Category: prayer

The Power of Conscious Thought: Shaping Your World from Within! by Rev. Rhoni Tretsven

In the vast landscape of metaphysical thought, a single, profound truth stands as the cornerstone of all spiritual practice: thought is a creative force. This isn’t just a feel-good phrase; it’s the fundamental principle that governs our lives. Every experience you have, every outcome you witness, and every reality you inhabit is first born as a thought, a belief, or a feeling in the great laboratory of your mind.

The universe, in its infinite wisdom and creative power, is a non-resistant medium. It’s a field of pure potentiality, a canvas waiting for an artist. Your mind is the artist, and your thoughts are the brushstrokes. The universe does not judge the quality of your thoughts; it simply responds to them. If you focus on lack and limitation, the universe, in perfect harmony with your mental state, will bring you experiences that mirror that feeling. If you focus on abundance, joy, and opportunity, the universe will likewise conspire to bring those things into your life.

This is a beautiful and sometimes daunting responsibility. It means we are not victims of circumstance but rather co-creators of our own destiny. Our freedom lies not in controlling the world outside of us, but in mastering the world within.

So, how do we harness this incredible power? The secret lies in moving from passive, unconscious thinking to active, conscious thought.

Practical Exercises for Conscious Creation

Here are two powerful tools to help you take control of your creative power:

1. Affirmative Prayer (Spiritual Mind Treatment): This is not a prayer of begging or pleading, but an affirmative statement of truth. It’s a conscious alignment with the reality you wish to create.

o How it works: Instead of saying, “Please give me a new job,” you would say, “I am now employed in a fulfilling position that brings me joy and prosperity. I am grateful for this opportunity and the gifts it brings.” You are speaking as if the desired outcome is already a fact, impressing the idea of completion upon the Universal Mind.

2. Visualization: Your mind doesn’t know the difference between a vivid imagination and a real-life event. By using visualization, you can impress a new reality onto your subconscious mind, which then works to manifest it.

o How it works: Find a quiet place and close your eyes. Picture in your mind’s eye what it would feel like to have already achieved your goal. If you desire better health, visualize yourself full of energy, engaging in activities you love. Feel the joy, the freedom, and the gratitude of that reality as if it were happening right now.

The power of conscious thought is the ultimate tool for personal empowerment. It teaches us that our inner world is the true command center, and that by tending to our thoughts with care and intention, we can create a life of purpose, joy, and unlimited possibility. As we learn to master this art, we step fully into our role as divine co-creators, shaping not only our own lives but contributing to a more beautiful and abundant world for everyone.

–Rev Rhoni

Giving Peace a Real Chance in 2025 by Rev. Sue Oliver

This week’s theme is based on John Lennon and the Plastic Ono band’s iconic song “Give Peace a Chance,” sung in 1969 as a Vietnam war anthem (their YouTube video). The song’s main lyrics “All we are saying is give peace a chance” are even more relevant and important today than they were back then. These days, the internet, social media, and various channels predominantly broadcast the bad news – conflicts, wars, and other crises in the world, such that peace can seem like an everdistant dream or fairy tale. Yet, spiritual wisdom and our own experiences as metaphysicians remind us of the great news: peace doesn’t start on the world stage – it begins within. In Religious Science, we speak of a “world that works for all” – one that is ever emerging and evolving, despite appearances to the contrary.

Although I can and do experience various human emotions, such as fear, doubt, worry, anger, sadness, and others, in reaction to events in my life and around the globe, there is always an inherent peace at the center of my being, my true identity. Even when I feel irritated when someone cuts me off in traffic or outraged at some injustice in another country or our own, peace is still a possibility for me to choose…or not.

Ernest Holmes wrote, “Peace stands at the door of your consciousness and awaits your acceptance of It.” (Holmes Reader on Change, p.59) Thus, we do not need to chase peace, as it is present and available in, though, and as each of us – here, now, and always. Similarly, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh taught, “Peace is present right here and now… every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace.” (Peace Is Every Step) Our task is not to search for peace, but to wake up to it, moment by moment.

