“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
~ Proverbs 4:7 ~

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
~ John 8:32 ~

“Repeating an affirmation is leading the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts that which it wishes to believe.”
~ The Science of Mind, page 575.6 ~

“… Latch on to the affirmative”
~ “Accentuate the Positive” by Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer, Lyricists~

The Apostle Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. When properly understood, affirmations are a form of prayer. They are powerful tools of enlightenment that are followed by accepting the ever-prevailing Truth in all things. In other words, to attain successful living, our speech needs to be on the affirmative side of life, all the time.

Nonetheless, affirmations are simply words. Their value depends on the conscious realization of the far-reaching implication they imply. The disengaged user, repeating the words by rote, exercises blind faith, as if some magic power is ignited by doing so. Now, of course blind faith is better than no faith at all. Eventually, one may hear the words being said and realize we each have the creative gift of prophecy. 

However, the one who understands there is a Spiritual Law operating in the universe that out-pictures in our world of effects, pierces the veil that suggest otherwise. Effective prayer is always based on faith and acceptance of the inevitability of Spiritual Truth.

This does not imply that the facts are not real experiences, putting our heads in the sand, ignoring our environment. It does imply that we are saved from the belief in hopelessness, fear, anxiety, and stress that out-picture as trauma. 

We no longer have a need to beg, plead, and bargain a God outside ourselves. Instead, we claim and accept the inherent good that is our very nature. We can say with confidence, Peace of mind is mine, right here and right now. Having made such a statement, we may now step into that reality by allowing the feeling of peace to prevail in everything we think, say, and do.

Affirmative prayer provides an avenue through which possibility thinking is ignited. Affirmative prayer can be likened to fertilizer. It conditions the mind to receive divine ideas and guidance that leads us into right action. It reveals to us that which is ours to do that assists in the unfoldment of the good we seek. Our faith-filled affirmations can be likened to the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. 

Yes, the power is within each one of us to direct the Law of Mind in the direction of our desired good. 

Affirmative prayer is an announcement of Truth. Truth is always in the present moment . . . regardless of present circumstances. No wonder the Master Teacher, Jesus, taught, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” Therefore, our statements of Truth are always in the present tense. Let us pray, aware that Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom, Joy, Beauty and Omnipresent Good is an eternal Reality here and now. And so it is!

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This Weeks Affirmation

“I am a channel of God’s loving-kindness.”
The Upper Room Books Website

Originally posted 10/24/23

“Freely you have received; freely give.” 
~ Matthew 10:8 ~

~ ~ ~ ~

“Find me one person who is for something and against nothing, who is redeemed enough not to condemn others out of the burden of his soul, and I will find another savior, another Jesus, and an exalted human being.”
~ Ernest Holmes, Sermon by the Sea ~

~ ~ ~ ~

The possibility of such a one that Holmes describes in the above quote is synonymous with the possibility of a world that works for everyone. At least, that is my point of view. It seems easy enough to affirm what I am “for.” For example, like St. Francis of Assisi, I am for peace. I am for love where there is hatred; I am for pardon where there is injury; I am for faith where there is doubt; I am for hope where there is despair; I am for light where there is darkness; and I am for joy where there is sadness. 

Even though my high ideal is to be a conscious place and a space through which The Divine is constantly flowing through me, I seem to forget to pardon when the injury is the ignorance of hatred, despair, fear, and whatever seems to contradict what I am for. 

Howard Thurman writes about the emotional reaction that rises up in opposition or against my values, as follows: “Often there are good and sufficient reasons for exercising what seems a clean, direct resentment. Again and again, I find it hard to hold in check the sharp retort, the biting comeback when it seems that someone has done violence to my self-respect and decent regard. How natural it seems to give as good as I get, to take nothing lying down, to announce to all and sundry in a thousand ways that no one can run over me and get away with it.”

Such a response is indicative that I have momentarily forgotten that what I am for and who I am … are one and the same. Who I am can never be hurt, harmed, or disappointed. My inherent nature of peace, love, light, and joy are the changeless and immutable qualities of the divine within me. In this awakened state, I begin the forgiveness process as I release and let go of all sense of separation that clouds the Truth about me and about my fellow earth-travelers.

