Category: choice

I Want to Live in Peace: Claiming My Right to Self-Determination by Chris Wheeler

In a world that often feels divided by politics, algorithms, and echo chambers, I find myself yearning for something simple and profound: peace. Not just the absence of conflict, but a deeper peace—a freedom to live authentically, to communicate my values without fear, and to participate in the ongoing progress of humankind.

Freedom to Express, Freedom to Forgive
I want to be able to speak my truth, whether or not it aligns with any group or ideology. True freedom means not being forced into silence or conformity. It means being able to share ideas, ask questions, and even make mistakes without the threat of persecution or retribution.

But freedom of speech is only part of the equation. I also want to improve my ability to forgive, even when forgiveness feels undeserved or difficult. Forgiveness isn’t always the obvious or easy choice, but I believe it’s essential for healing and moving forward—both personally and collectively. By practicing forgiveness, I can help break cycles of resentment and open doors to understanding.

Doing the Work of Inclusion and Humility
Inclusivity doesn’t happen by accident. It requires effort, empathy, and a willingness to listen. I want to do the work necessary to be inclusive, to recognize my own biases, and to make space for voices that have been marginalized or silenced. That means practicing humility—acknowledging that I don’t have all the answers and that every human being has inherent worth.

Rising Above the Noise
It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos and negativity amplified by social media algorithms. These digital forces often reward outrage and division, making it harder to see each other’s humanity. I want to rise above that noise. I want liberty and justice for ALL—not as slogans co-opted by partisan politics, but as real, lived values that guide our actions.

The Right to Learn and Dialogue
Education is a cornerstone of freedom. I want the ability to educate myself without censorship or ideological gatekeeping. I want safe, open dialogue where people can share ideas and experiences without fear of being attacked or ostracized. Progress depends on our willingness to listen, to question, and to grow together.

Learning from the Past, Shaping the Future
I don’t want to recreate some imagined “golden age” or demand adherence to any prescribed religion or philosophy. I want to learn from our shared history—the triumphs and the mistakes—so we can build something better. My actions, not just my beliefs, can be an agent of change.

Balancing Individual and Collective Rights
Personal freedom is essential, but it must be balanced with the rights and freedoms of others. Societies achieve this through laws, dialogue, and institutions that mediate conflicts and promote mutual respect. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary if we want to live in peace.

My Commitment
I claim my right to self-determination. I commit to doing the hard work of inclusion, humility, and forgiveness. I will speak my truth, listen to others, and strive to be an agent of positive change. I want to participate in the progress of humankind—not as a bystander, but as an active, compassionate, and thoughtful citizen.

Let’s choose peace. Let’s choose understanding. Let’s choose liberty and justice for all.

–Chris Wheeler

Yes, Now. By Chris Wheeler

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Consider the following: I have the tools to re-define the reality of my life when I use them.

I was thinking the other day that I would very much like to feel like I am making progress in all the directions I wish to go. I was hoping to reframe my perceptions and feel good enough to feel like I was making headway. Very often that is as far as it goes, and I remain locked into old thinking loops. Sure sometimes I am doing better than I’m feeling but real progress at a rate I would like takes getting to some positive emotion like excitement or anticipation. Regular meditation is one of my life practices. I often join my wife on a zoom Transcendental Meditation call that began during Covid. The opening before the meditation includes interesting things that often speak to the genius of nature. After the meditation an inspirational thought or a poem. On this occasion I got exactly what I needed.

Our True Heritage
Each moment you are alive is a gem,
shining through and containing earth and sky,
water and clouds.

It needs you to breathe gently
for the miracles to be displayed.
Suddenly you hear the birds singing,
the pines chanting, see the flowers blooming,
the blue sky,
the white clouds,
the smile and the marvelous look
of your beloved.

You, the richest person on Earth,
who have been going around begging for a living,
stop being the destitute child.
Come back and claim your heritage.
We should enjoy our happiness
and offer it to everyone.
Cherish this very moment.
Let go of the stream of distress
and embrace life fully in your arms.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This quote reminded me that what I seek is actually there all the time I need to remember to keep thoughts like that forefront in my mind. All I really need is to be persistently aware.

–Chris Wheeler

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

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.

God and Grace Endure By Rev. Rhoni Tretsven

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Shift and change are part of our human experience as a soul here on this earthly plane. Many of us anticipate change when we flip over the calendar and see not just the month has changed but the numbers representing the year we are now entering. I have often stared at that blank January page and then quickly flipped through the rest of the pages, wondering what events will shift and change within me, not just my existence of what I name as a life lived. Beginning the new year I have written promises to myself, resolutions and half of them already are up for renegotiation. I have experienced a change in leadership not just nationally, but locally and set the intention to trust the process of these changes. When my life has felt uncomfortable, it is because I know there is a transformation that is wanting to give birth to a new idea, or a new lens of life to look through and be a witness to. All too often I know each of us has felt that uncomfortable and painful poke of what is trying to emerge, through us as us. Instead of pushing it away or down and saying to myself, “not now I’m not ready” Unconditional love of Spirit/God initiates the process of, “oh yes you are.” This is when we surrender and open our hearts and truly sense the reality of God. The unseen in the seen, love. All that is transposing, transforming, and transitioning for my highest good and yours as well. God’s grace endures.

One of my “teachers”, philosopher Paul Tillich said, “Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life. It strikes us when we feel that our separation is deeper than usual, because we have violated another life, a life which we loved, or from which we were estranged. It strikes us when our disgust for our own being, our indifference, our weakness, our hostility, and our lack of direction and composure have become intolerable to us. It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection of life does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage.”

The essence and great power of love I will name as God is always for us and never against us. Grace is a good and God thing when it strikes us. Grace is our continual conversation with It. Grace strikes us in multiple ways but the easiest is to simply embrace God’s acceptance of us. Each one of us IS accepted as a soul and as a continual presence of how God receives us unconditionally. God does not withhold acceptance, It is I, until some moment when I finally change in some way. God accepts and loves me right where I am, now, and It is the love that continues so that I may lean into it, rest if I have to, and begin again.

“Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying, ‘You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which you do not know. Do not ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to do anything now, perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted!’ If that happens to us, we experience grace. After such an experience we may not be better than before, and we may not believe more than before. But everything is transformed” *

I ask that we all take a few moments this week to be in the silence and allow Spirit/God to speak through us and take/receive a spiritual inventory of our conditions for a life well lived. To breathe and breathe into our life and the possibilities ever before us.

For Reflection:

• How have you experienced God’s gracious presence in this difficult year?

• When you thought you were separated from it, how did it show up for you as love?

• How has God/Spirit shown up?

• What have you experienced, or what has been demonstrated that you always know God is in and through you?

• Why not talk honestly with God about anything in our life, you can talk to God and It will always give you an answer.

Thank you for all that you are, and all that you are becoming.

*Paul Tillich, philosopher

In gratitude and love, Rev. Rhoni

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