancing, drumming and many other kinesthetic activities.

Presence

Focusing on the breath is one of the most effective means I have found to bring awareness into the moment. Notice every aspect of the breath. Feel the temperature of the air as it enters your nostrils. Feel it cooling your sinus cavity. Follow the flow down into your lungs. Notice the expansion of the chest and abdomen as your lungs fill with air. Stop for a second before exhaling to sense the fullness. As you exhale, be aware of the diaphragm gently rising to expel the air. Feel the warmth of the air as it is expels through your nostrils. When we are fully consciousness of the movement of breath, we are fully in the moment.

Now that you have brought awareness to the breath, think about the thousands of times each day that this process happens without you having to do anything. You are constantly in the flow of life, and breath is one tangible demonstration of that truth.

In the same way that we can bring attention and focus to the breath, we can also do the same with the body sensations, thoughts and feelings. In our spiritual practice, it is important to be present with ourselves and notice what is happening with the energy of thoughts, feelings, and body. Only when we are aware of it can we effectively adjust what might be out of alignment.

Charles Fillmore is reported to have said that self-awareness is the prelude to Christ consciousness.

Patience

I know! I get it! We want to be enlightened now! Well, the truth is we are, we just haven’t fully realized it yet. That’s where patience comes in handy.

It is important for us to be patient with ourselves. When we get impatient, we tend to judge ourselves for not doing it better and faster. That is not helpful. For most of us, growing spiritual understanding and strength is a process that occurs over time with consistence, intention and practice.

Think of it like learning the principles of mathematics. We learn our numbers. Then we learn addition and subtraction. We move on to multiplication and division. Once we gain more complex understanding, we can apply the principles to algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.

We begin right where we are, and we take the next step as it reveals itself in perfect time.

Perseverance

For most of us, there are times along the spiritual path when we are tempted to throw up our hands and say “Enough! I give up!” I know I have been there a time or two.

It is at these times that faith is paramount. Faith is our ability to see beyond the limits of what is currently manifesting to the activity of God at work in and through all situations. As Paul said, ‘It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

When we feel discouraged or disheartened along the journey, it is helpful to go back to step one and recall our purpose. When we have a clearly defined intention for why we are walking the path, we can be strengthened in our resolve.

Call upon the Life of God which is the source of every breath you breathe to be the power to carry through. Know that the Life of God is your life. Know that the Strength of God is your strength.

Persistence

Continue to make your spiritual practices part of your daily activities.

It is not necessary to meditate 30 minutes twice a day, or set aside an hour for prayer and contemplation. You may get to that level someday if you are not already there. Choose a practice that is not too daunting for you. If it seems like too much to do, you won’t do it.

Decide on a practice or practices that you enjoy and that you can easily include in your daily routine. If you can only start with a five-minute practice, do that. Once you realize the benefits of the practice, you will want to increase the time and the frequency.

Whatever you do, persist in your practice.

Praise

Last, but certainly not least, is ‘Praise.’ I recommend that we each stop occasionally and reflect on the path we have walked and the distance we have come. Celebrate!

This is not about being egotistical. It is about honoring ourselves for our intention and dedication to growing our spiritual strength.

It is also about giving thanks and praise to all those who show up along the journey to assist us in our growth.

Charles Fillmore said,

Praise is closely related to prayer; it is one of the avenues through which spirituality expresses itself. Through an inherent law of mind, we increase whatever we praise. The whole creation responds to praise, and is glad.

Animal trainers pet and reward their charges with delicacies for acts of obedience; children glow with joy and gladness when they are praised. Even vegetation grows best for those who praise it.

We can praise our own abilities, and our very brain cells will expand and increase in capacity and intelligence when we speak words of encouragement and appreciation to them. ¹

As we are growing in spiritual understanding, I hope these “Seven Ps for Building Spiritual Muscle” will be beneficial.

Join us on Sunday, August 5, for our service at 10:00. All are welcome at Unity Spiritual Center Denver.

¹ Excerpt from Christian Healing

Building Spiritual Muscle

In my post from June 21, My Two-by-Four Experience, I shared some insights I gained from living with my knee injury. Since then, I have been gifted with Reiki and other healing modality treatments, nutritional supplements, and prayers from many loving and caring people. I am happy to report that my knee is 85% healed, on the way to 100%. I am moving around much more freely and without pain. I experience only the occasional twinge. A heartfelt ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who has contributed to my healing and continues to do so.

