Category: inspiration

InSPIR(IT)ation

So much to do and time running short. Between preparing reports for the Board, putting together a budget for next fiscal year, preparing myself and the office for my vacation, where was I going to find the time to write a newsletter article? Then I heard a small voice in my head say “chat…, AI”.

Well, that couldn’t have been my thought because I don’t keep up much with new technology and didn’t even know the proper name for it. Was Spirit suggesting I use this Chat GPT I’d been hearing about? Wouldn’t that be cheating? No, not if Spirit so inspired me and I don’t claim it to be my own. And besides, there is only one Mind after all.

Inspiration in Science of Mind as written by ChatGPT – Open AI

According to the Science of Mind, inspiration is the stirring of the divine presence within us, guiding and uplifting our thoughts, emotions, and actions. It is the process through which we connect with our higher selves, tap into universal wisdom, and access our creative potential.

Inspiration in the Science of Mind is often associated with the recognition of our oneness with the divine intelligence or Universal Mind. By aligning our consciousness with this higher power, we open ourselves to receive intuitive insights, new ideas, and innova4ve solu4ons to challenges we may face.

The Science of Mind emphasizes the importance of cultivating a receptive mindset to allow inspiration to flow. This involves cultivating qualities such as openness, gratitude, and mindfulness. By developing these qualities, we create a mental and emotional environment that is conducive to receiving divine inspiration and guidance.

Moreover, the Science of Mind teaches that inspiration can be consciously cultivated through various practices. Meditation, prayer, visualization, and affirmations are some of the techniques used to quiet the mind, focus our attention, and attune ourselves to the divine inspiration within.

In summary, inspiration in the Science of Mind is the process of connecting with our higher selves and the Universal Mind to receive guidance, insights, and creative ideas. By aligning our consciousness with the divine presence, we open ourselves to the flow of inspiration and allow it to guide and uplift our lives.

–Janet Salese

GOT PROMISES

CSLT is a “Spiritual Alternative…offering spiritual solutions to everyday challenges.” We offer principles and practices that aid in spiritual exploration and discovery. Some of our practices include meditation, classes, study groups and affirmative prayer practiced by our community eager to learn and to live a life more abundant in all ways.

There is a Power in the Universe greater than we are, and we can use it. Ernest Holmes

Along with CSLT, many of us are also involved in a variety of 12 step programs. For those of you who are not familiar with 12 step programs, they are international mutual aid anonymous programs, supporting recovery from substance addictions, behavioral addictions and compulsions. Participants in the 12 step programs study/work the steps and traditions, principles and promises of the program. Speaking from personal experience, working a 12 step program is like taking a stairway to heaven. I was simply delighted when one of our recent guest speakers shared the promises of the program in her talk, as these promises are also in alignment with our teachings at CSLT!

  • We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
  • We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
  • We will comprehend the word serenity.
  • We will know peace.
  • No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experiences     can benefit others.
  • The feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
  • We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
  • Self-seeking will slip away.
  • Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
  • Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
  • We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
  • We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

In closing I’d like to share the OA Promise prayer as this too is in alignment with CSLT and one of my most favorite prayers.

I put my hand in yours, and together we can do what we could never do alone.
No longer is there a sense of hopelessness, no longer must we each depend upon our own unsteady willpower.
We are all together now, reaching out our hands for power and strength greater than ours, and as we join hands, we find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams.

–Madeline

Life As Surfing

I have only had the opportunity to try surfing once. However, I love the surfing analogy: swim out. In essence to trust or take a calculated amount of risk. Wait for the wave or the moment of action, gain speed, jump up and enjoy the ride or the fall.

Then “getting out the back”: surfer slang referring to successfully making it past the breaking waves and reaching the area behind them, where surfers position themselves to catch waves for another round. I only have dreamed of surfing at a proficient level. I do love the idea of how the surfing process takes place.

To me it represents being in the moment and enjoying the whole experience.

