On Saturday, December 19, we dedicated the permanent labyrinth that we built at the California Rehabilitation Center at Norco, California. The events that led up to this blessed day, began over four years ago when I heard Rev. James J. Mellon claim that a labyrinth would be built in the small classroom we were standing in located in his Spiritual Center in North Hollywood. He spoke about the room being lit with candles and people walking the labyrinth. Immediately, I was called in Mind to accomplish that. And so, using masking tape, we taped the shape of the Classical 7 circuit labyrinth on the floor and had our very first labyrinth walk at the NoHo Arts Center for New Thought. This event was one event on a time line that has no beginning or end, that connects the dots of thousands of lives coming together while still expressing their unique individuality.
Since that time, my fellow practitioner and friend, Lynn Klein and I have traveled throughout Los Angeles from cemeteries to hospitals to the beaches facilitating labyrinth walks with our community.
Then in September of 2008, I asked Lynn to come with me to CRC in Norco, where I had already conducted theater workshops. It was time to introduce the labyrinth to the inmates of CRC. She jumped right in and off we went.
For the past 11 months we have conducted labyrinth workshops once a month and witnessed profound change in the hearts and minds of the inmates that we work with. It has been a testament to the power of the labyrinth as a tool for personal insight, inspiration and transformation. It has also been a testament to following our divine intuition when it beckons to us to follow its bidding. As Michael Beckwith said in a talk, "The entire Universe is conspiring to release its energy through us."
Spirit is intuiting through each of us for the greater good. We all have claim to this intuition in our own unique way. We all have a gift to give; we only need to listen and then act on it. The Law makes the way possible even when we do not know how.
The permanent labyrinth at CRC Norco is a demonstration of that. Lynn and I just knew that we would have a permanent labyrinth there. The inmates wanted it. We claimed it and just continued to do what we were doing, which was conducting labyrinth walks. Before long, Violette, the Arts Facilitator was moved out of our regular meeting place. We were disgruntled at first, but then finally gave into the change and opened up to our new space. Lo and behold, there it was...a courtyard to build our permanent labyrinth in. Lynn and I say the labyrinth found its way on its own to Norco. Yes, it had always been there, but it took us opening our minds to it to see it and then put the paint on the ground.
When we conduct labyrinth walks, I always bring meditation cards with me. These cards are just little slips of paper cut into 1" squares with inspirational words written on them. Words like 'peace' 'joy' 'forgiveness' 'gratitude', etc, are some. They are meant to be picked up on the labyrinth if you feel the called to, and they might or might not add some inspiration to your walk.
The night before the dedication, I was writing cards and a word came to me that I found rather strange. It was the word 'helper'. I almost passed over the thought, because I couldn't imagine how that word meant anything. However, I said, well I Spirit said it, so I better write it and I did.
On the walk during the sharing time, a very young inmate raised his hand. He was very emotional. It was his first weeks in prison. He missed his daughter and felt awful about having left her. The first word he picked up on the labyrinth was that card 'helper.' It was the translation of his daughter's name, which meant 'angel helper.' Oh...I forgot to mention, there was a picture of an angel on each of the cards. This inmate received this as the knowing that his daughter was with him.
All I can say, is I know we are all here to allow Spirit to intuit through us. We are here as part of a big picture called LIFE. All of us matter. We are each an integral part of the picture. We must never underestimate the power of what Spirit can do through us. We are definitely conduits. I am grateful.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
I AM In Body!
Last night in ministerial class, we had a discussion about where our International Church is going now that we are getting ready to unite---Religious Science International and United Church of Religious Science. We will be one international church called "International Centers for Spiritual Living."
The leaders are reviewing all the standards, rules, tenets of both churches and deciding what they will embrace, what they will let go of and what they will combine. As this is happening, the question that comes up for us all is "What do I believe?" and that question is what we discussed last night in class.
I was so quiet in class. I just wanted to sit back and listen and digest, but today my thoughts are ready to be dealt with.
What do I believe? I believe that all of me is God. I believe I live in a Universe of Love, Law, and Order. I believe this is true for each of us.
So, I can recite what I believe, but until I embody it, they are merely words to me. To embody means to act as with total surrender. Notice, I said "as" not "as if". There is a big difference to me. When I am acting "as" God, then there is not one ounce of doubt in me. I am merely moving forward in my divine evolution.
There is this incredible thing happening within each of us. It is our Divine Evolution, that wanting to be more, to express more to live more fully. We let it out in our own unique way when we are in action, when we are in unconditional love, when we are in service. We can say "I AM in Body." Oh, my God, I just got that Embody. I embody = I AM is Body, our individual bodies. But of course I Am Here!
So, what stops this total embodiment of Spirit. Are there two me's in each of us? No, not exactly, there is only one me in each of us with volition or choice. That is both our freedom and our bondage. We get to choose. Wow! So, why would we choose not to embody, when embodiment is total freedom. Could it be belief. Is there still a part in us that says "I am Less than that." We must each ask ourselves this question honestly. If that is true for us, then we must be willing to let go of it---the old worn out useless belief that we are less than.
This is what I know right now and you can say it with me...
I AM HERE and I accept it now. I embody It now. I AM is in Body now! And so it is!
The leaders are reviewing all the standards, rules, tenets of both churches and deciding what they will embrace, what they will let go of and what they will combine. As this is happening, the question that comes up for us all is "What do I believe?" and that question is what we discussed last night in class.
I was so quiet in class. I just wanted to sit back and listen and digest, but today my thoughts are ready to be dealt with.
What do I believe? I believe that all of me is God. I believe I live in a Universe of Love, Law, and Order. I believe this is true for each of us.
So, I can recite what I believe, but until I embody it, they are merely words to me. To embody means to act as with total surrender. Notice, I said "as" not "as if". There is a big difference to me. When I am acting "as" God, then there is not one ounce of doubt in me. I am merely moving forward in my divine evolution.
There is this incredible thing happening within each of us. It is our Divine Evolution, that wanting to be more, to express more to live more fully. We let it out in our own unique way when we are in action, when we are in unconditional love, when we are in service. We can say "I AM in Body." Oh, my God, I just got that Embody. I embody = I AM is Body, our individual bodies. But of course I Am Here!
So, what stops this total embodiment of Spirit. Are there two me's in each of us? No, not exactly, there is only one me in each of us with volition or choice. That is both our freedom and our bondage. We get to choose. Wow! So, why would we choose not to embody, when embodiment is total freedom. Could it be belief. Is there still a part in us that says "I am Less than that." We must each ask ourselves this question honestly. If that is true for us, then we must be willing to let go of it---the old worn out useless belief that we are less than.
This is what I know right now and you can say it with me...
I AM HERE and I accept it now. I embody It now. I AM is in Body now! And so it is!
Friday, December 11, 2009
What is the Meaning of Christmas?
I have come to believe Jesus was and is the great example not the great exception. He was the embodiment of Christ Consciousness. What is Christ Consciousness? It is the Divine Spark within us, our Divine intuition and connection to the highest part of our self. When one embodies Christ Consciousness there is no separation between God and self.
As a Christian website tries to determine the answer to the question of the “meaning of Christmas,” I am struck by the following passage and what it brought up in me.
“Perhaps for an answer (to what is the meaning of Christmas), we need to return to the biblical narratives…At the heart of the nativity narratives in both Matthew and Luke, is a simple fact: amid the struggle of a people who had longed for 500 years for God to act in the world in new ways, God came to be with them in a way that totally identified himself with them, as human beings. Amid the most unlikely of circumstances, to the most unlikely of people, God became a human being to reconcile all peoples to himself (2 Cor 5:18-19).”
So, here we are over 2000 years later still longing for God “…to act in the world in new ways.” I am witnessing amongst everyone I meet an intense longing for spirituality as a way of life not just a Sunday affair. I am witnessing an intense desire to express the true, creative self.
If as in the passage above, (change “him” to ‘her’ or ‘it’ if you want) “God came to be with them in a way that totally identified himself with them as human beings…” This message is as clear now as it has ever been? If we are still looking for an outside God or Sky God, a God that no one has yet seen, but only felt, could it be God is within us, expressing as us.
What is the meaning of Christmas then? Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, reminding us that we, too, are being awakened to the birth of Christ Consciousness within us. This is what I believe. “Oh, come, oh, come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.” Emmanuel means “God is with us.” Need I say anything else?
As a Christian website tries to determine the answer to the question of the “meaning of Christmas,” I am struck by the following passage and what it brought up in me.
“Perhaps for an answer (to what is the meaning of Christmas), we need to return to the biblical narratives…At the heart of the nativity narratives in both Matthew and Luke, is a simple fact: amid the struggle of a people who had longed for 500 years for God to act in the world in new ways, God came to be with them in a way that totally identified himself with them, as human beings. Amid the most unlikely of circumstances, to the most unlikely of people, God became a human being to reconcile all peoples to himself (2 Cor 5:18-19).”
So, here we are over 2000 years later still longing for God “…to act in the world in new ways.” I am witnessing amongst everyone I meet an intense longing for spirituality as a way of life not just a Sunday affair. I am witnessing an intense desire to express the true, creative self.
If as in the passage above, (change “him” to ‘her’ or ‘it’ if you want) “God came to be with them in a way that totally identified himself with them as human beings…” This message is as clear now as it has ever been? If we are still looking for an outside God or Sky God, a God that no one has yet seen, but only felt, could it be God is within us, expressing as us.
What is the meaning of Christmas then? Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, reminding us that we, too, are being awakened to the birth of Christ Consciousness within us. This is what I believe. “Oh, come, oh, come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.” Emmanuel means “God is with us.” Need I say anything else?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
QUESTION???
"The question! The question! Always live within the question!" Conversations with God
When things come to me in threes, I definitely know that a powerful message is coming through me. The above quote from "Conversations with God" came to me by email this morning, preceded by a talk by Michael Beckwith, "The Answer is You" where he said that if something keeps showing up in your life, you need to open up a dialogue with it because it is there so you can evolve, preceded by James J. Mellon challenging us, in a talk, to enter the conversation with thoughts that repeatedly come up that we might otherwise resist or bury.
This is probably one of the most powerful tools that has been given to me in a very long time, as it is allowing me to step out of resistance to things that might not be pleasing me and into expansion.
If everything is Good and if the Universe is always conspiring in my favor, then whatever is showing up is here to allow me to grow and expand. Everything, and I mean everything is giving me an opportunity to know who I truly am. So, as I am continuing to converse with any lack that is still showing up in my life, I am shifting powerfully.
On the heels of Self-Esteem week in Boot Camp, I have aligned myself with the knowing that self-esteem is linked to acting as "self-esteem" and not just being aware that "I am worth it!"
For me, my self-esteem shines when I am serving with all my talents. As I serve, I know that I have plenty to give. I am stepping into my highest self which is unlimited. Voila! As we know who we are and step into this knowing through action, we are telling the Universe, "Bring it on. I am up to it!"
In Michael Beckwith's talk, he gave us three things to ask ourselves each morning. "How can I grow? How can I give? What can I celebrate? Good questions, and, the answer is that the Law says, "yes, I'll show you." What a day unfolds!
I have so much to celebrate, so many more ways to grow, and so much to give.
When things come to me in threes, I definitely know that a powerful message is coming through me. The above quote from "Conversations with God" came to me by email this morning, preceded by a talk by Michael Beckwith, "The Answer is You" where he said that if something keeps showing up in your life, you need to open up a dialogue with it because it is there so you can evolve, preceded by James J. Mellon challenging us, in a talk, to enter the conversation with thoughts that repeatedly come up that we might otherwise resist or bury.
This is probably one of the most powerful tools that has been given to me in a very long time, as it is allowing me to step out of resistance to things that might not be pleasing me and into expansion.
If everything is Good and if the Universe is always conspiring in my favor, then whatever is showing up is here to allow me to grow and expand. Everything, and I mean everything is giving me an opportunity to know who I truly am. So, as I am continuing to converse with any lack that is still showing up in my life, I am shifting powerfully.
