Category: Growth

Our Co-Creation

When we use our creative imagination in strong faith, it will create for us, out of the One Substance, whatever we have formed in thought. In this way we become Co-Creators with God.
–Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind 157.2

It is the day before CSLT’s Co-Creation process begins with Dr Rev Kathy Hearn that will take place Thursday to Sunday. On Thursday everyone is invited to be a part of the process either by coming to the office or on Zoom. Please contact Mariann if you would like to attend, as there are handouts you will need. On Friday evening and Saturday, the Covenant Creation Team will create our New Minister “Sacred Covenant” which will establish the consciousness that welcomes our New Senior Minister. On Sunday Dr. Rev Kathy will be our speaker and we will read the “Sacred Covenant” together.

I still have a lot to learn about Co-Creation and looking forward to going through the process for calling our next minister, and seeing what aspects I can apply to my life. So far, I have learned that “Co-Creation is the state of consciousness that unfolds through the process of healing. It is the state of consciousness that arises when we come into agreement with others. When we come into the consciousness of consensus.” (Rev. Lloyd Strom, the Principles of Co-Creation)

And the sense I get of “healing” is learning about two relationships: My relationship with the Divine and my relationship with others and working through what separates me from others, so we move forward in writing the “Sacred Covenant” as One Mind.

The goal of Co-Creation is not to recreate, but create something new which is beyond my current knowledge. I look forward to a new CSLT that is Divinely created.

When a group of people come together with one accord and with one thought, a greater Power is generated. Not because the Creative Principle responds to a number of people more than It does to one, but because the combined faith of a group reaches a higher level of acceptance. Therefore, group spiritual practice should be definitely performed with the purpose in mind of arriving at a deeper conviction.

                        –Ernest Holmes, from handout on Group Spiritual Practice

–Maria

We Learn and We Grow

Our Interpretation of the world changes as new information is verified and added to the knowledge base. The list of changes is monumental because the experience of life is always changing.

We are explorers, innovators, inquisitors, and we adapt as we go. Because of all the advancements it is not advantageous for us to cling to outmoded concepts, rituals, and practices.

Like it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not we are bound to follow certain aspects of the universe. We may change our relationship with them. For example, cataclysmic events are not the result of an angry Deity. Or electricity in the form of lightning is not supernatural. Sure, it took us a while but today we have a better handle on these things than we did. Our application of electrical principles is expanding into other aspects of matter and energy.

Clinging to past logic loops and justifying them in any fashion will not allow for spiritual growth or expansion of our database. As they say in the computer programming world “Garbage In Garbage Out”.

I want to include in my present experience an element of zeal, which to me is kind of a mix of eagerness and energy. Particularly because our teaching releases me to experience unencumbered freedom like I never knew before. Now that I have Science of Mind, I want to step into the authentic version of me and feel the awesomeness of life.

Today is a great day. We are on a continually advancing adventure. Expanding into life learning and growing every moment. Our CSL is becoming and expanding. I am looking forward to the changes with excitement and anticipation.

–In shared growth, Chris

Me to We and Back Again

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb

I’ve realized in these past few weeks that I’m quickly running out of time to ‘speak about’ one of the ideas that I’ve wanted to share with you all for most of a decade. I still haven’t figured out how to do it, but here goes. It’s an idea that originates from the world of psychology, and business, and totally belongs in a conversation of spiritual evolution for individuals and communities.

You remember in the Four Kingdoms of Consciousness that Dr Michael Beckwith made popular, there are different levels of consciousness – Level one, Victim (Stuff happens to me); Level 2, Victorious (Stuff happens by my thoughts, choices, decisions & actions); Level 3, Conduit (Stuff happens through me); and Level 4, Mastery/As One In God (Stuff happens as me). If you don’t remember this model, look up Beckwith on YouTube. This model is worth a refresher if you don’t remember it.

One piece of this model that is easy to forget is that every single one of us moves between the different levels multiple times a day, depending on the state of our awareness, and our momentary physical, mental/psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Most individuals will have a level that serves as their home base – most individuals who have been around New Thought for a while and have embodied the principles tend to have their home base at Level 2 or higher. (I know of no human who walks on the earth at this time who lives primarily in Level 4. The best most of us can do is visit there, now and then.)

