PANDEMIC DIS-EASE ADVISORY

It seems that my physical body is giving me a message. Tuesday, it began demonstrating symptoms of some sort of imbalance. My first reaction was “Damn! I just recovered from a cold not more than six weeks ago. This can’t be happening again.” Thankfully, with the help of my life coach, Deborah Jane Wells, I was willing and able to release most of my resistance and somewhat reluctantly accept that my body is mirroring my consciousness.

My physical body is providing me with a present tangible experience of my mental congestion and inner conflict. It is my choice to pay attention. I am choosing to interpret my physical symptoms as a message for me to slow down, be with what is, let go of the struggle to figure it all out (whatever ‘it” is), be present with the unfolding of things in their time, and love myself in the process.

One way I am loving myself is not “shoulding” on myself to write a full blog post this week. Instead, I am reposting one from a few years ago. I hope you enjoy:

PANDEMIC DIS-EASE ADVISORY

It is vital for all to be aware that a deadly infectious dis-ease is afflicting billions of people around the world.

           

The most pronounced symptoms of this dis-ease are feelings of fear, anger, resentment, loneliness and depression. Many, not understanding the cause of this dis-ease, attempt to treat it with drugs, alcohol, shopping, food, sex, and/or religion. While these may temporarily lessen the symptoms, once the “treatment” is discontinued the symptoms return and are often more painful than when left untreated.

           

The dis-ease is spread through contact with others who have been infected, and once contracted it can be insidious or become consuming. It has devastating effects, not just on the life of the individual, but on the life of the planet as well. Over the past few decades it has become pandemic and threatens the very survival of the human species. It has caused those who suffer from it to behave in erratic ways, including warring against others, plundering the resources of the Earth, and decimating other life forms.

           

It cannot be treated with medication. It cannot be cured with chemotherapy or radiation. It cannot be removed by any surgical procedure. This dis-ease cannot be cured by any method known to medical science because it is not a physical disease; it is a spiritual dis-ease.

           

This dis-ease begins with the germ of one thought, “I am separate from God.” Left unchecked, this germ will quickly infect the entire body of thought. Once it has established itself there, it begins to multiply until it eventually invades all the areas of one’s life, the physical body and the body of one’s affairs including finances, relationships and career. This one germ, given free reign, can be the cause of pain and suffering for a moment or for a lifetime.

           

There is hope, however. There is an agent that will counteract the germ and treat the dis-ease. It is readily available to all. It is called “Truth.” Absorbing Truth can provide almost immediate relief from the symptoms of the dis-ease. It has also been shown to have the cumulative effect of eradicating the germ from the body. An excellent Truth that can start one on the road to recovery is, “The Life of God is my life now.” Taking that in several times each day will most assuredly allow Truth to overcome dis-ease and produce healing effects.

           

The side effects of Truth are a heightened awareness of the present moment, a desire to help others, a sense of Oneness and a positive attitude. 

CAUTION: TRUTH CAN BE HABIT-FORMING.

           

The only request is that Truth be shared with everyone. It must not be kept for one’s sole use. It is to be used to treat the soul of humanity. It must be shared so that all may find relief from the symptoms of this painful, yet curable dis-ease.

It is possible to live a full life with no dis-ease. Truth is available free of charge at your local Unity. To learn more, please join us at Unity of Denver, 3021 S University Blvd, 80210, visit UnityDenver.org, or call 303.758.5664 for additional life-saving information.

I Am the Light of the World

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5: 14 – 16

In this excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used a metaphor familiar to his audience as he often did to relay his message. Historical documents, as well as archaeological evidence, reveal that in Jesus’s time, families often lived communally. Several families lived in the same structure, each having a separate partitioned space. Oil lamps provided light at night. A family without the means to purchase oil depended upon the light from others’ lamps. Most often, the light was freely shared. However, if there was dissension between families, one with oil might cover their lamp to prevent others from benefiting from the light.

Although he was most certainly speaking to those who would hear his message literally, admonishing them to share resources, he was also speaking to those who were able to discern his deeper meaning. He was encouraging his disciples and followers to share spiritual truth and understanding with each other and to bring the light of Truth to those who had not yet heard his message.

