The Global Vision, Sunday Service

I Trust The Universe!

And So It Is!

Love is a Stimulus

Ernest Holmes writes: "When we find we are without friends, the thing to do is at once to send our  thought out to the whole world; send it full of love and affection. Know that this thought will meet the desires of some other person who is wanting the same thing, and in the same way the two will be drawn together. Think of the whole world as your friend,but you must also be a friend of the whole world." Science of Mind, p.298

Do you have enough love in your life? Have you been sending your love out to the entire world?

Many people remain lonely despite wishing for human companionship. I am curious about the reason this is so.

Could it be that we are sending un-loving thoughts out to the world? On what are we focused? If we believe that all the good ones are taken or that we can't trust people we have never met, we are planting seeds of loneliness and separation.

Are you being a good friend to the people who are now in your life?

Have you  experienced love at first sight? Do you believe it is true love?

Feeling attracted to someone may be true love, but you will not know for certain  for some time. Love usually needs room, time and space to grow. So maybe the feelings need to deepen.

In the story of The Alchemist, the boy fell in love with Fatima immediately their eyes locked and he was smitten. That feeling of wanting to be with Fatima was a stimulus to Santiago. He wanted to stay with her but he also knew that she would have greater regard for him if he kept on his path to find the treasure. It wasn't that she wanted the treasure, but rather she would be proud of her man for being true to himself.

I wonder if it is true that love is a stimulus.

Ernest Holmes writes:"All is Love yet all is Law. Love is the impelling force and law executes the will of Love. Man (human) is a center of God-consciousness in the great Whole. He cannot deface his real being, but may hinder the Whole from coming into complete expression through his life. Turning to the One with a complete abandonment and in absolute trust, he will find that he is already saved, healed and prospered."." The Science of Mind,p. 323

It seems that Ernest agrees that Love is a stimulus; he says love is the impelling force.

The Same Dream Twice

I am doing something completely different this month for my Sunday messages. I am basing them on the novel, The Alchemist.

This novel is an allegory about life and contains many spiritual treasures. 

It begins with the shepherd boy, Santiago, who has had the same dream twice. The dream is about finding treasure in the pyramids of Egypt.

He finds two different people to help him interpret his dream, a gypsy woman and an old man. The old man tells him, 

"To realize your destiny is a person's only obligation. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

The first question that comes to mind is, what does it mean to have a recurring dream? Metaphysically, it means  Subconscious Mind is telling you to pay attention. there is something of value in that dream. Look beyond the literal meaning. Ask yourself what the dream means to you. Only you can determine what it means even though it is often tempting to go to an outside "expert." 

The second question that arises for me is am I living my life's purpose? Am I living my dream now or am I moving toward it? If I am living my dream, excellent! If I am moving toward it, good. But if I am trying to ignore it, then I am working against my highest good.

My most passionate dream is to awaken people to their spiritual magnificence. When I see the light of awareness dawn in someone's eyes, I feel deeply blessed. I feel that my life is on purpose.

Have their been times that I have been discouraged and thought about finding a different dream? Yes, there have been times that I have been discouraged, but no, I cannot think of anything else I would rather do or am compelled to do. 

Have I had to take risks in order to live my dream? Yes, many risks. When I was first called to the ministry, I had more needs than income. I cashed in my retirement savings. That was a big risk on the human level but on the spiritual level, I know that God is my Source and the source of my supply. 

 "And when you want something, the Universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

What are the dreams of your heart? Are you living your divine purpose? There is an alchemist within you; it is ready to transform your life, when you cooperate with it.

Planting Seeds

Happy happy happy are we

Happy happy happy are we

I love you, and you love me

Together we make a happy family!!

When my children were young and in the "Barney" stage of life we often sang this little ditty! We sang it to express our love, to feel better when we were down and we sang it because we were "in love" and we were happy! I loved this time of parenthood, my kids were so receptive to songs and, books with messages of character, kindness and creativity. I was keenly aware of the seeds that were being planted in my childrens mind and like a good gardener I was mindful of the crops, the seasons and the patient nurturing that was required.