Another piece of this model that’s easy to forget is that it’s somewhat of a linear process – that is, you can’t skip over a step. Even if you don’t want to be materialistic, you still have to have the experience and awareness of being able to manifest your desires (level 2) before you can move into levels 3 and 4.

This other model that I want to introduce is called Spiral Dynamics. The article, “The Never-Ending Upward Quest” by Jessica Roemischer, gives a more in-depth introduction to the Spiral Dynamics model. The model’s basic premise is that individuals and groups automatically move up and (for short periods) down the spiral of social development. No level is bad or wrong.

Each level is appropriate to the social conditions that the person or group experiences, and what shifts each individual and group up or down the levels is their reaction to, or resistance to, change. (…more on that in a minute) Each level (stage) builds on the previous level, and you can’t skip a level because you don’t like it. Each one of us moves through different levels in different parts of our lives and in different situations, depending on our state of awareness, our reaction to changing conditions, and our momentary physical, mental/psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

The basic level, at the bottom of the spiral, is simple survival. The next level is ‘Paternalism’ aka tribalism, where there is an in-group that matters, and everyone else who doesn’t. This is the first level of group, or ‘we consciousness’. The next level
that naturally arises from the tribal consciousness is that of the Tribal Leader. Someone has to make the decisions, after all! (Think about George Orwell’s 1984, “All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others.”)

The leader is not necessarily benevolent, but their presence and leadership does provide stability and structure that usually allows the larger group to flourish.

The next stage of social evolution is the ‘Rules-and-Regulations’ group or the Order-based group. An example of this group would be an organization, like the US Military or the Catholic Church. As long as an individual aligns with the rules of the group, then all is well. If not, and the organization can control or suppress the outlying individual, they will.

Sometimes, an individual will learn to work the ‘system of order’ to maximize their own benefit. This gives rise to the next stage of development, which on the spiral is shown as ‘Profit’. Richard Branson/Virgin Airlines and Elon Musk with his many ventures are examples of this stage of social evolution. When there is a reaction to individuals such as Branson or Musk, it can arise from within the ‘Rules & Regulations’ folks, or it can arise from the next stage of the model, which is shown on the spiral as ‘People’.

In this group — People — everyone’s voice matters, and it’s really hard to get anything done because no one wants to be the one in charge. This stage of social evolution looks a lot like the earlier Tribal model, except the tribe is massive.

Most modern ‘First World’ individuals live somewhere on the spiral between the Order-based group and the People-focused group. The individuals we think of as successful are often operating primarily from the individually-focused Profit-focused group. In general, ‘First World’ individuals and groups have moved past the level of social evolution associated with simple survival – though in situations of massive destruction like major fires, earthquakes or hurricanes, you will find people desperate enough to choose to serve their own survival needs, or their immediate family needs, over the community needs.

There are still more stages of the spiral beyond the People-focused stage. In the Spiral Dynamics model, the upward shift to the next level after ‘People’ is challenging, because not only is everyone’s contribution valued, but all the people at all the levels are seen as already providing value to the whole.

And so it goes, ad infinitum.

Next, I want to take a quick peek at this ‘Change Model’. The key idea is that we humans generally prefer to live in the ‘alpha’ state of stability and peace. But when stuff happens in our lives that pulls us off balance (the ‘beta’ state in the diagram), we have choices we can make. We can adapt/flex with that change, work with Reality as it is, or we can fight with it and stay in an upset or tension state.

 

In Science of Mind terminology, this is simply an expression of working beneficially with the Law of Cause and Effect. We can recognize when we are in resistance (arguing with Life). We can ignore Reality and stay miserable; or we can redirect our focus and attention and realign with Life, and return to ‘alpha’.

