Category Archives: Spiritual practices

Affirmative Prayer Week 3

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This is week 3/6 of Affirmative Prayer: What is it and why Should I Care?

Right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar if you’d like to download this post in .doc format. Affirmative Prayer Week 3 Notes

Meditational Prayer Treatment

We began with the following treatment, to integrate what we’ve discussed and open to new ideas.

Download treatment mp3

Follow along below as we continue with section V. of the class outline. Again, further explanations begin with *.

V. Truths Underlying Affirmative Prayer

* What is the mystical/metaphysical Christian basis for affirmative prayer practice?

A. “Your Father knoweth you have need of these things before you ask.” –Christ

* Who knows you have need before you ask? Your Father. But who, really, is your Father?

“Father” is the Mind, the Presence in Christ and in all of us. It is Cosmic Consciousness, Universal Life, Source, Creator. Christ also said, “The Father and I are one.” He didn’t just say these things because they applied to him; Christ said them on our behalf. Everything that was/is true for Christ and the Christ-Mind, is also true for us.

Christ on earth, was a manifestation of God. So are we. The difference, if there is one, is that Christ knew and acknowledged his divine connection. Many times we don’t; however, as Truth students we “remember” and bring our awareness back to that knowing.

1. So why ask?

* Why bother to pray, if the Father (within you) already knows you have need?

a. TO align your personal mind with God-Mind

* We are individualized expressions of the One-Mind. We come from oneness; at the same time, we have an individual, unique, personal mind. In prayer we align the personal mind with the Higher God-Mind within us.

We do not come from oneness, drop, and then live in a pile of subconscious goo. Thank God! We come from oneness, take the oneness with us as we manifest as human individuals, and have a choice. What is that choice? It is whether we allow the oneness to create our lives, or we let the subconscious and personal ego live our lives.

In prayer the subconscious mind, the personal ego, the personality, and conscious mind are being aligned with the God-Mind. We’re coming back into step with the oneness we came from.

So, we ask in prayer, so that the mind (human mind) is in line with Mind (God-Mind). We don’t ask in order to benefit God-Mind; the benefit is to the human mind.

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” –St. Paul

b. To match daily attitude with your prayer

* We also ask in order to match our daily attitudes with our prayers. We’ve already mentioned that praying 10 minutes daily, and doubting 23:50 is tipping the scales in the direction of what we would call “unanswered prayers”.

That’s an obvious comparison. But our daily attitudes are often much more subtle. So, besides prayer itself, how can we stay aligned (in line) with what we’ve asked?

In class we talked about timing. Generally morning and evening are great times to pray and/or meditate. One student discussed noticing her surroundings in the morning, giving thanks for what she perceives (sunshine, rain, birds, other sounds), and asking that God/Spirit “keep me ever mindful of your presence in my day.”

Personally, I find night time is easier for me. So before I sleep, I meditate, then pray. I find that if I haven’t done that, my night sleep and the next day just feel off somehow.

The important thing is to continue in a positive direction.. That is, when you realize you feel off, just say a prayer or do what works for you. This, as opposed to beating yourself up for forgetting morning meditation AGAIN! Always intend to be in the flow, going downstream, not resisting. In this way your daily attitudes are more flexible, more positive, and more easily directed by the Universal Mind within you.

In this alignment, we’re focusing more on the spirit of alignment rather than the letter. For instance, if you pray for health, you’re not just aligning your daily attitude with a healthy body. That would be limiting. You’re aligning yourself with health in all things – your body, mind, spirit, finances, relationships and every aspect of your life.

And more than that, we’re aligned with the spirit of oneness. That’s where our prayers and meditations come from. So the more we align with it, the more our lives will reflect that.

What is that reflection? It can be many things, including physical things. It can also be, and first often is, a knowing, a good mental feeling, a sense of joy or peace. Detach yourself from purely physical manifestations as answers to prayer. Every spiritual and mental step toward oneness, is as celebrated as a new home, a fulfilling relationship, money received, etc. As we said last week, nothing is bigger (or better) than anything else. We know this intuitively when our daily attitude comes from a divine Mindset.

c. To more easily allow your good to manifest

* For good to manifest in physical form, it must already exist in our minds. Beyond that, it does already exist in God-Mind. However, if we don’t believe it personally, we won’t see it manifest. Seeing is not believing; believing is seeing.

