Because our world is hungry for your gift of gratitude. By Dr. Edward Viljoen

When I look back at the past two years, I have a sense of awe and amazement for what has taken place in my personal life, the movement’s community life, our nation, and our world. Not all of it has been wonderful, and not all of it has been easy.  Not all of it has been convenient.  If I had known in advance what some of these experiences would be, I might not have wanted them.  As I was going through some of the events of these past years, I didn't exactly experience gratitude, appreciation, or amazement. I experienced struggle, resistance, and confusion.

Yet, what is also true is that there was something or someone beautiful, helpful, and inspiring at every point along the way, without ever wanting something in return.  Like the air I breathed, the clothing I wore, an encouraging word, or an act of kindness.  

I used to think of gratitude as the feeling I have when I receive something I want or need. And that is a good and appropriate feeling to express. I changed my mind about gratitude after someone gave me something without requiring anything from me.  As a young music student, I couldn't afford $1k for my needed musical instrument.  It was a very stressful time, and I was at risk of being unable to keep up with the other students. A local business heard of my situation and sponsored my tuition and purchase of the instrument.   I went to ask the business owner what I could do in return –  I remember the look on his face - "nothing," is all he said.  I was grateful for the support. More importantly, the generosity gave me a general appreciation and humility, because I couldn't have predicted the gift. And there was nothing asked of me in return.   

I wanted to remember that feeling. And I have. Mainly It has helped me pay attention to the thousand ways life supports me without asking for a thing in return. And it's helped me to be generous without seeking anything in return. It has helped me to live as if I know there is a power for good in the universe flowing through me as it flows through everyone. Not only in the good times – but all along the way.  When I can remember to pause and breathe and look for the good, acknowledge and appreciate the small miracles that are present, the practice helps me keep moving even when I can't see through to the other side.

When I appreciate what good I notice, I'm not ignoring the real difficulties and needs I have, nor the immense tragedies of the world or the hardships people experience.  I'm getting into the habit of being aware of the simplest things that make life the mystery that it is. That habit has developed in me an attitude of thankfulness that I feel even when I don't know what or when the gift is or where it might be coming from.    

Sometimes, I can't get to appreciation right away –  So I start by looking at life just as it is.    Donald Altman, in the Mindfulness Code, gives an exercise:

First, turn your attention to what you have in your life from the very moment you wake in the morning. Appreciate the breath, the blankets that warm you, the shower that refreshes and cleanses you, and even the alarm clock that wakes you up. Next, find a reminder of ordinary goodness you can carry with you throughout the day, such as a picture of a loved one, a stone or other object from a memorable trip, or an inspirational quote. Finally, share your appreciation of ordinary goodness with others.  

When I get to that feeling of appreciation, my heart is softer, my mind is slowed down,  and I have a sense of awe. I have the feeling that I imagine goes with the phrase "Oh my God." I feel love and respect when I see life around me in its delicate, fragile, fantastic mystery. Then I notice the air doesn't want anything in return.   The blanket wants nothing.   The cup is perfectly being a cup. Everything is what it is. Perfectly. I can then try to see myself the same way I look at that cup, blanket, or wall with acceptance, respect, and kindness. If I'm worried, for example- I try to see that worried part of me with kindhearted compassion – without rejecting that part of me.

Then, from this acceptance of life –gentle gratitude for life rises for no particular reason other than I see it for what it is.

To get into that feeling helps to admit that I don't always know how things will work out. It helps to accept that there may be tension and struggle on this journey. It is useful to realize that I get impatient to get to the good part of life. I can relax a bit when I admit I don't know everything and that I'm impatient. When I relax a bit, I can hold things less tightly. When I hold things less tightly, amazing things happen that I can't predict, nor could I have planned. It's as if life is waiting for me to take a breath and open my grateful heart like a window opening in a stuffy room, letting me breathe easily.  

And in that state, when I drop the urge to fight against life, I start to notice more and more what there is in life that I have taken for granted.

One of our spiritual practices in  Centers for Spiritual Living is circulation. Circulation includes simple gratitude exercises that can lead to this kindhearted state of mind. Gratitude exercises help me recover from life's stress (when I remember to do them). Gratitude exercises help me turn my emptiness into gladness when I silently thank everyone and everything. I don't make a big deal out of the exercise, and I don't tell anyone I'm doing it. When my mind is troubled, I start appreciating whatever I can. If I see someone helping a child, I say "Thank you" silently. If I see someone smiling at a friend, I say "Thank you" silently. When I keep going, something changes in me. Nothing huge happens, though it might. Life doesn't suddenly make more sense, though it might. The reasons for poverty, racism, and war don't become clearer. But a slow warmth, like an inner light, begins to glow in me. I call that warmth, gratitude… and it gives me the courage to look for more to be grateful for and generous without strings attached, and it inspires me to do what is mine to do to create a world that works better for all.  

I can get into this feeling by asking myself, and I invite you to ask yourself: In this past year, how has life shown itself to me in its tender beauty through an event, a smile, a person, an unexpected kindness? In this past year, how did I show up well, through some act of kindness, some generosity?   How have I been touched and moved by another person's act of kindness this past year?   How have my eyes been opened this past year to see the mystical oneness of this spiritual life?  

And then try to stay in that feeling of gratitude.

WHY?

Because our world is hungry for your gift of gratitude. Your gratitude is an acknowledgment that life is worth living. Your gratitude feeds your community with hope and makes the impossible possible. Every time you express your gratitude, you give others strength and courage to go on and to believe in themselves…  The simplest and most beautiful way of practicing is by saying what I'm grateful for.

For example, I am grateful for my life. I am grateful for my friends.... who know the Truth about me and still love me. I am grateful for the great women in my life...who have shown me how to be strong and gentle. I am grateful for the great men in my life...who have shown me how to be gentle and strong. I am grateful to the Centers for Spiritual Living staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes. I'm grateful for medical science and how it has helped us navigate the Pandemic, and for my hand surgery so I can continue working with my hands. I am grateful for this community and all the volunteers in it who let it be normal to make spiritual living a priority. I am grateful for our Prayer Practitioners, who know how to put their stuff aside to be there for others when we need them in prayer.  

