“In this world you will have trouble.” 
~ John 16:33 ~
There are strong opinions about the present state of affairs that is taking place all around us and what the powers that be ought to do about them. As a result, feelings of fear, mistrust, helplessness, and hopelessness, the very antithesis of our true nature, may arise. 

“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.”
~ Shakespeare ~
It is times like this that each one of us is called to pause, move into silent meditation and spiritual mind treatment until our affirmative prayer brings back to our memory the power that lies within us, and answers the question, “What is mine to do?” After all, we are all contributors to the collective consciousness that out-pictures as current events.

“Stop trusting in mere humans,
 who have but a breath in their nostrils.
 Why hold them in esteem?”
~Isaiah 2:22~
My mother’s mandate was always, “Just Be Yourself.” She would go on to say, “While you are no better than anyone else, no one else is better than you.”  I sometimes wonder if she understood the deeper meaning of her words. I wonder if she was saying that humanity is one unified energy, expressing in multiplicity. I wonder if she was explaining that being the image and likeness of God mean our inherent nature is one of Peace, Harmony, Love, Beauty, Wisdom, Joy, and all the everlasting qualities of The Divine. I wonder if she understood the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of our word/thought/feeling when it goes forth to heal. I wonder if she was deliberately speaking about our True Self that is forever unified with the presence of God at the center of our being. ~~~~ If she was instructing us to set the inevitable law of our true intention into motion and then bear witness to the fulfillment of our word as evidenced by the form and experience that follows, then she was truly teaching us how to be a beneficial presence in the world.

“Concerning the works of my hands, command thou me.”
~ Isaiah 45:11 ~
As a unique individualization of the Most High, there is no need to duplicate another’s way. Your way is the perfect way to reach individuals who resonate with your approach. For example, Civil Rights Activists, Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Thurman, and Malcom X had the same mission, but expressed themselves differently. New Thought Influencers, Emanuel Swedenborg, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Franz Mesmer, and Phineas Quimby each brought forth an underlying message of unity and wholeness, yet in their own way. The point is, when Love is the objective that motivates the action, it serves as a unifying power that touches lives and creates the highest good for all humanity, establishing a world that works for everyone. 

Once we are anchored in the Truth that sets us free from the darkness of worry and anxiety, we may begin hearing our Higher Self, The Illumined One within us, answer the question, “What is mine to do at a time like this?” Let your soul sing a song of surrender as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLCKBuP128

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This Weeks Affirmation

“I know there is something at the center of my being that is absolutely certain of Itself. 
I maintain my position as a Divine Being, here and now.”

~ 365 Science of Mind, p. 176.2 ~

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. 
When I became a man (spiritually mature), I put the ways of childhood behind me.” 
~ 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV) ~

~ ~ ~ ~

“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.”
~ Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) ~

~ ~ ~ ~

“I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten”
~ Joel 2:5 (ASV) ~

When one is unaware of their personal relationship with the Presence of Love, Peace, Harmony, Abundance Health, and Joy flowing through all of humanity, and  first hears about the laws of manifestation, they may  engage in selfish endeavors, using the law of attraction for personal gains, to the end that they do not experience the lasting satisfaction expected.

Recently, an elderly woman who is highly respected, honored and revered in her community shared with me that she never expected to reach her present age. She told me that whenever she reflects on all the mistakes she made as a young adult, and the inevitable consequences that awaited her had the destructive lifestyle continued, she is amazed at her grace-filled life. She explained that once she learned to surrender to the Divine Guidance of the Presence Within, everything changed for the better. She went on to say, “The transformation I have experienced could be nothing other than God.”

Yes, in a universe of unlimited possibilities, there is a keen sense of freedom, the woman reminisced, when empowered to do things one’s own way for the first time. The immature choices and premature decisions that one makes are often the result of the innate longing for self-expression. 

~ ~ ~ ~

While there is no law that punishes, there is a law of reciprocity that, like a boomerang, returns to the sender the same energy the sender sends out. It is also known as karmic law. Simply put, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:2 NIV).