Fast forward to this year when my children are now young adults and we see each other when they have time, and can fit their dad and I in to their busy schedules. We no longer sing silly songs or use the plates with the affirmations on them at dinner. They are truly the head gardeners of their lives. To prove my point I received a text from my daughter a few nights ago. All the text included was a link to a Huffington Post article. I followed the link and saw a title that made me stop. "How to Get Flat Abs, Have Amazing Sex and Rule the World in 8 Easy Steps" I think 'she's been hacked' - can you hack a text? Surely this is not something my sweet daughter would send to me. And yet I continued on to read the article and was fascinated and excited! This was great stuff! This was really good and powerful and, and, and -- my daughter had sent it to me!  About the time I finished reading the article I received another text from my daughter. This one said "read it - you'll like it. And it mentions one of your favorite books!" And I thought, oh my god! My daughter is sharing her seeds with me -- the seeds she is planting in her mind, in her life as the gardener of her own life - and not only that she knows one of my favorite books --but wait which one was she referring to? I had to go back to the article (all of this on my phone) and read through it quickly to realize that she was referring to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Yes it is one of my favorite books and yes, my 24 year old daughter is harvesting and experiencing the seeds we planted all those years ago. And, so am I!

The stage of this gardeners life has changed too. I no longer make up silly little songs - well not often. Everyday I plant the seeds in my mind for what I want to grow in my life. Today, I am planting seeds of acceptance and trust. And, like a good gardener I am planting them confidently in prayer, watering them with affirmations and trust, surrounding myself with other spiritual seekers who remind me that we are all gardening together.

Here is the link to that article that my daughter shared.

• Article: http://huff.to/1evSRA9

Trusting My Good Increases My Happiness!

This month at our center the theme is happiness. I find myself thinking about it a lot, talking about it with parents, youth and other students of life like myself. My belief about happiness is being happy comes naturally. It's natural to be happy. One idea presented during my happiness research this month is that we each have a "set point" like a default on the thermostat for our happiness. In this model, no matter what the outside circumstances spike at (the highs and the lows) eventually I will find myself once again at my own default. I can reflect back on my life and see this pattern which is not exactly "making me happy".  So my question becomes how do I really get happy and stay happy? How do I reset my happiness thermostat to default at a higher level, how do I increase my capacity? 

One thing I absolutely know and trust is that whenever there is a question the answer will be revealed. A solution to every problem exists. This morning as I walked through my house I saw the answer written on my wall. Literally, there it was in beautiful elegant writing, framed, hanging where I see it many times every day reminding me of my good. 

In this moment my good comes to me

enough and to spare, to give and to share.

It can never be exhausted, my good can never be depleted

because that Source from which my good comes is inexhaustible.

Today in this moment, the Law responds to my thought.

My word is one of affirmation, rising from the knowledge

that the Good, the Enduring and the True are Eternalities 

in my experience. I cannot be apart from that which is my good.

My good is assured me by God, that Indwelling Essence of my life.

                                         - Ernest Holmes

How am I incereasing my happiness? By trusting that indwelling source from which all good comes. How are you increasing your happiness?

Allowing Life to Happen

At my house, they play water polo. My son and middle daughter also swim competitively, but the sport that matters is water polo. I’m pretty sure that neither of my daughters could tell you who won the last Super Bowl, much less who played. Actually, I don’t know that my son could tell you… but that’s fine. He is an awesome water polo coach. Just ask any player on his 12 and Under Boys team.

This weekend is huge for us – it’s the Junior Olympics Qualifier tournament. The winners of this tournament will go to National Junior Olympics later this summer. Needless to say, everyone at my house is a little keyed up this week. Probably no one more so than I. They have invested months of practice time in preparation for this tournament. (Trust me, I know, because I drove them to all of those practices.) That investment of time and effort has yielded tremendous benefits for them – they are both outstanding water polo players. I know that they can hold their own against any team they meet this weekend. 

