SEEN IT, HEARD IT, BEEN THERE... NOW WHAT?

Reflections on this Spring's Holy Week

Just 8 days into Spring and we're entering one heck of a holy week:

• Last Saturday was Nowruz (No-Rooz) - the Persian new year celebration
• And we wished a good journey from suffering into enlightenment for the Buddhists on Higan
• And also Ostara was celebrated - the Norse Goddess 6-day spring harvest fest
• Pesach Semeach to all my mishpocha -  started last night (Happy Passover)
• Tonight is the first full moon of Spring - it is referred to as the Worm Moon, Crust Moon, or Sugar Moon, depending on your tribe.
• Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper
• Good Friday is on the 2nd - a not so good for one guy 2000 years ago
• Followed by Holy, Black, or Glorious Saturday, depending on where you're from, which is the prep day for next Sunday – Easter!
• Passover retells the story of the Exodus, which is the basis of the Passover holiday. At the dinner (seder), the youngest of the family asks the four questions, basically inquiring what's so special about this holiday. 

You're probably thinking:  Seen it, heard it, been there.....Now What? Today I want to talk about the Now What.

The dream not interpreted is like a letter from God not read.  ~The Talmud 

So, imagine with me – step into the dream of the Hebrews of 3300 years ago...

...please listen with your mind and absorb with your heart:

There was once an orphan, a husband, father of two, shepherd, defector, murderer, and possibly a stutterer named Moses (= out of water).

On a Thursday afternoon, Moses was taking his flock of sheep for a walk 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 that insisted you take your sandals off on its property. 

This flaming bush told our hero, “look, I see what’s happening to the people, the Hebrews. I don’t like it and I need you to fix it. Go tell the Pharaoh, ‘let my people go!’” 

Well, Moses freaked – this was a task that was definitely out of his comfort zone. “Nobody is gonna believe me.” he told the fiery bramble, “Who could I possibly say sent me to insist on such a thing from Pharaoh?” 

And the bush said, in a very commanding voice, I might say, “tell them ehyeh asher ehyeh, I AM that I AM, sent you.” 

Basically, Spirit was saying, “I see what’s going on, I’m not here to magically fix your problems for you, but I am totally here to support you with all the Power you need. Go get 'em, tiger!” 

Nonetheless, our hero was still in doubt, not believing the Universe had his back. 

Who hasn’t felt that at times? You see a burning bush, it talks to you, you don’t believe it. ”It's not possible, that's not how the Universe is going to converse with me.”   Anyway...

Moses says, “Have you met this guy? Pharaoh is not gonna care that “I AM that I Am” sent me to tell him to ‘let my people go.’ Come on now!” 

“Well, doh-doh head,” replied the bush, “you don’t actually say it, you know it and thus show it. At least act as if, Moz. Jeez!” 

Then the Infinite Being showed Moses a few talents that he didn’t know he had at his disposal,  to prove that the Divine was within him and that he could confidently be a representative of that Power. In this case, it was the stick into a serpent trick….very impressive - great with the ladies. 

Still not convinced though, our little 80-year-old rascal brought up another one of his limiting beliefs, thinking it surely is a detriment to this whole affair....his speech impediment. 

“Look,” said the bush, “have a little faith, dude. I am giving you this job because of that. If I sent some big handsome guy like…Charlton Heston, everyone would be wowed. But it's better that they are wowed by the energy of my Presence in you. Moses, you are a unique expression of me! I created you and will always be there for you – in you. Remember, ‘just call my name and I’ll be there’.  Still, Moses wasn’t convinced.

Have you ever had that? In retrospect, can you see the signs from the Universe showing you the next step on your journey and you didn’t listen? I know I have.

So, the Universe, in its Cause and Effect splendor, says, “Geez, okay, it doesn't matter to me so if you want to do it the hard way, great... fine, believe whatever you want. Think it's practically impossible? Well, then I'll just harden Pharaoh’s heart and make it that much more difficult for you. You ask you get. Go, have a blast, be happy and get your people free.”  

The lesson here is if you think something is going to be difficult, the Universe is happy to oblige your limiting belief. That’s how the Law works. However, as Rumi reminds us:  “The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen.” Continuing with the rest of the tale: 

Moshe goes to Egypt, gets an audience with the Pharaoh who says no, no, and no again, over and over and over. He wasn't impressed by the stick to serpent thing. Even Moz's brother Aaron, a good speaker, wasn't any help. Then, the ten plagues.

It's important to note:  The Hebrews were in bondage, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. They accepted their strife was their truth and not just a fact about their present circumstances, thus making it harder for them, and many of us in a similar limited belief, to leave this constricted place, which in our story is Egypt. They weren’t getting It - they were the Power, the boss, the Pharaoh of their experience. With the Hebrew's perspective on life, they gave that Power away. 

So after the first nine plagues; oi, what a mess – bloody Nile River (probably red algae), frogs, lice, flies, dead livestock (a spreading virus), boils (a smallpox pandemic?), fiery hail (volcanic eruption anyone?), locusts (ash fallout = higher precipitations and humidity = locusts), and 3-day long darkness (the eclipse of 1223 B.C., maybe?) - it was time for number ten, the big kahuna, which is where the holiday gets its name...the killing of the firstborn Egyptian sons. Except the Angel of Death passed over the houses where lamb or goat's blood was splashed on the sides and tops of the door-frames (there were other preparatory rules, but that was the last step). Only the Hebrews knew about this, so that did the trick and Pharaoh told the Hebrews to hit the road.

And that brings us to the big segment of the tale where we have the parting of the Red Sea. So these millions of people who have been in bondage for 430 years…

Doesn’t some of your limiting beliefs seem like they have been around that long? Anyway...

…they've come all this way, out of bondage, out of slavery, out of misery, survived the plagues, and finally on their way to the Promised Land. And suddenly they hit a wall…a wall of water:  impassable, wide, and they didn't have any boats…

Scouts warned that the Pharaoh and his army (i.e. the Hebrews past B.S.) were on their tails. And what do the Hebrews do? …they plead for help. They whine and bitch & moan & cry about the obstacle, the setback... 

They are still in the mindset that there is always something in the way and, of course, boom, it shows up ...from both ends. They are not sitting in the Truth. Like the old joke, "I sent you a boat, a helicopter..." Here is an opportunity for growth and progress and leaping past previous junk thinking by connecting with the Divine within and transcending into declaring and revealing, with gratitude and acceptance for what is to be and they just piss and moan and forget who they truly are.

But Moses, the activist, steps up. He’s pretty confident now. He evolved by involving – reaching out with the Power of Divine Intelligence, the Creative Loving Energy of the Universe – the I Am that I AM – that is within him.

He stretched out his hands and the sea went back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land. The Red Sea parted, allowing the Hebrews to move forward on their journey to their greatness, and leaving behind – eventually drowned, dead, and buried – a huge chunk of their limiting beliefs and old stories called Pharoah and the Egyptian army.

That is only the beginning. There's still the whole wandering in the desert, the Ten Commandments, the other Burning Bush convo, the golden calf, etc. - you can watch the movie.

All spiritual growth, 100 percent of it, is about releasing or eliminating rather than attaining something, because we’re already it spiritually.  ~Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith

You know what you're looking from - your Divine Matrix – week one.

And what you're looking at - the essence of the Divine in all – week two.

When you ask the right questions to get the best answers and you've learned to respond instead of reacting to situations at hand – week three.

We cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created it. Like Moses and the Hebrew people, we are being called to a higher level of consciousness to go beyond our head and tap into the Infinite nature of Spirit's wisdom and align ourselves with our divine purpose. It takes commitment and the willingness to do the spiritual work to release and replace that which does not serve the Highest Idea of ourselves, allowing and embracing the new ways which unfold organically through Divine Wisdom. 

Don’t allow yourself to become bitter because of the past and harden your heart like Pharaoh. Be an activist, like Moses. Despite your upbringing, checkbook, education, your stories,  and despite your willfulness or whatever you allow to get in your way, activate your communion with the Universe and activate the highest ideas into your belief.

          

We are taking, I trust, a vision… something beyond a hope and a longing, that the living Spirit shall through us walk anew into Its own creation and a new glory come with the dawn.   ~Ernest Holmes, The Sermon By The Sea, Aug 15, 1959

Live the Truth of your Divine birthright and free yourself, like the children of Israel, of the bondage of limited consciousness. Enter your land of milk and honey.

All are welcome!

Affirmative Incantation 

Today, I arise to the awakening of my Divine Intelligence, removing all blocks to my success. I enter the city of peace within me and behold God’s grace unfolding in and as my life. Taking dominion over my thoughts and feelings, I clean the temple of my mind, persistently purifying, attuning, and expanding myself to the Highest ideas.

All is in Divine Order, so I know that no situation, circumstance, or external authority has any power over me. Everything I see and hear this week is constructive, inspiring, and useful. I ascend into my most opulent ways, approaching everything illuminated with the Presence of love wisdom, and compassion.

What's Your Response?

Three men are traveling on a ship when they are accosted by the Devil. The Devil proposes that if each man drops something into the sea and he cannot find it, he will be that man's slave. If the Devil does find it, however, he will eat that man up. 

The first man reacts by immediately slipping off his Rolex watch and dropping in the ocean, confident of his choice. Poof, he disappears, eaten by Satan. The second man quickly drops a pure, clear diamond into the ocean, sure this cannot be found; and poof, he's gone, eaten up by the evil horned essence. 

The third man, not one to react quickly, thinks a moment, contemplating the situation and his life. He then fills a bottle with water and calmly pours it into the sea. Smiling, he turns to the Devil and says, “Try finding that!" 

Did you ever wish you would have responded versus reacted to a situation, comment, or condition? Or be able to take back the snark or yell or cursing or worse? Some people think that the words "react" and "respond" are synonyms, but to me, they are practically antonyms.

When I react to something, it's instantaneous, without thought, usually driven by lingering biases or fueled by some defense mechanism projecting my old stories or insecurities. It is subconsciously full of blame and I end up taking it out on the other person. This reaction has some unconscious survival theme to it using words or actions I come to regret.

A reaction usually comes from a short-sighted, sometimes aggressive, or out-of-control impulse. We might freeze, flinch, run away, or even want to physically fight someone - i.e. a Fight or Flight Reaction! Our stress is high, cortisol is running rampant, and you might shake or sweat as your hackles are up. You may have been triggered by the conversation to expose things you are in denial about or things you have repressed or regressed, stuff you have put away and rationalized. For example, say your boss yells at you, but you don't yell back, and later take it out on your partner by yelling at them over something stupid. Or you may blurt stuff out because you have intellectualized or compartmentalized a past hurt and the conversation triggered that memory. Reacting can be a dangerous answer to a situation.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.  ~Victor Frankl

Responding, on the other hand, is a conscious, intentional, purposeful answer where we utilize our mindfulness skills before speaking or acting. Here, we are able to get beyond the emotion and into the information; more likely producing a calm, value-centered, and connected solution. It’s important to acknowledge that this is a skill that requires repeated practice. And that’s okay! Our journey in these bodies is always going to be an adventure, unfolding. 

I understand that it's doesn't always seem possible to respond versus react when in a stressful event full of triggers. If you feel threatened or hurt, your brain and body have what I call unnatural natural reactions that are coming from your stories, perspective, opinions that too often are hiding, waiting for the opportunity to get triggered and lash out from.

It is the goal of this philosophy to move towards interacting with ourselves, others, and the world from a more centered and peaceful place. That's part of the job of the guided meditations, affirmative incantations, and prayer; by becoming grounded, centered, mindful through spiritual practices, and remembering who we truly are. In fact, in these reactive-prone situations, your spiritual and mindfulness practices become the precursor to your use of responsive answers and actions in a situation.

Before I give you some tools to use, I want to say that we can use our reactions to observe what the heck is in our way from our skills in manifesting, moving forward, or getting healthy. They are an insight into the junk ideas, old stories, and perspectives that are blocking our bliss. So don't get down on yourself, use your reactions as a learning tool, along with the following:

This responding tool is called PLACE.

Pause, Label, Ask, Choose, Express

1. Pause

You know the MAD TV sketch with Bob Newhart as the psychiatrist who uses his fancy education to tell his patient, after her victim-filled rant, to just "STOP IT." Though the sketch is funny, especially to fans of The Bob Newhart Show, it's a reactive answer to her situation and yet, in the end, not a bad response. Of course, the more proper course would be to take her through the stories, asking questions, guiding her to come up with realizations and answers herself.. All of which would lead her and most of us to "stop it." Maybe it was a cry for that fictional psychiatrist to take a vacation and get refreshed in order for him to "stop it," stop reacting and begin responding again to his patients. At the very least, he needed to remember to PAUSE. 

The moment you notice you are triggered and that your energy has changed, take a moment to pause and breathe.

2. Label Your Emotions

Name it. What you’re feeling? is it anger, frustration, sadness, grief? Identifying how we feel helps us process our emotions. After all, it's our emotions that are getting in our way. So, label them, realize what's going on with you. It will take the heat off the matter.

3. Ask Yourself: Why?

You've paused and labeled, now ask yourself, "Why was I triggered? What was it that triggered me?" This can bring awareness to what is under the surface for you. It might not be what the person said that upset you (probably wasn't at all), but that it was a reminder of a different memory that sparks an unresolved emotion in you. Or perhaps you're just more sensitive today than yesterday, feeling unwell, or had a bad day, etc. The big question for yourself is "how can you best communicate what will best serve the discussion all are involved in at this moment?"

4. Choose A Mindful Response

This is the big one! Consider the labeled emotion(s) and discover the trigger before you choose what’s important to share about your experience. Choose to communicate the answer which is connected to the situation at hand, not your old stories. A response is not harmful or unproductive. A reaction most probably will be.

5. Express

When we think big picture, we put the situation in context. When we blend logic with our emotions and balance those immediate emotional responses with thoughts and facts, we fill in the blanks of what's reactive and what is responsive. Recognize your choices, and create a 20/20 vision (an imagined 20/20 vision, yes) to determine your best response to the current situation. We answer with thought rather than emotion, care versus haphazardness, mindfulness instead of fear, and all with love, not hate or anger.

The man who is asleep reacts; he knows nothing of action. And reaction is a binding: it binds you into new prisons, new chains. Response is out of freedom, hence it brings more freedom. Reaction is out of the past; you act according to your memories, built-in by your experiences, conditionings. You react not to the present, not in the present. You don`t reflect the real situation as it is; you go on interpreting it according to your past, your past experiences. The man who is awake is like a mirror: he reflects that which is the case. HE IS AWAKE.   ~Osho Rajneesh

Our best prayers, our most powerful meditations, and our greatest manifestations come from an absence of fear, chaos, desperation, and destructive emotions. Let us take away our old stories from the conversations with ourselves, others, and ultimately Spirit and replace them with thoughtful intentions, awakened purpose, and the energetic frequency of fulfillment. Move the energy of your conversations with a love of life and the Light of the Divine. Then watch your experiences glow with peace, prosperity, and ease.

