Imagination Molds Ideas

When Reverend Linda Martella-Whitsett visited Unity Spiritual Center Denver last month, she spoke at our Sunday service and facilitated a workshop after. You may view her lesson here. I was inspired by her words, but even more so by her presence. She lives the principles and practices that she teaches. She truly shines her Divine Light.

As she shared in her talk and throughout the workshop, her awakening to and expressing her powers did not occur miraculously through some divine dispensation. She used her Power of Will to open to and be willing to accept her Truth, make a conscious choice to say ‘Yes’ to her Divinity, and to stay committed to her practice. In addition, Rev. Linda continues to strengthen her spiritual faculties through conscious application of them, and to embody them by using visualization, meditation and yoga postures.

Her life has been transformed through her personal exploration and discovery of the true nature of The Twelve Powers of Man. She not only speaks the words, “I am the Light of the World,” but she also allows those words to resonate at the depth of her being. She knows herself as that. Rev. Linda employs her power of Imagination to conceive of herself as the Light; she envisions through her thoughts and feelings the presence of herself as the Light, and in doing so she embodies the Light.

I recall her saying during the workshop that the Power of Imagination is like a “super power.” In her book, Divine Audacity, Rev. Linda refers to it as our “primary power.” Imagination is a primary power because we must use Imagination in order to image ourselves activating and strengthening our other powers. As we use the meditations provided in the book as well as the ones I am writing for each power, we must use our Imagination to see the corresponding color for each power and envision those colors in specific areas of our bodies. We also use Imagination to visualize ourselves expressing our powers and using them to manifest all that is in harmony with our divinity.

Rev. Linda reminds us that everything begins with an idea and that all ideas originate in One Mind, also known as God Mind. The One Mind is the Source of all.

The Gospel of John reveals this truth in the opening verse.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NRSV)

In her book, Rev. Linda states that the Hebrew word translated into English as ‘beginning’ can more accurately be understood as the “head,” “chief,” or “top.” Further, she posits that,

“The headwaters of a river are the starting point or source, just as the source of all ideas is One Mind, out of which all ideas flow. A chief is a principal; One Mind is the principal or leading intelligence informing all ideas. The top is the summit or crown; One Mind is the highest possible source. These shades of meaning lead to the truth that all I could conceive of stems from One Mind, the origin of all that is. The beginning.”

Again, everything originates from the One Mind and begins with a divine idea.

Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of Unity, said,

“Divine ideas are man's inheritance; they are pregnant with all possibility, because ideas are the foundation and cause of all that man desires.” ¹

In prayer and meditation, we join our minds, our consciousness, in the One Mind. In that state of conscious connection, we are receptive to Divine ideas.

Our Power of Imagination allows us to capture those ideas and begin to bring them into manifestation. As Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore stated,

“The imagination is that faculty of mind which images and forms. Everything that is manifest was first a mental picture and was brought into expression by this forming power. Man accumulates a mass of ideas about substance and life, and with his imagination he molds them into shape.” ²

In order to manifest a divine idea in the physical, it must first be created in consciousness. Our Power of Imagination is the creative faculty that allows us to fill our consciousness with images, impressions, thoughts and feelings that shape spiritual substance into forms that mirror divine ideas.

I offer the following affirmation and practice to assist us in awakening our Power of Imagination.

I concentrate my awareness in the center of my brain and envision a sky blue light radiating there. I awaken to my Power of Imagination. I am open and receptive to divine ideas. I capture an image of my Christ nature. I use my power of Imagination to envision ways to express my true nature. I use all my senses to embody the experience of who I truly am. I live my Divine potential. I am the Light of Imagination.

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 as we explore together how we can use our Power of Imagination to capture divine ideas, envision ourselves living our divine potential, and embody our divine nature.

¹ Christian Healing

² Keep a True Lent

I Say 'Yes' To My Divinty

Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore discerned The Twelve Powers of Man and correlated each of them to one of Jesus’s disciples. He taught that in calling each of the disciples to him that, metaphysically speaking, Jesus was calling to himself aspects of his Christ nature represented by each of the twelve.

