The Problem With Assumptions Is

This morning I got my August copy of the Science of Mind magazine. Because I had been asked for, and submitted  a column, I opened it excitedly, to see what my article looked like in print! I wonder if every contributor does the same thing. I  was shocked to find one of my older columns instead of the one I had submitted in May.

My first response was anger. How could they have done something like this to me? Why didn't they do the courtesy of letting me know that they had something else in mind? Maybe they didn't like what I had written. I was feeling very self-righteous and justified in my anger.  I quickly decided that if this was their response, I would not put myself through this again. I would just say no, next time. I began feeling resentful. (It was definitely NOT my spiritual best!) I remembered that I had shared the piece with my marketing and public relations expert. She had liked it! More anger!

I think the feeling of resentment was the turning point. "Feeling resentful is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die!"

I shifted gears. I decided to  contact  directly the editor of the magazine and inquire about what had happened.

In all honesty, my letter began in the same tone of self-righteous indignation as I had been feeling, but as I was composing, I realized that an inquiry would be best. I kept re-writing until it felt clear and less accusatory. I wanted to find out what had happened. Now I have moved out of anger and self-righteousness and into curiosity and willingness to hear feedback And I am breathing again.

The first response that came from the creative director was that she had never received my column. She went on to say that she had made the assumption that I was too busy to do it and now that it was past her deadline she didn't want to pressure me about it.

Then she did an internal search of her email and my original email to her did not appear. It is probably still in my outbox or stuck in cyber space somewhere.

The following lovely words of appreciation from Holli Sharp, Associate Editor and Creative Director of the Science of Mind Magazine say it all:

"I always love your work and wisdom, Dr. Heather, and my gut dropped when I saw your email this afternoon because I thought I had disappointed you. :-)

My intention is always to honor you, and thank you for understanding.

It’s always a bright spot for me when I get to communicate with you, and we love your voice in the magazine."

Imagine what kind of response I would have had if I had written from anger and resentment! It would have caused a big rift in our relationship. Spiritual maturity finally prevailed and I am so happy it did. I am very grateful for all the staff at our home office. I am grateful for all the issues that they handle every day. I am so grateful that I communicated with Holli, and that I had enough sense to do it respectfully.

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.

GRATEFUL I AM!

My first Sunday back after my sabbatical was December 3,2017. My last day here was August 31st, summer was ablaze! Now the night's are cold and very long. Winter is definitely approaching.

I was so grateful to be back home. I was welcomed with loving arms and I am very grateful. The Sunday flowers were given in my honor. I took them home last night after Wednesday's Wisdom.

There was also a tasty and beautiful chocolate cake which proclaimed "Welcome Home!"
There were three candles to signify the three months I had been away. After two attempts I finally blew out the three candles! (I guess I was internalizing the enormity of what had transpired in those three months.)

It is really great to feel valued.

But the greatest feeling in my heart is gratitude.

Rev. Pattie and me

I am so grateful for  Rev. Pattie Mercado and Rev. Judee Chapman, our two Assistant Ministers, and the consciousness they brought to our Center especially in my absence.  Not only did they each speak once  a month, but also they did all the other work, plus they both continued to do an excellent job in their own ministries. Plus they have their homes and families to look after. Rev. Pattie's full-time job is Youth and Family Ministry, which grew in my absence. Rev. Judee is the CFO of Mark Optics. Both already have very busy lives! It is an amazing gift of love that they both gave. Some of their responsibilities included: They attended the Board of Trustees Meetings, they ensured that all the administrative work was taken care of, they met with the practitioners for their license reviews, and they did so much more. Rev. Pattie left me a detailed report of many of the activities that they supervised. It is in two-inch-thick file folder.  They hosted the guest speakers. They planned, organized and participated in our annual pledge appreciation dinner. They communicated to the staff and other ministers. They are angels and I am greatly blessed. They kept the Center working so well that many people were surprised that I had already been away three months.

Rev. Judee and Santa

June Dickson, me, Rev. Judee and part of Diane Hennessy 

I am grateful for Rev. Karyn Allen and the excellence she provides as the Creative Arts Ministry. She selects the congregational music, plus AllenDale is the usually the guest musician on the first Sunday of the month. Her contribution is immeasurable. For the guest musicians that Rev. Karyn has arranged and for special concerts, I am grateful. 

I am also very grateful for our Administrator, Diane Hennessy. She has been doing two jobs for several months -- upstairs receptionist and business manager, Mondays through Wednesdays, then Thursdays she has been finishing her church-related projects. She has been such a gift to us all, with a consciousness of love and service. Diane's newest project is to create a Directory of Membership that is up-to-date. We have been eagerly awaiting this idea!