Affirmative Incantation

I look from my deepest Source

I look at infinite and prosperous possibilities

And I look to a world where peace, Oneness, love, freedom, and appreciation reign.

Today I declare these ideas as the way I experience my life. And attract others who live this same divine, succulent, lovely, and sane vitality. I celebrate grace, ease, and gratitude as I sing the body electric and I dance the Song of Songs.

From the morning's dew till the night's slumber gongs, Spirit guides me to my best. 

What Are You Looking At?

Photo by Tachina Lee at Unsplash

Last week we talked about where it is best to look from. The Divine Matrix is the synergetic alchemy of using the head, heart, and gut-brain systems to use Divine Intelligence, our feelings, and Divine Wisdom and inspiration to reveal, transcend, and achieve in life.

Today, I want to talk about what we are looking at? What are we observing? Are we looking at trouble - with a capital T, and that rhymes with P, which makes you a fool? Are we looking at limitations or infinite possibilities?

Spiritual growth is the act of letting go of any ideas, beliefs, and attachments that no longer serve us, like shoulda/woulda/coulda's, yeah-but's, and “I don't deserve it” junk thinking. When we are consistently focused on those kinds of ideas, we are not only not letting go of them, we are seeing everything through the lens or the perspective of that junk thinking.

New job interview? Thoughts surrounding you may be “they won't like me," or "I shoulda gotten that degree.”

New love relationship? Thoughts popping up could be “yeah, but something's gotta be wrong with him/her/they, it always is.”

New idea in your career, for the world, or creatively? Thoughts swirling in your head may include “Why bother, I never follow through.”

Those words and phrases are red flags about your belief system, your perspective on that activity, and what is getting in your way. So let's first look at letting go.

Forgiveness for errors, injustices, or debts

This is something that has gotta happen to allow space in the head and the energy you exude. Remember forgiving is not condoning. Forgiving is the release of those limiting ideas' hold on your perspective. When we practice radical forgiveness, we are awakening ourselves to our highest, most capable self. It emancipates us from discord, making room for a greater good to be expressed or received, for change to take place, and for healing.

Spiritual Law tells us that spiritual growth cannot take place until we are open to learning, till we awaken to catching Spirit’s ideas about what we need to let go, and allowing the removal of obstacles and impediments which fog our way of living. As we let go, so too will Spirit’s highest ideas then be able to reveal themselves more frequently and powerfully. We forgive and let go to create openness and spaciousness so the Universe can release into our consciousness the greater idea, the best perspective.

When we look from our Divine Matrix, and embrace Spirit’s highest ideas and let go of the untruths and release the Truth, we automatically make room for being lifted out of wrong tendencies, discord, and illness. 

Our job is to ask Spirit what needs to be revealed to us and our work is to be still, listen to the voice within, and follow its guidance. 

Can we successfully release and let go of beliefs, ideas, and limitations without embracing their replacement? While we may see what to let go of and sometimes dig into it a bit for clarity, what we want to look at is the replacement of that belief.

Where your attention goes, energy flows, and manifestation then follows.

When we:

1)  Put our conscious attention on asking for Spirit’s highest vision of what needs to be let go;

2)  Keep our attention on this question long enough to receive the visionary insight on what needs to be allowed in and what we must awaken to; we then 

3)  Manifest our vision by committing to embrace the conscious and creative stages, in mind and action, of this intuited information.

When your attention goes to the possibilities, your energy flows from the intuited Divine nature, and your manifestations then come pure and clean.

Ignorance stays with us until the day of enlightenment, until our vision toward the Spirit broadens and casts out the image of a no longer useful littleness…. The will should hold it in place until the creative genius of the inner life transforms the image of limitation and transmutes it into liberty under law.   ~Ernest Holmes

Are you looking at the possibilities or the limitations? 

Have you heard of Bethany Hamilton's story? At the age of 13 as a rising surf star, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, seemingly ending her dream career. However, through a foundation of faith, determination, and passion, one month after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing and within two years had won her first national title. At 17 years old, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and is an active surf competitor to this day, currently competing in the World Surf League tour events and other special events. In 2016, Bethany beat a six-time world champion and the top-ranked surfer in the world. In 2017, she was inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame. 

Bethany sees her passion for surfing as a gift from God and is what compelled her to go back to the sport against all odds. She is constantly re-writing the supposed rules of logic, what's possible, and living her greatest life. Her story is dramatized in the movie ”Soul Surfer” based on her book of the same title, and her perspective of the incident is shown in the docs “Heart of Soul Surfer,” and “Unstoppable” along with her many other books like “Be Unstoppable” and the children's tale, “Unstoppable Me.” Bethany reminds us:  I don't need easy, I just need possible.

While it is not always easy to let go of our troubles or give up the things we resent and regret, when we connect what we are looking through with what we are looking at, we listen to Spirit’s highest ideas on what needs to be released and forgiven. And we:

• Live to be present
• Look for things to be grateful for each day
• Set boundaries to protect the important things
• Say no to the excess stuff or doing too much
• Aim to use time wisely to include sweet moments and see a world of possibilities.
• It's our daily choices that determine our outcomes.

With repetition, we’ll catch more insights and habitually expand our vision/mission/purpose. There’s a spiritual solution to every problem/condition. Stress, illness, or trauma might crack us, but it doesn't have to end us.

There is an ancient Japanese art called Kintsugi or golden joinery. It is a technique using a lacquered or resin-based gold dust for repairing broken pottery with seams of gold.  We can use a spiritual version of this practice through our Divine Matrix to repair any damage.

Are you looking at old stories or creating new ones?

Are you having a vision or dream that just floats around or are you envisioning and embodying it in the Divine Matrix?

Here is a process to see what shame and/or regret you may have that is fogging up everything you are looking at in mind and body, family and love relationships, community, friends, money and work, and in your connection to Higher Self and Source. Each piece of shame and regret story has 4 steps:

1. Summary of the shame and/or regret story
2. When did it happen (beginning and ending time)
3. Where did it happen
4. What were the deeper consequences of what you did and how did this affect your relationship with yourself and your life now? This step is the one to dig deep into.

When you have finished writing down (best with pen and paper) your Shame and Regret list, keep it safe from anyone else except a trusted friend, counselor, therapist, spiritual practitioner, or spiritual leader to who you will later read this. When you do choose the one person you will share the list with, please remind yourself to not allow any justifications to arise and to not solicit or allow any judgment, good or bad from the one you are reading this to. This process is only about communication with a trusted other and the openness to let it go. The release comes through the non-judged venting, to get it out of our heads both as a story and the energy it carried. When we have our ethics and integrity 'squeaky clean, we open up to receiving in a huge way and step into living our life large and free and powerful! 

Declare what your new story is NOW. 

When you look around you, what are you looking at?

• Are you looking at agitation or serenity? What you expect, you'll receive.
• Are you looking at a “woe is me” life or a “wow is me” life? Living life with wonderment and creativity is remembering that the power of You is essential no matter your age.
• Are you looking at the reflection of a victim or victor? The pain of any sort of trauma is not necessarily eliminated in this work, it is neutralized and replaced. To release and let go is to neutralize the pain from the old event and its hold on your perspective of life.
• Are you looking at practicalities or possibilities? Living with an attitude of being practical may feel safe, but understanding the infinite possibilities the Universe has available will expand your outlook, opportunities, success, and happiness.

