Summertime.. and the Living is

Last Wednesday night, Rev. Karyn Allen spoke on the topic "The Summer Soulstice." She purposely misspelled solstice beginning with "soul." Her message was about the soul of summer being the activities of freedom and joy that she loved.

For many of us as children, those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer were the times of our lives. They represented freedom, long days of unsupervised play, being with our friends without much restriction, relaxed diets, bike rides, and water activities. Rev. Karyn grew up in Dana Point so she had a perfect southern California summer. She could and did walk to the beach, spent hours at it, perfected her tan, ate tons of deep-fried zucchini, and checked out the cute surfers. 

Although I grew up thousands of miles away, many of her memories struck a chord in me too. As a child and a teenager, up until I got  a summer job, summer days were filled with joy. Our family shared a cabin with extended family at a small lake in southern Saskatchewan. The days seemed endless. Of course it was officially daylight until after 9:00 pm, and until July 14 there was no true night, because it was twilight right up to dawn. Of course there would be swimming, boating, canoeing until it was deep twilight. Then we would often light a bonfire on the beach in front of our cabin and enjoy a singalong and a marshmallow roast. How great we sounded as our voices carried across the still waters of the lake!

My favorite memories include being on top of our one-story cabin, attempting to perfect a tan, with my cousins and friends and with a dangerous mixture of baby oil and iodine! We thought we were so smart. Of course, tans made one look healthy and cute. Little did we know that we were courting aging skin and skin cancer in the future. My best friend was redheaded Lois Cole. Lois often vacationed with our family. The summer I remember most vividly was one in which she got severe burns. Every part of her back and shoulders were blistered. She was in great pain. My mom and my aunt sewed a towel jacket that they stuffed with used cold tea bags. It did relieve the pain. As far as I know, she never that got that burned again.

I loved to swim, dive and water ski. Even as  a child I was very buoyant and had no fear of the water. Skiing was exhilarating for a couple of reasons. One of them was named David, the boy who was teaching me to ski. Also for the rush of being able to stand up on the skis for the first time and to enjoy a ride around the lake.

As kids, we collected beer bottles to sell for spending money. (Our older cousin showed us all the good spots.) Then we would take the bottles to the local store and buy candy with our spoils. I always got licorice. Although now I prefer black licorice, then I loved the red vines.

For many years, even the smell of red licorice would bring scores of summer memories: the smells and sounds of the lake and the damp earth back of our cabin, motor boats, friendship, laughter, romance and joy! And the sound of a certain boy's voice teasing, "Devil or angel?" as he passed by on his motorboat. The soul of summer is evident in those happy care-free days.

What are your favorite memories of summer?

Waskesiu Lake  in Saskatchewan

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 

Bring a Friend Sunday

How did you find your spiritual center? Many people first came to a Center for Spiritual Living because a friend invited them. It wasn't exactly my way, but I am glad I found us.

Dr. Tom Costa wrote a chapter in one of his books, entitled, "Seven Words That Changed My Life." The seven words were, "Meet me at church this Sunday, huh?" He says that the moment the minister started talking he knew he was home. The friend disappeared from his life but Dr. Tom had found his way to his spiritual home.

My way was slightly different. I had a couple of transformational spiritual experiences and then went looking for a group of like-minded individuals. Obviously this was before the internet. I looked in the Religion Section of the Edmonton Journal  and circled two prospects for that Sunday. 

What caught my attention in the first church were the words: "Come and experience God's joy!" It said joy! I thought they know that God is real here. My husband and I bundled up, winter in Edmonton is very cold, got in our car and drove to the church. Something stopped me from going into the church. I wanted to observe for awhile first. We saw many people getting out of their cars and going into the church -- none of them had even a slight smile , not to mention a grin or laughter. When my husband asked if we were going to go in, I answered no. The writer of the ad may have felt God's joy but it was missing from the faces of all the people who were going to attend services at that church that morning.