I am grateful Claudia Nelson, our Suites business manager and receptionist for Thursdays and Fridays. She does everything with grace.

I am grateful to Juli Isola for her brilliant work in marketing our Center. Juli's addition of  the Good News e-newsletter has been a big hit and  a grate help in communicating what was going on in our Center. She has been working closely with Rev. Pattie to plan a strategy for marketing our Center for the past three months but also has developed a plan for 2018.

Then there are all our practitioners, and the rest of the staff ministers, and the many ways in which they contribute.

I am so grateful for all the people who have continued to attend our Center in my absence; each one has blessed us all in a myriad of ways.

Gratitude is a multiplier of good. "My cup is over-flowing so I am drinking from my saucer."

Why Do People take a Sabbatical?

Genesis 2:  

"1. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 

2.  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." 

The people were instructed to remember the sabbath and keep it holy.  It was to be a day of delight and thanksgiving. So just as joy is more than the absence of sorrow, keeping the sabbath is more than the cessation of work. It is a time to develop a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. It is a time to fully appreciate the blessings that surround and indwell us all.

Ministers, teachers and other professional people are encouraged to take sabbaticals periodically to rest and renew.

What better use of a minister's time and energy than to rest from the daily activities and to renew her connection with Source.

I am very grateful to be given a three month sabbatical beginning September 1, 2017.

Please know that I love my work and feel blessed everyday to be doing the work I am doing. I am blessed by the entire community -- the people who attend services here regularly, the ones who have been part of  our community in service, the hundreds of students who have studied with me. I am grateful to be part of a Center that values my contributions and service.

When I speak on a Sunday, I want to speak about the experience of Transcendence from a felt sense. I want to inspire other seekers.  When I truly experience the divine within nature and within myself, I experience transcendence. That is my hope for my sabbatical. I will be a better minister for unplugging and turning to the Source within.

Jason Silva spoke about the mystical experience recently. He inspires me.

 

Mothers Day Thoughts

This Sunday, May 14, is Mothers' Day. It is a day set aside to express gratitude for the women who gave us birth, and the men and women who were our first care-givers. Each of us has her own story of how successfully our mothers gave us models for raising our own children. In my opinion, motherhood can be the most thankless job; yet it is the most important one for living a life that is healthy-minded.  Our mothers are our first gods. They held the power of life and death over us. They were responsible for our physical and emotional care. They fed us, clothed us and by their words and  example showed us what love is;our understanding of the nature of love paved the way for all our relationships.

There is a powerful quote that is attributed to many people including Jonas Salk,

"Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them."

My parents gave me roots and wings. I am living in Southern California, my parents, who had both been born and raised in the Canadian prairies, still lived within one hundred miles of their places of birth at the time of their passing. 

Two years ago, when my mom had a stroke and while she was still in the hospital she was struggling to ask me something. The stroke had left her weak. She finally managed to say,

"Why do you live so far away?"

I was very sad and did not have an answer. My inner answer seemed to be selfish and shallow. I was living my dream of being a New Thought minister in paradise. I was living where I wanted to be.

Lela Eugenia Clark, my mother, made her transition on June 23, 2016. She was not a woman without flaws. She had her own insecurities as well as an abundance of strengths: she modeled creativity, commitment, leadership and fierce independence. I am very grateful that she was my mother. Some traditions say I chose her. 

I talk to her when I see butterflies when I am out walking. I talk to her when I see a pair of doves building a nest, knowing she is now with my dad again.

And now, I can answer the question:

"Mom, I am living so far away because you did such an amazing job in giving me roots and wings."

Of the three daughters in the photo below, my oldest sister, Kathy stayed close to home, my baby sister Cheryl has lived in Calgary for thirty years, about nine hours away, and I have lived here in paradise for 24 years. Good job, Mom. 

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers. 

Lela Clark and daughters Kathy, Cheryl & Heather

We Live in an Abundant Universe

Abundance of Apricots

Directly in front of my kitchen window is an apricot tree reminding me of the Universal presence of Spirit's abundance. She has so much fruit that she is constantly releasing fruit which by morning is covering my backyard. This bounty would feed a family of four all winter if one knew how to make preserves. I bring some of the fruit to my spiritual Center to share and there is still plenty to enjoy and to share. (One of my neighbors asked if she could have some, I joyfully agreed, but if she took any there was no appreciable  difference to the tree or the yard when I looked the next day.)

