Category: blog

The Unfolding Seed: Nurturing Spiritual Growth By Rev. Rhoni Tretsven

Tamara Morrison, ELSP

Spiritual growth, much like the slow, deliberate unfurling of a seed, is a deeply personal and transformative journey. It’s not about reaching a fixed destination, but rather about cultivating an inner landscape that is fertile for wisdom, compassion, and a profound connection to something larger than ourselves. This journey we place ourselves on is marked by moments of quiet reflection, challenging periods of shedding old beliefs, and the gradual blossoming of a more authentic and expansive self. This month I will be talking about our slow stroll through our mental and spiritual garden. What seeds are we planting? What are we witnessing in our lives? Mental weeds of negative thinking? Tangled roots of a belief system that no longer works? How do we plant seeds better and reap the spiritual and mental rewards of a garden that nourishes us?

The initial seed of spiritual growth is often planted by a sense of unease, a yearning for something more, or perhaps a profound life event that shakes the foundations of our existing worldview. This initial stirring can feel like a subtle whisper, an intuitive nudge towards introspection. As we begin to pay attention to this inner prompting, we start to till the soil of our consciousness. This might involve practices like meditation, prayer, spending time in nature, or engaging with sacred texts and teachings. These practices act as sunlight and water for the nascent seed, providing the nourishment needed for it to sprout.

As the seed sends roots down, we inevitably encounter obstacles – the hard stones of ingrained habits, the tangled weeds of limiting beliefs, and the dry spells of doubt and discouragement. Spiritual growth requires courage and perseverance to navigate these challenges. It demands honesty with ourselves, a willingness to confront our shadows, and the humility to learn from our mistakes. This process of clearing and tending can be uncomfortable, even painful at times, but it is essential for creating a strong and healthy foundation for further growth.

The unfolding of spiritual growth is not linear. There will be periods of rapid expansion, where new insights and understandings blossom like vibrant flowers. There will also be times of dormancy, where outward progress seems slow, but deep inner work is still taking place beneath the surface. Just as a plant goes through seasons, our spiritual journey has its own rhythms of growth, rest, and renewal. The key is to remain patient, trusting the inherent wisdom of the process.

Ultimately, the fruit of spiritual growth is a deeper sense of peace, connection, and purpose. We begin to see the interconnectedness of all things, fostering greater compassion and empathy for ourselves and others. The relentless pursuit of external validation diminishes as we tap into an inner source of strength and contentment. We realize that the journey itself is the destination, and that the ongoing unfolding of our spiritual potential is a lifelong and deeply rewarding endeavor. Like a tree that continues to grow and reach for the light, our spirit too is meant to expand, to learn, and to contribute its unique beauty to the tapestry of existence. What tapestry of light are you weaving?

–Namaste, Rev. Rhoni

Yes, or No? By Sharon Whealy, RScP

“We cannot live a choiceless life. Every day, every moment, every second, there is choice. If it were not so, we would not be individuals.” Science of Mind p.143.3

I recently listened to Eugene Holden’s self-Mastery Academy podcast (episode 4) with Rev. Melissa Moorer-Nobles, and they were talking about connecting with our Yes! The conversation quickly turned to the power of our No! Rev. Melissa shared a job she said yes to, despite her knowing it was not the job of joy she had declared she wanted. Within three weeks, she knew her yes should have been no, and she left the job. The topic turned to why we say “yes” when we should be saying “no”.

In our teaching, we are urged to the “yes” side of things; say yes to the opportunity, say yes to Spirit! Sometimes, however, saying no is more aligned with our goals and desires. Why do we say yes when we know we should be saying no? For me, some answers are fear you won’t like me if I say no, or that I will disappoint you, FOMO (fear of missing out), guilt, a sense of duty or obligation, or a need to fix a situation. Saying yes when I mean no results in unhappiness, selfcriticism, and growing resentments. It can also be a confirmation that yes, I really did not want that.

We’ve heard the saying, “‘No’ is a complete sentence.” When we say no to something, we often follow it with an explanation of why we’re saying no, when no reason is necessary. In her book, Getting in Touch with Your Inner Bitch, Elizabeth Hilts suggests using the phrase, “I don’t think so” when having to turn a request down. No explanation and no excuse, it is a simple “I” statement that says no politely, leaving no room for push back.

