The Divine in You

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I have studied Science of Mind before, but getting back into it again since moving to Prescott and attending the local Center for Spiritual Living, has been transformational. It seems to be penetrating my soul more than any New Thought philosophy has before, and at a deeper level. Perhaps my soul is better prepared and receptive to it than before. Of course, no explanation is really needed. I am simply delighted and grateful!

I am embracing and incorporating into my life and actions the principles I am learning even though this is not the first time I’ve heard of them. I’m reading literature daily and, between it, and attending the Sunday service and classes, the philosophy is permeating my being. Principles are coming to mind when situations arise, and I need guidance.

It was synchronistic that I had a work meeting coming up in an hour but had not yet read my morning daily meditations/guides because of an early start time today. I thought it a perfect time to pause and read. I’m in a new job and I was nervous and fearful about the upcoming meeting, concerned that my colleague (I’ll call him Steve) would think I was an idiot, incompetent, etc. I figured that communing with God, the All Powerful, could only help me and it wouldn’t take that long since I was on the job. Reaching my third daily reading, I was bolstered by its focus on seeing the Divine Presence in everyone.

In part, from today’s “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes”:

“The best way to make friends is to realize that we meet Life in everyone. The God in us meets the God in others… Our faith in the Divine Presence in others will overcome the fear of being misunderstood or hurt.”

NamasteThis so reminded me of the concept of namasté, the Divine in me sees and honors the Divine in you. This passage was guiding me to view the man I was to meet with as another child of God, that he had Spirit in him just as I did, and hence we were connected, One, and equal. I relaxed.

“Confidence and love can cast out fear. The person without fear is the only truly whole person… Let us decide to live in faith…To find peace in the midst of confusion, we must realize our center in pure Spirit… we should continuously unite our thought with the Divine Mind.

“The unerring judgement of Divine Intelligence directs my way.”

I needed to forget my ego, which was producing my fear, and step into the shoes of pure Spirit. Spirit would direct my way.

I had my meeting, confident that I was not meeting with the enemy, but another spiritual being who was my equal. I was calm as I walked through my questions, and Steve was generous in sharing his knowledge as well as assuring me I was not the only confused person. I was so grateful.

My remembering today to consult Spirit and apply Its guidance, to see others as part of the One no matter the scenario was a wonderful demonstration and experience. Thank You, Spirit!

May I remember to see the Divine in all whom I meet throughout my day.

Namasté.

 

Bookending with Spirit

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Thank You, Spirit, for a day of diversification—which You know I love!—and richness.

My day at the job was productive and I got into the groove of a new project with clarity and sharpness. It felt good.

bookendsThank You for my work and personal interactions, keeping me connected to others, albeit briefly; still, a little connection with beings for me is better than none at all. I got a wee bit of fresh air, sunshine, and steps in when I made the brief walk to the mailbox. I did some cooking at dinner time, and accomplished financial administrative work, and then ordered yet more health supplements—but I’m keeping healthy during these crazy times, and I am so grateful.

Yes, Spirit, it was a full day, starting out with my morning sabbath of meditation, Naam Yoga, spiritual literature, and journaling, and soon to close with writing out my gratitude list. I feel a sense of peace as I bookend the day communing with You.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Sweet dreams.

I’m Easy!

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I’m easy!

It has been another great, joyous weekend, the second consecutive one. It’s pretty simple for me to understand why: I’ve been meaningfully engaged with people in person! What a concept during these continuing days of COVID.

connected heartsDuring both weekends I spent a chunk of time with spiritually like-minded folks, and we celebrated life through music, arts and crafts, inspirational talk, and meaningful conversation. We even got some laughter and a few quick hugs in too. The time was so much about connection. I felt connected to others, and through them, Spirit. And, Spirit is Love, what we all yearn for.

At my spiritual center this weekend, I got to learn more about others as they shared openly about their lives, as did I. There was an exchange of energy, we gave of ourselves, of our love, to one another. When folks are authentic and speak from the heart, that allows for connection; I get filled up.

In completing our “A Consciousness of Joy” class project, it was insightful, delightful, and inspirational witnessing the creativity and myriad of gifts my colleagues displayed. I’m grateful that that fun, joy, and so much more will continue as friendships kindled in that class blossom. I am becoming more and more a piece of my small community, my heart’s desire.

“…the soul is homesick and…it cannot recover until it finds complete union with its Source.”
– “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes,” February 6

I unite with Source through music, literature, prayer, meditation, and being of service. But authentically engaging with other souls is a prominent way in which I feel the presence of Spirit, easing the homesickness my soul feels being on Planet Earth. It reminds me I am not alone, bringing me closer to complete union with Source.

Yes, I’m easy. Just give me some loving, meaningful interactions with other beings, and my soul dances with joy, closer to its true Wholeness.