His message, which is summarized in the opening sentence above is, “You are the light the world.” Jesus was here to teach that each of us is an expression of the One True Light, which he called “Father.” We are here to be that Light in the world through our thoughts, words and actions so that the awareness of the One True Light will be expanded in the consciousness of humanity. In Unity speak, we are the Christ in human form here to consciously awaken to our Christ Light and to bring that consciousness into manifestation on this Earthly plane.

Jesus was instructing his listeners, then and now, to BE the Christ in the world so that others may benefit from our example.

We begin by acknowledging the indwelling Christ, the Light that enlightens all.

Affirm: I Am the Christ expressing, right here, right now. I Am the Light of the world.

We admit the Light.

Affirm: My mind is still and my heart is open as I realize the Christ as my own True Light. I Am the Light of the world

We surrender to the Light.

Affirm: The Mind of Christ is my mind now. I Am the Light of the world.

We embody the Light.

Affirm: I am the embodiment of the Christ. I Am the Light of the world.

We BE the Light.

Affirm: The Christ thinks as me. The Christ speaks as me. The Christ acts as me. The Christ serves as me. I Am the Light of the world.

In my lesson at Unity Spiritual Center Denver on Sunday at 10:00, I will explore further what it means for us to proclaim, “I am the Light of the world.” If you are unable to attend, please listen to or download the podcast or watch the video recording next week.

All of my lessons are available on podcast and most are available on video. If you find these lessons inspiring, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Unity Spiritual Center Denver. Thank you!

God Is, I Am Love

Every Sunday at Unity Spiritual Center Denver we speak and sing about ‘love.’

Our creed, recited weekly, is –

Our God is Love.
Our Race is Human.
Our Faith is Oneness.

As a lead-in to our prayer, each week we sing –

Surely the presence of Love is in this place…

Our closing prayer, the Prayer for Protection, includes –

The Love of God enfolds us…

We have altered the lyrics to The Peace Song. We sing –

Let there be Love on Earth, and let it begin with me…

Scripture tells us –

“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is Love…” (1 John 4:8) and

“God is Love, and those who abide in Love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16).

My friend, spiritual teacher and Unity minister, Rev. Diadra Price, in her book “The Book of Love” says,

“Love is the movement of God that impulses all change.”

Reverend Linda Martella-Whitsett in her book, Divine Audacity says that Love is –

“The power of magnetism, harmony and unity.”

Scripture also tells us –

“God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves…” (Genesis 1: 26 Jerusalem Bible)

The first of Unity’s Five Basic Principles states –

There is one power and one presence active in the universe – God, the Absolute Good.

Since “God is Love,” it follows that Love is the omnipresent energy in and through all.

Since we understand God to be the Creative Principle and that all things came into being through God, if follows that God/Love, being the only force in the universe, expressed itself as wave-particles of energy with unlimited potential and possibility which, through the process of evolution, formed the material universe. All creation is the manifestation of the initial impulse of Love, and the power of Love continues to expand and evolve creation.

Not only does Love continue to expand, evolve, and manifest creation, Love also continues to expand and evolve consciousness. And, as we continue to evolve, we are beginning to more fully understand that self-awareness, the ability to be self-conscious has developed not only in humans, but in non-humans animals as well, as evidenced by many scientific studies on various species. We are One in Love, and Love, the power that harmonizes, magnetizes and unifies, continually draws us into remembrance of Itself as Itself expressed in all creation.

When we open to the awareness of Love as the only presence and power in the universe, which is constantly magnetizing us into a state of remembrance, and allow the energy of Love to be our only focus, Love will remind us of who we are. In conscious remembrance, the vibrational frequency of our consciousness (thoughts and feelings) is harmonized to Love and every aspect of our life experience is healed.

In the conscious awareness of our unity in Love, we become conscious expressions of Love in fullness. We embrace and embody the harmonizing, unifying, magnetizing power of Love in which image/likeness we are created, and we allow the vibration of Love to inspire and infuse our every thought, word and action. As we express Love in all that we are and all that we do, we bring Love to bear in our physical bodies and the body of our affairs, including our relationships, finances and work. As the master Jesus said,

The eye is the light of the body. If your eye is single, your whole body will be filled with Light. (Matthew 6:22)

When we know that there is only God/Love and we keep our hearts and minds stated on that Truth, all that we are, all that we know, all that we express is God/Love.

Let us begin by attuning our minds to the energy of Love by repeating this affirmation.