Also, before good is a physical form we can point to and say, “This is good,” it is a mental form. It exists first on a spiritual level in the God-Mind. Then, we sense it, not knowing how or why or when it will come to us, but also not caring. It’s a knowing, an intuitive sense of calm that it’s already done, formed, answered, manifest.

Maybe we also hold a mental picture of it, though we need to be mindful of that picture. Are we limiting God, telling Universal Life exactly what we want to see? Or it a general picture of happiness? I call these feeling pictures. Though I have no physical sight, I still visualize in my mind. I find it far more effective, though, to feel the picture. Not so much, “What do I have and what does it look like?” but, “How do I feel with this goal manifest?”

Then, when you already know, believe, feel and live as if that good is yours, it quietly slips into physical form. But that won’t happen easily, unless we ask.

We talked a lot about physical manifestation in class. Some parts of metaphysics have become mainstream. I.e. Law of Attraction, scientific prayer formulas, The Secret, As a Man Thinketh, etc. However, in many ways they miss the key point of metaphysics – meta – and focus on the physical things. Those looking for a quick fix often begin some form of (meta)physical study, but they want the material benefits first.

There is nothing wrong with having material things! But if we are committed metaphysical students, we know that good does not only manifest as physical things. There are ideas, creativity, mental clarity, intuitive senses, laughter, peace, and all manner of good things! Wonderful things I think we all want, but things that are not physical forms.

Some people come briefly to metaphysics, not wanting to let go of the urgency of physical needs. They miss the spiritual foundation, where you truly know “Your Father knoweth you have need of these things before you ask.” They still feel pressured to have what they lack.

I truly feel for people in this situation. But at the same time, I can’t hand them the metaphysical experience all wrapped in a nice package. It must be their own, as it must be your own.

I focus on the “meta” meaning “beyond” physical. Because only when we go beyond the physical appearance, can we be truly free, secure, and loved. And in the end, that’s what we all want. Many of us are just still wrapped up in how real appearances seem to be.

Lasting love, lasting security, does not come from material things, no matter what anyone says. We also talked about addictions of all kinds. People choose these things to fill a void. But it never works. We need the spiritual basis of metaphysics to be our security and our love. When we realize this for ourselves individually, addictions will be a thing of the past.

So what does this have to do with good manifesting in our lives? Plenty! 🙂 We need to realize (make it real) for ourselves, before we can physically see it. And if we are so attached to the acquiring of material things, we need to ask, “Where does my security come from? What is my lasting security?” When that becomes clear and real, we ask, and act, from a divine place. And then, good does easily come into our lives, even as material things.

Along with manifesting material things, we talked about giving material things away. I encourage detachment, allowing yourself to be guided as you give things away. Sometimes you think you know where you want the things to go, or who you would want to have them.

However, the God-Mind does not short-change anyone! The Universe won’t sell anyone, or anything short! So when we pray, we ask for “(this) or something better.” Because the God within knows, and when we cultivate the mindfulness of allowing, we can carry out what is best. When we do, we know that it is best for all involved – for us, who give the things away, for the person receiving them, and for the things themselves. This stretches farther than we can imagine; this is why we ask for the highest good to be done.

d. To shorten the “required” time interval between prayer and its manifestation/demonstration

* Often, prayers “take long” to be answered, because of our own use of thought time.

What do many of us spend the most time doing? Worrying, being afraid, feeling like we lack something, wondering whether we’re good enough… We’ve said before that this is a waste of valuable thought time.

By worrying and so on, we create our own time intervals between our prayers, and their answers, manifestations, or demonstrations.

Allowing, on the other hand, creates the openness for answers to come through us. It’s been said, “God can only do for you what He can do through you.” This is a powerful metaphysical Truth.

So, is there a “required” time interval between a prayer and its answer? Only if we let it be so!

Answers seem to take longest when we’re struggling against something. So the key is to release the struggle. We can do this through prayer itself, or I like a combination of meditation, prayer, and visualization. Whatever removes your focus from struggle, is a tool for you. Use your tools and focus on the good. Remember, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”

B. “It is your Father’s pleasure to give you these things.” –Christ

* We said the Father is the God-Presence and Mind within each of us. It’s also Mother, Spirit, Love, peace, joy, oneness, Source, Life, Cosmic Consciousness, Universe, and more. Whatever source of goodness you relate to, that is the Father. And Its pleasure is to give you all you need.