It seems to me that applying experiences real or imagined like the surfing example can help me find and extend satisfaction while experiencing and interpreting life.

What if we apply other experiences that have a seemingly limited relationship to “Real Life” and apply them like I just did with surfing.

I would like to suggest that many experiences that we seek out for pleasure can be applied to life navigation, giving the experiences of life a more positive perspective and allowing for more enjoyment of the experience.

It is all for our good.

–Chris Wheeler

GOT INNER WORK

They say that everything you ever learned, you learned in kindergarten. If this is true, my memory brings me back to my first feelings of fear. It was 1967-68 and I was in kindergarten.

It was music time and my classmates and I were sitting in a row as the teacher was at her piano. She picked 10 of us and assigned us our number. I was number 3. We were lined up facing the other kids that weren’t picked. We were going to sing 10 little Indians. Each kid sings the number they are, as she accompanied on the piano. I don’t remember why, but I didn’t want to sing so I didn’t.

The first kid sang 1 little Indian; the next kid sang 2 little Indians; she continued playing but had to abruptly stop. In her stern voice as she glared over at me, “Madeline! You have to sing 3 little Indians.” I stood there and said nothing, but I remember thinking I did not want to sing. “If you don’t sing, you are going to have to stand out in the hall! Ok class let’s start this again.” She resumed playing and 1 & 2 sang but I kept my mouth shut.

The music stopped and she escorted me out to the hall! As soon as I hit the hall and she went back in the classroom, it occurred to me that Andrew, my brother may walk by and see me. Everyone knew if you were standing in the hall you were in trouble! If he saw me, he could tell our mom and dad and I would be in so much trouble (or so I thought). At that very moment fear of being in trouble kept me frozen by myself in my own thoughts. Andrew never saw me.

Jump ahead 55 years and I’m still that same little girl often frozen by fear, with the thought of being in trouble. I’m still doing some of the same actions. If I don’t want to do something, or don’t know what to do, I do nothing. I’m still carrying the fear of getting in trouble from my actions or lack thereof.

What can I do to release this fear?

The thought came to me to do some inner work. What is inner work? Google says, “deliberate and ongoing reflective practice that increases awareness of self, others, and the systems in which complex social problems arise. At its core, inner work is the process of getting to know yourself. It’s a form of introspective self-care where you can help yourself let go of harmful attachments, habits, people, and thoughts.”

Oh yeah, I need to do some inner work. I’ll start with prayer as written by Ernest Holmes:

LOVE DISSOLVES ALL FEAR
Greater than fear is Love.
Love dissolves all fear, casts out all doubt and sets the captive free.
Love, like the River of Life, flows through me and refreshes me with its eternal blessings.
Love cannot be afraid; it is fearless and strong, and is mighty in its works.
It can accomplish all things through the Inner Light of that faith in all Good,
Which fills my very Being with a Powerful Presence.
Love casts out all fear.

–Madeline Pallanes

Energy is Fundamental

Energy is a fundamental aspect of the universe we inhabit. At the deepest levels of our understanding, everything could be described as energy and vibration. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. This law is fundamental to our understanding of how the universe operates.

Chanting is one of the oldest forms of human expression, dating back to our earliest ancestors. It is believed that chanting originated from guttural utterances that humans made as they developed consciousness in the womb, listening to the sound of their mother’s heartbeat. We recognize waves in many forms, such as ripples in a pond, radio waves, and light waves. Music can be summed up as orchestrated waves, and our interpretation of sound or waves of any sort.

Waves contain energy, and chanting must have an effect on the body and mind. Healing using sound has been documented by many cultures over the centuries. Harmonics have been proven to affect stability, and low frequencies have been used by the military to communicate underwater. Sonic interventions can warm our souls and unify groups of people, affecting consciousness or awareness.