“Love’s essence lies in its own givingness
“And naught is whole without this blessedness.”
– “The Voice Celestial,” by Ernest Holmes, page 183

The Power of God

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ladderIn the next chapter of the saga of the need to purchase and physically get a ladder into my house so that I can eventually install HVAC filters, I’ve been looking to Spirit for further guidance after being given a Spiritual Mind Treatment in the middle of the night recently.

I researched online what was available to meet my needs, including my budget, and was delighted to see that I could get a ladder delivered for what I thought was a very reasonable price. Fabulous news, problem would soon be easily resolved. Ha! I thought it best to see it in person before ordering, and today was the day to play adult and go to Home Depot.

I shopped for some smaller items, getting help from the plentiful and knowledgeable staff, leaving the ladder for last. When it was time for that, it was mighty difficult to get assistance. My research proved helpful, and I was able to decide which one to purchase. With not knowing if the ladder would fit into my Camry with the back seats down, I thought I’d check with customer service about paying for the item in store and arranging delivery as I had seen online. After a bit of time, it turned out that the young lady was a poor communicator, and the cheapest delivery fee would be $75—forget that!

It had been a full, joyous morning in class before I started running errands, and I began to unravel. With knowing so few people in my new home town, and not yet closely, how was I going to accomplish what I needed to?! My morning reading came to mind.

“The Law of Life operates through your affirmations. Nothing can hinder Its working but yourself. It is everywhere; therefore, It is where you are, and most of all, It responds where you recognize It.

“Faith is the supreme affirmation. It is the unconditional affirmation. It is the affirmation that makes all things possible to the one who believes in the Power of God. Knowing that nothing can hinder you but yourself. If you believe you can, you can.”

– “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes,” February 5

I so believed that Spirit had a solution to my dilemma between spending an arm-and-a-leg on delivery charges and finding a way to transport a six-foot ladder in my four-door sedan. I took a deep breath and forged ahead.

I borrowed a tape measure from yet another employee, turned the back seats down, and took measurements. The ladder would fit, with about four inches to spare in the length, although I wasn’t quite sure about clearance in a certain section of the trunk. That same employee, although not in the ladder department, helped me get one down from the bay onto a shopping cart, and reminded me to ask for loading help when I checked out at the register. I didn’t think they’d provide any such help! I was so grateful that man mentioned it! [This stuff is all so new for me in case you didn’t guess!]

Well, to shorten this adventure a bit, the ladder made it into the car, but is now wedged in and I will need assistance to get it out. Nevertheless, it is in my possession—yay! My next strategy is to reach out for help with a man I’ve been doing some volunteer work with who lives in my ‘hood.

I really am willing to ask for help, something I’ve had to learn. And, I’ve also discovered that many people really want to be of service. Life can be so challenging without a partner, local friends, or family to ask for help. But I so believed in the Power of God during this shopping excursion, and continue to do so, knowing that I’ll be breathing cleaner air in my home in the near future!

The Divine Engineer

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Amtrak train 315I went to college not to get prepared for a specific career (I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up), but simply to gain more knowledge. I completed a major in sociology, a second and more beloved one in philosophy, and also a minor in psychology. So what job did I accept when I graduated? I became the assistant supervisor for North American tours at a wholesale travel agency, assigned to the rail division.

A whole new world opened up to me, and I fell in love with trains and wanted to work directly for a railroad company. I applied for jobs throughout the country at a time when small passenger lines still existed. I ultimately landed a job right at home in NYC at Amtrak, recently established through the consolidation of 20 passenger railroads. I worked in a variety of departments, fueled by a desire to learn as much as I could about the railroad. And, I traveled as much as my schedule allowed, even getting to ride in the cab with the engineer from time-to-time. Engineers had a love for trains, took their job seriously, and were adamant about getting their passengers to their destination safely and on time.

I had plenty of adventures, some due to the mere fact that I was a woman working in a male-dominated industry. I left for greener pastures when it became obvious I would not move up the organizational ladder. Still, my love of trains never waned.

With that background, you’ll understand why today’s Daily Guide in Science of Mind Magazine hit home to me. It was about being a passenger on a train, looking out the window, taking in the ever-changing landscape as you head toward your destination. As the scenery changes, you have to let go of it, but you can hold on to the feelings. Meanwhile, the engineer never changes the path, and brings the train home “with all the heart and soul of its true nature.”

“There is an Infinite Intelligence whose nature is love, which never changes. The Divine Engineer gracefully guides you to your destination. There may be experiences of loss along the way, requiring you to let go, but you will never lose the heart that created those connections.

“Just because the form has changed, doesn’t mean the love that guides you is gone. Trust the unfoldment of your life to the love of the Infinite Intelligence that guides the universe.”

