Category Archives: Rev. Mary Louise Ruffner

Let’s Go

August 2, 2022Rev. Mary Louise Ruffnerstillpointstillpointaolcom

“I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.” ~ Philippians 3:13-14 ~

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Time and time again I must remind myself that the God of my life is not in some far-off place and I must earn Its favor in order to receive the longings of my soul. It may very well be that the longings I feel are the God of my life offering me Its favor, Its grace. After all, it has been said that it is God’s good pleasure to give us that which yields happiness.

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It is the inherent nature of every one of us to create through the power of the Indwelling Spirit a life of peace, love, harmony, beauty, joy, wisdom, and every good thing imaginable. This power, being God, is never depleted or diminished. It is equally distributed and everywhere present all the time.

Even during those times when the power seems dormant; you may be assured it is easily ignited and awakened through regular and consistent spiritual practices such as meditation, affirmative prayer, life visioning, inspirational reading, and hanging out with forward-thinking people, to name a few.

Yes, we each have the capability to activate the Presence of Good in our lives by simply recognizing that it is already here, in this present moment. Yes, it is right here, right now! While this profound realization may be motivated by your being sick and tired of being sick and tired of your present circumstances; nonetheless you’ve got what it takes to begin again. You may begin by letting go of those things which are now behind. You have, in this moment, all the courage, strength, wisdom, and energy needed to move forward in the direction of your dreams. You have what it takes. It’s your birthright. It’s your spiritual DNA.

So, let’s go! Remember, consistent practice is the key. Let’s embrace and accept those things which are our heart’s sincere desire, and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling. Begin by gaining clarity, telling yourself the true intent for this good and the feeling it stirs when you imagine its fulfillment. Assured that it brings only good to you and others, begin to tell yourself that this thing is a divine idea in the mind of God and therefore it is yours right now.

Don’t forget to give great thanks for this expected good that expands the quality of your life.

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How good it is to step into the awareness that we live, move, and have our existence in a universe of love, light, and unlimited good; enough for every living being on the planet. There is a field of unlimited possibilities stretched before us right now; not just for some but for everyone. We each have the power to let it be on earth exactly as it is in the celestial realms of consciousness. Let’s go!

This Weeks Affirmation

“I know that my daily spiritual practice continues to keep me assured that there is good for me and also for all others.”

By Mary Jane LaBonte, RScP

RIPPLES

July 26, 2022Rev. Mary Louise Ruffnerstillpointstillpointaolcom

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
~ Matthew 24:35 ~

^“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
~ James 1:22-25 ~

“There is one mind common to all individual men. Every man is an inlet to the same and to all of the same. What Plato has thought, he may think; what a saint has felt, he may feel. 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 ~

“The One Creative Power is expressing in you in a unique way and that it is always pressing against you, seeking a fuller outlet of its infinite possibilities.”
~ Ernest Holmes ~

Have you ever thrown a rock in a body of water and watched the ripples flow out causing a movement that touches everything within its radius?

Just suppose, for a moment, that six ripples touch six individuals who in turn throw a rock in the water. Immediately thirty-six (36) individuals are then touched. If the momentum continues, using the same proposition; i.e., 36x 6/ 216 x 6/ 1296 & 6, etc., there is the potential to reach7 billion individuals in a relatively short order.

The key word is potential. After all, everyone is not out fishing, or playing on the beach, or swimming in the pool; and even if one is near the rippling water; she may not be inclined to throw a rock back into the great universal medium.

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Yes, like ripples of water, our thoughts, infused with our beliefs and motives are constantly touching the lives of those within the vibratory circle of our influence. The theory of six degrees of separation may support this idea.

It is always amazing to me when I hear my exact words coming back to me from someone I never met. Now, of course, those very words, like ripples of consciousness, had been received by me at some former time.

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Can you imagine, with me, the power of our own creative word to heal anything and everything that is unlike the nature of peace, harmony, love, wisdom, joy – not only for ourselves but for everyone? Can you imagine, with me, the ripple effects of an idea that is so pure that it articulates clearly its motive and intent that it sheds light where there is darkness; love where there is fear; unity where there is separation; peace where there is anger; and joy where there is sorrow?

