YouTube: Your Divine Source

[Note: we had a video glitch on this program. We’re audio only]

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26 

Though Jesus never explains in detail what he means by the term, heavenly Father, it’s clear that he thinks of it as the source of our being, and that he includes not only himself, but all people as expressions of this one Source: “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9).

Heavenly implies a limitless presence that is common to and accessible to all, yet is greater than any one part. I’ve used the solar panel to illustrate our relationship to this universal Source. There is one sun that provides the energy to countless panels. Think of the sun as the heavenly Father and each panel as a person. The sun does not dictate to the panel how its energy must be used. Each simply receives the freely given energy supplied by the sun, without condition.

Think of this also. The panel does not look to the sky for its energy. The all immersive energy of the sun permeates each panel where it is placed. And so it is with our heavenly Source. The birds and all wildlife naturally operate from the universal energy of the heavenly Father, each converting this energy into the fulfillment of their specific needs.

All living things are transmitting centers, converting the universal energy that is God to the unique expressions that we see. I think this is what Emerson was referring to when he wrote, “Every man is the inlet and may become the outlet of all there is in God.”

As we open ourselves to our heavenly Source, we are inspired with new ideas, new enthusiasm and new vision that comes to us as naturally as sunlight. Spend time consciously basking in this presence, knowing that you are being filled with the life, love, power and intelligence that will bubble forth through you as the fulfillment of the life you know is possible.

YouTube: Renewal of Your Mind

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

What does it mean to be conformed to this world? How does one go about renewing the mind? And finally, what practical reason do we have for even considering such questions?

Many people carry the feeling that there must be more to life than they are experiencing. Regardless of what they achieve or how many things they accumulate, the feeling persists. Some describe it as a sense of hollowness at their very core.

Paul was writing to those who were beginning to understand that the thing they are seeking is not material, but spiritual. This change of understanding represents a shift in one’s worldview. It does not suggest that we turn our backs on the material side of life, but that we learn to keep it in the proper perspective. The only way to really learn this is to commit to a deeper experience of your spiritual core.

Anyone who has tried to quiet the mind and find inner stillness knows how quickly our thoughts take off in countless directions. With practice, however, we can gradually begin to succeed. With each success, our commitment deepens, as we see the value in experiencing the inner peace we are finding. This is the key. You will not pursue this practice just because someone says you should. You pursue it as you learn the value of doing so. As that gnawing feeling that something is missing begins to diminish, you come to your quiet times with joy and renewed expectation.

To say that we are spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body is not intended to undermine our material side. The problem lies in the fact that we have conformed to this world – the body and its endless concerns – by giving it the bulk of our attention. As we gradually bring our focus to our spiritual side, we begin to find a natural balance between soul and body, a welcome transformation produced by the renewal of our mind.    

YouTube: Circumstantial Tendencies

It is important to realize that every new enterprise, every decision you make to pursue your passion is going to evoke some level of confrontation between the stronger and the weaker elements of your self-image. You will set your goals based on your strengths, your talents, your interests and your dreams. In the process of manifesting them, however, you will encounter challenges that will summon all your weaknesses as well. Self-doubt, fear of failure, feelings of lack, impatience, anger, lethargy and indifference will all creep in at the most inappropriate times. Like Job, you may find yourself saying, “The thing I feared is upon me and the thing I dreaded is now before me.” Many worthy undertakings have been brought to a grinding halt by these unwelcome thieves of our creative energy.

You need not be taken by surprise when this seemingly negative side of your consciousness arises. While it may not always be comfortable or convenient, the arousal of these stifling elements is both inevitable and necessary. They arise from that limited aspect of your identity which is crying out to be redefined from the basis of your soul.

Because of the discomfort or even pain involved in dealing with them, the temptation is to suppress these unwanted elements. But unless the things you fear most come upon you, unless they are brought into the full light of your awareness, you will never be able to trace them back to their sources and permanently release the negative influence they have on your circumstantial tendencies.

YouTube: The Role of Choice

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.” Matthew 13:47-48

I’ve often used this passage to illustrate the role of choice, especially as it pertains to attitudes we’ve assumed concerning the various experiences we encounter in life. If we take a very broad view of the role of choice, we’ll ask how far it extends. Did you choose to incarnate at the time you did, and did you choose the family into which you were born?

Consider this example. Let’s say you want to travel to a place, and you decide to fly. Does this mean you also choose that obnoxious passenger seated next to you? The consciousness purist will say, “We attract the people and circumstances from which our soul can learn the most. There are no accidents.”

If the flight isn’t fully booked, you can request another seat. If one such person happens to be a family member, you’ll be seated next to them for many years. You can spend your life thinking a difficult person has something to teach you, but if you cannot grasp what you’re supposed to learn, there’s a good chance you’ll carry the burden of believing your soul isn’t evolved enough, and you’ll probably keep attracting similar personalities until you finally get it.

Let’s take a step back. Did you attract the obnoxious passenger because they had something to teach your soul, or did you encounter them simply because you made the decision to fly? These are two completely different approaches. Will you allow this person to ruin your entire trip, or will you let them go the moment you step off the plane?

