I Am Christ

This is the season of light. The celebration of light is an ancient one. For centuries, cultures have heralded the coming of Winter Solstice as the return of light, when the sun’s rays once again bless the earth and days grow longer.  In the Jewish tradition, Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, celebrates the miracle of light that burned in the temple for eight days despite the appearance that there was only enough oil to burn for one day. Christmas, too, is a celebration of light. In fact, early Christians chose to observe the birth of Jesus at this time of year because of the ancient observance of Solstice. Jesus is often called “the Light of the world,” and his birth is celebrated by the traditional Christian church as the return of spiritual light to a world that was “lost in darkness.”  In Unity we observe Christmas, not only as the birthday of Jesus, the master teacher and way-shower, but also as a celebration of light as represented by the awakening of the Christ as each of us. The Christ is, as the writer of the gospel of John says, “The light that enlightens every [one].”  John 1:9

We often use the word ‘Christ’ assuming that we share a common understanding of its meaning.  However, it seems that while we may have a notion of ‘Christ’, the term is still somewhat nebulous.  In the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary (MBD), Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore offers an expansive explanation of “Christ.”  The following is a short excerpt.

 “Christ is the only begotten Son of God or the one complete idea of perfect man in Divine Mind. [Christ] is the embodiment of all divine ideas, such as intelligence, life, love, substance, and strength. In the architect's mind there may be one masterpiece, but that masterpiece is the sum of all the beautiful ideas that have come to his mind. This Christ, or perfect-man idea existing eternally in Divine Mind, is the true, spiritual, higher self of every individual. Each of us has within him the Christ, just as Jesus had, and we must look within to recognize and realize our sonship, our divine origin and birth, even as He did. By continually unifying ourselves with the Highest by our thoughts and words, we too shall become sons of God, manifest.”

Mr. Fillmore uses the term “Divine Mind” as a synonym for “God.”  He taught that Divine Mind is replete with Divine Ideas only and that the ultimate purpose of humanity is to bring those Divine Ideas into manifestation through the power of thoughts and words which are born from the revelation and realization of the Christ.  Divine Ideas in Divine Mind are the equivalent of what we might refer to as the thoughts in God’s mind.  Understanding this, it follows that since Christ is the Divine Idea for humanity in Divine Mind, then it is the equivalent of God’s thought that expresses the perfection of humankind.  Each of us is, in truth, the Christ and we are endowed with the full potential to embody the realization and demonstration of this thought.  As beings created in the image and likeness of Divine Mind, we are one with it and have access to all Divine Ideas; therefore, we need only to open our hearts and minds through prayer, contemplation and meditation, and invite the awareness of the Christ-thought to enlighten us.

A Course in Miracles reads:

“[Christ] is the Thought which still abides within the Mind that is [Its] Source. [Christ] has not left [Its] holy home, nor lost the innocence in which [It] was created. [Christ] abides unchanged forever in the Mind of God. Your mind is part of [Christ’s] and [Christ’s] a part of yours. [Christ] is the part in which God’s answer lies.”

The Christ is not a vague concept or unknowable ideal to which we are to aspire; it is an idea to which we have complete access every moment of every day.  Christ is the place in our consciousness where the Mind of God is revealed as our mind.  When we open to the infusion of this Christ-idea, the full meaning will be revealed and we will begin to realize the impact of this “enlightenment.”  As we consciously invite the awareness of the Christ-idea, we will begin to embody and live from the Christ-idea.  As Mr. Fillmore said, we will manifest the Christ by “continually unifying ourselves” with it. 

Mr. Fillmore continues his explanation of ‘Christ’ in the MBD by offering us a tool for revealing the Christ to ourselves, “Spiritual perception reveals to us that we are not persons, but factors in the cosmic mind. Reveal yourself to yourself by affirming, "I am the Christ, son of the living God."   Another way of stating this is that each of us is a thought in Divine Mind and that we are each a unique manifestation of the one thought or idea which we refer to as ‘Christ.’ 

May we allow Christmas, this season of light, to be a time in which we celebrate the Christ that is each of us.  As we awaken to ourselves as Christ, we are enlightened, and we demonstrate the Christ en masse.  Celebrate the Christ you are.

Merry Christmas!