We always have the option of staying miserable. It’s a choice, and people do make that choice. Sometimes folks don’t know that they have another option, because they’ve accepted the cultural conditioning that says they are powerless. Until they choose to take responsibility for their life experiences rather than thinking they are victims, they are stuck. Their stuckness is evidence of living in First Kingdom mentality from Michael Beckwith’s Four Kingdoms of Consciousness model. Lots of people choose to believe they are powerless and stay stuck in that powerlessness.

While the Four Kingdoms model is entirely focused on the growth and maturation of the individual, the Spiral Dynamics model recognizes that we (humans) automatically can and will switch between the levels/stages and adjust our focus between individual’s success and the success of our group. Dr David Hawkins (author of Power Versus Force) said that historically change like this happened only very slowly through the generations. He also noted that the rate of change/evolution has increased in recent decades. This is good news.

If you want to learn more about the Spiral Dynamics model, there are several books, articles, and YouTube videos that discuss it. If you read the online publication Medium, check out the writings of Jon Freeman on the topic. For our newsletter, I’ve added an article, “The Never-Ending Upward Quest” by Jessica Roemischer from the journal What Is Enlightenment?, first published fall/winter 2002.

Dr Jim Lockhard has written Creating The Beloved Community introducing these ideas in the context of spiritual community and Being The Beloved Community which is about how spiritual communities can choose to deal constructively with change. Unfortunately, you can’t understand the second book without reading and digesting the first book. The classic textbook by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership and Change, can give you additional background on the topic.

I know I’ve thrown a lot of information at you in these almost 1500 words. I think it is important to introduce you to this highly valuable, testable model that helps us recognize who/where we are individually and as a group. The good news — this progression to higher order thinking and awareness happens whether we know about it or not. But knowing about it, we can choose to direct our attention and focus toward greater consciousness. We always have choice in the speed, and ease, of our individual and collective transformation. Happy spiraling!

The link to “The Never-Ending Upward Quest” by Jessica Roemischer from the journal What Is Enlightenment?, first published fall/winter 2002.

Rev. Dr. Jim Lockard Creating The Beloved Community

The classic textbook by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership and Change is available from various sources online.

Thoughts about Being Present in the Practice

I’ve been working with BrainHQ for over 250 days. I haven’t actually worked with it every single day, but I have spent at least 5 minutes playing the ‘brain games’ most days. An interesting thing that I’ve noticed is that I’ve gotten better at some of the games that I was particularly pitifully unskilled at in the early days of playing. I’ve also noticed a couple more things about myself that are more broadly applicable.

Brain HQ is a fairly fast paced game that’s mostly about attention and focus. Every time I let my mind wander, I miss the next puzzle. If I berate myself for missing that puzzle, then I fail at the next several puzzles too, because I’m more focused on being irritated with myself, than I am on staying engaged with the game. This is great feedback, because it tells me that I’ve shifted my focus from something that has potential benefit, to something that doesn’t.

When I was much younger, I remember experiencing this same feeling. When my piano teacher wanted me to perform in public, I was so tense about performing that if/when I made an error (when I would lose my place, or fumble some notes), I would get so flustered, it was all over. My ability to continue was trashed. I didn’t have the external support to help me work my way through my lack of belief in myself as a musician, and I didn’t have the internal support that would allow me to see a way through. I’ve always appreciated musicians and actors who could flub a line and recover. I now have words to describe what they do – they redirect their focus from what went sideways (aka ‘wrong’) to what they wanted to have happen.

This is a basic teaching or practice in what we do, or what anybody wants to do, when they are moving in the direction of our dreams. When we screw up, or lose focus, we pick ourselves up, and begin again. We do this as many times as it takes. Most of us would prefer to reach a state of advancement that we no longer stumble and fall, but I’m not sure how realistic that is. It may be that we reach a state where we simply recover faster, wasting less time on self-irritation.

In sailing: If you are sailing towards a particular place, whether it is a tropical island, or the buoy that marks the turning-around-point of a sailboat race, you are almost never 100% on course. Instead, you are tacking back and forth, working toward that goal. I think the same thing is true in life.