In our current study of The Twelve Powers, we are using Reverend Linda Martella-Whitsett’s book, Divine Audacity. Rev. Linda challenges us to claim our Divinity; to say proudly, “I am the Light of the world.” In doing so, we claim the Christ nature to be the truth of us. As we ignite and develop our powers, we are calling into our awareness these twelve aspects of the Christ to be in service to our highest nature and the greatest good for all.

This Sunday, September 25, I will be talking about the Powers of Order and Will.

Rev. Linda begins her discussion of the Power of Order with an explanation of “spiritual order.” As I perused this chapter, it became clear that in order for us to grasp the importance of our Power of Order, it is essential for us to first understand it in relation to what we refer to as “spiritual order” or “natural order.”

Thomas Troward is one of my favorite early New Thought teachers and authors. Troward was an English author and lecturer whose work greatly influenced the New Thought movement in Europe as well as in the United States. Ernest Holmes began what is now the Religious Science movement by teaching Thomas Troward’s work. Charles Fillmore quoted Troward in Atom Smashing Power of Mind.

Troward says that we can understand the nature of God, or the “Originating Creative Principle” as he refers to It, by observing the natural order all around us. He asserts that upon critical observation we can determine that the nature of God must be Order, Harmony, Unity, Peace, Life, Love, Joy and Beauty. Nature is a manifestation of the Organizing Principle that imbues all creation.

We witness the natural order, or Organizing Principle, of the universe simply by observing nature. We see it in the astronomers’ models of our solar system with the sun at the center and the planets revolving in perfect order and symmetry. All of it in continual motion, yet held in harmony and order by the force of gravity.

We can also observe natural order as the seasons change. We are just now able to see the leaves beginning to change color, the days growing shorter and the temperatures cooler. All signs that we are transitioning from summer to fall.

We witness the natural progression of seeds as they germinate, take root, sprout and eventually blossom forth into full flowering. The natural order of the universe displays Harmony, Life and Beauty, all aspects of God as outlined by Troward.

In her book, Rev. Linda says that the Power of Order embodies our capacities for organization, adjustment and evolution.

Employing our Power of Understanding, which I wrote about last week, each of us is capable of seeing through what might appear on the surface as chaos to instead connect with the demonstrations of spiritual order, not only in nature, but also in our own lives. The Power of Order allows us to, according to Rev. Linda, “organize our thoughts, words, and actions in concert with divine order.”
  

She also states that our Power of Order is our capacity of adjustment. As I contemplated this, I thought of the developments in the technology of autonomous cars, which in the not too distant past were thought to be science fiction. These cars are equipped with tools that allow them to navigate without a driver. They sense their surroundings in order to determine when to stop, change lanes, or even alter their route in order to proceed toward the intended destination with greatest ease and efficiency.

Our power of Order is our ability to make “course corrections” that assist us in fulfilling our intention to manifest our heart’s desires and serve the greatest good for all. When we activate and use our Powers of Wisdom and Understanding and follow our internal guidance system, we can use Order to make the necessary adjustments to stay on course.

We can also use our Power of Order to actively participate in our own evolutionary or transformation process. As Troward said, the Originating Creative Principle, or God, is Life. Life, understood as God expressing, embodies the qualities of continual expansion and growth. Life is always expressing more of Itself toward the experience of more Life. Utilizing Order we connect with the impulse of Life and cooperate with it.

Order is one of the faculties that each of us can develop and employ so that we may consciously participate and cooperate with spiritual order. As we work with the natural order we co-create in harmony with it.

Rev. Linda says that our Power of Will includes the aspects of choice, commitment and willingness.

The power to choose is one of the fundamental gifts of our humanity. It is the gift of free will. Our free will is our ability to say ‘Yes.’ And, we are constantly saying ‘Yes’ to something. Even when we believe we are saying ‘No’ we are actually, unconsciously saying ‘Yes’ to what we do not want.

