Thursday, July 31, 2014

Global Meditation for Peace in San Clemente


Visit http://globalmeditation.chopra.com/ and sign up now to be part of the global meditation event of the year, Friday August 8th, and help set the Guinness World Record for the largest meditation gathering ever!

Then join us in the Sanctuary from 9-10am as we live stream this historic event with Deepak Chopra, Gabrielle Bernstein, and Maya Tiwari.

Be sure to share now to your favorite social media site with the hashtag #IAMPEACE

Sanctuary doors open at 8:30am for a pre meditation sage cleansing ceremony and never forget your real identity.

You are a luminous conscious stardust being, who has been forged in the crucible of cosmic fire.

#IAmPeace
#IAmPeace

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Oh there goes gravity: Skateboarders teach us about the Law of Cause and Effect

Skateboarding as a form of inspiration


Each Sunday after service at Center for Spiritual Living, Capistrano Valley, a gathering occurs.  It is a meeting of the Minds, a Conscious Connection.  In this group an unfoldment occurs to demonstrate how this entire world can be used as an example of Spiritual connection.

This past Sunday, the topic was The Law being a willing servant. On that day (July 27th), the Joyous Living Journal, mentions The Law of Cause and Effect as being a "willing servant."  It states, "The Law of Cause and Effect is a stern taskmaster but a willing servant.  The causes you have set in motion have been playing out in your life."

Sometimes we want to change an outcome in our lives, but the outcome continues to occur over and over again.  If we know how The Law of Cause and Effect is set in motion, we can begin to understand how we can change our course; we can work at the level of the subconscious.  "There are simply consequences to the inner, subconscious stories about life that you come to believe. Over and over again, the Law is showing you what is stored there, without variation or relief. “

In this past Sundays gathering, skateboarding was used to understand the physical law of gravity, and how we can use it as example of understanding the Law of Cause and Effect.

Skateboarding can sometimes get a bad rap.  We see signs all over each shopping mall which ban these "rebellious" behaviors.  Interestingly enough, they are actually perfecting their craft, they are practicing their skills.  Over and over, they attempt to defy gravity. In actuality, instead of defying gravity, they are learning how to use gravity to their advantage.  They are giving us examples how to use this physical law to work as their "willing servant."

In the video Worlds most amazing skateboard tricks, we see the polished outcome of each skateboarder. We see only one mishap, just one.  The reason for this is not to make it seem easy; it is to acknowledge that the outcome of using the law of gravity has been honed.  With each of these skateboarders have come so many trails, so many failed attempts, so many cuts, scrapes and bruises.  The thing is, this video shows how it is possible to use this law as a partner, as a "willing servant."  These skateboards have come to an understanding how gravity works and they are using it to their advantage, or working in tandem with it.

Sometimes our challenge is that we do not want to see the trials, the fail attempts, the cuts, scrapes, and bruises.  We may want to go straight to the finished, edited video of our perfect lives. We have to remember, if we are stuck in a situation and we cannot get out of it, it may be necessary to look into our subconscious thought, and this could require doing some very deep, and possibly emotionally painful work.  If our deep-seeded thoughts are not changed, we may not be able to get to that point of using the Law as the "willing servant."   Also, if we cannot even imagine it is possible, it will not be possible.  Using the skateboarder as our visual example, ask yourself if you are as willing as the skateboarder to continue to practice over and over again to see a different outcome.  Imagine a different outcome as your life, if you are in a situation that is unfavorable, and use each and every day as practice.  Look for the examples in life in each and every crevice.  "By truly changing your mind/heart/beliefs about something, you can cocreate a new reality. Use the Law, don't be used by it!"


And So It Is. Amen.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Go For It! Sunday Service


As of today, I willingly change my mind, heart and beliefs around areas of my life the I desire to improve. As a result, I watch the Law of Cause and Effect at work as my circumstances change for the better! And So It Is!


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

The Powerful Minister: Dr. Clara "Ma" Mosley


A Powerful Minister who speaks straight to Truth. 

On Saturday, July 19, 2014, I attended the Agape International Spiritual Center Practitioner Reunion.  This was a time where current Licensed Practitioners and previously Licensed Practitioners could come together and celebrate our place in this world.  It was a wonderful time seeing Soul Sisters and Brothers that I hadn't seen in a long time.  A beautiful guided meditation was facilitated by Suzi Kesler Lula, where she posed the question about where is our Yes! taking us now.  Being at the union flooded my senses with a remembrance of the unfoldment my life took by being a part of this magnificent center.  Though I do not physically visit the center as much as once did, my Soul was filled right back up by being in the presence of these powerful Practitioners.