On the heels of Self-Esteem week in Boot Camp, I have aligned myself with the knowing that self-esteem is linked to acting as "self-esteem" and not just being aware that "I am worth it!"
For me, my self-esteem shines when I am serving with all my talents. As I serve, I know that I have plenty to give. I am stepping into my highest self which is unlimited. Voila! As we know who we are and step into this knowing through action, we are telling the Universe, "Bring it on. I am up to it!"
In Michael Beckwith's talk, he gave us three things to ask ourselves each morning. "How can I grow? How can I give? What can I celebrate? Good questions, and, the answer is that the Law says, "yes, I'll show you." What a day unfolds!
I have so much to celebrate, so many more ways to grow, and so much to give.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Letters of Forgiveness
We have declared this month "Peace" in Youth Church. As I am preparing my lesson plans for this topic, of course, I got introspective. Without forgiveness, there can be no peace. Have I forgiven everyone in my life? Have I forgiven myself?
And so I set out to write letters of forgiveness. Each day through the month of December, I will explore an area of my life that needs forgiveness whether it be a person, an experience, or some irritation within myself. I will meditate, make amends if possible, and write a letter of forgiveness. Whether I mail it or not, the letter is a cleansing and closing. Forgiveness doesn't have to involve anyone but ourselves. It all takes place in mind. I will make a big clearing in my heart and let love fill it up. No more duality can exist within my heart.
As I was running this morning, I noticed that it is the time of year when the gardeners are clearing the leaves and branches that clutter people's lawns and the street. They are pruning back the trees. It is metaphorical isn't it?
As the old is cleared, we make room for the new life. I love this idea of forgiveness. We will end the month with a forgiveness labyrinth on December 29th. We will join as a community and support each other through this journey. The ending of 2009 will definitely be what was intended at its beginning. I am "Aligning in 2009."
And so I set out to write letters of forgiveness. Each day through the month of December, I will explore an area of my life that needs forgiveness whether it be a person, an experience, or some irritation within myself. I will meditate, make amends if possible, and write a letter of forgiveness. Whether I mail it or not, the letter is a cleansing and closing. Forgiveness doesn't have to involve anyone but ourselves. It all takes place in mind. I will make a big clearing in my heart and let love fill it up. No more duality can exist within my heart.
As I was running this morning, I noticed that it is the time of year when the gardeners are clearing the leaves and branches that clutter people's lawns and the street. They are pruning back the trees. It is metaphorical isn't it?
As the old is cleared, we make room for the new life. I love this idea of forgiveness. We will end the month with a forgiveness labyrinth on December 29th. We will join as a community and support each other through this journey. The ending of 2009 will definitely be what was intended at its beginning. I am "Aligning in 2009."
Thursday, November 26, 2009
MY VACATION
Yesterday, I woke up and said, "My intention today is to take a vacation with Spirit." And so, my day enfolded.
When I am on a vacation, I get to relax. I don't worry about the day-to-day chores and business. I have all the money I need. I get to do what I want to do. The time is spent in the present. What a great idea, but not easy to implement for someone like me. This came on the heels of being told in ministerial class that I need to learn to relinquish control when appropriate. Let go! I thought they were talking about my projects at the Center, but now it came home in a different way...I need to let go to Spirit.
So, this is the way the way the Law works. All day, I was given opportunities to prove my intention to myself. The day ended with being asked to sing and give an impromtu talk at NoHo. I was specially told not to think ahead, but to just let myself flow with Spirit in the moment.
Of course, I started to plan my talk in my head. Then, with each plan I made,I was met with another opportunity to let go. Including the person going before me, using the only quote I had memorized and was going to use.
Finally, it was time to stand up. My heart pounded in my chest. I took the gulp. I let go, the words flowed and I don't remember much of what I said.
After, I was told how succinct I was--how Spirit was, that is. I am learning.
I am going to continue this vacation. It's good for my heart. It's good for my health. It's good for my mind. It helps me to stay in the present. I suggest this vacation spot very highly. It's called at HOME!
When I am on a vacation, I get to relax. I don't worry about the day-to-day chores and business. I have all the money I need. I get to do what I want to do. The time is spent in the present. What a great idea, but not easy to implement for someone like me. This came on the heels of being told in ministerial class that I need to learn to relinquish control when appropriate. Let go! I thought they were talking about my projects at the Center, but now it came home in a different way...I need to let go to Spirit.
So, this is the way the way the Law works. All day, I was given opportunities to prove my intention to myself. The day ended with being asked to sing and give an impromtu talk at NoHo. I was specially told not to think ahead, but to just let myself flow with Spirit in the moment.
Of course, I started to plan my talk in my head. Then, with each plan I made,I was met with another opportunity to let go. Including the person going before me, using the only quote I had memorized and was going to use.
Finally, it was time to stand up. My heart pounded in my chest. I took the gulp. I let go, the words flowed and I don't remember much of what I said.
After, I was told how succinct I was--how Spirit was, that is. I am learning.
I am going to continue this vacation. It's good for my heart. It's good for my health. It's good for my mind. It helps me to stay in the present. I suggest this vacation spot very highly. It's called at HOME!
Monday, November 23, 2009
C.U.L.T
Some people ask, "Am I a member of a cult?" In answer to this question, let's look at the definition of a cult according to the dictionary. "... a system of religious or spiritual beliefs, especially an informal and transient belief system regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false, and directed by a charismatic, authoritarian leader."
Now, let me dissect the definition and see where my association with the philosophy of Science of Mind weighs in.
"...a system of religious or spiritual beliefs..."
Yes I am a member of an organization that has spiritual beliefs. I am a member of a an organization called Centers for Spiritual Living, otherwise known as Religious Science. Religious Science is defined by its founder, Ernest Holmes as "a philosophy, a faith, way of life."
In case you don't know who Ernest Holmes is...he was a spiritualist, a teacher, a writer and public speaker. He founded Religious Science in 1927 and it is part of the New Thought Movement, which is not really new thought, but a compilation of the teachings of the ages from Socrates to Jesus to Ralph Waldo Emerson.
In a nutshell, we recognize that God is everywhere. We believe each person, each living creation is a unique expression of the Divine. God is within, expressing through us. We as human expressions with self-awareness and the ability to think and to have freedom of choice, experience life as a reflection of what we believe. We are governed by our use of the Law of Cause and Effect. Cause being the Mind and Effect being the out-picturing of our thoughts as our life experience.
Is this "...especially an informal and transient belief system regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false?"
In answer to this question, I'm sure there are those who regard it as such, but I would have to say no. Although the philosophy known as Science of Mind is relatively young, it is not informal and transient. It is a provable science. It is a belief system that has been around for well over 2000 years. I could hardly call it misguided, extremist or false, as I am taught to think for myself and to think the best of myself and everyone. It is a philosophy based in love and respect of all souls. Spirit or God is Love.
The last part of the definition: "...and directed by a charismatic, authoritarian leader."
Each of our centers has a minister. In fact, I am studying to be one. Are ministers charismatic? Well, if it means well-liked and able to hold a crowd, I would think that would be important. I don't want to be putting people to sleep. I want to be inspirational.
"Authoritarian?" Yes, there is structure to any organization, but we do not follow anyone blindly. As I said before, Religious Science is a way of life. Our aim is to bring our belief that Life is Good into our daily experience. We can do this whether we are a member of a church or not. We are all leaders and we inspire each other.
So there you have it. Do I belong to a cult? The cult I belong to is spelled C.U.L.T and it stands for a Creative, Unlimited, Loving Team of individuals who are empowering themselves and awakening mankind to its magnificence. If that's "extreme" then I say...bring it on!
Now, let me dissect the definition and see where my association with the philosophy of Science of Mind weighs in.
"...a system of religious or spiritual beliefs..."
Yes I am a member of an organization that has spiritual beliefs. I am a member of a an organization called Centers for Spiritual Living, otherwise known as Religious Science. Religious Science is defined by its founder, Ernest Holmes as "a philosophy, a faith, way of life."
In case you don't know who Ernest Holmes is...he was a spiritualist, a teacher, a writer and public speaker. He founded Religious Science in 1927 and it is part of the New Thought Movement, which is not really new thought, but a compilation of the teachings of the ages from Socrates to Jesus to Ralph Waldo Emerson.
In a nutshell, we recognize that God is everywhere. We believe each person, each living creation is a unique expression of the Divine. God is within, expressing through us. We as human expressions with self-awareness and the ability to think and to have freedom of choice, experience life as a reflection of what we believe. We are governed by our use of the Law of Cause and Effect. Cause being the Mind and Effect being the out-picturing of our thoughts as our life experience.
Is this "...especially an informal and transient belief system regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false?"
In answer to this question, I'm sure there are those who regard it as such, but I would have to say no. Although the philosophy known as Science of Mind is relatively young, it is not informal and transient. It is a provable science. It is a belief system that has been around for well over 2000 years. I could hardly call it misguided, extremist or false, as I am taught to think for myself and to think the best of myself and everyone. It is a philosophy based in love and respect of all souls. Spirit or God is Love.
The last part of the definition: "...and directed by a charismatic, authoritarian leader."
Each of our centers has a minister. In fact, I am studying to be one. Are ministers charismatic? Well, if it means well-liked and able to hold a crowd, I would think that would be important. I don't want to be putting people to sleep. I want to be inspirational.
"Authoritarian?" Yes, there is structure to any organization, but we do not follow anyone blindly. As I said before, Religious Science is a way of life. Our aim is to bring our belief that Life is Good into our daily experience. We can do this whether we are a member of a church or not. We are all leaders and we inspire each other.
So there you have it. Do I belong to a cult? The cult I belong to is spelled C.U.L.T and it stands for a Creative, Unlimited, Loving Team of individuals who are empowering themselves and awakening mankind to its magnificence. If that's "extreme" then I say...bring it on!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
PERFECT LIFE NOW!
I watched Wayne Dyer's "The Shift" the other night. I love Wayne Dyer and this movie was no exception to the enlightenment that he brings to the planet. At one point in the film when explaining the ego (with a small "e"), he tells one of his skeptical listeners about our perfection when we were in the womb. Perfection so real that everything we required was perfectly provided for us in perfect time. We were nourished and nurtured spectacularly by the Infinite Intelligence. Then the moment we were born, he explains, it is like we said, "I'll take over from here!" And thus, the ego was born. Ego stands for "Edging God Out."
I loved this analogy and pondered what this meant to me and my life. How am I edging God out. I'm edging God out every time I worry. I am edging God out every time I am negative with myself. I am edging God out anytime I think me or my experience is less than perfect. I am edging God out every time I do not see God in each person.
My intention is to surrender myself and my life to God, to let God breathe through me in every moment as I move into action.
This is perfection week in Mental Muscle Boot Camp. How perfect and what synchronicity. And then, more synchronicity...I found myself in a hospital with my husband who was having a minor surgery. How did I find perfect life in a hospital? When that was my intention it wasn't hard. At one point, my husband said, "I just want to get this over so I can get on with life." I almost immediately responded with "This is life."
Yes, life is always happening so perfectly. The journey of that day in the hospital showed me how each piece of the puzzle fits together. Each person we connected with met us in perfection, flowing and dancing with us as my husband revealed perfect healing. Life did not stop and my husband did not stop either. He continued to laugh and be an inspiration to all those around him. He was a shining example to me.
I am shifting right now. I am learning to live my BIGGER GAME...which encompasses me letting out my compelling purpose in everything I do. I am finding that even in the most seemingly mundane moments, a miracle is happening so perfectly.
I loved this analogy and pondered what this meant to me and my life. How am I edging God out. I'm edging God out every time I worry. I am edging God out every time I am negative with myself. I am edging God out anytime I think me or my experience is less than perfect. I am edging God out every time I do not see God in each person.
My intention is to surrender myself and my life to God, to let God breathe through me in every moment as I move into action.
