Heaven or Hell? You Choose

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!

 

 

Fear, Love and God

In my post this week, I share some thoughts about fear from a piece I wrote several years ago in response to a question from a congregant. After a Sunday service, he asked, “Didn’t God create fear and isn’t it sometimes a good thing?”

I have shared many times that I enjoy living in the question, seeking a deeper understanding of life and truth. I often find that living in the question stimulates more question than answers. But, since I enjoy living in the question that is what I have done the past few days.

I am excited to share some of my revelations with you. Please know that I fully realize that this is a complex question and that what follows may seem to be an oversimplification. I offer it as a starting point for dialog, not as a definitive answer.

What is ‘God’?

First, it is essential to know what we believe about God. No concept that our subjective minds can conceive of can capture the essence of that which is infinite. Our finite minds cannot grasp infinity. Although we do our best to express our experience of God, all attempts are nothing more than “vain imaginations.” ¹ As it says in the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching, the wisdom teaching of Chinese master Lao Tzu, states “the name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” ² All words are merely symbols that we use to convey concepts. They are limiting and potentially restrict our experience of that which we are attempting to describe.

‘God,’  as I use the word, is a symbol for Life Energy, the Spirit and Substance which is no thing, yet is All; is formless, yet is the foundation for all form; is infinite yet can be experienced by the finite in our individuated conscious awareness.

Does God create?

Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of Unity, when talking about creation made the following statements, (Note: I have capitalized ‘Ideas’ when the term refers to Ideas of God Mind.)

“Created” means “ideated”…God does not create the visible universe directly, as a person makes a concrete pavement, but God creates the Ideas [emphasis mine] that are used by God’s intelligent “image and likeness” to make the universe. Thus, God’s creations are always spiritual.” ³

“God is a great mind reservoir that has to be tapped by the human mind [“God’s intelligent image and likeness”] and poured into invisibility through human thought or word.” ⁴

“Divine Ideas are man's inheritance; they are pregnant with all possibility, because Ideas are the foundation and cause of all that man desires.” ⁵

“Man's inheritance from God is Divine Ideas. These Ideas find expression, and the expression forms what man calls his good. Back of the expression is the Idea.” ³

I understand Mr. Fillmore to say that God, as we understand God, “created” a spiritual universe consisting solely of Divine Ideas. He uses the word “ideated” to make the distinction between what we think of as manifest creation, matter and the material world, and the realm of Spirit and Substance, which is formless. He also says that these Divine Ideas are the “foundation and cause for all that man desires.” Further, that these Ideas find expression in what we call our good.

In summary, God is the Source of Divine Ideas that exemplify the possibility for all that we desire to experience. When we allow Divine Ideas to fill our minds, focus our awareness on them, and take action inspired by them, we bring into manifestation that which embodies the potential of those Ideas.

What is fear?

Psychology would tell us that fear is an emotional response stimulated by an actual or perceived threat to something we value. From a spiritual perspective, fear is an emotional response stimulated by thoughts and beliefs that are not in alignment with Divine Ideas.

Did God create fear?

Given the forgoing, I would have to say, ‘No, God did not create fear.’ God ideated a spiritual universe of Divine Ideas. I cannot conceive of ‘fear’ as a Divine Idea. Using Mr. Fillmore’s criteria, it neither forms the foundation for what we desire nor is it an expression of what I call my good. This is stated beautifully in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind.”

Is fear sometimes beneficial?

Fear is beneficial when we allow it to inform us of when we are out of alignment with Divine Ideas. As human beings, we are endowed with what Abraham-Hicks calls an Emotional Guidance System. Stated in my words, our emotions inform us whether or not our thoughts are in alignment with Divine Ideas. When we feel fear, which may be experienced as anxiety, dread, worry, and the like, we are entertaining thoughts, or ideas, that are not Divine Ideas.

Conversely, when we are feeling love, which may be experienced as warmth, compassion, openness, and the like, our thinking is in harmony with Divine Ideas. Fear is helpful when we allow it to let us know when our thinking is in need of adjustment.