Another easy way to practice is by saying thank you as much as possible…not only silently in my head but out loud to people. People may receive it well, and I can't be sure. I can be sure that my heart will open with the practice.

I write thank-you cards to people who contribute significantly to Centers for Spiritual Living. One person contacted me to tell me she did not need the thank-you card. She said very sweetly, "That's not why I give."

Now, I have a friendly relationship with her. I said playfully, "Oh honey, I'm not writing the card for you. I'm saying thank you for me!" Because I never want to slip into heartless receiving. I never want to take people's generosity for granted; I never want to forget all the hands, hearts, and prayers that come our way. We also sometimes send out random thank-you cards.

One year, in my local community in Santa Rosa,  we had a great time – we sent random cards of appreciation to everyone. One member told me that when she received an envelope from our Center with a card, she opened it thinking, "Ok, what do they want now?" But she found no request for donations in it, only a genuine expression of gratitude. She said to me, "It touched me deeply. I've been back to the card several times to look at it." Later she told me that receiving the card inspired her to write to her family members who lived in other states to tell them what she appreciated about them.    

I leave you with this.   Gratitude is contagious, and its warmth is irresistible to others. Gratitude is creative, and it does things that we cannot do by ourselves. Gratitude is attractive and draws us forward to being our best selves in life.

Because awareness leads to impact: GreenFaith's Invitation to Reflect on the Climate Crisis

From our Strategic Partner, greenfaith, an invitation to reflect about the moral and religious dimensions of the climate crisis.

Because awareness leads to impact:

Join us on 28 September for a global, multi-faith forum.

More and more religious people are concerned about climate change and are experiencing its impacts.

Yet our religious communities are not yet publicly addressing climate destruction or restoration with boldness that meets this moment.

Most of us haven’t had the opportunity to reflect about the moral and religious dimensions of the climate crisis or its true causes and solutions. We need to develop relationships and skills that empower us to make an impact.

But we can do that together.

On Sept 28, hosted by the Catholic University of East Africa in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and Laudato Si’ Movement, GreenFaith invites you to join Faiths for a Just Energy Transition.

RSVP NOW

This will be a 2-hour webinar, with live interpretation in Spanish, French, and Swahili.

Participants will learn the basis for the three commitments that religious groups are calling for around the globe:

• an immediate end to new fossil fuel projects,
• an equitable phase-out of coal, oil and gas,
• and a generous commitment to a just transition for impacted communities and workers.

Speakers from diverse religious and activist communities will share reflections from the heart of their traditions, while experts will describe why the three commitments are so important.

Awareness always precedes action. Let’s learn and take action– together. 

https://actionnetwork.org/events/faiths-for-a-just-energy-transition?source=direct_link&

Letting the Power Use US!, by Dr. Maxime Kaye

I have only to open the portals of my soul and accept that which is ready to express through me. Today I fling these portals wide; today I am the instrument through which life flows. 

Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind, p. 305

One of the first important things we learn in our teaching is that “There is a Power for Good in the Universe, greater than you are, and you can use It.” Ernest Holmes began his talks with this powerful statement, engaging thousands of people in awakening to the spiritual presence within and available to us all. Imagine the shifts in consciousness that occurred as he encouraged their awareness of the great truth of limitless possibilities because of this Divine Power.

As we all mature along our evolutionary paths, it is necessary to move from any human beliefs in lack or limitation, and “proving the Principle” strengthens our faith in this Presence and Power. It is appropriate as we grow, however, to cease experiencing ourselves as “children of God,” and enter a more expansive awareness of being “adults of God,” savoring our joyous responsibility to “let the Power use US!”

Yes, it is wonderful to rely on the Presence of Goodness and the Power of the Law to provide for our human needs but even more greatly empowering to realize our essential part in the vision of a just and workable world for all. Let’s “fling wide the portals of our souls,” celebrating our ability to be the instruments through which the Creative Power of the Universe brings about a new reality. In this heightened knowledge of a greater purpose for ourselves and others, we find ourselves filled with peace and gratitude.

Inviting the substantive qualities of the Divine to express through us, we find Light, Love, Life, Peace, Power, Beauty, and Joy manifesting beautifully into our lives and reaching out into the greater world itself. As we choose to BE the Presence, Love overflows, and Wisdom prevails. Finally, we see our essential part in co-creating with the Divine. How magnificent it feels to understand and accept our glorious role, as we consciously bring Heaven to earth.

There is no need to ask, “Make me an instrument,” as we can simply declare, “I am an open channel for God’s Grace to show up in the world today!”

Dr. Maxime Kaye

Language Matters, Part II - Oneness, Really? - by Rev. Dan Granda - Part Two

Transformation and Evolution: We do deep inner-personal work of self-discovery and healing to reveal the greater truth of our divinity, wholeness, and freedom.

- From “Our Shared Values,” Centers for Spiritual Living Operation Design Model

Welcome to Part II of this blog mini-series, Language Matters. It has been a fun little journey to watch one idea turn into a multi-part communication about the importance of the language we use, how it impacts our communication, and ultimately, how it helps us come to a better understanding of ourselves.

Last time, we identified our human desire to be understood and feel seen as a catalyst for better understanding of the language we use while simultaneously recognizing that language often falls short of conveying the full experience one might be trying to share. Similarly, we took a little dive into observing how the way we learn language impacts how we use it and how that correlates to our use of language within a teaching like the Science of Mind. We then tackled the subtle but meaningful difference between the words “transcendence” and “transformation” as a powerful example of how the meaning and understanding of a single word can shift our entire belief system. Do you know what you mean when you say the word? It makes a difference. If you didn’t get a chance to read Part I (https://cslspiritualleader.blogspot.com/search/label/Dan%20Granda), you might enjoy reading through that one first.

There are so many other words within the Science of Mind and teachings like it that easily fall into similar categories of misunderstanding. Words like wholeness, consciousness, vibration, energy, etc..… the list goes on — Words that we are very familiar with. They are frequently used in just about all of our communities. Anyone hanging around one of these new thought centers for even a short time picks up on these words and others like them, easily integrating them into regular dialogue. We use them all the time. Jargon that seems so integral to the teaching and yet is so infrequently defined. We know this because when we take the time to truly find meaning in most of these words, we find that they probably don’t really mean what we had thought, or we find that we hadn’t thought much about what they meant in the first place. Worse, we find we have been using them in a way that actually implies the exact opposite of what it sounds like the word should mean.