“Our correct choice will be part of the working of the Law. All doubt and fear must go and, in their place, must come a faith and confidence, for we shall be led by the Spirit into all good. SOM, p.272.2

To get in touch with our “sacred no,” we must first be clear about our goals, desires, and values. Is saying ‘yes’ to this in alignment with my highest good? Am I saying ‘yes’ out of fear, guilt, obligation, or need? We must also examine if our ‘no’ is aligned with our highest good. Am I saying ‘no’ out of fear, smallness, safety, or not wanting to change? Being still and going within helps us center into the right choice.

“If we have to make a choice and feel we do not know which or what to choose, we must be still in our own consciousness and know that the Spirit within us knows which of these ways is the right, and most constructive way, and will guide us.” SOM, p. 273.1

A lot is going on in the world to say no to racism, deportations, stripping of our government, and leaders who don’t seem to have the people’s best interests at heart, to name but a few. It occurs to me that as I contemplate owning my no, I am simultaneously saying yes to human rights, democracy, honesty, and integrity. For everything I say no to, I am saying yes to something greater that is wanting to be called into expression.

–Sharon Whealy, RScP

My Wish for You by Linda Bullock

I love life and I enter into the joy of living. I enter into companionship with others, into cooperation with them. And I know that something within me reaches out and embraces the whole world. Something within me blesses everything it touches, brings life and happiness and joy to everyone. (Living the Science of Mind, pages 188-189)

This is my last article for the CSLT newsletter. Big changes are afoot, and the accompanying mixed emotions are floating around in my head.

I’m on record on our CSLT video saying that I came to find community and I found that and so much more. Pat Masters was in my first Foundations class taught by Reverend Donald Graves. What a gift to know Pat! I enjoyed the Services, especially the music of David Prouty. I have continued to learn from Science of Mind teachings.

Ernest Holmes says ALWAYS EXPECT THE GOOD. Have enthusiasm and, above all, have a consciousness of love. (SOM, page 184) Like my program of recovery, spiritual growth works best one day, one practice at a time.

The community of CSLT is significant to my spiritual growth. In early 2014 I was blessed to become a grandmother and moved parttime to Lake Havasu City for 5 years. I quickly found the local CSL and participated whenever in town.

I understand that in life Truth doesn’t change but so much else does. I am going to miss the people of CSLT, my fellow board members past and present, the practitioners, the musicians. Of course, streaming the services from a distance is possible, but that doesn’t give me the opportunity to smile and say Hello in person and give hugs. I will miss your sweet faces. If I have interacted with you since my time at CSLT, I hope I have been kind.

I know for CSLT leadership the strength and a willingness to be open to the varying needs of the community that may have not yet been expressed or nurtured. I know a dynamic time is ahead, that growth is being demonstrated. I know financial concerns are resolving.

I am releasing and letting go as we sing in Rickie Byers song. I have benefitted from ‘this or something better’ in my search for a new place to call home. I strive to be positive and use the spiritual tools I’ve learned. I know all will be well. I know the same for you.

From Roger Teel’s This Life is Joy, “… I see you as a Child of Light. I see you guided and directed by an inward Spirit that leads you unerringly on to the path that is just right for you. I see you strong and whole. I see you blessed and prospered. I see you courageous and confident. I see you capable and successful. I see you free from every limitation and all bondage of any kind. I see you as the spiritually perfect being that you truly are.”

–And so it is with love. Linda

LIFE’S COAT by Rev. Rhoni

Imagine the universe beautiful and just and perfect. Then be sure of one thing: the Is has imagined it quite a bit better than you have– Richard Bach

Recently Charles and I took some time off, and traveled to Durango, Colorado for my brief break away from Sunday. We explored galleries, and wineries, and walked the historic downtown area. Our two dogs, Ambrose and Ralphie were also included in our family adventure. It was the perfect few days of a “rocky mountain high.”

