Sixteen Weeks to Transformation

I love the Science of Mind. It has changed my life for the better for over 35 years.

I love teaching the Science of Mind.  In 1994, as a fairly new minister, I was asked to join our organization's Board of Education. I was excited to sit in meetings with some very knowledgeable

colleagues, including Dr. David Walker, Dr. Arleen Bump, Dr. Jackie Belzano, and Dr. Sandy Jacob. Then I was further honored to be part of a small curriculum creation committee, consisting of Dr. David Walker, Dr. Kennedy Shultz and Rev. Chris Michaels. Both Dr. Walker and Dr. Shultz had served as president of our organization. I had become  a minister in 1992. To say that I was a little intimidated would be an understatement. The three men were friends and loved to snipe at each other but they were always respectful of me. We did some great work together. For many years, our organization offered the curriculum we wrote as the first year of studies. After a long hiatus of 6 years, I am going to offer it again this year, beginning April 3, 2018. We used to offer these courses as 8-week stand-alone courses, but in order to have equivalency with our new 10 to 12 week foundation curricula we needed to offer the first two courses, so this course will be 16 weeks. I am inviting you to consider it; you will be so grateful you did.

The first part of the course is "The Spiritual Path" and introduces the metaphysical student to the basics of spiritual study including affirmation, meditation, and prayer. In addition to the basics, there are some great activities and processes which anyone can incorporate into their daily practices. During that eight weeks, the students will learn spiritual mind treatment/affirmative prayer.

The next part of the course continues to emphasize prayer and is titled "The Nature of Effective Prayer." This is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. When we change the consciousness of a thing, we change the entire experience of it. For example, before studying Science of Mind I would often take a victim mind-set when it came to illnesses. Like many people I had two or three colds a year. I was subject to the race consciousness of a "flu" season. Since then, I have come to understand that nothing happens to me, everything happens through me, by means of me. This is a powerful idea.

If everything comes through me, I must allow or invite the idea of  "flu" into my life. As I mentioned  a couple of blogs ago, rarely is the thing we are experiencing a result of thinking about the illness. In other words, I didn't get a cold because I thought about "colds;" but rather, when we feel stressed and overextended, we can let a 'flu" or "cold" into our lives.

• We will learn to pay attention to our thoughts, and make intelligent, self-supporting changes to our thoughts and feelings.
• We will learn to write and use powerful affirmations which will start the creative process by planting a new idea.
• And we will learn to meditate. By getting still and being comfortable with silence, we will more ably hear the voice for God within ourselves.

People's lives will be transformed. People who are senior students, those who have taken foundation courses many times before, will heighten their awareness of self. And those people who take the class as their very first step down the spiritual path will awaken to their own inner magnificence. People make life-long friendships in Science of Mind classes. You will learn to pray for other people as well as yourself. There is so much good for you... and you ought to have it!

I would love to see YOU at class. Tuesdays, beginning April 3rd at 6:30 pm. For credit: $240 or love offering.

Are You Pretending to Believe

"If you will only believe, and not just pretend to believe, that Infinite Intelligence is guiding you in all your ways  -- in your thoughts, words and deeds, you will be led along the right road. Artists, poets, writers, and inventors listen to their voice of intuition. As a result, they are able to astonish the world by their beauties and glories drawn from the storehouse of knowledge within themselves."  Dr. Joseph Murphy, The Psychic Perception: the Magic of Extra Sensory Power

"Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! Let it be done just as you have believed it would! And his servant was healed at that moment."  Matthew 8:13

Rev. Dr. Lisa Laurie Stewart wrote these words to begin  her monthly letter to ANTN, our sister organization of which she serves as President. She continues:

 "Are you pretending to believe? Or do you believe that your thoughts create your reality, no matter what. 

If you are blaming someone else for your experience, you are a pretender.

... If you think you need your job because you need the money, you are a pretender. 

 If you blame the government, the President, the President-elect, the candidate, the congress FOR ANYTHING, you are a pretender.

Are you living from the mystical where ALL things are possible, or are you living from an experience and a belief in lack and just pretending to love and live New Thought? Which is it? A house divided cannot stand. If you are pretending, in any area, get a teacher, study a book, not just flip through it or speed read, but STUDY it, intend to grow in wisdom and awareness."

I love this idea from Dr. Murphy.

If I am  caught up in fear, blame, excuses, old habits, or anything else that is not befitting for a person immersed in Infinite Intelligence, I am being a pretender.

One of the ways to make welcome Infinite Intelligence and break the cycle of pretending is to take a class. Right now there are two fantastic classes that are being offered at our Center. Rev. Arpad Petrass is offering a class he created "Writing to Heal While Learning to Dance."  I just began a class called "The Essential Ernest" which is a class about Ernest's ideas and how they fit into your life! My class begins with the Declaration of Principles and continues by exploring the first four chapters of the textbook, The Science of Mind. It mirrors what is happening on Sundays, in that we began our exploration of values by going back to the basics.

It is done unto us as we believe. Do we make excuses and look outside ourselves for causation? Or do we take full responsibility, change our thinking and change our lives? It is fully up to you.

Are you confident in the spiritual truth?  Or are you just a big pretender?

The Value of Classes

I love teaching the Science of Mind!

I love it because I am privileged to witness people waking up to their spiritual magnificence!

I love it because I have an opportunity to examine my own consciousness to see if I am right-thinking!

I love it because it  because I get to know the students and they get to know me and each other.

Have you ever wondered why people take the same class a number of times? If you have taken a class more than once, you will know why. We are not the same people we were when we first started taking classes. We have changed, learned and grown more spiritually mature so we are now learning at a higher level of consciousness, with deeper, clearer understanding.

The Greek philosopher Heroclitus said,

 "You can't stand in the same river twice." 

His meaning was that the river, and the universe are forever changing so the river has changed and we have changed. Our experience might be similar but it will not be identical. 

Dr. Jay Scott Neale, one of my colleagues who studied with Ernest Holmes Brother Fenwicke, would tell how Fenwicke would study the text book every morning. When Dr, Jay asked him why he did it, Fenwicke replied, "I am certain my brother comes in at night when I am not looking and writes new things."

Students who take a class for a second or third time feel the same way. The ideas that first bedazzled them now feel common, but something else always pops up. Something to learn, embrace and be.

When you are in a class, you are reading, meditating and praying everyday. And when you are consistent with your practices, then your life changes because you have changed your thinking not just at a surface level but deeply changed it.

Wherever you are, whatever has been your path up until now, I highly encourage you to take a Science of Mind Class. You will be so happy you made that decision!

In class last Tuesday night, Kathy Storey, RScP, sent a birthday banana, complete with candle! She sent it because she knows I am trying to eat less flour, so instead of a cake, she sent a banana! It made the entire class smile! 

Birthday Banana