I like to think we’re making this earthly trip simply because we wanted to. If we get caught up in the drama and influence of our fellow passengers, it can be easy to forget why we set out on this journey. You have surely had the experience of getting lost or confused in an airport. What has this to do with your purpose for flying? Your choice to fly will put you in airports and seat you next to people with whom the only thing you share in common is the fact that you’re on the same plane. Is our earthly journey really that much different?

Rather than spend another moment wondering what we failed to learn from a challenging relationship, let’s turn our attention back to the possibilities that drew us to this earthly experience. When we boarded the “plane” that brought us here, we did it for a reason. We had something in mind. Are we pursuing this higher interest, or are we dragging ourselves down trying to reconcile unresolved issues with another passenger? We’re off the plane with feet planted firmly in our desired destination. Let us choose to make the most of it.

YouTube: Calming the Inner Storm

There arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:24-27

When we read a story like this, we want to ask if it is intended to show the greatness of Jesus, or if it is intended to remind us of our own power to calm storms. This is an example of what I would call a modified saying, a passage containing parts of which may have originated with Jesus  but have been modified by the Gospel writer to convey the early church’s elevated characterization of him. Jesus seems surprised that his companions are cowing in fear, an indication that he expected them to do what he did. He then rebukes the storm and it subsides. The final comment is likely Matthew’s: What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?”   

We all have our storms, but we don’t have the luxury of a special miracle worker around to rebuke them for us. Free of Matthew’s final question, the story indicates that Jesus is pointing to the power of the men’s faith, not himself, as the resolving force. He’s raising the question, Why don’t you bring to bear the power of your faith? Why do you have to rely on me? This reminds me of Meister Eckhart’s question that I’m paraphrasing here: What good does it do me to have a brother who is wise if I remain ignorant?

I believe Jesus was a spiritual teacher whose mission was to awaken people to their own ability. I think his focus was less on controlling weather and more on demonstrating power over the mental and emotional storms that devastate our quality of life. Your faith will not likely alter what the wind and sea are doing, but it can alter your reaction to whatever storms are raging in your life.

On several occasions, Jesus chided men of little faith, not because he was reminding them of his superiority, but because he was trying to inspire them to awaken their own power. In practice, the exercise of faith is a significant shift in attitude. We move from fear over some appearance to the strength of knowing the resolution is now coming forth.  

Is your faith in the man Jesus? Is your faith in the power of the storm raging through your life now? Or, is your faith in God, the one presence and one power that is, at this very moment, bringing about the needed resolution? I think if Jesus were here, he would ask this very question.    

YouTube: The Spirit of Freedom

“For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” John 18:37 

When I read this passage, I hear Jesus saying that he recognized his mission, his purpose in life, as one of demonstrating what it means to live from the awareness of his oneness with God.

I don’t see Jesus making this statement as exclusive to himself, but more as the ultimate objective of every person. When he said that you will know the truth and the truth will make you free, he was saying that the truth of our oneness with God is the key to true freedom.

While we celebrate freedom as a nation, it’s clear that simply living in a geographical location does not guarantee us the level of inner freedom that we long for. We can be free to move about, to pursue our interests, to interact with our family and friends and yet live in the bondage of some form of fear. Fear is debilitating at every level. It’s grounded in the perception that the thing we fear is greater than our ability to resolve it.

To bear witness to the truth is to connect with a deeper level that enables us to rise above fear and successfully meet the challenge that confronts us. How do we do this? How do we move beyond spiritual platitudes and arrive at place of understanding that assures our freedom? The first thing we do is acknowledge the influence of perception. Unlike a fixed reality, a perception, which is a mental impression that we form based on the limited facts at our disposal, can be changed. 

When Jesus warned against judging by appearances, he was talking about the mental impressions we form and react to based on information that comes through the senses. He is saying we can break this cycle and free ourselves from the emotional roller-coaster ride that we often fall victim to. We release the energy we are giving a perception and we affirm the truth we want to express.

I now release the energy that I’m pouring into this mental picture. The perfect resolution is now unfolding through this situation and through my life. 

We are each here to bear witness to the truth of our being. The spirit of freedom is alive in each one of us because, at the deepest level, we are already free.

YouTube: The Mystery of Communion

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

According to Matthew, the inception of the ritual of Communion occurred during the last Passover meal – the Last Supper – that Jesus shared with his disciples. Today, the elements of wine and bread, or grape juice and a cracker, are ritually administered in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation. The Catholic church takes it further with the concept of transubstantiation, the belief that the blessed sacraments actually become the blood and body of Jesus.

The word communion carries the meaning of communication. The mystic sees communion as an actual union, a natural communication between God and the individual. The practice of spiritual communion, going directly to the indwelling Father, was the secret of Jesus’ power. Because of the challenges involved in silencing the busy mind and becoming receptive to the still small voice of God, ritual often takes precedence over the actual practice of the Presence, as the now famous mystic, Brother Lawrence, called it.  