This is perfection week in Mental Muscle Boot Camp. How perfect and what synchronicity. And then, more synchronicity...I found myself in a hospital with my husband who was having a minor surgery. How did I find perfect life in a hospital? When that was my intention it wasn't hard. At one point, my husband said, "I just want to get this over so I can get on with life." I almost immediately responded with "This is life."
Yes, life is always happening so perfectly. The journey of that day in the hospital showed me how each piece of the puzzle fits together. Each person we connected with met us in perfection, flowing and dancing with us as my husband revealed perfect healing. Life did not stop and my husband did not stop either. He continued to laugh and be an inspiration to all those around him. He was a shining example to me.
I am shifting right now. I am learning to live my BIGGER GAME...which encompasses me letting out my compelling purpose in everything I do. I am finding that even in the most seemingly mundane moments, a miracle is happening so perfectly.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Consciousness of the Labyrinth
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the labyrinth. I love walking it and I love introducing it to others.
For those of you who do not know what a labyrinth is, it is a walking meditation dating back at least 4500 years. It is not a maze, but one spiraling path inward to the center and back out again. There are no tricks or puzzles or anything to figure out. You simply walk it. Its walkers receive enlightenment, inner peace, profound answers to life's questions, or simply a sense of relaxation. The early Christians used the labyrinth as a metaphorical journey to Jerusalem when they could not make the trip on foot or horseback because of the dangers of the Crusades. They were traveling to their Center to God.
I have been facilitating labyrinth walks for a few years. At our walks, we use the labyrinth to quiet our minds, let go of the distractions, set intentions, ask questions of our higher selves, intuit Spirit and more.
One of the questions I am most asked by newcomers is: "Does the labyrinth itself hold power or is it magic?" This is what I think on this topic. We are all consciousness. I believe the labyrinth holds the collective consciousness of 4500 years of travelers walking its path. Its consciousness is one of healing, communing with God, miracles, a place to hear the Truth within ourselves. We are all subject to the consciousness of the labyrinth when we walk it, but we still have the choice to take the journey.
For over a year, my friend and fellow practitioner Lynn and I have brought the tradition of walking the labyrinth to the California Rehabilitation at Norco. We have witnessed the consciousness of the labyrinth transform the inmates there as they bring their longing for release of tension, pain and the craziness of daily prison life. A part of them, even in their skepticism, believes that the answer is there on the labyrinth. Their experience on the labyrinth transforms their thinking. It is done unto us as we believe.
We are all energy. The labyrinth is energy. As we seek to raise our consciousness to a higher level by walking the labyrinth, AND SO IT IS! That's all!
For those of you who do not know what a labyrinth is, it is a walking meditation dating back at least 4500 years. It is not a maze, but one spiraling path inward to the center and back out again. There are no tricks or puzzles or anything to figure out. You simply walk it. Its walkers receive enlightenment, inner peace, profound answers to life's questions, or simply a sense of relaxation. The early Christians used the labyrinth as a metaphorical journey to Jerusalem when they could not make the trip on foot or horseback because of the dangers of the Crusades. They were traveling to their Center to God.
I have been facilitating labyrinth walks for a few years. At our walks, we use the labyrinth to quiet our minds, let go of the distractions, set intentions, ask questions of our higher selves, intuit Spirit and more.
One of the questions I am most asked by newcomers is: "Does the labyrinth itself hold power or is it magic?" This is what I think on this topic. We are all consciousness. I believe the labyrinth holds the collective consciousness of 4500 years of travelers walking its path. Its consciousness is one of healing, communing with God, miracles, a place to hear the Truth within ourselves. We are all subject to the consciousness of the labyrinth when we walk it, but we still have the choice to take the journey.
For over a year, my friend and fellow practitioner Lynn and I have brought the tradition of walking the labyrinth to the California Rehabilitation at Norco. We have witnessed the consciousness of the labyrinth transform the inmates there as they bring their longing for release of tension, pain and the craziness of daily prison life. A part of them, even in their skepticism, believes that the answer is there on the labyrinth. Their experience on the labyrinth transforms their thinking. It is done unto us as we believe.
We are all energy. The labyrinth is energy. As we seek to raise our consciousness to a higher level by walking the labyrinth, AND SO IT IS! That's all!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
THE FORMLESS FORM
Yesterday, I asked for prayer/treatment for clarity and resolution immediately! And, it came immediately through the voice of a practitioner friend. “When looking at money,” she pointed out, “in the world of conditions, there is a lot of heat attached to the word. But, just for a moment how about looking at it all as just energy.” She had just recently decided to drop the word money out of her vocabulary and just call it energy. It released the “heat” for her. How synchronistic that this would come to me during Life Force Week.
When I stepped into her words, it was an ah-hah moment. I got it so clearly. It’s just energy/life force. We get to play in the field of energy and get excited about it. I don’t need to divide it up either. Whether it is money, career, relationship or health, it’s all one thing---energy. There is nothing in the world of form that is permanent, whether it is a tumor or a hot fudge sundae. Just because we like it doesn’t make it any more real (that is Real with a capital R.) Form is always formless. I understood once again that I get to decide, through my belief, how I want this energy to play out in my experience.
So, as I examine my Life Force and what makes it flow and what creates a kink, I can say that it really never stops flowing. It’s only my mind that gets kinked. And I can have a kinky mind. Action is the answer. The flow of energy must be acted upon, whether it is to sit by my turtle, write this blog or re-invent the Prison System. My Life Force calls me to action to express my divine self fully. I read a quote this morning from Rev Angela’s blog... “I honestly believe that the next step in our evolution is that we all get the idea that we are not separate from divinity… In our purest form we are the actualization of God in human density.” Rev. Angela
“And the Word was made FLESH!” Word is just another word for Life Force. How will I spend my Word today?
When I stepped into her words, it was an ah-hah moment. I got it so clearly. It’s just energy/life force. We get to play in the field of energy and get excited about it. I don’t need to divide it up either. Whether it is money, career, relationship or health, it’s all one thing---energy. There is nothing in the world of form that is permanent, whether it is a tumor or a hot fudge sundae. Just because we like it doesn’t make it any more real (that is Real with a capital R.) Form is always formless. I understood once again that I get to decide, through my belief, how I want this energy to play out in my experience.
So, as I examine my Life Force and what makes it flow and what creates a kink, I can say that it really never stops flowing. It’s only my mind that gets kinked. And I can have a kinky mind. Action is the answer. The flow of energy must be acted upon, whether it is to sit by my turtle, write this blog or re-invent the Prison System. My Life Force calls me to action to express my divine self fully. I read a quote this morning from Rev Angela’s blog... “I honestly believe that the next step in our evolution is that we all get the idea that we are not separate from divinity… In our purest form we are the actualization of God in human density.” Rev. Angela
“And the Word was made FLESH!” Word is just another word for Life Force. How will I spend my Word today?
Monday, November 9, 2009
ABSOLUTELY!
Ernest Holmes says that we can “…live in the Absolute in as much as we can withdraw from the relative.” How boundless I am when I live in the Absolute where there is only unlimited intelligence. And still I fall out of alignment and into the relative. Today I live in the Absolute. That is my priority. I combined this thought with the reading from ministerial class in “Leading Consciously,” The chapter was about Nature’s innate manuscript of leadership. And so, I went on my morning run.
I would enjoy Nature’s manuscript by running a path I knew would keep me out of traffic’s way (so I wouldn’t have to bog my mind down with that) and in the most quiet section of my neighborhood where nature was most present.
Once I was in the runner’s zone, which happens for me after about 2 miles, I decided to experience nature through my five senses, one by one.
I started with the sense of sight. At first I just enjoyed the beauty of the physical around me; then, something deeper surfaced. I saw the boundlessness of nature. I saw how the trees and the grass didn’t know a beginning and end, they just grew. I saw how we had bounded them by what we called symmetry, putting three bushes here and two there, cutting them, pruning them. It was almost comical. Boundlessness vs. constriction. I am as boundless as a tree. Where was I constricting my life?
Hearing was the hardest sense to experience, because I felt like I had to block out the jet roaring above me and the constant underlying roar of LA traffic far in the background. But, what was I hearing beneath all that. The birds came clearest to my ears. Again, I heard the individual sounds calling out. The jay, the dove, the mockingbird and many I couldn’t name. Then, I heard the symphony, the harmony of it all including the roar of the jet and traffic. Sound knows no boundary. It just is. The bird doesn’t say I am singing now. It just sings! Being is boundless!
The best of the senses was touch, although I didn’t touch one thing. Yet, I felt all the textures of nature from the thorns to the solidness of the ground. At first, the thorns said stay away from me I am a thorn and the ground felt solid beneath my feet. Then, I experienced the understanding even where it seemed there was solid ground, the root pressed into the earth, the water permeated what appeared to be solid blades of grass. Again, oneness! No separation. No bounds.
At first I tried to smell this and that. It didn’t work. I relaxed,and all I could smell was earth. It is unity of all life. It is the scent that flows through all of us. Each scent: the lemon, the bird in its nest, the rose…all called out earth…unity.
I totally could not remember the fifth sense until I got home, so I skipped the scent of taste. That’s comical being that I love to taste things. I’ll have to do that tomorrow.
I moved onto the sixth sense, which I felt would bring it all together for me. What was nature telling me about the boundless Absolute and how did I fit into the patternless pattern?
Just then a jet roared by. I saw in that jet how we had taken nature’s pattern and worked within the context that we understood nature to create that jet. It was all about boundaries. Just like when we thought the world was flat, we were thinking and creating from where we were at, within our boundaries of thought.
Nature knows no boundaries. We create boundaries. I finished my run with a treatment and suddenly, I was struck by the power of my word. Although nothing has a name, a bird doesn’t know it is a bird, it just is. We call a tree a tree and grass…grass. We call God, God or Buddha or Allah, but really it has no name but the name we give it.
There is a creative energy that has no name. It flows through everything from the acorn that holds all it needs to be an oak tree to every star in the sky. The power of our Word gives us dominion over our own life. God is the word and the word is God. My word is the Absolute Power for me. We name it. IT HAS NO NAME. Let me Name it Unlimited in my life. Let me live in the Absolute.
I would enjoy Nature’s manuscript by running a path I knew would keep me out of traffic’s way (so I wouldn’t have to bog my mind down with that) and in the most quiet section of my neighborhood where nature was most present.
Once I was in the runner’s zone, which happens for me after about 2 miles, I decided to experience nature through my five senses, one by one.
I started with the sense of sight. At first I just enjoyed the beauty of the physical around me; then, something deeper surfaced. I saw the boundlessness of nature. I saw how the trees and the grass didn’t know a beginning and end, they just grew. I saw how we had bounded them by what we called symmetry, putting three bushes here and two there, cutting them, pruning them. It was almost comical. Boundlessness vs. constriction. I am as boundless as a tree. Where was I constricting my life?
Hearing was the hardest sense to experience, because I felt like I had to block out the jet roaring above me and the constant underlying roar of LA traffic far in the background. But, what was I hearing beneath all that. The birds came clearest to my ears. Again, I heard the individual sounds calling out. The jay, the dove, the mockingbird and many I couldn’t name. Then, I heard the symphony, the harmony of it all including the roar of the jet and traffic. Sound knows no boundary. It just is. The bird doesn’t say I am singing now. It just sings! Being is boundless!
The best of the senses was touch, although I didn’t touch one thing. Yet, I felt all the textures of nature from the thorns to the solidness of the ground. At first, the thorns said stay away from me I am a thorn and the ground felt solid beneath my feet. Then, I experienced the understanding even where it seemed there was solid ground, the root pressed into the earth, the water permeated what appeared to be solid blades of grass. Again, oneness! No separation. No bounds.
At first I tried to smell this and that. It didn’t work. I relaxed,and all I could smell was earth. It is unity of all life. It is the scent that flows through all of us. Each scent: the lemon, the bird in its nest, the rose…all called out earth…unity.
I totally could not remember the fifth sense until I got home, so I skipped the scent of taste. That’s comical being that I love to taste things. I’ll have to do that tomorrow.