We don’t need to suffer. We don’t need to struggle through life. We can have an abundant life, a good life, one that feels peaceful, fun and joyful. Why is that? Because it is Life’s pleasure to give us everything.

This concept is repeated throughout Christian metaphysics. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”

These are all saying the same thing. The Father, or Kingdom of God, is already there. Where? Within you! And you ask, so that you receive all you need.

C. “All of you are equal unto me.” –Christ

* The things mentioned above come from Jesus. He repeated them in different forms throughout his teachings. They applied to him; they were true for him and he knew and acknowledged that.

What was true for Christ, is true for us! That is why he says, “All of you are equal unto me.” Christ is not better than the ordinary praying individual (You or I). We are all equal.

The Father (God Consciousness) took care of Christ. And it takes care of us, from within us, as it did from within Christ himself.

Christ didn’t have anything better than we do. He had no more, and no less, access to God-Power than we have right now. Christ simply chose to live in the awareness of that Power, and to use it for the highest good. We can make the same choice. To God, there’s no difference between Christ and You.

D. “Greater things than these, you shall do.” –Christ

* It’s said that Christ walked on water. If you truly believe you can do that, and you want to do that, you can! The power that Christ used when he walked on water is the same God-Power you activate with every desire of your heart.

In class I said I don’t care about walking on water. It’s not something I personally want to do. So it doesn’t mean anything to me. But I go beyond that. I see “greater things than these” meaning “greater things than you think.” So, “Even greater things than you think, you shall do.”

I use “think” here to mean intellectual thinking. I described wanting to weave tapestries. But tapestries are woven pictures, and I can’t see. So how could I weave a tapestry?

I released the limitations my intellect put on me, and decided, no matter how I physically accomplished it, that I was going to weave a tapestry.

For several days before starting to weave, I meditated to open myself to the belief that I could, indeed, do this. And I’ve woven several small tapestries. I still can’t physically see them. But I know what they look like because I was part of the creation process.

What are the “greater things than you think” that you want to do? What do you truly dream of and desire, that maybe your intellect says you can’t do?

These things, you can do, because the Christ Consciousness within you has the power and resources already. All you need to do is be open and allow them to flow through you.

TO be open, we give up all sense of personal ego identity. When I wove these tapestries, I let go of everything I thought I knew about weaving. Everything I’d been taught, or thought, or read, I released. It was a feeling of being guided by something. And that’s truly what it was – the God-Power within guiding my heart and hands to fulfill that desire. The manifestation, or answer to that prayer, was the physical tapestry, and more than that, the realization that I could create it.

Had my ego been a part of it, the weaving would have been a struggle, instead of the fluid, peaceful process it was. And I’m sure the tapestries would have been less beautiful as well. 🙂

“Let the mind be in you that was in Christ.” –St. Paul

One student started an interesting discussion about whether Christ was taught to perform miracles. I don’t have an opinion on that; it’s not important to me whether he went to schools as a child, studied mysteries, etc. But some students were interested in that.

So we talked about some of the mystical schools Christ may have attended, religions and philosophies he might have studied, and what he might have learned. Possibilities mentioned were Buddhism, meditation, a school called The Right Eye of Horace, Egyptian and Tibetan mysteries…

Someone asked, “If Christ was the manifestation of God on earth, why would he have to be taught anything?”

A revelation for me that could have only come from within, was that we can only be taught what we are open to learn. And even if we attend schools, classes, retreats, etc, the teachings are only a vehicle. Through them, we remember what we already know in Divine Mind. It’s not the schools or other people that teach us anything. They are vehicles for the answers and knowledge that really come from within ourselves.

Maybe Christ did attend various retreats, mystery schools or other things as a young person. But if he did, it was just the fruition of what he already knew.

Someone else asked if negativity is necessary for God. Is it a “must” that we experience negativity?

No, God doesn’t require negativity. Suffering, fearful feelings and so on, are not “allowed” by God.

However, what we call negativity, can also be called contrast. Contrast is necessary on a human level, because without it, there can be no creation.

If you experience contrast, and you don’t like it, then you’ve established what you don’t want.

Obviously that means there’s also something you do want. So we use that seeming duality to create what we want in our lives.