Just like in the case of “transcendence” and “transformation,” the impact of understanding these words is huge. Let’s look at a very real example of this: oneness. Oneness is a word we use all the time in the Science of Mind. It is a core tenet of the teaching, and in this case, just about anybody could probably provide a general definition of this concept. It might sound something like, “Oneness recognizes that everything is one life, that we are all connected.” That sounds great, right? It does. It sounds great, and so we like it! But providing even this very innocuous definition almost immediately creates more questions than answers, even if it is just unconscious. Let’s give it some context. Often we can hear oneness being spoken about when we want to recognize, and sometimes even state, that there is no separation between ourselves and others. “We are all one.” And this is True, with a capital T. We are all one, and we are not separate. Yet, the context of this statement is so often amidst a conversation that is otherwise attempting to recognize, and maybe even honor, the perceived distinction that we, as humans, are wired to experience. And so, what happens is we end up either unintentionally bypassing someone’s experience — saying something like, “Yeah, but we’re all one,” implying, “So, your experience doesn’t matter” — or we inadvertently reinforce an unconscious belief that there are some elements of life that we would rather not look at and are not included in our perception of oneness; sometimes we do both. We end up implying and sometimes even saying out loud that our definition of oneness is actually two-ness, duality. “All of this over here is my version of oneness, and all of that over there — the stuff I don’t like, the things that make me uncomfortable, the experiences I don’t want to recognize or admit to — that is not part of my oneness.” It doesn’t take much to realize that doesn’t work out so well, and in no way does it actually means oneness.

Oneness must include the whole experience. We can’t have oneness and attempt to exclude certain experiences, things that make us uncomfortable, or things we don’t like. It must be that which we see as positive and that which we see as negative. It is feeling happy and (dare I even say it) feeling angry; all of the emotions. All of that is God. All of it is One. It can’t be any other way.

It becomes ironic in those times when our declaration of oneness actually beings to imply duality, which it seems might happen more often than we realize. This speaks directly to how easy it is to take on jargon and bear it as a shield. “If I say the right things, then perhaps it will all change,” or “If I say the right things, maybe I don’t have to change.”

And right here, we find the real importance of understanding oneness, of all of our language really. What do I mean when I say _____ (Fill in the blank)? It is not just in communication where understanding our language matters. It is also in understanding ourselves and our own journey.

When you say a word like oneness, what is it that you mean? Do you know what you mean, or is it just another word that got picked up along the way? When you say oneness, do you have a specific and intentional understanding that embodies the essence of true oneness as best as you can at this current moment? When you say oneness, are you aware of the human perception of the whole made up of all of the parts? When you say oneness, does it just sound good and feel right without really thinking too much about it?

There is no shame or judgment here in any of these answers. These are questions that help us better understand our own beliefs. What we believe about oneness is demonstrated in the ways that we unconsciously use and misuse… and then learn, and use and misuse… and then learn again, attempting to become more and more aware of our beliefs.

We can allow our use of oneness, or any of our words really, to be a mirror for a better understanding of ourselves. As stated in Our Shared Values, “We do deep inner-personal work of self-discovery and healing to reveal the greater truth of our divinity, wholeness, and freedom.” The deep inner-personal work of understanding and uncovering our beliefs, conscious and currently unconscious, allows for the creation and experience of that greater yet to be that is looking to come through us.

Rev. Dan Granda

Dan Granda, RScP | Better People Better World (revdangranda.com)

An Affirmative Prayer (Spiritual Mind Treatment) for World Peace by Rev. Kathy Mastroianni

 As I slow down, take that sacred breath of Life, and tune into the stillness that is within me, I sense and feel the Infinite Presence of Spirit within me, through me, and as me. I know that Infinite Spirit is Pure Peace, Deep Love, Transcendent Joy, Global Harmony, Infinite Abundance, and the Shining Light of Wisdom and Guidance.

I know that I am One with this amazing, Peaceful Spirit and so is every person and sentient being on our beloved Mother Earth and beyond.

Deeply we are One.

In this Holy moment of Communion, I speak my Word, co-Creating with Infinite Presence, that World Peace is right here and right now. I surrender any sense of disharmony or unrest or wars or projected anger or struggles between or among others in the world. I rise up in Consciousness and know the Higher Truth that Peace is here and Now. I celebrate with Joy how we are all brothers and sisters together on this earth journey and that each and every person and sentient being truly loves and supports each other all along the way. We realize that we are part of one race – – the human race – – and whenever one or another has any problems or issues, we come to their aid and support them with Love, with any resources needed, and with deep and abiding Peace. We instinctively and immediately remind each other of the Truth of their Light when a situation feels dark, lonely, or scary.

When there are opposing views between individuals, organizations, or countries, each person intuitively goes into active and deep listening, seeking to understand one another completely first, then joining together to find a Higher solution that benefits all—and beyond. This is all done with calmness, caring, compassion, patience, and true Love.

Knowing there is no situation too big or small for Spirit, with Joy and gratitude I celebrate Infinite Spirit’s Wisdom and Intelligence revealing this Truth for World Peace right here and right now. Thank you, Spirit!

With complete confidence, I release this Word into the Law knowing it is fulfilled in amazing, wonderful ways. I Trust and Know this is done Now. And so it is.

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Reverend Kathy Mastroianni is the Executive Director of the Science of Mind Archives and Library Foundation to preserve, protect and present our beloved Science of Mind history for us all to enjoy and for generations to come.

Rev. Kathy is currently on the Global Heart of Peace Initiative, has a Rise Up 4 Peace FaceBook page with her partner in Peace, Rev. Millie Forsberg, and facilitates a weekly Empowerment Group at a local domestic violence group to bring as much Peace as possible out to the world, truly revealing A World that Works for Everyone and Peace on Earth.