I have found in ministry; you never really get “time off.” It is part of the soul contract I believe when I decided to take my place in this human experience. Off and on during my time away I thought about what I wanted to “teach.” April’s theme is, “Coming into Life Again.” I received two books from Spirit during my contemplation. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and Paths to Recovery (Al-Anon’s steps.) I usually become concerned when I receive two “nudges” out of the blue, both appear to be repeating the same information pointing me towards something to do or be aware of. By the “third nudge” its intent is to get my attention, because things are about to change and, in my experience, you do not really want to experience that “third tap” because things are going to get real.

This time it has been “gentler”, and I loved revisiting both books. I read Jonathan Seagull when I was a teenager, and the Al-Anon Recovery book was my guide and anchor during my marriage to my former husband who passed due to congested heart failure and alcoholism. Both with their wisdom go together nicely and will probably show up in my talks this month. However, I have kept alert of there being a “third” book or other for me to pay attention to. I asked the question, “Is this all that I need to know?” A few days later, I received my third nudge.

As I am going through files in my home office looking for my copy of the Easter service, I want to share with all of you this year, IT appeared. It is a poem I wrote many years ago when I was in the middle of Practitioner training. I can remember the feeling of writing it, because I felt different. Something had shifted in my heart and was affecting me deeply. The gift is, after reading it again, I discovered a perspective of, when we enter our spiritual path, we have no idea where it will lead us. I can declare with a grateful heart I am grateful for every experience I receive. Life is a coat of many colors and experiences and this as my “third nudge” I would like to share with all of you.

Life’s Coat

It happened over night it seemed a change was in the air,

I reached first for my sweater, but alas it was not there.

So, I went to my hallway closet, where I knew my old coat hung,

But for some unknown reason, it looked a little different hanging on the rung.

I took it out and tried it on and found it did not fit!

How could this be? I thought and fumed, now this really got me ticked.

But as I took a longer look, my coats parts summed up my life.

Each piece connected one by one, told the story of my strife.

The cloth it was made of was my shield from really living.

The shoulders bore my burdens, though I felt I was forgiving.

Each sleeve displayed my heart that I allowed to be unprotected.

The pockets were where I stuffed the things I loved and neglected.

The lapels were where I displayed, the courage I thought I had,

And the fact no one was close to me, my heart was deeply sad.

As long as my coat stayed buttoned, I knew I could still hide.

However, the hem was a giveaway, unraveling daily, along with my pride.

It was then that the thought struck me, I could put this old coat away.

Never to be taken out again, not even on a rainy day.

The coat had many colors, which up close I could not see.

Ribbons of harmonious perfection bounced back as a mirror, taunting me.

So, I changed my thinking and changed my life,

Putting that old coat back on the pole.

I happily chose another one, this time not for my body, but my soul.

-Namaste with love, Rev. Rhoni

Wherever you go…there you are by Mariann Moery

“When we go to a new place we shall find there only what we have taken with us. If we have taken success we will find success; if, on the other hand we have taken failure we will find failure. Ernest Holmes Creative Mind – 80.2

Or Friends. Or Loneliness. Or Pizza. Or Limitations.

Holmes first book: Creative Mind published originally in 1918 is amazingly clear and direct, expressing all the important tenets of Science of Mind largely unencumbered by any of the ideas or language contemporary to that time.

“We have missed the whole point, unless we have learned so to control our thought that time and place make no difference.” 21.4

C’est fait par du monde – lifting from Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals (Day 27): Attributed to a French-Canadian grandmother, ..whenever a family member expressed overawed admiration for art, technology, anything, it roughly translates to- People did that.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, spoken by Cassius to Brutus.

“The thing to do is to unify ourselves with the biggest ideas that we can compass; and realizing that our ideas govern our power of attraction, we should be constantly enlarging within ourselves.” Ernest Holmes Creative Mind – 81.1

“If you want to do a new thing, get a new thought and then you will have the power of attraction which has the possibility of drawing to you the circumstances which will make for the fulfillment of your desires. Get over the old idea of limitation. Overcome all precedents and set yourself in the new order of thing…..God has created you for a glorious future; dare to fling out into mind the greater assurances about yourself.” Creative Mind 62.1

And one last quote:

“The one who dares to fling thought out into Universal Intelligence, with the assurance of one who realizes their own divine nature and its relation to the Universe—and dares to claim all there is—will find an ever-creative good at hand… God will honor the request. To the soul that knows its own divinity, all else must gravitate. Let us , then, enlarge our thought processes and dare to think in Universal terms. Let us dare to believe that every constructive word is invincible.” Ernest Holmes: Science of Mind Text – 142.3

May we all dare and do.

