The Masks We Wear

Halloween is considered by many to have its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain which was sometimes regarded as the Celtic New Year, a celebration of the end of the “lighter half” of the year and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year. The ancient Celts believed that the veil between the physical and the non-physical realms was thinnest at this time allowing spirits, both good and evil, to pass through. They wore costumes and masks as a means of protection. Disguised as evil spirits they could “blend in” and avoid being recognized as human.

The tradition of observing Halloween or Hallowe’en, a contraction of the original “All Hallows’ Evening,” was also influenced in the west by the Christian church. It is observed as the evening before All Saints Day, a time for honoring all the saints and praying for those recently departed souls who are in purgatory and have not yet reached Heaven. The custom of wearing costumes has been linked to All Saints Day by Prince Sorie Conteh, senior minister at Carleton United Church, St. Catharines, Ontario Canada and multi-faith chaplain at Niagara College, who wrote:

"It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints' Day, and All Hallows' Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world. In order to avoid being recognized by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance, people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities.”

In both traditions there is a common theme – there are souls wandering around somewhere between the realms of Heaven and Hell, a.k.a. “light and dark” or “good and evil.” In the Christian tradition this realm is knows as purgatory. Purgatory is understood to be a condition of purification or temporary punishment that prepares souls for Heaven.

In Unity, we believe that both ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ are states of consciousness. Heaven is a state of consciousness often referred to as Christ consciousness, which each of us may attain. It is the consciousness of knowing Oneness with the Divine. Hell, on the other hand, is the consciousness of duality in which one experiences the suffering created by a mind that believes in separation. We are constantly at a point of choice: we can choose heaven or hell in any moment. However, many, if not most of us, walk around in state of “purgatory,” not quite in hell, but not yet enjoying heaven. We seem to believe, perhaps not consciously, that we do not yet deserve heaven, that we must be punished, tested or tried in order to demonstrate our worthiness. We condemn ourselves to living in a perpetual state of purgatory, testing and “purifying” ourselves. We are those souls who are seeking the light, attempting to reach heaven.

As with the tradition of Halloween in which we wear masks and costumes to protect us from evil spirits, we, as a daily ritual, don masks and costumes disguising ourselves as the roles we play as human beings, often times believing that we are the masks we wear, not trying to fool the disembodied spirits of the dead, but in an attempt to hide our Truth from ourselves and others. While this allows us to “blend in” and to avoid standing out from the crowd, it prevents us from coming into the full recognition of our true selves and embracing the Christ consciousness, our ultimate potential.

In order to come into the recognition of our Truth, we must be willing to acknowledge the masks we wear and investigate them to determine for ourselves if we are allowing them to hide our Light. Until we are willing to remove the masks and see ourselves as we truly are, we will continue to believe that we are unworthy. When we recognize our Truth, we will know that no suffering is needed, and we will release ourselves from purgatory and enter fully into the consciousness of “heaven.”

I encourage us all to observe this Halloween as an opportunity to free ourselves from the limitations of our masks and costumes, and as we awaken to know that we are not souls living in purgatory, but saints who have arisen in Christ consciousness to celebrate Heaven.

Happy Halloween! 

Glorious All Saints Day!

Lean In To Love

In her book, Braving the Wilderness, The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, which we are using for our fall small group book study at Unity Spiritual Center Denver, author Brené Brown asserts that much of the divisiveness we are experiencing and sometimes engaging in stems from our unacknowledged and unexpressed pain. Further, she states “when we are in pain and fear, anger and hate are our go-to emotions.” Rather than teaching us to feel our pain and address it with love and compassion, our culture teaches us anger, rage and denial instead.

Additionally, because we are often unwilling or unable to address our own pain, we are ill equipped to acknowledge another’s pain. Rather than process the pain we feel when we do not or cannot connect with another, it is more common for us to turn away from them, view them as the “enemy” and treat them with disdain. When we view another as the enemy, we react by defending our positions and attacking them. Facing our pain and being willing to hear another’s requires us to “brave the wilderness” and be vulnerable.

