For several years now, Thanksgiving Day has looked a lot different for me than it did in former years. What I notice is, while it keeps changing, the Presence of Love is always present.  Wherever I am, the fullness of God’s love shows up. 

I am thankful for the awareness of the Presence of Love in my life.

Before leaving my native home for my hero’s journey, I had always celebrated the major holidays with either the Clark Clan or the Ruffner Clan. In either case it was always a house full of loving relatives. The spirit of Love was always in the midst. 

I am thankful for these memories.

Arriving at my new location, I spent Thanksgiving Day with relatives I had only heard about. The love of God, through them, welcomed me with open arms. 

I am thankful for this connection.

During my life adventure, I lived in some cities where I had no relatives. I recognize it was the love of God that invited me into the homes of families I barely knew. As we shared a meal together on Thanksgiving Day, I learned so much about another’s culture and traditions that were different from my own.

I am thankful for this expanded awareness.

I remember times when I made a conscious choice to decline invitations in order to be alone on Thanksgiving Day. The holiday became a time for me to nurture myself, dedicating the day to the rejuvenation of my body and my mind. Though alone, I was never lonely. The love of God kept me company.

I am thankful for the self-love that solitude yields.

So, here I am, home again, although not in the same city I left so long ago. Here, my small family is a remnant of the larger one that’s now scattered all over the country. I enjoy spending this special time with just us.  This special time is the love of God restoring the years we were separated from one another. 

I am thankful for this holy reunion.

Thanksgiving 2020 offers an opportunity to experience another aspect of God’s love.  This year, like many Americans, I will set aside “my way”, in order for a greater blessing to benefit more people than I can imagine. It has been written, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). 

I am thankful that I am Love personified.

I am reminded of the nature of Love, “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:7).  This self-giving-ness of the Divine is my blessed assurance that no matter where I am, and under whatever circumstances I find myself, there is always the blessing of Love.

I am thankful to know all’s love, yet all’s law.

I look forward to Thursday. I will be in the company of more relatives and friends than I have been in a long time. We will be in a safe environment as we meet and greet each other via the technology of Zoom.

I am thankful that Love always provides a way.

This Thanksgiving Day I will light a candle in loving memory of those who are no longer with us physically, affirming, “My Father’s house has many rooms.” (John 14:2)    I will light another candle in support of those who grieve the loss of their loved ones, affirming, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) I will light a third candle as a tribute to the front-line heroes who continue to give service through the unconditional love of God, affirming, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9).

I am thankful for the conviction that Love is Eternal Life.

And, so it is!

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This Weeks Affirmation

“I thank God within me for the realization and awareness of my inherent good.”

By Angela “Chris” Beam

originally posted 11/24/2020

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  
~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~

“When Jesus said, “It is done unto you as you believe,” he not only announced the law of faith, he explained how it works. First, he implied that there is a law which operates upon your faith. All laws are universal; hence they exist wherever you are. If there is a law of faith, it is right where you are and it will operate like any other law in nature. “
~ Ernest Holmes, This Thing Called You ~

There is an inherent faith factor residing in the hearts and minds of humanity and is “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” It is the reliable source of all life. Whenever the spirit, mind, and body are in perfect alignment. . . it is the blessed assurance that all things are possible. 

This faith faculty always responds to your state of mind whether you call the thing in question, “big” or “small.” It is always working. However, trained thought is more powerful than untrained thought when it comes to applying faith for a specific outcome. For example, the electrician, who has studied the laws and nature of electricity knows how to harness its energy and direct or redirect its current for a specific purpose. Likewise, the one who understands the laws of mind and aligns himself with them may just as easily direct or redirect the energy of this creative medium for specific outcomes. Energy always flows where the attention goes.

The mental laws governing the underlying principle of thought and feelings are the substance of our manifest lives. Have you ever noticed that when you have truly made up your mind about a certain condition that you have imagined, the evidence of your conviction is realized? I certainly have. Conversely, I notice whenever I have doubt or fear about a particular undertaking I’ve started, the results are often hit-and-miss. Napoleon Hill describes the Law this way: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

The good news is, all human errors or mistakes of the past are healed and restored to their natural state through this inner confidence. Yes, change your thinking and you change your life through this self-correcting power of forgiveness.

~ ~ ~~

Just like making sure the cord is plugged in if my light bulb does not come on, likewise, when needed, I do a mental assessment to determine if what I am thinking, feeling, and believing are in alignment with my desired good.

~ ~ ~ ~

My checklist goes like this, as found in The Science of Mind (page 357.3)

1. I turn to that Living Presence within and recognize It as the One and Only Power in the Universe.
2. I identify and unify with this magnificent One.
   This sweet meditation brings me to the realization that my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are acted upon by this Creative Law. I begin to affirm the specific good I desire to experience.
3. I declare my word is the presence, power, and activity of The One. 
4. Filled with an unwavering faith that that which I desire is now accomplished in the Infinite Mind of God, I relax and give great thanks. 
5. Having faith in the Immutable Law of God; I let it be so, even before I see it.
   