I also shared in that post that I am working with a friend, Jon, who is a personal trainer. I hesitate to use that term to describe him, because he is much more than that. He is a facilitator of healing through encouragement, education and gentle, but firm facilitation of physical exercises. While others have helped to support my healing through energy work which I can simply relax and enjoy, Jon’s healing techniques invite me to engage in the process through physical action. Working with Jon is helping me to improve muscle strength and increase my awareness of the body’s amazing wisdom.

I have discovered in working with Jon that the process of increasing physical body strength is in many ways analogous to the process of increasing spiritual strength.

I have been going to the gym and exercising several times a week fairly regularly for many years. I worked with a personal trainer many years ago, and learned how to do exercises intended to strengthen specific muscles. While I have experienced some benefit of using those techniques, I have not realized the level of results that I would enjoy. Even so, I have continued to do the same exercises in the same manner.

Until I experienced an injury and was inspired to learn new ways to strengthen my leg muscles to help support and aid in my healing, it didn’t occur to me to question what I had learned.

The same is frequently true in our spiritual journeys. We often continue to engage in habitual ways of approaching life until a traumatic experience, a grave loss, or some other life event that stimulates emotional pain and suffering, or sometimes even exhilaration, motivates us to seek new ways of strengthening our spiritual understanding and growth. We look for new ways to respond to life when we realize that our learned habitual ways no longer serve us.

Additionally, even after learning from Jon new ways of engaging and strengthening muscles and even after experiencing results, still I resisted setting aside time to do them. How many of us learn tools such as prayer, meditation, denials and affirmations, practice them for a time, realize some benefits and then decide that we don’t have time to do them regularly? Like building our physical muscles, strengthening our spiritual muscles requires commitment and practice.

Properly performing the movements that Jon is teaching me also requires clear intention and a great deal of concentrated attention. Staying engaged in the process while activating a specific muscle or group of muscles is key to strengthening them. However, it is equally important not to push beyond the body’s limits. I have learned that the adage, “no pain, no gain” is hogwash. Further, it does not serve overall physical, mental or emotional well-being. Building the strength and endurance of the physical body takes place gradually with sustained practice.

The same is true for building our spiritual strength. It is important for us to be intentional, dedicated and focused in our spiritual practices. Yet, it is vital that we do not push ourselves beyond the limits of our willingness or the capacity of our mental, emotional or physical endurance. It is good to be patient with ourselves while continuing to move forward in our growth. We will, through continued conscious practice, realize the desired results.

As I shared in my earlier post, I don’t subscribe to the idea that God/Universe/Source hits us over the head with a “cosmic two-by-four” to help us learn a lesson. I believe we can choose to learn from everything and everyone in our lives. I am certainly learning more about myself and about my approach to life as I move through this healing journey. My hope and my prayer is that I will take these lessons to heart and apply them in my life. I also hope that by sharing my lessons, I can help you as you move through whatever life brings your way.

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 at Unity Spiritual Center Denver as I delve a little deeper into my learning with my lesson “Building Spiritual Muscle” You are welcome here!

Seeking God

In my lesson this past Sunday at Unity Spiritual Center Denver, I opened by sharing the story about a little boy who goes in search of God and experiences God in his connection with a woman he meets on a park bench. They share smiles and laughter while eating Twinkies and drinking root beer. I have included a link below to a video on YouTube that depicts the story with a slightly different telling. You may also listen to the recording of my lesson here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9N8OXkN0Rk

In my post on July 5, I invited and encouraged us to take some time to reexamine our concept of God. I shared that I had set an intention for myself to do that as well. I am pleased to report that I did take some time while on vacation in the mountains to reflect upon my concept of God.

I hesitate to admit this in a public forum, but in my quiet contemplation time, I realized that my encouragement for you to reexamine your concept of God was so that you could “wake up” and come to share my concept of God. I know! What arrogance!

When I realized that I have been holding to concepts of God that I have taken on and thoughts about God that have become my “religion,” I laughed and cried. I laughed at the absurdity of thinking that I can possibly know all there is to know about the Infinite. I cried at the sweetness and freedom I felt as I released my need to think I know.