Dr. Brown also speaks to the issue of dehumanization and its effects on us and our willingness to connect with each other. She refers to author David Smith’s explanation in his book, Less Than Human. He says that dehumanization is a response to conflicting motives. Further, that humans have innate inhibitions to harming another, and that dehumanizing subverts those inhibitions. When we allow ourselves to dehumanize another or a group of people, we give ourselves permission to treat them as less than human.

She cites the work of Michelle Maiese, chair of the philosophy department at Emmanuel College, who defines dehumanization as “the psychological process of demonizing the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment.”  Dr. Brown goes on to cite examples from history such as Nazis dehumanizing Jews; slave owners dehumanizing slaves; Hutus in Rwanda dehumanizing Tutsis, and others.

She also cites examples from our recent history. Hillary Clinton calling Trump supporters “a basket of deplorables.” Donald Trump referring to women as “dogs.” Trump detractors referring to him as a “pig.” Dehumanizing each other leads to violence against those whom we dare to deem less than human. If we are to establish connection and restore civility and respect for our shared humanity, we must begin to rehumanize each other. We must, as we say in Unity, truly begin to “behold the Christ” in each other, even those with whom we most vehemently disagree or disapprove of.

What follows may seem to some naïve, idealistic or extremely simplistic. I realize that this is a complex issue and that there are no easy fixes or readily workable solutions. I hope and trust that you will read/hear that I am sharing from my heart about my experience and what I perceive as the devastating effects that our “correctional institution” system can have on the millions of people who are currently or have been incarcerated.

I recently had the opportunity to witness, first hand, an example of the effects of dehumanization. I attended an event at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. It was presented by Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), an organization that offers experiential workshops in personal growth, community development and creative conflict management in prisons and other institutions.

It was my first visit to a prison. I admit it; I was somewhat frightened at the thought of walking through those doors, knowing that they would be locked behind me. Prior to this, my only impressions of prison and prisoners were from what I had seen in movies and television. My imagination went to, “What if there’s a riot? What will I do then?” Before walking through those doors, I had no idea that everything I had ever thought about prison and the people who are imprisoned would be challenged.

Not only was it my first time in a prison, it was also the first time I had interacted face-to-face with someone currently imprisoned. It was an eye-opening experience. We walked through the front door, the only entrance, into a small enclosed room. The guards were stationed there. They greeted us, but not with smiles. We were given guest badges and asked to wait for someone who would escort us to the meeting room. After we walked through the metal detector, we were led out of that room, through a door that opened to an open-air walkway between the buildings. We were surrounded by tall chain-link fence and coils of heavy barbed wire. We were escorted through several heavy metal doors, each of which had to be closed and secured behind us before the next one would open. It was a surreal experience. When we walked into the large meeting area, we were met at the registration desk by women wearing dark green pants and tops with bright yellow undershirts. At the time, I did not know who they were, but I would soon find out.

The room was arranged in small circles of 8 to 10 chairs. We were assigned a group according to our random choice of colored marker we used for our nametag. When we arrived, there were already several people seated in our group, including two women dressed exactly like the women at the reception table. I kept asking myself, “Are they prisoners?” They did not in any way fit my stereotype of how they “should” look or behave. They were smiling, friendly, and welcoming, not the hard, rough and angry women I imagined. It soon became clear, that yes, indeed, they are inmates. During the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to find out more about their daily experiences in the prison, and the positive effect that participation in the AVP workshops has had on their lives. Both women in our circle have been in prison for more than 10 years.

Near the end of the evening, I noticed one of the inmates standing alone, so I walked over and introduced myself. She told me that she has only been involved in AVP for one year, even though she has been in prison for 10 years. She went on to tell me that for years she resisted getting involved because she saw no reason to try to improve herself. After all, she explained, “I am a lifetime resident here.” I was dumbfounded. I asked if I had heard her correctly. She confirmed that she has no hope of ever leaving that place. I wanted to fall on my knees and cry right there. I cannot image these women or anyone spending a lifetime locked away behind bars.

This was a “reality check” for me. In the moment I connected with this “lifer,” I recognized that for many of us, including me, it is almost too easy to think of imprisoned people as “wrong and bad” and deserving of punishment. After all, we tell ourselves, they would not be in their predicament if they had not broken the law. Not only can we somehow defend locking another human being away for years or even for life, we also find justice in knowing that in prison quite often their basic human dignity is stripped from them. This is a segment of our human family that we routinely dehumanize in order to excuse how we treat them.

