Who's Got The Coolest Looking Egg?

What is Easter About?  Ascension, Atonement, resurrection, rebirth, suffering, eggs, death, transmutation, transformation, transition, betrayal, blessing, bunnies, release, revelation, contemplation, crucifixion, chocolate, sacrifice, immortality and probably more
                        ...that's 20 ideas to explore.  #1...

Resurrection is a much talked about subject during this time. After much deliberation this week, I wonder if there is even something we need to resurrect? That implies something was dead. If some good has disappeared from your consciousness, it is not dead, it is misplaced or ignored. And can be found by *looking sharp* at the Truth and then living it.

Yeshua delivered a powerful blessed message, the culmination of his ministry, which basically tells us that each person has an immortal Divine power working within them, a Kingdom of Heaven, you might say. And yet, 2000+ years later, through much suffering, have we got it yet? Are we, like the Hebrews with Moses and the Jews of Jesus' time, not listening to this basic Truth. Are we hearing, yet not embodying? The Great Example (Jesus/Yeshua) had to make a great and dramatic sacrificial example (the Crucifixion) and still many didn't get the crux of his ministry.

It has been said that “You can't have a resurrection without a crucifixion..nor a betrayal.” I get the sentiment and metaphor, especially today. It's about forgiveness of our self-betrayal (Judas), our bad choices of ideas and people we allowed in or offered to stay with us over too long a period of time. It's about transmuting to a new level of consciousness, yes, I get that, but crucifixion?  Crucifixion was a punishment, usually done naked, intended to provide a death that was particularly slow, painful, gruesome, humiliating, and public. The word, excruciating means "out of crucifying." Again, I know it's a metaphor, however, do we really want to go through that? even metaphorically? the ...no pain, no gain attitude? Not necessary, I say!

I understand sometimes a transformation can be painful, especially as we sometimes must step into the dark to get to the light, but do we want to invite this idea of an excruciating release? Maybe that's why the bunnies and chocolate are present in this holiday, to sweeten up the process.

The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.   ~Deepak Chopra

And yes, per Bible, the apostles didn't get It till following the June. 49 days days after Easter, 50 days after Passover, at the start of  Shavuot, the celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest and the  end of the barley harvest, and commemorating the deliverance of the Torah from Mt. Sinai. It is the Pentacost, when the descent of ruach ha kodesh (the spirit of the holiness) upon apostles occured.

Okay maybe they had to meditate on things a bit, both were big events. For the Israelites during the Passover story, there was freedom from slavery, crossing the Red Sea, the deliverance of the 10 Commandments and forty years of "wandering," that might have distracted them. In the Easter story, even after three years of his ministry, the trial and crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and the rock, the resurrection, Yeshua and Doubting Thomas at the meeting...a lot of drama to distract from the Divine within. But do we have to wait till June to get it, apply it, and be it?  No! There is no line and no waiting!

And I don't want to kill or crucify my limiting beliefs in order to resurrect the Divine Me. I want to replace them. There is nothing to resurrect, only reveal what is already there, alive in me. Maybe I am playing hide-n-seek with it. This is about revelation and unfoldment:

In the unfoldment of the spiritual mind there are periods when the ideas that we have meditated on, and accepted as true, spring forth into consciousness, becoming living realities in our life instead of mere mental concepts. In this awakening we get the fruits of the ideas that we have planted in our mind; we have escaped from darkness (Egypt) and have entered into light (Promised Land). ~Charles Fillmore

Does something have to die before we can live? Replaced, yes, but not necessarily die. I believe it is  an act of busting through like the when a plant breaks through the seed, a chick breaks through the egg, and a butterfly breaks through the cocoon. It's a transmutation...breaking out of one’s shell, comfort zone, old ways of being/believing, and then emerging into the New Thought.