The healing modality of forgiveness has nothing to do with excusing negative behavior or fixing relationships. It is about acknowledging the Truth of Being; that God freely gives to everyone. God’s grace is for giving love, beauty, peace, joy, harmony, and wisdom to the world. Such a realization is like a reset button that aligns us, once more, with the Truth; and letting God be God through all. 

The following chant, whose author is unknown to me, keeps singing in my mind.

“We are One!
We are One!
In the Spirit, we are One!
Let your Love flow,
So, the world will know,
We are One in Love!”

In silent meditation, I listen for the still small voice that tells me what is mine to do that contributes to a world that works for everyone. 

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This Weeks Affirmation

I now allow Love to flow through me and direct my thoughts and actions in every way.

Angela “Chris” Beam

Originally posted on 8/08/23

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”  ~ Buckminster Fuller ~ (1895 – 1983)

“There is a hidden genius in each person, to which we give expression through commitment, discipline, enthusiasm, and passion.” ~ Eric Butterworth ~ (1916 – 2003) 

An effort to reconcile the ego consciousness and the Christ consciousness is constantly taking place in the life and journey of the sincere seeker of Truth. 

On the one hand, there’s an aspect of the ego that is always gazing outwardly. It is focused on its place in the world as an isolated and separate being. It tends to struggle, compete, protect, and defend its position. It tends to envy others who appear to accomplish their goals easier, quicker, and with greater efficiency. It lives in fear of its demise. It is the consciousness that “walks through the valley of the shadow of death.” Its motivation is survival. 

On the other hand, the Christ is the presence of God within us; individualized as us; and is us. It only knows itself; therefore, there is no “other.” It is always in a state of confidence that all is well. It knows itself as perfect peace, infinite love, power, and universal wisdom. It is the presence that is deeply felt in everyone. It is the spontaneous unspeakable joy that is sometimes felt. It is a unified field of harmony that encompasses all beings simultaneously. It is the higher self within every one of us that knows it is eternal life. 

It may appear there is an inner self and an outer self. This is a misnomer. There is only one self with two modes of operation. The enlightened ego consciousness knows it is an avenue, an instrument, a conduit if you will, that brings the consciousness of its higher self to earth. It realizes that while it is in the world, its nature of the Christ consciousness is not of the world and is therefore healed from the illusion of separation. Its motivation becomes to let it be on earth as it is in the celestial realm of the divine indwelling us all. 

So, as we bear witness to the crosscurrents of the human experience, we do not ignore what our senses tell us. However, as an individualization of The Divine, we once more ask: What is mine to do? How do I participate fully where my “personal responsibility joins with social conscience in every area of the political, corporate, academic, and social sector, providing sustainable structures to further the merging global consciousness?” 

After all, it is an elevated consciousness that hears the still small voice within each of us. It is always leading, guiding, and directing us into right action. 

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This Weeks Affirmation

“I listen to inner wisdom, and I am guided to live my purpose.”
Optimistminds.com/affirmations-for-guidance/

Originally posted 7/19/2022.

Can you look evil or tragedy in the eye and announce your faith, a faith that says Peace, Love, and Harmony are the only Reality; that any so-called evil is “false evidence appearing real?” Can you do this without any resistance to the experience itself, knowing that “what you resist persists?”  In other words, have you cultivated a consciousness that distinguishes the relative from the absolute; secondary causations from First Cause?  

I responded to this self-talk, not with an answer, but with a question. I asked myself, does this mean I should take on a passive attitude and not speak up about what is apparently evil – that which brings harm and suffering to myself or others in the world? My mind was immediately flooded with thoughts. I reminded myself:  the principle I am dealing with is, ‘where attention goes – energy flows.’ 

Therefore, when words and actions expressed are not congruent with the nature of Being and go in the opposite direction of Truth; there is a cross-current of energy, frustrating the Perfect Law that is always conspiring to bring about goodness. It is from this awareness that Ernest Holmes taught the effectiveness of being “for something and against nothing;” i.e., proactive rather than reactive. 