Of course that is nature's way of replenishing itself. The seed in the middle of the fruit could produce another apricot tree until there was an orchard of apricot  trees. I see evidence that birds and other creatures are feeding on the fruit as well. And by that design the birds would take the seeds and drop them in soil or the mice would take their prizes and bury them in their nests.

To me this is the nature of life. The universe is abundant. We have access to infinite ideas which have infinite potential to bring good into our lives. Nature is bountiful and knows it. Nature gives generously confident that there is always more to give.

So I can actually use the prosperity of apricots to remind me of all my other blessings. I am going to consciously give thanks for the goodness in my life and celebrate it. Every time I pick up an apricot from the ground I am going to affirm that  I live in an abundant universe, and consciously give thanks for all the good I have already experienced. Then when I pick apricots to share and to enjoy I will affirm that "it is the Father's good pleasure to give me the kingdom." I am reminded that I cannot out give God. I will give with love because I do love to give.

Where do you see abundance today?

Essential to the Whole

Me with Millions of Snowflakes

I grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada, a place of much snowfall. I remember being enchanted with the idea that no two snowflakes were identical! In all that snow, you would never find an identical snowflake. It was mind-boggling to me then and still is. I later transferred that feeling of wonder to the awesomeness of human beings. There are billions of us, and no two are identical.

Ernest Holmes wrote: "Life has set the stamp of individuality on you.  You are different from any other person who ever lived.  You are an individualized center in the Consciousness of God.  You are an individualized activity in the Action of God." Thoughts are Things  (p. 79.1)

What does it mean to be an individualized activity in the Action of God?

To me it means that God's energy or Life is flowing through everything I do. I am individualizing God's energy by my perceptions, values, beliefs, words and actions.

When I think about the sacred trust that has been given to each being, I am amazed and a little overwhelmed. The creator created me with Its Creative Mind, imbuing that Creative Mind in me, and I do whatever I am moved to do. That many of these choices are not original but rather habitual leads me to question myself; to think about what I think about. I find myself choosing to be entertained through the creativity of others. Thanks to the fantastic array of writers, actors, cinematographers, and all manor of creative geniuses. It is quite humbling. And I am truly grateful to all those beings who said yes to the creative urge within them. 

And occasionally I am moved to think outside the box and let my inner genius come out and play. What should we make today?

One thing that helps me release the feeling of overwhelm or inadequacy is to remember that each being is spiritually magnificent just the way she is and just the way she is not. All beings matter. All my choices matter. I am an essential part of the whole -- and so are you.

A "Lost and Found" Demonstration

Over the holidays my husband Sean and I flew from Michigan to California to visit family and friends.  It was the first time taking our daughter, 7 1/2 weeks old at the time, on a plane!  The morning of our flight we were up early getting everything dialed in, all was going well.  We were in "perfect divine right order" the whole way and our trip out was smooth sailing.  Then, a couple days in, I go looking for our laptop... and it is nowhere to be found.  My heart sinks as I realize we must have forgotten it at the TSA security check back in Detroit.  It's a thin silver MacBook Air, they made us put it in it's very own bin, there was so much to grab and think about with the baby. We left it there. It was gone.  

My first thought was that we would never get it back.  My NEXT thought was YES we will absolutely get it back!  I immediately went to work changing my first thought, refusing every idea that we had lost our laptop for good.  Going into affirmative prayer I recognized that God is all there is and that nothing can be lost, everything is in it's perfect place.  I imagined being at the airport to get our laptop back.  I felt so much GRATITUDE that it had been returned to us.  I thanked the person, the individualized expression of God, that found the laptop and turned it in so that it would be waiting for us when we got back.  I released my word and KNEW that it was so.  Then I told Sean, and helped him also grab onto the idea that we were so happy and grateful with our laptop returned to us with ease and grace, thank you God.

My next step was to take action... so I went to the DTW website and found the area to submit a claim to their lost and found department.  The entire time I continued to consciously be "so happy and grateful now that" our laptop was returned.  Because it was going to be.  It had to be.  I was so disappointed by the thought of it being lost, I refused to accept it.  So I did my best to only entertain the right idea... the one that I wanted... not that other possible outcome of it being gone forever.  

There were many times during the two weeks in California where I would catch myself thinking something like "oh I should tell Sean to change his google chrome password, because if someone ...WAIT - NO! That's not necessary because our laptop will be returned to us.  I am so happy and grateful now that our laptop is returned with ease and grace, thank you God.  Thank you every aspect of this One that is involved in the process of our laptops return.  Thank you Thank you Thank you God!"

