“I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. 

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.”

~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer ~

The phrase “I have absolutely no choice in the matter,” is not an uncommon one. This false belief arises during those times in life when it seems as though there are little to no options regarding a particular situation. Or, when the foreseeable possibilities come with such unfavorable consequences that it’s not worth the risk. 

The imagined risks quite often involve the fear that certain choices will damage a meaningful relationship. For example, one might say:  I cannot accept that promotion because my co-worker … I cannot go on that luxury trip because my family … I cannot engage in certain healing modalities because my spouse believes … I cannot change my mind because it will disappoint … I cannot associate with that community because my friends will judge … etc., etc., etc. 

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There is a natural inclination to be mindful of one another; and, of course, there are times when it is appropriate to seek counsel of our loved ones. However, I have noticed that whenever I make an honest assessment, moving through all my own emotional reactions, and finally arrive at what I know is truly my highest good in any given situation, the choices I make for my life are always the highest good for everyone concerned. This is a process anchored in, and perfectly aligned with, an unwavering faith in spiritual principle.

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Faith is more than simply saying, “There is only One Life; that Life is God, and that Life is my life right now.” It is accepting, believing, sensing, and feeling the statement to the degree that even in the face of seeming duality; there is no longer a subjective belief of “them and us” that has a tendency to pull one off course.

Faith anchors itself in a consciousness within one’s own self, that says spiritual principle does not contradict itself. It is a conclusion based on what makes perfect sense. Otherwise, according to the wise adage, “A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”

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Radical faith is believing in one’s soul to lead, guide, and direct all conscious choices.

Radical faith is an inherent awareness that the choices that are truly for your highest good, are spontaneously and simultaneously the highest good for everyone involved. This conclusion is a result of knowing there is only One Life… One Presence, One Soul living through all.

Radical faith is being fully alive, awake, and active in the world, while at the same time being acutely aware of not being of the world; that the true Self is always living in a vibration of Love and Light. 

Radical faith is a soul-searching and complete surrender that God’s Will (the highest idea of good imaginable) is taking place in all individual life and in concert with the one collective life.

Radical faith is loving one’s neighbor as one’s self. It is affirming that all life-enhancing choices create a world that works for everyone.

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This Week’s Affirmation

“Perfect God. Perfect Man. Perfect Being.”
~ Ernest Holmes ~ 

“I believe that the Universal Spirit, which is God, operates through a Universal Mind, which is the Law of God; and that I am surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of my thought and acts upon it.” ~ Ernest Holmes ~

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Back in the day, George Burns and Gracie Allen were a radio comedy team that entertained America. At the end of their routine, Burns would say to Allen: “Say Goodnight, Gracie” and she would think he was telling her what specifically to say, so she would repeat, “Goodnight Gracie!” This joke always left us laughing.

Recalling this made me think how often the words we hear are subject to interpretation and context because of the complexity of language in general. After all, every culture has its own idioms; i.e., slang, sayings, and jargon. Often, metaphors, analogies, and parables are used in an effort to say what is trying to be said. 

 Even sounds, such as the tone of the voice, or the humming of a tune or the clearing of the throat may suggest a certain mood; all born out of feelings, that intimate part of ourselves that translate into thoughts and words.

Sometimes there is a play on words, simply to ignite a sense of humor, like “Goodnight Gracie!”

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In addition to all the subtle nuances of the words we speak, there is a common belief that if we simply say specific words, they accomplish certain results. This may or may not always be the case.

Learning to say life-affirming phrases is a great practice when teaching one’s self how to think. However, it is not until the feeling behind the words spoken take root that we may demonstrate the power of the creative mind that Holmes speaks about. The key is to keep practicing until we actually feel the true meaning of the words we speak. The feeling is sure to ignite the law of creative mind.

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There is something within every one of us that knows, along with Emma Curtis Hopkins: “There is good for me and I ought to have it.” Yet, finding the words to describe this innermost conviction is sometimes difficult to articulate. However, when feelings of health, wealth, loving relationships, and creativity become encoded on the soul, the world of form reveals the likeness of this spontaneous prayer. The world we live in becomes our very own self-expression. 