I moved onto the sixth sense, which I felt would bring it all together for me. What was nature telling me about the boundless Absolute and how did I fit into the patternless pattern?
Just then a jet roared by. I saw in that jet how we had taken nature’s pattern and worked within the context that we understood nature to create that jet. It was all about boundaries. Just like when we thought the world was flat, we were thinking and creating from where we were at, within our boundaries of thought.
Nature knows no boundaries. We create boundaries. I finished my run with a treatment and suddenly, I was struck by the power of my word. Although nothing has a name, a bird doesn’t know it is a bird, it just is. We call a tree a tree and grass…grass. We call God, God or Buddha or Allah, but really it has no name but the name we give it.
There is a creative energy that has no name. It flows through everything from the acorn that holds all it needs to be an oak tree to every star in the sky. The power of our Word gives us dominion over our own life. God is the word and the word is God. My word is the Absolute Power for me. We name it. IT HAS NO NAME. Let me Name it Unlimited in my life. Let me live in the Absolute.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
My fabulous mentor and maternal grandmother used to have a saying. Every time she felt that someone was infringing upon her privacy or decisions, etc, she'd say "...they should mind their own ____damn business." This was her way of telling us that what we were thinking or doing was our business and our business alone and we should not be swayed by what other people thought about us. My maternal aunt had another pearl of wisdom, and that was that if you were in the midst of completing a project to never to say anything about what you were doing until you'd completed it. "Let your results be your announcement."
Ernest Holmes, my grandmother and aunt are definitely together in mind about this concept, because in "Love and Law" Holmes says, "You will get the biggest results if you will say nothing to anybody of what you want to do. If we could add to the commandments, the greatest would be mind your own business." (Love and Law by Ernest Holmes)
I know for myself, when I feel the need to talk about what I am doing or trying to do, it just means I am not sure about it and need the outside to tell me it is okay.
I have used these important bit of advice many times in my life, but not so much so as when I intentionally released 50 pounds of body weight at the age of 54. I never asked anyone for their opinion. I knew what I wanted to do, and set out to do it. It was easy because I was certain and had made a decision. I didn't need to know what anyone was thinking about me or my decision. My aunt was right. "Mind your own business," brought me success.
My grandma's little pearl of wisdom came into play on more than one occasion and kept me on course. Although, I was minding my own business, interestingly, it seems that my weight loss became the business of everyone that was close to me, and they had no qualms about talking about it behind my back and to my face. Did it bother me? For a long time it did. It didn't stop me from losing weight, like it might have at one time, but there was a hurt and a deep curiosity about the why. When I found out today that this was still going on after almost three years, I am really asking why.
As a side note, my plan and way of losing weight is all contained in a program put together by my husband and myself called, "You're the Boss!" I won't go into that here, but let it suffice: It is a healthy plan based on the premise "...it is done unto you as you believe." What you believe about food and eating affects how you eat and what it does to your body. That's enough of that for now. Let's get back to how important it is to "mind your own business."
So why does this bother me? Everyone says they are just concerned about me. But why is it considered well meaning to worry about another person whether they ask you to or not? I know the answer as a Spiritual Practitioner, it is not my place to be worried about anything. By worrying, I am not knowing the truth. Frankly, my only business is to see and know perfection in any situation.
So, as I hear even after close to three years, that people are still worried about me and my weight loss, I have to look at myself too. Why am I attracting this sort of concern? Well, I got my answer thanks to Grandma. It is not about why they are saying it to me, that's their business. It's more about how am I reacting to it?
I am taking, Grandma's Auntie's and Ernest's advice, "Mind your own business, Rita." It is not my job to be concerned about what others think of me or my business. It is my business. God's business. Calmness and surety comes from knowing that. Anything else would be judgment on my part and none of my business. Enough said and so it is!
Ernest Holmes, my grandmother and aunt are definitely together in mind about this concept, because in "Love and Law" Holmes says, "You will get the biggest results if you will say nothing to anybody of what you want to do. If we could add to the commandments, the greatest would be mind your own business." (Love and Law by Ernest Holmes)
I know for myself, when I feel the need to talk about what I am doing or trying to do, it just means I am not sure about it and need the outside to tell me it is okay.
I have used these important bit of advice many times in my life, but not so much so as when I intentionally released 50 pounds of body weight at the age of 54. I never asked anyone for their opinion. I knew what I wanted to do, and set out to do it. It was easy because I was certain and had made a decision. I didn't need to know what anyone was thinking about me or my decision. My aunt was right. "Mind your own business," brought me success.
My grandma's little pearl of wisdom came into play on more than one occasion and kept me on course. Although, I was minding my own business, interestingly, it seems that my weight loss became the business of everyone that was close to me, and they had no qualms about talking about it behind my back and to my face. Did it bother me? For a long time it did. It didn't stop me from losing weight, like it might have at one time, but there was a hurt and a deep curiosity about the why. When I found out today that this was still going on after almost three years, I am really asking why.
As a side note, my plan and way of losing weight is all contained in a program put together by my husband and myself called, "You're the Boss!" I won't go into that here, but let it suffice: It is a healthy plan based on the premise "...it is done unto you as you believe." What you believe about food and eating affects how you eat and what it does to your body. That's enough of that for now. Let's get back to how important it is to "mind your own business."
So why does this bother me? Everyone says they are just concerned about me. But why is it considered well meaning to worry about another person whether they ask you to or not? I know the answer as a Spiritual Practitioner, it is not my place to be worried about anything. By worrying, I am not knowing the truth. Frankly, my only business is to see and know perfection in any situation.
So, as I hear even after close to three years, that people are still worried about me and my weight loss, I have to look at myself too. Why am I attracting this sort of concern? Well, I got my answer thanks to Grandma. It is not about why they are saying it to me, that's their business. It's more about how am I reacting to it?
I am taking, Grandma's Auntie's and Ernest's advice, "Mind your own business, Rita." It is not my job to be concerned about what others think of me or my business. It is my business. God's business. Calmness and surety comes from knowing that. Anything else would be judgment on my part and none of my business. Enough said and so it is!
Friday, November 6, 2009
WE ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE!
Did you know we are 100% responsible for everything that happens in our life. That is the Truth of the Science of Mind teaching. We create our reality by our use of the Law of Cause and Effect. Another way to put this is that there is a Mental Equivalent that demonstrates in the conditions of our life exactly what we believe. We are 100% responsible! Spirit or God is Love and Divine Givingness. The Law is impersonal. It only says "yes!"
What I know from experience is that once we start using the Spiritual Law for our highest good, we get to start experiencing life in a powerful way.
You know the saying, "Shit happens!" Well shit doesn't happen to us; it happens through us. Excuse the metaphor...But, I'm getting down to basics. The other side of the coin is that "Good doesn't happen to us; it happens through us." We are 100% responsible!
Let me give you a concrete example of this concept that just happened through me the other day...
We are in "Priorities and Boundaries Week" in Mental Muscle workshop. Right now the most important priority in my life is to let God out through me in everything I do in a big way. If I am not letting God out through Rita, if there is a boundary a block then I need to see it clearly and break through it. So, here it comes.
I had a challenging money moment and the need to get money into our account promptly and the sitcom began. Watch how the Law works through me as I step outside of my highest self to resolve the issue on my own.
First of all, the roads to the bank were blocked. Talk about boundaries. At one point, I came to a sign that said "Through Traffic Only." I thought, "At last". I then was halted by a road that just disappeared and all I could see in front of me was a fence and the luminous bank on the other side, unreachable. "The Universe is Always conspiring in my favor." I did a spiritual mind treatment for faith and trust.
After relaxing into the Law for a moment, I drove on and was able to put the money in at another branch. I got home and checked my account on-line. Ah...not trusting, Rita? The Law answers "yes!" Online I saw that the bank teller had put the money into the wrong account, our closed account that apparently wasn't closed. Where is my resistance still and how nice of this teller to show up to let me know about it? (That is what the outside can look like, and how quickly we will blame the teller. However, this teller and I crossed paths at exactly the right moment with exactly the right consciousness for each other. The Law always says "yes!"
I transferred the money into the correct account with that wonderful on-line transfer button.
Then the next day, I went on-line again...still not trusting, Rita???...The account showed a deduction in the exact amount of the deposit. We called the bank and the CS person said they had no record of the deposit or my transfer. (The Law doing its work again, always saying "yes!")
My will power at its wits end, I surrendered finally. I laughed at it all and I only knew that it had to be good. I had to trust Spirit. A long road back to the Real me. Everything resolved immediately. The money showed up and all is well.
I am breaking through these money boundaries this time for sure. Letting God Out and faith are my tools---Let God out in a big way no matter what she looks like! She is beautiful! Even at the ATM with a look of shock on her face. I am 100% responsible!
What I know from experience is that once we start using the Spiritual Law for our highest good, we get to start experiencing life in a powerful way.
You know the saying, "Shit happens!" Well shit doesn't happen to us; it happens through us. Excuse the metaphor...But, I'm getting down to basics. The other side of the coin is that "Good doesn't happen to us; it happens through us." We are 100% responsible!
Let me give you a concrete example of this concept that just happened through me the other day...
We are in "Priorities and Boundaries Week" in Mental Muscle workshop. Right now the most important priority in my life is to let God out through me in everything I do in a big way. If I am not letting God out through Rita, if there is a boundary a block then I need to see it clearly and break through it. So, here it comes.
I had a challenging money moment and the need to get money into our account promptly and the sitcom began. Watch how the Law works through me as I step outside of my highest self to resolve the issue on my own.
First of all, the roads to the bank were blocked. Talk about boundaries. At one point, I came to a sign that said "Through Traffic Only." I thought, "At last". I then was halted by a road that just disappeared and all I could see in front of me was a fence and the luminous bank on the other side, unreachable. "The Universe is Always conspiring in my favor." I did a spiritual mind treatment for faith and trust.
After relaxing into the Law for a moment, I drove on and was able to put the money in at another branch. I got home and checked my account on-line. Ah...not trusting, Rita? The Law answers "yes!" Online I saw that the bank teller had put the money into the wrong account, our closed account that apparently wasn't closed. Where is my resistance still and how nice of this teller to show up to let me know about it? (That is what the outside can look like, and how quickly we will blame the teller. However, this teller and I crossed paths at exactly the right moment with exactly the right consciousness for each other. The Law always says "yes!"
I transferred the money into the correct account with that wonderful on-line transfer button.
Then the next day, I went on-line again...still not trusting, Rita???...The account showed a deduction in the exact amount of the deposit. We called the bank and the CS person said they had no record of the deposit or my transfer. (The Law doing its work again, always saying "yes!")
My will power at its wits end, I surrendered finally. I laughed at it all and I only knew that it had to be good. I had to trust Spirit. A long road back to the Real me. Everything resolved immediately. The money showed up and all is well.
I am breaking through these money boundaries this time for sure. Letting God Out and faith are my tools---Let God out in a big way no matter what she looks like! She is beautiful! Even at the ATM with a look of shock on her face. I am 100% responsible!
Monday, November 2, 2009
THE MONEY RELATIONSHIP
I was listening to someone speak about successful relationships. He was talking about personal intimate relationships--lover-to-lover. He said the three most important elements of a good relationship were respect, trust and love.
This got me thinking. I have a beautiful personal intimate relationship. I have no problem with these three qualities. Plenty of love, plenty of trust, plenty of respect.
So the question is could I transfer these elements to my relationship with money, where I could definitely use some improvement? I really being honest now. Let me look at each of these elements and ask myself a few questions. Perhaps, you'd like to join me in answering them for yourselves at the same time.
RESPECT
How are we in the area of respect of money? The dictionary defines respect as, "high or special regard, esteem, the quality or quality or state of being esteemed."
I would have to say I have respect for money, but am I putting having lots and lots of money to far up on the pedestal...out of reach? Is the possession of lots of money too good for me? Self-respect would be the other side of the coin (no pun intended). How can I attract money into my life without self-respect? It would be impossible. So much about having abundance is about feeling deserving. Of course, I am deserving of money. I am a child of God! I deserve the abundance of the Universe.
