Rituals Worth Keeping

A ritual as defined by Meriam Webster is...

 1. of or relating to rites or a ritual

 2. according to religious law

 3. done in accordance with social custom or normal protocol. 

 We have developed a ritual here whenever we have money to deposit. We, the ministers and the administrator, take a couple of minutes to be grateful for all the givers who are represented by that deposit. That includes our tenants, our members and friends who have given a donation, our friends who have purchased a book or piece of jewelry or any other way money has come to us. Together we hold the deposit bag as I offer a spontaneous  affirmative prayer or spiritual mind treatment. I go on to speak an intention that the money, being love in action, does good work for us in our spiritual Center as well as in our business. Almost always, I say that every dollar, given in love, returns to each giver increased, pressed down and running over. Then we put multiplication signs all over the outside of the bag. We have done this ritual for at least 14 years. Even when I am not here, we do this ritual. Sacred giving is one of our beliefs. In order to experience sacred giving we need to also experience sacred receiving.

Blessing the Bank Deposit
The Holy Hands of Dr. Heather, Rev. Pattie, Rev. Karyn and Diane

It made me wonder what people would think if they knew that we blessed all money that comes to us. Most people don't know we do it. My hope is that people will feel as if they are participating. Indeed, their dollars are very important for all our programs to continue.

I LIKE the ritual of blessing our money. When I am finished praying and we have all added our multiplication, there is a feeling of pure love in the room. It feels great! Gratitude is a multiplier of good. There is so much for which to be grateful -- our health, our friends, our families, our understanding of Divine Mind and our relationship with Spirit.

You could join us in this ritual if you are in the Center when Rev. Karyn is ready to take the deposit to the bank. But you could also participate by taking a moment of gratitude for all the good that you have given and received; and see yourself opening up to an expanded awareness of prosperity in all the forms it takes. You could see all the money, that you have given in love, returning to you "pressed down, multiplied and spilling over."


Remember the powerful words of Emma Curtis Hopkins, "There is good for me, and I ought to have it."

You ought to have more of every good thing. 

It has reminded me of one of my favorite videos about gratitude featuring the photography by Louie Schwartzberg and the narration of Brother David Steindl-Rast.

The Joy of Cause and Effect

The Joy of Cooking

I just had a funny conversation with our administrator Diane Hennessy about the talk title "Joy of Living." She said, "It makes me think about a cookbook." To which I replied, "It is a cookbook! I have it." Then she responded, "No, that is what I thought, too. The cookbook is titled "The Joy of Cooking!" We both have the cookbook.I must admit that I never really found joy in cooking. I have not used my cookbook for a long time, but it didn't change titles. 

Think about it: The Joy of Living! When I hear that phrase, I see Snoopy doing his happy dance. I think of someone who is deliriously happy!

Does your life feel joyful? Do you awaken every day and hug yourself because you are living your life? Do you appreciate your work? your family and friends? your health? Do you break into smiles for no reason other than you are deliciously enjoying being you?

My rigorously honest answer would be sometimes. Sometimes I am so happy, I smile all the time. Sometimes I appreciate my health and praise myself for the well-being I am experiencing. Sometimes I appreciate my friends and family. Sometimes I appreciate my life.

Yes, I am living a privileged, inspired life right now. I am living this inspired life not because of the color of my skin or where I am blessed to live. (Although they are both true as well.) I am living this inspired privileged life because I know who I am and how life gets to be the way it is. I know what causes things to be the way they are. Knowing who I am, automatically brings me joy. 

Pierre Teillard de Chardin wrote, "Joy is the infallible sign of the Presence of God."

Years ago I found some books by Danish philosopher, scientist and poet whose short, sometimes illustrated philosophical poems were called Grooks. His Grooks almost always made me smile.  The idea of cause and effect reminded me of this Grook: 

Rhyme and Reason

"There was an old woman

who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children.

She didn't know what to do.

But try as she would

She could never detect

which was the cause

and which the effect."

I smile when I read or even think about Hein's poetry.

Well, the old woman was puzzled about cause and effect on the physical plane. We can

   laugh about it now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Like many other people of my era, I thought that life was something that just happened

 to me.

I thought that if I were lucky, I would have happiness, health and peace of mind. 

Now I have come to understand that we have  a limitless power which is always 

responding to us.

I understand that with this Power I am constantly creating the life of my beliefs. 

