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“Faith has been recognized as a power throughout the ages - whether it be faith in God, faith in one’s fellow person, in oneself, or in what one is doing. The idea that faith has only to do with our religious experience is a mistake. Faith is a religious attitude, but always the man who has faith in his own ability accomplishes far more than the one who has no confidence in himself. Those who have great faith have great power.
Why is it that one person's prayers are answered, while another’s remains unanswered? It cannot be that God desires more good for one person than another. It must be that all persons, in their approach to Reality, receive results - not because of what they believe in, but because of their belief. Faith is an affirmative mental approach to Reality.” ~Ernest Holmes The Science of Mind Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but faith and belief is best served up hot. Hot, that is, with the heat of emotion. Ernest Holmes himself, when talking about Spiritual Mind Treatment, said it must be spoken with the fire of belief and faith. One of the foundational practices of the Science of Mind and of Centers for Spiritual Living is the use of affirmations. Now I, a Centers for Spiritual Living licensed minister, have a confession to make - I don’t much like affirmations. I teach them, I encourage others to try them, but secretly….. Meh. If you’re unfamiliar with affirmations these are present tense positive statements aimed at teaching your brain a new tract of thinking. For instance: You are looking for a new job, so you come up with the affirmation I am grateful for my new job. You write it on post-it notes and put them on your bathroom mirror and car dash, and maybe even your desk at your current job if you’re disgruntled enough. The thought is that as your brain is trained to be grateful for this new job it will be on the lookout for opportunities you might have missed otherwise, and POOF your new job manifests. Confession #2. I’m terribly impatient. If I say I’m grateful for my new job I want it NOW. My minister mentor said affirmations trigger my bullshit meter. I hadn’t realized it until she said it, but it’s true. The emotion behind my affirmations is skepticism, so they don’t manifest. I don’t see the opportunity because I’m too busy bitching about the affirmation. This is not the fire Ernest Holmes was talking about! Recently I came across a different way of using affirmations that changed the emotion drastically for me. Instead of an affirmative statement, I changed it to a question. Instead of I am grateful for my new job I changed it to Wow, how did I get this great new job?! Now, I’ll never try to answer the question. The how is never our business. That’s God’s business. The point is the emotion. The emotion drives the faith and belief. It provides the fire. And what’s the emotion here? Wonder. Awe. Joy. Those are emotions I can feel when I ask that question. That drives my faith and belief. That opens my eyes to opportunity. That’s an affirmation I can use! So, my invitation to you is to try using affirmations in the form of a question. I don’t know why it works but it does. Feel the wonder, awe, and joy well up in you. Let that fire drive you to manifesting the life of your dreams!
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“Invent your own prayers. It is not necessary to relegate this sacred function to religious professionals. You have every right to compose sacred language. I remember the first time I dared to speak to the Divine in front of the world. My friend Father Bill asked me to write a prayer in honor of Saint Teresa of Avila, whose work I had translated, and offer it to his congregation on her feast day. I, a Jew, offer a prayer before Catholics in their own church? Empowered by his belief in me, yet simultaneously remembering that it was not about me, I dipped into my heart and discovered that the prayer that emerged was the Holy One calling out to the Holy One.” ~Mirabai Starr God of Love
At Centers for Spiritual Living we have a specific way we pray called Affirmative prayer or Spiritual Mind Treatment. It’s taught in all of our classes from the very beginning. Practitioner students study the five steps in depth and are tested on it. Ministerial students are instructed in how to teach it. It’s our foundational and signature practice. But our founder, Ernest Holmes, never said that was the only way to pray. In fact, I think he would be horrified if we said that today. No, we all have a right to compose sacred language in whatever way we feel called to do. But what about this? If we’re all spiritual beings, if we are each a part of the God of Love and it is all of each of us, then isn’t all of our language sacred? Now, you may be remembering a time when you yelled at someone or got angry in traffic and think, “Well, that was language, but it wasn’t sacred!” But my invitation to you is to take a period of time and think of all your language as sacred. If each of us is part of the Divine then each of our lives - and the language we use - is a way in which God comes to know itself better. Give it a try today. See if some of your words - some of your conversations - change as a result. We are sacred beings, so all of our language is sacred. See how you do with it. “Excitement is THE highest form of intuition. Excitement is literally guidance from your inner being. In any given moment, your highest excitement is what your inner being is telling you to do next. The only action step you EVER need to take is the one that feels best and excites you the most. That excitement isn’t always going to be the most grandiose action step, but it’s always going to be what you need to continue moving down your path. In any given moment, your highest excitement might be to visit a bookstore, it might be to take a vacation to Thailand, it might be to put an offer on a house or it might be to go take a nap.” ~ Nick Breau Power Manifesting
That sounds great, doesn’t it? If you’re anything like me it might sound a little irresponsible too. Going to that next meeting may not be exciting, but not going isn’t an option either. But what he’s talking about here is being guided by Spirit toward the life you want. The meeting you have to go to may not excite you, but the project the meeting is about may. Or your “sudden” idea in that meeting may excite you and be your next action step. Don’t let what you think excitement is supposed to feel like slow you down either. Just because your heart isn’t racing or you aren’t jumping for joy doesn’t mean you aren't being guided. Excitement can come during times of contemplation and when you’re trying to get clear. It’s the gentle tug of wanting to go into a shop or call a friend too. So, my invitation to you is to try letting excitement be your guide. Know that Spirit is behind and within all of it, and YOU. Follow the path of highest excitement today and see what happens. “The price we pay for unlatching the gates of the heart and inviting everyone in for a feast can be higher than we bargained for. Yet, the welcome works both ways: we too find sanctuary among the human family. Even as we offer sustenance, we are fed. It is not required that we dress in a certain way or speak a particular language. We can show up late, unkempt, in a cynical mood, only to discover that the best piece of cake has been saved just for us.” ~Mirabai Starr God of Love Unlatching the gates of the heart led to me to think about the Hawaiian forgiveness practice Ho'oponopono. It’s the recitation of four sentences -I’m sorry. -Please forgive me. -I love you. -Thank you. Now, there’s a story around it that says a psychologist or psychiatrist cured everyone in a psychiatric hospital by only engaging in this practice. I hear this story a lot, and I’m sorry to say it’s not true. Rather than diminishing the practice, however, I think it is actually a testament to it. Ho'oponopono is so powerful that having a wild story told about it hasn’t been questioned much. It’s easy to believe that I’m sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you could cure and entire hospital with no other intervention. I feel Ho'oponopono is a practice that allows us to take ultimate responsibility. The Science of Mind teaches nothing if not responsibility. We are responsible for our thoughts and beliefs. This practice asks us to open ourselves to all responsibility. Not in a martyrdom sort of way either, but through the principle of Oneness. We are all One in Spirit and the work done by one is work done by, for and AS all of us. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. As you recite this over and over you may find your own needs coming up. What do I need forgiveness for? If when I say I love you I don’t really feel it, what is in the way? Begin by using the practice with compassion on yourself before moving outward. So, my invitation to you is to engage in the practice of Ho'oponopono, unlatch the gates of your heart, and discover what has been saved for you. |
Rev. StephaniLiving by the affirmation, "Everything I want is chasing me!" Archives
July 2022
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