Peace On Earth

During this, the second week of Advent, we celebrate peace.  Peace is a prominent theme of the Christmas stories in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  “On Earth, peace, good will toward men” is one of the most well-known and often repeated phrases from these stories.  Traditional Christianity believes that Jesus Christ, who is often referred to as “The Prince of Peace,” will return to establish God’s kingdom on the Earth which will include a reign of peace.  In addition to being essential to Christian eschatology, “peace on Earth” is a common theme in many of the world’s religions.  In the Jewish tradition, global peace and harmony are a part of the vision for the Messianic Age.  Other religions and faith traditions, including Buddhism and Hinduism also include world peace in their vision for the end time.

Some traditions assert that the end of the world as we know it and the establishment of peace on Earth will come quickly, whether via the incarnation or reincarnation of a deity or by some cataclysmic event.  We, in Unity, hold the vision for peace on Earth in our lifetime.  Peace on Earth is not dependent upon a single event or coming of a Messianic figure.  It is not Jesus, but the Christ, the only begotten idea in Divine Mind for humanity, that will initiate the reign of peace on Earth.  The Christ which is born through each of us, nurtured by each of us, and lived as each of us will bring forth the kingdom of God into manifestation.  In order to establish peace on Earth, we must be willing to know ourselves as the Christ; allow the mind of Christ to be our mind, and allow ourselves “to be transformed by the renewing of our minds,” as St. Paul said in his letters to the churches at Corinth and Philippi. Our minds are transformed when we consciously surrender to the Christ, not an external being, but the idea in Divine Mind that is ever a part of our own minds. Peace on Earth will be established when we consciously choose for it to be.

We also hold the vision for a world transformed by peace, not that the physical world will cease to exist.  The world is a projection of human consciousness, the mind of humanity.  A mind that is not at peace projects a world that is not peaceful.  We have created and continue to create the world as we know it moment by moment.  Likewise, we can end the world as we know it and transform it whenever we choose.  We can alter human consciousness and establish peace on Earth one mind at a time by taking every opportunity to allow our own minds to be renewed and transformed by Christ.   The world as we know it is the world we have created and we can recreate it whenever we choose. 

 

In the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore, says “Jehovah of the Old Testament is the I AM, or Christ of God invisible; the Messiah is the promise of the visible manifestation of that I AM or Christ, and Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in man of that original spiritual I AM, or Jehovah.”  In other writings, Mr. Fillmore said, “God was known to the Israelites as Jehovah-shalom: "I am peace." “You can demonstrate peace of mind by holding the words "I am peace."  If you take Jehovah-shalom into your mind and hold it with the thought of a mighty peace, you will feel a consciousness, a harmonizing stillness that no man can understand…Then you will know that you have touched something; but you cannot explain to another just what it is, because you have gone beyond the realm of words and made union with the divine cause.”

By taking the mantra “Jehovah-shalom” into our minds and focusing on it, we invite the Christ to fill our minds.  As the Christ fills our minds, our minds are renewed. The consciousness of humanity is changed one mind at a time, and we begin to project the world from a mind that knows peace.  The Christ is born in and through each of us, and together we bring forth peace on Earth.  When we are transformed, we transform the world. I am peace. So are you. Peace on Earth, goodwill to all.

The Truth About Santa

It’s that time of year again, time to write Santa and tell him what you want for Christmas.  

When I was a kid, every afternoon after school I watched a children’s television program called the Trooper Terry Show.  Trooper Terry always had special games and lessons for children.  He was the local version of Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers, and a hero for me and my peers.   During the Christmas season, Trooper Terry had a remote feed; of course I didn’t know it was called that at the time, from the North Pole.  I guess the reception was not very good in Augusta, Georgia all the way from Santa’s castle because the picture was often a bit “snowy.” 

At the appointed time during the program, Trooper Terry would put his finger beside his nose and instruct us all to do the same.  We would all nod our heads, and then, magically, Santa Claus appeared on the television screen.   He would talk to us, and then read a few of the letters he received from the children in our town.   For me and my friends it was one of the most highly anticipated television events of the season.  Of course, every year I wrote my letter and addressed it to Santa in care of Channel 6, the local television station.  And, he always received my letter.  I don’t recall that he ever read mine on the show, but I always knew that he got it.   How else would he have known what to bring me?

Every Christmas Eve, I would lovingly prepare a plate of fruitcake, not cookies (my mother made fruitcake every year) and pour a glass of milk to leave for Santa.  And, every Christmas morning I would awaken before sunrise to discover that he had eaten the fruitcake.  He had also drank the milk and left me all sorts of wonderful toys.  I never really understood how he managed to get to all the houses in the world on one night, or how he could possibly eat all the goodies that so many children left out for him, and it never mattered how: it only mattered that I believed.  It was a magical time of year.