It is an extreme example of the effects of what we do with our own pain. We push away those whom we believe have caused or stimulated our pain. When we can blame “them” for it and project it onto them, we don’t have to face it and move through it. When we deny our pain, we can become imprisoned by it, both figuratively and literally. In our unacknowledged pain, we separate ourselves from ourselves, therefore from each other. We live in a prison of our own making, and we sentence them to a prison exiled from us.

I assert that as Dr. Brown’s research revealed that the cause of the disconnection we experience is unacknowledged and unexpressed pain that manifests as fear and anger, and that pain is also at the root of the offenses that land our fellow human beings in prison. Rather than punishing them by locking them away from society, a more effective strategy would be to understand and feel our personal and collective pain and do our best to extend empathy and compassion for the pain they must have felt when they broke the law. 

Additionally, rather than locking them away and only allowing them to participate in rehabilitation programs when they prove themselves “worthy” by exampling in “good” behavior, that we connect with them and do our best to understand the roots of their so called “bad” behavior.

I fully realize that we have laws in this country ostensibly designed to protect the welfare of society and that there are consequences for breaking those laws. I am not advocating the dissolution of the justice system. I am, however, strongly advocating for discontinuing the practice of dehumanizing those who break the laws and who are incarcerated.

I am impressed and inspired by the work of AVP. They provide opportunities for these women, and others, to be present for their own pain and for that of others. Programs, such as AVP, address the cause of the problem, rather than simply treat the symptoms.

Dr. Brown says,

“Dehumanization and holding people accountable are mutually exclusive. Humiliation and dehumanizing are not accountability or social justice tools, they’re emotional off-loading at best, emotional self-indulgence at worst. And if our faith asks us to find the face of God in everyone we meet, that should include politicians, media, and strangers on Twitter with whom we most violently disagree. When we desecrate their divinity, we desecrate our own, and we betray our faith”

I assert the same applies to all of our brothers and sisters, even and especially those we would rather vilify or demonize. As we might say in Unity, we cannot hold anyone outside of the Christ, unless we are standing right there with them. Let us be the ones who truly choose to behold the Christ in all.

Join us on Sunday for our service. We will explore this concept in greater depth and discuss some practical steps we can take to “Lean in to Love.” You are welcome here. 

The Power of Love Redux

I was reviewing stats on my blog this past week and discovered that, The Power of Love, which I posted in October 2016 has had the most views of all of my posts over the past 6 years. Considering the events surrounding the recent Supreme Court nominee, hearings, testimony and confirmation, I thought it would be a good time to share this post again, with a few edits and additions. And, because we are nearing another election, I feel strongly that a message about the Power of Love is a timely and important one.

When we talk about Love as one of the Twelve Powers of Man as discerned by Unity cofounder, Charles Fillmore, we are not talking about an emotion or an experience we have with another. We are, instead, referring to a spiritual power that we all possess. It is one of our spiritual faculties that we can employ to live from our Divine nature and manifest a world that reflects the qualities of the Divine.

In her book, Divine Audacity, author Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett encourages us to make the audacious claim that we are “The Light of the World,” ¹ as our way shower Jesus Christ taught us. Further, she encourages us to live more fully and authentically from our Divine nature by exercising our Twelve Powers.

Rev Linda defines the Power of Love as the ability to magnetize, harmonize and unify.²

I invite you to take a moment and enter a quite space. Breathe deeply and exhale fully. Repeat this deep cleansing breath three times. Now, use the following as a meditation on Love.

I breathe into my heart space and envision a soft pink light. I activate my power of Love. Centered in Love, I see all with the eyes of the Christ. We are One. I bring harmony to my world as I align my thoughts, words, and actions to Love. I attract myself to people, places and circumstances for the sake of Love. I am Love.