I was reading Robert Greene’s The Daily Laws the other night. (If you have this book, it was the reading for February 11th.) He started by quoting Emerson, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do has increased.” The daily reading was about how we get to an advanced state of practice wherein it is easier to stay focused on our intended target.

He wrote, “… The more we do it (the thing we want to learn), the easier it becomes. Even with skills that are primarily mental, such as computer programming or speaking a foreign language, it remains the case that we learn best through practice and repetition – the natural learning process. We learn a foreign language by actually speaking it as much as possible, not by reading books and absorbing theories. The more we speak and practice, the more fluent we become. [This next section is the key to the puzzle that Greene unlocks.] Once you take this far enough, you enter a cycle of accelerated returns in which the practice becomes easier and more interesting, leading to the ability to practice for longer hours, which increases your skill level, which in turn makes the practice even more interesting. Reaching this cycle is the goal you must set for yourself.”

This is equally true for spiritual practice. We don’t ever reach a level where we can stop practicing. We can reach a level where the practice becomes attractive and enjoyable in its own right. Happy practicing!

A reminder that supports this idea from Ben Hardy

–Rev Janis

What Happens Now?

If you didn’t see my retirement announcement on Sunday, or watch it earlier this week, you can watch it here.




“What happens now?” Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) has a process in place to follow when a minister leaves. We’ve activated that process. Because we have a healthy, functional center, and the luxury of a local structure that operates in an orderly fashion, we are working through our transition plans. This means I’m handing off the tasks that I have been doing and the relationships that I’ve held, and we’re making sure there are good records and instructions for everything anybody can think of. We’ve worked on them intentionally for 2-3 weeks already, and have 6 weeks to complete them. My last Sunday will be February 26th, and I will turn in my keys shortly after that.

Actually, we’ve been working on a chunk of our procedures and processes for much longer than that. When I took the month of May off in 2022, the Board and some of the extended leaders took over many of my regular responsibilities. Some responsibilities stayed with the leadership then, and will continue as is, for a while yet.

“And Then?” The Board of Trustees will assume the running of the business of the Center entirely. Sharon has accepted the task of scheduling Sunday speakers, and making sure that everyone has the content, and context, they need for Sunday services to be educational and inspirational. She will also, with the Board, be the point of contact for any new classes that want to be scheduled. Mariann will continue to coordinate the weekly newsletter, and has taken over the posting of our monthly activities in Natural Awakenings magazine. She’ll also continue to work with our webmaster to keep the website current, and accurate.

There are a lot of moving parts, many of which I have handled for more than a decade, and so there will be some balls that get dropped. Do your best to be kind, helpful, involved, engaged and supportive.

In the (slightly) longer term, you all will be asked to participate in a ‘Co-Creation Process’ to figure out what the community’s vision for CSL Tucson actually is. Then, and maybe concurrently, a ‘Selection Committee’ will be formed of community leaders, practitioners and members. This group, with help, will create a video or powerpoint presentation that describes what CSLT desires from their next minister, and what CSLT, and the enchanting environment of Tucson, offers to their next minister. The presentation will go to the designated person at Home Office who will share it with ministers who have an interest in becoming pulpit ministers, or moving to a new pulpit. After a period of time, that point of contact will send resumes of ministers who are interested and qualified back to the ‘Selection Committee’. They will recommend to the Board which candidating ministers should be invited to Tucson to speak and give a workshop. You will have the opportunity to hear what they have to say, engage with them, and express your perceptions and observations.

Since we know everything happens in Mind before it happens in the world of form, a group of individuals have already started doing Spiritual Mind Treatments knowing the ‘right and perfect spiritual leader for CSLT’ already exists, and is open and able to join the community here. Since many of you also know how to do this, you are welcome to join them. If your strength is visualization, you can use that technique as well.

“Why?” Why am I leaving? Because it’s time for me to retire from CSLT and do something different. 13+ years is the longest I have ever stayed in any one place. I’m complete here. In the last year (or so), I have not felt that I was effectively inspiring, supporting or encouraging you all to engage with your own spiritual growth opportunities, and to support connection and the experience of belonging in your spiritual community.