Moving from Me to We, by Gregory Coyle, RScP

Each of us is a reflection of our cultural norms, stereotypes, and biases. The same holds true for Centers for Spiritual Living. It's not a separate thing, but an organization of individuals with a common purpose and vision. And it is heavily influenced by American culture. There is a strong “ME” culture in “aMErica” (and true, other places around the world) due to the growth of Individualism, social media, and the internet. Regardless of where we are, we think, live, and act locally. That’s how it works in the human realm: I start with me (individual), my family, my neighbors, my groups, etc. Our awareness starts internally and moves its way outward.

I have the perspective of growing up in the US and experiencing and learning many of the cultural and regional differences. However, after living abroad for 18 years, many things leave me bewildered about how the US culture has changed. Change is happening, change is inevitable. Yet we are taught that there is One Power that is changeless, everywhere present, and we are part of this One. Within us is this changeless One. Osho talks about “Finding the Changeless through the Changing” in The Book of Secrets. How do we find this Changeless for ourselves, and for our communities? Yes, our spiritual toolboxes. And it starts with each of us individually doing the practice.

Centers for Spiritual Living has centers around the world, but do you actually know where they are and what they do? CSL has a Global Vision, and we are a global organization, but what does that really mean? Global? What are the opportunities available to us now to think, talk, and act globally to truly embrace this idea? When you give a talk or teach a class, can it be done in such a way to bring a real sense of a global connection? Can we connect with these other global centers, so they feel part of the Global Vision and the CSL family?

I invite us, as leaders in this organization, to think when we use the word “Global”, and how we can embrace a Global Vision. We have an opportunity to teach Spiritual Principles locally and remind our communities that there is something greater, a Universal Oneness that we are all a part of. The air that you breathe is the same air that I breathe. We have an impact with our thoughts, words, and actions on everyone else. Let us use our spiritual tools, and have thoughts of Love, Joy, Compassion, and Oneness. Let us remember we are spiritual beings having a human experience. 

Blessings!

Gregory Coyle, RScP

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Greg started his spiritual journey early in life, inspired by his parents’ devotion, faith, and integrity.

Greg has been a licensed Practitioner with Centers for Spiritual Living since 2005 and has been living in Oslo, Norway since 2004.

He offers private coaching sessions, lectures, individual and group meditations, and courses.

He contributes regularly to the Global Heart of Peace Meditation service and has been writing monthly treatments for the Practitioner listserv since 2017.

Greg currently serves as Chairman of the CSL Global Services Committee and has been a member of the Committee since 2020.

He is also a yogi and has been teaching hatha-style yoga since 2001. Greg brings “Spirit, Joy, and Love” into his practice and teachings.

Both/And instead of Either/Or, By Dr. Frankie Timmers

New words are coming into our vocabulary all the time.

In the last year I’ve learned two that break my heart.

They are omnicide and eco-anxiety.

 

Omnicide: the destruction of all life or all human life

 

Eco-anxiety: extreme worry about current and future harm to the environment caused by human activity and climate change.

 

They happen to be names given to something I’ve felt, known, seen, intuited and experienced. It even felt like ‘an elephant in the room’ experience for me, especially in spiritual circles.

 

We are in what scientist call the sixth extinction:

The Holocene extinction, otherwise referred to as the sixth mass extinction or Anthropocene extinction, is an ongoing extinction event of species during the present Holocene epoch (with the more recent time sometimes called Anthropocene) as a result of human activity.

Our soil, sea and air are now so toxic that humans and animals have a hard time surviving in healthy ways.

I could go on, but you might be wondering by now:

”Where is she going with this?”

“How metaphysical is this?”

“How is this IN principle?”

To me it is actually an invitation to turn deeper within. We teach as within, so without. As without, so within………To notice how we feel, what believe and ask ourselves what is mine to be and do?

It’s a rich practice to hold life in both/and (rather than either/or). Holding opposites and find oneness in a personal intimate way allows us to serve in more personal and poignant ways.

 

For me holding both grief and love and seeing them as one instead of separate has allowed me to go deeper into my consciousness and remember what is mine to do and be.

 

It has actually become living my life in a simpler way:

•                    Being in the present moment

•                    Listening to my intuition and following it

•                    Serving and loving my fellow human beings and our beloved Mother Earth and all its creatures….to be a channel for Love, Light, Peace, Power, Joy, Beauty and Wisdom (our beloved seven qualities of God per Thomas Toward)

 

I realized that if I stay in eco-grief I have forgotten who and what I really am: Truth

The forgetting is the first cause of omnicide.

The remembering is Joy.

I choose JOY

I chose my broken heart as an open heart.

 

There is so much to be grateful for.

The simple practice of gratitude actually heals and not just me….for the practices manifest beyond me.

The birds in the tree, the flowers in the garden..

The person who I greet in the street and…..

 

“It is not joy that makes us grateful.

It is gratitude that makes us joyful.” Anonymous

 

 

 

 

Rev. Dr. Frankie Timmers is the Spiritual Leader of Center for Spiritual Living Morristown

Home - Center for Spiritual Living Morristown (cslmorristown.org)

Why I love Science of Mind, by Rev. Karen Linsley

I had the opportunity to spend some time with another minister yesterday and we shared some wonderful conversation. We talked about deep stuff, such as whether or not evil exists, where Centers for Spiritual Living is headed, and what this teaching called Science of Mind means for us.

And this is what I want to speak about today. Why I love Science of Mind.

I was never much of a churchgoer. I never went as a kid, never went as a young adult, and only began going when I joined my local church of Religious Science for the first time around 2000 or so. And my attendance at Sunday church was sporadic because I worked late on Saturday nights, and getting up early to go to church on Sunday was difficult. But I was at every class. Every workshop. Every book study. Now THOSE I loved! Because my reason for going to the church in the first place was transformation. It wasn’t for fellowship, I had that already. It wasn’t because I was seeking. I knew what my God was, and it wasn’t that entity that lives in the sky, it was a force beyond description that existed within me. Such a belief in a predominantly Christian culture meant that I quite frequently felt like a stranger in a strange land, and somehow I knew that at my local church of Religious Science I would find people who felt as I did. Because quite frankly I was tired of having conversations with folks who were forever trying to convince me that I was not worthy and that I had no responsibility nor freedom in my life because the guy in the sky was in charge. I went to my local Science of Mind to confirm that what I believed to be true was, in fact, actually true.