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The creative word that always fulfills itself is more than language. It is a state of mind, an embodied consciousness. It is like a ripple in the One Mind that keeps expanding, touching everyone within its vibratory range.

Just think, a world that works for everyone is within our grasp. It begins with our beliefs, feelings, and thoughts, followed by our deeds and actions.

This Weeks Affirmation

“I am present in my life always emitting Love, Joy, and Happiness wherever I AM.

By Keith Childers

Let It Be!

July 19, 2022Rev. Mary Louise Ruffnerstillpointstillpointaolcom

“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 has a tendency to struggle, compete, protect, and defend its position. It has a tendency to envy others who appear to accomplish their goals easier, quicker, and with greater efficiency. It lives in the 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, powerful, 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.

At first glance, it may appear there is an inner self and an outer self. This is a misnomer. There is only the 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 cross-currents 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.

This Weeks Affirmation

“I listen to inner wisdom, and I am guided to live my purpose.”

Optimistminds.com/affirmations-for-guidance/

I AM that I AM

July 12, 2022Rev. Mary Louise Ruffnerstillpointstillpointaolcom

(Repost) “In the last analysis, man is just what he thinks himself to be; he is big in capacity if he thinks big thoughts; he is small if he thinks small thoughts. He will attract to himself what he thinks most about. He can learn to govern his own destiny when he learns to control his thought… The seed that falls into the ground shall bear fruit of its own kind; and nothing shall hinder it. He that hath ears to hear let him hear.”
~ Ernest Holmes, Creative Mind and Success ~

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Recently, while facilitating a class via Zoom; suddenly, out of the blue, the images of the students were frozen on my computer screen. I watched these motionless figures until they were once again animated. The first thing they said to me, upon returning, was, “You’re finally back.” You see, to them, I appeared frozen on their computer screens.

We all laughed at this phenomenon: the observer and the observed mirroring each other.

The fact is, no one was frozen. Each one of us was intact, comfortable in our own home, looking at “what seemed to be.” The false appearance caused by some cyberspace interference resolved itself as we waited, trusted the process, and did what was ours to do to restore the harmony.

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All this caused me to think about how a similar scenario plays out every day of our lives. For example, we are quick to identify with negative experiences, accusing others or ourselves for the things we see. We say I am, or you are, sick, poor, scared, stuck, etc. Actually, the distorted view that suggests these things is a result of some mental interference, some error-thought. The good news is, these error-thoughts can be corrected.

When we become still enough, long enough, we begin to realize that the Truth of who we are is intact. Our Higher Self, The Presence, The Great I AM imbedded in the recesses of our being has never changed, The Real Self remains whole, complete, and perfect regardless of any appearance of limitation. Ralph Waldo Emerson expresses this concept perfectly when he says, “For it is only the finite that has wrought and suffered; the infinite lies stretched in smiling repose.”

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Once the veil of illusion is pierced by our belief in the life-affirming words we consciously tell ourselves; the whole picture of our experience begins to change.

Max Planck, Nobel Prize winner in Physics explains: “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Ernest Holmes taught, “Change your thinking – change your life.” Through these scientific and metaphysical practices, not only are we individually relieved of the burden of error, we see others in the same Light we see ourselves. Yes, the observed and the observer are always one, never two. All this must be what the mystic, Jesus, meant when he said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Seeing and knowing the Truth beyond apparent appearances is a form of affirmative prayer.

The next time you feel as though you are stuck… frozen in a web of some human circumstance, remember that your nature, which is the image and likeness of God, is intact. Relax and let this God-consciousness permeate your entire being. Embrace the thoughts of Love, Light, Peace, Order, and Joy that begin to emerge. Notice how the thing you are looking at begins to conform with what you believe to be true.

With this blessed assurance, you may now move forward, in full confidence, doing what needs to be done by and through you to restore harmony.