One such powerful Practitioner, Dr. Clara "Ma" Mosley, was a mentor and, previously, my personal Practitioner.  She currently is the Senior Minister at the June Cobb Church in Los Angeles. Seeing her for the first time in many years brought tears to my eyes, for in her presence is a reminder that Magnificence is already within.   Dr. Clara is no-nonsense; she speaks straight to the Truth.  She doesn't sugar coat any attachments to reasons for one believing in their small self.  She says it like it is, and somehow she exudes a gentle, nurturing space while stating her claims, hence the "Ma."

Way back in the day, I had taken several classes with Dr. Clara.  I vividly remember listening to her speak in the den of her home in Silver Lake.  She spoke such deep and profound words of Wisdom; I had no idea what she was saying.  All I knew was that whatever she was saying, it was Good.  Somehow, I believed, through process of Osmosis, I would become just as deeply enlightened as she.  I realized that no amount of intellectual knowledge will ever get one to a space of Spiritual Wisdom without having a Soul Revelation. Our Souls must be communicated to in order to shift in levels of enlightenment.  In Dr. Clara's teaching, there are no levels, you are Truth right here and now, no doubting, no question, it just Is.  If we are thinking we have to peel back layers, we are thinking too small.  We are all we need to Be, Right Now. We don't have to wait for some day; we are It, Right Now!

When I proclaim Love for this wonderful woman, it is deeper than our typical definition of love.  The Love I feel for her is a Soul-to-Soul connection.  She has touched my life in such a profound way, and I am grateful for her Presence in this world.  The embrace I experienced with Dr. Clara at the Reunion was flooded with emotions.  For in that one, simple, prolonged embrace was a sense of being cared for, a sense of being Loved in a Soul-Filled, Truth-Filled way.  In that instance I couldn't help but be over-filled with emotion so much that I was proud to call her "my Ma."   I also am grateful for Agape International Spiritual Center, for without It, I would have not been introduced to Dr. Clara "Ma" Mosley.

Thank you Clara for Being a significant part of my life.


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Shots Of Awe In San Clemente


Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey has proposed that our ability to awe was biologically selected for by evolution because it imbues our lives with sense of cosmic significance that has resulted in a species that works harder not just to survive but to flourish and thrive.

Are you looking for a "Shot of Awe" in San Clemente? Look no further than "The Center For Spiritual Living"

Shots Of Awe In San Clemente
A Shot Of Awe From San Clemente

Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Alchemy of Awe Sunday Service

As of today, I welcome change. I embrace it knowing opportunities and possibilities are opening up in my life. What good will come from these possibilities? 

Sunday Service Live Stream Starts At 10:30


Friday, July 18, 2014

Inevitable Changes

The only constant is change. Without change we would atrophy and die. Yet most of us resist changes, even though we know they are for our highest and best good. Even when we know that everything is in Divine order. 

We read in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 

In 1965, a popular song by the Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn" was written based on this scripture. Interestingly, it was much easier for me to embrace then than it is now. Then I was just starting University, just setting out, with my whole life ahead of me. I hadn't any idea of the myriad changes that would be the story of my life. Although I had experienced the deaths of a beloved uncle and an aunt, death was distant to me. Like most young people of that time I thought I was immune from suffering and death.

Recently several dear friends have made their transitions. I know that they live on and in much better circumstances, freed from the bondage and pain of their bodies. Still I am sad to see them go. Thankfully my spiritual practice and my certainty about the continuity of life have helped me deal with these deaths. Life doesn't start with our arrival on the planet, nor does it end when we breathe our last breath. Rather we were and always will be one with the indivisible Source. I don't really know what happens after death. But I am certain that somehow, somewhere, we continue. Life goes on not only for our loved ones but also for us. 

Helen Keller wrote:
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
Learn to accept the changes in your life. There is another door opening. 


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Pure Imagination: Music of possibilities


Last Sunday at CSLCV brought us the music of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.  Pure Imagination is an endearing tune that speaks right to the heart of the possibilities of one's own creation. The song created for the movie was based on the book by Roald Dahl. 

The lyrics of the song speak so much to the possibilities within each and every one of us.  If we dare to dream, we can dare to create from the dream.

Come with me
 And you'll be
 In a world of
 Pure imagination
 Take a look
 And you'll see
 Into your imagination

 We'll begin
 With a spin
 Traveling in
 The world of my creation
 What we'll see
 Will defy
 Explanation

 If you want to view paradise
 Simply look around and view it
 Anything you want to, do it
 Wanta change the world?
 There's nothing
 To it

 There is no
 Life I know
 To compare with
 Pure imagination
 Living there
 You'll be free
 If you truly wish to be

 If you want to view paradise
 Simply look around and view it
 Anything you want to, do it
 Wanta change the world?
 There's nothing
 To it

 There is no
 Life I know
 To compare with
 Pure imagination
 Living there
 You'll be free
 If you truly
 Wish to be

As posed in the Joyous Living Journal for July 15: 
What was your most favorable childhood dream? 
Enter into that again and play in the energy of that possibility again. 
What is your heart longing for now? 
Bring that childhood energetic belief into your current vision. 



Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Imagination Gives Us Images to Hold in Our Mind

image a flute
I want to be more like a flute
It may seem odd to aspire to be more like an inanimate object but let me explain.

I have heard the image of “hollow bone” spoken to illustrate the state of being empty so that one can be filled with Spirit. I’m starting to understand why images work sometimes when words don’t. I can take that image and feel it. It only takes a moment to conjure an image and the ideas behind it can germinate and grow over time.

For me the image of the flute takes the "hollow bone" even further. Like the bone I picture the long empty passage free of the mental clutter, judgement and general stuff that may get in Spirit’s way. But with the flute the breath (Spirit) has to be added to make it sing and when it does sing the music resonates outward touching everything everywhere with it’s music, it’s vibration. Our being can sense vibration long after our conscious mind is recognizing the sounds. There’s a skill to playing it which is built with practice. It can be spiritual practices, it can be a creative practice such as in playing the flute … to really bring the magic it’s probably both.

Flutes are in all kinds of stories. They are kind of magical. I like that too. It inspires my imagination.

Imaging is A Muscle
Sometimes I can hold images in my mind, sometimes I have to rely on the word to hold the image for me. I always have to remember that imaging is a skill, a muscle and will strengthen with use.

Images, Stories & Song
As we contemplate the role of creativity this month I am finding new appreciation in images and stories to connect with greater truths. Images, symbols show up in art, in stories, songs and our dreams. It’s another avenue for Spirit.

The Stories We Sometimes Need
Saturday night I was out enjoying the full moon. As I drove away I decided I needed a song. It was a beautiful full moon so I searched the iPod for something night sky-ish and not finding Van Morrison’s Moondance I settled on Jack Johnson’s “Constellations.”

The lyrics were just perfect and one line stood out among the others

“to find the stories we sometimes need.”

Sometimes we need stories, we need art, we need song. Their vibrations affect us long after we can hear the flute.

Here's a little Jack ... enjoy.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Infinite Imagination Sunday Service


Starting now, I surrender each present moment to my soul's happiness. Spirit guides me every moment, of every day to the 'ride of my life.' I simply ride with pleasure. And So It Is!

Live Stream Starts at 10:30am


Friday, July 11, 2014

Triumph Over Fears

"There is something in you that wants to confront and triumph over your fears and doubts, and master the earthly forces, freeing yourself to be your potential fully expressed."

Fears and doubts truly keep us in bondage and we are designed to live in joyous freedom.

Last night  I let an old fear of spiders enter my consciousness. As I was pulling the sheet back to crawl into bed, I saw a large black and red spider dash between my mattress and the box spring. Of course, I imagined that it was a black widow and thought it unsafe to be such a close target.  I slept in my guest room.

Scores of  thoughts and feelings flooded my mind. I felt cowardly; I am thousands of times bigger than any spider,why couldn't I use my vast knowledge to remove the danger. I felt fear. Should I try to remove it or just let it make a nest in my bed? I felt a little helpless and I felt very silly.

A few months after I first moved to California in the early 90's I had my first real encounter with black widow spiders. I was moving to a different office in the same complex so the men from the Center were moving the office furniture. When they moved my desk, there she sat, a huge black widow spider. I was transfixed. I had never seen one before and this one was at least two inches long. The men came and went. No one took much notice except my Board President, a big man, a former Navy Seal who just casually said, that I shouldn't get too close as she looked like a grandmother spider. I was certain that one of the men would get rid of the spider.

No one moved the spider! 

My interpretation was that nobody cared about my life! Yes, indeed, I was quite dramatic and very short-sighted. remember, I was a dumb Canadian who had had no experience with poisonous spiders except from the movies. Later a friend introduced me to a pest control person who shared a wealth of information about black widow spiders. One thing he told me, is that they are very shy. You usually don't see them because they are in hiding. He also told me that they will only attack if they feel threatened.

Upon reading this quote from our joyous living journal, I realized that that something in me which is all-knowing has never been reactionary, acted out of fear, or side-stepped an issue or a spider. That Presence knows me as a masterful, powerful and loving being. I use the helpful information and I make new choices. Every fear, when looked at in the light of Truth, becomes insignificant.  

In the oneness of all life, I am safe in my world including my home. 

Tonight I will have a talk with that spider. I will let her know that I respect her and she must find another bed to sleep in. I will remind myself that I live in a friendly universe and I will sleep in my own bed. 

Monday, July 7, 2014

This Friday CSLCV presents "Walter Cronkite is Dead"

Walter Cronkite is Dead
Walter Cronkite is Dead
Why is the church putting on the play “Walter Cronkite is Dead”? Well, last Friday, Reverend Heather came to see the show. Her planned talk on Sunday was “It’s time for an exorcism.” And in the course of seeing the show, she heard the character Patty do a three-minute monologue on the movie, “The Exorcist,” which she asked me to reprise on Sunday as an introduction to her talk. It’s a very funny monologue and the congregation enjoyed it so much that some of them asked if we could put on the whole show. We applied for and got the rights to it for one night on July 11. My acting partner, Marilyn Wolfe, graciously agreed to come and perform it with me.

I decided to audition for “Walter Cronkite is Dead” at the Broadway Vista Theater because: 1) I’m always looking for a new theater opportunity; 2) I was looking for a new challenge and memorizing more than half of an two-person, 90-minute show seemed like a new level of opportunity; 3) the subject matter is very Science of Mind; 4) it was a paying gig and very few theaters offer actors more than a gas stipend; and 5) God sent me a sign—we already had a trip planned to visit our parents in the Midwest in May and they were having a two-week break in rehearsals over the exact dates I planned to be gone!

There were 34 women who auditioned for the part, which the director culled down to five for each character at callbacks. I was delighted that I was chosen to play Patty—the Southern Conservative. Marilyn Wolfe was selected to play Margaret, the uptight East Coast Liberal.

The play is a long conversation that occurs between these two women when they get stuck sitting next to each other at an airport during a big storm. The discussion between them is volatile. It’s a great opportunity to look at how our personal world-view influences even our smallest social interactions. The biases we carry about how we should live our lives seep into every area of discussion. And as the conversation moves from the best places to travel, to children, to personal hopes and fears, to politics, the audience gets a chance to examine their own beliefs, see which character they identify with, and see the commonalities between them. After all, we ARE all one.

I’m excited to have another opportunity to share “Walter Cronkite is Dead” with our spiritual community. Marilyn and I performed the show for the last month at the Broadway theater in Vista. We worked hard to flesh out all of the nuances of this show and hope that translates to a wonderful audience experience for you as you get to know and, hopefully, understand and appreciate both Patty’s and Margaret’s points of view. I hope you’ll join us this Friday, July 11, at 7 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley.

~Kimberly Wooldridge


Expressing Your Creativity is a Spiritual Practice

the creative urge is life itself
What catches your eye? What inspires you? What is urging to be created through you? Are you up for an adventure?
“Your creative expression is an act of faith. You must give it passage from the abstract into form by trusting what’s coming through you.
 "When there is no motion, it’s only a dream and remains in the realm of possibility. You don’t need to know how an adventure ends before you begin it, nor do you have to know where your creative urge is going to take you before you begin.” ~Joyous Living Journal
I don’t know when everyone got so convinced they aren’t creative. We are infinitely creative. Even when we are not intentionally creating we are creating by default. As humans we have a deep driving need to be creative.

It’s time to indulge ourselves!

Could painting (or cooking, or writing, or gardening, or knitting, or playing an instrument, or singing or writing a letter, or taking pictures, or or playing with play dough) be a spiritual practice?

YES.

And engaging in your creativity is opening another avenue for Spirit to demonstrate in your life. And just like meditation and prayer it works better when you set aside your ego, drop the judgement and embrace some unconditional love for yourself and others. Think of practicing creativity as an act of gratitude for the beauty and joy you feel inside, a two way conversation between you and Infinite Intelligence.

Life is ever evolving in the direction of increased love and increased beauty. What other than the intentional spiritual practice of expressing your unique brand of creativity to assist in that evolution.

Let it loose in the world and you just don’t know the life it may take on.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Lessons in Creativity Sunday Service


Today I let go of 'how' my creative gifts will show up in my life and allow myself to create in joy. My gifts are needed in the world, therefore, I give them. And So It Is!

Tune into Sunday Service Live 10:30am 

Lessons in Creativity Sunday Service
Today Share Your Creativity

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

From Analysis to Action

A creative expression from a purpose workshop lead by Vidette Vanderweide.

The Joyous Living Journal, July 2nd installment is titled From "Analysis to Action".  It mentions, "Alchemy doesn't just look at what's at hand and analyze it; it uses what's there and transforms it into gold."  When we are moving through something that is a hurt, pain, wound, or block, we may seek answers as to the why of the situation.  It can be in our nature to wonder and analyze our life. What the Joyous Living Journal is suggesting is to, "Take your wounds and blocks as fuel to create, write, produce music, paint, dance, or whatever your creative modality is to bring forth the masterpieces of your soul."  It goes on to say, "But remember, don't make producing a masterpiece or needing transformation your goal, but rather keep creative expression as your purpose."

Aside from a product of artistic expression, this mindset can also be used to create a beautiful life. The idea of "creating memories" is one idea that I constantly revisit in my own life.  Creating memorable experiences for my children and husband is something that I enjoy doing.  Spending time with my family can be more than just being in the same room with them (though that can be great too), it can be heightened by taking something simple and creating it as a memory. Recently, as suggested by my husband, we started going to the park to play frisbee after dinner. With the daylight being extended, the time to play has also been extended.  What I noticed about myself is that I almost forgot what it was like to run around and play at the park.  Now that my children are older, we don't go to the park as often as we used to.  Creating that family time gave us an avenue to make a memory for our children, as well as for myself.  Though it seemed an effort beginning this new ritual, it soon became effortless, turning into an daily desire.

Getting into a rut of the "same old, same old" just takes one moment of action to get clarity on how to "create" a beautiful life.

The reflection statement from the Joyous Living Journal: "Take the feeling from a blockage in your world, and take those emotions and pour them freely through a creative expression of your choice."

Have a wonderfully creative day. 

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

E PLURIBUS MUSICUM: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSIC

Wednesday Wisdom: Potluck & Sing-Along
Come join us Wednesday for a one-hour history of the United States through the melting pot of its music. I figure that everyone will actually be busy on the 4th of July, so having our celebration on Wednesday the 2nd makes a lot of sense. 
Since it is the first Wednesday of the month, there will be a potluck starting at 5:45. We are going to have a sing-along starting at 6:45, with the concert starting at 7:00. There will be lots of singing along during the concert, so come prepared to have a good time.
The name of the concert means “from many, music,” and is of course a play on “E Pluribus Unum”, the United States motto. A lot of people don’t know that “E Pluribus Unum” (“from many, one”) is the original motto of the United States. “In God We Trust” was added to coins in 1864, but did not become a national motto until the 1950’s, the same time “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. These were ostensibly to combat “godless Communism”, but I find both of them an offensive commingling of church and state. The concert goes back to that original definition of the United States as a melting pot: a coming together of different peoples, the free exchange of ideas, in this case musical ideas. The music that is uniquely “American” has always been a mixture of multiple styles that came before, so it makes an excellent analogue to this.

Kimberly and I have been toying around with the idea of putting together a one-hour “cruise ship” format show around this idea. You can think of this as the first draft of such a show. We are pleased to be joined by the “Fire Pit Players”: Karyn Allen and Rick Dale, Hans Smith and Darrolyn Fennelly, Patty Coquillard, with Jimmy Vann on the piano. This gives us a lot more leeway to add some extra voices and instruments and styles and harmonies. We hope to see you there!