It's the type of situation where you've done just about all you can do, and so all you can do now is wait... wait for an outcome to an event that is completely outside of your control.  So while one waits in this type of situation, it is in ones best interest to "stand guard at the portal of your mind" as Emerson said (I hope I am quoting him correctly), and make sure you are thinking the right thoughts - the thoughts that affirm the desired outcome you WANT from this event which is outside of your control.  The other option is to worry about the outcome you don't want.  Being a student of the Science of Mind, I knew where to keep my attention, so I kept planting seeds of gratitude for my desired outcome and the return of our laptop!

Fast forward ... we arrive back in Detroit, where the temperature is a high of 28F, and head home.  I search my email for a response to my lost and found request... there is a reply!! YES!!  It says... it says that they don't have our item.  I take a deep breath and then let it out.  Then I laugh a little because I know they have it, they just don't know they have it!!  At that moment the idea occurs to me that I should just go to the airport and visit their lost and found department in person.  Then I would know for sure. But I didn't go right away, it was freezing cold and I would have to take the baby and oh what a hassle... so instead I stayed inside my warm house and kept an eye on my email... and continued to be grateful for our returned laptop.

A week goes by... I have not gotten a new email about our item.  I am starting to feel discouraged, it's almost been 30 days and in my mind there is an assumed rule that anything in the lost and found for over 30 days is up for grabs.  Then it's Wednesday, I have my prayer partner calls on Wednesday, and this is definitely what I needed to pray about - I hate the idea of our little laptop being gone forever!  Everything of ours on it, gone.  Possibly in the hands of another person!  No!  Cancel cancel wipe it away, that thought is NOT my desired outcome! 

During the prayer call, the idea came up again that I really should just go to the airport and visit the lost and found office. That is the only way to know for sure.  I vowed to do it that day and so later that afternoon baby Angelika and I went to visit the airport.  It was 15 degrees out but hey at least it wasn't snowing!  Upon arrival at the airport terminal I asked where the lost and found office was located and luckily it very close to where I was (not waaaaay at the other end of this huge place).  

I walk to the office and tell the woman there what we lost and the day we traveled.  She heads into the back room and I think "this is it, this is when our laptop is returned to us! Thank you God, Thank you God, Thank you God"... and I kept repeating it in my head, almost under my breath, until the woman emerges from the back room with our thin silver MacBook Air in her hand and I say out loud "oh thank God it's here!"  A huge smile spreads across my face.  I am so happy and grateful now that our laptop is returned!  Their email response to me was wrong, our laptop was here!  

Though I knew and affirmed it all along, I was so relieved to have it demonstrated.  Thank you God!  And so it is.

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.

The Power of Prayer by Ken Robuck

I am so blessed!  I was  exposed/introduced to Science of Mind 22 years ago. I knew it was a fit for me.  I took classes with Dr. Jacque and was definitely drawn to the principles and concept.   In fact for most of these 20+ years I have carried a personal treatment in my day-timer.

I've given affirmative prayers as an opening to Choir and other similar groups.   I understood the concept; I know it to be true.  But there was a missing link.

Then back in November of 2014, a life experience began.  As a part of my annual physical lab work indicated my PSA was definitely high the prostrate biopsy confirmed, there was a cancer issue.   I affirmed to myself this issue would be resolved with a positive outcome.  But there was still a missing element a feeling of incompleteness.

I contacted Rev. Judee Chapman and explained this situation and asked for her practitioner assistance.  We had two meeting just talking and sharing our backgrounds.  Surgery as a solution was obvious natural medical conditions attached. Judy explained how in her personal medical challenges how treatment provided the extra positive belief and support. 

Then the day before, (I think) Judee and I meet after a short talk, she held my hands and treated confirming that the surgery has the positive results, that all is well and good.  Acknowledging the professional quality of the hospital staff and all the friends that have and are providing encouragement and support this treatment completely encompassed the beginning and complete of the process.

It wasn't until that moment maybe half way through her treatment the feeling that an “ah-ha” cloaking warmth along with her words all came together.  It had meaning, direction and value that I cannot even begin to communicate.   To use an old cliche “the light came on”.

Judee was amazing; she came to the hospital sat with Barbara while I was in surgery, although I was out-of-it, offered another treatment.  I don’t remember it but now I am sure ”gratitude” was a focal element. 

Treatment now has a new deeper and special significant purpose.  Judee Chapman, you will always be a part of a gratitude statement in my daily treatment of thanks. For those who hear the words, repeat the words, know that one day, in one particular moment, the deep, deep, truth of a treatment's power will be felt, understood and give each moment thereafter new value.

To Judee Chapman and all those unnamed practioners, Thank you! Thank You!.