It is important to find time to become still and just be with the silence of the soul; a time when there are no words spoken; a time of simply letting the feelings of one’s divine birthright saturate the entire being.

It is in such moments, when the self is completely unified with the Self, that this holy communion, this mystical marriage, this divine encounter becomes the healing balm that is needed at the particular time … a moment that reveals the magnificence of The One. 

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This Week’s Affirmation

“I live in my truth, I communicate my truth, I am the truth.”

https://www.thepathprovides.com/blog/10-powerful-throat-chakra-affirmations-for-balancing-your-fifth-chakra

I have been in the process of purging the contents of my home for the past couple of years or more. This process of periodic re-assessing my belongings has become a ritual, wherein I ask myself: ‘Do I keep physical symbols of the way it was; fearing that I may never achieve more; that the occasions I recall were the epitome of possibilities in my life? Or, do I graciously discard the things that were yesterday’s manna and simply embrace the idea that life is always unfolding into its greater yet to be? Otherwise, I keep unpacking and re-packing the same mementos over and over again, filling my mind to capacity, leaving no room to accept the newness of life. 

Time and time again I find myself at the crossroads of decision: what to keep, what to give away, and what to toss.

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This process has caused me to reflect on what the important things are in my life. I realize that which I once considered accomplishments were simply the logical and necessary stepping stones that caused me to be where I am today. After all, life is always moving, one step at a time, according to the direction I point. I always accomplish that for which my heart says “yes.”

Years ago, I was taught the “dos and the don’ts” of life through the ritual of repeating phrases and scriptures, without an explanation of the deeper or inner meaning of the practices, or at least I do not recall there being any. However, when I reached a point that this ritual no longer served me, I sought out the “whys and the how comes.” Much to my soul’s delight, there were teachers waiting for me to arrive at that point in the road, ready to teach me spiritual practices like meditation, visioning, and spiritual mind treatment.

All this acquainted me with the soul of my being.

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I began to think about mandalas.

Mandala means “circle” in Sanskrit. It’s a pattern or design that depicts the spiritual journey, starting from outside to the inner core, through layers. The artist, Saudamini Madra, says: “It’s all about finding peace in the symmetry of the design and of the universe.”  

Traditionally, Tibetan Buddhist Monks spend hours each day for days, painstakingly and skillfully creating these beautiful images in sand. When they are finally finished, they destroy their great work. This ritual is a reminder of the impermanence of life.

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Through the ritual of purging, I reach that a-ha moment where I perceive greater meaning of my process.  I begin to see that the “letting go” and the “holding on” is a way of reconciling what was, what is, and what will be according to the symmetry of the design my thoughts and actions create. I find peace as I create a new design for living. 

I practice mindfulness as I continue my chore. The ritual is one that reminds me that, when I am self-emptied, I become God-filled. I let The Divine flow through my ideas of wholeness which are permanent in the midst of impermanence.   

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This Week’s Affirmation

“I have peace within by letting go of what no longer serves me to make room for the good to manifest.”
By Mary Jane LaBonte, RScP

“What you are looking for is what you are looking with.”
~ Ernest Homes ~

It has been said that perception is reality. Before I jump on the band wagon, saying “yeah, that’s right,” I remember to pause for a moment and think about it, asking myself: what do I mean by that statement? For example, am I referring to “reality” as the absolute or the relative? 

I tell myself: The absolute suggests that which does not and cannot change, it’s is the “isness” of nature. It is the Invisible First Cause behind everything experienced through the senses. On the other hand, the relative is a manifestation of First Cause as well as secondary causes; i.e., or beliefs, which are always subject to change.

One of the definitions offered for “perception” is: “a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.” Another definition says: “the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.” In both cases, there is always a forerunner to what is seen and experienced, whether real or a misconception of the mind. Therefore, what I glean from the above quote by Holmes is, everything in the world is a reflection of a state of consciousness.

As simple as this common-sense knowledge is, there seems always some problem to be solved; for myself, another, or the world. 