What is truly not necessary, is that we call things negative. We can change what we call them, and we can change our reactions to them. That’s beyond the scope of this specific class; but the answer is, negativity is not necessary to God, and when we experience it, we can use it to our advantage, rather than playing victim and letting it control us.

E. “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” Job 22:28

* Picture this – a prayer treatment:

You turn inward. Here, you are aligned with Universal Mind. The Presence that lives and moves and breathes all things, is the same Presence within you. You know and acknowledge this Presence as your Life, the Source of all you have, and the Creative process itself.

In this oneness with the Higher God-Mind, you feel your attitudes and feelings aligning now. You realize that your thoughts are God’s thoughts; Your words are God’s words.

In this realization, you decree a thing. You declare in prayer, what you desire. You know that the God-Mind within you, knows you have need of this. You accept its manifestation in your life.

See the Light of the Universe shining within you. And see it shining on your path, and on what you just declared.

You give thanks for this realization. You now release it and allow it to be so.

And as you let it be so, so it is!

Affirmative Prayer Week 2 – Part 2

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Part 2 of week 2/6, Affirmative Prayer: What is it and why Should I Care?

Right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar to download the entire post in .doc format. Affirmative Prayer Week 2 Part 2 Notes

See Part 1 if you haven’t already.

Follow along below as we continue with IV. of the class outline. Again, further explanations begin with *.

IV. God: Traditional vs. Metaphysical

A. Traditional God

* How does traditional Western Christianity perceive God?

1. Is to be feared

* Which came first – the chicken or the egg?

Which came first – the fear of God or the contradiction between love and fear?

We don’t know and it doesn’t matter. However, there is often a contradiction between a loving God and one that should be feared.

My question to the class was: How can you love something you fear? How can you fear something you love?

To me, you can’t! You either feel love, or you feel fear. Love is the abundance of good, and fear is the lack thereof. So, can you both love and fear God? Metaphysics says no.

Can you respect God? Be in awe of God? etc? Yes. But where there is fear, there is always lack.

It’s this fear-lack that is stressed in traditional prayer. People fear God because He is powerful, mighty, all-seeing, all-knowing, and things we’ll get to – angry, jealous, and so on. It’s as if people don’t know what God will do with His power – sound like a human construct to you? Will God “like” me? If He does I can love Him. If I don’t know what He’ll do, or He hates me, I must fear Him.

I believe the only thing we ever fear, is the unknown. Traditionally we hear, “Only God knows…” As in, “You have no power over your life.” That doesn’t feel good.

But, we can hear the same thing in Metaphysics, and look at it differently.

“Only God knows…” But God is within you, so you can know too!

So, is God something or someone to be feared? You choose!

2. Vengeful

* God gets revenge. This is Old Testament stuff here, but it’s still so engrained in our society! If we don’t act as God wants, He will judge us or even cast us out entirely.

Also, if we mess with God’s people, we will be plagued by something. Whether locusts, boils or “just” fear and guilt, we will surely be plagued, until we do what God wants.

Do our parent-child relationships look like this today? We don’t want to admit it, but they do…

Imagine this: Parent takes child to church. Child misbehaves, runs around, talks during prayer or meditation, so parent takes something away. Or yells, or says, “If you don’t behave, I won’t…” or “You won’t…” Classic do what I want or I’ll plague (fear or guilt) you into it. Why? Because I am vengeful and my love is conditional.

Never has history repeated itself the way it does in our homes. And if this is so obvious, even just to some of us, how much more do we repeat this to ourselves, in our own minds, hearts and souls?

Do you want to be in a relationship with a God who gets revenge? Even if He’s on your side now, He may not always be. So then, who will get His wrath? That’s right – you will!

Even in the expressions we use, there is a vengeful God. Someone mentioned having good weather for instance, and hearing, “Well we’re gonna pay for that!” As if we can’t have more “good” than “Bad”. How sad!

And there’s always, “Bad things come in 3’s.” Because the traditionalists know, there’s a limit to how much of God’s good we can receive!

3. Angry

* When I was a child and learned that God is angry, I didn’t want to pray anymore. Yet I also heard that God is love, and that love does not anger. So I didn’t know what to believe, and still didn’t want to pray.

It’s no wonder the traditional God seems so far away, or that we feel so undeserving in many religions! It starts early – with our very idea of what God is.