– Science of Mind Magazine, Friday, February 4, 2022

Thank You, Spirit, for your never-ending guidance and love, for being ever present in my life.

___________________________

The 20th Century Limited was the flagship train of the New York Central Railroad from 1902 to 1967, catering to upper-class and business travelers, and traveling between NYC and Chicago. During my tenure at Amtrak, the musical On the Twentieth Century, based partly on the 1930s film and play of the same name, and part operetta, part farce, and part screwball comedy, was playing on Broadway. Of course, I had to see it! In fact, I saw it twice! My favorite song from it is Life is Like a Train. It’s got a great melody, and the words are philosophical and true.

Invisible But All-Penetrating

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light within“If we carry a light into a darkened room, the darkness is dissipated without effort on our part. So it is the experience of one who has a deep consciousness of Life. Something invisible but all-penetrating will flow through his every look and gesture. People will feel better sitting in his presence.”

– 365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes, February 3

Reading the aforementioned got me strolling down Memory Lane, the early days of being in 12 Step program.

I had found Home when I stepped in to my first meeting back in March 1990. I resonated with people’s stories, feelings, reactions to life, and the use of our common drug of choice as a coping mechanism. More importantly, I found love, compassion, understanding, and acceptance unlike I had ever known.

As I studied and put into practice the principles and tools of the program, I came to believe in a Power greater than myself. Giving of my time, talents, and treasure—being of service—gave my life tremendous meaning and filled me with joy and enthusiasm. My whole attitude and outlook upon life changed. It was all so new and quite different from my past beliefs and practices. What a wondrous time!

  1. Instead of trying to nourish my soul with food, which had not worked at all, I opened my soul and filled it with Spirit. Working on my inner life was reflected in my outer life. People started telling me that I was glowing, that I was shining, and wondered what had happened. Many thought I was in love. Well, I was, but not in the way they thought!

I was in love with life, with myself, with others. My soul had been hungering for all the qualities of Spirit and was finally getting the substance it needed to be satiated (and, it was not food!). Spirit was pulsing through my entire being like never before and that is what people were seeing in me, God’s light… Something invisible but all-penetrating flowing through me and out to others, with my mere presence helping to uplift them. How remarkable!

The Three-Minute Timer

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“The first duty of love is to listen.” – Paul Tillich

I grew up in a dysfunctional family of six, my mother, father, and three brothers. It seemed like most of us regularly interrupted someone when they were trying to speak. It was like you had to jump in and override someone else to have any possible chance of speaking in an undisciplined setting. To top things off, there was very little real communication in the family system; I felt like we were six people who happened to live in the same house. I was indeed lost…

sand timerSo, it’s no surprise I had to work on my listening and other communications skills. A milestone (one of many) came when I joined a 12 Step program more than 30 years ago.

Most of the meetings I attended used a three-minute timer when members shared. This was to ensure that as many people as possible would have the opportunity to speak. I will never forget my delight in knowing that I had a full three minutes to share and no one was going to interrupt me! It provided me with a feeling of peace, worthiness, being respected, etc. Cross-talk was not permitted either, so I didn’t have to be concerned about people making unwanted comments or unsolicited advice, opening me up to be more candid. What a treat and huge change from the days of being with my biological family! How healthy, considerate, and loving, yes, loving.

Just as important as those practices were for me, they were beneficial to my colleagues too. I learned to focus and be an attentive listener to others when they were sharing. I was showing them respect, caring, and love.

Who would have ‘thunk’ a simple little timer could be so powerful a tool for emotional health and well-being, and for developing good communication skills?

“When we listen closely to what someone is saying, we pay homage to God by the simple act of honoring another person’s worth.”

– In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery, February 2
*As We Understand God

Resting in the the Peace and Presence of Spirit

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Peaceful sleep

“Most prayer is asking for something… God knows who we are…and what we need and want before we have even a thought of it. Why pray then?

“Because it keeps us in touch with our Maker. It reminds us who we are, children of God, under Divine protection.

“Asking keeps us in touch with the source of our power.”

– In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery, February 1
*As We Understand God

The aforementioned is similar to another writing in the same book from only about a week or so ago. Despite it being so similar, I am not thinking that I am wasting my time in reading it. Repetition works for me especially when it comes to my relationship with Spirit. I constantly need to remember that Spirit exists—sometimes it can seem like I’m back in my atheist days!

As humans we can easily forget things, especially really important things that make a difference. I can get busy and sidetracked and land up feeling like an island unto myself. But Spirit is always around and always present—I just need to wake up and remember.

Asking Spirit for help keeps me from thinking I am alone in this thing called life. It enables me to forge and grow a connection between us, developing clearer lines of communication (intuition) and understanding for me.

So now, as I am about to make my way to Dreamland, before lights go out, I will write out my gratitude list and then drift off to sleep, resting in the peace and presence of Spirit.