Sincerely, with humility and loving heart,

Ken Robuck

Gifts of the Season

Although I am writing this blog on Christmas Eve Eve, surrounded by brightly wrapped gifts and bags, am imagining that the Christmas experience is over, all my presents have been sent. Although I know what is in the ones, I am sending, I do not know what is in the gifts I will be receiving. I could guess, but part of the beauty of gift exchange at Christmas is the mystery of what is under the wrapping. Of course, the Truth is that the only thing that is in the bags and boxes is Love!

Now no matter what your CHristmas was like, it is a thing of the past. As the year is drawing to a close, there  are  a few practices that we can do to bring conscious completion to the year.

First, acknowledge the amazing year! What good gifts did you receive ... the ones you were truly thankful for? Did you have good health this year? Did you enjoy friendship and love? Did you have  a job? Did you like your job? Did you create anything new? Did you travel anywhere? Did anyone treat you to a meal or a cup of coffee? Did you bless someone by something you said or did? Did you pay your bills?

For every welcome gift, give thanks.

Sometimes, the gifts we received din't look like anything we ordered. It wasn't on our Christmas list or any other list. It could have looked like a broken agreement, a loss of job or pay, a diagnosis of disease, a loss of a friendship, or any other of a myriad of experiences that often make up the human condition. 

Why would I call these unwanted experiences  gifts? Each one calls us to be more observant, to look for the good, to trust the process and to continue to pray. Each one calls us to a higher consciousness of love, compassion and forgiveness. 

For every unexpected gift, give thanks. 

Now is time to start getting ready for the new year. It is an opportunity to accept and release the past -- both the wanted and the unwanted. Remember that no matter how it was packaged, every gift came loaded with Divine Love.

Every Gift is Filled With Love

Be Grateful In All things

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it reminds me to practice gratitude. For many people Thanksgiving is a special time with family and friends, sharing favorite foods and enjoying each other's company. I know that for many people football is part of the tradition. I For some families it is an afternoon of playing cards and relaxing with friends.

I know that each of us has our own memories of Thanksgivings Past. So I know also that some people have painful memories of Thanksgiving.

I was talking to a friend recently who told me that her worst Thanksgiving ever was one year when she was in France. There weren't even any turkeys anywhere!

For others the worst Thanksgiving could have been one filled with arguments. disagreements and anger.Not everyone's family is functional.

Nevertheless, what a great opportunity to remember all the things to be grateful for...all of your talents and abilities... your friends and family...your knowledge...the Presence of the Divine...freedom to choose and the Law of Mind.

Gratitude multiplies your good. Lavish praise on the Universe and the Universe will respond by bringing more good to you.

May this be your best Thanksgiving yet!

One of the best videos on gratitude I have ever experienced is Louis Schwartzberg's video on gratitude. Please enjoy.

June Gloom: Southern California's start to summer

A gloomy day is the start of something big. 

Southern California has this weather pattern which brings the start of summer a cloudy covering. Usually taking up the whole month of June, we have termed it "June Gloom."  Having children still in school,  it makes for an interesting perspective.  It marks the end of something and the beginning of something.  Taking this perspective into the realm of Spirituality, I reflect on the significance of this weather pattern. 

On one hand, the end of something can be quite sad.  It can mean that this point in time has a completion to it, that, though excitedly waited for, can take on a sense of missing it when it's gone. It can be a time when repressed emotions are finally able to be released, allowing oneself a permission to have a space of mental irresponsibility.  That is, until the summer schedule kicks in. On the other hand, it is the beginning of something, an unknown of what is to come.  Even if a summer schedule has been planned out, the unknown of what it looks like, when actually in the moment, is in question. 

With most days in Southern California begin with the sun visible and end with the sun visible, June is an interesting time to be gloomy, considering it is the start of summer vacation.  However, thinking in terms of Spiritual perspective, it gives an example to be grateful.  It is a time to reflect on what we do have most of the year, the beautiful weather, and allows us a space of gratitude when we do not have it.

Because we do not have as significant weather changes as most other states, this is a perfect time for this weather pattern.  Other weather-changing states have several beginnings and endings to practice with the weather.  Fall clothes come out, then winter clothes, then spring clothes, then summer clothes.  They physically have to mark the seasons with a change in outer appearance. Here in Southern California, the same jacket can take us through the fall, winter, spring and summer.  Not much has to change throughout the year in regards to our physical appearance; some even wear shorts and  flip-flops the whole year.  So allowing Southern California a time to be reflective with this weather pattern is blessing.  With the expectation of Southern California to always be sunny, especially at the mark of summer, "June Gloom" is a reminder to be grateful. 

