(Revisited Repost)

I fretted, became frustrated, exhausted, and finally, just plain spent. You see, even the most skilled IT Technician could not retrieve that Word Document I so desperately needed. It was lost forever. 

In the midst of feeling stuck in a cycle of self-blame and ridicule for not doing my part to save the precious text, I heard a still small voice within me say, “The same intelligence that flowed through you, creating that document, is still available.” Unconsciously I was being re-aligned with the Truth, the promise of freedom, peace, and the ability to begin again. The decision to accept the gift of letting go of the mistake and moving on, equated to self-forgiveness.

You would think I would immediately follow this divine guidance. It was my choice. Nonetheless, I continued to struggle, punishing myself a little longer. It was as if an opposing thought said, ‘self-forgiveness is for more serious issues, like the one shared by the woman I recently encountered who had been physically imprisoned for her mistakes.’ 

Limiting self-talk keeps us locked into what is already the past.

The woman, like me, heard the still small voice within her that promised a new beginning. She adhered to the divine guidance of this Inner Knower and is now re-aligned with her inherent nature. Having stepped into her greater-yet-to-be, she is now a beneficial presence in the world.

The principle of forgiveness dissolves the emotional energy of condemnation, shame, or blame. The Self/giving-ness of Divine Love energizes the entire being with the wisdom to move forward, to begin again.  In many ways our self-forgiveness and ability to move forward support fellow travelers. It is another way of creating a world that works for everyone.

I GOT IT!!!

There is no “big” or “small” in the Infinite Mind of the Divine. Even the slightest condemnation of one’s self, and/or that of another, blocks the free-flowing energy of Spirit, causing emotional imprisonment and limits self-expression. 

The Self-giving-ness of the Divine One is Grace. It is the ever-flowing presence of healing Love.

John Newton, the converted slave trader of the 1700’s wrote: “How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed.” Yes, Truth realized is always the spontaneous and instantaneous response to Divine Love.  This is the inherent nature within every one of us.

By the way, the next day my creative juices were flowing again. Thank goodness for the practice of meditation and prayer. The replacement document that I created was better than the first. And I saved it! My realization was swift: once forgiveness is initiated, peace is restored.

This Weeks Affirmation

STOP. KNOW. EXHALE. I AM Peace.

Keith Childers

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”
~ William Shakespeare ~

“Change your thinking – change your life.”
~ Ernest Holmes ~

Recently I was sitting in meditation and opened my eyes to gaze into nature’s magnificent beauty stretched before me. The bright sun beaming down on the thick foliage of the woods became the perfect canvas that reflected images of the items in the room I was sitting.

At first, I did not believe my eyes. So, I re-focused for greater clarity, and sure enough there they were, chairs, lamps, books . . . just hanging out in midair.   In that moment I realized the sunlight, shining on the items on the inside … reflected their mirror-image on the outside. I got it! So, I relaxed more fully and gazed at the no-thing outside my window, appearing so real. 

I noticed every time I changed my physical position, the images moved accordingly.  It was fascinating to see the dominion I had over something that was beyond my control. That paradoxical insight reminded me that there is an Absolute Law, a Changeless Principle, if you will, operating in the universe for which I may direct or apply in my life. 

I closed my eyes again to contemplate how this phenomenon related to how the Law of Mind Action works; i.e., “as above, so below; as within, so without,” etc. Suddenly, I felt the flickering of sunlight. When I opened my eyes, the images were gone. Oh, how I enjoyed this holy communion and how sweetly and gently Spirit reinforced my awareness of the Presence, Power, and Love of God, all around. 

On the one hand, I realized, the Law is All-Powerful and not a respecter of person, responding to all alike.  On the other hand, I have a choice, moment to moment regarding how I apply the Great One in my individual life by positioning myself to receive that which I desire to experience.

~ ~ ~ ~

Everything in the physical world of experience reflects what we, individually, and collectively have accepted in our minds as being true. Enlightenment, through a spiritual practice of meditation, reveals the truth.  

The more anchored we each become in the awareness of our True Identity, affirming our true nature as spiritual beings having human experiences, the more we become witnesses, without attachment to the impermanence of ever-changing phenomena all around us. This does not mean becoming indifferent or apathetic, resulting in a sense of hopelessness and fear; but rather, cultivating a consciousness that asks, “what is mine to do?”

Just as the sun reflected the items in the room where I was seated; likewise, the Universal Law of Mind reflects onto the screen of life, the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions we embody. 

 Needless to say, there are times the things we are seeing and experiencing seem overwhelming. “Seem” is the keyword. It is all evidence, reflecting the images of our minds. “Change your thinking – change your life” is a slogan often used when describing how to use The Science of Mind. As we heed this lesson, notice how the images we witness change accordingly.