Now that you have awakened to and activated your power of Love, feel the resonate energy in your heart space. Allow your mind to rest in the awareness that you are the energy of Love vibrating in this moment. Repeat to yourself, as a mantra, “I am Love.” Allow your mind to be filled with the energy of Love, knowing that “perfect Love casts out all fear.”³ Know that in this moment all thoughts of separation that ignite fear are cast out in the presence of Love. In this moment, know that you are One in and as the Divine. As you know this for yourself, know it for all others and for all creation. Say to yourself and to all those who come to mind, “I Am; You Are I Am.” Repeat this affirmation until the Truth of it is realized in your being. Through your willingness and affirmation, the power of Love is now renewing your mind and restoring you to the conscious state of union in God and with all. You know Unity. You are Unity.

In the consciousness of Unity, use the power of Love to harmonize any thoughts, words or actions that might be out of alignment with Love. Fully aware of any dissonant thought vibrations, feel the tension that is created between the vibration of Love within your heart and any thought, word or action that is stimulated by fear. Use the power of Love to realign and adjust so that harmony is restored. Behold each of the dissonant vibrations bathed in the light pink energy of Love. Allow Love to transmute and dissipate them.

Claim that you are now in harmonic resonance with the Love that you are in all that you think, say and do. As you continue to focus on the power of Love in your heart, you draw yourself to people, places and situations that give you the opportunity to know yourself in Love. The power of Love, acting as you, reveals to you your Divine nature in and through every person you meet, and through every life experience you encounter. Love reveals to you who you truly are. Love reveals to you, even during what might appear as loss, tragedy, or disappointment the Truth of who you are. Know and trust that every circumstance, when seen through the eyes of Love, is an opportunity to remember your Truth and the Truth of all.

This is especially important at this time in our nation. We are witnessing what appears to be a great deal of tension, dissonance that is created from thoughts, words and actions that are stimulated from fear. We are all feeling it because we are all participants in the collective consciousness called “America.” We are all a part of it. And, we are all responsible for it. We must be responsible to it as well.

In her book, Braving the Wilderness, which we at Unity Spiritual Center Denver are using for our small group fall book study, author Brené Brown, discusses in chapter three, “High Lonesome, A Spiritual Crisis,” how her research shows that we have separated ourselves into factions along the lines of politics, race, gender and class. Further, that fear is the driving force for our unwillingness to connect.

“Fear of vulnerability. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of the pain of disconnection. Fear of criticism and failure. Fear of conflict. Fear of not measuring up. Fear.” ⁴

It is easy for us to point fingers at others and say, “they should be” or “they shouldn’t be.” It is easy for us to place the blame on others. Please know that what we blame, we fear. What we criticize, we fear. What we judge, we fear. And, fear can only stimulate more fear. Only Love can cast out fear. It is our power of Love that enables us to do just that.

We must be the ones who are willing to make the difference. If we are not part of the solution, then we continue to be a part of the problem. It is the consciousness of fear that has created and continues to manifest the divisiveness we are currently experiencing. If we are buying into it, then we are helping to foster it.

No, you and I are not responsible for the entire consciousness of America. We are, however, responsible for our own consciousness. And, our individual consciousness impacts the whole. I am encouraging each of us to take responsibility for our own thoughts, words and actions. It is imperative, as we move through this current election cycle, that we make a commitment to ourselves and to our country to become more consciously aware of when we are thinking thoughts or speaking words of criticism or damnation against anyone, including the candidate(s) or elected officials(s) we most dislike.

We must be part of the healing energy of Love so that the wounds of the past can be mended. We must be the ones who are willing to stop, breathe and remember to invoke the power of Love to bring us into a remembered state of Unity with God and with each other, to harmonize our thoughts, words and actions in the power of Love and to use the power of Love to attract into our lives and the lives of all only that which is a reflection of Love, not fear.

Please join me in claiming the power of Love today in your own hearts and choosing to see all through the eyes of Love. Let us, “Be the change we wish to see and experience in the world.” ⁵ May we be the ones to bring the kingdom of heaven upon the earth through the power of Love.

If you would like to listen to and follow a recorded meditation on Love, please click the link below.

Please join us at Unity Spiritual Center Denver at 10:00 on Sunday as Associate Minister, Trish Morris, presents a lesson based on Braving the Wilderness. We will also welcome Full Moon Eye as our musical inspiration. You are welcome here!