4. Jealous

* It seems that in traditional religion, we remember the words and the feelings we attached to them. But we don’t remember, or even know, the meaning behind them. I read up a little on God’s jealousy, and what I found surprised me. When translated the word jealous means zealous. So that God’s jealousy, means He wants to protect something dear to Him.

In this way God’s jealousy seems less overbearing. But at first hearing, who would want to have a relationship with a jealous God?

Here and otherwise traditional Western Christianity wraps itself up in the letter of the Word, rather than the Spirit. I know I experienced this as a child, and clearly I’m still coming to terms with some of it.

If I, as an ever-unfolding metaphysical student, am still acknowledging and addressing these deep issues from childhood, how many more of us are too? How many of us wish we could leave the trap of tradition and know, in an intuitive sense, something better? All we know is that we don’t like jealousy in people, and we don’t like it, the way we understand it, in God either. Knowing what we don’t want is a good place to start, as long as through the God-Power within, we realize what we do want!

5. Gives to “the chosen ones”

* You have to be special for God to give to you. Good enough, deserving enough, worthy enough, prayerful enough, religious enough. You must be chosen by God, then you’ll receive “the keys to the Kingdom.” But not without a lot of hard work, prayer and supplication – mind you!

But traditionally, are we ever good enough for God? Many religions still say no. You know – original sin, all have sinned, the heart is deceitful – need I go on? So many messages in Christianity still stress that we are unworthy and always will be.

So why bother trying?

6. Allows bad things to happen

* Plus, if “only God knows,” then only God controls things. And things are not always good. So God allows bad things to happen? But why? No one ever had a satisfactory answer to that one.

B. Metaphysical God

* In contrast, how do we view these aspects of God in metaphysics? Well, first of all we leave behind all confusion and start with a clean slate! Thank God!

1. Universal

* “I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.

“For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.

“If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.

“But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.”

“God does not play dice with the universe,”

–Albert Einstein

God is universal. In fact, God is the Universe itself. God is everywhere – and you thought your cell phone plan was that good!? 😀

Ask yourself, as Einstein does, if the Universe is friendly. Then, ask yourself if God is friendly. If you get a ‘yes’ and a ‘no’, ask for clarity and guidance. In order to pray effectively in metaphysics, we need to accept the basic premise that God is Universe or universal consciousness.

2. Life-giving and Life itself

* God is life-giving. The only reason we have life, is because God gave it to us.

Yet, beyond giving, God is Life itself. God is our Life. People who don’t like the word God, often use the word Life, Source or Lifeforce. This is because Life runs through all things; and so does God-Presence.

3. Beyond ego, cannot experience anger

* It is the personal ego that gets angry. You didn’t do what I want, so now I’m mad. That’s fine. Yes, it’s ok to be angry! But there’s also more to life than that. Anger is not ultimate reality, and neither is the ego that creates it.

Therefore, God, which is ultimate reality, is beyond ego. God cannot experience anger. God can’t be angry with you or because of you, and you can’t experience the wrath of God’s anger. Because God cannot be angry!

4. Creator and substance of all, cannot be jealous of itself

* Just as God is life-giving and Life (period), God is also creator and substance.

A potter is a creator. The potter creates with clay. So potter is creator and clay is substance.

God is creator. But God creates from itself. So God is creator, and the stuff each creation is made of. All at the same time!

Things in the physical world are made of, for instance, clay. But ultimately, that clay is made of God’s substance. God creates everything from itself. So everything is made of: God.

You wouldn’t be jealous of something you made. No, you would be proud that you created it, and you would let it fulfill its purpose. So it is with God. God cannot be jealous of anything. To be jealous, as we usually understand the word, would mean God thought the creation was better than He.

God does not think that. God is creator and substance. To be jealous of something, would mean that God is jealous of himself. I ask you – Who would do that?

5. Gives to each creation as much as it will receive

* We can block the flow of God’s good to us. And we often do… But God’s purpose, as Universal Life, is to give each creation everything.

If a creation, a person in this case, blocks that flow, then they don’t receive the good. But that is not God’s fault. That’s your block.

God’s true nature is to give. But God can only give as much as any creation will receive. God does not force the giving onto us.

Know that God gives as much as we will receive. And know that if you feel you’re not receiving good, you can change that. Because God does want to give to you!