TRUST
The next element is trust. Do I trust money? Do I trust myself with money? Is there a part of me that feels I would not know what to do with money if I had lots of it? Do I trust that there will always be enough money for me, for my projects? Do I trust myself with money? I must. Divine Intelligence flows through me as me. I will always know what to do.
LOVE
The third element is love. Do I love money? So much from our past and race consciousness tells us that loving money might be evil. Money is after all said to be the "root of all evil." Isn't it "...harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to get through the eye of the needle?" Well, in order for a camel to get through the eye of the needle, he must kneel down. Camels can do this, but it is not easy for them. Does that mean that being rich makes it hard to be good? There is nothing wrong with loving money. Money is God in Action.
This is all a bunch of past programming. If we really look at these blocks we can literally feel their ridiculousness. These thoughts are not as I was told in a fabulous talk at the NoHo Arts Center yesterday, at all "normal."
It is only normal to be rich, abundant with more to give and share with the world. It is time to really examine these three elements of a good relationship with money: LOVE, TRUST, RESPECT. I deserve to have an abundant life and so do you.
This got me thinking. I have a beautiful personal intimate relationship. I have no problem with these three qualities. Plenty of love, plenty of trust, plenty of respect.
So the question is could I transfer these elements to my relationship with money, where I could definitely use some improvement? I really being honest now. Let me look at each of these elements and ask myself a few questions. Perhaps, you'd like to join me in answering them for yourselves at the same time.
RESPECT
How are we in the area of respect of money? The dictionary defines respect as, "high or special regard, esteem, the quality or quality or state of being esteemed."
I would have to say I have respect for money, but am I putting having lots and lots of money to far up on the pedestal...out of reach? Is the possession of lots of money too good for me? Self-respect would be the other side of the coin (no pun intended). How can I attract money into my life without self-respect? It would be impossible. So much about having abundance is about feeling deserving. Of course, I am deserving of money. I am a child of God! I deserve the abundance of the Universe.
TRUST
The next element is trust. Do I trust money? Do I trust myself with money? Is there a part of me that feels I would not know what to do with money if I had lots of it? Do I trust that there will always be enough money for me, for my projects? Do I trust myself with money? I must. Divine Intelligence flows through me as me. I will always know what to do.
LOVE
The third element is love. Do I love money? So much from our past and race consciousness tells us that loving money might be evil. Money is after all said to be the "root of all evil." Isn't it "...harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to get through the eye of the needle?" Well, in order for a camel to get through the eye of the needle, he must kneel down. Camels can do this, but it is not easy for them. Does that mean that being rich makes it hard to be good? There is nothing wrong with loving money. Money is God in Action.
This is all a bunch of past programming. If we really look at these blocks we can literally feel their ridiculousness. These thoughts are not as I was told in a fabulous talk at the NoHo Arts Center yesterday, at all "normal."
It is only normal to be rich, abundant with more to give and share with the world. It is time to really examine these three elements of a good relationship with money: LOVE, TRUST, RESPECT. I deserve to have an abundant life and so do you.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
LISTENING AND RESOLVING
This week I am sitting in the question, “What if my life is perfect?” and I am listening. On the heels of impatience week in Mental Muscle workshop, and my ‘fessing up to the fact that I do have a streak of impatience, wanting my life to move faster AND to demonstrate all my goals NOW, this was a good exercise for me.
What a racket in my head during the day. However, now that I am aware, I know how to settle myself. Connecting with the peace within, my authentic self is now a instantaneous shift in consciousness. What I long for is no shifting at all and just being in that space all the time. Patience and more practice. Faith is always the answer. I love my life and am very grateful.
Yesterday, as I walked out the door to work, I said, “Today I listen,” Another voice, resounded within me and said, “Today I serve.” It was a great way to start my day. Then another voice, “the Universe is always conspiring in my favor, ALWAYS!”
The second part of the Mental Muscle exercise is to resolve everything in the moment. Oh...I have several loose ends to resolve this week. I am amazed how leaving something unresolved does clog up my mind, but then I’m a thinker (that’s what I’ve been told as if it were a handicap.) I was also amazed that even when I resolve something physically, if I have not resolved in mind first, the physical resolution is useless. Not a resolution at all...
I am all mind, and I must align with the divine in mind! Divine resolution always! Life is Good and I’m all ears!
love,
Rita
What a racket in my head during the day. However, now that I am aware, I know how to settle myself. Connecting with the peace within, my authentic self is now a instantaneous shift in consciousness. What I long for is no shifting at all and just being in that space all the time. Patience and more practice. Faith is always the answer. I love my life and am very grateful.
Yesterday, as I walked out the door to work, I said, “Today I listen,” Another voice, resounded within me and said, “Today I serve.” It was a great way to start my day. Then another voice, “the Universe is always conspiring in my favor, ALWAYS!”
The second part of the Mental Muscle exercise is to resolve everything in the moment. Oh...I have several loose ends to resolve this week. I am amazed how leaving something unresolved does clog up my mind, but then I’m a thinker (that’s what I’ve been told as if it were a handicap.) I was also amazed that even when I resolve something physically, if I have not resolved in mind first, the physical resolution is useless. Not a resolution at all...
I am all mind, and I must align with the divine in mind! Divine resolution always! Life is Good and I’m all ears!
love,
Rita
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
OLD MAN RIVER
"Old Man River...It just keeps rollin' along..." Remember the song from the musical SHOWBOAT? Old Joe, the slave sings about his life on the plantation, one of hard labor and bondage. He envies the "...Old Man River...who just keeps rollin' along." There you have it! The Old Man River represents freedom, the impersonal Law. It just keeps rolling along, always saying yes to us.
We are the ones who make life hard when we grab hard onto the oars, pushing against the current by choosing limiting beliefs. With our willpower we force our lives into places of discontent and then wonder why we get stuck again and again in those little whirlpools off to the side that take us in endless circles, like a floating leaf going nowhere.
We are not meant, as Joe sings "...to sweat and strain, body all achin' and wracked with pain..." We are meant to use the Old Man River for our highest Good. So let's get into the flow of the river of life, grab our oars and always chart our course with God's good current! Sometimes we might find ourselves riding the rapids and shouting "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sometimes we will find ourselves lazily lying on our backs with our arms behind our heads and our smiling faces basking in the sun.
We can be nothing but as James Mellon said, "smooth rider."
Our boat is Spirit which is always supporting us. Our oar is our consciousness always backed by belief in our highest good...always an easy stroke...stroke...stoke into the Universal Law.
Riding right beside you,
Rita
PS In case you've never heard the song...It's all over Youtube. Put in "Old Man River." I'm adding it to my repertoire.
We are the ones who make life hard when we grab hard onto the oars, pushing against the current by choosing limiting beliefs. With our willpower we force our lives into places of discontent and then wonder why we get stuck again and again in those little whirlpools off to the side that take us in endless circles, like a floating leaf going nowhere.
We are not meant, as Joe sings "...to sweat and strain, body all achin' and wracked with pain..." We are meant to use the Old Man River for our highest Good. So let's get into the flow of the river of life, grab our oars and always chart our course with God's good current! Sometimes we might find ourselves riding the rapids and shouting "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sometimes we will find ourselves lazily lying on our backs with our arms behind our heads and our smiling faces basking in the sun.
We can be nothing but as James Mellon said, "smooth rider."
Our boat is Spirit which is always supporting us. Our oar is our consciousness always backed by belief in our highest good...always an easy stroke...stroke...stoke into the Universal Law.
Riding right beside you,
Rita
PS In case you've never heard the song...It's all over Youtube. Put in "Old Man River." I'm adding it to my repertoire.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
WHAT IF MY LIFE IS PERFECT?
What if my life is perfect? This question was posed to us by our minister in a Sunday talk. It's a very good question and I am sitting with it until I experience it fully. It comes on the heals of Patience Week in my "Mental Muscle" workshop.
I found out both how patient and I can be and how impatient. My life is definitely shifting right now. I feel the abundance of the Universe beginning to awaken in my Consciousness. I feel my divine purpose unfolding and many opportunities and new relationships and new ways of relating shifting and changing. I feel it so strongly. I get so excited, I start wanting to jump up and down and make it go faster. That's my impatience.So, what if my life is perfect? What if the speed at which things are evolving is perfect? I keep saying the Universe is always conspiring in my favor. Do I believe it? Yes, but still I have to keep reminding myself of it. So, the belief is not totally embodied yet. More, impatience. I even want that embodiment to come quicker.
Today, I will sit in the question, "What if my life is perfect?" and I will listen. Rev Angela in her daily message this morning said, "This is the best time of my life for the truth is . . . as we grow older, beauty simply seeps inward..."
I am definitely seeping inward.
love and light,
Rita
Sunday, October 25, 2009
AUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION
"Communication that originates from the core of the Self has an irresistible natural power like that of heat and light."
(Debashis Chatterjee from "Leading Consciously")
(Debashis Chatterjee from "Leading Consciously")
The above quote is from a book we are reading in ministerial class. This chapter on communication has been profound to me. What is true communication? It is when we can speak from the self, the truth self. But, we cannot speak from the true self until we really know who we are.
The idea of just talking off the top of our heads, or as a friend of mine put it, out of our asses happens when we are just wanting to hear ourselves talk or think we have the final answer or solution.
True communication comes from thoroughly listening in the silence and then speaking from that place, asking question, after question until the questions just dissolve into an answer that might never be spoken but only felt and then acted upon.
As a ministerial student, I am working on being direct and inspirational speaker. However, I can only be these things when I am willing to speak from my Truth. Reiterating my trials and tribulations or shouting spiritual jargon at you is not inspiring. I want you to know why I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is present everywhere. I want to be able to make you feel it because I feel it and you are receptive to know. I want to let you know how magnificent we are not in words, but by how I look into your eyes and how you look into mine. As a true communicator, I must bear my soul literally and listen to your soul at the same time.
In the depths of the silence of our souls, between God and God, true communication takes place. Want to talk?
Friday, October 23, 2009
THE LAW OF ALLOWING
This week is Patience Week in James Mellon's Mental Muscle Spiritual Boot Camp.
All week, we ask ourselves the question "When do we get impatient and why?" Sometimes we are impatient with others. They are not acting in a way that we think they should. Traffic is the easiest place to see and feel this kind of impatience.
Often we are impatient with ourselves. It manifests as internal negative self-talk. "I should be further along than this! Why did I do that!!! What an idiot!" are some of the mean things we say to ourselves.
I believe that the way to patience is the Law of Allowing. What is the Law of Allowing? It's quite simple in theory; to live it takes practice. Esther Hicks, a metaphysician defines the Law of Allowing as... "I am who I am. I am living my life and I like who I am. You are that which you are and although it is different than what I am, it is still good."
Now, do not confuse this with being a doormat. We are not to just roll over and allow others to mistreat us. However, the more we focus on the good in ourselves and others, the more good will be attracted to us in the way of relationships and experiences. The Law of Allowing opens the door to the Law of Attraction, attracting that which we want in our life. Always focus on what you want, not what you do not want! This is integral.
Living a life of true patience is a choice. True Patience is knowing. It is knowing that each moment is just as it should be. It is knowing that you are right where you have chosen to be. It is knowing that the Universe is ALWAYS conspiring in your favor.
Blessings,
Rita
PS: This is more on the Law of Allowing by Esther Hicks/Abraham:
Esther Hicks/Abraham on the Law of Allowing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgTwD08cGEM
All week, we ask ourselves the question "When do we get impatient and why?" Sometimes we are impatient with others. They are not acting in a way that we think they should. Traffic is the easiest place to see and feel this kind of impatience.
Often we are impatient with ourselves. It manifests as internal negative self-talk. "I should be further along than this! Why did I do that!!! What an idiot!" are some of the mean things we say to ourselves.