Well, to be honest, I frequently fall asleep at the consciousness wheel and forget this spiritual truth for myself and others. So, I don’t always give peace a chance in my own life, let alone in the world. Holmes reminds us that “even one individual grounded in peace can uplift a group caught in conflict.” (Science of Mind Magazine, 1955) This is the ripple effect of spiritual practice and the power of a spiritual community like CSL Tucson, where we can remind each other of our divine identity that is peace, love, prosperity, and so much more.

So, how do we respond, instead of reacting, to the dissonance and challenges that we might experience in today’s world? How do we know and affirm a peaceful world that works for all, even when it can seem so futile?

We can start right where we are, with even the smallest of peaceful thoughts and actions: spending a few minutes each day in meditation and affirmative prayer, speaking words of peace instead of criticism, choosing to see others – even the most difficult ones – as expressions of the Divine, sharing a smile, offering a random act of kindness, and, of course, participating in the CSL Tucson community. These actions are not trivial – they are the real work of spiritual peacemaking that feeds and waters a world that works for all.

Let this be our affirmation and action: Peace begins with me. Peace moves in me, through me, and as me, into the world. I am giving peace a real chance today. And so it is!

–Rev. Sue Oliver

From Me to We by Sharon Whealy, RScP

I have been resisting writing this week. I have been angry with the state of our nation. I am saddened to watch our elected officials vote to dismantle our government, take away the social safety nets so much of our nation relies on, threatening Social Security and Medicare that we have paid into all our working lives, all in favor of the billionaire class.

I feel helpless and hopeless as I watch everything we as a nation hold dear get dismantled. Gutting education, ignoring court rulings, deporting people without due process, and sending them to countries that are not their home, ignoring climate change, are but a few of my concerns. The lack of basic human decency, empathy, and integrity deeply saddens me.

In practitioner training, we were told if we were looking for something to pray about, look to the news. The news is overwhelming, and I can only take it in small doses, usually from my friends, Seth and Stephen, Jimmy K and Jimmy F, John O and Jon S. And yes, I pray. I know that under the mess and chaos; Spirit is evolving something new. I remind myself that systems need to be dismantled to be created anew, and this can be a painful and messy process.

I recently saw this quote from Fred Rogers, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It is easy to say, ‘it’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

As a white, heterosexual, cisgendered female, without children, who grew up in a middleclass neighborhood in southern California, I recognize my position of privilege. It is easy for me to look around and claim it’s not my problem; it’s not directly affecting me. The truth is that it is my problem; your children are my children, your community is my community, your world is my world. I then remind myself that problems are opportunities in disguise.

I am currently reading a book that I am finding very powerful. The author says that to fully practice wholeness, I have to turn my “me” work into “we” work. This echoes a recent three-week Laddership workshop examining the relationship of moving from me to we to us. True leadership asks me to look beyond my self-interests, to get out of my comfort zone, and look out into the world to find how I may be of service to my neighbors, be they next door, in the next state, or country. It is my opportunity to speak up and make a difference, no matter how small that difference may be. There is no big or small in Spirit.

As I figure out where my energies are best spent, I am grounded by the Centers for Spiritual Living’s Global Vision Statement. I am sharing three statements here:

• We envision all people, all beings, and all life as expressions of God.

• We envision a world where personal responsibility joins with social conscience in every area of political, corporate, academic, and social sectors, providing sustainable structures to further the emerging global consciousness.

• We envision a world where each and every person has enough food, a home, and a sense of belonging; a world of peace and harmony, enfranchisement, and justice.

–Sharon Whealy, RScP

 

Gratitude In All Things by Sharon Whealy, RScP

We are all familiar with gratitude lists as a tool to help us shift our thinking. We sit down with a piece of paper and list all the things we are grateful for: our home, our work, our family and friends, food on the table, good health. The list goes on. This practice of gratitude tends to focus on all the things we already have in our lives, and not so much on what we desire to have in our life.