I began attending because I had experienced a devastating loss in my life and knew that the spiritual tools given to me in Science of Mind would help me feel better. And they did.

I went for all of those reasons, and I found peace. I found folks who thought as I did, which meant the fellowship I already had in my life simply got bigger. I went and found my worthiness. I went and found the joy in personal responsibility and was able to let go of my perpetual victimhood. I went and felt a part of life and of Life.

Today, the spiritual practices we teach in Science of Mind are my foundation for living. Specifically, self-awareness, practicing the presence, spiritual mind treatment, and affirmations. I do these daily.

Life for me is one big science of mind party, and my perception of life is colored by my beliefs, which have all been reshaped by Science of Mind. I live breathe and eat Science of Mind.

Today, I enjoy church. But I still love the classes and workshops and retreats more. Science of Mind is about so much more than going to church.

I love Science of Mind because, in a nutshell, it has made my life better. Don’t get me wrong, other than that devastating loss that occurred that threw me for a loop and affected many of my lifelong beliefs, my life was pretty good. Today my life is pretty good. Well, actually, it is awesome. But there is still room for transformation. Still room for growth. Still room for examination of beliefs and thoughts and feelings, still room to change some of those if I decide they are no longer working as well as I would like.

Today the principle of Oneness guides me in all my decisions. It also helps me to remember that in these times of separation and duality and “us and them,” there is underneath it all a common ground. We all come from the same stuff. The “stuff that is” as Ernest Holmes called it. And so when I’m upset about the latest atrocity, the latest mind-blowing and unbelievable opinion voiced by someone at the public level, the latest law enacted or redacted, I must go back to my roots, the stuff that is, and remember that on some level we are all one. This helps me to want to seek out the common ground, which in turn helps me to be able to practice compassion, which in turn helps me to be able to have civil conversations with people. Because honestly, if we can’t have civil conversations with people with whom we disagree, then we are contributing to the demise of this country. I don’t want to be a part of that.

I slip up once in a while and voice some scorn, but mostly, because of Science of Mind, I am able to keep my mouth shut until I calm down enough to have a civil conversation.

This teaching called Science of Mind allows me to ask the tough questions of myself. It allows me to be still and Know. It allows me to show up the way I want to show up in a world that is full of things that dismay and frustrate me on a daily basis.

This teaching also allows me to continuously transform into something greater while simultaneously knowing that there was nothing wrong with the way I was before. And, as a Practitioner friend of mine recently said, “transformation is the way of being.”

On the cover of one of my copies of the Science of Mind textbook, it says “a philosophy, a faith, a way of life.” Yes.

All of that. A lifestyle. A faith. A life rooted in this philosophy. Continuously answering the soul’s call for ever greater evolution and transformation. All of this is why I love the Science of Mind.

I am so grateful for this teaching that took me on a journey that continues to this day. It’s a wonderful journey.

Sending you Love, Light, and Laughter!

Karen Linsley, M.A.

Audaciously So, by Rev. Steph St. Amand

We are living the life of the Divine. Let’s act like it.

Isn’t it amazing that everywhere in nature, the interwoven expression of a Creative Mind is evidenced?  Everything in you, has been implanted into the very Divine DNA, or Universal Fabric, of your being; before you arrived here and took your first breath.  You are successfully living 100% of you all of the time.  Every day you breathe is the opportunity to make the ordinary extraordinary, and the sticky sweet. 

“Faith is of the mind and it is the match that starts the fire in the electrons and protons of innate spirit forces... When the trillions of cells in one’s body are roused to expectancy by spiritual faith, a positive spiritual contact results and marvelous transformations take place.” Charles Fillmore, Atom-Smashing Power of Mind, p.14

I love to think about the audacity one must have had in the late 19^th century as the New Thought Movement was awakening in the hearts and minds of our forbearers.  Ernest Holmes, Charles Fillmore, Emma Curtis Hopkins, imperfectly perfect as they were, they did not lack the conviction of their Faith.  I imagine, hands on hips and eyes raised to the possibilities of the future, while they declared, “I Am God.” How audacious! Christ Consciousness aroused in them so profoundly that movements were made, and metaphysical roads were paved. 

My faith is easy when I have such powerful evidence of God’s work in my life.  Just as the full expression of the oak tree is in the acorn, the full expression of Faith is already present within.  It is something that we cultivate and turn over in our lives until we find where Its Power is inevitable.  It’s not something we grow or expand, its something that we work out and work through.  Faith is an inside job.

Linda Martella-Whitsitt wrote, “To externalize faith is to disclaim our spiritual power. Faith's power is not in someone or something else. Faith is not the same as belief in. Those who say they have faith in another person or in God believe that someone outside themselves has the power to control, to fix, and to eliminate human problems. Yes, belief in God, as in “God will come through for us. He just has to,“ presumes a personality God that is a superhuman superhero, God is not a someone who acts but a principle that is.”  (Linda Martella-Whitsitt, Divine Audacity, p38)

You are God.  You are the Mind of the Infinite exploring the nature of Its own Being.  You are the only Superhero you need in your life.  It is okay for you to feel Life unfolding all around you in mystery and uncertainty, all superheroes do.  Superheroes have questionable pasts, and unsavoury moments, but in their imperfectly perfect authenticity, they are also convicted and steadfast in their values, principles, and what is hopefully the best for humanity. 

“Living in conviction is living from a prepared consciousness, in trust of the truths and possibilities that exist under the surface of material existence.  Living in trust is living the way I would live in fulfillment of my heart’s desire.  When experiencing physical symptoms of disease, I exercise faith in my essential wholeness, living as a whole person lives – I do what I can every day in support of my health, vitality, and well-being.” (Linda Martella-Whitsitt, Divine Audacity, p 43)

How do we exercise our Faith? Try new things and trust that you’ll be good at it.  Finish things you start and feel the satisfaction of completion, reminding yourself that you can do things.  Say yes to things outside of your comfort zone and gently rest your faith in the Presence whose activity is demonstrated through all that you do. 