There is scientific evidence to support the physical benefits of sound healing. According to David Perez-Martinez, M.D., “there’s a little branch of the vagus nerve that goes right to the tympanic membrane [also known as the eardrum], which vibrates in response to sound waves. So that means that every sound that you process through your ears sends that information to the vagus nerve.” The vagus nerve is responsible for “rest and digest” activities such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and relaxing muscles. In addition, “when you have two vibrating entities next to each other, the stronger vibration will affect the weaker one; eventually, they’ll synchronize. That’s basic physics,” explains Dr. Perez-Martinez.

In conclusion, chanting and sound healing have been used by many cultures over the centuries to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Waves contain energy, and chanting must have an effect on the body and mind. The physical benefits of sound healing are backed up by science, and the power of sound can unify groups of people and affect consciousness or awareness. The universe is a complex system of energy and vibration, and chanting is just one way in which we can tap into this powerful force.

—Chris Wheeler

Thoughts about Wholeness

A life of wholeness is a life of health and balance. In the process of healing from our wounds, we begin to harmonize our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual parts. Christina Grof, The Thirst for Wholeness, page 267

As stated in our CSLT Sacred Covenant Easy Prayer, “Because I know that the highest Purpose of my New Minister is to express Spirit, I therefore know that my New Minister is a Revelation of Spirit as: Wholeness.” Eleven of us spent about 14 hours in the Co-Creation process, facilitated by Reverend Doctor Kathy Hearn. Our Sacred Covenant was the end result.

Every word in the Sacred Covenant had to be agreed upon by all eleven of us. Choosing words to express an important concept and getting 11 people to agree on each word presented a predictable challenge. Different people can have varying reactions to the same word. Semantics in the context of communication refers to the meaning of words. It is how we personally interpret a word. The word Minister can have both positive and negative connotations depending upon one’s experiences or culture. Reverend Dr. Hearn led us in processes where full agreement was eventually achieved and any subtle shades of meaning were resolved.

We concluded that Wholeness assumes balance in several God qualities and more fully expressed what we seek in our New Minister. Reverend Dr. Hearn described wholeness as “nothing broken, nothing missing.”

Joseph Campbell described a society of individuals who lack wholeness as “where men who are fractions imagine themselves to be complete.” Other comments about wholeness include the following:

You don’t need another person, place or thing to make you whole. God already did that. Your job is to know it. Maya Angelou

The wholeness and freedom we seek is our true nature, who we really are. Jack Kornfield

Whole people see and create wholeness wherever they go; split people see and create splits in everything and everybody. Richard Rohr

A true desire is not to have but to be. We are whole creatures in potential, and the true purpose of desire is to unfold that wholeness, to become what we can be. Eric Butterworth

Perhaps the most “spiritual” thing any of us can do is simply to look through our own eyes, see with eyes of wholeness, and act with integrity and kindness. Jon Kabat-Zinn

I’m glad that the Divine led us to select the quality of Wholeness as our New Minister’s expression of Spirit. The desires, intentions, commitment, and faith of our community, as expressed in our Sacred Covenant Easy Prayer and read at the end of every service will manifest CSLT’s perfect New Minister. And so it is.

–Linda Bullock

Easter Bunny

We all know of the Easter Bunny who brings brightly colored eggs on Easter morning. But how did this custom come to be?

Easter is thought to be derived from Eostre, a spring goddess of fertility often depicted with a rabbit. In German folklore we find the Osterhase, or Easter Hare, who was said to hatch and hide multicolored eggs for children to discover around their homes and gardens on Easter Sunday. Children would make nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs.

When the German immigrants brought their traditions to America, the hare became a rabbit. The Easter Bunny’s deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests for the children.

The Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are often compared as they both deliver gifts to children. I remember a talk Rev. Donald gave at Easter one year. He suggested that we should be less like Santa Claus – who deems children naughty or nice to determine who will get a gift and who will get coal – and more like the Easter Bunny who delivers gifts to all children without discrimination.