–In Peace, Mariann

Transitions by Linda Bullock

Spirit understands adversity as opportunity. Spirit is able to work for the good in all things. As I encounter difficult transitions in which I doubt the good which is unfolding, I remind myself there is a higher plan in motion with which I can consciously cooperate. As I face my resistance to change, as I choose to align myself with events as they are unfolding, I find in my acceptance a sense of tranquility, a promise of safety. Change embraces me as I myself embrace change. Transitions: Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life by Julia Cameron.

Sometimes difficult circumstances are the impetus for change. Such is life and in the midst of personal change I am relying on the promise of safety and occasional sense of tranquility. We are preparing to sell the house that has been our home for 24 years. I don’t want to focus yet on all the change this house has seen, the life changes retirement and health decline have brought, the 5 dogs and 3 cats no longer with us, the friends who enhanced our experiences. That will be part of my grieving, reliving the joy and the pain. There is work to be done now.

This is a time I need my faith to be strong and my physical strength to be sustained. There will be opportunities to assume more of the decision-making in the ongoing elements of a big move, to ensure safety for my husband and pet throughout, to plan and adjust to a new community which will be very different from our rural one.

This is a time when I need to release my reluctance to ask for help, to remember that I am part of the Living Spirit. Julia Cameron affirms on page 94; Today I place my trust in universal love. I open my heart to receive care and comfort from unexpected sources. I allow my good to come from many quarters. I surrender my fixed ideas as to what best serves me. I open to the innovative grace of my unfolding life.

This is a time to be grateful for new experiences, new conveniences, new relationships ahead. I am grateful that this move is our choice, not one necessitated by disaster. I am grateful that technology accommodates ease of ongoing communication with likeminded individuals despite physical distances. I am grateful for Science of Mind teachings that overcome fear and anxiety. I am grateful for the practice of affirmations, such as the following from Ernest Holmes in Creative Ideas, page 27.

Today I do affirm that I am divinely guided and that the Spirit goes before me and paves the way. There is that within which knows what to do and how to do it, and it compels me to act on what it knows.

I accept this guidance as now flowing forth into action through me. Therefore I shall do that which I should do, I shall know that which I need to know, I shall encounter those new ideas I need. With nonresistance and complete acceptance, I let the inward stream of life carry me safely and surely to the accomplishment of my every good purpose.

May all your transitions be peaceful.

–Love, Linda

Gratitude. Good for the Soul. Good For the Whole Person. By Chris Wheeler

I am grateful because I cultivate gratitude.

Gratitude can be the pathway to stability in my outlook on life.

Biologically our brains focus on contrast and possible negative consequences because our primal selves want survival. Negativity is a natural tendency that very often can end in despair.

Gratitude helps me focus on the things and situations that contribute to my well-being.

Consciously we are aware of less than .01% of the sensory cells being activated each second. Normally this is a good thing – if we were suddenly aware of all of the different things touching our body, smells reaching our nose, tastes lingering on our tongue, sounds hitting our eardrums and light-rays entering our eyes all at once, we would go into overload and be unable to focus.

Sometimes it’s good to suspend the filter and increase awareness.

The next time you are eating delicious food, take a moment to close your eyes, focus on the pleasant sensations being generated in your mouth, and be grateful for 1) your tongue, 2) the food or both. Doing this not only makes me grateful and happy – it makes my food taste much better.

The next time you are listening to a favorite song, focus on the beautiful combination of sounds, and be grateful for 1) your ears, 2) the music, or both. Remember the emotions you experienced the first few times you listened to a favorite song? This can help you reclaim that initial joy.

The scope of gratitude can expand exponentially.

I have placed “Gratitude Rain Showers” on my to-do list because it gives me the opportunity to practice gratitude as free flowing consciousness. This once-a-month event (the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 on CSLT Zoom channel, email office for Zoom information) is a great way to start regular practice of listing gratitudes.

