(Revised REPOST ) Be it a child’s game, a health challenge, the state of the country, or, everything in between; the faith factor is always being activated, even in the darkest moments, when there seems to be no answer. 

The childhood game, Hide-and-Seek, was a favorite of mine.  I was super confident that I would always find my playmates in their favorite hiding places; or that they would tag the goal while I was still searching. This faith based on my previous experiences of playing the game was my assurance of success. When the game ended, I was summoned to come inside for the day and prepare for tomorrow.

Fast forward with me to the early part of 2002. I was feeling very low; lower than I had felt in a long time. Arriving home that day, I parked the car and hurried into my apartment.  I had a lot on my mind, so I was glad my new friends, the shy little girl and her mom who lived in the adjacent building, were not there to greet me as usual.  I was not in the mood for pleasantries. 

Once inside, I began to process the diagnosis the doctor had given me. Fear of the unknown flooded my mind.   I was alone with my thoughts, feelings, confusion, and grief when suddenly there was a loud knock at my front door. Very unusual. 

It was my young neighbor standing there, her eyes filled with fear, crying, “my daughter, my daughter, I can’t find her. Help me.” In that very moment, I forgot what I was thinking about. Quickly I put my shoes on again and frantically I followed the young woman out of the door, asking “What’s your daughter’s name?” As we ran in opposite directions in search of the child, she shouted back to me, “Her name is Faith.” 

For the next 15 minutes, I ran throughout the complex, shouting: “Faith, Faith, where are you?  The young mom and I met again at our starting point.  There she was. We both saw her at the same time, this whimsical, mystical being called Faith. She showed her face from the walkway of her building. It was if her shy smile was saying, “I love this game of hide-and-seek.”  

I returned to my apartment and laughed out loud as I reflected on my search for Faith.   Now, reunited with my core beliefs, the energy completely shifted. All anxiety was gone.  The mesmeric spell of downward gazing was broken. I am summoned to that secret place within myself and I began preparing for tomorrow.  

This search for the child-like faith of my youth reminds me “that as I deal with my own individuality, I am dealing with the Universal, which has projected out of Itself that which is like itself on a miniature scale.” ¹ 

Anchored in a consciousness of Light, I know the nature of God is changeless, the Word of God is Law, deeply embedded in the substance of Wholeness, Oneness, Peace, Harmony, Love, and Wisdom; all that is indestructible, absolute, and self-existent. ²

While I do not ignore the cross-currents of division that appear in the world, I listen deeply to that still small voice that guides me into the unifying force that is irresistible and must yield a world that works for everyone. My unwavering faith is in the Indwelling Presence as I am motivated to seek and find the way.

This Weeks Affirmation

“I am fearless simply because I know I can choose faith.” 

By Mary Jane LaBonte, RScP

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TWO (2) ANNOUNCEMENTS:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

~ ~ ~ ~ 

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ 

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:

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 

---

(REPOST) During this moment in time when the collective consciousness of humanity is pulled between concepts of right and wrong; good and bad; them and us, and various pairs of opposites; I realize I am not an isolated being. I, too, am part of it all. I, too, contribute to the human consensus.

I begin to question if what I am thinking, saying, and doing are in alignment with what I say I value. After all, Ancient Wisdom teaches, “Where your treasure is, there is also your heart.” ¹

I notice that I have strong opinions, thoughts, and emotions. I am aware that these passions are the driving forces in the invisible realm that create my world of effects. I challenge myself to be “for something and against nothing.”²

I begin to reflect on what it is that I truly treasure; i.e., what are my true values?

For sure I value practical spirituality. It is my principal treasure, inasmuch as it is all-encompassing when it comes to living life fully. The keyword is “practical.” For example, practical spirituality shows up as health, wealth, and love. They are by-products, or the out-picturing of the Wholeness and Perfection of The Eternal One.

In order to experience this natural goodness, I realize that I must provide an opening/or willingness through which the nature of God may express through me and as me.

So, I ask myself:

• Do my eating and exercise habits; my TV and social media choices; the books I read and the company I keep reflect my idea of health for the body and the mind?
• Do I invest in what I desire to see increase? Do I spend my energy, talents, and skills in life-giving projects?  Do I circulate the good that is mine so others may prosper in their worthwhile endeavors? Do I demonstrate my idea of wealth?
• Do I embrace my concept of love by practicing The Golden Rule 3 at every turn, without exception, and without the temptation to give as good as I get?