Zen Master Sono shared this practice of gratitude saying, “Thank you for everything. I have no complaints whatsoever.” (SOM Magazine Nov. 2023). I journaled about this passage, delving into the idea of being grateful for everything, without complaint at all. How do we get to that place of gratitude for everything, not just the things we love having in our lives, but everything else that we would rather just go away?

For me, the first step is acceptance, can I acknowledge what has happened, or is happening, just as it is? It is done, and now it is up to me to choose how to respond. I can fight it, rail against it, try to change it, or I can say, okay – this is what is happening now.

My next step is to breathe and center, to get myself into present time. I look around and check in with what is actually happening right now, in this eternal moment of now. This allows me to remember and know that God / Spirit / Love / Life is right in the middle of what is happening and so it must be good, often despite appearances! Then I anchor that with Spiritual Mind Treatment (God is, I am, all is well and good, I am Grateful, and so it is).

Finally, I continue to look for the good in every situation. Anytime there is a natural disaster; floods, fires, hurricanes, etc., people come together to help each other. During Covid we saw the planet begin to heal, we gave each other space, and we learned new ways of staying connected. It is often when we hit “rock bottom” that the deepest shift and healing begin.

In Joe Dispenza’s Becoming Supernatural, he talks about manifesting the life of our dreams. About gratitude he says, “Gratitude is a powerful emotion to use for manifesting because normally we feel gratitude after we receive something. So, the emotional signature of gratitude means it has already happened. When you are thankful or you feel appreciation, you are in the ultimate state to receive” (pg. 82)

Lately I have been playing with the idea of being grateful for things that have not happened yet. When Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes, he gave thanks for the abundance they were about to receive. To open our last Gratitude Rainshower I read from Colette BaronReid’s The Dream Weaver’s Oracle, card 31, “When the Birds Sing Grat-it-tude”: “The true manifesting power of gratitude is the declaration in advance of your needs being met. . . . Can you be thankful for whatever happens?”

Next Gratitude Rainshower is Tuesday, February 25 th at 6:30pm on CSLT’s Zoom room.

-In all things, may you be grateful. Blessings. Sharon

Got Prayer? by Madeline Pallanes

“Prayer Changes Things”

Oh yeah, that’s right. I need to remember that.

“Prayer Changes Things” is a phrase often used to express belief that prayer has a transformative effect on situations, circumstances, and outcomes. It suggests that through prayer, positive changes can occur in our lives, relationships, health, and even the world around us. Whether you’re seeking comfort, guidance, or healing, prayer is seen as a powerful force that can bring about positive shifts.—Copilot

The art of praying is not my forte. Yes, it is an art. Most times, when all else fails, then I remember to turn to prayer. I use prayer as almost my last resort. Pre-written affirmative prayers help me to cope with my stress, conflict, challenges and grief in my life. Often prayer is a source of inspiration, comfort, and guidance during difficult times. But, to immediately and automatically turn to prayer, I’m not there yet. I do know, no matter what happens to me, what counts is how I react to it.

I do have faith though. Faith is a belief that is not based on tangible proof. I do tend to turn to my faith immediately and automatically. Because of my faith, prayers change things in my life. Faith has transformed the way I think about myself and others, and what lies ahead for me. Faith shifts my perspective and has empowered me to forgive. Faith brings a sense of peace and comfort into my heart.

The following is a meditation from Ernest Holmes page 434 Living the Science of Mind that I often use as my all-purpose go to prayer. I’d like to share it with you.

I KNOW there is a Power for Good which is responding to me and bringing into my experience everything that is necessary to my unfoldment, to my happiness, to my peace, to my health, and to my success. I know there is a Power for Good that enables me to help others and to bless the whole world.

So, I say quietly to myself: There is one Life, that Life is God, that Life is perfect, that Life is my life now. It is flowing through me, circulating in me. I am one with Its rhythm. My heart beats with the pulsation of the Universe, in serenity, in peace, and in joy. My whole physical being is animated by the Divine Spirit, and if there is anything in it that does not belong, it is cast out because there is One Perfect Life in me now.