Nurturing a heart that is full of gratitude I find it easier to interpret my world as a place of unlimited potential and good. I prefer to live in the world I intend to live in rather than a world of pessimism.

God created ALL Things. Who am I to judge God’s results.

–Chris Wheeler

A Pot of Gold Consciousness by Rev. Rhoni

“Yes, you can have it all!!” Was the “consciousness cry” of the 80’s for Religious Science. Many of us concentrated on manifesting partners, palaces and parking places. Manifesting our hearts desire, proof that the power of the mind and the Divine does in fact work. In the Christian dogma there is now the “Prosperity Gospel” (Abundance Good News). Something metaphysicians have always practiced. However, has this consciousness changed? I have been a lifetime member of Religious Science, and I have been a witness and a participant in all the metamorphosis our philosophy continues to experience. I have watched other faith traditions embrace what we already have as a spiritual practice, of knowing “It’s my good, and I ought to have it” said Emma Curtis-Hopkins with conviction.

In the face of our current existence, we are bombarded by the financial stability of our country. Which I understand for me is to also look at my prosperity consciousness. There is a revelation a foot. A mirror reflecting to me, do I feel impoverished in my life? Or do I feel full and accept everything and “all that I need comes to me?” Abundance consciousness is not about money, it is about how we live. Sure, money creates things to be easy and carefree, no worries etc., but what about the other facets of our lives?

Ernest Holmes said, God wills us to have everything. As we express life, we fulfill God’s law of abundance, but we do this only as we realize that there is good enough to go around-only as we know that all of God’s gifts are given as freely and fully as the air and the sunshine.

I understand it as most people, probably feel somewhat comfortable with their present beliefs, and might prefer to stay at the present level of consciousness and at the present level of life it provides, rather than spending the energy to change your consciousness, and our life. The question deep down is, “Do we want something more? To have a different experience of this life we have currently chosen? How about giving yourself permission to want a different experience and totally change it! Jacob Needleman a professor of mine while studying at the University of Philosophical Research said, Our modern world-view tragically misperceives and wrongly defines what it is to be human. We are conditioned by our society to believe happiness comes from pleasure, or from getting things or power over people or money or fame or even health and survival. None of these sometimes very good things can bring ultimate meaning to our lives. We are born to be deeply conscious, inwardly free and deeply capable of love. The longing for these things is the definition of what it means to be human. Yes, we are human. It is important to note, although it is nice to have material “things”, it is not our source or our supply. God-in-me is the Source and Substance of my highest good throughout my life experience. We are, prosperous as love as the Divine lives and breathes and has its being through me and you. Is it really about the material we want to live in? Or is it about our relationship with our Highest Source? When we live in the consciousness of abundance of our entire life, WILL BE THAT EXPERIENCE. Through our mind in action, we embrace the mantra, “God is my source, God is my supply.” When we live in that mind set, IT IS. This month I will be speaking each Sunday on the topic of abundance as we explore together what it really “feels” like to live in an abundant universe. I hope you will join us either on YouTube or in person at 11 am on Sundays.

–Namaste, Rev. Rhoni

It’s An Inside Job by Mariann Moery

It’s cyclical for me. Ups and Downs. Feeling the Spirit within and then not so much.

The lesson story of the difference between two stone masons: one was doing his job laying bricks and the other was building a cathedral…same/same but totally different.

We always succeed, so our immediate problem is not one of success, but what kind of success we are having.…We need to learn to succeed in the right things. Ernest Holmes – A New Design for Living, 143 & 148

There was a time when automobiles were forbidden to go faster than 35 mph, because it was known that faster than that and our brains would explode.

Because we fail to realize that Principle is not bound by precedent, we limit our faith to that which has already been accomplished, and few miracles result. When, through intuition, faith finds its proper place under Divine Law, there are no limitations, and what are called miraculous results follow. Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind, 162.3

And so, we are in charge of how we view life, of how we live Life. We choose the Energy we use to create our experiences. We are not actually governed by what has gone before, or how we responded to events before – or how we named the experiences of our life before.

…only by starting now, not tomorrow, will we ever come to believe more, to experience the proof of that which we do believe. We have in this moment the choice, the right, and the privilege either to maintain and support any pattern of thought we may have previously established, or to establish an entirely new pattern of action.