(SPOILER ALERT)

As I grew older and heard stories about the real identity of Santa Claus, I felt disappointed and sad.  I wondered how my parents and so many other adults could lie to their children and convince them to believe in someone who is not real.  It seemed like a cruel hoax.  I accepted the fact that I had been duped and stopped writing my letters.  I no longer believed.  I lost the magic of Christmas.

Years later, as I began to truly question why the myth of Santa Claus has endured, I discovered a deeper truth about him.  He is the archetype of the spirit of Christmas.  The depiction of Santa Claus as the jolly old elf in a bright red, fur-trimmed suit sprang from the imagination of writers and artists, but this image represents some of the best qualities inherent in each of us - generosity, prosperity, giving and joy.  Santa is the personification of these qualities of our Divine Nature.  He has endured in our hearts and minds because he reminds us of who we truly are.  Santa Claus gives us the opportunity, even if only for a few weeks, days or hours each year, to behold aspects of our true selves.

Today, I believe.  I believe that Santa Claus is each and every one of us.  I believe that we can choose to allow his images to remind us of the magic we all possess.  I believe that we can embrace the spirit of Christmas and share joy, give love, and extend kindness to people everywhere, not just during this season, but 365 days a year. 

It has been years since I wrote a letter to Santa, but I am going to do it this year.  My letter will be a bit different from the ones I wrote as a child.  I will not ask for toys, or a bike, not even a new puppy.  In my letter this year, I will ask Santa to bring food, clothing, and shelter to all people everywhere.  I will ask him to bring love to every home.  I will ask him to bring peace to the hearts of all humankind, thereby bringing peace to the world. 

Now that I know who Santa Claus really is; now that I know that he lives in the hearts and minds of each of us, I trust that he will receive my letter, and I believe that he will deliver everything I ask for. 

I pray that you will join me.  Let’s embrace the true spirit of Christmas and do our part to bring the magic of the season to the lives of children everywhere.

Wishing you a magical Christmas season,

David

Explicit Gratitude

Several months ago I was in an airport waiting to board my plane, when a young girl, along with her mother, sat down in the waiting area next to me.  We were all seated facing large windows that looked out onto the tarmac.  As the plane pulled into the gate, the young girl exclaimed loudly and with great excitement, “there’s our plane.”  Later, with equal delight, she exclaimed with a sense of wonder, “I can see my luggage being loaded on the plane.”  I was overcome with feelings of appreciation and joy as I observed her expressions of excitement and fascination.  She helped to awaken me from whatever mind-dominated state I was in at the moment.  While I did not think it appropriate to express my gratitude verbally in that particular situation, I did so with a silent prayer and blessing.  Even now as I recall that experience, I am again feeling much appreciation for that young girl who helped to awaken me to the fact that there is much in my everyday life to delight in and to express gratitude for. 

In this country, we have designated one day in November to give thanks for all that we enjoy.  For many of us, Thanksgiving Day may be a special time to gather with friends and family and enjoy a big meal.  For some, it’s the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and for others it’s just a day off from work.  I must admit that, at various times in past years, it has been for me any one or all of these things.  This year, however, I am consciously choosing to think about and celebrate Thanksgiving Day in what is, for me, a more personal and meaningful way.  I have decided to observe Thanksgiving Day as the beginning of a conscious “explicit gratitude” journey.  I chose the word ‘explicit’ because I want my expressions of gratitude to be “definite and unreserved in expression” as defined by Dictionary.com.

I have noticed myself, at times, speaking what I would call empty words of gratitude.  By that, I mean sometimes I tell others that I am grateful because I tell myself that I “should” be grateful.  I have the belief that saying “thank you” is the proper response when someone does something that enriches my life.  Sometimes these are empty words spoken from a learned response rather than from a feeling of gratitude.  This awareness is an invaluable reminder of how I have learned to relate to others and to the world around me from a mental state (my mind), rather than from my feeling nature (my heart).  I have set my intention to change that.  In choosing to embark on an explicit gratitude journey, I have decided to not only express words of gratitude every day, but to empower myself to truly experience feelings of gratitude daily and allow the words to arise from that space of deep connection in the heart. 