God is Love. Love is God. I am created as the image/likeness of God. I am Love.

Continue to speak this affirmation aloud so that it becomes integrated in your consciousness. As you do so, the vibrational frequency of your consciousness (thoughts and feelings) will come into alignment with the energy of Love, and you will begin to feel it resonating in your spirit and in your body. In this way, you begin to embody Love and open to its full expression in your thoughts, words and actions.

Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore stated –

“We must vibrate the love center in thought, word and act. Then there will come to us on the wings of invisibility that which will satisfy every need.”

Join me on Sunday at 10:00 for our service at Unity Spiritual Center Denver as I explore these concepts further. If you are unable to join us, audio recordings of my lesson are available here and video recordings of many of them are available here.

If you find these lessons informative and inspiring, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Unity Spiritual Center Denver. Your contributions assist us in continuing to advance the consciousness of Love and do the work of Love in our community. Thank you!

The Greatest Commandment

In Matthew 22, when asked, “What is the greatest commandment”? Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind…and the second is like unto it, Love your neighbor as yourself.” When we know, as Unity principle teaches, that God is not external to our being, this commandment takes on a meaning different from what we might have once believed.

In The Revealing Word, a metaphysical dictionary by Unity’s co-founder Charles Fillmore and others, ‘Lord’ is defined as “The activity of the spiritual I AM as the ruling consciousness. The Lord God of the Scriptures is Christ, the Spiritual Man; our divine consciousness; the creative power within us.” To love “the Lord” is to devote time, talent, and resources to embracing and embodying Christ consciousness, and doing whatever it takes to live from the awareness that the I AM is the only Truth.

It is being committed to the practice of worshiping, as The Revealing Word defines it, “bestowing one’s love on, or identifying with,” the Christ or I Am in every thought, word and action. When Jesus instructs us to “Love the Lord your God,” he is telling us that the most important intention in life is to Love - to spend time connecting with, listening for and following - the indwelling Truth of our being, the ‘I AM,’ with everything that we are. And, like unto that is to Love – practice connection, curiosity, compassion, care and celebration - for everyone, including ourselves with that same passion. Listen to my lesson from last week to learn more about these practices.

The commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” is open to interpretation. The most common understandings are that Jesus was instructing us to love each other in the same way that we love ourselves, or to love others as though they are us. Either requires us to look closely at how we are loving ourselves.

The Love that Jesus referenced is what we often refer to as “unconditional love.”  To love unconditionally means simply to love absent any condition. Merriam-Webster defines ‘condition’ as “a restricting or modifying factor.” The truth is that most of us love ourselves conditionally.  We allow our evaluations or judgments about some aspect of our appearance, our financial situation, our relationships, or our jobs, just to name a few, to justify withholding unconditional love from ourselves. Each of us has our own personally-defined factors that we allow to restrict or modify our expression of self-love.

These personally-defined conditions not only restrict our complete, total and unconditional loving embrace of ourselves, but of every person in our lives. As we judge ourselves, so we project those judgments upon everyone else.

The good news is that we can affect a “holy shift” (see my post from last week) in how we perceive ourselves, thus how we perceive others. If we are to live what Jesus taught as the greatest commandment, it is imperative that we begin with the loving embrace of ourselves, to see ourselves through the eyes of Love, and to treat ourselves with loving kindness. And, without condition, extend that awareness to all others through our every thought, word and action.

Let us affirm together:  From the consciousness awareness of the Christ, I AM, I embrace myself and others in unconditional love.

If you are in the Denver area, join us on Sunday at 10:00 at Unity Spiritual Center Denver as we explore in greater depth what it means to love ourselves and how we demonstrate self-love. If you are unable to join us, the audio and video recordings will be posted next week. Audio recordings of my lessons are available here. Videos of many of them are available here.

If you find these posts or my lessons inspiring, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Unity Spiritual Center Denver – https://tinyurl.com/y9lgu8pk. Your donations help us teach Unity and expand unconditional love one to another.

Love One Another - New Video

Holy Shift!

In his 1936 speech at Unity Village, New Thought minister, author and teacher Emmet Fox said,

“I think is it well that we remind ourselves what it is that we really believe and have. The answer is that we really have the key to life…and that key is the knowledge that life is consciousness.”