¹ Matthew 5:14

² Divine Audacity, Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett

³ I John 4:18

⁴ Braving the Wilderness, Page 56

⁵ Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, see reference

Be The Christ

Last month, in observance of Unity World Day of Prayer we organized and hosted an interfaith service at Unity Spiritual Center Denver. Representatives from Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Bahá’í participated. I invited each of them to share from their tradition’s perspective on this year’s theme, “Courage to Heal.” I experienced each of them as inspiring and informative. However, one presenter, at the beginning of her presentation said something that has stuck with me since. I have reflected on it again and again.

Sensei Kaitlyn Mascher-Mace from the Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple, in speaking about healing, said that as a Buddhist if one were to go to a teacher and say, “I want to heal,” the teacher would reply, “Your first mistake is ‘I.’ Your second mistake is ‘want.’ All you are left with is ‘heal,’ so go and do that.”

Her words struck me at the core. From a Buddhist perspective attachment to desire is the cause of all suffering. Further, it is only the ‘I’ or what we might call the “adverse ego” ¹ that can be attached to any outer desire. When we can release attachment to an ‘I’ that we believe is separate from the One and let go of our longing for some future outcome, we can begin to realize that we already are all that we can imagine.

I have said many times, and I honestly believe that our greatest desire is to realize our Divine Nature, which in Unity we call the ‘Christ,’ and to live from our full potential to be the Christ in the world. In a nutshell, that is the message of Unity’s approach to Christianity. The master teacher, Jesus, was here to teach the truth – we are the Christ made manifest – and to be a living example of one who embodied that potential.

For some time now, I have been reciting the following Gaelic prayer.

Oh Christ, Thou Son of God.
My own Eternal Self.
Live Thou Thy Life in me.
Do Thou Thy Will in me.
Be Thou made flesh in me.
I have no will but Thine.
I have no self but Thee.
Oh, Christ, Thou Son of God.

Since hearing Sensei Mascher-Mace at the interfaith service, I have come to recognize that what I have been saying, without verbalizing it, is “I want to be the Christ.” With this recognition, I am also realizing that in my desire I have been putting pressure on myself to do more, be more, read more, pray more, meditate more in my effort to make myself into the Christ. In my effort, I “suffer.” I know that I am attached to an outcome which I imagine being a destination that I have yet to reach. Additionally, I have been thinking that it is the ‘I’ that must do the work.

When I apply her lesson and release attachment to an ‘I’ who thinks he is separate and let go of the desire for some future outcome, all I am left with is “Be the Christ.” It is a simple and clear directive, yet one that is not always easy to follow. It should not require a great deal of effort on our part. In truth, it only requires us to surrender. Surrender our attachment to the adverse-ego based desires and be in service to the indwelling Christ.

While I have yet to find the citation, I have heard others quote Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore saying, “Self-awareness is the prelude to Christ consciousness.” Being the Christ requires us to be self-aware. I suggest we awaken every morning repeating the mantra, “Be the Christ,” commit ourselves to remaining aware of when we are allowing our adverse-ego based desires to get in the way, and practice surrendering every thought, word or activity that does not embody the Christ.

When we surrender to and are in service to the indwelling Christ, we are also in service to the Christ in others and to the Christ as it is made manifest in all creation. In that way, we will demonstrate in consciousness and manifest in form a world that embodies the Christ. We will realize the second coming of Christ and institute a reign of peace and good will on the Earth.

In the book, I Am The Word, the “guides” through author and medium Paul Selig, say,

“Once you understand that on a higher level your frequency is one with the Creator, everything seems to change. Once you understand that the availability of this energy we call the Christ is available to you, available to all, everything changes. Once you understand that the Son-ship, your Son of God self, is who you truly are, everything changes. If you are already aware of this on a minor level, you can get an understanding the heavens are about to open to you. When you have an understanding that this is the time of this coming age of Christ-dom, everything changes. When you believe that you are one with the Christ, everything changes.”

This book is a discourse that encourages and empowers us to “Be the Christ.” Phyllis Hoover and I will be facilitating a study of the book as well as experiential practice of the principles. We will kick off with an experiential gathering on Wednesday, October 17, at 7:00. The book study will begin on Thursday, October 18, and will meet each Thursday evening 6:30 – 8:00 through December 13, except for Thanksgiving Day. Please email Phyllis if you are interested in participating.