My plan is to make this part of my spiritual practice, along with keeping a daily gratitude journal, and celebrating with family and friends, on November 28 with a meal and a time of sharing.  My hope is that this practice will help me to unlearn my mental response and reconnect me with my natural expression of deeply heart-felt appreciation.  My intention is to make explicit gratitude my way of living in the world.

When I boarded my flight that day I was blessed to be seated in the row across the aisle from the young girl I had encountered in the waiting area.  As the plane began to taxi down the runway and lift off, she exclaimed, “Whee, we’re taking of.  This is fun.”  What a wonderful reminder for me to approach every day of my life journey with a spirit of excitement.  I invite you to join me.  Let us reclaim our natural sense of wonder and appreciation and make November 28, 2013 truly a day of giving thanks and the beginning of a life full of explicit gratitude.

I Know As I Am Known

Have you ever had one of those moments, sometimes referred to as mystical moments, when even  if only for a split-second you knew that you are not separate from the Allness that is; not separate from God, or from anything, or anyone?

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.

- I Corinthians 13:12 (KJ21)

My guess is that if you are reading this, you have had one or more such experiences.  Perhaps it occurred during a time of prayer or meditation, or while spending time in nature, or just looking at the stars.  I have a vivid memory of one such moment which happened the first time I visited the redwood forest in Northern California.  The early morning mist was lingering just above the ground as I entered a grove of trees.  I was immediately overcome by a deep sense of belonging, love and nurture as I smelled the earth and heard the soft sounds of birds singing in the trees amidst what was otherwise a glorious silence.  Walking along the path, I looked ahead and noticed rays of sunlight streaming down through the trees.  As the sunlight encountered the mist they created the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen.  It seemed close enough for me to reach out and touch.  In that moment, time stopped.  I lost all cognitive recognition of where I was.  And, for what seemed to be minutes, but what turned out to be only seconds, I also lost touch with the conditioned mind that believed in a separate self.  I became the rainbow, the birds, the earth, the trees and the mist.  Of course, I know now that I did not “become” anything that I was not already.  I was simply enjoying a moment of knowing the truth that there is only one, and I am that.

There are no words that can fully capture the feeling that arises.  In fact, it is only in the seconds following the experience that conscious awareness of feeling is evident.  In the moment, there is no reference for ‘feeling’; there is simply the knower knowing Self as all that can be known.

During such experiences the veil between our usual waking consciousness and our natural awakened consciousness seems to lift, and we know as we are known.  Some have described such moments as euphoric experiences with a resulting feeling of ecstasy.  Dictionary.com defines ‘ecstasy’ as “rapturous delight.”  That was my experience as well.

As ecstasy begins to subside, it is replaced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude; not gratitude like one might express to someone for giving them a gift, but gratitude that arises from the core of your being as the natural expression of knowing you are the gift presenting as both the giver and the receiver.

To know this and to experience this awareness of “heaven on earth” in varying degrees is not, as many believe, a promise of the afterlife, but an assurance of what is possible in every moment.  It is our choice to open ourselves to this realization of Oneness.  We do that when we are willing to look upon everything and everyone in our experience and say to ourselves, “That is I” and allow the truth of that statement to reveal itself to us.  As this truth is revealed, we can feel it and live from that knowing with every thought and every action.

When we see God in all as All; when we know the Truth of our Oneness, we are free.  We are free to live ecstatic lives.  In rapturous delight we express gratitude in every moment of every day knowing that everything and everyone is a gift I am giving to my Self.  I see all as though seeing my Self face to face.  

I know as I am known.

Living Oneness

“Oneness – the realization that all of life is one inseparably connected evolutionary process – is not an idea being put forth by any one particular organization. It is a growing movement of consciousness that is being increasingly embraced by individuals and organizations all over the world.”

– Taken from Humanity’s Team website

www.humanitysteam.org

In my talk this past Sunday, I spoke about Oneness, and how our realization of it shifts us from the experience of fear, stimulated by the belief in separation, into the experience of love for ourselves and others as ourselves.  We give from the conscious awareness of Oneness because we know that as we give, we receive.  When we give to another, we are in reality giving to ourselves.  Oneness is a concept that can be challenging to discuss, but certainly one worthy of further exploration.

The belief in Oneness is fully supported by Unity teachings.  In fact, the first of Unity’s five basic principles states “there in one Power and one Presence active as the universe and as my life, God the Good.”  What is Oneness? We believe that it is a universal Truth, but how do we realize and practice Oneness? 