I exercise my faith by putting trust in it. I work my faith out by never wavering, never questioning, never underestimating that the power that lies within me is the Power that fuels life Itself.  Faith Lives in me. I am a safe environment for Faith to exist.  I keep it healthy, fresh, and well fed with Spiritual Practice and a whole lot of Prayer. You are more powerful than you realize.  You are more powerful than you let on. 

Even though we look in the mirror and see what looks like a caterpillar, the butterfly is already becoming.  With faith in Oneness, with faith in the divine substance that folds Itself within you and unfolds Itself before your every step, we can live from that audacious place – and know that we are That I AM. And “you need do nothing more.” Emma Curtis Hopkins

Know who you are - You are Divine.  There is only One of you.  This is your Life, and you are making it what it is. You have the power to shift, change, evolve, grow. The world needs your authenticity, and the audacity to know that you are the One shining. 

Shine friends.  Shine.

 

Bio: Rev. Steph St. Amand is the co-founding Spiritual Director of 1 Love Awakening, a virtual community devoted to bridging hearts, awakening minds, and transforming lives. Called to spread the message of love and radical self-acceptance, Rev. Steph is a highly intuitive spiritual teacher, international speaker, content creator, and author; found in the award-winning, best-selling book, Navigating the Clickity Clack: How to Live a Peaceful Life in a Seemingly Toxic World, V3; and most recently seen in March’s Daily Guides for the Science of Mind Magazine.

Loving Kindness, by Dr. Edward Viljoen

It is not enough that I profess to love people. I must really love people, more dearly than I have ever loved before, because all [people] are my [family]. I do not outline who shall be my friends and companions, for there is no desire to coerce, compel or suggest to anyone.

Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind

By this shall all [people] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Jesus of Nazereth

The Rabbi’s Gift

The story concerns a monastery that had fallen upon hard times. Once a great order, as a result of waves of anti-monastic persecution in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the rise of secularism in the nineteenth, all its branch houses were lost and it had become decimated to the extent that there were only five monks left in the decaying mother house: the abbot and four others, all over seventy in age. Clearly, it was a dying order.

In the deep woods surrounding the monastery, there was a little hut that a rabbi from a nearby town occasionally used for a hermitage. Through their many years of prayer and contemplation, the old monks had become a bit psychic, so they could always sense when the rabbi was in his hermitage. "The rabbi is in the woods, the rabbi is in the woods again " they would whisper to each other. As he agonized over the imminent death of his order, it occurred to the abbot at one such time to visit the hermitage and ask the rabbi if by some possible chance he could offer any advice that might save the monastery.

The rabbi welcomed the abbot at his hut. But when the abbot explained the purpose of his visit, the rabbi could only commiserate with him. "I know how it is," he exclaimed. "The spirit has gone out of the people. It is the same in my town. Almost no one comes to the synagogue anymore." So the old abbot and the old rabbi wept together. Then they read parts of the Torah and quietly spoke of deep things. The time came when the abbot had to leave. They embraced each other. "It has been a wonderful thing that we should meet after all these years, "the abbot said, "but I have still failed in my purpose for coming here. Is there nothing you can tell me, no piece of advice you can give me that would help me save my dying order?"

"No, I am sorry," the rabbi responded. "I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you."

When the abbot returned to the monastery his fellow monks gathered around him to ask, "Well what did the rabbi say?" "He couldn't help," the abbot answered. "We just wept and read the Torah together. The only thing he did say, just as I was leaving --it was something cryptic-- was that the Messiah is one of us. I don't know what he meant."

In the days and weeks and months that followed, the old monks pondered this and wondered whether there was any possible significance to the rabbi's words. The Messiah is one of us? Could he possibly have meant one of us monks here at the monastery? If that's the case, which one? Do you suppose he meant the abbot? Yes, if he meant anyone, he probably meant Father Abbot. He has been our leader for more than a generation. On the other hand, he might have meant Brother Thomas. Certainly Brother Thomas is a holy man. Everyone knows that Thomas is a man of light. Certainly he could not have meant Brother Elred! Elred gets crotchety at times. But come to think of it, even though he is a thorn in people's sides, when you look back on it, Elred is virtually always right. Often very right. Maybe the rabbi did mean Brother Elred. But surely not Brother Phillip. Phillip is so passive, a real nobody. But then, almost mysteriously, he has a gift for somehow always being there when you need him. He just magically appears by your side. Maybe Phillip is the Messiah. Of course the rabbi didn't mean me. He couldn't possibly have meant me. I'm just an ordinary person. Yet supposing he did? Suppose I am the Messiah? O God, not me. I couldn't be that much for You, could I?

As they contemplated in this manner, the old monks began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each monk himself might be the Messiah, they began to treat themselves with extraordinary respect.

Because the forest in which it was situated was beautiful, it so happened that people still occasionally came to visit the monastery to picnic on its tiny lawn, to wander along some of its paths, even now and then to go into the dilapidated chapel to meditate. As they did so, without even being conscious of it, they sensed the aura of extraordinary respect that now began to surround the five old monks and seemed to radiate out from them and permeate the atmosphere of the place. There was something strangely attractive, even compelling, about it. Hardly knowing why, they began to come back to the monastery more frequently to picnic, to play, to pray. They began to bring their friends to show them this special place. And their friends brought their friends.

Then it happened that some of the younger men who came to visit the monastery started to talk more and more with the old monks. After a while one asked if he could join them. Then another. And another. So within a few years the monastery had once again become a thriving order and, thanks to the rabbi's gift, a vibrant center of light and spirituality in the realm.

*******

This story comes from The Different Drum, by Dr. M. Scott Peck, M.D. I remember it because I’m thinking of the literally dozens of conversations and connections with friends and colleagues I have had over the past several years, on the telephone and via e-mail and my heart is expanded by how attractive loving-kindness is.  Ernest Holmes’ meditation rings in my mind. “I desire to be loved, therefore, I allow myself to love greatly, to feel warmly inclined toward people; to be interested in them and helpful on their behalf. I give as I wish to receive.”