Still, Orange County is the epicenter of water polo nationwide. This weekend, they will be facing some of the toughest competition the Junior Olympics has to offer. So there is a possibility that one or more of them won’t qualify for the national tournament. (Won’t that make for some awkward dinner conversations?)

This is one time that I wish I could chuck the concept of right action, and just cheer for them to win with every fiber of my being. Certainly, there is a lesson for them in losing, but couldn’t they learn it some other time?  After the hours of practice they’ve logged, the parties and outings they’ve missed, they would be so disappointed if they didn’t qualify for the National Junior Olympic tournament.

I would be so disappointed, too. I’ve had a front row seat on their journey. Sometimes I’ve been the passenger, sometimes I’ve been the driver, but always I’ve tried to support them. (Which is how I ended up as team mom. Talk about hours logged, Yay!)

Now, here we are, on the eve of JO Quals, as they are commonly known, and I am more on edge than the kids. Perhaps that’s because I have to sit back and watch it all play out. There is nothing I can do to influence the outcome – I can’t play for them. 

As parents, we all want the best for our children, and it can be difficult to watch them go out and risk disappointment. We have invested so much of ourselves in them and helping them achieve their goals. It can be hard to be relegated the role of observer.

The thing, of course, is to know that it is all right action. Life, unfolding exactly as it should.
As it always does.

Submerged in Light

Submerged in Light

   Every morning(on the way to school), I listen to music. It calms me. It doesn't have to be spiritual or meditative music and usually isn't, but something I feel peaceful listening to. And, I usually do this whilst staring out the window, observing the landscape whizzing past me in a blur of dull, gray road, the occasional garden, and a flash of golden, morning light bursting through silver clouds. It is truly my relaxing way to spend the twenty to twenty-five minute drive to school. As you can see, above there is a picture of a double rainbow. The picture above was taken on one damp, cold October morning on my phone while I sat in the front seat of the car, rocking out to some tunes. I remember the morning vaguely, but I can recall the exact song I was listening to while this photo was captured. The song was Vanilla Twilight, written by none other than Owl City, and in that moment when the song came on, I watched as this beautiful manifestation shot out before me in a beam of brilliance.   

"When violet eyes get brighter/

And heavy wings grow lighter/

I'll taste the sky and feel alive again/

And I'll forget the world that I knew/

But I swear I won't forget you."

 There are many days and occasions when I remind myself that the light is always there, and Spirit is always expressing as me and in the beauty I experience or encounter. But, sometimes it really takes that extra unf to truly see it for myself. And those moments, when you realize you are supported by the Universe, or loved unconditionally, or in my case that the Light is always there, are so important. Those moments express the Universe reacting to your thoughts and needs. And in that moment of pure bliss when you relax into the realization and know that you are encompassed by the Universe's gifts, as when the sky's magnificence exploded around me and the music was in perfect alignment that day, it can leave you in awe(it raised the hairs on the nape of my neck) and leave a positive impression on you as does a hand print in the sand. 

   Every morning when being driven to school(during this season), the sun is hidden behind the thick, wet fog, and it leaves me wondering when the sun will come out. It drops me into a state of cloudy thoughts and a misty, negative mind set. But, when the sun peaks through the clouds, I remember that no matter how thick the fog is, the sun is always there just behind it waiting to shine its light upon me. That is a comforting thought. So, while writing an entry in my journal the other day, I wrote this down and thought it matched perfectly with what this week has consisted of: reminding myself-that the light is always there, and love is ever-expanding. 

"Even though our doubts and fears fill our throats with silence and a throbbing starts in our chests, the fog will always lift up. It seems like basic knowledge when you’re done experiencing it, but while you stare up into the endless hidden sky, it seems as if you know nothing but the lingering cloud mass engulfing the world around you. And, once the sun shines through and relief catches your breath, you realize in the end that no matter how thick or dark it may seem, the fog will always find a reason to leave."