And I say to myself: I am daily guided so that I shall know what to do under every circumstance, in every situation. Divine Intelligence guides me in love, in joy, and in complete self-expression. Desiring that the Law of Good alone shall control me, I bless and prosper everything I am doing; I multiply every activity; I accept and expect happiness and complete success.

Realizing that I am one with all people, I affirm that there is a silent Power flowing through me and them, which blesses and heals and prospers, makes happy and glad their pathway.

And realizing that the world is made up of people like myself, I bless the world and affirm that it shall come under the Divine government of Good, under the Divine providence of Love, and under the Divie leadership of the Supreme Intelligence. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

–Madeline Pallanes

What is a Pracitioner?

My first experience with Science of mind Practitioners was at CSL-Santa Rosa. Between services, there would be a dozen or so practitioners in a room and often times a line of people waiting for a “one minute miracle,” a chance to meet briefly with a practitioner and receive a Spiritual Mind Treatment. These brief times of prayer helped get me through some hard decisions, such as ending a relationship and eventually deciding to move to Bakersfield, CA.

At CSL-Bakersfield the practitioners would line up at the front of the room after service and offer SMT or prayer. I found this a valuable opportunity not only in stressful times to have someone know the truth of whatever condition I was in at the moment, but also to affirm Life’s good. Some of my favorite prayers were asking to affirm all is well and good and only getting better – the practitioners loved it!

What is a practitioner? Well, technically anyone who studies and practices this philosophy and teaching is a practitioner. Ernest Holmes writes, “The one who attempts to heal himself or another through recognition of the creative power of Mind and the ever availability of Good, is a mental or spiritual practitioner” (SOM 167). A licensed Religious Science Practitioner (RScP) is someone who has taken classes, completed the practitioner training program, passed a written test and an oral panel.

But beyond the training, an RScP has been called into higher service to their community, themselves, and the world. In her article, “The Consciousness that HEALs, A Practitioner’s Calling” (SOM Magazine Nov. 2004), practitioner Linda Watson says, Religious Science practitioners are loving, healing presences who dedicate their lives to demonstrating the power of spiritual realization and helping others to do so through affirmative prayer and spiritual principles.”

When I started the Practitioner Training program it was as a stepping stone to CSL Ministry, but along the way I found the joy of being of service as a practitioner. I love our form of prayer and the deep connection I feel with Spirit and those I have the opportunity to pray with. During Practitioner Training, I found the value of meeting one on one with a practitioner. A practitioner session is a time to be with a professional practitioner who “uses spiritual principles as the basis for their guidance, teaching and healing work” (Linda Watson).

I continue to meet with my practitioner monthly and it is always a great space to work out whatever is going on in my life.

“It is a practitioner’s business to uncover God in every [person]. God is not sick. God is not poor. God is not unhappy. God is never afraid God is never confused. God is never out of His place. The premise upon which all mental work is based is perfect God, perfect man, perfect being” (SOM 168). The CSLTucson practitioners welcome you to know this Truth with us: God is, I am, All is well, I am grateful, and so it is.

SOM = Science of Mind Text – Ernest Holmes

–Sharon Whealy, RScP

Got A Reverend? by Madeline Pallanes

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Ahh, now that caught your attention.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a pastor and a reverend? I have.

Many years ago, I attended a church and “Pastor Tom” went on vacation. While he was gone “Reverend John” filled in for Pastor Tom giving the Sunday talk. When Pastor Tom returned, I asked him, “what’s the difference between a pastor and a reverend?” Pastor Tom paused, thought for a moment, and said, “a pastor has his own church, a reverend doesn’t.” I think that was the short answer to what could be a complex answer that varies based on the religion. That settled my curiosity at the time.

Bing says “The key difference between a pastor and a reverend is the roles & scope. A pastor specifically leads a congregation and provides spiritual guidance, while a reverend is a broader title used for ordained ministers across different roles and denominations.”

Google defines reverend as, “used as a title or form of address to members of the clergy.”

As we call in our new minister, we see our new minister revealed before us as our joyful vibrant community leader. We know that they will be revealed in a way that will express Spirit and serve the highest and greatest good of all who are touched by their Presence.