Remove “impossible” from your vocabulary. The art of the possible tells us that we take our options and make the best of them. And our options are limited only by how we look at things. So become a wiser, stronger, more evolved human being by filling your cup / your mind with what you want to attract. Focus on that, not the old stories.

Then what are you looking at is...

a joyous, rich, succulent, fun, loving, peaceful, happy, and vibrant life.

Affirmative Incantation:  

I release.

I let go.

And I let the Divine in me inform, inspire, regulate and interpret all my dreams and desires.

Through the eye of any storm, I stand steady and nimble like the olive tree, in the zone of awakened awareness, and with Spirit-empowered readiness to take on all that steps into my life with ease and grace. My intellect, compassion, and instincts are handy and ripe with the smartest and most loving choices...the best choices for this day.

In this moment, and the next ones hereafter, I rise to my highest Self, confident of my fitness, goodwill, and willingness to be in my prime, vibrating at the speed of the Divine.

Where Are You Looking From?

 I want to start out with two questions:

What does living a life of curiosity every day look like whether things are going smoothly or not?

How do you differentiate between your personal biased agenda and that of Spirit?

Centers for Spiritual Living's Global Vision states:

We see a world in which every person lives in alignment with their highest spiritual principle, emphasizing unity with God and connection with each other; a world in which individually and collectively we are called to a higher state of consciousness and action.

Where do we see that world from, though? Well, it all depends on where you are looking from ....or is it through?

Is it from the five senses?

Sight, sound, taste, smell, touch? Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or skin?

Our brain?

The seat of the intellect, language, cognition, consciousness, creativity, logic, and knowledge? Where the electrochemical workings of 86 billion neurons and their synapses fire, and recognize, give meaning, and create narratives?

Most have the brain/head thing down, pronouncing to the world things like:

"I think...”

        “I understand...”

“I declare this in my life!”

“I reveal that in my life!”

Maybe the answers are in our hearts? 

That's the first organ that reveals itself in the body's development. It's not merely a muscle to pump blood, it has a complex intrinsic nervous system of over 40,000 sensory neurites firing off independently from those in the brain. The heart has been labeled by researchers in neurocardiology (defined by BH Nattelson as "the study of the neurophysiological, neuro- logical, and neuroanatomical aspects of cardiology, including especially the neurological origins of cardiac disorders") as a functional “brain.” This "brain" can learn independently, have its own memories, and feel and sense information. It also creates an energetic field to tell our brains whether we feel safe or not and acts as a regulator of our perceptions. 

We can think, pray or speak words until we are blue in the face and not a thing will manifest, at least not in the clearest way, unless we have feeling behind it. While we admire the intellect, we must realize that the intellect is not the creative factor in the Universe. Rather, it is feeling that is creative.   ~Ernest Homes 

As Neville wrote in his book, Feeling is the Secret:

Ideas are impressed on the subconscious through the medium of feeling. No idea can be impressed on the subconscious until it is felt, but once felt –be it good, bad or indifferent- it must be expressed. Feeling is the one and only medium through which ideas are conveyed to the subconscious.

Well, now we have got the heart-brain connecting. Is that the ticket on where we are looking from?

Maybe the answers are actually in our gut?

The enteric nervous system (ENS) consists of sheaths of neurons embedded in the walls of our gut. From the esophagus to the anus, the gut contains some 100 million neurons, more than in the spinal cord or the peripheral nervous system.  It uses more than 30 neurotransmitters, just like the brain, and carries 95% of the body's serotonin and other hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate mood, appetite, sleep, memory, and sexual desire and function. The vagus nerve carries information from the gut to the brain - mostly one way....up. But, as smart as it might sound, the ENS can’t balance your checkbook or compose a symphony, it mostly controls digestion from swallowing to the release of enzymes to break down food to the control of blood flow for nutrient absorption to elimination. However, the gut also controls self-preservation and mobilization and responds to challenges, opposition, and danger. It also helps determine our core sense of self through its reactions to our thoughts. The seat of inspiration seems to speak from there. Notice how in life we use phrases like:

“It takes guts to...” 

                         “My gut tells me...”

Some have the gut stuff/intuition thing going. The thoughts, feelings, and intuitive messages analyzed by the gut awaken us to a direct infusion of Divine Wisdom. But which one is fueling the life of curiosity from day-to-day, understanding, analyzing, and solving whether things are going smoothly? Which one is discerning between your biases, perceptions, and opinions and that of the wisdom of Spirit? What is driving your desires, revelations, and communing with the Universe? Is it ego or Spirit? 

When we Edge God Out, our ego’s desires can come from a place of scarcity, lack or fear, and the insatiable desire for more (which is a hint to a belief in scarcity), or to prove a sense of self-worth. When we are Entertaining God Only, Spirit’s call is one of Wholeness, Oneness, Infinite possibilities, Creativity, Freedom, and Truth. We are taking cues from the Infinite Wisdom of the Universe, beyond time and space. The spiritual practices of visioning, affirmative prayer (Spiritual Mind Treatment), and meditation assist us in letting go of those personal agendas which ultimately just get in our way or slow us down, and align with Divine Intelligence to experience a life of flow and ease, and manifesting our desires for ourselves and the world. That includes manifesting ideas, solutions, intuitions, as well as stuff.

As individualized expressions of the One Universal Energy, we have access to the infinite wisdom and intelligence of all space and time. It flows through us, as us, and for us as an individualized expression of this energy. However, it only does so to the degree that we set our previous ideas aside and tune in to its frequency, awakening to the impress of Universal Spirit. This direct revelation is available to us through our intuition, intelligence, and feelings working together; which places us smack in the middle of Heaven - the state of awareness of our True Nature.

Though we experience our True Nature to the degree we become conscious of it, we can use our built-in toolbox, the Divine Matrix, to be where we are looking from. The Divine Matrix is a structure that combines the simultaneous use of the Cephalic (head), cardiac (heart), and enteric (gut) systems. When we are looking from The Divine Matrix, the head, heart, and gut brains are communicating with each other, sussing up the situation as a unit, and coming up with the solutions as an integrated system of our consciousness, values, and beliefs. The Mind is an ever-expansive individualized essence of Universal Energy. This is how we experience life to the fullest.  And in doing so, we habitually, and as second-nature (though actually, it's our original-nature) we answer all instances, experiences, conditions, happenings, etc. with:

What is Spirit's Highest Idea of Itself in this moment?

Yes, the question and the answer in one sentence: What is Spirit’s Highest Idea of Itself in this moment, this situation? Living in this question invites us to listen to and from a different place, beyond the egoistic mind to that connection with the Universal Presence Mind, which is seeking to express in, as, and through us. 

Sometimes we require adjustments and repairs to our systems. Maybe our state of mind/being or belief is off-kilter and the following are not showing up:

• love for life
• joy for existence
• motivation to be alive
• state of gratitude

In essence, then, we are not in the groove of our Godness.

So, what do we do?

Ask questions to our most inner self. Questions open us to something new. Questions invite curiosity as a way of being. Questions break us away from what we think we know and desire and invites something greater within to guide us. It's time to re-awaken our heart intelligence and connect it to our brain intelligence, and simultaneously be open and ready for intuitive intelligence. As Ramana Maharshi (Hindu sage, early-mid 20thC) reminds us: 

...when the mind stays in the Heart, the ‘I’ which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self which ever exists will shine. 

