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.

So Much to Be Grateful For

I love this video. The images are stunning by photographer Louis Schwrtzberg and the old man is Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk. He talks about how each day, each moment is a gift to us. I do not know who the little girl is but her very human actions of having an irresistible urge make the video even more heart-warming and authentic. I hope you like it as much as I do. 

This year take a moment to really look at the beauty around you. Look into the eyes of your friends and family. See and appreciate their unique beauty. Look at your environment. Feel the blessings that are yours. Whether you live in Southern California or any other place, notice the great beauty that surrounds you. Either by choice or chance you ended up living where you are. Give thanks for that. Give thanks for your health and for life itself. If you are blessed to be enjoying Thanksgiving with friends or family, be thankful for those precious beloved beings. Give thanks for your  mind with which you perceive beauty or ugliness. Give thanks for your ability to choose. Everything you are grateful for increases. Be grateful for the food you eat and for all the people who brought it to your table.

I am so grateful for my life. I am grateful for the work I have been privileged to do ministering to a wonderful community in San Clemente. I am grateful for consciousness that surrounds me with ministers and practitioners who truly practice the principles of a grateful life. I am grateful for the abundance of talented musicians whose gifts uplift and bless me. I am grateful for my experiences -- all of them, for without any one of them I would be a different person. I am grateful for my call to ministry, for that Spirit of God that guides and comforts me.

I am grateful for you. May this Thanksgiving be an experience of joy, gratitude and transformation for you.