I believe that the way to patience is the Law of Allowing. What is the Law of Allowing? It's quite simple in theory; to live it takes practice. Esther Hicks, a metaphysician defines the Law of Allowing as... "I am who I am. I am living my life and I like who I am. You are that which you are and although it is different than what I am, it is still good."
Now, do not confuse this with being a doormat. We are not to just roll over and allow others to mistreat us. However, the more we focus on the good in ourselves and others, the more good will be attracted to us in the way of relationships and experiences. The Law of Allowing opens the door to the Law of Attraction, attracting that which we want in our life. Always focus on what you want, not what you do not want! This is integral.
Living a life of true patience is a choice. True Patience is knowing. It is knowing that each moment is just as it should be. It is knowing that you are right where you have chosen to be. It is knowing that the Universe is ALWAYS conspiring in your favor.
Blessings,
Rita
PS: This is more on the Law of Allowing by Esther Hicks/Abraham:
Esther Hicks/Abraham on the Law of Allowing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgTwD08cGEM
Thursday, October 22, 2009
THE LAW OF CORRESPONDENCE
The Law of Correspondence works from the belief to the thing. If we believe we shall have only a little good, only a little good will come into our experience.
Ernest Holmes, "The Science of Mind Textbook"
Today, I had to cancel a reservation for an event. The reason: finances. I'm being honest here. I understand how the Law of Correspondence works. Think a little, receive a little. Obviously I have some shifting to do. I am willing to believe in the abundance of the Universe. I can feel my life turning in this direction. I am in slow motion though. I wonder what stops me from opening my arms wide and throwing myself into the ocean of life?
Last night in "Decide to Have Money" a class I am taking, I felt the energy of the room, as everyone fought the idea that we have within us the power of the Universe that has no limitation. I raised my hand and asked, "I want to know how we are benefiting by not believing this. Why can't we just for one week even just believe in something other than limitation. Someone answered, "Fear. We are afraid we'll be wrong."
This struck me to the very core. It's all or nothing. For me, there must still be a place inside my soul that says I am not deserving. I excavate that thought now, put it in the light. How small it looks with the light of the Universe shining on it and through it. I am done. This is the last reservation I will be canceling. I have, through belief, shifted many areas of my life. It is all one and the area of money is no different. I'm sharing a treatment with you:
There is one Universal Life Force that creates from itself. It is expansive, unlimited Love.
It is Divine Givingness.
It is present in everything from the tiniest flower to the mightiest ocean to each and every person. It is present in me and you.
Right now I claim this power as me. I use it for Good. I allow it to envelope my life, my health, my creative expression and all of my financial affairs. I give and I receive the abundance of the Universe. The Law of Correspondence is firmly in place and I enlarge my thoughts right now. I am aware and there is no turning back. Expansion! Expansion! Expansion!
I am grateful for all that I have and I release this Word as Law into the Law of Cause and Effect. It is done! I rise to meet my good now. And so it is!
Have a great day! Love, Rita
Ernest Holmes, "The Science of Mind Textbook"
Today, I had to cancel a reservation for an event. The reason: finances. I'm being honest here. I understand how the Law of Correspondence works. Think a little, receive a little. Obviously I have some shifting to do. I am willing to believe in the abundance of the Universe. I can feel my life turning in this direction. I am in slow motion though. I wonder what stops me from opening my arms wide and throwing myself into the ocean of life?
Last night in "Decide to Have Money" a class I am taking, I felt the energy of the room, as everyone fought the idea that we have within us the power of the Universe that has no limitation. I raised my hand and asked, "I want to know how we are benefiting by not believing this. Why can't we just for one week even just believe in something other than limitation. Someone answered, "Fear. We are afraid we'll be wrong."
This struck me to the very core. It's all or nothing. For me, there must still be a place inside my soul that says I am not deserving. I excavate that thought now, put it in the light. How small it looks with the light of the Universe shining on it and through it. I am done. This is the last reservation I will be canceling. I have, through belief, shifted many areas of my life. It is all one and the area of money is no different. I'm sharing a treatment with you:
There is one Universal Life Force that creates from itself. It is expansive, unlimited Love.
It is Divine Givingness.
It is present in everything from the tiniest flower to the mightiest ocean to each and every person. It is present in me and you.
Right now I claim this power as me. I use it for Good. I allow it to envelope my life, my health, my creative expression and all of my financial affairs. I give and I receive the abundance of the Universe. The Law of Correspondence is firmly in place and I enlarge my thoughts right now. I am aware and there is no turning back. Expansion! Expansion! Expansion!
I am grateful for all that I have and I release this Word as Law into the Law of Cause and Effect. It is done! I rise to meet my good now. And so it is!
Have a great day! Love, Rita
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
JEDI KNIGHT
I feel like Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars!" I am a Jedi Knight in training. JEDI for me stands for "Just Eternal Divine Intelligence." This is what I must live as, walk as, talk as, be, if I am to live this Science and not just philosophize it. Would you like to join me in training? This training promises an unlimited life.
How does a JEDI knight train? There is only one kind of training. He/She trains his/her thoughts. Yes, we choose our thoughts. We choose only thoughts that express love, abundance, peace, health. How do we choose these thoughts, by uprooting any thoughts that counter these thoughts by uprooting the beliefs behind them.
When we choose a new belief, we must begin living it immediately through action. Even if, like the great JEDI Master Jesus said, "with faith the grain of a mustard seed," we must move forward with our new belief. We must begin acting in faith. Just like Luke Skywalker had to finally fly trusting only the power of the Force to guide him, we must trust this Power within us. We can only embody as much of this power as we can believe we have. Jesus said, it is done unto us as we believe. Let's believe in our greatness. Let's start where we are.
I liken this JEDI training to the training I did to run my marathon. First I told myself I can. Then, I began running. I put blinders on to any other belief that might have countered my intention. I just kept focused. I trained and trained until it became second nature to think that way.
Every time we get into a car, we do not wonder if we will be able to turn the wheel or put our foot on the break at the right time. It is ingrained in us. It's called second nature. Second nature is defined "as an acquired behavior that is practiced so long it seems innate."
I am calling it First Nature. It is who we are. We are God! We are JEDI Knights! The Force is us. It is us!
love and light,
Rita
How does a JEDI knight train? There is only one kind of training. He/She trains his/her thoughts. Yes, we choose our thoughts. We choose only thoughts that express love, abundance, peace, health. How do we choose these thoughts, by uprooting any thoughts that counter these thoughts by uprooting the beliefs behind them.
When we choose a new belief, we must begin living it immediately through action. Even if, like the great JEDI Master Jesus said, "with faith the grain of a mustard seed," we must move forward with our new belief. We must begin acting in faith. Just like Luke Skywalker had to finally fly trusting only the power of the Force to guide him, we must trust this Power within us. We can only embody as much of this power as we can believe we have. Jesus said, it is done unto us as we believe. Let's believe in our greatness. Let's start where we are.
I liken this JEDI training to the training I did to run my marathon. First I told myself I can. Then, I began running. I put blinders on to any other belief that might have countered my intention. I just kept focused. I trained and trained until it became second nature to think that way.
Every time we get into a car, we do not wonder if we will be able to turn the wheel or put our foot on the break at the right time. It is ingrained in us. It's called second nature. Second nature is defined "as an acquired behavior that is practiced so long it seems innate."
I am calling it First Nature. It is who we are. We are God! We are JEDI Knights! The Force is us. It is us!
love and light,
Rita
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
It's all Mind
I was with a man today who had experienced health issues in the past. When I looked at him today, he looked so clear and clean and fresh. I mentioned it. He told me he had had a cleansing of sorts with a healer. "Whatever it takes," we laughed, "to let go of that which is not serving us, and know the Truth."
The Truth is we are always whole and complete. We are Spirit! Perfection. Anything called illness is a falsety appearing real. It all starts with belief. Catch the belief and change it before it takes root. It's so much easier.
In ministerial class last night we were asked, "How does one change a belief?" The answer is simple. First, identify the belief. Second, decide if it serves you or not. Third, if not, choose another belief that does serve you. Fourth, watch your mind as it travels through your day and keep it on course. Fifth, Treat the negative belief into oblivion by only knowing Truth!
What does it mean to treat? Spiritual mind treatment is a prayer, but not one that beseeches. It is affirmative prayer. It is knowing the truth about any negative condition, whether it be manifesting as poor health, financial lack, a relationship issue. To every negative condition there is a spiritual Truth. There are five steps to Spiritual mind treatment:
1 Recognizing that there is only one Power--God, Divine Energy, Life, Good.
2 Unifying ourselves with this Power--We are a unique expression of the One Power.
3 Declaring the Truth--- As we are one God, there can only be perfect health, abundant life, love, and so on. We are directing our consciousness to align with this perfection.
4 Now we give Thanks. For it is already done in Mind.
5 We release our Word to the Law of Cause and Effect. We do not take care of the hows, we just know with a surety that it is taken care of. It is done. And so it is!
These steps are here to give us tools, but it is really even more simple. It is done unto us as we believe. So, believe only Good. Know that we are equipped with a Power that is equal to anything. Trust the unseen, because that is where it is happening. Know who you are and that the Universe is always conspiring in your favor!
love and light,
Rita
The Truth is we are always whole and complete. We are Spirit! Perfection. Anything called illness is a falsety appearing real. It all starts with belief. Catch the belief and change it before it takes root. It's so much easier.
In ministerial class last night we were asked, "How does one change a belief?" The answer is simple. First, identify the belief. Second, decide if it serves you or not. Third, if not, choose another belief that does serve you. Fourth, watch your mind as it travels through your day and keep it on course. Fifth, Treat the negative belief into oblivion by only knowing Truth!
What does it mean to treat? Spiritual mind treatment is a prayer, but not one that beseeches. It is affirmative prayer. It is knowing the truth about any negative condition, whether it be manifesting as poor health, financial lack, a relationship issue. To every negative condition there is a spiritual Truth. There are five steps to Spiritual mind treatment:
1 Recognizing that there is only one Power--God, Divine Energy, Life, Good.
2 Unifying ourselves with this Power--We are a unique expression of the One Power.
3 Declaring the Truth--- As we are one God, there can only be perfect health, abundant life, love, and so on. We are directing our consciousness to align with this perfection.
4 Now we give Thanks. For it is already done in Mind.
5 We release our Word to the Law of Cause and Effect. We do not take care of the hows, we just know with a surety that it is taken care of. It is done. And so it is!
These steps are here to give us tools, but it is really even more simple. It is done unto us as we believe. So, believe only Good. Know that we are equipped with a Power that is equal to anything. Trust the unseen, because that is where it is happening. Know who you are and that the Universe is always conspiring in your favor!
love and light,
Rita
Monday, October 19, 2009
Practice, Practice, Practice!
I just returned from my trip to New Mexico, where I went to run the Duke City 1/2 Marathon, while visiting my two daughters and their families.
The only three words I can use are "practice, practice, practice."
It is wonderful to be with my spiritual family here in North Hollywood, while dancing and singing and speaking our spiritual truths. It is another matter to go out and live it, even for just four days. Many times I asked myself, "Can I stay in Principle in this situation? And this? And this? Can I see God here and here and here..."
No experience was that dramatic. I'm talking about small things, like flu consciousness, talk of aging, an ex-husband, and old friends who have taken diverse paths, running the marathon, itself, etc...
On the heels of my talk last week called "You May Close Your History Books, Now!" I was to practice what I preached. I took my new notebook with me and wrote on the first page, "I know nothing!"
Here's what I learned:
with love,
Rita
The only three words I can use are "practice, practice, practice."
It is wonderful to be with my spiritual family here in North Hollywood, while dancing and singing and speaking our spiritual truths. It is another matter to go out and live it, even for just four days. Many times I asked myself, "Can I stay in Principle in this situation? And this? And this? Can I see God here and here and here..."
No experience was that dramatic. I'm talking about small things, like flu consciousness, talk of aging, an ex-husband, and old friends who have taken diverse paths, running the marathon, itself, etc...
On the heels of my talk last week called "You May Close Your History Books, Now!" I was to practice what I preached. I took my new notebook with me and wrote on the first page, "I know nothing!"