Since that was my ‘why’ for being your spiritual leader, it’s time for me to move on to my next adventure.

That’s the bigger ‘why’. Because it is time for this beloved community to become the shining beacon that it is capable of becoming — to grow, and flourish and to empower yourselves and others to live expansive, joyful lives, in community, that you are all worthy of.

–Rev Janis Farmer

SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN THE NEW YEAR

“I used to start diets, too. I hated to mention this to my then therapist. She would say cheerfully, ‘Oh, that’s great, honey. How much weight are you hoping to gain?’ I got rid of her. No one talks to me that way.” Anne Lamott

I’ve never appreciated the practice of New Year’s resolutions. Change involves action. The Twelve Step program has taught me that if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. I’ve been chubby at best all my life and have the baby pictures to prove it. Every year in adulthood I have known that I should lose weight but wouldn’t declare weight loss as a goal. I knew I didn’t have the willpower to make the changes that would result in my dropping pounds. Before CSL I knew something of Cause and Effect. I also came to understand that I didn’t love myself enough to develop healthy eating practices. The idea of healthy change is appealing, but the follow-through is often non-existent or short-lived.

I’ve learned that part of the problem is that the word “lose” connotes deprivation and lack. (Woe is me; I’ll never get to have ice cream ever again.) Like so many of the issues of our human incarnation, the solution is a spiritual one, often involving inner, emotional work. In the above quote, Anne Lamott is joking about firing her therapist and goes on to state that over time this therapist “helped lead me back home to myself, to radical self-care, to friendship with my own heart and body…. I hate to say it, but only profound self-love will work…only kindness and grace.”

Kristen Neff, in Fierce Self-Compassion, encourages women to practice self-compassion, to be kind to ourselves, care for and support ourselves even if we fail. She cites Carl Rogers, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

In The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes affirms, “I am determined to use my mind consciously and constructively to improve my health and my conditions… I shall dwell only on “what is true, what is worthy, what is right, what is pure, what is amiable, what is kindly, on everything that is excellent or praiseworthy. I believe these attitudes of mind, when persisted in, will bring to me greater peace, happiness and health…”

For me spiritual growth has involved confronting Truth and identifying my doubt and lack of faith. For example, do I really believe it is done unto me as I believe? I know faith can be increased. How do I ‘use my mind consciously and constructively to improve my health and my conditions’? Having daily practices are beneficial to my having and maintaining a positive attitude. These are some resources I can access on a regular basis:

  •  Daily morning practice at 8:30 am, accessed by our second Zoom link in the newsletter.
  • Meditation and Affirmative prayer
  • Reading the Daily Guides in the Science of Mind magazine, Guide for Spiritual Living.
  • CSL Daily Affirmation Mobile App. This is a new daily affirmation app for IOS and Android, available through the Apple store and Google Play store. It is a replacement for Facebook daily affirmations.
  • Attending CSLT services
  • Taking classes and book studies offered through CSLT.

I seek to experience that profound self-love that enhances my spiritual growth.

–Linda Bullock

Imperfectly Perfect by Rev Janis Farmer

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In a recent Saturday’s daily morning practice, we got another opportunity to look at, remember, and celebrate, that every individual human, including ourselves, is an individualized personification of the Oneness, as we understand, and experience, it in this moment. And that no matter how badly we fail, or we think someone else has failed, there is no failure. Every bit of that experience is simply the perfect expression of the imperfectly perfect human life.

In a recent daily missive, Fr Richard Rohr used this quote from Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection:
“It is in the process of embracing our imperfections that we find our truest gifts: courage, compassion, and connection. … When we can let go of what other people think and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness—the feeling that we are enough just as we are and that we are worthy of love and belonging. When we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don’t fit with who we think we’re supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving. …

“There is a line from Leonard Cohen’s song “Anthem” that serves as a reminder to me when … I’m trying to control everything and make it perfect. The line is, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” … This line helps me remember the beauty of the cracks (and the messy house and the imperfect manuscript and the too-tight jeans). It reminds me that our imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together. Imperfectly, but together.”