Now, I get that there may be a transition period,  thought most want to move quickly through and ascend into that new way of thinking. But it is in the transition, the liminal space, the at-one-ment time, or the contemplative neutral zone where our soul and consciousness readies itself for our next expression. Shortchanging this process can lead to repeating old patterns and mistakes. But we don't have to wait for Passover to get free in the City of Peace, the power of your I Am will redeem and uplift your consciousness through the power of the Christ Spirit in you. It will overwhelm and replace ideas impoverished by thoughts of weakness, barrenness, and lack for that which is prosperous, creative, full of Light, vitality, and love. Sometimes you may have to get in the mud, get dirty to get through this transition period...go ahead. Remember:

No Mud, no Lotus    ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Again, there is no need to kill or crucify. Transform yourself through the reveal of the Divine in you by busting through the shell, the seed, or the cocoon. I don't want you to change, that's an external event. I want you to transition and transform...internally. And, if you must resurrect, do so in the revelation of your Divine nature from the memory of It being already there within.

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…     ~ Walt Whitman

Say aloud:

I Reveal respect and love, not fear.

I Reveal a graceful and centered calm, not chaos.

I Reveal health and vitality, not hurt.

I speak the language of the I AM

I transform my consciousness to my highest expression.

I Am a vibrant Light.

I Am a Life of Joy and Beauty.

I Am a Loving presence.

And I Am a Wise creation; prosperous in all ways.

I Am now resurrected in mind, heart, and soul.

I Am energized, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to rock and roll.


Who's Got the coolest looking egg?  You....you....and you!

Start Cracking!

Affirmation
I Reveal the Divinity in Me.
I Reveal respect and love, not fear. I Reveal a graceful and centered calm, not chaos. I Reveal health and vitality, not hurt. I speak the language of the I AM and transform my attitude, my perception, my belief, and my consciousness to the idea that I Am openly experiencing the highest expression of my greatness. I Am a vibrant Light. I Am a Life of Joy and Beauty. I Am a Loving presence. And I Am a Wise creation; prosperous in all ways. I Am resurrected in mind, heart, imagination and intuition; assured in everything I do.
I Am energized, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to rock and roll.

Pass The Principle, Please

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at dusk, is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. ~Leviticus 23:5–8


Spring has sprung, holy days are abundant, the daytime is longer and though it feels like we have lost some freedoms, it actually a perfect time to get free from old thought patterns, beliefs and ideas that have limited our experience and expression as an individual and as people. The above is a Biblical command from Leviticus talking about celebrating Passover or Pesach, the holiday which commemorates liberation, emancipation, and communal responsibility for oneself and the world.

Let's begin with the story of Passover:

There was once an orphan, husband, father of two, shepherd, defector, murderer, and possible stutterer... our hero - Moses.

One day, Moses was shepherding his flock of sheep in the desert, when suddenly he came upon this bush... on fire … a burning bush, you might say. In fact, it was a talking burning bush, and it made you take your shoes off while on its property.

It told Moses, “look, I see what’s happening to the people, the Hebrews, I hear their cries. I don’t like it and I need you to fix it. Go tell the Pharoah, ‘let my people go!”

Moses was like, “Uh...well...ummm, hold on,” he was freaking out a little – this was a task out of his comfort zone. “Nobody is gonna believe me. Who could I say sent me to insist on such a thing?”

And the scorching shrub told him, in a very God-like voice, “tell them ehyeh asher ehyeh -I AM that I AM- sent you. Go, speak your Word, Moses, and free your people. I am within you to support you with the Power that you need.”

Very impressive speech by the blazing bush, especially with the dramatic echo, but nonetheless, our hero was still weary about this task, not believing the Universe had his back. Who hasn’t felt that at times? You stand before a conflagrant conversant chaparral ... who would believe such a thing?

“Are you out of your Mind?,” Moses answered, “Pharaoh is going to have a conniption ... he's not gonna care that 'I AM that I Am' sent me to tell him to ‘let my people go.’ Come on now!”

The Bush replied, “You come on now, doh-doh head,  step it up a bit.  At least, act as if, Moz.”  Then the Infinite Being showed Moses that he had a few talents that he didn’t know he had, to prove that he could represent the Divine that was within him.  It was the old stick into a serpent trick….very impressive. Great with the ladies. Some people are good singers, good with numbers....Moses:  a stick and a snake!  Don't laugh, the Universe is unlimited!

Still not convinced, our little 80 year old rascal (yes, he was 80 at the time) brought up another one of his limiting beliefs, surely, he thought, a detriment to this whole affair. “Hey Lord, what-a-bout my uncircumcised lips?” Hey, its in the Bible; Moses had some sort of speech impediment, as well as a social awkwardness. “ I'm good with sheep,” replied Moses, “but people?  My brother Aaron is the charismatic one.”

“Look, said the heated hedge, “have a little faith, dude. I'm giving you this job because of those things. If I sent some big handsome guy with booming stentorian tones....say...Charlton Heston....everyone would believe for a minute or two, but it's too showy.  They need to be wowed by my energy, manifest through a regular guy. They need to see the vibration of my luminescence-in-action that is within you, to learn that it is within them. The Hebrews just don't get that yet. They will believe it more, if you show them.  And remember, 'I’ll be there’ … ‘you just call out my name' ... Cause Moz, 'you gotta friend in me.”

Still, Moses was not convinced.  Have you ever had that?  In retrospect, can you see signs from the Universe showing you the next step … and you didn’t listen? I don't have the time to list mine.

Anyway, Moses told the bush that he wanted to have his people free, but wasn't feelin' this 'Power within' thing quite yet. So, the Universe, in its flaming Cause and Effect splendor, says, “Geez, okay, if you really want to do it the hard way, fine, whatever. But you gotta....♫Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land, and tell O' Pharaoh, let my people go.♫ You will get the Hebrews freed, I promise, but if you're so set on it being a difficult thing, then, okay, I'm gonna harden Pharaoh’s heart and make it more difficult for you.  “What,” cried Moses?  “Hey pal, you ask, you get, my friend. Happy now?  Have fun!  Move it along, we're done here.”  Lesson:  if you think life is going to be difficult, the Universe is happy to oblige.

Anyhow, Moshe (his Jewish name) returns to Egypt, starting to feel pretty good now. He goes to the Pharaoh, with full Divine strength surging through him and demands, “Let my People go!” And the Pharoah says, “naw, I don't think so.” This goes on for days.

The serpent and stick bit didn't impress him, the 'I Am that I AM' stuff didn't impress him, even the 'let my people go' song didn't do it; so Moses had to get creative. Thus, the ten plagues.  Now, each plague meant something, and we continue to have some of our own, above and beyond Covid-19, but most important to the story is that the Hebrews were in bondage-physically, emotionally and spiritually. They were accepting their strife as their truth, not just fact, thus making it harder for them, and any of us in a similar limited belief, at home, to get outta there. Race consciousness can be a tough vortex to transcend, if you buy into it. The Hebrews didn’t understand that they were the true Power over their lives, not Ramses II or Thutmose III (whoever was the Pharaoh – Yul Brynner). 

Finally, the Israelites fled. So these 2+ million people who have been in bondage for over 200 years  ...doesn’t some of your limiting beliefs seem like they have been around that long(?)...  they come all this way, over 100 km, out of misery, out of oppression, finally on their path to the Promised Land and suddenly they hit a little wall - a wall of water, yes - but now all that faith goes in the toilet.

Scouts say Pharaoh and his army (their past) is on their tails, and what do the Hebrews do? They plead for help … again! They whine and bitch & moan & cry about the obstacle, the setback. They're all “woe is me” and so, of course, boom, that manifests:  the Red Sea.

But Moses is a spiritual, Christ consciousness activist kind of guy now. He knows, in every cell, that, even on this special occasion, Principle works.  He evolved by involving – reaching within to the Power of Divine Intelligence....the I Am that I AM – hello!  And he spoke his word and the Red Sea parted, and they crossed, for six hours, and then the Red Sea un-parted; leaving behind, drowned, dead and buried; a huge chunk of limiting beliefs...the Egyptians soldiers. But that wasn't the end, it was actually just the beginning. Unfortunately, it took another 40 years of wandering for the Hebrews to reach the promised land of really getting it, the Divine is within.

The real exile of Israel in Egypt was that they learned to endure it. It was easier to take the Jews out of Egypt than to take the Egypt out of the Jews.  ~ Rabbi Hanoch of Alexander, a Hasidic master

Often, we move away from negative situations, then recreate them. That's because there's a deeper dynamic that got us there which hasn't really shifted yet. The outer circumstances may have changed, but the inner landscape hasn't. We know that Principle is not bound by precedent, but in some parts of our lives, we, like Hebrews, don't get it. We hold habits of being enslaved, even when free. Well Principle is always present to use for our greatest good or not so good. We get to choose.  Here's an example how:

If I take the time, to just sit down, close my eyes, say a prayer, open myself to spirit, then my identity begins to expand, and I remember that I'm not just Estelle, the personality, that I'm a soul, that I'm an embodiment of the Divine, and I move from what Jewish mystics say is "small mind" to "big mind." And in that other state, the bonds of the self, the small identity that limits us and dictates who we think we are, it frees up -- it's sort of like a zooming out that you would do with a camera, but it's zooming out all the way to infinity, all the way to eternity, beyond time, beyond space. And in that moment of deep meditation, or prayer, anything becomes possible, because you are rising above the workings of time.   ~Estelle Frankel, Berkeley psychotherapist / Jewish mysticism educator

That zooming out concept is a NLP exercise, as well.

There's a saying at end of the Passover dinner:  le-shanah ha-ba’ah bi-Yerushalayim .... next year in Jerusalem!  Yerushalayim means City of Peace. It is the city of peace that is within each and everyone of us, the Universal unconditional Divine Love and the Law that says thoughts become things, feelings spark facts, beliefs manifest biography.

The Passover biography shows we must be our own Moses, our own Redeemer of the Truth and not allow ourselves to become bitter or hold on to the past, hardening our hearts like Pharaoh.

TRUTH is within ourselves; it takes no rise
From outward things, whate’er you may believe.
There is an inmost centre in us all,
Where truth abides in fullness; and around,
Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in,
This perfect, clear perception—which is truth.
A baffling and perverting carnal mesh
Binds it, and makes all error: and, to KNOW,
Rather consists in opening out a way
Whence the imprisoned splendour may escape,
Than in effecting entry for a light
Supposed to be without.  ~Robert Browning, Paracelcus

I invite you to:

• Free yourself of the bondage of limited consciousness
• Enter your land of milk and honey
• Step into the Promised Land - your City of Peace
• Transcend to the I Am that I AM that You Are - the vibration of beauty, peace, power, light, life, love, joy and wisdom.

Not next year, not even sometime this year…

DO IT NOW!

Affirmation
Principle Works, Even on Special Occasions
I Am a special occasion.  I Am an unique expression of Divine origin. I Am sitting in a pool of grace, allowing Divine Intelligence to inform me and Divine Healing to protect my body temple.  I Am open to and use this Force for Good for the prosperity, joy and Love of myself, my family and friends, and the world. I am never passed over for the good in my life. I sing the songs of the ancients and speak the words of the wise.
Hallelujah, amen, shalom, aloha, and so it is!

Suiting Up For Success

What are you wearing?
...not talking about your clothes
...inside, what are you wearing?

During our stay-at-home time I have started a Facebook Live series called, The New Thought Guy Reads. Every weekday at 5pm, I read a couple of chapters out of an inspirational book. The first one is THIS THING CALLED YOU by Ernest Holmes. One of the things he wrote early in the book is:

You, like all others, are seeking the joy of living...everything in nature is endowed with this creative urge.

He laters also mentions that no one is special, and there is no secret going on here, just a lack of knowledge. We are all a part of It and have the power of It. "It" being the Divine Force or Spirit or Intelligence, whatever you like to call that Universal Power. That power we have is internal....and eternal. As Robert Browning said:

Man can desecrate, but never lose the divine spark.

Remember, we don't teach what to think, but how to think. And you use this how to think methodology to get to the what you want to think. I am not asking you to change Reality, merely your reaction to it. I want us, especially in the special times of anxiety, stress, etc. that seems to be prevalent these days, to tune in to the Truth, not just the facts. To tune into what Emma Curtis Hopkins called “a doctrine of NOW and HERE.”

There was a Rabbi on Twitter who was experiencing an overwhelm from tending to the emotional toll this event was putting in her lap as a spiritual leader. It was taking a toll on her. I wrote:  "I'm having a tough time with the tough time I'm having about the tough time we're all having during this tough time." And then I reminded her to, "Stay in forgiveness, being blessed by the Divine energy you require when you require it....or try chocolate."

There's a lot of talking about being anxious. I haven't been feeling it much. A few days ago I realized I was feeling anxious about not knowing about feeling anxious in order to counsel those who are feeling anxious about this anxiety-infused time. Anxious that I didn't understand feeling anxious as I wasn't feeling anxious. Then it showed up, that anxiety; this happened to me on Saturday as I was preparing the Sunday Celebration talk. So, I did allow myself to feel this anxiety. I realized that instead of just postponing the work I didn't feel like doing to the afternoon, I was anxious that I didn't want to do anything and wouldn't get it done if I didn't start now, in the morning. Yeah, eventually I got to the "just take the morning off;" but before I could get there, that simple solution hidden from me with this anxiety and self-doubt, I had to dig in to my spiritual practice....to center myself, so I could make wise decisions without the weight of the anxiety, etc., that was going on. What did I do? First...

BREATHE

There is almost nothing more freeing and centering than to concentrate on your breathing. Slowing inhaling through the nose, then holding the breath for a count of three, then exhaling out the mouth with a resounding release. Repeating that several times, focused on my breath, calmed me allowing the noise of that negative self-talk dissipate and, eventually, disappear. Other ideas are to dig into your...

IMAGINE

Visualize like you did as a kid. Go a-wondering.

GO OUTSIDE

Take a walk, sit in the backyard or some version of one. Happy Spring, by the way. 

COMMUNE

Use the affirmations or affirm-prayer-ations. Exchange those destructive thoughts with constructive thoughts. Not to magically make the anxiety go away, but to awaken the intuition in communing with Spirit, Divine Wisdom and Divine Healing. It opens your heart to peace and calm allowing a reflection of peace, calm and love into your life. All minds are "an outlet through which the Creative Intelligence of the universe seeks" to express and fulfill Itself....suit its Self up.

The choice is ours what to wear! Our barriers to calm and peace are not made by the President, the news or scientists, not even the virus itself, it is our thoughts and beliefs. We live by a law of faith and the process of not freaking out is "not so much a problem of will as it is one of willingness." As we "learn to exchange fears, doubts and uncertainties for faith," these "thoughts, often repeated, form patterns in mind which automatically reproduce themselves." Thought has a cumulative power! It brings a serenity that doesn't ignore what's going on, but allows you to to change your reaction to it. And expectancy will speed your progress.

Suiting up for success during this special occasion called the Novel Corona Virus Pandemic is about constant hand washing, social distancing, stay-at-home restrictions and for some, physical healing; but for all, it is about suiting up with successful thoughts. Not by struggling to remove fearful, anxious patterns of thoughts, but by straining them out. Or drowning them out. I've written about the clean water in dirty water glass bit. Keep pouring clean water into a glass of dirty water and soon you will have a glass of clean water. Same with your thoughts, feelings and beliefs. This is not religious, it's scientific. Take hold of the negative thoughts often repeated and exchange them for new optimized, affirming ones.

Pour fresh, clean thoughts of clarity, imagination, health, fun, patience, flexibility into the dirty water of fear, misinformation, worry, doubt, anxiety. It is a garden to cultivate...

Start watering now!

Affirmation
Today I put on my Sunday best, my wedding dress, my Brunello Cucinelli Tux.
I do this not so much in body, but in Mind.
I make a conscious use of the Divine Law with certainty.
I identify myself with the calm and peace I desire, filling my life with an inner sense of quiet contentment.
I declare my well-being is enthusiastically vibrating throughout my day.
Right where I am, in the middle of it all, I bust through, soar and zoom; expecting good, anticipating joy, and relishing the adventure of the times.