Through my laughter and tears, I surrendered and I cried out, “God/Universe/Infinite Mind/Spirit reveal yourself to me. Show me. Tell me. Speak to me.” And, in the silence I heard,

I am every thought you think.
I am every breath you take.
I am every beat of your heart.
I am the life that lives as you.
I am the All that lives as all you see.
I am the All that lives as all you do not see.
I am the tree.
I am the beetle that feeds on the tree.
I am the mountain.
I am the fire.
I am the bird.
I am the mosquito.
I am the wind.
I am the wave.

I was also reminded of the following quotes.

“There is no spot where God is not.” – Origin unknown

“God is an infinite circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.” – Attributed to Voltaire

“He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:17

“Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light around me become night,”
 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.” – Psalm 139: 7-12

In my listening, I was reminded that there is no duality in God. Duality only exists in a mind that believes it is separate, a mind that judges. A mind that believes in duality is a mind that suffers.

All of this was a calm and gentle reminder that God is Omnipresence. There is nothing that and no one who can be excluded from the Divine.

Each aspect of God vibrates at a unique frequency, and because we are given the gift of freewill, we can choose to align with any aspect in every moment. We are so free that we can even choose bondage to old outdated ideas and concepts about God, concepts that may limit our experience of God, ourselves, each other and the world around us.

We also have the freedom and power to release ourselves from that bondage and open to a new, empowering, and evolving understanding about God, our relationship to God, to each other and to all creation.

Over the next few weeks, I will share in this forum and in my Sunday lessons some of the beliefs I have held about God and the new revelations that have arisen and are now arising as I continue exploring God for myself. I am calling this series, “Myth Busters.” 

My first lesson in the series is “Myth – God is in control.” Did that trigger anyone? I encourage you to let it go and be open to hearing your own expanded concept of God, from God, as we explore and bust this myth. Join us on Sunday at 10:00.

Where Do I Meet God?

In last week’s post I invited you to share your reflections on the phrase, “God meets you where you are.” I appreciate those of you who shared your thoughts, whether in writing or in person.

I recall hearing this said many times when I was in the Baptist church. I am willing to be wrong, but I believe that it was the ministers’ attempt to convey the message that regardless of how “bad” we are and no matter how awful our sins are, God will forgive us and save us if we ask. Of course, God “meeting you where you are” was also dependent upon knowing that God will do that for us only if we accepted that his only son, Jesus, paid the price for our sins on the cross.

I fully accepted and embraced that idea at a time in my life when I needed it. When I bought into the notions that I was born a “sinner,” separate from God, and in need of redemption through the blood sacrifice of Jesus, giving my life to Jesus and being “saved” brought a sense of comfort and peace. 

The New Thought teachings of Ernest Holmes, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, H. Emilie Cady, Thomas Troward, and many others, helped me to come to a different understanding of ‘God’ and embrace a metaphysical and metaphorical perspective on Jesus’ life and death. I celebrate and am eternally grateful for my learning and growth.

While I no longer need that ‘God,’ I understand that there are literally billions of people around the world who adhere to the concept of a God of reward and punishment and belief in Jesus as the pathway to the final reward of heaven. I mourn that so many have been taught to believe that they are innately unworthy and separate from God. However, as long as they hold those beliefs, they need that ‘God,’ and their ‘God’ meets them where they are in their consciousness. It has taken time and inner work, but I have learned to hold them with great love, honor and respect.

During my vacation last week in the mountains, I took time to do my own reflection on “God meets you where you are.” It may be in reaction to my earlier associations with the phrase, but I have chosen to revise it to, “I meet God where I am.” Saying it in that way is more empowering and invites me to acknowledge and accept my responsibility.

I understand ‘God’ as the eternal, unchanging Omniscience, Omnipresence, Omnipotence and Omni-action that is the All in and as all. God is the Presence that is everywhere present in the eternal now.

While God does not change, my conscious awareness of God does change. God as Infinite Intelligence, Divine Order, Unconditional Love, Indescribable Beauty, Immeasurable Abundance and Effervescent Life is the One in which and as which we “live and move and have our being.” It is also that which lives and moves and has Its being as each of us, as well as all that we can perceive and all that we have yet to perceive.  

God is where I am. God is what I am. God is who I am. God is the ‘I AM’ that I am.