The second Center had a name that appealed to me -- the Living Enrichment Centre. I thought it might be the one. We got settled and the service began with a prayer. I felt waves of home-coming, gratitude and joy. I knew I had been guided there. The funny thing was when the minister started her message, I found it full of errors. In my mind, I was picking it all apart. I was mentally gone! Next, was the idea on my mind. Then the minister's husband prayed again and again I felt the feeling of well-being, of appreciation and gratitude. I was home. How wonderful for me, and the path I was on, that I didn't run out because I didn't agree with everything the minister said. (By the way, after many years of study, I know she was speaking words of Truth!)

Spirit guided me to my first New Thought experience. I was brought by my most trusted Friend!

This Sunday, Centers for Spiritual Living is encouraging everyone in all Centers to bring a friend to the Center this Sunday. If we do so we are further invited to take a quick picture with the friend and send it to Centers for Spiritual Living to see how many of us chose to play the game with them.

I think it is a great idea!

Remember Dr. Tom Costa's story. You could be changing your friend's life forever! We will have an exceptional service for everyone: My message is from the theme "Back to the Basics" and is entitled "The Thing Itself." Students of our philosophy will know immediately what that means. For those of you who do not know, what a great day to find out! 

On top of the great message, our guest vocalist is the amazing, Daniel Nahmod! We are really looking froward to seeing him.

Really, this is what my message is all about:

Experiencing the Fullness of Time

My Watch

Our Journal begins with the statement: "Taking time, killing time, wasting time, never having enough time...How often do you describe your experience of time in one of these ways? In using these words, you perpetuate that feeling, and therefore you are actually creating exactly that experience for yourself."

This is a terrific question to contemplate. If I really knew who I was, and that every thought is a prayer, I would change those thoughts (or complaints) and choose other ideas as well. 

All of us have the same number of hours in our day. What you bring to those hours is up to you. If you keep telling yourself that you do not have enough time or that you are running out of time, and if that belief s accompanied with great anxiety, you will be absolutely right! However, if you take a deep breath and remember that God is all there is, you can release the anxiety and choose a different experience. When you become fully occupied with what is, your experience of time changes.

When I am mindfully living in the moment, I can enjoy time, savor time, treasure time, and experience time.

As I am writing these words, I realize that there have been many times in my life when I was so filled with joy in the moment that hours flew by. I certainly was experiencing time. I remember many family gatherings when we started to sing and play instruments together, and several hours would mysteriously pass in the blink of an eye. How did it get to be 3 AM so soon?  Sometimes deep in a conversation with a friend, I would discover that hours had gone by. Sometimes it is a few moments of joy, while two big black German shepherds give you a kiss, that time stands still.

What makes time stand still for you now? 

Plan to experience quality time this week.  You are enough and there is always enough time! Experience the fullness of time today!

Heather being loved by two big shepherds

Our Universal Reflections & Wednesday Wisdom Potluck

Join us Wednesday night and bring Joy to the world and a dish to share!  

Our reality is determined by how we perceive and relate to our self perception and other people.

Our physical perception of reality is based upon temporal circumstances that are constantly changing. It often creates feelings of fear, worry and stress that leads to illness and depression.

Our spiritual perception is based on our universal reflection of divine love and joy.

It is a perception of Oneness with everyone and being in harmony with the universe.

Every day we can be in harmony with universal reflections by bringing joy into our life and sharing joy with others.

Join us Wednesday night and bring Joy to the world and a dish to share!
Love,
Rev, Geoff Layng

A cancer survivor of more than 20 years, Rev. Geoff is dedicated to inspiring people to find their wellness. He has facilitated many support groups at the Wellness Community, area hospitals, North County Oncology Associates in Vista, and a support group at our Center. Also an international speaker, he founded the San Diego Chapter of National Speakers Assn. in 1982. He has been a student of Quantum Physics and Metaphysics for over 40 years. Revs. Geoff and Madi live in San Clemente and have eleven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Starting this month, March 5th, the first Wednesday of each month we will have a potluck and social time starting at 5:45 pm. in the multipurpose room. 

 Bring your favorite dish to share with others. The service will start at 7:00 PM.

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.

Love is the Action, Joy is Your Natural State

Go Outside & Feel the Joy

Express the Love and feel the Joy.

Shame and regret are just as much hooks as blame and anger.