Whatever we include in our consciousness is our ‘Yes’ to the Originating Creative Principle, and It always responds with ‘Yes.’ This is an aspect of another of Thomas Troward’s teaching concerning God as the “Great Affirmative.”¹ Of course, his teaching is much more complex. This is just one aspect that I find meaningful.

We are continually choosing. The question is whether we are choosing consciously or not.

Willingness is our capacity to be open and receptive to inspiration, insight and revelation as we use our Powers of Wisdom and Understanding to connect with our inner Knower and the guidance of the Spirit within. We must be willing to listen and respond in order that we may follow and cooperate with spiritual order.

As we become aware of our Power of Will and begin to use it deliberately, in conjunction with our Powers of Wisdom, Understanding and Order, we make choices that are in service to our Christ nature. Further, once we make those choices, Will is our power to stay committed to them.

As we work with our Powers of Order and Will this week, I invite us to use the following affirmations.

As I focus my attention on the area behind my navel I envision a spring green light. I call into my awareness my Power of Order, an aspect of my Christ nature. I consciously connect with the spiritual order inherent in all creation, and I am aligned with the divine flow. My mind is filled with the awareness of my Christ nature. I adjust my thoughts, words and actions in alignment with it. I actively participate in the evolution of my consciousness as I intentionally embody my Christ nature. I am the Light of Order.

With my awareness directed in the central area of my brain, I imagine a silver light radiating there. I awaken my Power of Will. I say ‘Yes’ to my divinity. I am open and receptive to divine inspiration, and I willingly embrace it. Centered in my Christ nature, I make conscious choices that serve the highest good of all. I live with a determined commitment to the choices I make in service to my Christ nature.

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 as we explore in greater depth how calling forth these Powers of Order and Will can assist us in embodying our Christ nature and utilize them to co-create in harmony.

¹ The Dore Lectures

Living Wisdom & Understanding

The true Light came into the world, the light that is the Light of everyone.

The Light is in the world, and the world is made through the Light.

The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.

The Light came into the world, but the world did not know the Light.

But, to all who receive the Light, to you the Light is the power.

(My interpretation of verses from John: 1)

You are the true Light. You are pure and perfect Light and Life.

When you recognize it and use the power of the Light, you can and will manifest your heart’s desires. The world comes into being according to your expression of the Light.

Each of us is the pure and perfect radiant Light. The Light appears in its purity as white light.

The Light that we perceive as white actually embodies all frequencies of color.

The Light comes into this realm of third dimensional reality through us. Each of us, in our humanity, is like a perfectly clear diamond through which the Light shines. The Light comes through us and is refracted into its wondrous spectrum of color as we are open and allow it. Each color represents an aspect of the Light that we express and experience.

Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore identified twelve of these colors as The Twelve Powers of Man. They represent aspects of the Pure Light that are inherent within each of us. They are the faculties that we use to co-create our lives.

In my current Sunday lesson series I am exploring our twelve powers with the assistance of Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett’s book, Divine Audacity. In her book, Rev. Linda delves into the practical applications of our faculties in order to assist us in better understanding them and learning how we can use them consciously as tools to build prosperous and empowered lives.

I wrote about the Power of Faith in last week’s post. You may read that post here. I also talked about it on Sunday morning. You may listen here.

This week I am exploring the Powers of Wisdom and Understanding, two powers that are related, yet distinct in their application.

The Power of Wisdom is our ability to make decisions or to determine a course of action with the benefit of our conscious connection with higher knowing. Rev. Linda states that Wisdom incorporates judgment, discernment and intuition.

The master teacher Jesus Christ said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgement” (John 7:24). “Righteous judgement” is our ability to apply our spiritual awareness of higher truth as we evaluate or “judge” our life experiences. The word ‘judge’ can also mean “to decide.” Jesus is also teaching us the importance of inviting the awareness of Pure Light in our minds and hearts before making decisions. When we consciously connect with our intention to be in service to Truth in the highest understanding of love and make decisions based upon that intention, we are exercising “righteous judgment.”

