NOT A LOOK BACK

Photo by Elia Pellegrinia on Unsplash.com

Our theme for 2020 has been Perception...

What is our impression of life and us in it?

What do we grasp, acknowledge, understand, believe, recognize, and reveal?

Amid the pandemic, the fires, and other conditions, we brought you answers, tools, and more questions in order to upgrade your perception about how your life works. 

This may be the final blog post of 2020, but it is not a look back. I am sure many would like to forget 2020...the lockdown, work, and school on Zoom, toilet paper shortages. If 2020 was a person, I'd sue him for pain and suffering. If 2020 got an Amazon or Yelp review, it would get one star – not recommended. I did get to read a lot of books and, I don't know about you, but I finished all of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+ by July.

2020 was much like an episode of Twilight Zone...it made Tiger King seem normal. And for me, sweats were the predominant pant for 2020 – I'm wearing some right now. And social distancing? I never thought “I wouldn’t touch them with a six-foot pole” would become a national policy. Oh, and remember singing “Happy Birthday” -twice- while washing your hands? For a while there, every time I went to the bathroom, kids expected me to walk out with a cake.

This morning I want to review our year of Perception. But not to look back … to move forward

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are. ~Talmud

We started our year learning about perception through the elements ...air, earth, water, fire. The air taught us to have ventilation through revelation:

To clear the air of conditions
And breathe the air of Truth

To keep away the fear, the despair of the news, the climate, or the idiots in government we grounded ourselves to Mother Earth, gaining strength from her profound power. And to live at our fullest, we learned to become the lake; flushing out the negative with overflowing positive by filling our minds and hearts with the best words, the loftiest ideas, the most loving thoughts. All this to give us a base, empowered by Truth to endure, optimize, be smart, be centered, and have vitality, joy, wisdom,and love on high.

All the power and intelligence of the Universe is already within, waiting to be utilized. The Divine Spark must be fanned into a blaze of the living Fire of your own divinity.  ~Ernest Holmes, Creative Mind and Success

We all have heard that seeing is believing, however...

Believing creates the seeing!

  ...and seeing God in everything creates harmony. When we remove the obstructions in our perceptions and our histories, we have a vision of infinite possibilities.

But don't squint to try to focus on that vision...to change, update, upgrade, or transform/transcend. It leads to double vision and a false sense of clarity.

Don't squint -you don't have to- open your eyes wide, the ones in your head and in your heart. Open them to the luminescence of Divine Wisdom and It will reflect in everything you think, feel, and do.

As we perceive through the Divine Feminine in us all, we tap into our foresight and creative wisdom; nurturing the nature of our inherent spiritual perfection, and thus suiting up for constant success. Walt Whitman wrote:

The moment you stand up and claim your divinity,

Christ is reborn within your heart, Buddha rejoices,

Mohammed dances upon the mountaintop,

Lao Tzu winks approvingly

And the Promise of the Tree of Life is Fulfilled.

And I know that the hand of God is the promise of my own,

And I know that the spirit of God is the brother of my own

And that all the men ever born are also my brothers,

And the women my sisters...

Perception and Focus go hand-in-hand. Remember this story?

A small boy was wandering in the woods and saw a monk sitting on a rock. He went up to the monk and asked him to impart a bit of wisdom.

The monk looked at the small boy and said, “My child, be a Lion, not a dog.”

Puzzled, the boy asked, “What does that mean, be a lion, not a dog?”

“When you throw a ball at a dog,” asked the monk, “what does he do?”

“The dog chases the ball,” the boy replied.

“Yes,” said the monk, “but if you threw it at the Lion, it wouldn't care at all about the ball. Its attention would be on you who threw the ball, not on the object....you. Now think about it:  if someone is throwing balls at a lion, what happens next when the lion turns to look?”

“The person throwing the ball better run away before he gets eaten,” the small boy said.

“Correct, my boy. The Lion stays put, focused on you, waiting to grab hold of you.

Confused, the small boy asked the monk, “that's a scary story, teacher, what am I supposed to learn from that other than don't throw a ball at a lion?”

“Like the lion, my friend, always focus on the source.... not the incidents, not the effects....go to the source.”

And that Source is Spirit....our highest self....with Clear and present certainty, we are free to see It and Live It.

Do you perceive yourself as a maverick of intention?

Do you use imagination and faith, knowing the Universe is your ally to end the war on lack or limitation of any kind?

As we perceive life through the roots of our Nature, we commune with the Power of all Life, consecrating ease, and awareness in our thinking. With the seeds of faith as part of our Divine tapestry, unified in the One, we dedicate our mind and heart to just do the God in us. We may pray and meditate with persistence and gusto (which sometimes is hard), but we no longer toil.

Staying in tune with the Divine gives us the tools to carve out what it is we want, desire, require in our lives.

Perception taught us to give credit where credit is due...right here (in the heart-brain) within you. Each of us is the conduit, the sun, the connection. When we soak in the energy of the Universe and Creation with gratitude, commune and be in tune with the Divine, put foundations under our castles in the air, we can wrap up our greatest manifestations with a bow. As satirist Jonathan Swift reminds us:

Real vision is the ability to see the invisible. 

For even when frustrations arise

We can weep, rage, breathe, then sing, and let Divine Love Light the way to laying down our burdens and shadows. I ask you not to forget 2020, but to learn from it. Not to be pissed about it, but to release the anger and forgive it. I ask you to not look back but to look forward.

Some of 2020 events will follow us into 2021, but our perception of those events, how we relate or react to them doesn't have to. Let's take 2021 with advice ala King Henry from Shakespeare's Henry V:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

...imitate the action of the tiger:

Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood,

...set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide;

...breathe and bend up every spirit ...to [Its] full height. 

...show us here...the mettle of your pasture:  let us swear that you are worth your

[Divine] breeding; which I doubt not;

… [and] hath … noble lustre in your eyes.

The game's afoot [the year anew]:

Follow your spirit; and upon this charge,

Cry 'God [is] for me! and All the world

...in peace, vitality, joy, prosperity, and love!'

 

Happy New Year...HAPPY NEW YOU!

Affirmative Incantation

I look forward to this new year. 

I look forward to this prosperous year. 

I step into my wealth and soak up my good health. Vitality, vibrancy, and victory are abundant in my life this year of 2021. It shall be state-of-the-art, cutting-edge, advanced, and unspoiled.

I look forward to a creative year full of loving relationships, peace of mind, and good flowing in of inspiration. I acknowledge my Divinity and Its vibration will show through during all of 2021. 

Happy New Year and Happy New Me.

LAYING DOWN YOUR BURDENS

Lyrics from the Melanie song Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) tell us:

We were so close, there was no room

We bled inside each others wounds

We all had caught the same disease

And we all sang the songs of peace 

Part of the “wrapping it up with a bow” theme in December includes wrapping up our past that lingers in the dis-ease of shame, blame, guilt and pain; purging its energy and sending that energy off to the Universe to be used for better purposes, so it does not hold us back or leave some shadow in our belief system of not deserving the best life. We all have wounds from causing wounds, a bit of dis-ease from hurting someone else, as well as hurts we have experienced. However we also have the ability to create a field, a synergy within that can be used to change our consciousness and the beliefs that attract these conditions.

Our spiritual practices create the field...a field of release, healing, and forgiveness.

Wake up! Your word is all powerful. Your consciousness is one with Omnipotence. Your thought is infinite. Your destiny is eternal and your home is everlasting heaven. Realize the truth – I am living in a perfect universe, it always was perfect and always will be perfect.  ~Ernest Holmes

We have the ability to clear our subconscious or subjective mind, to open ourselves up from the tyranny of our past woes, worries, mistakes, and behaviors. It's not to render us not guilty of these transgressions but to free us so we can move from them and step into our potential, manifest our best, and thus give back and be of service to our world at full force. This deep love of self is a transformational intelligence.

When heart connections are made, our neural pathways expand and wise up. We reveal inner peace and thus World Peace because a peace exists in us. If you take a candle into a cave, you light the cave, yet you could also light many candles from the one and increase the light. So too, in giving light by exploring and releasing past pain and guilt/blame/shame can we optimize our manifestations

Melanie's song reminds us to:

Lay down, lay down, let it all down

Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown

The white bird, the dove in your heart...it's time to release it; to let it smile up all the frowns and habits of our past transgressions.

Release the resistance!

The manifestation work is done immediately by the Universe, however, what it looks like has to do with what you believe and where you stand...

I had a dream I met the Law. I won’t tell you what she looked liked or what she was wearing.

I met the Law and the Law was taking me on a tour. We entered this huge area, infinite, with rows and rows of stuff. We were walking along and all of a sudden I saw my name. 

I said, “hold on, wait; this my stuff?”

She said, “Well you know, whatever you want, whatever you require or declare or are going to require or declare – it’s all here ...waiting for is for you to reveal it in your life. 

So, yeah, it’s your row of stuff.

I looked at it. "Ah, look at that, it just goes on forever, I can have anything, anytime, it just goes on forever. That’s so great." There were boxes and labels of all kinds of things and ideas. And I noticed something I had already received. I said, “I remember getting that, but it didn’t really look as nice as that.

And she said, “Well, that’s because you were standing on the corner.”

“The corner, what are you talking about?

“Well,” she said, “when these things are delivered you have to be on Truth Trail.”

“Truth Trail?”  I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “when that was being delivered you were standing on the corner of Truth Trail and Fear Avenue, so that was colored by your position at the corner.”

“Huh?”  I continued walking down and soon noticed some great things that were in my life and then I saw there was something that never really happened …so far, something that I have wanted and desired. And I said, “what happened to that? I wanted that, I was standing on Truth Trail, I did Treatment for it and everything else…"

“No……I heard you, the Law heard you. It was being delivered, but you weren’t on Truth Trail, you were on I Don’t Deserve It Drive. If you’re not on Truth Trail, it doesn’t show up.

“Jeez,” I said, “But what about that?” 

She said, “don’t even ask, you were on Lack Lane, buddy. When you are on Lack Lane, everything is tainted.”

I tell you this story because I want you all to join me in digging in, delving deeper into your spiritual Mind practices, to pay forward in mental coin so that the stuff that you require, the attitudes you require, the relationships you require, the peace of mind you have decided to have shown up as you desired it, as you pictured it, as you wanted it.

Let me encourage you to stay on Faith Freeway or Belief Boulevard or Spirit Street if you can’t be on Truth Trail. Because UPS  -the Universal Prosperity Service- they’re going to deliver and you want to be at the right address to get the right and perfect delivery.

Our belief sets the limit to the quality of our demonstration through a Principle that is limitless and from a Universal warehouse with infinite possibilities ready to fill everything you require. So it is not a question of Its willingness or of Its ability, it is entirely a question of our own receptivity and freedom from shame, blame, guilt, or regret. If you find your thoughts and beliefs flavored with any of that lack junk:  

Keep praying, treating your mind with love, 
backed by knowing your power 
...the Divine power within

It is like holding a glass with dirty water. You start pouring the mental equivalent of the clean, freshwater of prosperity or health or whatever into that glass; with love and gratitude-filled prayer and spiritual practice overflowing. In the Gospel of Thomas, Yeshua is quoted, 

If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.

Look at what beliefs and decisions you inherited from your family or adopted from society. 

  What beliefs and decisions do you have regarding your mind and body?

  What beliefs and decisions do you have about your family or love relationships?

   What beliefs and decisions do you have about friends, money, community, or work?

  What beliefs and decisions do you have about your Higher Self and Source? 

Where do you stand on those things now? In order to relieve the burden, you create gnosis, an understanding that allows you to release them in the revelation process to decide what you are for vs what you are against. 

You are for the forgiveness of all.

You are for the conscious eradication of any evil intentions within.

You are for a forward movement of Divine Love and Intelligence, intentionally activated in your consciousness and physical reality.

Since the explosion of the first atom bomb, we have read about the possibility of a physical chain reaction that might destroy civilization, as we understand it. There is another kind of energy that is even more important. This is the energy of faith, of affirmative prayer and spiritual meditation. There is no reason to doubt that in the field of spiritual consciousness a chain reaction could be created which would bless the world.  ~Ernest Holmes, Living the Science of Mind 

It's not the bills or the kids or the elderly or even the government. It's the burden in our minds. The darkness in our soul that must be revealed, laid down and released.

So raise the candles high

'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night

Oh, raise them higher again

And if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay Down, Lay Down your burdens and celebrate the holidays by freeing ourselves of our burdens and making a stand on Truth Trail.

Affirmative Incantation

Peace in my heart out pictures as peace in my life and in the world. My peace of mind is a reflection of the Christ consciousness I share with all-kind. 

Since my Word affirms this step...and the next step, and the next, I shall speak it full of faith and conviction. I now reveal all that is hidden which has blocked my way. And I declare that all energies that is revealed shall now be reduced, reused, and recycled into the Universe for a greater cause...a greater purpose...a positive light.

I do not ignore, I reveal. I will not forget, I make an apology and forgive. I am not reminding, I am releasing. I detox and declutter, forgiving myself and others for any and all transgressions. I choose to lay down my regrets. I choose to lay down my trespasses. I choose to lay down my arms of negativity. I shall let the rain wash away the hurt and pain and to heal. In this moment, I claim my freedom from any guilt, shame, blame, or “woe is me.” That history no longer holds me from my beautiful, abundant, positive, peaceful, healthy, happy, joyous, and prosperous life. 

I now allow peace of mind, a clear conscience, the Christ Consciousness, and an ease of body to dominate my mind and out-picture in my life. I joyously sing praises and gratitude for the cleansing of my soul and the song of hallelujah that echoes in my heart.

WEEP, RAGE, BREATHE, SING

          When it rains it pours ...

It's hard to breathe when all you know is

The struggle of staying above

The rising water line    ~Kacey Musgraves, RAINBOW

Holidays bring attention to not being able to have in-person celebrations with our loved ones ...it sucks. It brought a friend of mine to write:  "Just wanna have a big cry every day. That's normal, right?"

And a mutual college friend to reply:  "I’m on an every other day schedule, keeps me from dehydration." 

And I replied:  "Normal, healthy, required, and somehow refreshing...the release has opened my heart though increased my Kleenex budget." It's like a cloud, a shadow hanging over us and winter doesn't help.

What do we learn from this shadow? from the dark of winter or shadows cast from our past in any season? is there richness available in the shadow place?

We're taught: 

Perfect God, perfect person, perfect being

God is the Light that dissolves darkness

As the Unity prayer says:

We humans may not be perfect in daily life, however in the spiritual life/being-ness, we are, and thus we hold the potential to move that over to our physical reality. We are taught to look beyond conditions. In fact to spiritually turn away from them, aligning consciousness with the Divine pattern of wholeness, completeness, and perfection. We also understand that sometimes we need healing of the invisible wounds in our soul. Those that show up in the trigger reactions, making trouble with our manifesting abilities. When we edge out God with limiting thoughts, it seats us in the shadow of fears and limited thinking and the subconscious ideas of not-enoughness and not-deserving-ness, victim-hood, and regret.

This lockdown, semi-lockdown, stay-at-home, very limited public gatherings stuff has invited loneliness, boredom, and frustration, and allowed shadow traits to rear their ugly heads.

So what do we do? how do we remember the spiritual truth of who we are?

To start with, we might want to actually welcome the Shadow, the fear, the isolation, and become aware of the feelings called inferior, worthless, unworthy, and the primitive side and feelings of human nature; one’s own dark side. As satirist Jonathan Swift reminds us:

Real vision is the ability to see the invisible. 

Seeing/recognizing/revealing it and its seemingly continuous presence is stepping onto the path of healing / transform it...even ridding ourselves of it.

And...You gotta feel to heal!!!

The 5 stages of grief and loss are:

• Shock and denial
• Anger...and pain and guilt
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance...and forgiveness and healing

We might want to begin with, as my friend suggested is becoming a constant, to just weep - a good ole cathartic cry. Why?

A. Has a soothing effect, relieves pain, and promotes a sense of well-being, and enhances mood.

B. Releases toxins relieves stress and lowers blood pressure

C. Aids in sleep

D. Fights bacteria and helps to reduce risks presented by bioterror agents if you get near such things.

E. Improves vision. Though don't throw your eyeglasses away.

After a good cry, you might want to rage a bit. Now, rage might not be the best word for it....maybe fury...no...let's say....intense, but controllable anger. Anger is usually about something we feel we have no control over. So...

Find that pillow you don't really like. Maybe it was a gift you felt badly about tossing out. And tear it to pieces. "It was COVID,” you'll say. Don't worry, Aunt Agnes will understand. 

You see, denying these feelings their short but necessary due, denies you the experience of a correction and results in an unconscious inner conflict which can suddenly erupt as aggression. The dark side, whether from past hurts/mind chatter / COVID crap, is a part of that which wants to come out, be said hi to, hugged, forgiven, and released. Recognizing the shadow can be the catalyst towards change and enlightenment - soothing the child in you.

 A shadow is produced when an object blocks light. Whenever we block the light guiding our life, we create a shadow. Only when we are transparent and in alignment with the source of light, as when the sun is directly overhead, does the shadow magically disappear.   ~Jacob Liberman 

When I get defensive or triggered or upset, I quickly take the time to recognize why, and sometimes from where and when:  Why are these feelings/thoughts charged with negative energy? and who is really in charge of them?

Me...You!

And then I apologize and communicate about what the heck was going on; thus putting me on the road or even at the finish line of healing it.

If you could see what I see

You'd be blinded by the colours
Yellow, red and orange and green
And at least a million others
So tie up the boat  

Take off your coat

And take a look around 

~from RAINBOW

The Source and Substance of our supply is the source and substance of our healing.

So now that you have wept and raged, it's time to Breathe; the third of the four stages of our reactions to the shadows that pop up in life.

We can sit in the shade or move into the sunshine. ´Sitting in the shadow, we do not really believe that there is any sunshine. But the sun would be there all the time, and all the time we are in bondage, the real freedom exists. It is there, but we must awake to It. … control the subjective and [do] not let it control us. [Do not] mistake the shadow for the reality; the form for real substance; the hollow voice for revelation and thereby be misled.   ~Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind

A pandemic is a terrible thing to waste. So let's observe where you are defensive! what easily triggers and upsets you. At the same time, let's cultivate the recognition of your divinity and unrestricted self-love!

'Cause the sky has finally opened

The rain and wind stopped blowin' ......

Let go of your umbrella

'Cause, darling, I'm just tryin' to tell ya

That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head

[And} It'll all be alright    ~Kacey Mulgraves

I wrote this on Saint Nicholas Day, the inspiration for Santa Claus. In that light, gift yourself the power of weep, rage, breathe and then take the final step to 

SING praises to the Divine in you that is you!

Sing praises to who you are! Through the power of weep, rage, breathe, and sing, you shall call forth the assistance to release the shadow. And with awareness, venting, and affirmative prayer, you shall bring the song of joy, Light, Love, Prosperity, Health, and Peace into your life

Weep, Rage, Breathe, Sing and let Love Light the Way

Affirmative Incantation

I accept where I am right now. I embrace any shadows in my life as something to learn from and step through with intelligence, compassion, forgiveness and courage. With  that I  reclaim  my highest good lighting the way. Divine Light dissolves the darkness and suffering in my life and that of the world with ease and grace. 

As I acknowledge the darkness and shadow which may surround me, I enthusiastically release them  right now. I surgically remove any hate, triggers, negativity, or victim-hood of the past. And I expand the Love, Light, Beauty, Wisdom, Power, and Joy of my Life; empowered by the luminescence and Intelligence of the unconditional Agape of Spirit. 

Love Lights the Way!

Leftovers

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

  Listen, listen, listen to my heart's song...I will never forget you, I   will never forsake you...  ~Paramahansa Yogananda

  Deeply embedded in our nature is the knowledge of how to receive. It    is a great and beautiful birthright. And yet, for any number of reasons,    we sometimes do not believe that we can receive good or we believe      that our only value is in giving.

  The Universe is impersonal. It gives alike to all. It is no   respecter of persons. It values each alike. Its nature is to impart,   ours to receive. When we stand in the light, we cast a shadow   across the pathway of our own experience. Emerson advises that   we get our bloated nothingness out of the way of the divine   circuits. ~Ernest Holmes, "The Science of Mind"

 Reality Check:  we’re in an ever-flowing cycle of giving and receiving. It is the literal process of our breath. We receive oxygen at the inhale, “God Is,” and give carbon dioxide, “I Am,” at the exhale; giving other living beings an element of their survival and thriving. In the Law of Circulation - in the flow - God gives to ItSelf (each of us). We live in synchronicity with the world around us and each of us will experience this when we know...

Where I sit is holy; Holy is the ground.

Who I am is holy; Holy are we.

Body, thought, emotion:  Connecting you and me.  ~Shaina Noll

Where do we position ourselves in the ebb and flow of the universe?  in a stance of interconnectivity? in a position to receive good and foster good being received by others?  

We are not bloated nothingness, yet there are aspects of the ego that certainly show up in a “bloated nothingness suit” and can cause us to turn our back towards the warmth that is available to us. We need only pivot ourselves in the direction of that good with our arms wide open, ready to receive the sunlight, moonlight, the intoxicating sound of rain falling, our purpose calling, being swept off our feet with love, compassion, and all the bounty the Universe has to offer.

Who's doing that and how much?

For most of us, it's “sometimes.” Sometimes we’re open to goodness, to receive goodness. Perhaps you live in a space of receptivity every day. If so, congrats on rockin' the joy. But maybe your answer is a resounding, “No.” Your brain screams that the wide arm receptive stance poses too many risks and provokes undesirable feelings. If that is your experience you are not alone. 

Brene Brown discovered that about 15-20% of people live in a full-hearted way where they can easily both give and receive love in the divine synchronistic flow. The findings suggested that what causes the ability to really receive as well as give is whether or not people believe they are lovable at a core truth.

Do we believe we are irrefutably lovable and valuable? That we don’t need any benchmark of success to prove it? 

When we can know our value, we are more in touch with our feelings, both those we label as positive or negative, and that helps us become big-hearted receivers of good and givers of good. Many times we must look in between the spaces:

 

Here we are, and there's a place where I can meet you, in between, and in the spaces in between, the stories that we've made...  Shaina Nol (In Between the Spaces)

What to do with that leftover gratitude?

Gratitude is like those carryover minutes in a mobile or data plan - the leftovers are re-usable. Just like Turkey Day's leftovers. You can make a sandwich of turkey and thankfulness, moistened with gravy and gratitude or a soup of forgiveness, vulnerability, and healing or a casserole of declarations and revelations or even some turkey and affirmation-filled egg rolls, or perhaps wow-is-me waffles topped with cranberry and Divine Intelligence.

What we intentionally welcome into our lives or ingest into our minds has a tremendous impact on how wide our hearts will open and how available we can be to receive the goodness we require from the Universe. We are taught that we should mostly welcome benchmarks of power and strength without much if any, vulnerability and tenderness. Power is worshiped. It projects strength and invulnerability. But isn't vulnerability a courageous thing to embrace? a part of the core of our humanness?

Perhaps being open to this is precisely what makes peace and love and cooperation possible. It is this openness to a vulnerability that allows us to receive and reveal the Divine within us. When we do this, there is much leftover for another day. Brene Brown found in her research:

... people who deeply believed that they were worthy of love and belonging [and] believed this regardless of the circumstances, unlike the majority of us who think: "Okay, I'm worthy of love and belonging a little bit, but I'll be super worthy if I get promoted. Or I'll be super worthy if I lose 20 pounds."  These folks believed that they were lovable and that they had a place in the world, and those beliefs translated into specific choices they made every day. They were aware. They recognized shame, and they knew how to deal with it. They recognized vulnerability, and they were willing to feel it—rather than ignore or numb.

When we can welcome in our own vulnerability and the vulnerability of others we are well on our way to being grateful and cheerful receivers of goodness. Let’s cultivate our tenderness and tune into God’s rhythm.

The ebb and flow of life is just waiting to course through us ...with plenty leftover!           

Affirmative Incantation 

I stand strong with my mind and heart open to the infinite possibilities in front of me. Nothing separates me from the river of prosperity that flows throughout the Universe as I give and receive my time, talent, and treasure. I am always in surplus of the vitality, knowledge, boldness, curiosity, and schedule required to fulfill my life with all the nourishment the mind, body, and spirit requires. 

I am getting me some 'happy.' I am getting me some love. I am getting me some security. I am getting me some adventure and joy on this journey. And I am doing this right now, with many leftovers available for all.

With ease, peace, and gratitude I celebrate today with wild abandon.

thx btw

Thanksgiving has a lot of emotional heat associated with it. Family drama, the actual Thanksgiving story which was not so thankful day for the Wampanoag people. However, there is a lot about Thanksgiving history that is interesting to know. So here are a few fun facts about Turkey Day:

First Thanksgiving was a harvest feast in 1621 ... in October. There's no record of turkey being eaten at the meal this holiday is based upon, just waterfowl, venison, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. So, per Rogers and Hammerstein, "chicks and ducks and geese better scurry."

The mother of Thanksgiving Day was Sarah Josepha Hale; the 19th-century author of “Mary Had A Little Lamb.”

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is called Drinksgiving. A usual time of being back home and visiting old friends at the bar before the family festivities begin. Since we all must stay home, it's a good year to celebrate this event - you won't need a dedicated driver, UBER, LYFT, or cab.

Black Friday, is of course the day after Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping day of the year. It is also the busiest day for plumbers.

"Jingle Bells" was a song written in 1857, originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh." Its composer, James Pierpont, intended it to be a Thanksgiving Day song, but it became so popular around December 25th, that in 1859 the title was changed to "Jingle Bells" and it was dedicated as a Christmas carol.

Thanksgiving became a federal holiday in 1863. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." Lincoln's GPS might have been a bit off on the location of the beneficent Father or Mother or Force or Divine Intelligence or The Thing Itself 's dwelleth-ing-ness, but the sentiment was certainly there.

Speaking of location. Have you decided how you're gonna do it this year? many are having an online family get together on FaceTime or Zoom, etc. So here I would like to offer you a short primer of 9 to save your Thanksgiving Zoom Dinner:

1) Can also use Google Meet, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams

2) You don't have to zoom through your Zoom holiday dinner as Zoom is deferring its 40 minute limit for Turkey Day, so talk politics and religion all you like with Uncle Charley.

3) Be sure to designate yourself the host. Be in charge...of the mute button; especially for using on Cousin Fred, whose questions always get too personal.

4) Plan ahead! The placement of cameras is important. Maybe put a laptop next to the turkey or on one end of the dinner table, place an iPhone near the cranberries, a webcam in the kitchen and by the stuffing, and perhaps an Ipad or tablet next to the pies.

5)   Have a practice run. You'll have some more time with the family you like, and more opportunities for holiday food! Perhaps on Drinksgiving.

6)   Remember since it is your Zoom Turkey Day, you have control over the mute button. I know that's a bit of a repeat, but important to remember.

7)   Don't get stressed out about the usual hiccups from slow internet; lost connections. Use it as a good excuse to lose Cousin Fred and Uncle Charley for a bit or forever – other than using the mute button.

8)   You might want to pick a background for the Zoom call, that way you don't have to tidy up the house.

9)   Most people won't know about the unlimited Zoom thing for Turkey Day. So, go ahead and keep it as short as you like. Maybe stick to the usual 40-minute limit. You know, have a prayer or two, the meal, some quick dessert, then ...  “nice to see ya, thx btw, goodnight!”

Gratitude comes from the Latin, gratia, meaning grace or graciousness. Gratitude then is a thing of grace to be thankful.

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.  ~Henry Van Dyke

GRATITUDE is more than a holiday experience, it is a daily part of living. Bad or good experience, let us be in gratitude. Whether it is a happy time or a challenging time with something learned, let us love it even if don't like it. Living in gratitude expands what you have now; it opens up a Power within you to have more from this ever-emerging infinite Universe.

Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.  ~Rumi

Gratitude and manifestation go together like turkey and mashed potatoes! It is full of feeling, impulse, and action.

Feeling ALWAYS precedes demonstration. The creative process is set in motion by our thoughts and feelings, whether conscious or unconscious, individual or collective. And It inspires an impulse.

Impulse is the act of following your inner guidance as you make decisions. Listening and heeding to the voice of the Divine within you. That which is instructive and constructive. That which inspires each step of the way. When you follow your Highest Self's guidance, it should feel effortless and fun! and leads you to...

Action. The Universe doesn’t act until we do. We set the Law in motion with our thoughts and feelings of gratitude and being physically engaged. So let us say, thx btw, as we harness the Divine Power that is our birthright, and: 

• Center ourselves in the quiet place within, where all possibility lies - communing with Spirit, our Highest Self;

• Thx btw, as we set our intention for manifestation, the starting point of everything that takes place in the Universe. When we see it, feel it, imagine it, taste it, smell it, experience it in our minds and hearts - we manifest it; 

• Thx btw, as we let go and let God handle the details of how / when / where it comes about; 

• And thx btw, as we follow the intuition stirring in our bellies and live as if our intention already is.

Ernest Holmes reminds us:

...Universal Subjective Mind is a doer and not a self-conscious knower. It knows how to do it but It does not have any conscious knowledge that It is doing. Man calls It forth into expression.

The Universe is only motivated to create when you are! Our job is to know, accept, and expect with gratitude and thanksgiving. I invite you to make Thanksgiving a daily holiday; maybe without the overeating and arguments. 

Say "thx btw" as you watch the gratefulness turn into an abundant expression of great love, health, creativity, prosperity, and if your anything like me, another slice of pumpkin pie.

Affirmative Incantation 

I show up in the world today with my best attention, my best intention, and my greatest powers of Love and wisdom to freely share the richness of my being, my talents, my time, and my treasure.

I have the courage to be my Authentic Self on this day, knowing my mind is the mind of God Itself at work and play. I give thanks for the gracious use of my best self in this life, for me, my family, my community, and my planet. I am in great gratitude for taking my unique place in expressing the creative energy of the Universe.

I am awake! I am aware! I am revealing my magnificence … eternally grateful to the Divine Intelligence within!

YOUR OBLIGATION

There is a meditative process I use where you place a thermometer or some sort of a
gauge in your mind's eye to see where I am and to move it to where I declare it to be. It reveals the conscious energy flowing to and from the Universe. It is moving the bar between desire and fire, from have not to have now.

To have a have consciousness about something, we have the obligation to set the bar of acceptance high. To engage the intellectual, imaginational, and spiritual tools and energy modalities into action

Spirit is 100% engaged with us...

...are we 100% engaged with It?

Being spiritual does not mean we are not active in the material world. Most of us are not here to live in a cave contemplating our navel in the Himalayas or to live under a rock, ignoring the happenings of life around us. We are equipped to be 100% Spirit-led and, at the same time be 100% material world-lived.

Florence Scovel Shin talking about the Law of Resistance reminds us:

So long as man resists a situation, he will have it with him. If he runs away from it, it will run after him. ... The inharmonious situation comes from some inharmony within man himself.

Are we each heeding the call to participate fully in life and Spirit?

In Spirit, we do so by using our tools:  

• Spiritual Mind Treatment
• affirmative prayer
• affirmative incantations and affirmations
• meditation
• visualization
• contemplation
• gratitude
• forgiveness and the ho'oponopono
• and silence

pushing that thermometer to 100% connection and belief. In the material world, we do so by heeding the call to action:

• speaking our word
• walking our talk
• living our values

It is our obligation to use our powers intentionally, both inwardly and outwardly. Otherwise, as Rev. Dr. William Barber asks us:

How will the haters learn that they’re wrong unless they learn of God’s love?

It is in gratitude that we manifest our desires. It is in gratitude that we learn from others what not to be or do. It is in gratitude and love that we speak out; even when steeped in fear of rejection, even when we have to get in front of our own anger, stubbornness, or obstinance, and/or in the disbelief, shock, and awe of someone so full of hate, ignorance, injustice, or gross entitlement (and for some, with pride).

Yet, we must speak anyway. 

We need not leave the world; for we may engage in all of its activities without being controlled by them; we may be in the world of affairs as masters [of ourselves and our minds] and not as slaves [to lack, fear, social pressures, upbringing, etc].    ~Ernest Holmes [mine]

An Ethiopian Tale of Wisdom tells the story that:

Long ago, Fire, Water, Truth, and Falsehood lived together in one large house. Although all were polite toward each other, they kept their distance. Truth and Falsehood sat on opposite sides of the room. Fire constantly leapt out of Water's path.

One day they went hunting together. They found a large number of cattle and began driving them home to their village. "Let us share these cattle equally," said Truth as they traveled across the grasslands. "This is the fair way to divide our captives."

No one disagreed with Truth except Falsehood. Falsehood wanted more than an equal share but kept quiet about it for the moment. As the four hunters traveled back to the village, Falsehood went secretly to Water and whispered, "You are more powerful than Fire. Destroy Fire and then there will be more cattle for each of us!"

Water flowed over Fire, bubbling and steaming until Fire was gone. Water meandered along, cheerfully thinking about more cattle for itself.

Falsehood, meanwhile, whispered to Truth. "Look! See for yourself! Water has killed Fire! Let us leave Water, who has cruelly destroyed our warmhearted friend. We must take the cattle high in the mountains to graze."

As Truth and Falsehood traveled up the mountain, Water tried to follow. But the mountain was too steep, and Water could not flow upwards. Water washed down upon itself, splashing and swirling around rocks as it tumbled down the slope. Look and see! Water is still tumbling down the mountainside to this day.

Truth and Falsehood arrived at the mountaintop. Falsehood turned to Truth and said in a loud voice, "I am more powerful than you! You will be my servant. I am your master. All the cattle belong to me!"

Truth rose up and spoke out, "I will not be your servant!"

They battled and battled. Finally they brought the argument to Wind to decide who was master.

Wind didn't know. Wind blew all over the world to ask people whether Truth or Falsehood was more powerful. Some people said, "A single word of Falsehood can completely destroy Truth." Others insisted, "Like a small candle in the dark, Truth can change every situation."

Wind finally returned to the mountain and said, "I have seen that Falsehood is very powerful. But it can rule only where Truth has stopped struggling to be heard."

There's a Hebrew word, hineni. Abraham says it to God in the Book of Genesis and Moses said it to the Burning Bush in Exodus. It means “here I am” - available, engaged, ready and willing. It is our obligation to say hineni to the Universe and Life:  

 

Here I am - not hiding, not ignoring circumstances or the Divine within. Here I am in full view - open to the possibilities, waiting to surrender to the inspiration and wisdom of the Divine, and taking action where action is due.

Some of us will carry signs, some will run for office, some will make a scene, and others will write letters or send money, but all of us can speak up and pray.

The consciousness of this nation is a work-in-progress. And though I stand in the disgusted and sad awe of so many taking a stand for hate, unfairness, and a lack of dignity; I still heed the call that rings in the Universe:

...a call for love and thanksgiving
...a call for peace and justice
...a call for sharing and forgiveness
...and for treating people equally, lifting up those in need

In Project Gratitude, I wholeheartedly take hold of this obligation to speak and live the word of love, peace, calm, wisdom, thanksgiving, and justice. And I do so with this affirmative incantation now:

I am listening and I am engaged. 

I am listening for the cries from my heart and the hearts of this world

   ...listening for the ideas and words that will heal

   ...listening for the best expressions of peace, prosperity, good health, and love in my life

   ...and I am listening for the inspirations Spirit has for me to illuminate my whole Being.

I am listening and engaging the calls to action. Engaged in the fullness of living, I match my heart, mind, and gut with Divine Love, Divine Wisdom, Divine Source, and Divine Light.

I am listening and I am engaged and I expect joy to spread throughout my life and the lives of those around me.

WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Today I must give credit where credit is due. I am grateful that so many came together to vote with their consciousness so that they wouldn't have to continue to live steeped in their conscience. Though all the votes have not been counted as of this morning, a large number of citizens chose integrity over party, fairness over politics, cooperation over chaos, wisdom over policy, and character over personality.

We tend to forget that the Universe has already made everything available to us. It may not always feel like it, because it is our job to awaken to it, reveal it. And, by believing in It and ourselves as It, we can learn and create a better us, a better nation, and a better world.

The most direct approach to prosperity is through the Absolute. If it is true of God, it must be true in manifestation. God is all in all. It is both desire and fulfillment, prayer and its answer, idea and its manifestation.  ~Robert A Russell, "Putting the Prosperity Idea to Work"

If it is true of God and God is all in all, then it must be true of each of us. We are the prayer and its answer, the idea and its manifestation, and the desire and its fulfillment.

Much celebration has occurred for a return of decency, faith, calm, and the removal of a little less cray-cray in our nation. Still, many will say...

Really? So what?”What's to be grateful for? We are still staying at home. People are dying or getting sick. Businesses are being lost. 

What is to be grateful for is our birthright, power, and ability to awaken or re-awaken, if necessary, to the Truth and transcend the limiting beliefs of any of our present conditions. That can never be taken away. Still...

Are you struggling in the “I can’t” world; allowing the edges of your limitations to show? playing small? limiting the Universe?

Are you playing at the level of Tic Tac Toe or Kirby's Dream Land on a Game Boy?

Are you stuck in Level One or Two manifestations like parking spots and misplaced keys? Or are you playing full out? Not just in the process of getting things, but in the end result of being things and ideas by shining your Truth and Light as a customer of the inexhaustible source of the Universe.

There's nothing wrong with the small-play if we use their success as the basis of strengthening our faith and gratitude muscles, perfecting our best words, fleshing out our praying, as well as using our affirming, imagining, and visualizing skills by mastering the smaller stuff. You've done it – you've proved yourself. Go ahead and take the credit and get on Faith Freeway and the Energy Expressway to manifesting fabulous ideas and stuff.

Modern Mystic Vivian May Williams wrote:

We cannot possess money until we perceive that the substance of our own form or identity is the same substance of wealth [or abundance] of which money is the identity. If you believe you are spiritual and money is material, you separate yourself from it by accepting such a belief. But when you realize that money is a spiritual idea that stands in the same relationship to Mind [and] God, as a rose does, it will be visibly expressed without anxious thought.

What is the spiritual difference between a rose bloomed in your garden and a check for a million dollars? Nothing....in Spirit...only in consciousness, only in the energy of allowing and expecting the idea to come into fruition, only in the frequency of being in gratitude for receiving that rose or the million-dollar check or whatever amount you can be a bit out of your comfort zone with. The Universe is ready, able, and willing to manifest either or both.

From David Spangler, the "practical mystic":

Imagine with me:  your inside a dark house, dressed in a swimsuit. You are cold. You wish for warmth, you wish for light. You step outside the door of the house, into the sunlight, out into nature. You go out to your lounge chair and lie down and sunbathe. You feel the warmth and light penetrate your being. You feel so good, no longer cold. You see a tree near you and you see how it also takes in the rays of the sun, turning sunlight into food and energy. It is like you, a sun-bather, absorbing the light and warmth. Now look at the sun and feel your being begin to expand and rise out of your scene, towards the sun. You meld into the sun. You are the sun. You are radiating out your light upon the trees and plants, on nature, shining your light onto solar panels that people convert into energy, people sitting and absorbing your rays. Feel what it is like to give out from an inexhaustible supply. Feel the difference of being the sun and being the sunbather. Feel the connection between the two.

Are you seeking the warmth, taking the action to step into the light, and accepting the rays of the sun?

Or do you think of yourself as the very power of the sun! Not catching the light...

Being the Light!

You are the sun. When you pass by, people should sing, “Here Comes the Sun...”

Living in Project Gratitude means we show up shifting our point of view from getting to expecting. Not by some entitlement, taking away from or using others, but by an expectation of an infinite availability. I am not here to train you to manifest. I am here to lead you in recognizing/acknowledging your ability to manifest; your God-given right and power to energize the consciousness and having-ness within you of the rose and the check, of health and the loving relationships, of the great career and a peaceful world, etc.

In I of the Storm, Rev. Dr. Gary Simmons of Unity Spiritual Center Spokane wrote about an experience he had with Jyotish Hindu astrologers:

One of the Hindu ascetics looked at me and said, “The future can only be regarded as probabilities floating upon a sea of infinite possibilities. What makes us so predictable,” he added, “is that attention and awareness continuously re-frame the present moment in the context of past influences. ... If consciousness is in bondage to the past or if attention is mesmerized according to ingrained patterns of awareness, the future is simply an extended line from here to tomorrow - and that's what makes the future predictable.

In Project Gratitude we re-frame our past and present, realign it and release any bondage. It may happen in 7 seconds or 7 years. You see, prayer is like a seed. Like the oak tree contained within the acorn, so too is the manifestation of an idea already contained in the Universe - ready to crack open. Our example to the world is to:

• Rid ourselves from a Lack of Awareness
• Live the words of infinite availability/possibility
• Do our work in the Absolute
• Shift our viewing point from future to now...in gratitude

You are the conduit, the sun, the connection. Soak in the energy of the Universe and creation.

...it's your thoughts and the feelings backing them, and your beliefs

...it's your connection to the energy that is Spirit 

...it's your consciousness that makes your life as it is.

So take a bow, take the credit! Enjoy, be grateful, live, laugh, love, thrive!

Affirmative Incantation

I acknowledge that I Am backed and sustained by the Power and Presence of Spirit.

Today my heart opens to the energy, liturgy and synergy of gratitude, constantly renewing Itself in a beam of Light that illuminates everything I do. 

This brings unto me...

the inspiration, affirmation, confirmation, and divination of love, 

the expectation, Installation, and habitation of calm, 

the liberation, mobilization, and navigation of bodily ease, 

the realization, ordination, and propagation of grace, 

the stimulation, transformation, and verification of prosperity, 

and that frequency called peace of mind broadcasts perpetually.

I radiate my Divine communion. And joyously shout from the rooftops my gratitude for these things being in my life today and in all my tomorrow's tomorrow.

Title Photo by Thibault Dandré on Unsplash

Vote Your Consciousness

When we vote, we are told to vote our conscience. I beg to differ. I believe when we vote, we must vote our consciousness. How that, you may ask?

Let's look at the word conscience versus consciousness. Conscience is that part of your personality that guides you to determine between right and wrong in behavior. Freud equates it with guilt; feeling guilty when you do something bad and good when you do something kind. Thus conscience is something that shows up after the fact. So...

When we vote our consciousness, we vote from something we are now.

It is said that God’s Will looks like this...

...some anthropomorphic idea of an outside power guiding, choosing, and leading us from the outside like a Santa Claus type figure doling out the good and the bad, the positive and the negative.

In Truth, this Power resides within. It is an energy that radiates like this...

...the energy of inspiration

...the energy of pure potentiality

...the energy of Divine Love

...the energy of the Big Bang

...the energy of infinite wisdom

In fact - in Truth, God's Will, if you want to call it that, is to say “yes” to each of our choices!

We have the Divine Authority to choose how to think, act, and be; to choose the energy we exude and attract, and to choose to do that through wisdom and compassion. Spirit is so giving of ItSelf to ItSelf -that's you and me- that it accepts the choices we as incarnate beings of It's Divinity choose to declare. Does it not benefit us to always choose from a place of consciousness and character? of compassion, self-care, integrity, goodness? 

Choice is the engine of evolution...The power of choice is the greatest gift you have been given, second only to the gift of Life itself.  ~Gary Zukav

Consciousness is a choice. Awakening to and living as our authentic selves is a choice; a choice we either use unconsciously and be beholden to our conscience or consciously, and be intentional and full of purpose, ethics, and values from the start.

All Intelligence abides in you … and awaits your call upon it. You may say you do not know what to do. But at the center of your mind is the clear decision that you should make. It is right there.  ~Raymond Charles Barker, “The Power of Decision”

THE WISE MASTER

a story from Jataka tales of India

There once was a teacher who lived with a great number of students in a run-down old school. The students supported themselves by begging for food in the bustling streets of a nearby town. Some of the students grumbled about their humble living conditions. In response, the old master said one day, "We must repair the walls of this temple. Since we occupy ourselves with study and meditation, there is no time to earn the money we will need. I have thought of a simple solution."

All the students eagerly gathered closer to hear the words of their teacher.

The master said, "Each of you must go into the town and steal goods that can be sold for money. In this way, we will be able to do the good work of repairing our temple."

The students were startled at this suggestion from their wise master. But since they respected him greatly, they assumed he must have good judgment and did not protest.

The wise master said sternly, "In order not to defile our excellent reputation by committing illegal and immoral acts, please be certain to steal when no one is looking. I do not want anyone to be caught."

When the teacher walked away, the students discussed the plan among themselves. "It is wrong to steal," said one. "Why has our wise master asked us to do this?"

Another retorted, "It will allow us to build our temple, which is a good result."

They all agreed that their teacher was wise and just and must have a sensible reason for making such an unusual request. They set out eagerly for the town, promising each other that they would not disgrace their school by getting caught. "Be careful," they called to one another. "Do not let anyone see you stealing."

All the students except one young boy set forth. The wise master approached him and asked, "Why do you stay behind?"

The boy responded, "I cannot follow your instructions to steal where no one will see me. Wherever I go, God is watching me and I am always there watching myself too. My own eyes will see me steal."

The wise master tearfully embraced the boy. "I was just testing the integrity of my students," he said. "You are the only one who has passed the test!"

The boy went on to become a great teacher himself.

To make choices that engage both the wisdom of the Divine and compassion, we must cultivate these qualities within ourselves and express them habitually and intentionally. Our goal here is to bring forth what is already within us; to awaken our true power, love, wisdom, and joy by focusing our minds on wise and compassionate choices.

The human mind is a vessel for receiving divine inflow. Yet what is divine does not flow beyond our smoothing of the way or our opening of the door.  ~Emanuel Swedenborg 

Conclusion and Call to Action: 

Let us say YES to choice and commit, over and over and over again, to choosing a consciousness of our best Self. 

Choose fairness, respect, kindness, wisdom, joy, compassion, generosity, integrity, loyalty, sincerity, peacefulness, patience, courage, boldness,  trustworthiness, responsibility, and citizenship

And when you vote, whether on a ballot or any decision you're making, vote for and with character - yours, mine, ours, and that of our nation

Affirmative Incantation

My authentic Self is in all I do, think, feel, and Be. 

My character is illustrated by kindness, compassion, love and peace. Everyone and everything I come into contact with today shall be talked with as another Divine Appointment in the world. 

On this day I have decided to choose wisely, compassionately, and decisively with all that shows up. I have the consciousness of being an extraordinary, authentic expression of Divine Love. 

This day, I habitually glow brightly in the joyous Light of Spirit.

CARVING MY PUMPKIN

Your life is your mirror. 

Look around you. 

Do you see a world that works for everyone? 

Do you see a world that feels free from discord? 

A world where all needs are met and all people are living in peace? 

Creating a world of love, peace and prosperity begins with creating love, peace, and prosperity in you. 

Are you living with love, peace, and prosperity and the fulfillment of your fondest desires in your heart? 


Are you reconciled with and in forgiveness of stuff that you feel have hurt you in the past? Have you done your ho'opanopano healing work? Can you improve upon what you see when you look within your own being? These are questions I ask myself!

The good that you are seeking is also seeking you. The highest good – the innermost God – is ready to reveal Itself in you and through each of us. We all seek to recognize the reflection of God -the highest and best expression of our good- in everything.  When we see this, we see the potential for creating a world that is free of discord for ourselves and all beings. Soaking in this awareness, there is no separation from God or our Good.

I know that it is sometimes hard to understand and honor the unique characteristics of some with whom we come into contact, however, we must realize that each encounter is nevertheless a Divine Appointment. We may not understand how or why we may not like it, but if you are a Divine Appointment, all are. The Universe knows not good and evil – it only knows Love.

There is but one Presence in the universe. It is in and through everything, It must be in and through you. This Presence manifests Itself in and through all forms, all people, all conditions. This Presence is Life Itself. Its nature is love and givingness. ~Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You"

What do you see when you look at the reflection of you? Anything you want to change? Anything you want to redesign?

Conclusion and Call to Action:

No greater good can come to you than to know that the Power already within you is the power to live, the power to create. Not only to create for yourself, but for others -- the power to do good, the power to heal, the power to prosper. You are to realize that the Power within you is a Divine Authority. It is a dispenser of the Divine Gifts. It is a giver of life, of joy. It proclaims the ... harmony of the soul, and the unity of all being. ~Ernest Holmes

We have the ability to redesign, to carve the pumpkin of our lives!

Carving My Pumpkin Step by Step

Fortunately, you don't have to pick a perfect pumpkin to carve, because you are one. And for those of us "at an age," a mature pumpkin is the best kind – ripe with wisdom and knowledge. And don't concern yourself about any asymmetrical parts or thoughts you might have, that just makes for a more interesting design.

Start off by giving the pumpkin and yourself a good scrub with castile soap. It helps reduce the number of microorganisms hanging out on the skin, as well as, refreshes our body and mind.

Display your pumpkin uncarved until a day or two before the big day and honor who you are right now and the history that made you, you.

To carve your pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern as well as, your life to its best, you’ll need a couple of tools for cutting, scraping, and carving. For your mind, you probably have some in your spiritual toolbox right now (how many are you using?).

A sharp, sturdy, long-bladed knife and a paring knife to carve the jack-o’-lantern. And an awl for making holes to start sawing from - makes for safer fingers and quieter nerves. Finally, an apple-corer works well for making round holes or rounding corners. (awareness/mindfulness/quiet/meditation/rest/ fun cuts holes for the mind)


Your hand makes a good scoop for extracting the bulk of the seeds and the stringy fibrous goo. Add a scraper or a tablespoon, soup spoon or a melon-baller for getting the last of the stringy guts out of a pumpkin. (radical forgiveness)


Step 1. Cut into the pumpkin.
Place your pumpkin on a solid surface you can wash or spread newspaper to catch any drips. 

Draw the proposed bottom cut on the skin with a felt tip marker, then make a straight-sided opening into the center of the bottom of the pumpkin. Using the bottom vs the top has three advantages: you won’t have a lid to fall in as the pumpkin softens; weeping liquids won’t build up in the carved pumpkin to attract insects and encourage spoilage; and it will be much easier to light the jack-o’-lantern with a candle and your experiences by digging deep using affirmative prayer or Spiritual Mind Treatment (SMT) work.

Use a heavy knife with a sharp point or an awl and pumpkin-saw to cut through the skin and flesh and into the seed cavity in the center of the pumpkin. Caution: pumpkin skin is tough and raw pumpkin flesh is HARD! Be very careful as you will have to push hard and it is easy to slip and cut too far or yourself. Once you finish the cut, lift/pull the cut part out. It's like the first step of SMT, to recognize the Universal Power, Divine Intelligence, God, Spirit, Love, or Presence.

Step 2. Pull out the guts and seeds.
Scoop out the stringy pulp and seeds with your hands or a long-handled spoon, placing the seeds in one bowl for roasting later and the pulp in another one for the compost pile. Scrape the inside of the pumpkin to get out every scrap of the stringy, soft pulp, leaving only firm, hard flesh. Wipe the inside dry. In SMT, you would be on step 2, Uniting with that Power from step 1, Reveal the Divinity in you.

Step 3. Draw and cut out your design.
Use a felt tip marker to sketch it out. Then you use an awl and poke small holes where you plan to cut. Draw simple shapes with straight sides, such as triangles (like having small goals) or you may want to use a pre-made pattern (Step 3-reveal, and A.I.'s)

Use a small, sharp knife or an awl and saw to cut along the edges of your marked design. Then gently press the loose bits into or out of the pumpkin with your finger. For large or complicated openings, such as toothy grins, it works best to cut out small sections of the shape at a time. Like the idea of the small goals when you are revealing and declaring what it is you are calling into your life in the third SMT step. 

These bits of flesh can be cooked and eaten, or tossed to the chickens or into the compost. Or release the energy of these bits removed back to the Universe.

Step 4: Condition your jack-o’-lantern.
Once you have finished carving your pumpkin, spray or wipe the inside of the cavity, and all the cut surfaces, with an essential-oil-based cleaning spray or soak the carved pumpkin overnight in a tub of 1 tbl of borax per gallon of water. Similarly, when you are in the fourth step of SMT, gratitude, and maybe later in a hot bath with essential oils and candles or sitting quietly.

Step 5: Illuminate your jack-o’-lantern.
Once you’ve carved a pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern, you’ll want to show it off by putting a light inside to shine through the design. This is like the fifth step in SMT, release, getting your intention and Word out there to shine!

Now, some you may want to avoid carving the mean, nasty, angry pumpkin or bringing into your life something like this...

or the emotional vampire pumpkin, like this, thinking it has to take to have...

or the frightened pumpkin – even if you think there's a reason to be one, like this....

Others are good to carve, like the above...it's where we should always begin - joy/happiness!

Whichever you choose to be...

REMEMBER TO SHINE!

                                      

You are a divine being, endowed with infinite potentiality, infinite capability, infinite creative intelligence, and a capacity to live life in tune with all the laws of Nature.

That's the pumpkin you've been given...start carving!





Affirmative Incantation

Awake and mindful, I make the most positive difference in my life. Conscious and aware, I make a significant difference in the world around me. 

At one with the great frequency of Love, I spread my compassion upon the land. And with the great wave of Light empowering me, I soar with the wind at my back on an adventure of happiness and success. 

Energized with this Divine Presence, I illuminate my world with beauty, vitality, and wisdom. 

Awareness is my watchword today - aware of the Power of Divine Intelligence within me to propel my life to its best. 

I stand empowered to shine brightly all day.

2020 the New Thought Guy