6. Knows neither good nor bad

* Nothing is good, or bad to God. This was a difficult one in class. Of course, someone mentioned murder, rape, child abuse, mass homicide, suicide and other acts. And I shared, as compassionately as I could, that while these acts seem hurtful to us and seem so real, they are not ultimate reality.

God, in its universal, timeless, limitless knowing, power and presence, does not label things as good or bad. We do. God sees the whole picture. We don’t.

But we can choose to look beyond what we do see. To see the reality of God. If we don’t do this, we’ll remain in turmoil, confusion, anger and fear. And we’ll keep wondering why these things happen.

If even for a moment, we can look beyond, we can know peace. And peace always begins, as the song says, “with me.” Within.

And to be a little blunt, does every murder affect you? No, because there are a lot of murders you never hear about. Or you hear about them, and because you didn’t know the people, or see the mass report of violence, you remain unaffected.

Just as you don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to, you don’t have to be toppled emotionally by every violent event you hear about. Truly, you don’t.

These events, like everything in our lives, are just circumstances and experiences. God is still there, within. It seems many are not aware of that. But it’s still True.

Go back to the question of whether the Universe is friendly. Reread the Einstein quote, and look within to find your own answers. That’s all I or anyone can authentically urge you to do.

You hear many things. But they don’t all stir up negative feelings. So know that with God, you can have peace, no matter what takes place around you. And the best news, again: God is within, so you don’t have to look very far!

7. See also article – What is God?

Or right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar to download the article in .doc format. Download What is God?

Prayer Partners

Everyone who has expressed interest in having an affirmative prayer partner, now has one.

We use positive intention, perception of ultimate/God reality, intending the highest good, and allowing of the God-Mind to work through us, in prayer with and for each other.

Partners contact each other personally by phone, email or in person as they feel comfortable. Some have chosen to treat/pray at their own convenience and check in weekly with their partner.

If you’d like more information or want to pray with a partner, please contact me.

I also provide Professional Metaphysical Practitioner services. Having a Practitioner can be helpful in seeing good where there appears to be none, and as a supportive presence while you look within for the answers that are true for you.

Both prayer partners and I, as a Professional Metaphysical Practitioner, hold all personal information in confidence. Anything you share is kept between you and the person you chose.

As always, if you have any comments, questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me!

Affirmative Prayer Week 2 – Part 1

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This is week 2 of 6 of Affirmative Prayer: What is it and why Should I Care? This week is split into 2 parts for easier reading.

If you haven’t already done so, please take in week 1, as it’s the foundation for the rest of this class.

To download this post in .doc format, right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar. Affirmative Prayer Week 2 Part 1 Notes

Feel free to follow along below as we continue with III. of the class outline. Again, further explanations begin with *.

III. Prayer: Traditional vs. Affirmative

* As you read this, think about how much you identify with. What feelings about traditional prayer, if any, do you still have? Do you have negative feelings about prayer that you want to sublimate with positive ones?

A. Traditional prayer

* This is prayer as it’s often taught, and what is implied in and about prayer, in Western Christianity.

What do you do in traditional prayer?

1. Petition (to beg, pray, request, plead, ask, beseech)

* These are synonyms of petition, from the dictionary. I looked them up and found it interesting that “pray” itself is one. So automatically, as a mass consciousness, humans think of prayer as having to petition, beg or beseech for something. Is that a good feeling?

2. Supplicate (to implore, beseech, beg, entreat, pray, plead)

* Again, we see plead, as well as implore. Not “Ask and it shall be given,” but “Plead and…” Well, we’re not sure what might happen after that…

What feelings underlie begging, pleading and imploring? Often these are feelings of guilt, fear, lack, and unworthiness. Am I good enough to be heard? Is what I’m asking important enough to be granted?

The idea of traditional prayer often goes something like this:

God is the all-powerful King, and feels so far away. SO in order to have a prayer heard, much less answered, I must be humble, lowly, begging and even apologetic that I’m even trying to get to God’s ear for a moment to make a request.

And then, even if God hears me, my request will only be granted if my petition is good enough to stir up God’s compassion and pity.

Also interesting is the concept of kneeling to pray. I didn’t read further into this, to see what others say. My personal sense is that kneeling comes from this obligation to be humble in prayer, submitting yourself to a much higher being – one you will never be even close to.