We also have the ability to discern. As Rev. Linda says in Divine Audacity, it is our capacity to “live the question.” When we have the opportunity to make a decision or set off on a course of action, we can use our Power of Wisdom to ask a question of our higher knowing and listen for the answer. In discerning a course of action, a question we may choose to live is, “Is this serving love and contributing to my highest good and the good of all?”

Our intuitive capacity is also an aspect of the Power of Wisdom. Wisdom is a yellow light located in the solar plexus region – the “gut.” Most of us have said or heard another say, “I knew it in my gut,” or “I had a gut feeling.” It is the area of body where our intuitive sense lies. When we awaken and strengthen our Power of Wisdom we heighten our ability to sense the energy of another or of a situation. We have all experienced it. Maybe you have walked into a room where people have been arguing, and you sensed the tension. Or, you have entered a sacred place and immediately felt peace. I experience that feeling when walking the grounds of Unity Village.

Rev. Linda states that the Power of Understanding is our capacity for comprehension, realization and insight.

Understanding is represented by a golden light in the center of the forebrain. Some traditions refer to this area as the Third Eye. It is the seat of our ability to see with the eyes of the Christ, and observe the higher Truth of every person and situation.  Rev. Linda refers to this as “insight.” It is our capacity to see past our initial reactions, judgements and evaluations, which cloud our perspective, so that we may observe the Light within everyone, including ourselves.

When we observe our lives, including our past choices and current circumstances, from that perspective, we can use our spiritual understanding to serve the highest good for our lives and for all others.

Provided we are willing to stop and objectively reflect upon our lives, we can use our Power of Understanding to comprehend how our choices have created our current life experiences. We are then able to make choices in our thoughts, feelings and actions that will support us in creating something different.

Realization, another aspect of the Power of Understanding, is also one of the steps of Unity’s affirmative prayer model. It often comes as a result of spending time in the Silence, which in our teaching is the consciousness of Oneness. Charles Fillmore said that realization is “the dawning of Truth in consciousness.” Flashes of higher knowing often occur after surrendering in the Silence. It is sometimes like the proverbial “light bulb” moment when Truth is instantly revealed. Alternately, realization of Truth may occur over time. We all have the capacity to experience realizations that can guide us in our lives.

I have chosen to approach our exploration of The Twelve Power of Man from the perspective of how our application of them assists us in demonstrating our hearts’ desires. As I stated in my talk this past Sunday, prior to beginning any creation process it is important to first and foremost open our hearts and minds to the illumination of Light so that we are consciously connected to the highest good for all.

We can then engage our Power of Wisdom to intuit, discern, and decide what is in service to our highest intention. And, we can use our Power of Understanding to gain insight, intuit and comprehend Truth and act in alignment with the spiritual Truth of all concerned.

In addition to the meditations that Rev. Linda offers in Divine Audacity, I encourage us to use the following as we awaken to and embrace our divine faculties.

I activate my Power of Wisdom as I focus in my solar plexus. I envision a bright yellow light radiating in my gut. Using the Light of Wisdom, I connect with the inner Knower, and I discern the answers to all I am asking. In the Light of Wisdom, I intuit my connection with truth as I allow my feeling nature to ignite within me. Centered in the awareness my intuitive and discerning senses, I make decisions grounded in my intention to serve the highest good for all. I Am the Light of Wisdom.

I awaken my Power of Understanding by concentrating on the area at the center of my frontal lobe and envisioning a golden light spinning in a clockwise motion. In doing so, I open the portal of awareness known as the Third Eye. Radiating the golden Light of Understanding, I see through the illusion of form to witness the Christ in and as all. I open to the realization of Truth expressing in every situation. And, I fully comprehend the Truth that I realize and observe. I Am the Light of Understanding.

Please join us on Sunday at 10:00 as we come together to more fully awaken and embrace our Powers of Wisdom and Understanding.

The Power of Faith

This week we will begin our exploration of The Twelve Powers of Man as discerned and delineated by Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore. Our guide through the study will be, Divine Audacity, by Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett. 