I am reminded that I have the power within me to reverse negative experience by speaking the word of Truth; i.e., my description of Reality, in spite of appearances. My consciousness of Truth is the affirmative prayer that ignites the Infallible Law of Mind.  My divine ideas expressed restore harmony. The next step of course is action, as it has been said, “faith without works is dead.”

Martin Luther King Jr., when seeing great injustices taking place in our country, knew that something was out of alignment with the Truth of Being. I imagine he first prayed, looking for the answer as to what to do; and this one man, seemingly against an army of enemies, took action.  

My inner dialogue continued and I recalled another great American Theologian, Dr. Howard Thurman. While his quest was the same as King’s, he was inspired to lift the spiritual consciousness of humanity through his ministry. His consciousness became a great influence.  Then there was Siddhārtha Gautama, who, upon seeing the poverty of his land for the first time, renounced his life as a prince – left the palace and chose the life of a beggar and became the Buddha. 

Each man acknowledged the symptom of discord and then moved forward with some action according to his particular uniqueness anchored in spiritual awareness.  

In the words of Bryan Stevenson, “Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting. Somebody has to speak when other people are quiet.” The Apostle Paul said, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.” (1 Corinthians 12:4).  

I have now come to understand, while actions may vary, God-inspired ideas yield peace. I envision living in a world that is safe, where nonviolence is the norm. I adhere to the words of Gandhi, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” I affirm the healing power of Love in the world, be it in family dynamics; in the workplace; in relationships; in finances, or in health. I embrace Goethe’s words, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” 

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This Week’s Affirmation

Right here and now I am Perfect Peace. 
I have the power to change my world to one that works for everyone!

By Judy Hilley

Originally posted 4/13/2021

There are invisible laws or powers operating in the universe. They are spiritual in nature and therefore infallible. Like all laws of nature, they are not respecters of individuals. For example, the rain falls on the just and the unjust, and the sun shines on the righteous and the wicked. This All-Powerful Force that reigns supreme is “God.” 

“Free-will,” when using the laws of nature, is an awesome gift of the Spirit bestowed upon all. 

The sleeping genius within us may believe there are two wills, while actually there is only one. Wise ones eventually surrender to this Indestructible and Absolute One when saying, “not my will, but thy will be done.” “My will” refers to the ego-consciousness, believing it is a separate entity operating in the world, while “Thy will” is the Christ-consciousness that knows it is unified with all life – the love and law of God.

This Presence of God within us often lies dormant until, through experience, one differentiates “free-will” from “willfulness.” Willfulness is a behavior of the ego that never brings any lasting satisfaction. When this distinction dawns on the individual, it may very well be the first movement toward enlightenment. 

Being willful suggests a stubborn persistence in doing whatever one wishes, even when it is in opposition to the highest good for all …like a child rebelling its parents. Being willful is like digging one’s heels in and not budging, making the point that ‘I can do whatever I please.’ That kind of behavior is a misapplication of the spiritual principle living within us that guides our ways. In other words, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The key is to align oneself with the inherent nature, indwelling us all.

“Free-will is the ability to activate and objectify one’s deepest desires, beliefs, and core values, i.e., the things you “stand for” regardless of any seeming opposition. It is the act of stepping into the vision of one’s self with the confidence and faith of God. It is being “for something” and “against nothing.” It is the wisdom that declares “If God is for me, who can be against me”? 

There is no power struggle when one comes to the true realization that there is only One Power. This Power obeys us as we learn to obey It. We obey It by aligning ourselves with Its nature of Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom, Joy, and all unchanging good. Robert Browning said it well, “All’s love, yet all’s law.”

What I love about The Science of Mind is, it teaches one “how” to think; not “what” to think. After all, what you think is your free-will. 

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This Weeks Affirmation

I am in alignment with Spirit in all that I think, say, and do.

Angela “Chris” Beam

Originally posted on 11/08/22