You can strengthen our calling by reading the Covenant Prayer frequently.

There is only One Life! That Life is God’s Life! That Life is Perfect. That Life is my Life Now!

In knowing that I am ‘one’ with this Life that is God…I therefore know that I am ‘one’ with all of its blessed expressions, which includes the Presence of a New Minister for My beloved Spiritual Community.

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. I further know that my New Minister is the fulfillment of that which has been promised by God, for it is written:

Happiness and Wholeness fill my entire being with the realization of Love and Perfection.

As I stand in agreement with my beloved Community, I see my New Minister revealed before me as my joyful, vibrant community leader.

I now intend to experience my New Minister in full cooperation and agreement with my Community, knowing this Truth about myself, for …

I am inspiring and motivating the experience of wholeness and love

I am revealing the divinity and wisdom within me

I am leading in the realization of truth and love I am facilitating, supporting and expanding a diverse selection of classes

I am providing a nurturing, vibrant community welcoming all

As I now accept the highest expression of a New Minister into my life, I know that they will be revealed in a way that will express Spirit and serve the highest and greatest good of all who are touched by their Presence.

I am grateful God is gracious.

And so It is.

–Madeline Pallanes

Grow and Flourish

Tamara Morrison illustration

Sunday was our annual meeting. We have been without a minister since February when Rev. Janis retired. There are lots of volunteer hours used to make our center work. The full report will be posted on the CSLT website under “About” then “Organizational Documents.”

I love our little community. And I have to change my mindset about that. I love our growing community. It is necessary for our community to grow and flourish. As I am thinking about this finding the words not coming, and look to the SOM Daily Guide and find:

We must learn to trust the law of growth. We do not force a seed into a full-grown plant. There is a law of evolution or unfoldment in nature that does this in a logical sequence.

There is no mental coercion in using the law of mind any more than there would be in using the creative law of fertility of the soil. We plant a seed in it; it evolves a plant. To plant a seed of thought and then uproot it through doubt, denial, undo haste or anxiety is to neutralize our own effort. It would be like planting corn and then uprooting it every few days to see if it were growing. We must learn to trust this law of growth since it is a natural part of the order of cause and effect. Ernest Holmes, Lessons in Spiritual Mind Healing page 23.

I have been feeling a mixture of fear and love as we look for a new minister. The love of the community and the fear of funds. We are using our savings to keep going. I like that we don’t hard sell donating, but the reality is it takes funds to keep us running.

For a garden to grow it takes sunlight, rain, time to grow. For our center to grow it will take time, treasure and talent. And I, I will learn to trust the law of growth.

–Maria

Being Peace

These are challenging times. Added to the two years of uncertainty of COVID, now a war has been started by Russia with Ukraine. Sometimes I feel helpless. It reminds me of growing up during the Vietnam War, and the aftereffects of the images of World War II. What is mine to do? Pray. And it doesn’t seem good enough, but I know it is what I can do, and it is good. If peace consciousness raises into a cloud of peace, and it will rain peace.

During these times of uncertainty, I strive to become peace, to be kind to my neighbors, greet people with an enthusiastic wave and a smile, listen, and know the Truth, the big Truth, the Spiritual Truth.

A Prayer for World Peace
By Ernest Holmes
I know but One Mind which is the Mind of God, in which all people live and move and have their being.

I know there is a Divine Pattern for humanity and within this pattern there is infinite harmony and peace, cooperation, unity and mutual helpfulness.

I know that the mind of man, being one with the Mind of God, shall Discover the method, the way and the means best fitted to permit the flow of Divine Love between individuals and nations.

This harmony, peace, cooperation, unity and mutual helpfulness will be experienced by all.

I know there shall be a free interchange of ideas, of cultures, of spiritual concepts, of ethics, of educational systems and scientific Discoveries for all good belongs to all alike.

I know that, because the Divine Mind has created us all, we are bound together in one infinite perfect unity.