My deepest beliefs, including all the unexamined ones and the shadows, all of them are

coming into the visible plane through my consciousness.

If I do not like the result, I go back to my perceptions, and after determining what my

false beliefs are, I use affirmative prayer to change my mind, to create a new belief.

I am so grateful for knowing what I know.

Life is good now. Take a moment and let Life tickle you!

Feeling Joy With Baxter and Freddy 

Unexpected Good

Many years ago our spiritual center gave away an "Expect a Miracle" pin. It raised questions about how could something that was expected be called  a miracle and if you expected it then it wasn't unexpected. What was it then? An ordinary?

I believe what those pins did was to make us aware of the good that is constantly around us. 

If good is already around us, why do we see it so infrequently?

I think there are several answers to that question.

First, you may not be vibrating or resonating at the frequency of good. For instance if you have a grievance against a neighbor, you may be blocking your good.

Recently a friend, whom I will call Sharon told me a wonderful story of forgiveness, cleaning things up and acceptance of prosperity. One evening after a trash pick-up day, she noticed tat her trash bin was up beside her door, not down on the street where she had left it that morning. She had not spoken to her neighbors for several years because they had had disagreements about their children playing drums at night. Now the drum player has long ago left home, but still there was friction between Sharon and her neighbors. On impulse, she went up to her neighbor to thank them for moving her trash can up closer to her home. The man answered he door loudly declaring that he would never touch anything of hers. Just then his wife came up, pushed him aside and thanked my friend for thanking her. They had a lovely thirty- minute conversation. A healing had taken place.

The next day, a prospective buyer came to look at my Sharon's home. While her realtor was showing her husband a different part of the house, Sharon complimented the woman on a unique pair of  antique gold earrings that she was wearing. The woman, a complete stranger until 10 minutes earlier, took them off and gave them to Sharon as  a gift.

I believe the two incidents are related. We live in a conscious mind that is universal, everywhere present. When we have something big or small against anyone, the possible and even probable good that might have been ours has no way to get to us.

On page 299 of  The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes writes:

"From selfish reasons alone, if from no loftier reason, we cannot afford to find fault, to hate, or even to hold in mind anything against any living soul! The God of love cannot hear the prayer of the one who fails to love."

Another reason you may not be seeing more good could be you have not been clear about what you consider "good." For instance if you are more fascinated about what is going wrong than with expanded good, the Universe doe not have a clear order to fill. Is your television on a great portion of the time? Are you tuned in to sensationalism? The Universe can only give you what you want. It can't give you what you do not want. The Universe cannot read the word "not." 

This is a good day to let the past be past. Make amends. Be thankful for all the good in your life right now. Be thankful for your neighbors and watch the Universe say yes to you. Today is the best time to start.

Start Today to Let the Good In

Spiritual Conspiracy

"I affirm that every action I take, every situation I experience, every word I speak and every thought I have is a reflection of my faith that the Universe is conspiring for my good!" Rev. Brian Akers

What a magnificent affirmation! This is the affirmation for Sunday, May 22, 2016. I love it. It calls me to action. It calls me to ensure that my life reflects it in everything, that the words and the music go together, are in alignment with each other. It is an affirmation of truth.

Sometimes it is difficult to see that conspiracy. Today was one of those days. I decided to TAKE my application for naturalization up to Santa Ana rather than put it in the mail. Even though my first idea was to simply go to the post office here. That would have been the fastest and most direct route. But instead, I drove up to Santa Ana with my GPS constantly telling me to take the next exit. (I had instructed the GPS at an earlier time to give me a route without any freeways.) It was simply obeying the latest command it had from me.

That program is just like our subconscious mind that only knows how to obey the command. It doesn't evaluate it. It doesn't and can't change it. Our conscious mind is the only power that can decide. When we decide we can see that the Universe is conspiring for us.

The other aspect which is also part of the  demonstration was when I got to the Civic Center Plaza, driving right by the Federal Building, I did not notice the number on the building. Of course, it was the building I was looking for. However, not seeing the number prompted me to take  a stroll around the Civic Center and beyond. I walked for about 20 minutes,the length of time of my intended morning walk. Although I had dress shoes on and not walking shoes, the Universe was conspiring to help me achieve my daily goal.

The point is that no matter what we are experiencing, our experiences are always a reflection of our consciousness, not our wishes or hopes. Knowing that the Infinite Presence of Life lies within you, what can you choose today to think, to speak and to know?