In other words, are my actions congruent with my ideas about the Wholeness and Perfection of the Divine?

My conclusion is: I must be the change I desire to see in the world and then notice the following results:

1. It stops me from judging others;
2. It replaces complaining about others with reflection on self;
3. It stirs me into taking action within the only thing in the world over which I have any control: myself. ⁴

Mahatma Gandhi, a mystic of the 20^th century said: “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”

The decision to change is indeed a defining moment

---

This Weeks Affirmation

“I am strong, steady, and grounded always rooted in the present moment.”

By Keith Childers

---

TWO (2) ANNOUNCEMENTS:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ 

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:

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 

---

(REPOST) “Liberty and justice for all” is a divine idea – pure essence. It is universal potential and unformed creation. It lives within the “one mind common to all individual men.”¹ When one affirms this idea, movement within the cosmic field of infinite possibilities begins to formulate it into existence.  Depending on the embodiment² of the affirmation, and coupled with ensuing action, the idea becomes a universal experience.   

I notice whenever I see the slightest evidence of my faith being realized, I have a tendency to retreat to my comfort zone, affirming all is well. To the degree that I withdraw, the motion of creation subsides.   I must stay the course.

For example, several years ago a labyrinth was created for my backyard.  As I traveled the circling path in meditation, I would sometimes imagine all the people on earth walking with me. Together we would chant:

We Are One! We Are One! ~ In the Spirit, we are One!
Let the love flow, So, the world will know, ~ We are one in Love.³

In time, the structure began to reflect the wear and tear of the seasons of wind, rain, and storm.  Not liking how it looked, I uprooted it and covered all the twists and turns of my daily walk with topsoil.

 Recently, Chris and I were talking about my yard (called, “the sanctuary”) and she said to me, “you know, even though you cannot see the labyrinth, it is still there.”   Those words catapulted me into a contemplative meditation. 

 I asked myself, where did you leave off in the process-in-healing; or, have you forgotten? When the atmosphere of your soul got scary, what unresolved feelings and emotions were covered up, so everything would look pretty and in place? 

With many feelings and emotions still well-covered I practice the art and science of Spiritual Mind Treatment ⁴ for the purpose of peace on earth and good will towards all people. I affirm ‘there is only One Infinite Life; that Life is Love and that Life of Love is my life right now and is the life of everyone.’ In moments of realization, I KNOW there is no separation; all apparent inequities are the out-picturing of ignorance and limitation.   The limerick of my childhood affirms this awakened awareness:

Red, brown, yellow, Black, and white;
They are all precious In His sight.⁵

Then I am reminded of Ernest Holmes’ words, “(Treatment) is not a process of saying ‘Peace’ when there is no peace.” ⁶   I THINK I GOT IT!!! In other words, until my word of truth is seen by all, my work is incomplete.

So, I return to the sanctuary of my being. I walk the labyrinth of life and my path intertwines with all of the so-called “others.” I hear their stories and I tell them mine. Though painful, my unexamined feelings and emotions are now exposed to the Light. We say to one another, “I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.” ⁷

I stay the course.

I affirm the truth; I meditate on the truth; I do spiritual mind treatment about truth.

And, I ask myself, what is mine to do?

---

This Weeks Affirmation

“I focus on revealing Spirit as Love in all things, beginning with me.”

By Angela “Chris” Beam

(Repost)
“In the Science of Mind, 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. We do not say that people are not poor, sick, or unhappy. We ask why these things should be if the Original Cause of all things is Harmonious, Perfect, Radiant, and Happy.”
~ Ernest Holmes, Living the Science of Mind~ 

“Crying out to Life, beseeching It to be good, has no effect whatsoever upon It; It already is good. Asking It to give you life produces no good results; It has already incarnated Itself in you, as you. But inward awareness unifies the intellect with Life and binds the personal man back to the Universal Presence. This is what is meant by spiritual understanding and realization.”
~ Ernest Holmes, “The Art of Life” ~

Breaking down the barriers of limited thought that untrained murmurings of the mind erect each time it bemoans: ‘ain’t it awful’ and ‘what terrible times we’re living in,’ is a practice, not for the faint of heart.  Rising above the human fact to the spiritual reality is not always easy.  It is, nonetheless, a necessary undertaking in the process of aligning with the Truth that sets us free from the hypnotic spell of error-thought. 