One of the sweet spots for me is in remembering that every time I feel judgmental, or judged, it is an opportunity to practice clear seeing, compassion and forgiveness. And every time I feel triggered by something that happens around me, or even something that seems to be happening to me, it’s not the thing that happens in this world of form that I need to fix, correct or change — it’s the way I perceive the situation. This doesn’t mean I always manage to remember any of this stuff in that moment, but I get back to that awareness as soon as I am able.

In working on this past week’s talk, I felt drawn to re-read Ernest Holmes’ ‘Final Conclusions’ in the Science of Mind. You can read them in their entirety on page 423. The sentence that jumped out at me the most was this one, from the second paragraph, “To hold one’s thought steadfastly to the constructive, to that which endures, and to the Truth, may not be easy in a rapidly changing world, but to the one who makes the attempt, much is guaranteed.”

I love that, because it doesn’t mean that if I haven’t succeeded at staying focused on the constructive, I have failed. The notion of ‘doing it right’ is a story that I make up, and that each one of us probably interprets differently. Further, there’s no way to actually get it right, since there is no definitive thing called ‘right’. (I realize there are people who disagree with me about that. And that’s okay too.) What it does mean is that, if I want to play, I have to stay in the game and continue to participate as best as I know how in the moment. And by making the attempt, ‘much is guaranteed’. I can make the attempt, even if I get to begin again a hundred times a day.

As we move into our month of gratitude and gratefulness, and into this period of mid-term elections, it serves me to remember to be grateful for it all, and know that every single one of us is exactly in the right place, at the right time, being beautifully, magnificently, imperfectly perfect.

Mental Equivalents II by Maria Schuchardt, RScP

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Last blog I spoke about equivalents, how I have an overarching desire for a “rich and full life.” A few more thoughts have come up.

We must sense the embodiment of that which we wish to experience… the whole
problem is not one of creation, but one of direction, and there is no direction unless there is first an embodiment. Let us try this in our meditation. We know that we reflect the Divine Perfection and that there is an intuition within us which guides us. We know that all the power there is and all presence there is, is this perfect Spirit, this Divine Reality, which is around us and through us and in us. — Ernest Holmes

And also:
“You must have some kind of vision for your life, even if you don’t have a plan, you should have a direction in which you choose to go. I never was the kind of a woman who liked to get in the car and just go for a ride…. Do we have a destination? Do we have a plan? Or are we just riding? You have to be in the driver’s seat of your life because if you are not, life will drive you.” — Oprah

I was on the UA campus one day and I saw Dr. Marcia Rieke the principal investigator for the near-infrared camera on the James Webb Space Telescope. “How are things going?” I asked. “Much better than we could have even imagined.” She replied. I smiled. This is not the first time I have heard that statement. That the desired outcome, mental equivalent, was much more than the original idea. That the One Mind, hears our claim, and adds a touch of magic. One of my practitioner studies classmates said the same thing when she spoke about creating a studio space for herself.

Both Dr. Rieke and my classmate had a specific direction, a specific goal they wanted to manifest. A lot of my life, I have been a wanderer. I wrote these words in sometime in the 1970’s.

Skipping stones into the sunset.
Watching waves caress the rocks
Soothing sharp edges
Into sensuous curves – Voices far away and melted.
The sun is a hazy circle
Descending upon the water
And I, I am a wanderer
In search of peace.
And my direction, my direction is to be my authentic self, that knows that God is my Source, and in that, I have found my peace.

Moving Forward

My journey at CSL Tucson started around my relationship with money. My wife and I were taking Mary Morrissey’s Prosperity Plus course at the office. That experience changed from the focus on money into ‘What does it mean to be prosperous?’

My wife was attending CSLT and I reluctantly agreed to show up at a service. I continued showing up on Sundays to hear the messages. Hearing the reminder reassured me. The talking points were relatable and fit with many of my conclusions about reality and the universe as I perceived it. Wanting to have a deeper understanding, I took “Foundations,” then “Visioning” and “Power of Your Word.” The classes made me uncomfortable. And I was encouraged to stay engaged and participate. I continued because I wanted a better understanding.