 A person, hearing this might say, “freedom is not free.” From a spiritual perspective I disagree; otherwise, such a mindset may lead to false beliefs. After all freedom is our birthright. We are all endowed with free will. However, there is a law of Cause and Effect that we are all subject. Scripture puts it this way, “You reap what you sow.” ~ Therefore, just as the farmer may change her mind at any time  and plant another variety of seed that yields a new crop, likewise, we may at any time embrace a new thought (a pattern of thinking) and ,the moment we accept the words we affirm, a new experience is realized. 

The woman’s story is a testament to the Power of a Made-Up Mind. operating through the great “I AM.” In other words, it is never too late to begin again. 

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This Weeks Affirmation

“…my Divine birthright is freedom, peace, joy, and eternal goodness. 
I perceive that this same birthright is bequeathed to all people.”

~ 365 Science of Mind, p.170.2 m~

“We believe in God, the Living Spirit Almighty.
One, indestructible, absolute, and Self-Existent Cause. “
~~~~
“We have within us, a power that is greater than anything we shall ever contact in the outer, a power that can overcome every obstacle in our life and set us safe, satisfied and at peace, healed and prosperous, in a new light, and in a new life.”
~~~~
“Principle is not bound by precedent. “
~ Ernest Holmes ~

Just as there are universal physical laws such as electricity, gravity, etc. that serve us when we are in alignment with the underlying principle that governs them; likewise, there are universal spiritual laws that are consistently operating in our lives, whether we are aware of them or not, that may serve us.

Individuals resonate with Truth Principles differently. Philosophers ponder, scientists explore, mystics meditate, while metaphysicians imagine what lies beyond all physical appearances. When great thinkers consistently reach the same conclusion, they uncover an infallible principle, i.e., Divine Mind.

The one, infinite mind, being accessible to all beings implies that anyone, anywhere, at any time may prove the changeless truth for oneself that declares:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 
Against such things there is no law.”
~ Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) ~

Nonetheless, humanity continues to perceive both disease and health; wisdom and folly; poverty and abundance; success and failure, believing these conditions are the result of inherited tendencies. These are the out-picturing of opinions, beliefs, and perceptions. Shakespeare tells us, “There’s neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.” However, the eternal verities of nature that yield Peace, Love, Harmony, Beauty, and Unity, are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The mystic of old said, “Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).” Emma Curtis Hopkins, a 19^th Century mystic said, “There is good for me, and I ought to have it.” The undergirding Principle is the same whether understood through the lens of New Thought or Ancient Wisdom. It is when we embrace the concept that “the highest God and the innermost God is one God,” and practice this awareness as a way of life through affirmative prayer and speech, that our invisible word of the heart manifests as the desired conditions that follow.

Enlightened ones throughout the ages agree with the Apostle Paul who said: “By faith, we understand that the universe was formed by God’s word, so that visible things were made from the unseen.” Mystics of all time understand our oneness with God and that our word of belief is the invisible law of manifestation. The good news is that The Law, aligned with Spiritual Principle, is instantaneous, regardless of past events.

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Affirmation

The Divine Presence leads me on the pathway of peace.

~ 365 Science of Mind, p. 160.4 ~

I have come to believe and realize what I think about comes about; and, where my attention goes, energy flows. I have come to know that to the degree that I change my thinking, I change my life. While this is all basic Science of Mind, it is far-reaching in its implication.

These mental laws, being laws, are the same for absolutely everyone, without exception. When I consciously apply this Law of Mind, I take full responsibility for my life. This endeavor takes place in the secret chambers of my own consciousness. What I love about this system of self-proclamation and expression is, I am never locked in.

My viewpoint, acting like a mirror, reflects the activity of my mind, and shows up as my experience. My viewpoint is often based on what I have been previously taught and what I presently observe in the world. I now realize that when I am not pleased with what I see in the world, it is an opportunity for me to examine the role I played in the creation of the whole, and self-correct when appropriate. My objective is to realize a world that works for everyone.

In an effort to self-correct, I may find myself going through a series of hits and misses. What I have come to know is this: while there are mental laws that determine what my world looks like according to my beliefs, there is a spiritual reality, called God that transcends all limiting ideas. God is the Source and First Cause of everything that exists, including mental and physical laws. This Divine Presence is constant and changeless. 

When I align my mental house with the nature of God, the source of my existence, I begin to express that which is my True Self. The signs that follow are Peace, Harmony, Love, Joy, Wisdom, and Abundance. These are symbols of divine life. They are the very essence of all living beings. 