Also, fear, as an emotional response to an actual threat can be helpful. It can motivate us to take action to protect ourselves or another from harm.

How do we return from fear to love?

In the frequency of perfect Love which is a Divine Idea, there is no fear.⁶ Mr. Fillmore offers the following suggestion for moving from fear to love.

“If you are given to worry and anxiety, think about the fearless confidence and trust of the Spirit. This will at once relieve your mind of the thoughts that have stirred you, and the power of the Spirit will begin its work of straightening out your affairs. If you are overwhelmed with material work and the call of the outer world, stop and concentrate in the I AM and say: "I am Spirit. I do not believe in matter or material conditions. I have power, because I know that all power is in Divine Mind. Divine Mind now sets my thoughts and all my affairs in divine order, and I rest in the confidence and peace of the kingdom within." ⁷

An Invitation

I would love to know your thoughts about the ideas presented here. What is your experience of fear? What helps you to return to love from fear?

 

¹ Romans 1:21

² Translation by Stephen Mitchell

³ Mysteries of Genesis

⁴ Jesus Christ Heals

⁵ Christian Healing

⁶ 1 John 4:18

⁷ Atom Smashing Power of Mind

We Are Divinely Human

As I was looking through some earlier posts, I came across one that spoke to me in relation to some recent ponderings. I decided to share it again in case it might speak to you as well.

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 collective life of humanity with every thought, word and action. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Am I using my divine faculties consciously?”

Faith in the Process

I have several decks of oracle cards that I consult from time to time when I am seeking guidance from Spirit. I know that some people have resistance to such things and may frown on me accessing the “occult” in this way. In the past, I have had judgment about it as well.

Now, however, I know that all is One and the One is All. While I can connect directly with Spirit through meditation and entering the silence, Spirit can and does communicate through many channels, including oracle cards at times.

Earlier this week, I sat in meditation and asked Spirit to reveal to me the message that I needed most to hear and take to heart at this time in my life. I shuffled my deck, Sacred Rebels, by Alana Fairchild and pulled out a card. (I recommend any of her decks for those who are interested.) The card I pulled was titled “Faith in the Process.”

The lesson begins,

No matter how powerful we are, how much courage and strength we have, there are times when we can’t quite move ourselves along to the next phase of life or creative exploration. At such times we need some divine intervention – a little help in pulling our trolley along, so to speak. When we are at the edge of our own limits and have no more personal resources, we might be left with only one spiritual power, that of faith. Fortunately, that is enough.

The message from Spirit spoke to me deeply about the spiritual power of Faith – the power to know beyond the mind that God/Universe/Source/Life Energy (I use the word ‘God’ for simplicity) is benevolent and is the power beyond our human limitations.

As the Apostle Paul described it,

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of thing not seen"
(Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is not a magical power that we wield to get what we want. It is an active state of mind and heart that we must cultivate and strengthen. While it is an innate faculty, Faith requires our willingness and capacity to exercise it.

We must open our hearts to hope. Hope is a belief of mind and a knowing of heart that our lives and the conditions of the world can and will transform for the better when we affect change in our personal consciousness and thereby affect positive transformation in the collective human consciousness.

We must be willing to open our spiritual eyes to see beyond the conditions and behold the action of God in and through any and all circumstances. Through the power of Faith, we choose to witness the heart and the unseen hand of God.

We must have faith during the process of transformation as we move through whatever life brings our way.

We must exercise Faith in the process – the evolutionary impulse of Life toward conscious reunion in Oneness with God – at all times, especially when it may appear that circumstances are dire. We must have Faith as we trust in the benevolence of God to bring us home to love no matter how things may appear or how we may be tempted to judge otherwise. 

Ultimately, Faith is the conviction of mind and heart, the consciousness that is beyond doubt and without fear that God, the Absolute Good, is the All as all. We can rest in the assurance that even though we may not yet see it in manifest form, our hope is certain.

Call upon the unseen power in which we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) through prayer, meditation, oracle cards, or other channels. Have faith in God. Have faith in the process.