It was becoming clear to me that I was able to apply the ideas and get results. The ideas presented made it possible for me to expand past my old comfort zones and understand that my thinking influenced my reality more than I had realized. I have since come to embrace this teaching and follow it to the best of my ability.

So why don’t I see more of the world seeking to become enlightened? We have regular gatherings to explore, consider and gain new and exciting insights into the spiritual world. We have opportunities to progress — expanding the exciting possibilities of the human condition.

Humans have evolved to fulfill certain conditions for our survival. The chemical cocktail that is our physical feedback system is understood to the degree that we know that feedback loops have evolved to keep us safe, satisfied and alive.

It is natural for us to want to stay in our comfort zone. And in our present world we have a multitude of distractions that stimulate other chemical feedback loops that keep us satiated — whether that satiation is productive or not. Humans are physically wired to interact with the world in groups, we have evolved this way to insure our survival.

Rev Janis asked some specific and pointed questions on Sunday.

  • How do we encourage participation in our center?
  • Do I want to continue with the method I use?
  • Is gathering old fashioned? What are the benefits of gathering?

Some of my thoughts are:
Tell people
Attract people
Excite people
Visualize people
The reality we live in is our creation.
Involve people
Solve your problems
New world view
Connect people
Connect with G0D
Two heads are better than one.

These ideas have been repeated over and over for thousands of years
People, as mirrors, give us a reflection of ourselves. We gain clarity when we see that.

What thoughts do you have about how we might encourage more participation?

–Chris Wheeler

How Do We…?

“Continuing to do pioneering sacred work in a world as crazy and painful as ours without constantly grounding yourself in a sacred practice would be like running into a forest fire dressed only in a paper tutu.” — Marion Woodman
The world of our experience can certainly seem topsy-turvy right now, and it seems like just one thing after another continues to pop up and challenge us to retain our center, and our balance, and remember what’s ours to control, revisit, and reimagine, and then act accordingly.
And there’s another thing we need to add to this already quite messy mix, which is the desire to pretend that everything’s working out just fine, when that’s a mental wish we have but not something we actually believe & embody in our lives. I want to use today’s blogpost to write about both these things.
When we pretend that everything is okay in our world, but if we check in with our physical experience (our body, and our true mental state), we discover that we don’t truly believe it, that avoidance behavior is called a ‘bypass’. Sometimes bypasses are necessary in the short term, to get us through particularly hard times, but they are not a great place to try to live.
I don’t know anyone who enjoys difficult conversations. I do know folks who are pretty good at having them. When we use bypass to avoid discomfort during difficult conversations, we avoid solving the challenges, so they don’t go away.
I have some home repairs that I’ve been avoiding, because I just don’t want to have to deal with problems that I took on when I bought my little house. I don’t want to deal with the financial expense of making it right. I don’t want to deal with my own internal dialog (again) about how I listened to the realtor and fooled myself into thinking this house was wonderful and perfect, without flaws, just as it was. All the repairs I’ve gotten to pay for have made it more ‘like it was supposed to be’. It is a wonderful and perfect house – the size I wanted, with the amount of upkeep I wanted, in the part of town I wanted, and it’s giving me the opportunity to see where I’ve pretended that things were great when they weren’t.
So how do we do the spiritual work that we need to do in order to keep ourselves grounded, in integrity, in our bodies, congruent with our beliefs, and remembering those things that are within our control? Yes, I realize that’s a tall order. If we don’t do these things, it is, as Marion Woodman suggested in that opening quote, like running into a forest fire wearing a paper tutu.
We can pretend that catching our tutu on fire is part of the program, which it is, if we don’t choose differently in our daily spiritual practice. What do I mean by daily spiritual practice? It’s what you do every single day to keep yourself centered and grounded in your Oneness with all Life. Like what, you might ask? (I hope not but you might.) Meditation, journaling, reading spiritual materials, singing, walking in nature, moving, praying loving others in your world, affirmations, peaceful breathing, generosity… What are these practices for you?
–Rev Janis Farmer
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