 

The Gifts of Acceptance and Gratitude

gaining a new perspective on acceptance and gratitude

I’ve been all over the place this week … or at least that’s how I feel. Digitally and physically I’ve not been at home. Between housesitting and a dead harddrive I’ve been a displaced person.

The change of scenery, routine and habits has been a nice little shake up in how I experience life. We all get into ruts now and then. The lessons of Acceptance and Gratitude were the gifts. Enjoy.

ACCEPTANCE
Sometimes I find myself railing against the things that I don’t want and yearning for things to be different.

I know that this railing just adds energy to what I don’t want. But I do it anyway. You start to kind of fall in love with your pain, romanticize the wounds, you identify with them so much that you end up giving them energy to grow and fester.

Acceptance, sweet acceptance is like a soothing balm … the psychic aloe vera for our soul. It takes the burn out and lets us heal.

GRATITUDE
It’s an inside job but it’s also a reciprocal job.

And here comes Gratitude, flying in with it’s long red superhero cape, guiding us to acknowledge and feel all the good we are experiencing. Reminding us that we are co creators in that good and in the care and maintenance of that good.

In our eagerness to receive our good we forget that we are co creators and guardians.

I am just returning home after a week of housesitting. It is a beautiful residence but I have become aware of a big source of it’s beauty isn’t it’s location and structure, but the care, consciousness and creativity of the occupants. They co created this space and chose to fill it with beauty and creativity. It inspires me. There is a constant maintenance in keeping a home. We take out the trash, we rearrange the furniture, we apply our consciousness to create form, function and beauty.

Creation takes conscious attention and maintenance.

When I find myself railing against circumstance I am going to apply the soothing balm of acceptance, connect with my super power Gratitude and take care of what is mine gratefully, consciously, and lovingly.

That was my lesson this week.

Seeing Clearly

Daniel Nahmod

Today I will be going up the mountain to Lake Arrowhead for our annual multi-Center Retreat. This retreat is organized by the Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living and has been a Memorial Weekend activity for many years. Almost always the consciousness of lack of clarity is that with which we arrive and clarity is what we open up to and embrace while there. Because our environment echoes our consciousness, we have begun most retreats with a great deal of fog and even snow. However, after getting clear all weekend, we usually return in sunny, clear conditions.

I know that some of you are coming with me, but for those of you staying at home, consider identifying the areas in your life which seem a little hazy, in which you cannot clearly see the outcome you desire. Then ask yourself are you trying to make something happen?

Memorial weekend of 2008, I was feeling burnt out. The idea of giving two talks and a workshop seemed impossible. How could I inspire others when my own well of inspiration seemed so dry? I could not get clear about my topics. I had thrown together some workshop ideas and had even made copies of handouts. But I was grieving for our friend and Board Member who had just passed the previous weekend. We had done an amazing memorial service for her and had celebrated her life and driving up to Lake Arrowhead, I let myself feel my loss. I encountered myself all the way up the mountain and all the pent up tears came flowing out. I was listening to a CD by Rev. Cynthia James and I was moved and comforted and then dashed into despair again. Although I tried to pray, my prayers were dry and meaningless.

It took several extra hours to get to the retreat Center. In addition to the fog, I missed my turns and had to retrace my way several times. Those turnarounds were heart-stopping. I didn't know if I was on the inside or the outside edge of that mountain road. I knew I had a commitment and I kept going. I am so glad I did.

Instead of trying to push my way through the pain, I allowed myself to be nurtured that entire weekend. Rev. Moira, took me to my room and assured me not to worry about a thing. I obeyed. The next evening, our friend Daniel Nahmod did a heart-felt private concert for the members of our Center who were also grieving. That was the first time anyone heard Last Song. I am grateful for the kindness of others and for their willingness to bend and change to accommodate the needs of others.

In your own lack of clarity, perhaps it is time for some self-nurturing and to remember that you are never alone and that you are infinitely loved. Right now you are enough!

Ordinary As a Wheelbarrow Full of Potatoes

You would think that reflecting on Mother's Day would be about my Mom. For some reason this Mother's Day was filled with thoughts of my Dad.

His birthday is May 11th and while it doesn't always fall on Mother's Day it did the year he was born and it did this year. He was also the one to really teach my about the beauty and sacredness of nature, of Mother Earth.

As a little girl I would get up early on Saturday mornings to help him make breakfast. We would go to the feed store in his truck. I wore a hat just like him, the kind that has the plastic holes in the back to adjust the size. I loved spending the day outdoors with him.