My mantra (affirmation) for this week

Warmly inclined, interested and helpful
Warmly inclined, interested and helpful
Warmly inclined, interested and helpful

What is your mantra (affirmation) for this week?  I sincerely would love to know.  I might want to piggy-back and jump on with it next week because I enjoy the amplification mental clarity when I work in mental parallel with others.

Edward Viljoen

“Repeating an affirmation is leading the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts that which it wishes to believe.”

Ernest Holmes

Language Matters - Transcendence or Transformation? by Rev. Dan Granda

  

Transformation and Evolution: We do deep inner personal work of self discovery and healing to reveal the greater truth of our divinity, wholeness, and freedom.

- From “Our Shared Values,” Centers for Spiritual Living Operation Design Model

Language is really important. Everybody wants to be understood, to see, and to be seen. It is part of our soul’s desire to share of ourselves and our experiences with others. However, language can also be inherently complex. How often have you tried to share the true depth of an experience with someone else only to find your words simply fall short? Our words tend not to carry the full energy or feeling of the actual experience we are trying to describe. Add to the fact that every single word we have learned comes with all of the history and story that we have attached to it along the way. To make it even more complex, everyone else has their own history and their own story to every word they know. Can I ever really know what you mean when you say a word? At worst, words can be our greatest assumptions. At best, words are our closest estimate.

Thankfully, there is much more to communicating than just our words but we can save that for another time. Let’s lean into the importance of our words for a little bit here. Part of the challenge in understanding the words we each use comes down to how we learn a language. Whether it is our primary language, a second language, or even the language of a specific school of thought, most of the time we don’t learn language by its definition. We learn it through experience. This seems especially true within a teaching like the Science of Mind where there is a tendency toward a very specific vernacular. It becomes necessary to infuse specific jargon into your vocabulary in order to understand and even “speak” Science of Mind. However, most of this jargon is picked up through reading or in conversation with others who are already using it. Often we are left on our own to decipher meaning through context clues and other the filter of our own experience. This leaves a great deal of room for attaching previous life experiences to words that, outside of that previous context, can mean something very different. Similarly, this also creates opportunities for words that have multiple uses with subtle differences to be greatly misunderstood.

One of the greatest examples — and one with a not-so-subtle impact on what it is we actually believe in the teaching of the Science of Mind — is the word transcendence.

For this example, I am going to say “we” to refer to those who practice the Science of Mind. I recognize this may not be universally true for every individual in that group, but for fun let’s pretend it is OK at this moment to use “we” in the way that we so often use “they” to declare unfair, broad sweeping statements.

Somewhere along the line we bought into this word transcendence but missed out on the very important nuance at play. Yes, the Science of Mind uses the word transcendence but probably not in the way that most people think of the word.

To the general public, the word transcendence when used in a spiritual or religious context tends to refer to a transcendent God; one that is completely separate from its creation. It transcends its creation. Applied to the human experience, transcendence means that humans would do the same; that the goal is transcending and leaving the human experience. Religions that believe in karmic reincarnation believe that transcendence is the goal of human life; to somehow “get it all correct” in order to move on.

The context of transcendence within the Science of Mind, something that might not get clarified nearly enough, however, is not one of transcending the human experience but one of transcending appearances.

We must transcend the appearance, even though we admit it as a fact. We are not so cold-blooded as to say to a person with pain that there is no such thing as pain. That is not our idea or purpose. We admit the fact. IT IS QUITE A DIFFERENT THING TO ADMIT ITS NECESSITY. (Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind, 1938, p.213.3)

This excerpt from The Science of Mind is one of the most notably clarifying statements when it comes to the Science of Mind perspective on transcendence, as well as our take on life itself. The implications of a misunderstanding of transcendence are actually massive. If God is transcendent and separate from this human experience that changes our whole relationship to the universe we live in — this implies duality, that there must then be God and something else. The inverse, which is what Holmes declared to be universally true, is that God is immanent, within and through all of its creation, and never separate — necessitating an infinite being. Everything then is God — literally everything.

Let us take this a logical step further then. “We must transcend the appearance, even though we admit it as a fact….” Everything we see and experience, even and especially that which is less than desirable, is also part of this same infinite being that we call by many names. This must mean then that there is actually nothing to transcend except our own perception of the thing we don’t like. But even that thing is a part of the whole that is God.

I would like to suggest we begin using a different word rather than transcendence. It is not a new word to the teaching. In fact, it is used throughout the writings of Holmes, yet for some reason, it has not caught our collective attention nearly as much — most likely because it does not have the same type of historically religious lineage as transcendence. Imagine if we shifted our collective misbelief from transcendence to transformation.

We do not change all of the patterns of our thought in a moment. Rather, it takes place little by little, until gradually the old thought patterns become transformed into new ones by some inner alchemy of the mind, the operation of which we do not see but the manifestation of which we do experience. (Ernest Holmes, 365 Science of Mind, 2001, p. 114.1)

Transformation is an empowering belief, one that is rooted in wholeness and oneness. It makes room for the immanent, infinite being that we say we believe in, as well as the whole of our experience, while simultaneously infusing us with the ability to change the situation we find ourselves in. We are not separate from the experience we find ourselves participating in, nor are we separate from the invisible forces behind the scenes that bring change to that experience. Transformation empowers us. It is important that our language back that up.

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Rev. Dan Granda is dedicated to a graceful uncovering of the human soul, imagining a world where it is common and lovingly accepted to bare your soul openly for others to see. Devoted to studying the evolution of human collective awareness, Rev. Dan can regularly be heard speaking to this shift happening in our world, inviting individuals to embrace the responsibility we have to each other and the community around themselves.

Let's Get Real, by Dr. Carol Carnes

 

As a Religious Science minister, and one who loves our teaching, I have never quite felt at ease wearing the robes and stoles our ministers seem to cherish. We are neither judges, academics, nor traditional religious ministers, so why are we acting as if we are part of one or more of those clubs? I get a little embarrassed when I see us all lined up to profess down an aisle clothed in our finery. Personally, I do not own a robe. We have never quite figured out where we belong. It all started when Dr. Ernest Holmes railed against becoming a “church.” He knew we did not belong in that milieu. He understood we are a teaching and a way of living that can be learned and practiced. Ridding humanity of superstition and dogma was his reason for organizing in the first place.