It has been said, “There is a right time for everything.”   I use this precept as a premise when discerning the circumstances that I face in life. Believing “everything” means “everything,” I conclude all is in divine order. I am motivated to “do” what needs to be done by and through me to unleash even a greater expression of divinity. I choose to be healed instead of justifying my present thought patterns.

Life is always an upward spiral, always becoming more of itself, never less. This is the nature of evolution. In many ways my life is a work-in-process. I start out with an idea of how I express myself. I keep tweaking, fine-tuning, adding, and subtracting until I am satisfied; until I perceive my wholeness. 

The mirrors, symbols, and signs that provide me with what I need to know to become the best version of myself are also my assurance that there is a Presence that is forever leading me and guiding me and revealing to me that I am Its very own. And what I know is true about me is true about everyone. 

So once more I examine my mental house to determine what, if anything, needs tweaking. This time the criterion I place upon myself is for my beliefs to reflect a consciousness anchored in Truth Principles, assuring a world that works for everyone. I consciously choose to live with fellow citizens in an atmosphere of “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” 

Oh my! What a beautiful vision.

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This Weeks Affirmation

I affirm all is in Divine Order.
By Mary Jane LaBonte

Originally posted November 2020

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The philosopher Socrates said: “An unexamined life is not worth living.” As a student of mental science and the spiritual principles that govern it, from time to time I find myself re-examining my concepts of the nature of being.  

My consistent effort is to break through the collective consensus regarding the belief in separation and duality for which I am susceptible. This requires focused and critical thinking, no longer arriving at conclusions based on blind faith. 

The Science of Mind teachings say to keep faith with reason.  Therefore, whenever I am faced with seeming contradictions and paradoxes, I take pause and remember to “stand porter at the door of thought.” ¹    I am supported by the unity found in the principles of science, the opinions of philosophy, and the revelations of religion. 

While contemplating the ancient wisdom of St. Francis of Assisi when he says: “What we are looking for is what is looking,” motivates me to unscramble what seems like a riddle. Hmmm, I ask myself, does this mean that it is my consciousness or belief about the desired good I seek, that I eventually see as my experience?  

I conclude: It takes one to know one.

Ernest Holmes, reiterates the same concept and expands upon it, saying, “We arrive at a consciousness of Unity only in such degree as we see that what we are looking FOR, we are looking WITH, and looking AT.” ² Again, I find my own words in an effort to simplify and clarify for myself what is being said. What I say is: ‘There is no separation between the thing I desire to experience, the vision I have about the thing, and my perception of the thing I see.’ Hmmm, I ask myself, does this mean that it is my very own consciousness that determines my experience? ‘Well,’ I tell myself, ‘if God operating in me, as me, is me, this must be so.’

I conclude: “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” (Schuller)

Mahatma Gandhi stated the whole proposition in a few words saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I tell myself these words are saying to me, ‘I no longer wait for someone else to set the standard. I activate my values in practical ways.’ Hmmm, I ask myself, does this mean I have the power to make a difference and become a beneficial presence in the world? ‘Well,’ I tell myself, ‘since God is the center of my existence, then the familiar words, “Act as though I Am and I will be,” ³ must be so.’ 

I conclude: I must walk my talk as a way of life.

Those of us who are now on the planet are challenged to usher in a consciousness that transcends any adversity that is in contrast touniversal good. How do we successfully apply the principles of: It takes one to know one; If it’s going to be, it’s up to me; and, I walk my talk as a way of life.

I begin to practice in earnest:

▪ I love myself just the way “I AM”

▪ I identify all beings as another aspect of myself.

▪ I cooperate fully in the effort to demonstrate universal wholeness (health) as an inherent birthright.

▪ I trust the Presence of God in every individual, because I know, in the Spirit, we are One.

▪ I listen to the Inner Guidance that tells me what is mine to do.

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This Weeks Affirmation

“I have absolute faith in the Principle of Life, the Law of Love, and so I permit Love in its freedom to express through me, to radiate from me.

~ 365 Science of Mind, p. 144.3, Ernest Holmes ~

Originally posted December 2020

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1. Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health
2. Ernest Holmes, SOM, 124.2
3. Ernest Holmes, SOM, 147.3