This Weeks Affirmation

“I am creating a beautiful life.”

https://www.youtube.com/@kdcFLOW

“Every day and every hour we are meeting the eternal realities of life, and in such degree as we co-operate with these eternal realities in love, in peace, in wisdom, and in joy – believing and receiving – we are automatically blessed.”
~ The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes ~

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~

“Is not prayer a study of truth, a sally of the Soul into the unfound Infinite?”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

There are very subtle differences between practicing the Presence, Power, and Love of God and engaging in, what has been termed spiritual bypass.  For example, the former may observe a negative condition and from a consciousness that God is all there is, becomes self-empowered, sees the polar opposite, and move forward in the solution; thus, becoming an agent of change through an action of right action.   Conversely, the latter may affirm that “God is all there is,” denying the negative experience, as if the affirmative words alone will make it all go away.  

Ernest Holmes tells us: “. . . we do not say everything is all right when it is all wrong. We do not say peace when there is no peace, but rather we try to discover what is wrong and why we do not have peace.” After all, God really is all there is, and God really is good all the time. Affirmations are more than sweet-talk, pretending what is, is not. They are declarations of the eternal realities of Truth, right here and right now, inspiring us to do what is ours to do as we align ourselves with the peace that is meant to be.

A regular spiritual practice that embraces Truth, fosters an unwavering faith whereby we remain centered in a consciousness of Unity, even when reports of human atrocities describe duality in great detail; i.e., them against us . . .  winners, and losers. etc. In other words, when we are anchored in Reality, we tap into the eternal realities of life and “see Beauty even when it is not pretty.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Even though one may not be aware that it is their divine nature to express Beauty, Love, Wisdom, Harmony, and Joy, there is, nonetheless, the urge to do so. Desiring to experience the fulfillment of these qualities, there is often a tendency to ‘make’ something happen instead of ‘letting’ something happen, and miss the mark in so doing. It has been said, “for every human aberration, there is a spiritual aspiration, trying to break through.” 

~ ~ ~ ~

Practicing the Presence to the degree that you know, moment by moment that there is a Power for Good in the universe and we can use it in the present moment and that It always hears and always answers are reasons to rejoice and be thankful; it is to this degree we experience peace of mind in an ever-changing world.  

This Weeks Affirmation

“There is a power for good in the universe and I can use it.”

~ Mary Jane LaBonte, RScP ~

(Repost)

“There is one mind common to all individual men. Every man is an inlet to the same and to all of the same. He that is once admitted to the right of reason is made a freeman of the whole estate. What Plato has thought, he may think; what a saint has felt, he may feel; what at any time has befallen any man, he can understand. Who hath access to this universal mind is a party to all that is or can be done, for this is the only and sovereign agent.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ 

“Attraction and repulsion are mental qualities and may be consciously utilized for definite purposes. Man, automatically and according to Law, attracts to himself a correspondence of his mental attitudes. Inner mental attitudes may be induced through right thinking and correct knowing.” ~  Ernest Holmes ~

“We see a world in which each and every person lives in alignment with his/her highest spiritual principle, emphasizing unity with God and connection with each other; a world in which individually and collectively we are called to a higher state of consciousness and action.”
~ Centers for Spiritual Living ~

Familiar terms like intuition, instinct, clairvoyance, and extra-sensory perception describe the subtle effects of the phenomenon of planetary oneness. In the meantime, and in tandem with this sensation, The Law of Attraction, an invisible force operating in the universe, is forever drawing to us the thoughts and actions taking place all around us.

All this activity of the one mind is our spiritual nature ~ the very essence of who we are.

~ ~ ~ ~

Our inseparable Oneness is far-reaching. For example, those who comprise our circle of influence are not limited to the people whose names we know or to the ones with whom we associate. The circle includes the known or unknown; the seen or unseen with whom we resonate. The circle extends beyond our geographic awareness. 

There are subjective agreements we make with 
words and images presented below our conscious awareness.
We are inherently attracted to each other. 

~ ~ ~ ~

The story of The Hundredth Monkey by Ken Keyes tells how the behavior of a small group of monkeys influenced the behavior of many primates of their island, though never having interacted with them. Soon, monkeys on neighboring islands began to adopt the same behavior. 

Psychologists tell us that parents inadvertently influence their young when they speak and act cordially to one another while secretly abusing each other with word and deed. Many children grow up and continue the unseen behavior of their parents.

Both accounts illustrate the great synergy that exists between beings. They demonstrate how, unspoken words and unseen behavior, have a tendency to impress the consciousness and influence the activity of the most susceptible; be it positive or negative. The most susceptible are our circle of influence.

~ ~ ~ ~

Through the spiritual practice of meditation, we become consciously attuned to subjective impressions and began attracting only that which resonates with our highest values. Soon, our mental attitude of Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards All begins to touch the hearts of the masses ~ creating a world that works for everyone. 

This Week’s Affirmation

“Today I consciously affirm only the Good and become a Beneficial Presence to the world.”

By Judy Hilley

“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 articulate 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. 

This Weeks Affirmation

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

Angela “Chris” Beam