Charles Fillmore referred to these innate faculties as our spiritual powers. While I appreciate the use of the word ‘powers,’ I prefer to call them faculties or abilities. Those words, at least in my way of thinking, make them more accessible for all of us. Someone recently referred to them as ‘tools’ which I also appreciate. Utilizing our faculties does not require us to claim superhero powers. These abilities are within reach for each of us, and we can use them to co-create the empowered lives we desire.

This Sunday, September 11, we will begin with the Power of Faith. In Hebrews 11:1, Paul says, “Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (NRSV).

Charles Fillmore stated,

Faith is the perceiving power of the mind linked with a power to shape substance. It is spiritual assurance, the power to do the seemingly impossible. It is a force that draws to us our heart’s desire right out of the invisible spiritual substance. It is a deeper inner knowing that that which is sought is already ours for the taking, the “assurance of things hoped for.”

In Divine Audacity, Rev. Linda says,

Faith is our innate power to create our reality by our perception, our beliefs and our interpretations. According to our faith, we live in assurance/conviction. According to our faith, we expect.

In other words, Faith is a faculty of mind that each of us possesses by nature of our humanity. It is our ability to see beyond that which is currently demonstrating in our lives or in the world around us in order to perceive a greater possibility. It is our ability to know that we are not limited by the evidence of what we currently perceive with our physical senses.

Faith is also our ability to live with the conviction that the essence of what we desire already exists as pure potential and possibility even though we may not currently witness the demonstration of it. As we embrace, embody and exercise our power of Faith in conjunction with our other powers, we can bring it into manifestation.

In addition, we exercise our power of Faith when we choose to live in the mental attitude of joyous anticipation. When we choose to perceive what is possible and live with the conviction that it is so, our power of Faith is activated, and we can feel the eager expectation of receiving the manifestation of our desire.

All of the forgoing is not meant to imply that simply by exercising our power of Faith that our desires miraculously or instantaneously manifest. I assert, however, that at a certain level of absolute embodiment of our power of Faith that “miraculous” demonstrations can occur. While that is true, I am not implying that that is our goal for these next few weeks. Our goal is to familiarize ourselves with these twelve abilities and begin using them consciously. Each of us begins right where we are.

None of us would set out on a weight loss plan and expect to shed twenty pounds overnight simply by the power of Faith. We may begin by connecting with a desire for a healthy, fit, vibrantly active physical body so that we can enjoy our life to the fullest. In contemplating that desire, we may access the knowing that losing weight would be a means to help achieve that desire. As we activate and employ our power of Faith, we do not allow the current state of our physical body to determine what is possible. Faith empowers us to see beyond the evidence of what is currently demonstrating to a vision of what is desired. Conscious connection with Faith allows us to move forward with the conviction of what is possible and embrace each moment with eager expectancy that each step will bring results.

It is important to note that we do not use one faculty, such as Faith, in isolation. In the example above, we would also invoke our capacities of Imagination to envision our goal, Will to make supportive choices, Strength to stay the course, and Release to let go of thoughts or habits that do not help us achieve our goal. We will be exploring each of those in further detail in the coming weeks.

For this week, I encourage each of us to spend a few minutes each day focusing awareness on the power of Faith. It is located in the physical body in the area of the pineal gland in the center of the brain. The color associated with Faith is royal blue. Using your power of Imagination, focus your attention on that area of the brain and see a beautiful royal blue light radiating outward. With every breath imagine the light growing brighter and expanding further. As you activate this center of Faith within, claim,

I now awaken to my power of Faith. I claim my power of Faith. I use my power of Faith to see beyond all evidence of lack or limitation in every area of my life. I perceive the pure potential and possibility inherent as the truth of me and my life. I am convinced that my desire is already fulfilled. I live each moment with eager expectancy. I am open and receptive to the demonstration of my good.

Join us on Sunday mornings at 10:00 as we come together to delve deeper into our innate abilities to live empowered lives and co-create our deepest desires.