We aren't here to be sad ... we are here to experience love, joy and beauty.

It isn't so much what happens to us as how we react.

And if there is someone in your past whom you feel you could have loved more, helped more, treated with more kindness and you chose not to or you just weren't able to at that time ... you can still express that love now.

It may not be a direct exchange with that person but it won't matter as we are all one.

If you are still breathing you are not done yet.

Don't sluice your joy. And if you need a little help ... go outside, look and listen.

And so this morning Jason Mraz's song "Outdoors" just kind of fell into my lap. I can only consider this confirmation!

"Well open up your door
And be like me
Open up your door
And then breathe free
Look at all the beauty you'll feel
Love love love love

"Listen to the music of the wind
And the birdies sing
We're just one big family
And all of nature deserves to be
Loved loved loved loved loved"

Joy in the Present with a Vision for the Future

The seed is the plant.

"Just as it is and just as it is not." Oh how those words said at the end of Service seemed to contradict each other.

I have vague memories of turning to my husband, eyes rolled and saying "well, that pretty much covers everything now doesn't it."

So it just seems fitting that today's entry in the "Joyous Living Journal" lands on my blog day.

"Could you live in joy and have a vision?"

Can you be in Joy over your life just as it is and still retain a Vision of how you want it different?

I know my days go much smoother when I stand in gratitude and joy over all the details of every day.

But when we look at the possiblities of what could be it can stir up a little discontent.

In 2014 I am exploring this idea more by keeping a Gratitude Journal as well as writing out my Vision in full, by categories with sensory details and the qualities I want to grow. What I am already finding is that the seeds of my Vision are already very much present in my Present.

It's An Agricultural Model
Knowing that Now is the only moment we have to make any change I will nuture these seeds with gratitude and joy knowing that they are the seeds which will grow.  Knowing that the plant is already perfect within the seed. I will enrich my Vision by learning where my Joy is found through acknowledging the Joy I experience everyday.

And So It Is.

The Gifts of Imperfection

What is real self worth? I am thinking about real self worth and how sometimes we don't feel very good about ourselves. Usually when I don't feel good about myself it is because I have judged myself harshly for making a mistake. Our Prosperity Plus Class is small and we all know each other since we have been together for seven weeks. This week I spent the whole evening calling one of the women students by the wrong name! We even had a lovely conversation about her family during our break. At the end of the class, when we said goodnight, both her boyfriend and another student corrected me. I felt really bad about myself. That evening and for the next few days the inner critic was berating me harshly. It was nonstop. What kind of teacher was I? What kind of person was I? The message I was giving myself was I am not enough. This is a spiritual lie. I made a mistake. People make mistakes dozens of times a day, especially if they are living in creativity and spontaneity.

Brene Brown says we are hard-wired to experience love and connection. I agree. It is the Spiritual Truth. The essence that we are is Love. Love seeks love and nothing else.

Yet when we seek to perform, perfect and please, we will do the opposite of connect. We will keep our distance. It is hard for a minister to give up trying to please everyone because the nature of our jobs is to provide spiritual resources to everyone who seeks them. However, trying to please everyone is a self-defeating, impossible task. My colleagues and I need to be true to ourselves so we can model for our members and friends the true grace and love that flows when we realize that we cannot please everyone, and begin to make choices that please ourselves.

One of my close friends says when there is a situation that might be uncomfortable, she puts on her mental and emotional armor and off she goes. I imagine, with head held high and heart and mind well-protected, like a knight from King Arthur's court. It has been a strategy that she has used successfully in the corporate environment. Another one of my friends says he has no armor. It is REALLY TRUE. His heart is open and he is vulnerable at all times. Often he is the first to weep in times of grief but also in times of joy and celebration. With him, I always feel comfortable telling the whole truth.

When I truly accept my imperfection or mistakes, go a step further and share that with someone, then I begin to feel joy and freedom, instead of feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

One of the ways you can check to see if you are choosing perfectionism, pleasing and performing over authenticity, check how often you say "yes" to something when you would rather have said "no." Too often we say "yes" when we mean "no" and we say "no" to things that would really make our hearts sing with a resounding "yes."

