I Shall Not Be Moved

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

Most of us have heard the adage quoted above. It is sometimes attributed to the Buddha, but it is actually derived from a Theosophical text. ¹

As a perpetual student, I have found that even when I am not ready, at least not consciously ready, teachers still appear. Our greatest teachers are those with whom we find ourselves in relationship. They may be our spouses, partners, lovers, family, friends, fellow church members or even our ministers. Anyone can be our teacher if we are willing to open ourselves up to the lessons they are here to share with us. I find this especially true as it relates to the current Presidential election and the candidates of the two major parties.

At times, I find it challenging, if not nearly impossible, to behold the Christ in and as each and every person. I reluctantly admit that at times I judge and criticize both candidates, albeit one more prevalently than the other. This person is proving to be a great teacher for me, and I suspect a great teacher for us all.

However, my study of Reverend Linda Martella-Whitsett’s book, Divine Audacity, an exploration of The Twelve Powers of Man as discerned by Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore, has helped me immensely.

This Sunday, October 30, I will continue with my lesson series based on her book as I explore the powers of Release and Strength. As I am pondering these powers, I have awakening to how I can use both of them to assist me in returning to peace after being triggered by news reports, watching a debate, or hearing words that I interpret as criticism of me.

Rev. Linda says that our power of Release is our ability to cleanse, renounce and repent. Those words, at least for me, have some strong traditional religious implications. And, of themselves, can be triggers. But, once understood and applied from the perspective that they are aspects of our divine powers, they can prove to be powerful allies as we come face to face with our teachers in this human realm.

In my talks and writing about The Twelve Powers, I return again and again to the assertion that our highest intention is to align with and embody the Christ frequency so that we may bring forth into our world all that reflects the consciousness of the Christ. Our Twelve Powers are aspects of the Christ that we can awaken to and employ in our daily lives in order to do just that.

The power of Release helps to restore us to the consciousness of the Christ, thus to the awareness of oneness with all humanity, including those who are currently showing up as our teachers, those who are stimulating discomfort within us.

What follows is the process that I used recently and will continue to use as teachers show up for me.

First, welcome and invite the awareness of the thoughts about someone. Even though those thoughts are judgmental and critical thoughts, invite them into conscious awareness so that we are not using energy to suppress them. They can be quite informative when are willing to listen to them.

They are, after all, just thoughts. Thoughts are energy vibrations. If we are not aware of them, we cannot inquire of them. Ignoring them actually gives them power and allows them to take root in our consciousness.

When we hold thoughts that would seem to separate us or another from God, we are, in our minds, placing ourselves or another outside of God thus damning them or ourselves to hell – a state of consciousness created from a belief in separation. In truth, no one can be outside of God. Therefore, we use our power of Release to deny those thoughts and cease to give them power. This is Unity’s teaching on denials.

We then use the power of Release to invite the Light of Spirit to wash through our minds cleansing our mental bodies of the energy of these liming thoughts. Then employing the repenting power of Release, we choose different thoughts. ‘Repent’ simply means to have a change of mind, or to turn in a different direction. Using the power of Release, choose to think loving thoughts about the divine nature of this teacher. Even if we cannot conjure positive thoughts about his or her personality, we can always choose to think thoughts about their spiritual truth. Choose to behold each one as the Christ, knowing that is the divine truth, claim it for them and for yourself.

We can also activate and use our power of Strength, which Rev. Linda says is our power of stability, courage and tenacity.

Using our power of Strength, we ground ourselves firmly in the awareness of the Christ as the only eternal Truth of ourselves and of all humanity. Grounded in that Knowing, nothing that arises can sway us from this realization of Truth. Even if the one who is showing up as our teacher speaks words of hate or acts in ways that are out of integrity with our values, we are able to stand firm in the resolve to see only the Christ. As a tree bends with the wind so as not to break, we can move with the emotions that arise and find balance in the Christ within as we use the power of Strength.

Additionally, grounded in the Truth of the Christ nature and the Christ nature of our teachers, we can use the power of Strength to ignite courage. The root of the English word ‘courage’ is from the Latin ‘cor’ meaning ‘heart.’ When we employ courage, we are acting, speaking and thinking from the heart, a heart that is grounded in the Truth of the Christ. We can courageously speak the Truth, not the truth of our personal opinions or ego positions, but from the Truth of the Christ as us.

Strength is also our ability to be tenacious. The word ‘tenacious’ has a somewhat negative connotation for me. But, when viewed as our ability and willingness to keep coming back over and over and over again to the intention to know ourselves and all others as the Christ, and to not allow anything or anyone to sway us from that, I embrace the power of Strength as our ability to tenaciously stay the course.

I encourage us to activate our powers of Release and Strength in every aspect of our lives. They are tools that can assist us in our desire to keep our minds free, or as free as possible, of thoughts of separation and limitation. These thoughts only serve to restrict the flow of divine light and love in and through our minds.

We know that, as Emmet Fox said, “Life is consciousness,” so when our consciousness is filled with thoughts of separation and limitation, our lives reflect that. Not only does our life reflect it personally, but so does the life or our country and the life of the planet.  

When our teachers appear, let us be firmly grounded in the Truth of our being, our Christ nature, so that we can see them in that Truth as well. When we find ourselves straying, let us remember to use our power of Release to cleanse, renounce and repent, and our power of Strength to tenaciously continue bringing ourselves back to our firm foundation, so that we may think, speak and act from our Truth with courage.

I invite you to use the following statements to assist you in activating your powers of Strength and Release.

I breathe deeply and imagine that I am breathing into the small of my back. My awareness is now filled with a verdant green light. I claim my power of Strength. I am firmly grounded in the truth of myself and all others as the Christ. In the stability of that Knowing, I see the Truth of my being expressing courageously through every thought, word and action. I hold tenaciously to my Truth. I am the Light of Strength.

I now focus my awareness in my lower abdomen and envision a russet light there. I awaken to my Power of Release. I use my power of Release to cleanse my energy field of any thoughts that are not in alignment with my Christ nature. I renounce the power of any thought of lack, limitation or separation. I repent. I change my mind as I choose thoughts of Unity. I am the Light of Release.

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 for our service as we come together in the Light of Release and Strength, and live our Divine Audacity.

¹ FakeBuddhaQuotes.com