Ritual is another element in traditional prayer. If you want something from the King, you don’t just go to him and say, “Hi King, can I have this?” Sure you can, if you want to lose your head! But, if you complete the ritual, kneeling, praying say 3 times a day, and if your prayer is sincere and humble enough, knowing you’re not worthy… Then, the King may grant your wish.

I realize I’m painting a bleak picture here. However, in traditional prayer, that’s often the feeling people have. I’m bringing this out so that your own personal feelings about prayer come to the surface for you. There, you can respond to them and decide which feelings and beliefs serve you, and which don’t. Then, you’ll re-program positive beliefs about prayer for yourself, if you choose to.

3. Doubts that prayer will be heard

* If people really knew their prayers would be heard, they wouldn’t feel the need to plead, beg, beseech, implore, and so on. The doubt exists first though. We don’t doubt because we plead. We plead because we doubt. Keep this in mind as we continue.

a. Is unsure whether prayer will be answered

* Because you doubt that your prayer is heard, you naturally(?) are unsure whether the prayer will be answered.

Students in class brought up how we don’t always know how prayer will be answered. And sometimes it’s not answered in the way we think it should be. This is true, but it’s not what we’re getting at here. This is the simple idea of whether a prayer will be answered at all. In traditional prayer, doubt is often so integrated in the mind, that people aren’t even sure they get an answer of any kind.

4. Places Christ above oneself

* Whether Protestant or Catholic, traditional Western Christianity sees Christ as better than us. That’s got to be the understatement of the year, at least! These religions stress that Christ was a man, but is God’s Son; he’s special, chosen, the Messiah. In short, Christ is almost a hero, as in a fairy tale or myth.

We, as ordinary praying individuals, can never hope to do what Christ did. We will never be equal to Christ; in fact, it’s blasphemy to even think equality is possible.

Christ is Christ, and we’re just mankind. Christ is to be followed, but we’ll never teach or preach or heal or live as He lived.

Remember that these are traditional views, and it gets better from here! 🙂

5. Repetitious, to be sure it is heard

* Simply put, repetition is used in traditional prayer as part of the ritual I mentioned above. The question to ask is this: Why are you praying repeatedly? If it’s because you’re not sure it took the first time, don’t know if you’re getting an answer, etc, uncertainty is the motivation. Unfortunately, this is often the case in traditional prayer.

B. Affirmative Prayer

* And then there was Light! Sorry, I’m just re-realizing that traditional prayer doesn’t serve me in the slightest, and I’m grateful to be on more positive ground!

So, what do we do in affirmative prayer/metaphysical treatment?

1. Declare (to proclaim, announce, state, pronounce, assert, decree)

* Now don’t these feel better? To declare, pronounce or decree something, means you already know, and expect it to be so. You’re positive that “so it is,” even before your “prayer” has begun. I like the synonyms above, which I also found in an online dictionary. Choose some that feel empowering to you, and know this is what you do in metaphysical prayer treatment.

2. Realize (to understand, perceive, comprehend, see, carry out, bring into reality)

* To realize, means to make real. But since my English teachers taught me not to use the word in the definition, I’ll say this. To realize, means to decide what is illusion and what is true for you. It means choosing what you give power to and what just doesn’t matter. (See week 1 for more on giving power to negativity.)

So you can see how realization, as it applies to prayer, means to perceive, understand, comprehend, or see.

But what is “carry out?” In this case it refers to demonstration – the act of making a prayer the reality that you live. Before you can demonstrate in physical form, you need to realize, bring the prayer into your own realm of possibility. Realization is a big part of metaphysical treatment.

You must always come to your own realization. Even if you use the services of a Metaphysical Practitioner, a prayer ministry, a minister, or a friend or family member, all of which are great supports. Still, realization must take place in your own consciousness. Learning to realize things for yourself, is like as the saying goes, teaching a man to fish and feeding him for a lifetime. People can assist, but no one can do this for you.

How do you realize something? Not from your personal ego, that’s for sure! Realization involves daily, or more than once a day as needed, giving up your ego. Don’t worry, this is not painful! You’re just allowing the presence of God-Mind within you, to control your life and realize your prayers through you. The more personal ego we give up, the more divine control we actually have!

