Portland Center for Spiritual Living Podcast

The Buddha taught, “My teaching is like the finger pointing at the moon. Do not confuse the finger for the moon.” We teach, we study, we learn, we meditate, we pray. But what is it all for? Is what we do the moon, or the finger?

The election is over and the votes are in (hopefully). Now what? How do we move forward, together, when some are filled with joy and some with despair? Is it even possible? How is it possible? Let’s explore what’s next, as loving spiritually minded people living in divisive times.

Awe is a powerful experience, a spiritual on ramp. Dr. Dacher Keltner defines Awe as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” In that, lies transformation, for our health, our relationships, and our experience of life.

Gratitude is a spiritual super-power. We close-out our Partners in Prosperity series by looking at the role of gratitude in both growing our prosperity consciousness and simply helping us live happier more fulfilling lives.

Our society constantly bombards us with messages of scarcity. But, all the important things in life, all the things that help us feel prosperous – none of them are scarce. It’s a spiritual law of the universe – nothing is pie!

Ernest Holmes said we should wish for no private good when we pray, that what we desire for ourselves we should desire for all humans. We Are One; whatever prosperity means for each of us individually, therefore, is true prosperity only when it is available to all.

What do you think of when you hear the word prosperity? There’s a good chance you’re thinking of financial freedom. While prosperity can mean that, the fuller meaning of prosperity is so much more than that. Let’s explore, together, what prosperity means in the larger scope of our lives.

When it feels like everything is falling into pieces, Truth reveals there is a pathway of Peace amidst the chaos. Our individual presence matters and every action and intention to reveal Peace makes a difference. Today’s message is an exploration into “What is mine to do to reveal Peace on Earth?”.

There’s a point in every process where things are not what they were, but not yet what they are becoming, and how we manage this liminal state is key to what we will experience. On this Equinox weekend, Rev. Dr. Ruth will offer ideas from various cultures, psychology, and the metaphysical science of New Thought that can guide us through these times.

Source matters. This can be considered on many levels. Is something a “fact”? What’s the source? Are you feeling anxious? What’s the source? Delving deeper and deeper, when we touch upon the True Source, the One Source, all becomes clearer, lighter and easier to heal. Our lives can be knitted together like an elegant tapestry or knotted together in chaos. Likely, a combination of knitting and knotting. Let’s explore the process of unknotting, of moving closer to the One Source, which is Ultimate Unconditional Infinite Love. And expose more of the magnificent tapestry you are.

Life is always responding to our predominant thoughts and actions; Dr. Ernest Holmes says, “where the mind flows, energy goes”. We truly are responsible for living our best life.

Stuck in the past, with feelings of resentment and anger? Anxious about what you need to do today? Worried about the future? There’s a spiritual practice specifically for each of these “time.”

I have to get this done. I should go visit so and so. I need to work. It’s easy to bemoan or even resent the “have to’s” and the “I should’s”, the things that feel like unwelcome obligations. But what if we changed our attitude to “I get to do stuff”? It just might change our experience of life and our relationships.

If you can’t see it, does it exist? If you see something that can’t be explained, does it exist, or does your brain create a thought to make it exist? Let’s look at some fun stuff that happens and determine if we can really be God in human form!

Many people like to tell us what we ought to do, and why. It can all seem like a lot of confusing disorienting noise, especially when it conflicts with what we know interiorly about who we are and what we are meant to be and do. How do we navigate the noise and find our path?

The Lakota People, as well as other Indigenous Peoples, celebrate Sun Dance during the hot summer months. It is a profoundly sacred time of prayer, community, and healing. In honor of Sun Dance, Rev. Bridget shares what she has learned from Lakota elders about prayer, generosity, respect, wisdom, and humor.

It’s so easy, isn’t it? We all do it – judge others for actions we believe are wrong. Sometimes we simply cannot imagine any circumstance under which the action taken could ever be the right thing to do; it’s wrong, period, end of story. But, what if there really is more to the story?

Joy simply IS, it’s a Universal Truth. It has tremendous benefits for our overall health. Yet, when facing adversity, or when simply caught up in the busyness of life, it can be difficult to find and experience Joy. But, it is there, and we can find it.

Freedom has many expressions, such as freedom from persecution, violence, and lack, and freedom to learn, thrive, and be one’s self. This week, we celebrate July 4th by exploring how freedom of different sorts has changed the lives of three young immigrants to the United States.

Devotion guides our actions on behalf of something we love. An author is devoted to the characters, feeling responsible for letting each one express itself. In spiritual community, we write our current chapter by being devoted responsible stewards of the past we have inherited from our predecessors and the future we borrow from our children.