Many people spend a lifetime asking "what is my purpose?" Sometimes rephrasing a question gets a more useful answer. Inquiring into one's life purpose may be such a big question that we either get no answer or too many answers. Simplifying the question and bringing it into the present moment, may be much more fruitful. Simply go into the stillness and ask, "How Am I to Serve?" Join us on September 21st to discuss what has made itself known to you.
Accepting what is our human experience - allows us to see ourselves and each other through the eyes of love. Embracing our Spiritual Truth opens us to recognizing the Divine in and as everything. These very simple but sometimes not easy steps results in a paradigm shift ... a realignment of our worldview. Imagine a world in which everyone saw everything as an expression of the Divine ....
We are called to be kind and respectful. How are we to reconcile that call in the midst of violence? It is easy to say "I am not the perpetrator." It is easy to careen down the slippery slope of blaiming ... and what is being asked of us on the local and global scenes. Please join the discussion!
When I learned the original meaning of the term "sin," my world view shifted. Suddenly I was no longer willing to take on the mantle of being bad or evil, simply because I hadn't been particularly adept at achieving my goals. All that had happened is I had "missed the mark." The word "sin," was an archery term, referring to one missing one's target. To sin simply means to miss the target. When an archer misses the target, I can't imagine that s/he would hang his head in shame, call him/herself a bad or evil person and give up archery. What I can imagine is that instead s/he would examine why she missed her target, re-aim, and try again. This is a good lesson to apply to our lives …
Have you ever blurted something out and experienced instant regret ... or watched the expression on the listeners face and felt sad the moment that you realized your words, perhaps the thought you conveyer or very often the way in which you conveyed the thought hurt someone? The easiest way to not fall into that trap is to open your heart BEFORE opening your mouth. Heart centered communication is heartful not hurtful. Join the conversation and grow ...
The Divine Plan IS Diversity ... myriad unique expressions of the Divine Itself! Recognize them ... Celebrate them ... Honor them ... AND know within the multiplicity of form there is only One within!
When our actions are out of line with our values, our bodies suffer! We are designed to function harmoniously ... our body, mind and spirit are one system in three distinctly different functions. When we are in alginment life is surprisingly easy. Join our conversation
We all make commitments. Those made from obligation quickly become dry and burdensome. Those that are consciously created grow deeper and richer over time. Creativity is the magic ingredient because it arises from our Divine Nature assuring us of success, whatever the venture. Success here isn't the end product ... it's the constantly infused fuel for the journey. Creativity can even counter gamophobia, the fear of commitment. Technically, gamophobia is the fear of marriage, however, its symptoms show up in many other areas of life, large and small. Some people are so commitment resistant that they won't commitment to something so they miss everything. Bringing in "Divine Creativity" can shift that entirely!
What is the "right thing"? How can we be sure? And, is knowing enough? Or are we called to take a stand? What does that look like? The farther my thoughts go on the subject, the more questions I have. Are there any answers? When we remember what we are – expressions/incarnations of the Divine – we have all the courage and powers of discernment needed to identify the “right thing” and be a stand for it. It is only our humanity (sometimes associated with our ego) that gets tangled up in circumstances and becomes fearful, defensive, combative … and the list of reactions goes on and on. This internal hysteria, which sometimes shows up as how we treat those around us and other times is turned self-destructively inward, is only truly, lastingly healed when we remember and fully embrace what we really are: an activity of God. God is whole, perfect and complete … and so are we …and we experience it to the extent we remember that Truth!
I just returned from Egypt ... an amazing experience of Oneness. What an opportunity to recognize and embrace the myriad expressions of the Divine, to walk within timelessness, staying awake to "there is no beginning and no end." On the journey, I often attempted to step back in time to see what they saw, to feel what they felt. On a few occasions, I got a glimpse. Since I returned I have felt some flashbacks ... not just to the trip but to those sensations while in some of the temples. Please join me this evening.
You cannot live in the present moment so long as you are entangled in the past. What would you be willing to do to release yourself from the the control you have granted the past to mess with your experience of life now? Learn how to apply the creative process and change your life!
We are imbued with the ability to use the creative process. Whether we know it or not, we use it every moment of the day. Like it or not, it is responding to your thoughts, beliefs and desires. We can use it consciously, and the rest of the time we use it other than consciously. So what are you creating??
Like it or not, we're alway creating, the quesiton is are we, or are we not, consciously creating what we desire? Creativity is not about talent, it is the entirely involuntary. Creativeness just happens. It expresses rampantly in response to your thought. What you don't want to experience often is more likely to manifest that what you do desire. Because we tend to know many more details, be more emotionally engaged, and more congruent about what we don't want, most of us are better at manifesting undesirables and desirables. This evening, we'll look deeply into how to replace our default creativity with confident, conscious ... even conscientious ... creativity!
Think about it: All of Creation is the expression of the Divine, which is (of course) Perfect. That "all of Creation" includes us, so obviously we are part of that "all." Since Spirit can't be less than Perfect, how is it that our humanity can claim to be less than anything? This evening we'll delve into how we create an experience of duality rather than living fully into possibility, or what Jean Houston described as the "possible human."
This past Sunday was uncommon. Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Easter celebrations all coincided with Passover. It presents a great opportunity to look at how Jesus’ life journey is experienced within and as all of humanity, not just Christians … over and over again. A metaphysical interpretation allows us to embrace spiritual meaning and principles above the literal level of the story and to find personal resonance, relevance and transformation. This further supports the belief in New Thought that Jesus is the great example rather than an exception. ... We have much more in common than our differences.
Many people live partitioned lives. They have distinctly different personas depending upon circumstances. They relegate their spirituality to "safe circumstances" such as only letting it be known among "like minded individuals." Spirituality needs to be practical ... so applicable to everyday living that we can live from it in all situations. It is simultaneously extraordinary and ultra-ordinary. It's expressing as life ... fully experienced.
When are baby steps the best way to go? When do they just not work? Taking only baby steps can become a habit and shackle us to thinking small, being classic under achievers. Spirit expressing as you is not an under achiever! As Anais Nin declared, "And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." What do you need to be bold? When do you know not to be bold, not out of fear but instead because you have listened to ... and followed ...Divine Guidance?
What's to lose? There's no downside ... it's all upside: say "Yes!" and experience "Wow!" Dilgo Rinpoche declared, "We should experience everything totally, never withdrawing into ourselves aa a marmot hides in its hole.Living fullout may trigger fears, but what is the alternative. As Dr Seuss taught us, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." If you have never leaned into life and engaged in some risk-taking, you'll never know what could have been. You will come to the end of your life, always wondering, "If only ..." We must always open to being more in order to attract more Life ... more of a greater vision!
Whether you call it "dana" or "seva" or giving of oneself, generosity comes from the soul. It's another one of those things that produce immeasurable benefits IF and WHEN we get out of the way. When we remember that "we cannot "out-give God," we can lean into giving of ourselves in full faith and trust. Spirit has imbued us with immeasurable gifts and talents. It seems to me that it's appropriate for us to share them ... and share them boundlessly!
There is one thing that, if you embrace it completely, will carry you through anything and everything. It is THE most important facet on your spiritual journey. It causes you to be strong, powerful, gentle, compassionate, resilient, flexible and ever present. Simply it is the truth about you. Join us for this the simplest, yet most empowering, spiritual practice!