Divinely Human

After service this past Sunday, during which I talked about the importance of knowing our Oneness in God and standing firm in the conviction our Divine Nature, a congregant asked if I would consider giving a talk on the value of separation.

In Unity, we teach that the idea of separation is simply a misperception. We cannot ever be separated from God, because we are Divine by nature. Realizing that I do talk a great deal about Oneness, I was curious to know what he was truly interested in hearing about. When I asked him for clarity and we discussed it further, I deduced that he was asking me to talk about the value of being human.

I have asked similar questions many times in one way or another. It goes something like, “If I am Divine and have conscious awareness of my divinity when disembodied, why would I choose to forget that and come into this realm of existence?”

I don’t think there is a definitive answer to questions such as that. From our limited consciousness, we can only presume. Further, our presumption is based largely upon what we believe about ‘God’ and our relationship to ‘God.’ I certainly do not claim to have the answer. I am sharing some of what I have learned and discerned as I have grappled with this question for myself over times.

Let me simply say, in case you don’t want to read the entire article that I believe the purpose of our humanity is to come into conscious realization of our divinity and to revel in it as we co-create and expand enlightenment in this time and space reality.

What is God?

I have pondered this question for years and continue to do so. Again, I do not claim to have the definitive answer. My understanding of ‘God’ continues to evolve.

When I use the word ‘God’ today I am certainly not referring to the God of my childhood, a man with a white beard and white robes sitting up in heaven somewhere judging me and everyone else and most likely damning me to eternity in hell because I do not measure up to his criteria for admittance to heaven. When I say ‘God’ I am not referring to a being or beings; and while I do not consider myself an atheist, neither do I subscribe to theism. I am, instead, to the best of my ability giving voice to that which is ineffable. 

The ‘God’ of my understanding today is not noun, pronoun nor verb: God is. God is “no thing,” yet is All. God is the Essence of all that is real. As Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore stated, “God is the eternal verity of the universe and humankind.”

Today, I use the word ‘God’ to refer to what I understand to be the ground of all being. Some of the ways I now see ‘God’ are:

·         ‘God’ is the Conscious Life Force; the Source of all that is.

·         ‘God’ is Consciousness Itself.

·         ‘God’ is the field of pure potential and possibility from which all comes into manifestation.

·         ‘God’ is Universal Law which governs all creation.

·         ‘God’ is self-conscious Consciousness.  

·         ‘God’ is not a being: God is the Essence of BE-ing.

·         ‘God’ does not evolve: God is evolution itself.

·         ‘God’ does not create: God is Creative Life.

·         ‘God’ does not provide: God is Source.

·         ‘God’ is Originating Spirit.

·         ‘God’ is Foundational Substance.

·         ‘God’ is Infinite Fluid Energy

By the above, I do not mean to imply that I view ‘God’ as a cold, impersonal principle alone. ‘God’ as the Originating Spirit is also the essence of all the qualities I aspire to embody and experience.

·         ‘God’ is Love.

·         ‘God is Peace.

·         ‘God’ is Joy.

·         ‘God’ is Life.

·         ‘God’ is Order.

·         ‘God’ is Beauty.

Who am I?

Ramana Marshi, a great teacher in the yoga tradition, said that to attain inner freedom one must continually ask the question, “Who am I?”

Gangaji, in her book, The Diamond in Your Pocket – Discovering Your True Radiance, says, “The most important question you will ever ask yourself is, “Who am I?” You may listen to an excerpt from the book by clicking the following link: Gangaji

Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now and A New Earth shares his story of awakening when one day he heard himself say, “I can no longer live with myself.” As he heard himself speak those words, he wondered, “Who is the ‘I’ and who is the ‘self’ that ‘I’ can no longer live with?” Thus began his journey to discovering his truth and claiming his freedom.