I also invite and encourage those who are in the Denver area to join us on Sunday, October 7, as we welcome author, motivational speaker, and workshop facilitator, Tama Kieves. She will present the lesson during our 10:00 service and facilitate a workshop beginning at 12:30 based on most recent book, Living Through Uncertainty: Moving Beyond Fear of the Unknown and Making Change Work for You. 

For more information on Tama, please visit her website. For an introduction to her book, please watch the short video here.

¹ The Revealing Word

Envision From The End

In a recent meeting with a dear friend and powerful spirit of light, she revealed to me that she often reads the last few pages of a new book before deciding to devote time to reading it in its entirety. She wants to know what message the author is attempting to convey. If it resonates with her soul, and only if it resonates with her soul will she then delve into the book from the beginning.

Similarly, those who offer instruction in the power of our thoughts and feelings to manifest our experience, teach us to envision from the end. They suggest that we connect deeply with our heart’s longing and use our power of imagination to imagine ourselves already living our desired outcome. We are encouraged to create a mental picture of what it will be like, where we will be, who will be with us and then generate the feelings and sensations we associate with our realized desire.

The third of the five basic Unity principles states that we create our experiences according to our way of thinking, feeling and acting. Experiments and studies based in theories of quantum physics are proving this as scientific fact. It is spiritual and universal law. In Unity it is known as the Law of Mind Action.

In thinking about our current fall small group book study of Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness – The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, I chose to stop and envision from the end. I asked myself – What is the author’s intended message? What are we hoping to achieve by studying and applying the principles she presents in her book? What will our lives be like when we know at the depth of our being that we belong to ourselves, and we dare to “brave the wilderness?” Further, what will our world be like when we, individually and collectively, stand in our truth and with courage and conviction be who we truly are?

What is the author’s message?

Dr. Brown offers a message of hope for a world currently experiencing the fear and pain of lost connection with self and others. She offers practical tools to help us restore the bond of our shared humanity. Further, she provides encouragement that supports us in reclaiming connection to our truest selves and reaping the rewards of belonging deeply to ourselves.

What do we hope to achieve by studying the book?

My hope is that as we study the book and incorporate the support of our groups, we will reflect on our lives and become aware of the times when we have felt as though we don’t belong, those times when we have felt lonely, and when we have created bunkers in attempts to protect ourselves. Further, I vision that we will gain the courage to give ourselves and each other empathy and compassion as we face our fear and pain, and that our small group study will provide encouragement as we move through the process and reclaim our true selves.

In reclaiming, I am not talking about being who we have come to believe we are as a result of our familial, cultural and religious histories, but who we are as our essential selves, our higher selves. We can, and most often do, share our beliefs and opinions about religion, politics and social issues based upon our personal conditioning. It takes work, intention and practice to live and interact as our essential selves.

We need only pay attention to what is happening around us to observe the world we have created and continue to propagate when we stand in, as well as speak and act from, our relative truth rather than from a deep connection with our essential nature. We generate a world based from a belief in separation and we live in the fear that is stimulated by that belief.

I am talking about the vision of a world in which we embrace ourselves as the true Light that enlightens everyone. In Unity, we call it our Christ Light or simply the Christ. That is the ultimate quest for “true belonging.” For this discussion, I want to address that space between who we believe ourselves to be and who we really are.

In her book, Dr. Brown focuses on the concept of “true belonging” which arose as the main concern of participants in her research study. She says that the data she and her staff collected revealed that “a large part of the struggle most people face seeking true belonging is spiritual.” In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, based on her earlier research, she defines ‘spirituality’ as,

“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion.”

Further, she states that the reason we are experiencing the level of ideological, religious and social polarization we witness today is that “We have broken that link.” She offers her perspective on how and why we broke it, and how we can mend it.

From my perspective, we have not “broken the link.” We can never break the link that binds us to that which is “greater than all of us.” We are eternally connected to that power. There is no separation. The reason we are facing such divisiveness in our world is that we have allowed our religious, political and social ideologies to define us and to separate us from who we truly are, from each other, and from all creation.