Our teaching has effectively kept millions of open-minded seekers outside our doors precisely due to our religious appearance. The teaching itself is beautiful, democratic, and a true blessing for anyone who can wade through the outer trappings of religion and practice its techniques of self-realization. Today it is often presented as a mind-control device alone or a path to “God,” neither of which is enough to satisfy the curiosity of the educated. We are spirituality, but that is not religion. It is a perception of Reality that frees us from fear and opens us to a higher level of livingness.

There must be a pairing of science and wisdom and a constant explaining of terms since we tend to use old-fashioned language in reference to our place in the grand dance of life. Some ministers leave out the science part, which, according to HH the Dalai Lama, any spiritual teaching must have to be valid. An interesting footnote: he refers to Tibetan Buddhism as “the Science of Mind.” When he read Holmes, he remarked it was the closest thing to Tibetan Buddhism he had ever seen, minus the cultural differences, of course. The rituals and symbols come from culture, not the teaching.

Our Centers (the word church has been replaced) have tacked on the rituals of other teachings to make us appear more…something! I am not sure what. We are not “Interfaith” nor are we a blend of other religions. We are the conclusions drawn from the observations of brilliant thinkers who have surmised how the universe appears to work and how we personalize what it is doing. It is a deep, complex and ongoing revelation, dependent on the latest in science, as well as the evolving awareness of dedicated students of Truth.

One of the most important additions to our open-at-the-top philosophy is meditation. When I first came into this teaching in 1975, meditation was considered taboo by, at that time, the president of the organization! I asked that person what they meant by “going within,” and they had no genuine answer. Over time, with so many of us having been initiated into Transcendental Meditation, it came to be seen as a natural part of Science of Mind. Now it is routinely taught by our ministers. What evolves is our awareness, our personal experience with Truth. We open our minds to the revelations of Quantum Physics and cosmology to the betterment of our teaching.

This teaching has surfaced in the world many times, over the millennia, in different forms and has been driven underground again and again. Holmes’ articulation of it was perfect for the early 20th century when so many were questioning Calvinistic Christianity that seemed to go against natural human desires and needs. It was, at that time, a way of setting the teachings of Jesus apart from the rest of the Bible, showing how he came to show us how to be human, not how to be religious fanatics.

Today, more ministers have adopted psychology in their version of the teaching, believing more in the “shadow” of Jung than the wholeness of our Essential Self. They have, perhaps unintentionally, somewhat abandoned the principle that “consciousness precedes form and experience” for some brand of Trauma is Cause. Yes, it is, if we do not know we are greater than even the worst kind of treatment. Why are we not comfortable teaching that?

I am not saying this is an easy fix. I am not setting myself up as the perfect example. I am not even close to realizing my true self, but I know we will go dormant once again if we continue to mask ourselves and our teaching, pretending to be what we are not. What Holmes gave us is the mechanism to transform this world. Can we accept the power in our hands? Will we stop trying to make people feel good about their pain and set them free? We have the means to liberate humanity from superstition and dogma. Let’s not add to the problem with our false rituals and our silly pomp and our fear of being misunderstood and challenged. As the great Dr. Kennedy Shultz always advised ministerial students; “If you are doing this to be loved, do something else because you will be sorely disappointed.”

Emerson said, “To be great is to be misunderstood.” I add, “Initially, perhaps, until we stand up and make clear the gift we are offering. Humbly and lovingly, all we want is for humanity to awaken to its spiritual magnificence.

Dr. Carol Carnes

The Creative Art of Living, by Dr. Mike McMorrow

What is called Creativeness is only becoming aware of what already is.  

Neville

            Thinking back on my early days of being exposed to the Science of Mind teaching, I remember how exciting it was for me to know “There is a Power for Good in the Universe available to everyone- and we can use It. This felt so empowering for me. I Am not powerless; I am powerful beyond measure. I am a thinking Center through which the Living Spirit demonstrates. I remember thinking, “This is going to be Awesome! After years of struggle, I’m finally going to get what I want out of life!” And I did- sort of.

            It was amazing how much more prosperous I was in my business but I was also creating a lot of stuff I didn’t want! I was making more money which was great, but I would then create situations or circumstances that would take that cash out of my pocket! Sometimes faster than I could get it in there! What the heck is going on?

            The answer came in a SOM class where I was given two directions.

1.  Make a list of what I don’t want for my life.

2.  Make a list of I want for my life?

            Care to guess which list was longer? The list of what I didn’t want was longer by far- not even close! Small wonder I was so good at creating struggle- in spite of my fervent belief in this new stuff I was learning. It was what I was used to.

            “What do I want for my life?” This is always a great question to keep before us even today particularly should we be ensnared in the world of form that lulls us into believing that hardship or struggle “Is just the ways things are.” Globally or as individuals.

            The solution, of course, is to acknowledge the current experience presenting itself to us as no Bueno and instead reimagine a life we know is waiting for our discovery and recognition of it.

As a new student, this was challenging. When I first began to consider such things, I didn’t think I was a very creative person. I played a little guitar, painted a bit, I could fashion lots of stuff out of wood- but that’s arts and craft stuff.

            With practice I came to see that living LIFE in my most conscious and effective way, I was practicing the Art of Creative Living. With this realization, my whole gig changed!

            We must attune our soul to the Indwelling Spirit within. As we attune with that Vibration of The Creative Impulse of Life, It demonstrates Itself as a sense of connectedness with all of life. We find our heart/mind downloading all sorts of feelings, images, notions, and ideas that hold within them the germ, the spiritual prototype, of the next great yet-to-be. We become aware of what already is within, and welcome it to our outer experience. A Wondrous Flow of the Law of Circulation demonstrating as our Life now!

            Join me in becoming an Artist in the Art of Creative Living!

Rev. Dr. Michael McMorrow is the Senior Minister for CSL Granada Hills in SoCal. His book Blue Collar Spirituality-Finding a God that Works was released in August of 2020. When not ministering, Mike likes to be anywhere outdoors and hang out with his wife Stephanie and son Michael.