The All-ness of God is available and accessible to me and to each of us in any moment that we open ourselves to It. We need only choose by aligning our thoughts, attuning the vibration of our feelings, and opening ourselves to the revelation of the Presence. In that way, we meet God right where we are. 

When I believed that I was an unworthy sinner, I met God from that consciousness, and God revealed Itself to me in the form of Jesus as savior.

Last week, while in the mountains, I had the opportunity to officiate a wedding at the top of a mountain in Keystone, CO. Getting to the wedding site required two gondola rides up to a height of 11,600 feet. The views were breathtaking. Since I did not stay for the party following the ceremony, I was alone in the gondola on the ride back down the mountain. In my solitude, I sat floating high above the trees surrounded by the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. In those moments, I met God from a consciousness of awe, appreciation and openness, and God revealed Itself to me through the beauty of nature in which I was enfolded.

I felt love, peace and joy so profound that words cannot begin to capture it. I met God where I was in body, mind and spirit. 

Where we are in consciousness determines our experience of God. The question we get to ask ourselves is “Where Do I Meet God?”

Join us on Sunday for our service at 10:00 as we explore this question further.

Who or What is 'God?'

As I stated in my post last week, I am on vacation this week. Rather than write a new post, I have chosen to look through some of my past ones and re-post one that speaks to where I am in my journey today. At the end of this post, I encourage us all to “reexamine our view of God.” I am taking my own advice.

I am working on a new post and a new Sunday lesson or lessons. The working title is God Meets You Where You Are. I recall hearing that phrase often when I was in the Baptist church. I was not sure then what message the minster was attempting to convey. Although I am still not completely sure, I have my suspicions.

I would love to hear from you. When you hear the phrase, “God meets you where you are,” what comes up for you. Do you think it’s true? If not, why? If so, why?

I hope the following post from August 2015 will stir some thoughts and conversation.

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When we were discussing Unity beliefs in our New Members class this past Saturday, we read the following definition of ‘God’ which is included in our information packet.

God is the source of all. There is no other enduring power. God is benevolent and present everywhere.

One of our very astute potential new members pointed out that for us to say “God is benevolent” implies duality. She suggested that when we say that God is benevolent, we are assigning God qualities that we associate as “good” compared to those we might deem “bad.” Her point was that God is neither good nor bad, nor is God benevolent or malevolent: God is.

In a conversation earlier this week, I was asked how I define ‘God.’ I don’t recall the exact words I used, but I did my best to explain that I think of ‘God’ as the Divine Life that is the Source of all or the Life Energy that imbues all creation. In hindsight, I recognize that my effort to define ‘God’ was, at best, limited and futile. Anytime we attempt to define ‘God’ we limit our experience of ‘God.’ God is not this or that: God is.

Any attempt to define the ineffable is by definition impossible. However, while saying simply “God is” best captures the essence of my concept of ‘God,’ I think it is helpful, and perhaps necessary, for us to explore what we believe and teach about ‘God’ because it helps us as we communicate with others.

Each of us defines ‘God’ in our own way, and our concept of ‘God’ greatly impacts every area of our lives, at times enriching it, and at other times confounding it. To some, ‘God’ as a concept can provide comfort and peace of mind in times of need. To others, ‘God’ can also create much suffering. ‘God’ can stimulate a great deal of pain and guilt for one who has learned that God judges and punishes. 

Over the past few years I have participated in discussions about ‘God’ and the use of the word ‘God’ in Unity. I have heard, “I do not believe in God: I am an atheist.”  Others have said, “I am agnostic: I do not believe that any person can know the cause of reality without firsthand experience; therefore, there is no way to know if ‘God’ exists.”  Still others question, “If we are not talking about the big guy up in heaven somewhere that is controlling everything, the God of most Christians’ understanding, and we have a more evolved understanding of what it is, why do we still use the word ‘God’: Why not use ‘Life’ or some other word?” 

While it is just a word and as with all words, is used to represent a concept, the word ‘God’ is imbued with centuries of meaning, not all of it in alignment with what we teach in Unity. When one, such as I, has been indoctrinated in a religion that uses ‘God’ to judge, punish and abuse, he or she often has a mental and emotional imprinting of the word that is not conducive to feeling centered or inspired when hearing ‘God’ spoken in the spiritual community. 