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I have found that piercing the veil of illusion (the out-picturing of a mental images) and entering into the vast reality of Truth, is a path, or a way of life. It becomes practical spirituality. This way of life is not mysterious, abstract, or separate from daily living. It does not require convincing or “saving” another from human experiences.  Jesus, the master teacher taught, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

While there is a Powerful Force for Good in the universe, It never forces. One is always at choice. Moving from illusion to truth is a personal journey of adjusting one’s mind-set, beliefs, and perception of what is absolute. How one chooses to move forward with this awareness is optional. The Force for Good is always available and accessible.

The Science of Mind makes clear that it does not teach what to think; but rather, how to think. How to think is a doorway to the infinite; it is a practice that leads directly into a consciousness of the Mind of God. The Mind of God is the fundamental, unchanging nature of First Cause that is forever revealing It’s secrets to whomever listens. There is an answer to every human problem that may bring about the Peace of Mind that is desired.

It’s been said that every human aberration is a spiritual aspiration trying to be birthed.

The world that Jesus references is transitory and is always out-picturing the collective beliefs of humanity at any given time….and then, like turning a kaleidoscope, the whole picture may change instantly, according to the mind-set of the believer. 

Yes, one individual, perfectly aligned with First Cause, may rise in consciousness to a level and frequency of existence that transcends the popular belief being worked out by humanity. That one, having risen above the error thoughts of the masses is a healing presence; i.e., a revealer of Truth.

Daily spiritual practices such as meditation, affirmative prayer, visioning, inspirational reading, and the giving and receiving of loving support are some of the ways to stay centered in Truth and perceive that which is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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This Week’s Affirmation

“Today, I love and accept myself for ALL that I AM!”   
By Keith Childers

“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~

As conscious spiritual beings in the world, it is good to cultivate sensitivity. I don’t mean being sensitive from the standpoint of taking things personally, having your feelings hurt easily, or living with guilt or shame regarding past experiences. No, those are self-inflicted emotions that keep us in a negative state of mind; they keep our self-esteem in the bondage of limitation. In that regard, don’t forget Terry Cole-Whittaker’s book, What You Think of Me is None of My Business and Don Miguel Ruiz’, The Four Agreements.

No, the sensitivity I’m talking about is tapping into one’s intuitive nature and began to feel and sense when a word, a deed, or action is supportive to one’s well-being and the well-being of all humanity. After all, the concept that “There is one mind common to all men”, as Ralph Waldo Emerson espoused, is a far-reaching one.

Yes, the implication suggests that each one of us, being enveloped and immersed in the one mind, which is creative, is susceptible to all thought; i.e., the good, the bad, and the ugly. When we become awake enough to consciously practice critical thinking, we may find access to the highest and noblest thoughts ever thought. The Apostle Paul must have understood this when he said, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

It seems logical to believe that once we have become an inlet to higher states of consciousness, the former things that suggested lack, limitation, fear, disease, hatred or any form of separation from the good desired in our hearts, are seen for what they are: “false beliefs” and are no longer entertained. With personal energy re-directed, those former things simply fall way.

Through the technology of mass media, we are exposed to a multitude of varied thoughts, beliefs and opinions that are operating in the mind of humanity. Oftentimes, we are asked to “like” and “share” them; thereby, creating a culture of the particular belief.

Before making emotional agreements that pleases the ego in the moment, critical thinking is crucial. It means measuring what is seen, heard, and experienced against your personal fundamental belief, concept, or principle that you have embodied and accepted as truth; i.e., your core values.

There is a balancing act that must be cultivated between the spiritual, mental, and the physical realms; much like what Simone Biles described as necessary for a gymnast’ mind and body to be in sync. Practicing spiritual principles as a way of life takes courage, determination, and discipline; and like Ms. Biles, “self-awareness.”

Clear, conscious thoughts, and beliefs released into the creative medium of mind are sure to yield health, wealth, peace, love, wisdom, and joy as your life experience, according to your keen insight, choice, and acceptance. Everyone who is aligned with these attributes of the Spirit, have access to these gifts that are the essence of the One Mind.

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This Week’s Affirmation

“I see God in all there is and enjoy my experience of life to the fullest.”   
By Angela “Chris” Beam