I would help him in the garden. My duties might include holding back plants while he rotatiled, gathering eggs or shuttling out ice tea from the house. We would sit back and laugh at our cat as he teased the mockingbird. He brought home a rolling staircase from the air force dump and we would roll it up to the cherry tree and sit in the branches to  have a "cherry festival."

He always noticed things that I didn't. He would find agates and other treasures in the dirt. I would walk by a ditch with a little water in it only to be told it was a freshwater spring and there was a trout living there.

I could walk by entire worlds of life thinking it was all quite ordinary. I even thought he was quite ordinary.

I am rethinking ordinary.

Everything is ordinary.

Everything is extraordinary.

Praise Fills Your Consciousness With God

"When God fills your consciousness, results naturally occur." Petra Weldes

Have you ever experienced a moment of grace? I believe it is the feeling that Wordsworth wrote about when he wrote Pippa's Song:

"THE year 's at the spring,
And day 's at the morn;
Morning 's at seven;
The hill-side 's dew-pearl'd;
The lark 's on the wing;
The snail 's on the thorn;
God 's in His heaven—
All 's right with the world!"

When you see the world through the eyes of Divine Love, you will see only the qualities of God -- Beauty, Truth, Love, Joy and Freedom. You have a feeling of well-being, a feeling of greater good unfolding. You can let go of needing to make something happen and simply make welcome the good that is already surrounding you.

When there seems to be something missing in your life, it is natural to wonder how to fix it. When we first learn that thoughts are things and that our beliefs become our experience, we attempt to change the negative thoughts to positive ones. This is not a bad practice but it does not get to the Power Source. It is like taking a candle into a darkened room which will be illuminated but if one flips the switch the room will be flooded with light.

It is the same with our consciousness. Positive, life-affirming thoughts are much better than fearful,hateful, depressive thoughts but to fill the whole being with light requires saying yes to the ideas that are God's thoughts. One way to multiply the God thoughts you have in a day is to purposefully keep a gratitude list. Rev. Bruce Fredenburg suggests that we make a list of 100 things each day for which we are grateful! all the while you are searching for things to be grateful for , you are not dwelling on the problems, issues or concerns that might have been part of your experience. What you put your attention on grows. then tomorrow you will have even more things to appreciate.

When you are filled with appreciation and praise, God fills your consciousness. Start right now. What 100 things are you grateful for today?

Contentment: Knowing Gratitude in Being in this moment.

Contentment is to just Be. 

Being content with one's life is the title of today's installment in the "Joyous Living Journal."

What does it mean to be content?  Is it being ok with everything?  Does it have a tone of surrendering to what is?  Is it a settling?

In the busy, media-driven, high-tech world that we made our life, our thoughts seem to move at the pace of the internet.  As humans, we are supposed to be productive, yet we are also meant to come up to the surface for a breath.  If we are constantly swimming in the sea of thoughts, it can feel as if we are surrounded by a field of energy that has us constantly in the mode of go.

There is a new Cadillac commercial in circulation on television. It depicts Americans as the go, go, go country, all the while justifying why we don't take our much needed breath.  It has a sense of superiority and the "American" ability to stretch oneself to the brink of insanity.



The "Joyous Living Journal" states, "While learning from the past and dreaming about the future, it's important to actually live in the present.  See what has already manifested in your life.  Enjoy the great and small ways that Life, Love, and Joy are already showing up.  Be content with what you have, where you are, and how far you've come."

If we are constantly in the mode of go, contentment may not have room in our vocabulary.  However, not reflecting on our What Is may have us reaching for something "out there" and never really being satisfied with our life.

Being content is actually a discipline.  It really is taking a look at life, right now, in this moment, and being grateful.  It is living in the Now, Being Present, just Being.  This practice will take us out of our need to constantly be in go mode, and enjoy our life in Peace.  There is always a time to go, but we should constantly be in gratitude for the Present moment.  Remember the saying, "Yesterday is History. Tomorrow is a mystery.  Today is a gift.  That's why it's called the Present." -Alice Morse Earle

Try This: Grateful in this moment: Today take 5 mins out of your day to bombard yourself with Gratitude. Repeat over and over in your head or aloud, "In this moment I'm grateful." Look at your surroundings while repeating the statement, really embody what your eyes are gazing upon, really feel grateful for whatever it is.

And So It Is.

Thanks to http://www.debbielamedman.com/ for the snoppy image.

My Gratitude Tree

This morning my husband and I were taking our regular 5K walk that is a part of our health insurance plan. Every month or so, it will be "Walk Week" and sometime during the week the 1500+ employees of this company head out in singles, couples, and groups to walk the required distance. While there are specific paths that have been pre-approved we can walk any path that we desire as long as we document the distance and time that we did it in.