There was a time in the not so distant past when I chose not to use the word ‘God’ and was often disturbed when I heard others use it, especially those in Unity or other New Thought communities.  And, while I now use the word freely, I completely understand that it can be disconcerting and even confounding for some. I am sure it can be for them much like it is for me when I attend a traditional Christian church service; I find myself reinterpreting nearly everything that the minister says, as well as all the hymn lyrics. It can be tiring and trying.

When I use the word ‘God’ today I am certainly not referring to the God of my childhood, a man with a white beard and white robes sitting up in heaven somewhere judging me and everyone else and most likely damning me to eternity in hell because I do not measure up to his criteria for admittance to heaven. 

When I say ‘God’ I am not referring to a being or beings. I am, instead, to the best of my ability giving voice to that which is ineffable. I believe H. Emilie Cady said it best in her book, Lessons in Truth.

“God is the name we give to that unchangeable, inexorable principle at the source of all existence. To the individual consciousness God takes on personality, but as the creative underlying cause of all things, [God] is principle, impersonal; as expressed in each individual, [God] becomes personal to that one--a personal, loving, all-forgiving Father-Mother. All that we can ever need or desire is the infinite Father-Principle, the great reservoir of unexpressed good.”

God is. God is “no thing,” yet is All. God is the Essence of all that is real. As Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore stated, “God is the eternal verity of the universe and humankind.”

I invite us, as Rev. Ellen Debenport encourages in The Five Principles, to “reexamine our view of God at least once per decade.” God does not change; God is and was and every more shall be the same. However, we change and so do our perspectives. Rather than dismissing the concept of ‘God’ altogether or putting 'God' in a box, perhaps we can allow our concept of ‘God’ to evolve and open us to an even greater experience.

Please plan to attend our 10:00 service on Sunday, July 8, as we welcome Avital Miller as our guest speaker. She will also facilitate a workshop beginning at 12:00. Avital is the author of Healing Happens: Stories of Healing Against All Odds. She will share her personal story of healing, and her interactive workshop will instruct you in ways to claim your own healing. Register Now!

In The World; Not Of The World

I am taking some time off and a short break from writing. I plan to devote time to contemplating what is stirring within me and discern what is to be the focus of my next series of talks and blog posts.

Several weeks ago, when driving by a neighborhood church, my attention was drawn to the marquee which read, “Have you seen the Holy Spirit at work lately?” My curiosity was piqued. It has stuck with me since.

I am, indeed, feeling the Holy Spirit at work in me and witnessing the effects. My desire and intention is to spend quality time connecting with the Holy Spirit, welcoming and allowing greater revelations. I look forward to sharing them with you.

In the meantime, I have chosen to repost some earlier pieces that reference the Holy Spirit. This one from 2013 reveals aspects of nature of the Holy Spirit as companion, teacher and guide.

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When I first began my conscious spiritual quest, I believed that if I meditated and engaged in other spiritual practices every day I would eventually become enlightened, transcend the cares of the world, and live thereafter in a perpetual state of bliss. I hoped that when I “awakened” I would no longer have to deal with the concerns of everyday life. I have since discovered that awakening is not about escaping the world, but about living more fully present while in it and responding to it accordingly from a consciousness centered in divine nature. This is evidenced beautifully in the story of Jesus’ life.

In Unity, we view Jesus as our Way Shower, one who exampled the potential we all possess to awaken to divine nature and respond from that divinity while continuing to live in the “nitty gritty” of life. In other words, Jesus showed us what it means to be in the world, but not of the world. His life experiences, albeit dramatic portrayals, are metaphorical representations of what we may encounter as we awaken and choose to live in the world centered in divine nature.

In the fourth chapter of Matthew’s gospel we are told that after Jesus received baptism, he was carried away into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where he faced the temptations of Satan. Satan first tells Jesus, who is fasting, to turn stones into bread to ease his hunger. Jesus responds stating that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.  Satan then suggests to Jesus that he leap from the pinnacle of the temple to prove that God will save him. Jesus chooses not to test God. Finally, Satan encourages Jesus to worship him in order that he might be ruler over the entire world. Jesus rebukes Satan. He tells him that only God is worthy of worship and then tells Satan to leave. Satan goes away and leaves Jesus alone.