Further, it is well to remind ourselves that one of Unity’s five basic principles is that we experience life according to our prevailing way of thinking and feeling, which is, in essence, the content of our individual consciousness.

Additionally, it is well to be reminded that our thoughts and feelings are energy and that they vibrate at a particular frequency which attract us to that which is in vibrational resonance. This is the essence of what we in Unity call the Law of Mind Action, and which is also commonly referred to as the Law of Attraction. Like attracts like.

Inventor, engineer and futurist, Nikola Tesla once said, “If you want to know the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

It follows that if we want to know the secret of living the lives we desire and of co-creating the world in which we desire to live, we need only look to the energy, vibration and frequency of our predominant way of thinking and feeling, which constitutes our individual consciousness. Our individual consciousness determines the perspective through which we view what happens in our lives, thus it affects how we experience life. Our consciousness is also the impetus for the words we speak and actions we take which contribute to creating the life we live.

When Fox said “life is consciousness,” he was stating a truth. What he might have said is that the way in which we experience the events of life and the life we create through our words and actions are determined by the vibrational frequency of our thoughts and feelings.

The good news is that we have the power to choose our thoughts, regulate our feelings, speak intentionally, and act decisively. We possess the power of freewill choice. The power of our freewill lies in our ability to make conscious choices about the energy to which we align.

The bottom line is - If we want to experience something different in our lives, we must change the vibrational frequency of our thoughts and feelings. We need to experience what I am choosing to call a “Holy Shift.”

I am calling it “holy” in part because of the play on words. Also, because the shift is aided by our choice to align our thinking and feeling with what we believe to be the indwelling power of the Divine Life living as each of us. We align through the power of our focused attention.

I spoke about this in my lesson this past week at Unity Spiritual Center Denver. You may listen to it here or watch it by clicking the link below. I use the acronym S.H.I.F.T. to outline five steps to create a “Holy Shift.”

S – Self-Awareness

Unity cofounder, Charles Fillmore, reportedly once said that self-awareness is the prelude to Christ consciousness. Assessing the current vibrational frequency of our thoughts and feelings is essential. When we are resonating with joy, appreciation and peace there is no need to realign. However, when we find that we are resonating with fear, worry, and apathy, we might make the choice to shift. Until we become aware, we cannot know if a shift is desired.

H – Honesty

It is important for us to be honest with ourselves concerning what we are thinking and feeling. As author Louise Hay said, “If you want to clean your house, you have to be willing to see the dirt.” If we want to affect a shift, we must first be willing to acknowledge what we want to change.

I – Intention

Author, Lewis Carroll said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Setting a clear intention creates focus. An intention sets in motion the action needed to get us where we choose to go. Further, the universe supports us, through vibrational attraction, in getting where we choose to be.

F – Fun

It is important to approach a “holy shift” with the attitude and energy of fun. The frequency of fun opens us up to attracting enjoyable ways to achieve the shift. It also attracts to us creative ideas, exciting adventures, and entertaining collaborators along the journey.

T – Trust

The master Jesus said, “It is done unto you as you believe.” Trust and Faith are closely aligned. The energy of trust brings us into a place of calm assurance that what we hope for is happening and what we desire is unfolding, even though we may not yet see the evidence of it. Trust allows us to relax and surrender to the power of the universe. It is vitally important that we believe in the power of the “holy shift” to change our consciousness and transform our lives.

We can choose to make a “holy shift” in the energy of our thoughts and feelings (consciousness) concerning any manner of life circumstances, including health, relationships, money, or work, just to name a few. We begin right where we are, welcoming self-awareness, being honest with ourselves, setting a clear intention, having fun, and trusting that, as Emmet Fox said, “We have the key to life.”

I encourage each of us to think about the shifts we desire in our lives and to practice the steps outlined above. It is important for us to know that “shift happens,” and we have the power to activate and affect the shifts in our lives. I hold each of us in the vision of transformed lives through the power of our Holy Shifts.

Where is God?

Recently, my body experienced the symptoms of a cold. Along with all of the congestion and fatigue associated with it, I also dealt with “brain fog.” For several days, especially at the beginning of the symptoms, I found it difficult to focus which made reading with comprehension or writing intelligibly quite a challenge. Therefore, instead of focusing on anything of real consequence, I spent hours resting in front of the television binge watching Vikings, a History Channel drama based on the historical adventures and raids of the “Northmen.” It is not the sort of television show I would normally watch because it is, as one might expect, extremely violent. 