In bringing about World Peace, I know that all people and all nations will remain individual, but unified for the common purpose of promoting peace, happiness, harmony and prosperity.

I know that Deep within every person the Divine Pattern of perfect peace is already implanted.

I now Declare that in each person and in leaders of thought everywhere this Divine Pattern moves into action and form, to the end that all nations and all people shall live together in peace, harmony and prosperity forever. And So It Is.

Somebody Needs A Prayer Today, a song by Niki Harris also brings me solace and fills me with the power of prayer, to send my light and love out into the world.

Two additional thoughts from Ernest Holmes, from the July 1931 The Science of Mind Magazine pp.5-16:

“Do not fall under the belief that if one is to excel in spiritual things they must renounce everything that is called physical. There are those who would separate life from living. Do not make this mistake. Take the time to weed out unbelief. Find the world to be good. See every man as an evolving soul. Let your mind be tempered with that human wisdom which rejects the lie, which separates the wheat from the chaff — but in all kindness, sympathy and compassion. Your system of thought does not deny the merit of human endeavor or intellectual attainment. It does affirm the supremacy of Spirit. It is the Spirit which creates and sustains all.

Search out your own mind. Be true to your own thought. Penetrate more deeply into your own consciousness. In the silence of your own soul, you meet the Eternal and Creative Center of all.”

–Maria

Life As An Emerging Force

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Writing a newsletter article during tax season is a challenge. I was excused from the rotation through April 15, not anticipating that the deadline would be extended to May 17. So, my name came up again. And then I realized that I would be able to share part of my final presentation for the Roots class as my article. So here goes …

For Roots, we studied Emerson, Troward, and Hopkins. I was struck by their focus on the insistence of life as an emerging force. I had an onion in the kitchen that had sprouted, and I was growing it. I showed everyone on Zoom. I do not have a green thumb and, sadly, it did not transplant well.

Another example of emerging life was a trip to White Water Draw to see the Sandhill Cranes. The website estimated that there were 20,000 this year, a record. We had been talking about the Sandhill Cranes in morning meditation and at the Community Envisioning. We had a map of the sites where they usually fed. On March 13, Saturday, Chris and I were up and out of the house at 4:45am. Immediately before we arrived at White Water Draw, we saw formations of Cranes flying away. When we go to the Draw, it was empty. We spent the morning going to the locations on the map with no luck. A breakfast burrito in Willcox and we were back home. The following Monday, we arose at 3:00 and were on the road by 3:45. We arrived at White Water Draw at 5:30 and could see the Cranes before they left for the day. Over the next hour, the noise of the roosting Cranes grew and grew as they began to take off for the day. Although there were campers parked up in the parking area, we were the only ones at the pond watching the Cranes. It was magnificent. I share a 3:47 minute video of our experience. It was wonderful. We saw them later in the season. There would be more if we had gone one month earlier. That is the plan for 2021/2022.

Finally, I shared the following Spiritual Mind Treatment. Rev. Janis had asked us to write a treatment about a challenging area of our lives. I thought of Finances but knew that even when I feel financially secure, there is another deeper issue that arises. I decided that my real condition, which often attaches to finances, is my belief in conditions as real. If I truly had faith, I would relax.

Here is my spiritual mind treatment.
Condition – I believe in matter when none exists.
Purpose – I grok All as Spirit.
Recognition – I recognize the Divine as the Source of all creation. I recognize It as harmony, ease, love, liberation, beauty, order, and health.
Unification – Harmony, ease, love, liberation, beauty, order, and vibrant health flow through me, in me, as me, for me.
Realization – I grok All as Spirit. Even though I forget All as Spirit and tense and worry, I remember and smile and relax and pull in peace and ease. My body softens, my spirits lift, and I feel contentment. I realize that I possess the power to manifest, and I create my vision. Although fears crop up in my day, I act, the answer appears, and the fear evaporates. I salute my competent self.
Thanksgiving – I feel thankful for Divine guidance I receive organically or through others.
Release – Trusting the Divine to work brilliantly, I live the life of my dreams. I release these words to law. And so it is.

–Marya Wheler

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