From a metaphorical perspective, Satan is the personification of Jesus’ conditioned mind. He is not an entity external to Jesus; he is the limiting thoughts that arise. Jesus experienced this confrontation and so do we. When we experience a shift in how we see ourselves, and awaken to a deeper understanding of our true nature; we are inevitably confronted with the myths, messages and beliefs of the conditioned mind that tell us we are something less than the awakened Christ. We may even question the validity of our newly awakened state. Unlike Satan in this story, the thoughts of the conditioned mind are not there to threaten us, or to possess us. They arise as opportunities for us to meet them in Love, question them and release them.

Only by our willingness to enter the wilderness of our own minds and encounter the temptations to discount our awakening experience will we truly be able to claim our truth and stand firmly in our conviction. We can take solace in knowing that while it may seem daunting, it does not have to be a scary, painful struggle. We can follow Jesus’ example. He did not argue with Satan or attempt to do battle with him. Instead, Jesus stood in his truth and chose not to give power to his conditioned mind. He responded from a consciousness grounded in divine nature, and eventually Satan left him. We must be willing to come face-to-face with our limiting thoughts and allow the truth to be revealed. Then we can respond to them just as Jesus responded to “Satan” from his Christ awareness, from a level of understanding gained as the result of a newly awakened state.

Let us remain mindful that the world around us does not necessarily change as we awaken; our perspective of the world changes. No matter how scary it may first appear, we are free to respond to whatever life brings our way from a consciousness centered in divine nature. We are in the world, but not of the world.

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Please join us on Sunday, July 1, as our Associate Minister, Trish Morris, brings the message and on Sunday, July 8, as we welcome guest speaker and workshop facilitator, Avital Miller. Avital is the bestselling author of Healing Happens – Stories of Healing against All Odds.

My Two-by-Four Experience

Those of us who have been around metaphysical circles have heard of the “cosmic two-by-four.” The concept refers to the idea that, in attempts to teach us lessons, the “universe” delivers progressively intense nudges to get our attention. If we fail to learn the lesson or get it “right” after several tries, the “universe” may resort to “hitting us over the head with a cosmic two-by-four” to wake us up. The concept implies that there is something or someone outside of us that employs whatever means is needed to get our attention, even if it necessitates our pain and suffering.

I do not subscribe to that notion. It speaks of an external power of reward and punishment. It also invites us to abdicate personal responsibility. There is nothing or no one “out there” exacting pain upon us so that we can learn a lesson. We co-create our experiences, and every experience is an opportunity for us to awaken.

We can seek and find the gift or gifts in every situation, and choose to learn and grow from them. Granted, we may not be able or willing to see the gift while in the midst of a challenging life circumstance, but in time, if we are open, the gifts will be revealed. I am currently having such an experience.

My body is currently demonstrating what my doctor believes to be a torn meniscus in my left knee joint. I have been dealing with discomfort and various degrees of pain for two weeks. If I believed in “cosmic two-by-fours,” this would be one. Since I don’t, I am instead, choosing to allow the gifts of this physical manifestation to be revealed.

This experience is proving to be rich with opportunities for learning and growth. Being forced to stop, rest, and not engage in my normal activities has given me an opportunity to observe how I measure my worth. Additionally, it has invited me into more conscious compassion and empathy for those who live with pain and for those who are experiencing the demonstrations of physical disease or other imbalances in the physical body. It has also reminded me of the importance of paying attention to my physical body.

Photo by CoaGoa - www.CoaGoaDeviantArt.com

Last week, after the initial injury, adhering to my doctor’s recommendation, I chose to stay home, rather than attend the Youth of Unity rally in Oklahoma as I had planned. I agreed with her that traveling on an airplane, navigating an airport, driving a car for several hours and engaging in the activities at rally might not serve my well-being. Instead, I spent a great deal of time sitting on the sofa with my ice-pack-covered knee elevated. I had a great deal of time to be with myself and my discomfort, emotional and mental as well as physical.

I felt restless while sitting there doing “nothing.” I thought of all the things I “should” or could be doing. Even though I had already planned to be away for the week, I felt guilty. After some time in contemplation, I realized that much of my mental and emotional discomfort stemmed from an underlying belief that my value lies in what I do, rather than who I am. While this was not a starkly surprising revelation, the awareness has been enlightening.