Here's what I learned:
- I am strong in the area of health consciousness. I found myself to be a stranger in a strange world. The screams of "Flu, flu!" rang on my deaf ears. I passed through that veil. I am so aware of how children pick up the consciousness of the adults around them. While spending two days with my 5 year old granddaughter, I was able to let her know how healthy she was with every breath and cough she made. By the 2nd day, she was better and telling her parents so.
- My marathon was an life-goal and accomplishment. I won't say it was easy. I liken it to having a child and then, well, you wouldn't want to do that for a while. I finished at 10.08/minutes per mile. This was better than I anticipated. I will be on my early morning run tomorrow. I am a jogger for life!
- I have closed the book of my 27 year marriage without any expectation of being on speaking terms with my ex-husband unless he decides to open his mouth. It's okay. I have given it enough energy. I am done with love.
- Living moment to moment is uncomfortable sometimes. I believe that the reason I do not stay in the present is because I don't want to stay with that uncomfortableness, whether it is turbulence on an airplane, a negative person babbling on next to me while I run, a conversation that is foreign to me. I came to understand that if I find myself in a situation that is uncomfortable and I want to escape to the future, I just need to take a deep breath, know I put myself in this moment for a reason, ask what it is I still need to learn, and find the good. It might not be revealed to me right away, either. Be patient. Stay open. Stay present, Rita.
- I learned that there is still a part of me that feels she is not deserving. However, the day of the marathon when I realized that goal, I knew that I was more than enough for anything.
with love,
Rita
Friday, October 16, 2009
Walking with Lepers
I'm in New Mexico and everyone is screaming "Flu! Flu!" There is a conscious epidemic called "Flu!" I am with my little grandchild as she experiences the demonstration of this consciousness. I understand now why little children become ill. They are subject to the thoughts of us, the adults. Page 210 in the "SOM Tex"t says, "Remember that the thought of the parents influences the child." It is the obvious truth.
So, I am being warned, "Just take precautions," they say. "It's just good sense." I only know one good sense and that is the knowing that Infinite Intelligence is flowing through me and that it is Perfection. My body knows exactly what it needs to align with that Divine perfection.
As I care for my little granddaughter, I slept with her while she took her nap. She began blowing on me with sneezes and coughs. I feel her love, and I know that love is perfect. I asked myself, "How did Jesus walk among the lepers?" Well, the truth is, Jesus didn't know any lepers. Jesus only saw perfect Spirit in everyone.
So, as they scream "Flu! Flu!" I know that we are all perfect Spirit. Anything else unlike that is merely formless form "not an entity." It is real, but not REAL.
Namaste!
So, I am being warned, "Just take precautions," they say. "It's just good sense." I only know one good sense and that is the knowing that Infinite Intelligence is flowing through me and that it is Perfection. My body knows exactly what it needs to align with that Divine perfection.
As I care for my little granddaughter, I slept with her while she took her nap. She began blowing on me with sneezes and coughs. I feel her love, and I know that love is perfect. I asked myself, "How did Jesus walk among the lepers?" Well, the truth is, Jesus didn't know any lepers. Jesus only saw perfect Spirit in everyone.
So, as they scream "Flu! Flu!" I know that we are all perfect Spirit. Anything else unlike that is merely formless form "not an entity." It is real, but not REAL.
Namaste!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
BREATHING
Here i am at 5200 feet, presently in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My plane ride was exquisite. I used to be very nervous about flying, but I have left that old me behind. I have this little thing I do before I get on the plane, I kiss my palm and then place it on the side of the plane as I enter. Pretty superstitious for a minister, no? Hey, some habits are just worth keeping. When I fly, I think of the Wright Brothers. I can see them running and whooping in some field of grass. I bless them and thank them for following their dream. I wonder what they would think about this big jumbo jet I'm in today.
I practiced the Presence, breathing on take off and landing, feeling one with the energy of this massive machine. How powerful! The lady next to me said she was nervous on take off. Then right out of my mouth, came---"that's just race consciousness you're feeling, that's not the truth. We're fine." Then, I told her my Wright Bros. story...She smiled and closed her eyes.
I was greeted by my blue-eyed little granddaughter. What a jewel!
I took my first run here in Albuquerque, as I continue my training for my marathon on Sunday. Wow! I had to take quite a breath. All of a sudden, I felt like I had inhaled a helium balloon. I think I was still telling myself that the transition from California to the high desert would somehow hold me back. No! Infinite Intelligence knows just how to direct everything within my lungs, heart and cells to adjust. It is called emergent evolution. "I honor the divinity that resides within me!" That's all I got! Breathe!
I practiced the Presence, breathing on take off and landing, feeling one with the energy of this massive machine. How powerful! The lady next to me said she was nervous on take off. Then right out of my mouth, came---"that's just race consciousness you're feeling, that's not the truth. We're fine." Then, I told her my Wright Bros. story...She smiled and closed her eyes.
I was greeted by my blue-eyed little granddaughter. What a jewel!
I took my first run here in Albuquerque, as I continue my training for my marathon on Sunday. Wow! I had to take quite a breath. All of a sudden, I felt like I had inhaled a helium balloon. I think I was still telling myself that the transition from California to the high desert would somehow hold me back. No! Infinite Intelligence knows just how to direct everything within my lungs, heart and cells to adjust. It is called emergent evolution. "I honor the divinity that resides within me!" That's all I got! Breathe!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
ON BEING PRESENT
It's "Be Present" week in Rev. James Mellon's Mental Muscle Program. www.spiritualbootcamp.com
I'm having a major breakthrough about BEING Present. I have always known that this is the key to Eternity. Why is it so difficult, then? It should be easy. Okay...I'm claiming that now. It is easy to BE present.
But, when I was writing in my journal this morning, I followed my thoughts. Amazing! There was so much jumping happening...all in the future. Would I get this done? What about that? I was on overload. That is when I said, "Stop It!" Then, I kept having the feeling, up to the point of going out the door, that I should take a much needed personal day to just be with myself and catch up on my LIFE. This is not the usual me. In fact, this "one-hour for yourself" thing is the only thing I have never been true to in 8 Mental Muscle boot camps. (Like in the "Artist's Way" you are supposed to take an hour for yourself each day...)
Today, I finally, said, "It's time to take a moment just for yourself, Rita. Not only did I take a whole hour. I am taking the whole day. That's 8 hours! Makes up for some of my past negligence! At my job it’s called a “Personal Day!” I took one without a guilt-cheese sandwich, and everyone was just fine with it.
I am discovering that the more I slow down, the more time slows down. Time is an illusion, after all. I want to walk through life with grace and ease.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Another New Body?
Ernest Holmes says on page 104 in the SOM textbook that planes of existence are not places, they are states of consciousness. When the body we are presently in is no longer useful to us, he says, it might be that we reveal a new body and another and another.
I was out running this morning. I am training for marathon which I will run on October 18 in Albuquerque, NM. As I ran this morning, I began to push my breath so that I'll be able to go up in altitude in Albuquerque with ease. I was running hard and kept repeating my Sanskrit mantra "om-na-ma-shivaya, I honor the divinity that resides within me." As I continued, I could feel all my cells and bones and muscles vibrating in beat with what I was chanting and claiming. They were jumping and jiving and everything was rattling. As I continued, out came a lot of old beliefs and phrases that were told to me as a child--ones I no longer had use for. The new unlimited beliefs are much bigger than the old worn out ones. It was like I was shedding an old body and revealing a new one. Caterpillars to that, you know. They shed their skin at least 4 times before they go into their cocoon state and then emerge as a butterfly.
As I go deeper into my intention to live the greatness of God from the inside out, I am met with a new way of knowing every day. Thank you, Spirit!
love,
Rita
I was out running this morning. I am training for marathon which I will run on October 18 in Albuquerque, NM. As I ran this morning, I began to push my breath so that I'll be able to go up in altitude in Albuquerque with ease. I was running hard and kept repeating my Sanskrit mantra "om-na-ma-shivaya, I honor the divinity that resides within me." As I continued, I could feel all my cells and bones and muscles vibrating in beat with what I was chanting and claiming. They were jumping and jiving and everything was rattling. As I continued, out came a lot of old beliefs and phrases that were told to me as a child--ones I no longer had use for. The new unlimited beliefs are much bigger than the old worn out ones. It was like I was shedding an old body and revealing a new one. Caterpillars to that, you know. They shed their skin at least 4 times before they go into their cocoon state and then emerge as a butterfly.
As I go deeper into my intention to live the greatness of God from the inside out, I am met with a new way of knowing every day. Thank you, Spirit!
love,
Rita
Monday, October 12, 2009
You're a Great God!
Yesterday, Sunday, I woke up with the radio blaring with music: “You’re a Great God! (then speaking) Say it with me! (singing) You’re Great God!”
It was some gospel singers and of course they were singing to the sky God, but I heard them talking to me! Could there be any more perfect timing then to hear this message upon waking during Belief week in Spiritual Boot Camp? And, as I’ve been doing every morning upon waking, I had to ask myself again what do you believe? They kept on repeating the same phrase, getting more and more evangelistical with it? “Rita,” I asked, “Do you believe you are the Greatness of God?”
I have claimed this as my intention---to step off the precipice as God. The first two steps of affirmative prayer---God is everywhere! And, we are one with God! Do I believe this? Yes! Have I totally embodied this truth? Not yet. Does that mean I don’t believe it? No. I think Belief must be the first step to embodiment. It’s like I went in put the belief in place and now everything that is contrary comes up to let me to align back with this Truth. This is the journey the practice part. The trick is to stay on course. This morning’s reading from our Science of Mind textbook said there will come a time when we do totally embody this knowing, live it and that we will be Omnipresence. I sat on my balcony meditating with that thought and I knew I wasn’t there yet. I am not afraid to walk the path. I know that the only way to embody this truth is through practice, practice, practice. Since the Universe is always conspiring in my favor, I believe that all is Good. So, what can I know today?
It was some gospel singers and of course they were singing to the sky God, but I heard them talking to me! Could there be any more perfect timing then to hear this message upon waking during Belief week in Spiritual Boot Camp? And, as I’ve been doing every morning upon waking, I had to ask myself again what do you believe? They kept on repeating the same phrase, getting more and more evangelistical with it? “Rita,” I asked, “Do you believe you are the Greatness of God?”
I have claimed this as my intention---to step off the precipice as God. The first two steps of affirmative prayer---God is everywhere! And, we are one with God! Do I believe this? Yes! Have I totally embodied this truth? Not yet. Does that mean I don’t believe it? No. I think Belief must be the first step to embodiment. It’s like I went in put the belief in place and now everything that is contrary comes up to let me to align back with this Truth. This is the journey the practice part. The trick is to stay on course. This morning’s reading from our Science of Mind textbook said there will come a time when we do totally embody this knowing, live it and that we will be Omnipresence. I sat on my balcony meditating with that thought and I knew I wasn’t there yet. I am not afraid to walk the path. I know that the only way to embody this truth is through practice, practice, practice. Since the Universe is always conspiring in my favor, I believe that all is Good. So, what can I know today?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Closing Our History Books
Yesterday, my fellow practitioner, Lynn and I made our monthly pilgrimage to the California Rehabilitation Center at Norco, where we shared the Labyrinth with the inmates there. We love these visits, because we receive so many spiritual gifts each time.
The inmates of Norco with whom we work are hungry to rehabilitate themselves. Our Labyrinth workshops offer them yet another tool to do this. We have many inmates who repeat the labyrinth workshop every month and others who come for the first time, skeptical, yet open.
Most recently in a workshop on letting go of negative beliefs that I taught there with my husband, Patrick, I met an Arab man who spent many years fighting on the Gaza strip. He carries the guilt of killing many people in war, he says, and he cannot let go of this. He was in a place of deep self hatred. He became a nurse so that he could serve what he said was his penitence for all the lives he took. Yesterday, after our labyrinth walk he wrote a beautiful essay, stating that he had been looking for Allah on the outside his whole life, and now he had found that Allah had wedged a place inside of him- a place that was love. The healing has begun.
