What is Accountability for Us?

A Prayer Wall at our Center: We Go to God First

What is a culture of accountability? Do we have this culture at our Center?  My questions led to more questions.

Roger Connors in his book Fix It: Getting Accountability Right  writes: "Accountability is a personal choice to rise above one's circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving Key Results: See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It."

So key results in our Center would always start with God-- seeking guidance from the highest power through prayer and visioning. It is also about taking action. If you take ownership of your organization, and you see something that needs to be done, you do it. Currently there are many examples of this accountability right in our Center. For instance, we have several people who have been researching buildings for us. Whenever we have meals together, we have people stay to help clean up.

This month we have scheduled a series of visioning sessions. Visioning is a process in which one listens for direction from God, Divine Mind, Mother/Father God. We are doing these sessions so that each member and friend of our Center can contribute to the overall vision of our future. Everyone's participation adds to the practice of cultural accountability by taking part in the fulfillment and flourishing of our Center.

I will not be leading the visioning this Sunday because I have another Center commitment, but I know that the right and perfect people will attend. Lee Van Slyke will be leading it. I will be leading it again the following week. Visioning is important work for us to do for our community.

I wasn't exactly certain what culture meant in this context either. The dictionary didn't help, but Centers for Spiritual Living, founding documents, our Organization Design Model did help. I love this document and am so proud that our Center not only embraced these ideas but many of us were part of the creation process of these documents.  In Section 4, under the heading Our Organizational Culture you will find these wonderful words:

"We are a healthy, effective organization honoring and respecting each other and all of creation.

We  are known for the love that we share throughout our community and the world. 

We stand together in a shared commitment and devotion to our spiritual principles, practices and values. 

We are all in this Life together and we include everyone in our vision of a peaceful, loving world. 

We embrace the evolution and revelation of higher consciousness. 

We are prayerful and principled in our decision-making and actions. 

We practice the spiritual tools put forward by our founder, Dr. Ernest Holmes, in The Science of Mind, and by other spiritual leaders and mystics who teach and apply truth principles  for our individual lives."

Today, out of the blue, we received a note from one our our members who was writing to thank us for being who we are. This person addressed the note to her Family of Love. She said that when she walked in she felt love, acceptance and home. She went on to say that when she started attending her thinking was self-destructive but she didn't know how to stop it. She went on to say that now she knows that she is Love, Light, and Life and she is perfect, whole and complete, priceless freedom. She signed the note with gratitude for all of us.

I believe we have a demonstration that we have a culture of accountability.

You Are Invited to Participate

First Service in San Clemente 2013

Do you love the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley?

Would you like to participate in the success of this center?

Do you consider this Center to be your spiritual home?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, please join your spiritual family for a very special event.

On Sunday, November 1, 2015, immediately following the service, I will lead an inner introspective journey that will reveal your successes and how you have  risen to a more joyful way of living by being part of this beautiful spiritual family. I will then explain how your commitment to our Center benefits our programs, staff, and our community at large.

If you consider yourself to be a member of this spiritual family or if you would like to be a member, please join us in the Love, Community and Commitment that is who and what we are at the Center for Spiritual living Capistrano Valley.

We will break bread together, so you won't need to leave after the service. Both your souls and your stomachs will be fed. 

I am looking forward to seeing you there.

Our mission is to grow into our divine potential individually and collectively, revealing spiritual truth, and inspiring spiritual awareness in our community.

For those of you who join us virtually and cannot attend in person, arrangements will be made for you to Zoom in to be part of the ceremony. 

She Was Trying to Find Our Thriving Community

Recently a new student told me that she had a dream about me in which I had created a thriving village; she said that it was well-planned featuring all the best practices of a small community, organic food, collaborative living, safety. friendliness and service to the bigger community. She said she knew all about this wonderful community but she couldn't get to it and was trying her best to get there.

Now this was her dream! I can not possibly say what it meant to her, but I was thrilled because I think of our Center as a community. Sometimes I am able to practice best practices and start with the end in mind, do my spiritual practices, live in the present moment, and live the life I want to live. And sometimes I fall short from the vision!

Don Miguel Ruiz says that we set such high expectations for ourselves that we can never meet them -and then feel badly about ourselves.

What is my current vision for our community? It is almost always the same. There are many people in the Center. They are happy, chatting, talking laughing and engaged in activities.They are helpful and friendly.  I envision us radiating light -- we are setting an example for all people to include all others in their activities. We are known in the greater community for our generosity and our care. We are care-takers of our planet and live in harmony with all. I see our Center as having activities and programs for everyone from the youngest to the oldest. I see all people living from an awareness of their oneness with Source, living in harmony and love for all. I see huge classes of new students who are learning about their divine nature and sharing themselves in  world. I see it being the norm to be honest, open and vulnerable. I see social activities that are well-attended. I hear the sounds of fantastic music, opening hearts and minds.

What do I or we need to do to move towards the dream?

First, understand that Creative Mind is always listening.

Second, see it as happening now.

Third, release any resentment, blame or complaint.

Fourth, let people know you care about them.

Fifth, make it easy for people to find us.

What are your thoughts?

THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC

There is no question in my mind about the healing power of music.  Whether I'm listening to it, writing it, playing it, or singing it, there is an inner healing occurring both at the cellular level and at the soul level. Although I haven't had any recent physical challenges to overcome, I have certainly felt my own emotional healing occur from music.

A few months ago, I was experiencing a challenging time in my life.  It felt like life was coming at me from all directions and I could barely breathe, let a lone cry! All along, listening to calm, meditative music on a regular basis kept me sane but I was still far from healed. Because I am a musician, one of my responsibilities is to sing on a regular basis, and this definitely brings my spirits up each time, but there was still a huge hole.

As days and weeks went by, and daily I passed those 88 keys on the way in and out of my house, never sitting down in front of them to caress their beautiful ivories, it finally came to me in the shower (where most of my revelations happen) like a ton of bricks! The question screamed to me in my mind, "When was the last time you sat down at the piano and played?!" Immediately after drying off and getting dressed, I sat down on the hard wood bench, blew the dust off of some of my old pieces of sheet music, and finally moved those rusty ol' fingers. I must admit, the fingers were not dancing off the keys at first, but thus the journey back home began.

Music did its healing work and now I will always remember the power it has to make the world a better place.

As a way to give back and share this healing experience with others, I will be co-facilitating a music event at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley on Wednesday, April 2, 2014. The evening will begin with a community potluck at 5:45pm (bring your favorite dish to share), and then will commence with a "Community Hootenanny" from 7:00-8:00pm. We are asking everyone to bring an acoustic instrument or percussion to play (there will be a limited amount of extra percussion instruments available for those who do not bring one.) This is an evening for the whole family, so come down, bring the kids and some of your friends for an evening of fun, food, fellowship and music!

“Where words leave off, music begins.”   -Heinrich Heine