There is a Cherokee word - ‘shante ishta’.  It means "the single eye of the heart," the single eye that sees what’s true, without judgment. Here's a spiritual practice that will put you on a direct path to heart-brain harmony, celebrating the shante ishta and awakening the intuited wisdom:

1. Close your eyes

It brings your awareness within

2. Put your hand on your heart!

  The heart is at the center of the body, the center chakra or energy point in your body. It is the gateway to an Intelligence both harmonious and holistic. And the touch brings a powerful awareness to this gateway.

3. Now be aware of your breathing and allow it to slow down

  Count 5 secs in through your nose and 5 secs out from your mouth. Do this a few times to get used to that rhythm. Allow it to take root in the cadence of your breath. This signals to the body that you are safe, freeing you from any stresses and opening the body and brain to healing.

4. Think or imagine someone or something that you care about, appreciate, or have gratitude or compassion for.

     Allow yourself to feel it. It could be for any person, this community, your puppy, something you received, or an insight you had.

Care, Appreciation, Gratitude, or Compassion!

This spiritual practice connects all three brains - the intuition from the gut, the feelings and intelligence of the heart, and the logic and knowledge of the brain. It harmonizes them for optimal decision making, creative discovery, learning, transcending, and manifesting. It gives one resilience in this ever-changing and too often turbulent world, inspiring one from the chaotic to the cosmos, and releasing one from the unformed destructive whirling dervishes to the lovingly controlled constructive creation. This practice also releases 1300 biochemical reactions that promote immunity and anti-aging.

Another way to bring the Divine Matrix in line is with what I call an Affirmative Incantation. An A. I. is similar to an affirmation, but is more thorough and goes deeper. Taking a logical and heartfelt path to your best self, it is a formula for consciously transcending success. It is alchemistic versus the repeated one or two-sentence affirmation which too often becomes a mish-mash of words that lose their power and begin to sound like the teacher from the Charlie Brown comics - "wah-wah-wah-wah-waaaah."

Here is an affirmative incantation for you to use right now: 

In this moment, I recognize that my life is the embodiment of Spirit’s highest idea of Itself as me. I see my Highest Self as my daily self, embodying every thought, feeling, and belief with the inspiration, love, and intelligence of the Universal Presence.

In an abundance of affluence:

I seek and I find.

I sow and I reap.

I discover and I engage.

I reveal and I utilize.

I Am experiencing my life through the best ideas in health, wealth, relationships, and creativity to bust through, soar, and zoom into a fabulous day.

Let us remember that there is only One Power and Presence, the One Source back of all things. And knowing there is only One Life, this Life must be who I am; who you are. Therefore each of us has the ability to allow the Infinite Wisdom of this Power and Presence to express through them, by living in the question: “What is Spirit’s highest vision of Itself as me in this moment?”

Living from a place of curiosity, and remaining open and willing to receive Spirit’s highest vision of Itself expressing through any situation in our lives, allows us to live and act from a place of Divine Guidance in order to create our Heaven, right here and now. 

• Are you willing to be surprised by what you discover about yourself?
• Everything is for our learning and growth, are you open? 
• Are you willing to be more interested in your spiritual growth than advocating for your limitations? 

We learn through curiosity. Remaining open to experience a shift of perspective, a new awareness, and a heightened experience of life is the key to an abundance of prosperity in all parts of our life.

Are you willing?

Resistance is Futile

 

Our theme for January was "Love It."  February brought us:

• Black History Month and part of the Season of Non-Violence
• Groundhog Day, Tater Tot, and Ukelele Day is also in February
• So is Washington, Lincoln, Bob Marley, and Frederick Douglass' Birthdays
• The Periodic Table has a day in February and so does doggy bones and toothaches
• The Chinese New Year was on the 12th – of the Ox
• The Jewish holiday, Purim was on the 26th, commemorating the victory of Queen Esther of Persia in saving the Jewish people from execution by Haman, the advisor to the king
• And Lent began on the 17th, reminding Christians of Yeshua's 40-day sacrifice in the desert

Lives to remember, foods to enjoy, events to commemorate, rituals in which to partake, ideas to contemplate, and of course, love to celebrate - so much in 28 days. But all of that is man-made. I say so not to lessen its significance, but to show its exquisiteness and uniqueness. A uniqueness only possible through the loving expression of God.

In going within, we do not turn to our own spirituality or our own goodness or our own strength or our own knowledge; but we go within to unleash the Infinite Invisible.  ~Joel S. Goldsmith, The Art of Meditation 

We are individuations of the One Universal Power & Presence and we each act in this Oneness to unleash that Infinite Invisible from within. We don't have to spend days in the desert or atop a mountain or live in a cave. Each is their own mystics able to live the mystical experience by letting God be God in them and as them.

You are Divine now...it is your birthright. Your uniqueness, talents, and dreams are all waiting for you to WAKE UP and accept your divinity! It is only our resistance to this Truth that gets in our way. When we resist, we strive against or oppose something, the polar opposite of working a resolution. Changing things in our life begins with not wanting to experience this or that anymore; to set up a barrier to reliving that idea. But that is where resistance should quickly end.

One of the most notorious creatures from the Star Trek universe is the Borg. In the 1990 third-season finale of The Next Generation series, the evil Borg sent an audio message to those whom their collective would absorb (imagine ominous robotic voice):  “We are the Borg. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile.”

“Wow,” you may think, “Rev. Jay is comparing our Oneness and connection to Spirit to the Borg?” In a way, yes. I don't claim we are all some sort of spiritual cyborgs roaming the earth. But take away your biology and technology and what is left? ...your etiology – your causation and origination ... your most basic self - your Godness!

We are in a collective of sorts, not evil like the Borg, but one that is available through the conscious activity of embodying Spirit; a complete emancipation from discord that no one can truly take away without our permission.

On July 9, 1868, the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. Garrett Epps, Professor of constitutional law at the University of Baltimore, wrote this about the 14th amendment:

Its centerpiece is the idea that citizenship in the United States is universal—that we are one nation, with one class of citizens, and that citizenship extends to everyone born here. Citizens have rights that neither the federal government nor any state can revoke at will; even undocumented immigrants—"persons", in the language of the amendment—have rights to due process and equal protection of the law.

Yet, the road to freedom does not truly lay in amendments to a constitution or any set of man-made laws again, not to lessen the efforts of Federick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thaddeus Stephens, and other abolitionists or 13th/14th amendment proponents. However, freedom must be made first in the minds and hearts of those whose values and beliefs equaled that pronouncement. It may have started as a resistance to hate, inequality, and unjust actions and ideas, but accepting it first -remember this is not about permission- acceptance allows us to transform those ideas from the resistance of the negative into working for something that is positive and a part of Nature's Laws. Before emancipation could be a fact in the United States, the Truth of our equality and Oneness within the creations of the Universe had to be recognized and accepted to set man free. In other words, our minds had to echo through our communion with the eternal Thing Itself.

The sooner we awaken to Truth and live it holistically, and not just in our heads, the sooner we shall become factually free & happy, no matter the conditions we experience or the laws or amendments to any constitution. Viktor E. Frankl, Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor - founder of logotherapy, a search for a life meaning as the central human motivational force - wrote:

The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance. ...Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.  