One of the many vocalists whom we lost too early was John Denver. One of my favorite Denver songs is "It's About Time." In 2012 a Christian church together a video for Earth Day in 2012 featuring his song and some very moving images. I am sad to say I can't share it with you but you can see it by searching "Earth Day Video-John Denver-It's About Time."

When we are in harmony with Divine Mind, we begin to create beauty, joy and prosperity for all beings.

"It's about time, and it's about changes and it's about time."

Decide to be Creative

Are you creative? Recently i met a woman who has been collecting dolls for years. She has thousands of dolls in her home. She has dolls from every region of the world and made from various materials in every size and shape you could imagine. Many of dolls' faces were created in her own kiln. Their expressions were chosen by her. The clothing, jewelry and shoes were made by her. Nobody would deny that she is very creative! This picture is of part of her collection.

Photo by Linda Lyerly

Many people have an idea about creativity that is incorrect. They think that creativity can only be expressed through the arts. I know I used to think that because I couldn't draw things that even faintly resembled the thing I was drawing, I decided that I was not creative.

When I started studying the Science of Mind, I began to realize that we are  all creative beings. I began to understand that through our beliefs and passions we were creating our worlds. Creativity can take many forms. What we think about, comes about.

What is on your mind? That is the thing you are passionate about. If you are worried about something, you tend to visit that idea many times a day. You are actually creating the very thing that you fear. You are planting an idea. You are passionate about the idea.That idea must become your creation. It is not because God wants you to be unhappy; it is simply because you have been planting ideas of misfortune. You could start planting ideas of good fortune. You could fertilize it with gratitude.

What would it be like if you took the same time to prayerfully or passionately consider the good that is already in your life? What if you used your creative imagination to dwell upon uplifting ideas?

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote these words of wisdom:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Thinking about these things will create more of them in your life. You are creative right now! Choose something beautiful. You will have a collection like our hostess.

Why Do Bad Things happen to Good People?

The Church of My Childhood Taught Good vs Evil

Why do bad things happen to good people? Our philosophy clearly gives answers that not many other spiritual paths give us. We do not believe in a punishing God. neither do we believe in a rewarding God. We believe that our consciousness is creative.

I just returned from Los Angeles, where the newest Centers for Spiritual Living ministerial students have gathered for the last piece of their ministerial training. One of the activities on which they were evaluated was their ability to give a five minute talk on one of five subjects. One of the subjects was my topic today.

Most students were clear that it is our judgment that determines whether something is good or bad. A couple of students quoted Shakespeare's Hamlet, "There is nothing either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

Of course the way we perceive anything makes a difference and if we are determined to continue using our own ruler to determine good and bad, we will continue to perceive things as either good nor bad.

However, that does not answer the question of why do bad things happen to good people or even conversely why do good things happen to bad people. The answer lies at a different level of consciousness. When we are looking at good things and bad things, we are looking at the level of effect, not the level of cause. There is a perfect cause for every effect. It is the creative process in the Universe and in the individual. Jesus reminded us that "It is done unto us as we believe."

Let us examine some bad things that could occur in a person's life. Loss of health could be seen as a "bad" thing. Loss of income or job security could be seen as a bad thing. Loss of friendship could be seen as a bad thing. Loss of love could be seen as a bad thing.

However, no matter what kind of loss or disaster has occurred in my life, no matter how I may rail against life and scream that it is unfair for a good person to be experiencing these things, the truth is at some level, obvious or subtle, I must have had a stronger belief in loss thanI had in good health, increasing prosperity, ever-lasting love, etc. This is the foundational principle hat we teach, espouse and live by. To do otherwise is to make us victims of circumstances. We were born to be victors not victims.We were born to prove the principle in every area of our lives and live fully.

So the answer is a simple one: Bad things happen to good people because at some level of consciousness, those good people had a belief in those bad things. First Cause to all creation lives within each one of us, as each one of us.

We are powerful beyond measure.

The spiritual path we are travelling, requires the greatest self-honesty we can find. We cannot and should not judge another person's path, for by doing so we are saying that we know what is another person's mind and heart. But we will benefit from examining the results in our own lives.We can find the deep spiritual gift in all our experiences.And we can begin to change our minds about our cherished beliefs in struggle, lack and unhappiness.

Be true to the magnificence that you are. Let your inner light shine.