Recognizing Blessings

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Everything is a blessing depending on

Ya know how you can hear or see something like a million times, and then suddenly you are hit with a profoundness about it?

Well, that’s what happened to me around the area of complaining when a group of us were role playing at the Saturday class focused joy.

Two people can go through the same adverse event, and one can interpret and then respond to it in one way, and the other person has a totally different idea about it and responds in the totally opposite way. One can see only the negative aspects, but the other one is able to extract the blessings. Same event, two different perspectives and responses, one spiraling downward, the other spiraling upward. Which person do you want to hang out with? Which person do I want to be?

It reminds of the Zen parable of the Chinese farmer…

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening, everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

The next day military officers came around to recruit all the able-bodied boys into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again, all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

The parable continues in the same vein. It’s really not wise to judge something as good or bad since we never know how things will ultimately turn out anyway. What is accomplished by judging, by complaining? They are of the ego and not helpful or uplifting energetically. So I say, why not treat everything as a blessing?!

I’m tired of hearing myself complain. The act of complaining is the result of one way to look at things. I’m silencing that voice and choosing to see only the blessings. It is a much better, alternate way to respond to life, uplifting to my own soul and to those impacted by my thoughts and responses. And, who wants to be around complaining, negative people anyway?

“We are all being called to step up and contribute to the bettering of the world.

“We can awaken to the fact that we each contribute to the change in the world as we deepen in consciousness. Every time we forgive someone, let go of an attachment, remove a mental block, or transcend an emotional conflict, we raise the vibration and contribute to the consciousness of the planet.”

— Science of Mind Magazine, January 29, 2022

My choices contribute to the uplifting of the planet. Complaining will not achieve that; recognizing blessings will.

Joy is in This Place

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smiley-faceI am sitting in my hotel room in the East Valley of Phoenix, close by to where I used to hang my hat, assessing the full day that is now winding down. And, I am thrilled and grateful to be able to say it has been a totally joyous day! I haven’t said that very often in the past two years of living on this planet dealing with a pandemic.

As I’ve learned, my joy comes down to relationships, to people, to connection. Spirit.

The impetus for coming to the big city for the first time in five months was to join in the celebration of the retirement of the two Unity of Mesa ministers. That Center continues exercising caution to help keep folks safe and healthy during these times, so I felt comfortable attending in person—and I’m so glad I did! When I met my friend Shannon later this afternoon, she asked how my day had been. “Perfect, absolutely perfect. Every single thing went according to plan.” Joyce’s plan, of course.

When I left Prescott this morning, I was treated to the unfolding of the sunrise as I drove serenely with no traffic through the hills and mountains, listening to instrumental music I love that had been part of a national parks’ documentary. Getting into town on schedule (Joyce’s schedule), my heart sank as I pulled into the diner parking lot of where I had planned to have a leisurely breakfast meal combined with my morning sabbath’s reading. It was very crowded, and my hopes started dissipating about sitting at a table (not the counter) in a private space. Nevertheless, I forged ahead, and to my surprise no one was waiting for a table, there was one available, and I was seated immediately! I had a good meal, with leftovers for lunch, fit in part of my morning sabbath, and had a lovely conversation with the waitress.

Unexpectedly, I arrived at Unity just in time to join volunteers, staff, and musicians for the pray-in that occurs ½ hour before the service. My attendance was a pleasant surprise to all (Joyce’s plan—and hope). I connected with the ministers individually before the service and gave them a card and gift. The service was filled with wonderful live music and testimonials, all exuding love, gratitude, and more for these two dedicated women who have enabled the Center to thrive while navigating through challenges. The sanctuary was filled with love and we were truly in community. There was laughter and tears, happiness and sadness. Above all, there were the grandest of wishes for Rev. Judy Hildebrand and Rev. Kathryn Kellogg as they move on to their next adventures.

I got to do some shopping at a favorite home goods store and purchased what I had specifically gone there for. Running a couple more errands, the day culminated with meeting up with Shannon at the hotel I was to stay at, which she had generously arranged. We hung out for several hours, catching up on many aspects of our lives, sharing from the heart, waxing philosophically, and showing support. She is such an inspiration to me!

But in assessing my day this evening, while it was indeed “perfect,” that’s not what made me feel joyous. As I said, for me joy is stirred up within when I connect with others, and thereby Spirit in the most exhilarating way. The day was filled with a lot of music, which is a part of my soul and close to God. Joy came from being in community, a spiritual community, where I have a history, and have relationships of varying degrees of intimacy. And, joy came from celebration, and conveying to two role models of spirituality in action the warmest and sincerest wishes on the next part of their journeys.

Spirit was indeed in that place. And, where Spirit is so palpable, I am in joy.

Thank You, Spirit!