This Week’s Affirmation

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“Today I am affirming the supremacy of Good and everything within me responds to this thought, understand Its meaning, and announces Its presence.”

~ 365 Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes, p.69.3 ~

Originally posted December 6, 2022

I invite you to join me as we deliberately settle into a consciousness that moves us forward in the direction of our dreams, while deliberately letting go of those which no longer serve.

Affirm with me:

* “I build a new tomorrow. I draw the pattern clear.“

 Past events, although fading into the realm of memory, support me in my journey of awakening to what works and what does not work. With a clear assessment, I now break former agreements that no longer serve me or the world.

With clear consideration, I now use the creative power of my mind to embrace a vision aligned with Absolute Truth. I live anew. I let the eternal verities of wholeness, love, unity, harmony, abundance, peace, wisdom, joy, and beauty permeate my consciousness. These principles remain the same, yesterday, today, and forever; and they are my spiritual guides. 

*“I make my plans with wisdom, for Mind is ever here.”

From the perspective of high mysticism, I know there are no actual beginnings or endings. Life simply unfolds as one great continuum: a continuous passing of Spirit into form. However, from a practical point of view, it is essential that I carefully measure my stance in consciousness as I notice what I think, say, and do. In the words of Maya Angelou, “All great achievements require time.”

*“My thinking makes the future; my actions pave the way.”

I realize that it is the unified vision of the inhabitants of the planet that determines the events of the world. It is the Creative Power of God operating through the Immutable Law of Correspondence that brings about these things imagined.

I clearly see that my contribution to the whole is my personal perception of life. It is now time, I tell myself, to activate the blessing of a tomorrow and beyond by expressing my highest ideals. In so doing, I participate fully in the evolution of humanity.

*“I build a new tomorrow, on patterns formed today.”

I remember to seek divine guidance, so I embrace the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light.
where there is sadness, joy.

* Lyrics from Science of Mind Hymnal of 1976

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This Weeks Affirmation

“I speak my word into Infinite Mind and know my good
 and the good of all humankind is right here, right now.”
By Angela “Chris” Beam

Original Post January 21, 2021

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

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^“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 ~

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“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 ~

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“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 ~

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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 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. 

~ ~ ~ ~

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. 

~ ~ ~ ~

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 inevitably 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?

~ ~ ~ ~

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.

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This Weeks Affirmation

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

By Keith Childers

Originally posted July 26, 2022

The spiritual path may become a wearisome one for the faint of heart. It takes great courage to set out on a journey of uncharted territory, while depending upon the discipline of prayer as the one essential and dependable companion.

Regardless of our religious persuasion, the fundamental beliefs we entertain about God, the universe, or our individual relationship to it all; we each turn to prayer when faced with circumstances and desires that seem beyond our personal control.

Sometimes the prayers we pray are not called prayers at all. Nonetheless, their purpose is always the same – to move us from where we are to where we want to be.

Prayer is the power that realigns us with our true nature. Once in touch with the nature of who we are, there is a realization of our innate ability to rise above any adversity which is nothing more than an erroneous thought-force. Erroneous thoughts have no sustaining energy; they fade away when replaced with thoughts that reflect the Truth.

There are many forms of prayer, and they are all ‘applied faith.’ After all, to engage in prayer at all there is an expectancy of change. However, the acceptance of the change is always the next step. Acceptance means to follow the guidance received from prayer. It is written: “Faith without works is dead.” When describing effective prayer, Ernest Holmes puts it simply, saying it is the combination of “faith and acceptance.”

Like me, you may have discarded the prayer you memorized by heart as a child, as well as the image of God that you prayed to; neither being acceptable any longer. A more mature form of prayer I often practice is Contemplative Meditation. Here I set aside alone time pondering what “I” believe to be so about existence, i.e., life, living, and the cause behind it all, asking, what is my idea of God, really? This process of prayer always leaves me with a perception of Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience. 

I continue in this prayerful mode, contemplating my personal existence, who am I, really. This process of prayer always leaves me with a perception of being born of this One Creative Spirit, fully endowed with all of its nature. I perceive Perfect God, Perfect Man, Perfect Being.

Another form of prayer is one of The Prayer of Affirmation. Here I tell myself the spiritual truth about myself and the desired good I embrace, regardless of what is appearing as my present experience. This supports me with a clear vision for my life.

All this I reason out through the consciousness of the following prayer, first printed in the 1898 issue of Wee Wisdom, the Unity monthly magazine for children, and memorized by many. 

“God is my help in every need; God does my every hunger feed; God walks beside me, guides my way, Through every moment of this day. ~ I now am wise, I now am true, Patient and kind, and loving, too; All things I am, can do, and be, Through Christ the Truth, which is in me. ~ God is my health, I can’t be sick; God is my strength, unfailing, quick; God is my all, I know no fear Since God and Love and Truth are here.” (Hannah More Kohaus)

With these words deeply embedded in consciousness, we may slip into the Prayer of Silence. Here we simply surrender to what is, knowing all is well. 

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This Week’s Affirmation

As I contemplate my prayer, I perceive Perfect God, Perfect Man, Perfect Being.
By Mary Jane LaBonte

Originally posted September 21, 2021