As stated very clearly in the quote above, Oneness is the realization that all creation is not just a part of the evolutionary process, but that all creation is the evolutionary process itself.  All creation is an expression of the same source – the One.  However, we are not always consciously aware of this Truth.  The awareness of Oneness, as with all Truth, begins with each of us - the One [God] individuated as a localized point of intention and attention expanding in the conscious awareness of Itself, expressing Itself, experiencing Itself and reflecting Itself to Itself.  Until and unless we embody that awareness and live consciously from It, we will continue to see separation because we will continue to live in a mind of duality.  In other worlds, one cannot truly be aware of Oneness until that one realizes Self as the One.  We will only see the One as all that we observe when we truly know that nothing else exists.  There is not ‘you’ and ‘me.’ There is not ‘God’ and me.  There is not ‘God’ as me.  There is only ‘God,’ the One.

We are never separate from the One, thus we are never separate from each other.  Only in the ego-identified mind can separation appear to be a reality.  Nothing separates me from you except my belief that there is a ‘me’ and a ‘you.’  When I believe that I am a body and you are a body, then my belief in ‘body’ separates us.  When I believe I am a man and you are a woman, my concepts of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ separate us.  When I believe I am a Christian and you are a Muslim, my belief separates us. 

How do we demonstrate Oneness?  It begins with connecting deeply with our Essence through prayer and meditation and engaging with practical tools that help to connect us with the Truth in the every moment.  We can then choose to behave in ways that acknowledge our intent to know ourselves as expressions of the One, and to see all humanity in that Truth as well until the point at which we no longer have to think about it.  Instead, it becomes our way of being in the world. 

We must question every belief of the ego-identified self.  There must not be any “sacred cows” when it comes to our beliefs.  When we question our beliefs, more often than not, we will find that they are limiting in some way, even those we hold to be most dear.  The Work of Byron Katie® provides a simple and effective tool for questioning our beliefs.  It consists of four questions and a “turn around.”  When practiced in earnest, The Work® can free us to a greater awareness of Oneness.  If you would like to learn more about The Work® please visit www.thework.com.  You can watch videos that demonstrate the effectiveness of the process.  You can also freely download worksheets and other valuable information that will assist you in engaging this tool for embracing Oneness consciousness.

We must also connect deeply with the pain and suffering, our own, and others’, caused by the ego-identified self.  We share the “human condition” with more than seven billion people on the planet, each of us attempting to find our way back to the Garden of Eden, which is a metaphor for Oneness consciousness, not realizing that in Truth we never left.  Our belief in separation causes us to struggle to get the things we believe we are lacking.  We must be willing to face our own pain and suffering, connect with the sense of lack that stimulates it, give ourselves empathy and compassion, and eventually come to the realization that we are that which we have been seeking – the One.  And, we are not alone; we are in this together.   When and only when we are willing to give ourselves empathy and compassion are we able to extend that to the perceived “other.”  Through the practice of empathy and compassion, we connect deeply with ourselves and others and begin to recognize, and eventually realize, the possibilities of knowing and living from Oneness.  Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a.k.a. Compassionate Communication, provides a foundation for facilitating Self-connection and connection with the “others” in our lives.  There are many online learning opportunities available through www.cnvc.org.  There are also opportunities to learn more about NVC locally.  Please visit www.fwcompassion.org to learn about classes and workshops offered in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by our own Owen Kinser and J Kendel Johnson, as well as other facilitators.

Now is the time, and we are the ones who are here to remember our Oneness and live from that consciousness awareness.  I suggest spending time today in quiet contemplation, meditation and prayer, questioning our beliefs, consciously choosing to hold on to only those that empower us, giving ourselves empathy and compassion and then extending that to all the "others" in our lives. There is only One.

Heart Thinking

As I continue to study and assimilate the message in the latest book by Lakewood Church Pastor and bestselling author, Joel Osteen, entitled Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life, it has become increasingly clear that his overarching message is that if we change our thinking; thus over time change our beliefs, we can change the circumstances of our lives.  This is certainly in alignment with the instruction of our master teacher and way shower, Jesus, who said, “It is done unto you as you believe.” Matthew 9:29

It is also in agreement with the primary teachings of Unity specifically and the New Thought movement as a whole.  Simply stated, changing our thinking changes our experiences.  The principle is that we experience life as a result of our beliefs, which are established according to the thoughts we habitually think.  Many of us who have been a part of the movement for some time have read books, attended various workshops, classes and retreats, all promising to teach us how to “change our thinking” in order that we may manifest the lives we desire.  We have learned how to use denials to clear our minds of limiting thoughts and to use affirmations to fill our minds with positive thoughts that assist us in demonstrating our desires.  While they are beneficial, there are times our thinking has not significantly changed after years of using the tools of denials and. It then becomes easy to wonder just how long it will take and how much effort must be exerted in order to make the changes we desire.  To paraphrase Albert Einstein, “You cannot solve the problem with the same mind that created it.”