Some would say the discords of the world have always been, and there’s nothing that can be done about it. And, to some degree, this certainly seems to be the case. The Master Teacher, Jesus, told his followers: “In this world you will have trouble.”  “But,” he goes on to say, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”  And, he made it clear that he was not an exception, saying: ‘The things that I do you may do also, even greater things.’ (Wow, no human ego here!) 

~~~~

Once we (individuals) consciously tap into and activate the inner power of mind, enabling ourselves to choose the direction of our lives that works best for us, there soon follows an awakened awareness of our union with the collective consciousness that out-pictures as world events. With this revelation, we are called, once again, to activate the power of mind, enabling ourselves to consciously choose thoughts, words, and actions that contribute to a world that works for everyone.

~~~~

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Joan-of-Arc, and Siddhartha Gautama, to name a few, have made significant contributions to the ever-evolving-consciousness of the world. Yet, most of the light-bearers of humanity are people just like you and just like me whose names may never be recorded as such.  Yes, this creative power is within every one of us. Let’s become the change we desire to see in the world.

The first order of action is the realization of God’s Omnipresence; i.e., the Peace of God is the potential where war seems to be; the Oneness of Spirit is the potential where separation and exclusion seem to be; the Wholeness of The Divine as health is the potential right where disease seems to be; and, Perfect Love casts out all fear. Remember, enlightened thoughts supersede old unenlightened ones and cause new things to appear. 

Next, with this God-consciousness deeply anchored in our being, ours is to activate the God-potential through thoughts, words, and actions. Let us go forth, now, making a difference in the world. Let’s deepen our faith, knowing we are divinely guided to do what is ours to do, thereby, actualizing the vision of a world that works for everyone. 

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This Week’s Affirmation

“Today I know Peace and Love and Harmony and bring it to the world”

by Judy Hilley

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-6~

~ ~ ~ ~

The recent tragedies of Buffalo and Uvalde hi-light a pattern; i.e., a mind-set that continues to materialize on the human stage. Feelings of deep sadness, grief, and heavy hearts cannot be ignored. These emotions fill the air and affect us all to some degree as we individually and collectively memorialize those who have fallen victim to selfish motives. 

Kahlil Gibran tells us that Love cries as well as It laughs. Otherwise, when feelings are suppressed or denied while using spiritual platitudes to cope, we may inadvertently become by-standers of life, not participants. In other words, a statement of truth, without its corresponding action, is what the Apostle Paul referenced, saying, “Faith without works is dead.”

While it takes courage and strength to sit with uncomfortable feelings; however, in so doing they will, in time, reveal their secrets, letting us know what is ours to do. (“Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted”).

~ ~ ~ ~

In response to the outrageous events of recent days, it may seem obvious that a consciousness of unity and oneness is the answer. The question is, from a practical point of view, how do we get there? Various solutions have been voiced and rejected. It seems nothing offered eradicates the problem once and for all to everyone’s satisfaction. 

I am reminded of the story of The Blind Men and the Elephant. Since none of the men had actually seen an elephant, their description of the animal was based on what each one perceived when touching one part of the enormous body. Depending on each man’s experience, the elephant was described as a wall, spear, snake, tree, rope, or fan. They argued and disagreed with each other’s findings.

~ ~ ~ ~

Could it be, just like blind men, humanity has never seen the all-ness of Unity and Oneness? Perhaps our point of view, while it may be true, is only one aspect of unity, which is the Love of God expressing. What if the collective wisdom of humanity, motivated by Love, were the governing power of our lives here on earth? 

It was Robert Browning who perceived, “All’s love, yet all’s law.” Ernest Holmes goes on to say, “Love points the way, and law makes the way possible.” The Apostle Paul describes to us the nature of love, saying, ^“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

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This Week’s Affirmation

“The inner work that I do directly benefits the people around me, too.”

https://healingbrave.com/blogs/all/affirmations-feeling-your-feelings