I tell you this story, because I am realizing how easy it is for many of us to unconsciously create our lives from our history.
When he told me he could not let go of what he did and what he has felt, I told him that he acted from what he knew at that time. He can now let go of that history and create a brand new present by forgiveness for himself, especially.
What a great gift this man gave me! How easy is this for any of us to do when dealing with past hurts? And, yet we must if we are to evolve. We cannot change our history. We must close our history books and with love and forgiveness if we are to move on. This means to stop living in the past. We must live in a brand new present every day.
I am exploring this concept of blessing our history more deeply in my talk at the NoHo Arts Center on Wednesday, October 14 at 6:30 PM. www.nohonewthought.com
Love,
Rita
The inmates of Norco with whom we work are hungry to rehabilitate themselves. Our Labyrinth workshops offer them yet another tool to do this. We have many inmates who repeat the labyrinth workshop every month and others who come for the first time, skeptical, yet open.
Most recently in a workshop on letting go of negative beliefs that I taught there with my husband, Patrick, I met an Arab man who spent many years fighting on the Gaza strip. He carries the guilt of killing many people in war, he says, and he cannot let go of this. He was in a place of deep self hatred. He became a nurse so that he could serve what he said was his penitence for all the lives he took. Yesterday, after our labyrinth walk he wrote a beautiful essay, stating that he had been looking for Allah on the outside his whole life, and now he had found that Allah had wedged a place inside of him- a place that was love. The healing has begun.
I tell you this story, because I am realizing how easy it is for many of us to unconsciously create our lives from our history.
When he told me he could not let go of what he did and what he has felt, I told him that he acted from what he knew at that time. He can now let go of that history and create a brand new present by forgiveness for himself, especially.
What a great gift this man gave me! How easy is this for any of us to do when dealing with past hurts? And, yet we must if we are to evolve. We cannot change our history. We must close our history books and with love and forgiveness if we are to move on. This means to stop living in the past. We must live in a brand new present every day.
I am exploring this concept of blessing our history more deeply in my talk at the NoHo Arts Center on Wednesday, October 14 at 6:30 PM. www.nohonewthought.com
Love,
Rita
Friday, October 9, 2009
How Dare You!
So, yesterday I wrote in my new notebook: "I am God." What transpired after that were events that expressed loudly and clearly "HOW DARE YOU!" The remains of my Catholic upbringing, screaming "Blasphemy!" However, I am committed and return myself to the path.
Last night I had a dream. I was stalked by a dark stranger. Three times, this dark stranger appeared in my dream. At first just lurking. The second time, I knew he was following me. The third time, I was vulnerable in the dark without my cell phone. There was a car of friendly people nearby, but I knew they could not help me. The dark stranger lunged at me. Instead of running, as I would usually do in a dream like this, I screamed "What do you want????" He took out his flashlight and shined it on my ankh which was resting on my chest. I abruptly woke up, my heart pounding.
The ankh is an Egyptian symbol that represents life. To me it represents heaven meeting earth. More about it here for those who are curious.
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ankh.htm
I will meditate on this dream all day today. What do I need to know, Spirit? I know that I am convicted in my intention to walk as God. I am moving into action from that place. I will continue to remind myself of it. God is in the darkness and the light. God is only Good. There is no place where God is not. In the darkness, there is a light of Truth that shines brightly and extinguishes all darkness.
I know for all of us that we walk effortlessly and easily through our day in and as this Divine Love. We let IT shine through us in everything we do. This is a one-way ticket. Once we are aware of our Divinity, there is no turning back.
Love and Light, Rita
Last night I had a dream. I was stalked by a dark stranger. Three times, this dark stranger appeared in my dream. At first just lurking. The second time, I knew he was following me. The third time, I was vulnerable in the dark without my cell phone. There was a car of friendly people nearby, but I knew they could not help me. The dark stranger lunged at me. Instead of running, as I would usually do in a dream like this, I screamed "What do you want????" He took out his flashlight and shined it on my ankh which was resting on my chest. I abruptly woke up, my heart pounding.
The ankh is an Egyptian symbol that represents life. To me it represents heaven meeting earth. More about it here for those who are curious.
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ankh.htm
I will meditate on this dream all day today. What do I need to know, Spirit? I know that I am convicted in my intention to walk as God. I am moving into action from that place. I will continue to remind myself of it. God is in the darkness and the light. God is only Good. There is no place where God is not. In the darkness, there is a light of Truth that shines brightly and extinguishes all darkness.
I know for all of us that we walk effortlessly and easily through our day in and as this Divine Love. We let IT shine through us in everything we do. This is a one-way ticket. Once we are aware of our Divinity, there is no turning back.
Love and Light, Rita
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A Spiritual Adventure.
Today, I continue on my path, revealing God within me. I release my past, close my history book and open my new notebook. I write: "I am God." I do not force this idea, but simply allow it to be my experience. Simply, It is. As I encounter the finite, the Infinite is my guide. What does that look like? Expanding on what Rainbow Weldon said in her talk last night at the NoHo Arts Center for New thought, I write some more in my new notebook, "I (the big I) am the creative solution to every challenge that presents itself. The Universe is conspiring in my favor no matter what it looks like. I release. I let go. I let God be my experience. God, as the heroine in me, knows exactly what to do at every turn. So in turn, life becomes a spiritual adventure, and it is fun!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I am a Creator
I am a creator! I am pure Spirit. This is the only state of mind that I can create from---pure Spirit. The journey of creation is an inside job and it begins with belief. Yesterday, I spent the day raising my Consciousness to that of pure belief in infinite possibilities. How? By staying in the present moment. By asking, "what wants to happen here?" in each moment. By listening to my thoughts and getting in touch with the beliefs behind them and shifting them if they did not serve my desire. It takes discipline to train my monkey mind, but it is so much easier now. Spiritual practice is the answer.
I am still in that space. I release myself to Universal Law. This Law of the Universe puts all the pieces together for me to realize my desire. From this place of infinite possibilities, what do I want to create?
For the past 10 weeks I have been preparing to run a 1/2 marathon in New Mexico on October 18. This Sunday I ran 12 miles. Only Spirit could do that. I believe that. Spirit directed my body in every moment, knowing exactly what each cell, each muscle, each organ needed to do for me to fulfill my desire to run those 12 miles. I was successful because my desire was backed by belief. I could feel the moments when my consciousness aligned itself with old beliefs that said, "what are you crazy????" 12 miles????" However, immediately, I shifted back to my desire to complete this marathon with ease and grace and the belief that Spirit is directing my body just perfectly. And voila! It was done.
It's all a matter of belief! Today, I am following my fellow ministerial student, Jamie Klein's advice...In whatever I am doing at my job, however I am serving, I say..."This is what being a minister looks like right now." As soon as I arrived at work, everyone approached me in a way that allowed me to minister. Wow! The Universe does put the pieces together for us to realize our desires.
What else does Spirit through Rita want to create? I will spend the rest of the day pondering that as I go about my day.
I am still in that space. I release myself to Universal Law. This Law of the Universe puts all the pieces together for me to realize my desire. From this place of infinite possibilities, what do I want to create?
For the past 10 weeks I have been preparing to run a 1/2 marathon in New Mexico on October 18. This Sunday I ran 12 miles. Only Spirit could do that. I believe that. Spirit directed my body in every moment, knowing exactly what each cell, each muscle, each organ needed to do for me to fulfill my desire to run those 12 miles. I was successful because my desire was backed by belief. I could feel the moments when my consciousness aligned itself with old beliefs that said, "what are you crazy????" 12 miles????" However, immediately, I shifted back to my desire to complete this marathon with ease and grace and the belief that Spirit is directing my body just perfectly. And voila! It was done.
It's all a matter of belief! Today, I am following my fellow ministerial student, Jamie Klein's advice...In whatever I am doing at my job, however I am serving, I say..."This is what being a minister looks like right now." As soon as I arrived at work, everyone approached me in a way that allowed me to minister. Wow! The Universe does put the pieces together for us to realize our desires.
What else does Spirit through Rita want to create? I will spend the rest of the day pondering that as I go about my day.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I Do Believe!
-
I am on the precipice. My word is Consciousness. I am Spirit/Consciousness manifesting in the ever-evolving form called Rita. As I meditate on what this truly means to me, all I can feel is expansion. This week’s word ‘Belief’ is in perfect time for me, because as of late I have been wondering what is holding me back from totally jumping into the Spiritual waters without fear. For the last month, I have felt like Indiana Jones when he stood with his foot extended stepping into what looked like mid-air. Then this morning’s reading from the SCIENCE OF MIND textbook gave me my answer: “The Spirit is Limitless, but can only be to us what we believe It to be. Why must we believe It is? Because, UNTIL WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS, WE ARE BELIEVING THAT IT IS NOT! It is all a matter of belief…” (Those CAPS were Ernest Holmes’, not mine). Is he screaming at me???? I am yet at another crossroad. Yes, there is a part of me that is still holding on. So, today, I decided to spend this one day letting go, just believing TOTALLY in the Infinite. My heart is pounding and my eyes keep welling up. I definitely feel, as Tamara so eloquently described in her blog, the creaking of the rollercoaster wheels slowing down as they reach the top of the steep climb. Here I go------------AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
My Ministerial Journey--Introduction
My name is Rita. Like all of us, I've am on the journey of Life. We all take the journey in different ways. That's the best part--our uniqueness --our individual journeys. I have always been a seeker, wanting to know more, to be more. I have lived 56 years, and the journey has been a long ever-changing one. I've never traveled far in the geographical sense, yet I have traveled millions of miles in the Mind. I've even been accused of being fickle. What do you really believe, Rita?
I came from a Catholic upbringing, wanting to be a nun, then moving into rebellion, then moving into Mormonism and a 27 year marriage in New Mexico. I've raised three beautiful children, taught mid school/high school theater, and sang and acted professionally. In the midst of all that, I've had some definite wild-woman times that I'll save for telling.
I came to Los Angeles in the arms of my soul mate, Patrick, thinking that the Entertainment Industry was my destination, only to find yet once again that Spirit in me had other plans. Spirit plopped me down in the City of Angels to find out ten years later that I am to become yet something else---a minister. I would say I am to become a minister of Religious Science, but that is too closed for me. I do not consider myself bound by a church. I am a woman open to knowing the ever-evolving Truth as it reveals itself to me. This truth is based in the knowing that we are all magnificent expressions of the One Infinite Intelligence. This is my truth and it is my journey to explore where that takes me.
I give thanks today for my beautiful husband, Patrick Feren who travels with me, for the magnificent inspiring mentor and friend I have in Rev. James J. Mellon, for my beautiful children who have accepted and loved me as I am, and for each and every person who have journeyed in and out of life with me. Here we go!!!!!!
I came from a Catholic upbringing, wanting to be a nun, then moving into rebellion, then moving into Mormonism and a 27 year marriage in New Mexico. I've raised three beautiful children, taught mid school/high school theater, and sang and acted professionally. In the midst of all that, I've had some definite wild-woman times that I'll save for telling.
I came to Los Angeles in the arms of my soul mate, Patrick, thinking that the Entertainment Industry was my destination, only to find yet once again that Spirit in me had other plans. Spirit plopped me down in the City of Angels to find out ten years later that I am to become yet something else---a minister. I would say I am to become a minister of Religious Science, but that is too closed for me. I do not consider myself bound by a church. I am a woman open to knowing the ever-evolving Truth as it reveals itself to me. This truth is based in the knowing that we are all magnificent expressions of the One Infinite Intelligence. This is my truth and it is my journey to explore where that takes me.
I give thanks today for my beautiful husband, Patrick Feren who travels with me, for the magnificent inspiring mentor and friend I have in Rev. James J. Mellon, for my beautiful children who have accepted and loved me as I am, and for each and every person who have journeyed in and out of life with me. Here we go!!!!!!
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