We have forgotten who we are. We have allowed ourselves to be conformed to the world. We are struggling to make sense of it. And, we are fighting to survive in it.

That is why I assert that the wilderness we must dare to brave is the one that lies between who we have come to believe ourselves to be and who we truly are. Dr. Brown says that all wilderness metaphors used by poets, writers, theologians and musicians have in common the “notions of solitude, vulnerability, and an emotional, spiritual or physical quest.” 

We are on the spiritual quest of our lives, and this quest requires us to be brave and vulnerable. We don’t have to do it alone, yet we do have to do it for ourselves. She quotes Joseph Campbell,

“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make up with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.”

Every breath we take, every thought we think, and every step we take is an opportunity to remember who we are and allow the Christ Spirit to shine through us.

What will our lives and the world be like when we have the courage to be who we truly are?

When the Light of Christ dawns in our hearts and minds, we will know the perfect peace that the master teacher Jesus spoke of when he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). This is the peace that surpasses our current understanding. We will know perfect love that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). We will live in the fullness of joy (John 15:11).

Not only will we know peace, love and joy as our very being, but we will be the peace, love and joy that we wish to see in the world. We will no longer focus on our personal needs and desires, but will hold the needs of all humanity in our hearts and minds, and we will work to be certain that we create a world where the basic needs of all persons, all beings, are met. We will live in a world where we can openly love each other even though we may disagree. We will live in a world where we laugh and cry together. We will celebrate each other’s triumphs and mourn each other’s losses. We will honor the Divine in all creation. We will respect the Earth and all her inhabitants. We will realize our Oneness and we will act in the interest of our common good.

As Dr. Brown states in the closing of the book we are studying,

“Of all the calls to courage that I’ve asked readers to answer over the last decade, braving the wilderness is the hardest…But, as the quote from Maya Angelou reminds us, it’s the only path to liberation.

‘You are only free when you realize that you belong no place- you belong every place- no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great’”

I say it is well worth the time to delve into the book and allow it to be our guide to reclaiming who we truly are and living that truth.

Join us on Sunday as we explore these ideas further. You are welcome here!

Is Unity Christian?

I had fun this past week at Unity Spiritual Center Denver with “Ask a Minister” Sunday. I invited those present to write their questions on index cards and pass them in. I randomly chose questions to respond to during my usual lesson time. The questions were certainly thought-provoking. I hope my answers were as well. You may listen to them here. Due to time constraints, I did not get to all the questions, so I gathered them up after the service with plans to use them for future lessons and blog posts.

As I was visiting with small groups of people after service, someone said they would really have liked to hear my answer to a friend’s question. Since all the questions were submitted anonymously, I did not know which question was hers. While standing there, I looked through the stack of remaining questions. When I read this particular one, I knew it was hers.

Her question is one that many of us in Unity have had and may continue to ask. It is, “How do I respond to people who believe that Unity is not Christian, especially if we love those people and want them to understand?”

It is natural for us to want connection with the people we love. In her book The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, defines ‘connection’ as “the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” This is what we long for with our families, friends and others we love. When connection doesn’t happen, especially around something as fundamental as our spirituality, of course it is painful. It can also stimulate fear when we think that our loved ones judge or don’t accept aspects of us.

Before we can lovingly and compassionately respond to others, it is essential that we take time for self-connection, and to receive empathy and compassion for our pain and unmet longing. I suggest we find someone who is willing and able to be with us in our pain and fear, meet us with empathy and understanding, and help us to fulfill our longing for connection. Without this, I fear that any interaction will be a reaction from pain and will most likely be received as defensive and elicit even greater disconnection from those we love.

Bringing attention and awareness to our longing to be seen and heard and to be met with acceptance, as well as opening ourselves to the pain we feel when that connection is not achieved, is a practice of self-connection and self-love. We are immensely more equipped to respond to those we love from love when we are self-connected and loving ourselves.

Further, it is important for us to be honest with ourselves. We can ask ourselves, “Am I hearing me? Am I seeing me? Am I valuing me? Am I accepting myself without judgment?” If we are not doing it for ourselves, it is unreasonable to ask others to do it for us.