And how did elaborately decorated eggs become a symbol of Easter in various traditions? Eggs are representative of new life. Also, early churches had their congregations abstain from eggs during Lent, allowing them to be consumed again on Easter. In anticipation, eggs would be colored and adorned to be eaten in celebration on Easter Sunday morning. If you’d like to experiment decorating eggs naturally using common things found around your kitchen, here are some recipes:

Make Natural Easter Egg Dye with Ingredients in Your Kitchen (bhg.com)

This spring, consider embodying the spirit of the Easter Bunny by sharing your gifts to all alike without judgment.

Happy Easter!

–Janet Salese

GOT CHANGE

I’m sure you know, some things change and some things never change. But did you know there are different kinds of change? This is something I hadn’t really thought much about. Reversible change—melting of ice. Irreversible change—burning of paper. Desirable change—ripening of fruits. Undesirable change—rusting of iron. Natural change—changing of seasons. Slow change—growth of a plant. Fast change—occurrence of lightning during a thunderstorm. You get the idea. It’s all change. We all experience change.

As we all know, our beloved community is in the process of calling forth a new minister to serve us. Now that’s some change!

What hasn’t changed is the spiritual way CSLT offers solutions to life’s challenges. We offer principles and practices that aid in spiritual exploration and discoveries. Some of these practices include meditation, classes and affirmative prayer practiced by a community eager to learn and to live a life more abundant in all ways.

Our community amongst each other, and our individual relationships with each other, I have found to be such a blessing in my life. Our morning meditation group has evolved into such an important part of my daily life. It’s a practice that has grown to be immeasurable. I am sure others feel as I do, and it is open to all who want to join us.

Our classes and book studies expand upon our teachings, principles and practices. Most of the time I get my homework or readings done before class, but even when I don’t, I still show up and get so much out of the classroom discussion. The most recent Ernest Holmes book study, “A New Design for Living” may be one of my favorites now. From page 131 we pulled some affirmations and I’m saying them multiple times per day and am receiving positive results!

• Something new and wonderful comes into my experience today.
• Today I bless everything I touch and am prospered in everything I do.
• Today nothing but good goes forth from me, therefore nothing else can possibly return.
• Today, this day, I am happy and whole.

We all change. Everything changes, yet everything stays the same.
I’m so happy and grateful to be a part of this loving community. That never changes.

–Madeline

Gifts

A few years ago, my sister started including books from Dynamic Catholic with my Christmas goodies. (I haven’t asked, but I imagine she gets them from her deacon husband.) The first time I got one I hadn’t looked in the bag until I got home. When I found the book, I rolled my eyes and tossed it aside. I had no interest in Do Something For God, Essential Teachings of Mother Teresa: 365 Daily Reflections. I thought it would be a good regifting for one of my Catholic friends in Florida who I still needed a Christmas gift for. But as I was packaging it to mail off, an idea hit me. If I got another copy for myself, my friend and I could go through the book together and share our thoughts on the readings with each other. So, I did and we did. We communicated more that year than we had in a long time. It turned out to be a great gift after all! The gift was not the book, but the deepening of a friendship.

Last year I got I Heard God Laugh. I loved the title, but it was another Dynamic Catholic book. I tossed it aside once more as I had other spiritual books I was more interested in reading. Recently I ran across the book again, so began to peruse it. I don’t agree with all of it, but the book does have some really good passages and concepts not dissimilar from our teachings: Embrace your best, truest, highest self; Make prayer a daily practice; Find a joy independent of external realities; etc. I went through the book highlighting passages that resonated with me. I intend to bring it with me next time we have lunch and share it with my sister. Again, the gift was not the book, but the conversation it will bring about.

I used to criticize my mother who would find fault with my presents to her before thanking me for them. I realized I was doing the same with these books from my sister. I did not verbalize my dissatisfaction as my mother had, but it was there. But now reflecting upon the real gifts these books have given me, I graciously accept this year’s edition. It will be interesting to discover the true gift Mother Teresa; In My Own Words has in store for me.