While it is true that our way of thinking greatly impacts what we experience, there is more to the story and it is now time for us to move beyond focusing solely on the mind.  It is time for us to shift the focus of awareness to our heart.  This does not mean that we have to dismiss the foundational philosophy of Unity.  We are being called to build on that foundation, expand our awareness, and embrace yet another level of understanding. Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity very clearly stated that we cannot change our thinking by relying on “the thinking faculty located in the head.”

“The most important power of man is the original faith-thinking faculty. We all have the thinking faculty located in the head, from which we send forth thoughts, good, bad, and indifferent. If we are educated and molded after the ordinary pattern of the human family, we may live an average lifetime and never have an original thought. The thinking faculty in the head is supplied with the secondhand beliefs of our ancestors, the dominant beliefs of the race, or the threadbare stock of the ordinary social whirl. This is not faith-thinking. Faith-thinking is done only by one who has caught sight of the inner truths of Being, and who feeds his thinking faculty upon images generated in the heart.

Faith-thinking is not merely an intellectual process, based upon reasoning. The faith-thinker does not compare, analyze, or draw conclusions from known premises. He does not take appearances into consideration. He is not biased by precedent. His thinking gives form, without cavil or question, to ideas that come straight from the eternal fount of wisdom. His perception impinges upon the spiritual and he knows.” – Charles Fillmore, Dynamics for Living

The thoughts that come from the thinking faculty located in the head originate in the hard drive that is the subconscious mind.  Similar to the hard drive in a computer, the subconscious takes in and records information from various sources, primarily from our families of origin, collective consciousness, and whatever we choose as our source of information and entertainment, whether television, movies, novels, or other.   This hard drive becomes the source of our thinking. Unlike the computer hard drive, however, there is no convenient and effective ‘delete’ button for the subconscious.  We have done our best to delve into the subconscious mind and eliminate the beliefs that do not serve us.  And, at times we have stimulated a great deal of pain and suffering for ourselves in the process.  It is time for us to STOP. 

It is now time to embrace the fact that this method does not produce permanent positive effects.  It is futile to believe that by using the mind we can change the mind. It is time for us to accept this, let go of the struggle and, as Mr. Fillmore said, allow the thinking faculty to be filled with images generated in the heart, which is the seat of true wisdom. It is time to embrace a new paradigm, and begin to allow the heart, not the head, to be the source of our thinking.

We achieve this, not be resisting the thoughts or by attempting to change them, but by surrendering to them.  When thoughts arise, we can invite the wisdom of the heart to take the lead by taking a deep breath and feeling the breath move into the region of the physical heart.  Mr. Fillmore said the physical heart is the representation of the Divine Heart which is the source of all.  He said, “God is the great heart of the universe.”  As we feel the heart center expanding with the breath, we can imagine the energy of Love as a light that emanates from the heart.  As we allow the Light of Love to extend from the heart into the region of the head, we see that light cleansing the head-centered thinking, and filling the thinking faculty with images from the heart.  We then breathe into the images, allowing them to reveal themselves to us without evaluating, analyzing or comparing them to the things the head-thinking faculty has stored and thinks it knows.  We relax and allow the heart wisdom to be the source of our thinking. 

These images may at first seem foreign and we may not immediately comprehend them. This is normal.  In response, the head-thinking faculty will typically attempt to categorize these images and make them fit into its usual way of interpreting things.  It is important not to resist, but instead breathe even deeper into the awareness of the Love Light in the heart, continuing to allow it to reveal its true wisdom.  In this way the heart-thinking (or faith-thinking) faculty is strengthened.

I encourage each of us to not work at changing our thinking.  Instead, we allow our thinking to be changed by focusing on the true Source of all wisdom.  In doing so, we use the power of Mind and Heart to bring into manifestation a world that reflects Divine Love and Wisdom. That is the Essence of each of us.  When we do that, our lives are changed and we live the extraordinary richness of a life centered in the heart.