Our walk this morning took us to our newest favorite path that passes by nursery fields, a skate park, offices, and through what I like to call a rural wilderness area - this is that place where you feel miles away from everything, but it is really just a block away from the hustle and bustle of industrial and commercial business. Even though we often walk on this path each time is a different experience. Nature changes the path from hot and dry to cool and dark, sometimes we find it muddy with puddles to avoid, or like this morning caked dirt with piles of leaves and debris from the recent storm. It's fun to head out on the path that we know and see what will be different and what will be the same. Kind of like life!  The landmarks are the point of reference for where we are, how far we have left to go and where to turn around. This morning as we made reached the first big landmark a very old tree that I particularly enjoy I saw that there was something - a lot of somethings hanging from it's branches. As we approached the tree and were close enough to make it out we saw 25-30 tags hanging in what appeared to be a random pattern. Of course my curiosity drew me closer and I paused the program on my phone recording our walk time to find out what was going on with "my tree".

The tags on the tree were from people saying what they were grateful for! All different, all with wonderful statements of appreciation for individuals, events, life experiences - right there on our path was a real life Gratitude Tree.

I was astounded and thrilled! Over the years, with the kids we have made gratitude trees and wreathes that we have displayed in our home, but never before have I seen a public tree so proudly and beautifully displayed and shared! Immediately our minds were uplifted, our hearts were filled and we touched the place that connects all of us. Someone had the brilliant idea of sharing their good, just putting it out there to share with anyone who walked by.

When I arrived at the office and shared about the gratitude tree our office administrator, Diane asked if there was a bucket of tags there for others to add theirs. I had not looked for one so I did not know, but inspiration occurred and I am now planning my own public gratitude tree where a ripple of good can begin.

In the meantime, I begin with declaring what I am grateful for here. I am grateful for the amazing people who I know and don't know who inspire me and remind me of the magnificent life I am living!

The Spiritual Practice of Enjoying Yourself

I will stand on my own making my own choices.
I am at choice and I choose joy.

I have a confessions to make. It seems that whenever I make a choice to really seek wisdom, guidance, some kind of great revelation the message is always the same. The message is "will you just lighten up and enjoy yourself."

I can't tell you how much this frustrates me.

I would like to think it was a coincidence if it hasn't happened repeatedly and consistently throughout the years. This learning and relearning to play seems to be always on the agenda. I really think my God quality from which all my lessons spring is the quality of Joy.

Joy and Gratitude
Recently I have noticed more and more that my prayers of gratitude are just not as strong as I would like them to be. Now, reflecting on joy, I am discovering that there is a direct correlation between tapping into one's joy and expressing one's gratitude.

How can you have a full expression of gratitude if you are 

not fully tapping into your capacity for joy?

Sit with that question for a little bit.

Choosing MY joy.
At first this sounds so self centered but ultimately as I look closer I don't think it is. I am starting to consider that following your joy might just be one of the wisest decisions you make, generous even. How else will you uncover what is yours to express?

Like a dowsing rod seeking for underground, unseen, unrecognized water sources, how can we find and identify the things that bring us joy?

Start compiling a "My Joy List" and list the large and the very small of the things that bring you pure, unadulterated joy.

And that brings me to another point to make, permeability and compromise.

Permeability and Compromise
I don't enjoy going to the movies with other people. The reason for this is that I am always distracted by their enjoyment levels. Seriously, I will sit there through the whole movie wondering if they are enjoying the movie and this totally ruins it for me. I blame this on my permeability. I really have a hard time enjoying things if the person with me isn't enjoying them too.

My answer in the past has been to just to do things by myself or to just do the things that bring others their joy.

I need to recognize where I am permeable and where I compromise. Making a practice of "turning up my joy detection system" to a more sensitve level and drown out the noise would be a good exercise for me.

Don't Be Scared Of Change
It has occurred to me that sometimes fear, especially the fear of change and upheaval keeps us from experiencing our joy. Don't be scared of change, it's happening all the time.

How can I quell my fear of change? Make a litany of all your fears. Answer this question:

If I fully embraced my joy ....

And just write, sometimes it's the unarticulated stuff that we most fear and once we get it out there it becomes so much more manageable.

Don't Judge Just Embrace Your Ability To Choose
This choice is a two-sided coin. I am not responsible for the decisions, actions and attitudes of others just as I will not blame them for anything which appears in my experience.

I will stand on my own making my own choices. I am at choice and I choose joy.