Additionally, if we want others to respect our spiritual path, we must be clear that we honor and respect it as well. It’s important for us educate ourselves and ground ourselves in Truth Principles. Not so that we can prove we are right and they are wrong, but so that we are able to stand firm in love as we respond to our loved ones.

We can meet our loved ones with open compassionate hearts and minds, and help them realize their longing for connection when we respond from a place of self-connection and self-love, and when we ae grounded in Truth. We can then approach them with curiosity and empathy, rather than pain, fear and defensiveness. We can give them what we long to receive from them – to be heard, seen, valued and accepted without judgement. It is vitally important that we respect their path as well, even if we do not agree with it.

My experience has been that those who question whether Unity is Christian are thoroughly convinced of their religious beliefs. Our loved ones who try to convince us that we are not Christian are most likely concerned about our eternal salvation. They truly want to know that we are not going to spend eternity suffering in hell. I am certain that it is excruciatingly painful for them to believe that someone they love may face such an end. Even though I don’t agree, I can understand why they would be so determined to do all they can to convince us we are wrong.

It has also been my experience that it is not helpful to attempt to educate one with whom we disagree. Educating them about our spiritual path is not going to help them feel better or accept our choices. On the contrary, it will often insight a more passionate defense of their beliefs. The belief in salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ meets deeply held needs for many people. Asking them to accept something different or to even question their beliefs is tantamount to blasphemy and heresy, and endangers the safety and security they feel. It is not helpful.

Our most effective approach is to listen with the intention to connect and understand. Let us give them the connection they so desperately long for, and which we also seek. We can help them to know that they are seen, heard, and valued. We can be curious about what they believe, why they believe it, and why it is so important to them for us to believe it as well. We can let them know that we feel their care and concern for us, and that we value it. We can let them know that we completely respect their spiritual and religious path without judgment. And, we can ask that they afford us the same.

If, and only if, they are curious and ask to hear more about what Unity teaches and whether we are Christian, then we can share with them. I recently read the following in our study guide to Brené Brown’s latest bestselling book, Braving the Wilderness, which we are using for our fall small group study. It was written by Rev. Geo Downer, Senior Minister at Unity Windward. It may be one of the best concise descriptions of Unity that I have heard. If they ask, paraphrasing this would be a good place to start.

Described as a positive path for spiritual living, Unity encourages the realization of God’s good in our daily lives and in our world. With an emphasis on reflection, introspection, and spirituality rather than religion, Unity invites everyone to experience healing in mind, body, spirit, and affairs, through thought, word and action. Based in the teachings of Jesus, Unity principles actuate the shift in perception to live in the Kingdom of Heaven, already present.

Additionally, if they ask, one might also say that Unity explores the biblical account of Jesus’s teachings, as recorded in the Christian Scriptures, as a path to spiritual living. We stress that it is more important to believe Jesus than to believe in Jesus. We believe him when he said things such as, “the kingdom of God is within you,” “greater things than I have done will you do,” and “you are the light of the world.” We also believe that Jesus was the great example for us in how to live our lives in service to love for God, our neighbors and ourselves. We teach that emulating how he lived is the true defining measure of a Christian, not what one believes about his birth, death or resurrection.

I have lived it, so I understand how challenging it can be to have conversations with loved ones who cannot begin to fathom how we can believe that we are created in original blessing rather than original sin; that we are all expressions of the Christ aspiring to realize our full potential; and that we make our own heaven or hell right here on Earth as an effect of our consciousness.

The best advice I can offer is what I have delineated here. Give yourself empathy and compassion and get it from those who are willing and able to give it. Listen to and follow your inner guidance. Respect yourself and your beliefs. Ground yourself in spiritual principle. Meet others with the same level of empathy, understanding, compassion and respect that you desire to receive from them.

This a beautiful example of what Brené Brown’s book, Braving the Wilderness, is about. She speaks of loving ourselves and belonging to ourselves so deeply that we embody the courage to connect with others, even and especially those with whom we strongly disagree. Our fall book study begins meeting next week. There are still openings in several groups. If you would like more information, please email Trish Morris.

Please join us on Sunday for our service at 10:00. I will begin a series based on the book with the lesson, “Everywhere and Nowhere.” You are welcome here!