We must decide…Now is the only time we can ever act. Ernest Holmes, A New Design for Living, 130.2

Consistency is all important. Consistent negative thought gets us into most of our trouble; consistent positive thought is the only thing that can get us out. … each additional successful experience will breed more of it. Success breeds success, so let us be sure of the direction in which we are going. Ernest Holmes, A New Design for Living, 146

If you are like me, and sometimes feel negative energy eroding that which is our basic good, then I will share these words from Dr. Holmes – the capital letters are his – he thought it important enough to YELL:

WE ARE BOUND BY NOTHING EXCEPT BELIEF. WE MAY CHANGE THE TREND OF CAUSATION WHICH HAS BEEN SET IN MOTION AT ANY TIME WE DECIDE TO DO SO. Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind, 128

–Knowing for each and all peaceful change toward the good, Mariann

 

Here Now by Chris Wheeler

One concept that resonates with me is that religion evolves over time. That it is a process that humans have adopted and curated for many reasons. I wanted to recognize the role mass communications is playing in the process. In my quest for material to present in this article I have stumbled onto new wisdom to include in my philosophy. I have shared that as part of the piece.

As human societies have become more complex, religious ideas have continued to evolve and diversify. Today, there is a wide range of religious beliefs and practices around the world, reflecting the ongoing evolution of religious ideas in response to changing social, cultural, and intellectual contexts.*

Today with the 21st century well underway. Computing continues to accelerate. The world has gotten closer than ever before. There are human beings circling the entire globe every 90 – 92 minutes. Our communications can operate at the speed of light and an ever-increasing number of people are gaining the ability to communicate from wherever they are. Information is flowing at an astounding rate. Life continually presents opportunities for growth and transformation.

This globalization is opening the door for spiritual practices from around the world to mix and merge. Online spiritual communities are connecting people who are sharing spiritual experiences. This is allowing for hybrid practices to develop.

The process of Humanity continues.

“ Source is everything and inherently includes everything. It is magical and messy; heartwarming and heartbreaking; delightful and disappointing; filled with grace and grief; exquisite and excruciating, often at the exact same time. Embracing the great fullness of life asks us to attend to everything that is present, everything that shows up unexpectedly, and even everything we might be inclined to push away.”

“Acknowledging, accepting, and heeding all experiences allows us to learn, grow, see opportunities, and move toward greater empathy, agency, and possibility for ourselves and others. From everything fully seen and acknowledged, we can seek gratefulness and gain wisdom. As life invariably reminds us, it is often precisely from that which is most difficult that we are cleared out for some new delight.” Excepted from the article: Embracing The Great Fullness of Life by Kristi Nelson at Gratitude.org

It is unwise to attempt to stuff the unwelcome aspects of life — ours or others — behind closed doors without an eventual equalization. Life is too big, too mysterious, too much beyond our choosing and our control to compartmentalize.

Forces far greater than us are at work, and the results — while not necessarily “in our name” — belong to us and our interconnected world, nonetheless. Oppression. Degradation. Injustice. Violence.

Keeping our eyes wide open to see all that there is to see and accepting what is in our line of sight liberates us to better act and respond with agency.

To accept that something is true does not mean that it is acceptable.

We can perhaps only respond most effectively once we fully see and take into our hearts what is actually happening. Valuable energy and creativity can be lost in resisting what is actually “so” — energy that might be used in more empowered ways if we practice making room for holding the whole truth. What is happening is happening regardless of what we think about it, and our response is often the only thing over which we have control. The more we are in touch with the actual great fullness of life, the more we can respond with great fullness of heart.

Sources for this article: Article: Embracing The Great Fullness of Life by Kristi Nelson https://grateful.org/?s=kristi+nelson&swpmfe=e797ad6e7e8b736f3495d57dbc21a607

I use the LLM (Large Language Model, AI) “PERPLEXITY”. Perplexity cites its sources.

One of the first articles I discovered for this piece was one written by Google’s AI Gemini. I have included a link. I was fascinated. Google Gemini Article.

-Chris Wheeler

Editor’s note: I agree with Chris, this AI created article is absolutely intriguing.

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