I would love to tell you that following this realization I was immediately able to affirm my value and my innate worth and feel better. I would love to tell you that, but that is not exactly what happened. I am pleased to tell you that I was able to mourn my predilection to base my self-worth on my accomplishment. I was also willing to celebrate my awareness and honor that I have the power to make other choices.

This is yet another opportunity for me to live the truth I know. I can choose to be aware of my thoughts and beliefs and, to the best of my ability in each moment, release those that are limiting and affirm my truth: I am worthy and valuable just because I am.

I encourage each of us to know that truth. I encourage us to stop frequently during the day and affirm that truth for ourselves, not because the body demands it, but because it is in our own self-interest. When we know that we are worthy just because we are, we are empowered to do what is ours to do, and no more, not because it defines us or establishes our worthiness, but because we can move forward with great love, enthusiasm and intention to do all that is to be done by us.

After a few days of rest and recuperation, I chose to make the planned trip to my family reunion in Georgia and my prayer partner’s ordination in Texas. I made the first leg of the trip with little or no issues. However, I could barely walk the following morning. I hobbled around the reunion on Saturday. When we got to the airport on Sunday to travel from Atlanta to Dallas, I made it to the check-in counter with J’s help and the aid of a cane, but requested a wheelchair to take me to the gate. I knew I could make it on foot, but also knew that I would regret it if I did.

It was, indeed, a humbling experience. Moving through the airport in a wheelchair and walking with a cane, opened my eyes, mind and heart to others who I observed in similar situations. I was able to see them and hold them in my heart with a greater sense of care and compassion. The experience also opened me to greater compassion for myself and has allowed me to be more open and receptive to help from others who want to support me.

Again, I do not believe in the concept of a “cosmic two-by-four,” but I do believe that if we discount the subtle messages our bodies give us that those message will eventually be delivered in ways that are hard to ignore.

Prior to this recent episode, I had been experiencing some discomfort and irritation in my knee. I didn’t completely ignore it, but I didn’t take decisive action to treat it. I received inner guidance about strengthening the muscles in my legs and around the knee, but delayed doing anything about it. I kept telling myself that I would get to it when I had the time and could focus on it. After all, I had a great deal to do, and if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t be valued! HA!

I hesitate to admit it, but I took no definitive action to change my consciousness about the knee. I did not do any focused prayer treatment for my knee, nor did I request any from others. I did not begin physical exercise that might have helped to prevent further injury. In short, I did not practice the principles of three-fold healing and wholeness that Unity cofounder, Myrtle Fillmore, so eloquently wrote about.¹

Unfortunately, it took experiencing the pain and debilitating effects of the injury to get my complete attention. I am pleased to report that I am now taking definitive action. Daily, I meditate on the life energy restoring my knee. I speak prayer treatments for the health of my knee. I receive prayer treatment from others. I have contacted a friend who is a personal trainer to assist me with exercises to strengthen my legs muscles. I rest and elevate my leg, even if it means I don’t DO other things. And, I do my best not to feel guilty about it.

I have been powerfully reminded how essential it is not to wait until we experience an unwanted manifestation in our life before we take action. Preventative action is potentially more potent that corrective action.

I encourage us all to take time daily to engage in spiritual, mental and physical practice:

Mentally scan the body for any signs of irritation or imbalance. If there are none, Great! If there are, focus awareness in that area, and ask the body to reveal what it needs. The body holds a great deal of wisdom that is accessible to us if we will only listen. Listen to its guidance. Most importantly, follow the guidance you receive.

Consciously connect with the Life Energy living as the body. Feel it following through every system of the body - circulatory, digestive, skeletal, muscular, excretive, nervous and respiratory. Use your power of imagination to see it flowing freely without restriction or resistance, connection all of the body systems in perfect harmony and order.

Honor and appreciate every aspect of the body. Speak words of praise and thanksgiving for all the ways the body expresses and allows you to experience this wonderful earthly dimension.

Move the body as much and as often as you can during the day. Take a walk. Go dancing. Practice Tai’ Chi Gung, Yoga, or other physically and spiritually connected movement.

As you say your daily prayers for others, be sure to include yourself.

We need not create our own “two-by-four” experience, but if we find ourselves having one, we can use it to go deeper into our spiritual truth and learn and grow through it.

Please join us on Sunday for our service at 10:00. I will have the privilege of bringing the message in both word and song.

¹ Myrtle Fillmore’s Healing Letters