Yes, we are obligated to enact laws to codify our understanding of Truth. God does not condone enslaving or mistreating anyone and we cannot be free in our spirit nor free in our mind when we withhold human liberty from another; neither can we be truly free when we kill, maim, cage, strike, spit upon, tear gas or shoot another. We can only be completely free when we respect and honor all of life. Those not participating in the Divine collective of Oneness, peace, and Universal love are bound to suffer the consequences of having a void in their heart filled with more hate, fear, shame helplessness, powerlessness, injustice, and inadequacy....all learned feelings one decides to embrace.

But when you fill that void, no matter the size, with Spirit, you gain a foundation to build upon. You step into a world where kinship with all life connects and prospers in you, guides you with spiritual wisdom...a world that will show up without police brutality, white privilege, or any cultural beliefs of superiority and its inherent arrogance and delusions

I am not telling you to bypass what may be lurking inside - confusing you, irritating you. The resolution, however, must begin with who you are. Looking for approval outside of yourself is futile - it will never fill any void. Remember you are worthy NOW and you're pre-approved for your highest good now, as well.

     Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.  ~Teilhard de Chardin

Are there areas of joy in your life that could support you in remembering that God is always everywhere equally present?

Find them...Nurture them. 

Incorporate them where the joy isn't as strong

It’s foolish and futile, to dedicate your time and attention to resisting what you don’t want. Reapply your energy toward what you do want and plan a prudent spiritual practice, then a wise practical course of action. When we choose to love the awakening to our highest self, we ease the effects of the negative and ease the inclusion of the positive, and we reveal the wisdom of the ages and disclose the best we have to offer to the world and beyond. Believing and loving who you are is a powerful antidote for lack and limitation, depression and distress, dis-harmony and dis-ease.

Allow the Divine's Love and Wisdom into your life

Resistance is futile!

Affirmative Incantation

Divine Love acts through me and the Law of Love frees me to be my best. Today I offer myself to loving this loved life. 

I am dedicated to being my best today, declaring superlative thoughts, revealing my highest ideas, best practices, the deepest empowering beliefs, and the most succulent experiences.

This day is my day and I express it with joy in my heart, a twinkle in my eye, and a spring in my step.

Watch out world, here I Am!

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Going With the Flow

The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius encouraged people not to waste energy by fighting against society. He called it..."Going with the flow." Now, going with the flow has come to mean having a relaxed attitude, letting life carry you along. After all - “what you resist persists,” right?

I've been described as someone who goes with the flow; easy-going, keeping my neutrality in conflicts. Yet I have found that the practice of going with the flow can also lead to laziness or playing the spiritual bypass game or having a reluctance to taking life seriously or deeply or by the collar, when necessary.

Today, I want to about the power and depth in going with the flow in a spiritually conscious & mindful way by going with the flow on the River of the Divine You. 

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.  ~Lao-Tzu

Going with the flow doesn't have to be a cop-out, accepting life's lemons as the end of the story. You and I create the flow by getting in the Flow on the River of Love and Law. It may not be all peaches and cream and may involve some tough relaxing into the chaos, learning not to stress, and responding versus reacting. The main action behind going with the flow is not just laying back, it's taking hold of the consciousness cord that connects us to the Power of Manifestation where we can get guidance. We cannot practice the love of life in isolation or in a vacuum. Every spiritual path and all the mystics have described that each of us in nature is connected to that single Divine River where the wellspring of infinite possibilities flows. 

Within this Infinite Mind, each individual exists. We are not separated from Life, and neither is It separated from us. We are separate entities in It — individualized centers of God Consciousness.  ~Dr. Holmes, The Science of Mind

When we awaken to the Truth, we become open to the impulse & guidance of Spirit, inspired by imagination and wisdom, directed by our values, committed to our core principles, and dedicated to transformation and transcendence - no matter the circumstances. Leo Babauta, in the blog, Zen Habits, says:

No matter how much structure we create in our lives, no matter how many good habits we build, there will always be things that we cannot control — and if we let them, these things can be a huge source of anger, frustration, and stress. 

This conflict or condition has already happened; we can't go back to make it not have happened at least not yet. So what do we do when we step in it when junk shows up in our lives - big or small? I had a kidney stone journey in 2013:

4 days of cramps

4 days of feeling like Sisyphus...invoking powerful names = Jesus, Iron Man ...and phrases I cannot repeat...jumping up and down to rattle the stone around and break it up. I noticed the usual go with the flow idea went out of my mind as quickly as the cursing came out of my mouth. Then I became focused on not resolving the pain but remembering who I was. I had plenty of moments of health worries, possible financial concerns, and just the agonizing pain but it was my consciousness work that brought relief. 

Kamal Ravikant wrote:

Most of our pain, most of our suffering comes

from resistance to what Life is. And when we

resist what life is, we suffer. When you can say

yes to life, surrender to life and say: “Okay, what

should I be now?” That’s where power comes from.

There is a story about a young martial arts student was under the tutelage of a famous master. One day, the master was watching a practice session in the courtyard.

He realized that the presence of the other students was interfering with the young man’s attempts to perfect his technique. The master could sense the young man’s frustration. He went up to the young man and tapped him on his shoulder. “What’s the problem?” he inquired.

“I don’t know,” said the youth with a strained expression. “No matter how much I try, I am unable to execute the moves properly”.

“Before you can master technique, you must understand harmony, my son. Come with me, I will explain,” replied the master.

The teacher and student left the building and walked some distance into the woods until they came upon a stream. The master stood silently on the bank for several moments before he said, “Look at the stream. There are rocks in its way. Does it slam into them out of frustration? Watch it simply flow over and around them and move on! Be like the water and you will know what harmony is.”

Whether its COVID or a broken pipe, don’t dig in your heels, push, shove, and struggle until the veins pop out on your head. Stop saying no. Say yes and accept whatever it is.

Now the act of accepting doesn't mean giving permission ...accepting lets us stop thinking we must swim upstream or wish we could go back in time somehow ...accepting turns the dial to tune into and allow the nourishing Flow of the River of Divine Intelligence to carry us over and around the rocks. Here are a few daily practice tips from Bev Janisch:

1. Learn to distinguish between thoughts and feelings that arise from the condition or event – is it

bringing in your small self or your [highest self]?

2. Ask yourself: What is my heart’s desire? What inspired action arising from my soul am I meant to

take today or in this situation?

3. Create a daily habit of communicating with Source through meditation, prayer or “divine chats.”

Going with the Flow is about creating awareness, space, and practices that enable us to tune in to what Divine wisdom is intuiting and then honoring what we hear.

• Commit to participating in the awakening of your spiritual magnificence and personal power

• Commit to catching the spark of Divine ideas

You may be in pain or in fear of a prognosis or consequence, uncomfortable with making some changes in your habits of thought and action. It may be messy, chaotic, sad, or dirty, but as we understand that any yuckiness is the perfect outcome of the flow of the river of life we decided to float upon, we become open to and ready for the ideas, practices, & solutions to incorporate into our boat. Going with the flow doesn't mean you just sit there, hoping to become dislodged. By going with the Flow using your spiritual tools, you will rise up from the hurricane of discomfort. So go ahead and rage and weep for a few minutes, then take a breath and tap into the River of Divine Wisdom and allow your intuition to inform you of your options and find your best practices from a place of “yes” and acceptance. There is beauty in everything around us if we look at it as perfect.

Go with the flow of your life

Go with the flow of your community

Go with the flow of your health

Go with the flow of this time of COVID

Go with the flow of your relationships

It doesn't mean you don't take action. It means you go with the flow on the River of Divine Intelligence and Love to take action with the wisdom of the ages, the power of the mighty Mississippi, the best advice available from the Universe and Its creations.