Did you receive a present this holiday season you’re not thrilled with? My stepmother taught me that once a gift is given it is yours to do with as you please. You have no obligation to the presenter to keep it if you don’t like it. You could regift, donate or toss it out. Just don’t do so angrily or with dissatisfaction, but with appreciation for the person who thought enough of you to give you a present. And, before disposing of it, see if you can find the real value in it first.

–Janet Salese

Lost in Translation

When I was in New Orleans earlier this month with an old friend from high school, she talked about how much her little town, which used to be a sleepy backwater sort of place, has grown in the last 20+ years. When she and her husband bought their place, it was out in the country. You had to drive for miles and miles to get to any sort of services – even grocery stores or gas stations. Now their little subdivision is surrounded by oodles of other subdivisions, all sorts of commercial buildings and retail areas, and traffic on the two-lane road is horrible. Her husband is a curmudgeonly, often sarcastic, homebody who really, truly hates change of any sort.

One day when he was grumbling about the traffic, the noise, or the increased number of people, she asked whether he wanted to move further out of town. He said, “No, I just want all those people to go away.” And she said, “That’s not going to happen. What do you want to do?” His totally irrational reply, “Nothing. They just need to go away.” Obviously, that conversation had nowhere (useful) to go. She just dropped it.

The Buddha is quoted as saying, “Life is suffering.” I don’t think that’s a good translation of what he actually said. I have a sneaky suspicion what he actually said was something more like, “Life happens. When we want it to be different than it is, that’s when we suffer. It’s our attachment to our expectations that leave us feeling the most dissatisfied, and disappointed, in our lives.”

Somewhere on my trip back from New Orleans, I lost my keyring with all my house, car, mailbox and office keys on it. (I’ve never done that before.) I discovered this when I was waiting for the off-site parking shuttle to take me to my car. I felt a moment of true panic. I’d hoped I’d left it on the dresser in the hotel. Apparently not. I could have thrown myself a pity-party and suffered because I lost my keys somewhere, but then Reason took over and I worked my way through what I needed first. And then next, and next, and next, and next.

When I asked myself where I wanted to grab supper, I got an answer that delighted me. I hadn’t enjoyed a meal at Zinburger since before the pandemic. When I arrived, I told the young man who was seating people about my dilemma, and he asked me if I’d used the ‘Hotel Tonight app’ to find a hotel. When I looked puzzled, he explained that when he used to travel for work, and got delayed overnight at airports around the country, he’d looked up local hotels on this application. He’d always had a good experience, and recommend I look them up. After I placed my dinner order, I pulled up the app for Tucson, and the first hotel that popped up was one pretty close to my house that I’d been curious about, and the available rate was less than the published rate. I also realized, after I had parked myself in that newly-remodeled, and quite comfortable, hotel, that I had been wanting to re-key my house, but had never gotten around to it. When I met the locksmith the next morning, he was an amazing human being. All in all, losing my keys was an okay experience.

From Ernest Holmes, The Art of Life 6.1, “God is life; not some life but all Life. God is Action; not some action, but all Action. God is Power; not some power, but all Power. God is Presence; not some presence but all Presence. God is pure Spirit, filling all space. This pure spirit animates your every act. There is a real you which lives in a real God, and the two are one. To know this is to understand the secret of life. To realize this is to understand your relationship with the Divine Presence. To realize the Law of Good is written in your own mind is to make available to you a power which can meet your every need.”

And from Rev Karin Wilson, author of the daily readings in the Science of Mind magazine for December 2022 (December 24), “Today I give myself kindness, knowing the Universe supports me, even when the sands of time feel rough beneath my feet.”

When we work with the river of life, rather than fight against it, or wish it to be other than it is, we can enjoy the ride. And what an amazing ride it is!

–Rev Janis Farmer

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