Here is something we can practice together. When you are asked to do something, take your time and ask yourself do I really want to do this? Or am I going to say "yes" out of a sense of obligation? Brown says: "Choose discomfort over resentment."

The gifts of imperfection are many and include more joy, more freedom, vibrant health, felling vitally alive and connection to the ones you love.

And So It Is! 

How Do You Cleanse Yourself?

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." ~Victor Borge

     I must admit, my life is very full.  Although some may call it hectic, I love all that I do and all of the people in my life. But at times I really have to stop and remember what I am doing and where I'm going next...my girls' schools, lacrosse practices, games, meetings, work, etc... Thanks to my iPhone calendar I do a pretty good job at staying on task.  Through all of the busyness and continual doings, relief is a simple and cleansing daily practice for me. My beau, my girls and I all love to LAUGH.  There's usually not an evening where we don't sit down to dinner without someone cracking a joke or telling a funny story about the day. In fact, as I am writing, I'm hearing the laughter of my daughters as they recall a past event with their cousin and aunt. Also important is that as we all laugh together, we stay connected as a family unit, and that is priceless.


"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face."  ~Victor Hugo

     There was a time in my life when laughter was not a practice, and I was pretty much living in despair. My marriage was failing, I was financially stretched, and my light was definitely NOT shining. Time seemed to move at a snail's pace and rarely would you find me in a happy mood. As soon as my marriage was complete, my beloved sister-in-law surrounded me in her love and her presence, and wow, was that a gift! She and her family were always laughing and goofing off. The times with them were filled with belly-aching laughter and streaming tears of joy. As far as I'm concerned, ROTFLMAO was invented in her household. All of the muck and mire seemed to vanish. My time of winter became the sun that began to shine upon my face and I was healed.

 
"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." ~Yiddish Proverb

     As a child, when I was feeling down, I found solice in watching re-runs of "I Love Lucy," which would literally make me laugh out loud and everything was alright. I guess it was intrinsic at the time. As an adult in my darkest times, I sometimes forgot to turn to laughter, but now I realize how important it is. If I am alone and feeling overwhelmed with no one to laugh with (on rare occasion), I can turn on my television and catch an episode of my favorite TV show, "The Big Bang Theory" and instantly find something to laugh about. Or, I can read a funny book or logon to the internet and find something to chuckle about. When that happens, the stresses of the day are no longer stinking up my emotions and my consciousness and my soul is cleansed with the healing power of laughter.



     What practice do you best utilize to cleanse your soul? If you don't have one yet, try laughing. You'll be amazed at the results.  After all, as Milton Burle said, "Laughter is an instant vacation," and who couldn't use a nice vacation.  Bon voyage!

Finding Our Place in Life

Many years ago, when I taught elementary school, I loved to teach easy, fun, joy-filled songs. One of my favorites was "All God's Creatures Got a Place in the Choir." Recently I found two video versions that tickled my heart. I am going to share them with you because they reminded me of a simple rule of life. 

That rule is everybody belongs here. I also think it reminds me that wherever I am, I am home. It is a feeling of belonging, of being comfortable not only in my skin but also being comfortable giving the gifts that are mine to give. 

I have a place in the choir of life and so do you. It doesn't matter whether or not you can carry a tune, whether or not you read music, whether or not you have had special training, you are here on purpose. You are here to individualize the Infinite Creativity that flows through you. 

You are here to be the sacred space of the Divine and to live fully awake and awakened to your inner strengths. Sometimes we don't give our gifts because we compare ourselves to others and decide that their gifts are better than ours! This is a lie! No one has your gift to give except you. 

Great thinkers have looked at nature to remind us that comparison is foolish. They remind us that the rose doesn't stop blooming because there is another rose beside her. Ralph waldo Emerson wrote: "Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide." I believe he is right. When we envy what someone else has or does, what we are telling the Creative Process within us, is that we can not have or do that thing. The spiritual truth is that life is a wholeness and all of us are necessary to its ultimate expression and unfoldment. As the song says, "All God's creatures got a place in the choir." Enjoy!