However, after watching the first episode I found myself intrigued by the depiction of the lives of these historical figures from the eighth and ninth centuries. I have never considered myself a “history buff.” In fact, history was one of my least favorite subjects in school, but I am fascinated by the stories of these people and their interactions with those of other countries and cultures. 

Among many, one of the themes that runs throughout the series is their relationship with their gods. The Vikings were a polytheistic culture. They believed that their gods were the true gods. In their world, the gods were in control of everything. They believed that their destiny was preordained, including their death which made them fearless warriors. They were proud to die in battle and enter the gates of Valhalla. 

They also held that they could win the favor of the gods by making sacrifices. In addition to animals, they often made human sacrifices to appease the gods. When they were successful in a raid, they praised the gods assuming that they had won their favor. However, if they were not successful, they believed that the gods were punishing them for not being faithful and they had to atone. Each god was in control of some aspect of the natural world, as well as aspects of their life experiences. They had faith in their gods to strengthen, protect and prosper them.

Spoiler Alert

Early in the first season, the Northmen sail to the west and make landfall in an area of England, then known as North Umbria. This is their first encounter with the Christians and their monotheistic culture. Needless to say, they are baffled by the Christians’ worship of a man who was defeated and crucified by his enemies. They raid a monastery, plunder all the treasure they can find, and take as slaves the monks whom they don’t kill. 

Of course, the Christians believe that their god is the one true god. Further, they are certain that the land and the resources belong to them by divine right and that God will help them to defeat the “pagans” and cast them from their land. They, too, must please their God with prayer, supplication, atonement, and in some cases self-flagellation to win their God’s favor. They do not make animal or human sacrifices to their God. However, they do make sacrifices in order to appease their God. Most often they sacrifice their lives in service to what they believe to be “God’s will.” They, too, have faith that their god will strengthen, protect and prosper them.

It is fascinating to learn how people at that time viewed their gods or God, how they interacted with them, and how they relied on them for their blessings and feared their curses.

Understanding that this, while dramatically fictionalized, is a portrayal of historical fact, watching it has stimulated me to wonder how far we have evolved, or not, over the past twelve centuries in our concept of ‘God.’  

Do we believe that our lives are controlled by God’s “divine plan?” Do we still believe that God is the great puppeteer pulling the strings and controlling our lives? Do we still believe that we need to appease this God in some manner to win favor? Do we still believe that we can or will be punished if we don’t “toe the line?” Do we still adhere to beliefs about God that prevailed more than a millennium ago? Do we, in some ways, still cling to our embedded theology?

I am not claiming to know the answer to these questions for anyone else. I am not certain that I yet know the answers for myself. As I shared in my post last week and shared in last Sunday’s lesson, I am engaged in a conscious process of exploring my default settings, and choosing to live on purpose. 

While my hope is that I have evolved my understanding of God and that the Unity movement as a whole has done so, my observation has been that one of our default settings is the use of words and phrases that reveal an embedded theology of separation, rather than a consciousness of Oneness. I believe it is important for us to be clear about the words we choose and how we use them. 

For example, I recently saw a poster with the affirmation, “I have faith in God.” I would normally have noticed it, acknowledged it and thought nothing more of it. However, this time as I read it, I was triggered. What I mean is that it sparked my embedded theology and stimulated discomfort. 

I wondered what it means when we say, think or believe the common affirmation and statement, “I have faith in God.” Do we, like the Northmen and the Christians mean that we trust in God to protect, strengthen and prosper us? Are we relying on something we still see as external to us to do it for us? 

Again, I don’t know the answer for anyone other than me, but as I explored it further, I realized that the ancient affirmation no longer fits for me. It is a default setting I choose to override. 

I realize it is much wordier, but my updated version is, “I have calm assurance and unwavering conviction (faith) that I can and will align my thoughts, words and actions to the highest ideal I can attain in any moment.” Those words remind me that it is my responsibility to choose. I am empowered to make conscious choices to be all that I know myself to be in Truth. I am empowered to claim my strength, protection and prosperity and embody it accordingly. 

I invite us all to pay close attention to the words we use, the lyrics in the songs we sing and how we pray. Let us be clear in our choices, so that we do not succumb to our default settings and instead live on purpose.