Who are you, really? We often define ourselves by our bodies, whether we are male or female; tall or short; young or old. We also describe ourselves according to our emotional state at any given moment; i.e., “I am angry, hurt, happy, hungry, lonely, tired, sated or joyous.” Perhaps most commonly we label ourselves according to the roles we play in life, as in, “I am a mother,” or “I am an accountant.” In keeping with our social norms, when asked, “Who are you?” we most often respond by giving our name, occupation, or by sharing some aspect of our life experience to which the questioner can readily relate. 

The ‘self’ to which Tolle referred when saying he could “no longer live with myself” is comprised of all of those labels; however, none of them can define who we truly are. Our true Self is changeless and eternal. It can best be understood as ‘awareness,’ that which is aware of the body, emotional state, and the roles we play at any point in time. Gangaji says, “You are awareness and awareness is consciousness.” The consciousness that was aware of the body, the mind and the emotions at age ten is the same consciousness that is aware of the body, the mind, and the emotions today. While all of those external conditions change, consciousness remains constant and is infinite.

Tolle expounds on this truth in the forward to Gangaji’s book. He says, 

“Know the truth and the truth shall set you free.’ These words spoken by Jesus refer not to some conceptual truth, but to the truth of who you are beyond name and form. They refer not to something that you need to know about yourself, but a deeper, yet extraordinarily simple knowing, in which the knower and the known merge into one. I am not what happens, but the space in which it happens. This knowing, this living truth, frees you from identification with form, from time, as well as from a false, mind-made sense of self. What is that space in which everything happens? Consciousness prior to form.”

Again, this is a question I continue to ponder. Taking into consideration the forgoing and my one revelation, I say…

I am a point of self-conscious awareness that is aware of itself both subjectively and objectively by means of physical and hyperphysical senses. I am subjectively aware of myself by nature of my thoughts, emotions, and physical senses - sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. I know myself in subjective relationship to others and to my surroundings. I am also objectively self-aware through intuition, or inner knowing – that which I know, but is transrational knowing.

Who am I in relation to God?

Each of us is a point of awareness through which Consciousness (God) experiences itself consciously. In other words, we are ‘God’ becoming subjectively aware of Itself through our thoughts, emotions, physical and hyperphysical senses. We are also ‘God’ becoming objectively aware of Itself as our knowing.

In addition to ‘God’ becoming aware of Itself, we are also ‘God’ expressing the nature of Itself through our humanity by virtue of our innate faculties.

What is the purpose of coming into form?

We come into physicality because without it we do not have subjective awareness. Unless we experience our thoughts, emotions and senses, we can only know ourselves through objective awareness. And, while that is important, it is incomplete.

We are endowed with powers or faculties, twelve of which Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore identified as The Twelve Powers of Man, which we can use to further our conscious evolution, as well as to bring into manifestation our more expanded awareness and expression of ‘God’ as Creative Life for all eternity.

We come into form so that we can experience and express those faculties. Through our power of self-reflection and self-contemplation, we can know ourselves as endowed with all these qualities. Additionally, through thoughts, emotions and our senses, both physical and hyperphysical, we can experience the interplay between ourselves, others and our environment, which are all aspects of ‘God.’ Again, we are points of awareness through which ‘God’ becomes subjectively aware of ‘God.’

We also come into human form in order to bring into manifestation greater expressions of Divine Ideas inherent as ‘God.’ As portals for this manifestation, we are co-creators through our thoughts, words and actions.

We are divinely human.

When we say there is no separation, we mean it. We are constantly expressing our divine attributes in every moment of every day through our humanity. We are co-creating our lives and influencing the life of humanity with every thought, word and action. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Am I using my divine faculties consciously?”

This Sunday, September 4, we will begin our exploration of Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett’s book, Divine Audacity. Her book delves deeply into The Twelve Powers of Man and offers practical tools for conscious application of them in our lives. As we awaken to our Oneness in ‘God,’ our Divinity, we can more fully embrace the innate powers we are endowed with in our humanity, and we can more consciously and audaciously co-create the lives we desire in harmony with ‘God’.

I hope you will join us on Sundays at 10:00 for the next seven weeks as we grow together in our capacity to live with Divine Audacity.