Few Unity leaders have adopted the formal ritual of Communion. We have preferred the route of communion, or communication, with our spiritual source, which we do through meditation. While religious institutions can withhold Communion from those they deem unworthy, Unity recognizes that each individual is one with God and all are free to establish a first-hand experience with their spiritual source. We do not advocate the use of ritual or specific elements as requirements for communion with God. We leave that up to each person.

It is easy to substitute a ritual for an actual experience. We should remember that nearly every religious ritual has its basis in a spiritual principle. In terms of spiritual advancement, the practice is the principle is mandatory. The ritual is optional.  

YouTube: The Marriage of Head and Heart

“Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female … a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh …” Matthew 19:4-5

This week, Beth and I celebrated our 43^rd anniversary. We’ve been through a lot together, including raising two children and 41 years of ministry.

The verse above is attributed to Jesus, but it’s quoted nearly verbatim in other parts of the Bible, suggesting it was a popular reference. I like to think of it as a reference to the ideal marriage between the intellect (male) and the intuition (female) of each individual. We have a physical and spiritual side, with the body being the earthly vehicle of the soul. The fact-oriented intellect is an invaluable tool for navigating through the material world, so much so that we often neglect the intuitive, spiritual side.

Metaphysically speaking, the man leaving his father and mother represents that period when the individual expands their awareness of themselves as something more than we typically associate with our body-based earthly history. To be joined with a wife is to become aware intuitively that our true essence is spiritual, that we occupy a body, but we are much more.

The marriage of head and heart is the beginning of a new understanding of how we approach life. Am I a human being seeking a spiritual experience, or am I a spiritual being having a human experience? It is a very important and meaningful distinction to make, as it opens our mind to a much larger context that quite possibly encompasses many incarnations. This thought alone is mind expanding. In this sense, we leave our earthly mother and father as our beginning point. They gave birth to our body, but not to our soul. So we turn to the soul which has always carried the larger picture of what our life is about.   

Youtube: Religion and Spirituality

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Today we’re witnessing a move away from organized religion toward a more personal quest for spiritual enlightenment. It’s common to hear people say that religion in general no longer appeals to them, as they’ve grown weary of being told what they’re supposed to think. This week I was reading a blog written by a Catholic Monsignor who, using the above passage, explained why the road to Hell (the wide gate) is taken by so many. Among the items he lists that make the average human “difficult to save,” he says, “we don’t like to be told what to do.”   

If being told what we must do comes from an edict issued by either the Catholic or Protestant Church authorities, then I would agree with the Monsignor. I do not trust the integrity of my spiritual quest to either source.

The notion of the wide gate leading to destruction is probably a warning from Matthew, not Jesus, that there are consequences to falling away from the early church’s developing doctrine. When you consider the emphasis that mainstream Christianity has placed on sin and the possibility of Hell, you see that fear has always been used as a motivator.

I would argue exactly the opposite from the Monsignor, that the narrow gate is the one that leads to the experience true spiritual enlightenment. Abandoning organized religion is not a prerequisite to a spiritual awakening. But learning to go alone, think alone and seek light alone, as Emilie Cady advised, is the path to a first-hand experience with God.

Some of the most enlightened Christian teachers in history have been condemned and branded as heretics by Catholic and Protestant authorities alike. Their crime? They didn’t like to be told what to do. Though every religion makes God the centerpiece, God is not found in any of them. God is experienced at the center of one’s being, usually in quiet solitude.

If, in your quest for understanding, you find religious trappings helpful and comforting, keep them. But know the narrow gate to enlightenment is the one that usually draws the smallest crowd.   

YouTube: Believe in Yourself

“He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.” John 14:12

It seems clear that the Gospel writers modified certain passages that might suggest an alternative view to their portrayal of Jesus’ divine uniqueness and power. For instance, Jesus may very well have said that you can do the things I do, and greater things. But John added, “… he who believes in me … ” to keep his (John’s) only begotten designation intact. Based on the principles of mysticism—the omnipotence of God, the divinity of the individual, and the oneness of God and the individual—Jesus would more likely have said, “If you believe in yourself, if you come to know your own connection with God, your indwelling Father as I do, you’ll do the kinds of things I do, and even greater things.”

Can we afford to take such liberties with scripture? Are we just twisting it into something we want it to say? The average reader of the Gospels is probably unaware that this is exactly what the authors did. They used the voice and person of Jesus to advance the narrative of the early church. We’re left with the job of distinguishing between the teachings of the church and the teachings of Jesus.

Did Jesus make himself the exclusive gateway to God? The mainstream Christian has certainly adopted this doctrine as absolute fact. But it contradicts the truth of omnipresence, which implies all people have equal access to God, regardless of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

To believe in yourself is to affirm your divine makeup, which includes as your source the creative life force that is God. There’s no need to aspire to be a miracle worker. You begin with the simple acceptance that you are an expression of God. Affirm that you now let the limitless will of God work through you, to expand your understanding and to erase any limitation you have set on yourself. Believe in yourself as the worthy channel through which God is now expressing.