Affirmative Incantation

I am stepping into the Circle of Love which surrounds me with ever-expanding energy that vibrates at the speed

of the Divine, awakening me to my best self.

In this Circle of Love, I lift up my mind to the highest thoughts and ideas.

In this Circle of Love, I lift up my heart to the highest frequencies of joy, passion, enthusiasm, and purpose.

In this Circle of Love, I honor that which binds us all together in everlasting Unity. I work the Universal Law to

cause and effect my dreams into an experience.

It is beautiful in this Circle.

It is calm in this Circle.

It is powerful in this Circle.

In this Circle of love, I am living Life to Its most abundant, highest, and prosperous; allowing the best of me to flow.

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A Festival of Love

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no; it is an ever-fixed mark, 

That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 

Within his bending sickle's compass come; 

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, 

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man or woman ever loved.

Most think of Shakespeare's SONNET 116 as a tome to romantic love, but when you listen carefully, dig deeply, he speaks as well to the love of living and experiencing life to the fullest, no matter what shows up or what your age may be. He speaks as well to how the Universe, from the Big Bang through eternity, is the energy of creation everlasting – the very essence of love.

Our awakening is a love-fest of depth, passion, enlightenment, Spirit, and...

Philia — Affectionate / Authentic Friendship Love

Pragma — Enduring Love

Storge (storjay) — Unconditional / Familial Love

Eros — Romantic /  Passionate Love

Ludus — Playful / Flirtatious Love

Philautia — Self Love

Agape — Selfless / Universal Love 

Our festival of love shall illuminate them all. 

First is the love of Spirit – AGAPE. As defined by Ernest Holmes, love is the "Self-givingness of Spirit through the desire of Life to express Itself in terms of creation. It is a synonym for God, says Emerson. It is a cosmic force whose sweep is irresistible."

God is unconditional love. Many confuse that with only the positive things happening in our lives,  however, the unconditional love from the Universe, the Highest of One, the Divine Source, Spirit, whatever you want to call It, knows only giving, not good or bad, positive or negative. There is a “Divine yes” that will never be denied to us. This “yes” may announce Itself through joy and peace, or pain and loss. Yet It awaits our acknowledgment and response. It is a “yes” that leads to joy, love, challenge, growth, and the on-going “yet-to-be” of infinite possibilities. It is that soul’s calling of our “heart‘s desire” which first appears as a curiosity or an interest, a nudge from the Universe growing to be a pull to know more. 

Learning to listen through regular spiritual practice brings trust, hope, awakening, and finally, a vision that we can embrace and embody and envision into our belief and life. Agape Love, Self Love – Divine Love is All Love. The capital 'L' love that shines in our Oneness as humans and all living beings reminds us of who we are...what Self is.

That boundless power, source of every power, manifesting itself as life, entering every heart, living there among the elements, that is Self. ~Upanishads

That is YOU...found in the countenance which is you. Enoch (great grandfather of Noah) recounts: 

I saw the view of the face of the Lord, like iron made burning hot in a fire and brought out, and it emits sparks and is incandescent. Thus even I saw the face of the Lord. 

It is not just a burning bush or the face of Moses or Jesus or Mary or Muhammad or the Buddha, the likeness and image of the Divine is in all those things - the likeness and image is in you. So much is resolved, loosened up, and empowered when we remember this. Take it to heart, live it, embody it, think from it, and be it in mind, body, heart, and soul.

That was an example of Philautia – self-love, a practice of meditation and prayer is the ultimate of self-love, giving you healthy self-esteem, insight into the highest you, a calm, centeredness – an opening for wisdom. Now we shall step into the realm of Eros – romantic love

In Madame Bovary (1856), Gustave Flaubert tells us about Emma Bovary's ideas about romantic love from "the refuse of old lending libraries," which...

...were all about love and lovers, damsels in distress swooning in lonely lodges, postillions slaughtered all along the road, horses ridden to death on every page, gloomy forests, troubles of the heart, vows, sobs, tears, kisses, rowing-boats in the moonlight, nightingales in the grove, gentlemen brave as lions and gentle as lambs, too virtuous to be true, invariably well-dressed, and weeping like fountains.

Is that how you see romantic love?

I am in love! Not just romantic love – though she's here. I am in love with my friends, my job, my ministry, my family, Southern California. I am in love with the taste of peach cobbler w/thick doughy, chewy crust and crumbles topping (gluten-free, of course), french fries, pumpkin pie, dense rich flour-less chocolate cake. I am in love with the smell of cut grass, a blazing fireplace or fire pit...the air after it rains. I am in love with the music of Debussy and the sound of crickets at night.

Eros...romantic love...is celebrated on February 14th. St. Valentines Day has many stories:

One was begun by Pope Gelasius I in the 5th century to combine the honoring of a temple priest who was beheaded by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed and the Roman feast of Lupercalia, a naked, drunken Pagan fertility festival of goat sacrifices, misogyny, and a matchmaking lottery. Other St. Valentine's are celebrated at different times:

St. Valentine of Viterbo on November 3

St. Valentine of Raetia on January 7

St. Valentine (Valentina), a virgin martyred in                    Palestine in 308AD on July 25

Now, thanks to the industrious threesome in 1920's Loveland, Colorado of Joyce Clyde Hall (Hallmark Cards, K.C. MO), Mary See (candy maker, L. A.) and John Valentine (FTD), Downer's Grove Ill), who colluded and captured the market for this holiday, it's why we believe that without a combo of candy, card, and flowers - Valentines Day is ruined.

Let's now talk about what the Greeks call Storge - familial love…not just the love of our blood relatives, but our relatives in any and all of the individuation of the Divine. And the type of love called Philia, which describes the friendship and shared goodwill of Oneness. I have a couple of questions for you:

What are the ways we let ourselves be distracted from remembering and living from our worthiness as divine, unique, and radiant creations of Spirit?

How can we “let God be God in us” in our daily lives...

with our family, in our jobs, at the grocery store?

When we have broken our god of tradition and ceased from our god of rhetoric, then may God fire the heart with [Its] presence.   ~Emerson’s Essays: The Over Soul

God as Source is everywhere, equally present, and always fully active. God as Presence is an innate connection full of wondrous creativity, limitless possibility, radiant inspiration, and perfect order, always available to commune with...but we must do our part. Today, I celebrate the glory & divinity of that which I AM and honor my Self, I honor nature, and I dignify the creation and creator that I am. I am the believer, not the belief, and I am in love with and grateful to that Infinite Invisible for which I am a part; the loving energy that soars within me, through me, and around me. To the degree that we are willing, open, and receptive participants and agreeing partners with Divine Love, on this and all other days, our lives can and will correspond to and demonstrate that Divine Love. 

Be a spectator no longer and ask yourself what brings you joy and what rises a feeling of passion and possibility in you. Radiate love, intention, and passion allow It to guide you to your next step and then your next and your next. Though some of the histories around Valentine's Day may not be so pure, I will still be flowering, candying and card writing to my special loved one, but also to myself, in appreciation of the God in me for the love It has for me, the love It gives to me and the love It is in me, as me. 

Plato taught that love aims at beautiful and good things; the possession of which he called happiness. And happiness is an end-in-itself. Of all the good and beautiful things, the best, most fabulous, the richest, and most dependable is the wisdom of Truth which is why Plato called love not a god, but a philosopher. Today, I have the philosophy, the awakening, the perspective, and the good sense to create a happy, prosperous, vibrant life and that is what I celebrate on this Valentine's Day and all the days around it.