This Weeks Affirmation

“My mind is at peace for I know that I am divinely connected to all that is Good.”

by Judy Hilley

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

“If you want to live a life of joy and fulfillment, you have to find the courage to break those agreements that are fear-based and claim your personal power.”
~ Don Miguel Ruiz ~

ATLANTA SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY, INC.
www.atlantaspiritualcommunity.org

PRESENTS

The Four Agreements Project
The Practical Application of Toltec Wisdom

Facilitated by:

Co-Founders: StillPoint Spiritual Center: A CSL Teaching Chapter
www.stillpointcsl.org

This 5-week interactive course is designed to support you in becoming the master of the dream of your life.

Join fellow travelers and explore the Toltec path of Truth
Thursdays: July 14 ~ July 21 ~ July 28 ~ August 4 – August 11

7:00 to 9:00 PM/EST

Textbook: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THIS EVENT

Registration Fee: $50-~ Register at https://www.atlantaspiritualcommunity.org/donate/

Or, you may pay via Zelle. Send to atlantaspiritualcommunity@gmail.com

Zoom Meeting address provided upon receipt of registration

Contact: Bernita Scott at 770-289-9968

Fees are tax-deductible and support ASC, INC. Sacred Service Projects

PRESENT MOMENT POWER

July 5, 2022Rev. Mary Louise Ruffnerstillpointstillpointaolcom

“A seeker of silences am I, and what treasure have I found in silences that I may dispense with confidence? If this is my day of harvest, in what fields have I sowed the seed, and in what unremembered seasons?” ~ Kahlil Gibran ~

“Let us in the stillness of our own soul go back to that ineffable Presence which is Peace and proclaim It even in the midst of confusion, that Peace which is the Power at the heart of God.”
~ Ernest Holmes ~

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” ~ The Apostle Paul ~

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(Revised REPOST ) I know that spiritual discernment is key in the development of my evolving consciousness. I anchor my go-to affirmations and prayers in the universal principles of Oneness, Love, and Peace, to name a few. These eternal verities are my measurements of Reality, the Truth that is the same today, yesterday, and forever. From this perspective, the balancing act of being in this world but not of it is harmonized. My assessment of spiritual supremacy operating in human affairs inspires me to know that all is well.

The wonderful thing about The Truth is it is never threatened, nor does it depend on what I believe. Instead, it is my perceptions and my beliefs that are the cause of my suffering as well as the inspiration of my unwavering faith.

This intentional focus causes the energy of insight and right judgment to rise up within me. In this state of consciousness, I am a clear, conscious, conduit, through which Divine Wisdom and Intelligence flow unobstructed, guiding all my decisions into right action.

I affirm the inevitable presence and power of the One Spirit, God, now and in the future.

I like living on the affirmative side of life, and at the same time, I am careful not to put my head in the sand about the apparent conditions all around. For example, as our nation experiences the labor pains of giving birth to its next expression of “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” I offer my cultivated consciousness as a midwife for the expected answer that reveals peace on earth and good will towards all.

In my awakened state of consciousness, I realize the evolution of Life is forever stretching into the eternal. Therefore, I capture the present moment and participate fully. I listen for the Indwelling Presence to show me that which is mine to do.

This Weeks Affirmation

“I take care of the future by taking care of the present moment.” https://zannakeithley.com/mindfulness-affirmations/

TWO (2) ANNOUNCEMENTS:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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ANNOUNCEMENT 1

THE STILLPOINT GATHERING

~ a doorway to the infinite ~

www.stillpointcsl.org

July 9, 2022 via ZOOM

(Join the ZOOM Meeting at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/949595702?pwd=NEFGMkRDOExZWXBmSTkvWWsrNElQdz09)

10:00 am until 12 Noon

The Gathering is a time when like-minded people come together for open dialogue about spiritual principles from a metaphysical perspective. A safe place is continuously nurtured so everyone may openly talk about their challenges, their wins, and their dreams in an environment of openness and non-judgment. A typical Saturday morning includes meditation, followed by a brief time of journaling. There is a spiritual principle presented as a springboard for the discussion that follows.

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ANNOUNCEMENT 2

“If you want to live a life of joy and fulfillment, you have to find the courage to break those agreements that are fear-based and claim your personal power.”
~ Don Miguel Ruiz ~

ATLANTA SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY, INC.

www.atlantaspiritualcommunity.org

PRESENTS

The Four Agreements Project
The Practical Application of Toltec Wisdom

Facilitated by: