After Prayer, What? Sunday Service

I am receptive to Divine life so I am always plugged in, tuned in and turned on. When in prayer, I affirm and listen to the Genius within for guidance and direction. Then I move my feet and get busy being what I have affirmed. And so it is!

After Prayer, What?

I  have learned  to pray from an awareness of the Presence of God within.

I have learned to pray for the Absolute quality of God that my desire symbolizes. For instance if I am feeling tight and cramped, I am probably experiencing some constriction of resources. Money may be tight. These things may be factual at the human level, the level of form. It is an effect of a false belief. However I know that the Cause of everything is Divine Mind. I simply need to get my thinking in alignment with the Spiritual Truth.The Truth is that I live in an abundant universe which is the source of my supply. I pray specifically for what I do want and if needed I deny everything that contradicts the Truth.

Then what do I do? After the prayer I have a responsibility to "act as if" my good is already at hand. That does not mean going in debt, buying expensive things, to feel prosperous. It means to do what I can to live prosperously.

I love Rev. Edwene Gaines story of buying olives stuffed with almonds when she first started practicing prosperity principles. It cost less than five dollars, but it made Edwene feel rich! 

What can you do to feel rich?  or healthy?  or loved?  or creative?

There is an attitude with which you can do anything. That attitude is one of confident expectation. Remember the story about the optimist and pessimist twins: A mother was worried about her boys -- one was happy and confident about everything; the other was gloomy and always expected the worst. A psychiatrist suggested that she do something on their birthday to help them have balance in their lives.  He said to give the little pessimist the gifts that any boy his age would love and to give the optimist  a huge box filled with manure.

On the twins' birthday, the pessimist was given a room full of the latest toys, all wrapped delightfully. He ripped the wrapping off the presents, dejectedly convinced that his brother was getting something much better! 

Meanwhile his brother was gleefully digging through the manure saying, "I know there must be a  pony in here somewhere!"

To ensure that you don't miss the results of your prayer stay optimistic and positive, even if the results do not seem to match your prayer intention. remember there is a pony in there somewhere and with that attitude the desire you envisioned is eventually certain to be yours. Listen to the Voice for God within and keep praying.

The Great Amen, Sunday Service

The Universe is calling, singing its song of life and love into my whole being! I am one with the Divine flow. I am in tune with health, love, peace and prosperity. I walk and work in tune with the infinite process that turns all things of my life to good. This is the truth, so it is, Amen.

Why Do We End Our Prayers with "And So It Is"

In the book, The Universe is Calling, Eric Butterworth has a chapter titled, 'The Great Amen.' It is a fascinating chapter about the original meaning of the word "Amen." What does it really mean? Butterworth begins by quoting Shakespeare's Macbeth.

"Macbeth is wallowing in guilt and remorse and says: "I could not say 'Amen' when they did say 'God bless us.' But wherefore could I not pronounce 'Amen.' I had the most need of blessing, and 'Amen' stuck in my throat.'"  

Originally 'Amen' which has come to mean, "So be it," meant "This is the Truth."

Think about how powerful that statement is. When we pray, we have unified with a power greater than we know ourselves to be, we have spoken a word of Freedom, Truth, Beauty or Love and then with gratitude we release the prayer with love into Divine Law by confidently saying, "And this is the Truth!"

There have certainly been times in my life when I could not with integrity and certainty say that my words were the Truth. That is why I love our method of prayer so much. Ernest Holmes teaches us to speak the Truth and then, if there are any words which we do not believe, to step by step, deny and repudiate the spiritual necessity for whatever problem we are encountering or entertaining. If it can not be the Truth for God, it cannot be the spiritual Truth for me or you or Macbeth. We may need to quit wallowing in guilt and remorse. We would be better off if we let all those negative feelings go. Do you really need them?

It does not sound like we are hoping that this prayer is effective. We KNOW the prayer is effective. When we know the prayer is effective we let go and let God do Its work in us.

I am writing this blog while on a retreat with my Self Realization Fellowship friends. There are a couple of thousand of us. Meditating with this many people is a powerful experience. Yet often so still and quiet that I feel alone with Source.

Just like we think the SRF folks think, that the ultimate God is within us. They believe that the path to enlightenment is through conscious connection with God. We achieve that union through stillness and meditation.

They have a different view of prayer. They believe in it for certain. Their prayers always end in "Amen."knowing the original meaning of "Amen" is very helpful. We are praying for peace on earth. Amen. We are praying for individuals to have a personal connection with God. Amen to that. We are praying for kindness, respect and compassion in relationships. Amen to that. We are praying to persevere on our path despite any periods of feeling disconnected.

I believe the intention of these prayers could be heard in any temple, church, synagogue, temple, center or ashram. There are more points of similarity than of difference.

Affirmation and Treatment, Sunday Service

God is my life. I am an expression of God and thus Perfect Life is my heritage. I am an ever-unfolding expression of this Perfect Life. I am prosperous, healthy and fulfilled. And so it is!

What is Affirmation and Treatment?

Often you hear me say that our Center is based on and teaches how to use  spiritual tools. Those tools help us to awaken to our spiritual magnificence and to stay awake. Those tools help us create a world that works for everyone.

The first tool is Affirmation, although it is not the most powerful tool. 

Affirmation helps us change our consciousness by reminding us of what we want to be. Affirmations are usually short and powerful. For instance, if I want to increase my generosity I might affirm: "God's limitless resources are mine now to share and to enjoy. God loves a happy giver. Naturally, I am known for my generosity of Spirit."

Think of your subconscious mind as a huge pail filled with some dirty water. The affirmations are a drop of clean water. As your continue to affirm these words, eventually, there will be more clean water than dirty water Because we will say those affirmations often, our conscious mind is focused on the good.

All affirmations are written and stated in the presence tense. You want to be a prosperous person now not in the future. They are written in the first person. They are written in language that is comfortable for you. It is an easy tool to learn and to use.

Spiritual Mind Treatment or affirmative prayer is a tool to change consciousness. Done correctly, from a consciousness of oneness, it is a powerful way to transform your life. It is best to learn to do treatment for yourself so that you can use it immediately  when you experience unhappiness, anxiety, or fear of any kind. The best place to learn how to do spiritual mind treatment is by taking an accredited class.

I will be teaching a beginning accredited class in September. It is a great class for beginners and is also great for any long-time students as a review. If you want to learn how to use these tools, enroll in class.

The Cosmic Counterpart, Sunday Service

God is present now. The Whole of Divine Mind in me is the answer to each and every need. I am what Thou Art and Thou Art what I am. And so it is!

Your Cosmic Counterpart

In the book, The Universe is Calling, Eric Butterworth wrote: "But God can do no more for you than he can do through you. There is a cosmic counterpart to your need that is perfect, and within you is the unborn possibility to release it. But, as an employer once noted in a memo that was affixed to the paycheck of a worker, 'We have decided on a nice salary increase for you, which will become effective when you do.' "

 The humor deflects the significance of the statement. If we are waiting for Santa Claus, the fairy godmother or prince charming to transform our lives, we will be waiting a very long time. Yet, there is very real possibility of transformation as long as we are working intelligently with our Higher Power.

Quit pleading, begging, and whining. Quit feeling victimized. Quit rationalizing and explaining your past and your future.

The Truth is that in this very moment God is awaiting our recognition of the power of Its Presence. 

The very best possible thing that could happen to anyone, is to awaken to the awareness of their spiritual magnificence. Right now you are beautiful, powerful, lovable and capable! Right now you are enough. Right now you have a limitless supply of every good thing. You are rich beyond measure.

It is your cosmic counterpart. 

When you discover this cosmic counterpart, you open your life and your mind to greater ideas than ever before. You start thinking God thoughts. then every thought is a prayer that is holy, wholesome and vital. When you do, you will notice that the people around you change for the better. They will be 

Stop waiting for your dreams to come true and come true to your dreams.

Can you feel the vibration of the vital energy of Divine Presence in your heart?

Listen to Its Direction.

Eric Butterworth   1916-2003

The Miracle Trap, Sunday Service

That which creates me, sustains me. God is the Wholeness of Life, Substance and Intelligence which is always present. I know all things are possible using the Power of the creative process within me. And so it is!

Living A Life Of Awareness with don Miguel Ruiz & don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

Awareness is a communion with the environment we are living in, as well as the communion with ourselves, as it is in the present moment. It is this awareness that allows us the opportunity to detach from the distorted filters of conditional love, and once again engage life with the potential of unconditional love. Living A Life of Awareness With don Miguel Ruiz & don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

Based on the principles of their books The Four Agreements, The Five Levels of Attachment and Living a Life of Awareness, don Miguel Ruiz and don Miguel Ruiz Jr. learn:

• How to become aware of how you confuse what you know for who you really are
• How to gain awareness of how your attachments have created your reality
• How to stop creating your identity based on the opinions and judgments of others around you
• How to let go of the fear of what you are without your beliefs
• How to take back your power
• How to take new Agreements that are more in line with your true Authentic Self.

Tweets From Living A Life of Awareness With don Miguel Ruiz & don Miguel Ruiz Jr.