…who's joining me?

Affirmative Incantation

Love is what I am and I love ALL that I am!

I am one with the infinite possibilities of the unconditional love of Spirit.

I celebrate my body expressing in health, intimacy, work, and play.

I celebrate the beloveds in my life whether romantic, family, or friends.

I celebrate my talents, my creativity, and that divine way I express my powers and abilities.

I celebrate my bank account, knowing that no matter what numbers it shows this day, I will reveal the better on the next.

With trust, joy, appreciation, and delight, I let God be God in me, through me, for me, and as me.

The ultimate Love supports me right here and right now.

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PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It’s seeing through the facade of pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.  ~Adyashanti

Those who have heard me before know that I am focused on construction, not destruction

• replacing, not displacing
• application vs annihilation
• eliminating by activating
• losing bad habits through the creation of new ones to inhabit
• constituting the positive to decommission the negative
• leaving the school of hard knocks and enrolling in the university of Universal opportunities 

We are not victims....we are victors!
We do not survive...we thrive!
We do not struggle...we ascend!

I've encouraged you to move from thinking about the Divine idea to feeling It and experiencing It using spiritual practices and mystical experiences to rise above and beyond any one path, religion, or tradition; like a mountain with many trails, a tree with branches aplenty, or a river with numerous tributaries, deltas & wells.

We are not bound by the precedent of our habitual thoughts - they can be changed. We are not bound by the precedent of our beliefs or our actions, statements, or positions, they can all be changed, replaced, reconfigured, adapted, alternated, dissipated, elevated, updated, refreshed, or traded-in. We are freed by Principle - to surrender to the Truth, step around & past the mere facts in our life or the temporary diversions, deviations, detours, and roundabouts, and put them in the rearview mirror

How? 

By falling in love with the process. From centering and grounding through prayer and meditation, embodying Spirit directly, communing with the Divine with intention and purpose, and by practicing the ancient wisdom, New Thought, neuroscience, mysticism, metaphysics, love, peace, powerful grounding, centering, and the affirmative prayer aspects of clean slate spirituality

You don't have to have engaged in anything nefarious to join the clean-slate movement. You don't have to have immersed yourself in a series of addictions to have a do-over. You don't have to have committed a crime to get a second chance. It matters not if we welcome that clean slate or it is thrust upon us. Take the time to love and practice the opportunity for greater clarity, creativity, and new possibilities to emerge. 

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes, maybe most of the time, it isn't easy. Just start with the decision to practice some mindful spiritual activity, love the decision, and get passionate about the decision. Your willingness to embrace the moment, confront any pain is a powerful Practice of the Presence of the Divine. It is a practice of Oneness, Love, and Creation, a practice of engaging in quieting the mind & body and awakening the heart and soul, and a practice of living in alignment with our Science of Mind Principles and being congruent in thought, word, and behavior.

Loving a spiritual practice can be exhilarating or terrifying...usually both. I have faced a blank page, illness, an instant family, divorce, career changes, major moves, losses, successes - just like most of you. Many I have liked / many, not so much...clean slates both wanted and unwanted. Too often I find myself with a lot of 'doing' going on, however, the bigger answers always came from tapping the Source of Creation and Infinite Potentiality that is within me, using the heart instead of the brain, and the vibration of the Divine instead of the logic in the head. I know I have talked about it before...

        Cultivating self-awareness and self-reflection

...looking after and loving yourself

        Establishing a routine of examining your beliefs, behaviors, and fears

...and asking your heart whether or not they still serve you

Focusing on what you WANT

Not worrying about what other people think 

Following your passion and taking action

Surrounding yourself with allies, mentors, and like-minded people

But I get it. The birth of anything new may be full of pain and messiness, emotions may emerge...that's okay because they act as an inner GPS, letting you know if your thoughts are moving you further from or closer to Source. And any new or renewed spiritual practice can be sloppy or uninspiring:

Have you ever sat on your floor in the quiet, your hands placed on your knees, and you tell your brain to be still?

I have...it was anything and everything but...and that's okay.

Have you ever wondered if it is wrong to scratch during meditation or prayer?

  It's not...scratching an itch is self-care. Give it its moment and scratch.

I remember thinking it was smart to time myself in meditation. Have you?

Very quickly you think it's been forever, so you look at your phone and you can swear you hear it laughing at you. You see the timer reads 2:42 (two minutes and 42 seconds) and you set it for 10. It's okay - go ahead, have a stretch and try again. But first, stick your tongue out at your phone – I'm sure the timer was wrong (lol).

Here's an idea:  when you have to remind yourself to meditate, pray, do your vision board, etc.

...tell yourself you're practicing self-care
...just be sure to leave out the “f-ing” part
... self-care is more zen without the swear words....usually.

While in spiritual practice, have you ever wondered about the quiet? if it’s okay to NOT be quiet?

I have....so I put my phone timer on pause and asked Siri about it. She didn't know and cursed at me for pausing my meditation.

Or have you ever thought, “Did I pay the credit card this month?”

...and then chastise yourself with, “Shhhhh, relax.” And a few minutes later, “Wait, DID I?”  I have...this morning

Sometimes I decide that sitting on the floor trying to meditate isn’t what self-care looks like today so I put on some clothes (pandemic lock-down and all) and go sit outside or walk or watch a bird at the feeder or listen to Laura Berman on this evil contraption that times my meditations. Soon enough, sitting on the ground, my eyes closed, listening to the talent and wisdom and just being, not paying attention to the seconds or the weather or goals or duties or bills or the news...just remembering, I Am enough. By the time the song ends, I take a deep breath, stand, and know that I have just done some self-care.

Meditation and prayer?

Keep at it!

If that Treatment or prayer didn't feel good - start over. If you think your vision board is too rule-following - start over. 

• To live from the space of clarity and possibility, we are called to Practice the Presence regularly
• To release thoughts of past or future and ground ourselves in the present, we are called to Practice the Presence regularly 
• To experience whatever understanding or gift the moment has for us, we are called to Practice the Presence regularly

But seek first the kingdom of God and Its righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  ~Matthew 6:33

It doesn't mean you don't plan or set goals or ignore the future...you create the future by your practices today. 

Don’t allow your wounds to transform you into someone you are not.                                                                                              ~Paulo Coelho 

If crying in the shower is part of your spiritual practice, especially in the frustrations of lockdown, closed schools, work-at-home, unemployment, and everything else many of us are going through this last year - have at it.....love it....use it!

Spiritual practice is a personal, ever-evolving transformational tool. Just...Practice, Practice, Practice and

...make it to your own Carnegie Hall to get to!
...your own healthy body....your own happiness!
...your own lovefest....to create your own fabulous life!

Affirmative Incantation

I welcome the promise of a clean slate that every moment holds. And so, in this moment and the next and the next...

I have a renewed energy to get things done.

I do things that are fulfilling and gratifying.

I communicate clearly, specifically, and lovingly with myself and all around me.

I am focused on a habit of happiness and health.

I have the courage to step out of my comfort zone and be victorious.

I revel in the Truth that I am backed by the Universe in every solution that is required.

I protect and care for all that I love.

As I feel this love of all I Am, I Am being this Love of all I Am. With this feeling and beingness alive in the deepest part of me, I live this Love of all I Am in all I do right here, right now, and forevermore.