Ego control is fleeting. Divine control is unchanging. Things around us change; we know that. But divine Truth does not change. We can experience the control, the peace of this unchanging Truth when we give up the fleeting “happiness” that comes from ego.

3. Knows that prayer is heard

* Basic metaphysics says that we are all one. So if we pray, we know our prayer is heard, by the very nature of our being one with whatever is “hearing”. I.e. we are one. We ask. We also hear. There is no separate being that hears us.

Where traditional prayer involves doubt, affirmative prayer is founded on faith. This doesn’t mean we never doubt. It means we have more faith, than doubt. For this you only need 51% faith, if you have 49% doubt. It’s a balance. As long as the scale is tipped more in a positive direction, you’re on the path to building faith and eliminating doubt from your mind.

a. It follows that because prayer is heard, it is also answered

* We take this a step further believing our prayers are answered. Again, we may not know how, or when. But that doesn’t matter here. We know we are heard. And we know the Universe/God responds to our vibration. Therefore, no prayer goes unanswered. Prayer, whether in thought, words, or feelings of desire, is vibration. And the Universe must, and does respond to it. This response is our answer.

4. Anyone can pray as effectively as Christ

* This might be shocking to some people. And even if you accept it, it may not feel true. So I recommend meditating on this for a few moments, asking for clarity, truth and understanding to integrate this into your conscious and subconscious mind.

It does not say anyone except ___ (your name). Anyone can pray as effectively as Christ. You can pray as effectively as Christ. And not after you learn, study, practice, sweat, and try! You can pray as effectively as Christ, now!

But how did Christ pray? He saw what he wanted (asked for it) and said thank you. Christ had complete faith that his prayer would be answered. In fact, he saw the answer before he saw it in front of him. Believing is seeing; not seeing is believing. When he had the realization of the answer in his mind, Christ said thank you.

And who or what was he thanking? “The Father within me that doeth these good works.” We see the Father as the God-Power and presence within everything and everyone. So we, too, thank the Father that works through us.

5. Repetitious, as treatment of your own consciousness

* The goal of metaphysical treatment is to bring the mind into alignment with our prayer, until it becomes real to us. This is why we use repetition – to continually lift up our consciousness to the level of prayer made manifest in our lives. It’s not because we don’t know the prayer is answered. It’s because the more we focus the mind on a prayer’s manifestation as if we already have it, the more quickly we perceive its answer.

Repetition is for us. It’s not for God or for anyone else, even those we pray for. It’s for our own mind, to bring our thoughts and other mental processes into alignment with the good we ask for in prayer.

As always, if you have any comments, questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me!

Affirmative Prayer Class Week 1

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This is a long post with a lot of information. You may want to save it, along with the linked outline, for later reference.

Right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar to download the post in its entirety, in .doc format. Feel free to contact me for other formats.
Affirmative Prayer Week 1 Notes

Crisis Prayer

To begin, we read this
Crisis Prayer
from Centers for Spiritual Living, another New Thought Metaphysical organization. I ask that you read the prayer and allow it to calm and comfort you as needed.

This prayer was written in response to the acts that took place in Boston and elsewhere earlier this week. As people who study and live metaphysical principles, we can choose not to become caught up in traditional responses to violence. However, we often need to respond in some way. Here, you can experience affirmative prayer as universal, calming and opening. You can also glimpse the best attitude of prayer – one of peace, love and understanding, even though we still don’t condone the acts that have been committed.

Your Personal Background

I asked class participants these questions. Think about your own answers, or even write them down. This is just a starting place to understand your feelings about prayer and any experience you’ve already had with affirmative prayer.

1. How do you feel about prayer in general? I.e. is prayer for the weak? A last resort? A routine in your day?

Do you pray regularly? Do you think you “should” pray, but still don’t do so? Has it seemed like a waste of time for you?

Do you believe that prayer can be a valuable spiritual practice? If not, will you suspend your disbelief? 🙂

2. How familiar are you with affirmative prayer? Have you learned one of the many step-by-step methods that are often a great place to begin?

Do you attend metaphysical meetings where prayer is used? I use prayer in my talks, meetings and services/celebrations. However, our particular Unity doesn’t stress prayer. We have a prayer box and a prayer team. But to my knowledge, no one ever instructed the prayer team in affirmative prayer. Thus this class…

Think about your current understanding of affirmative prayer. Do you understand it at all?

Class Outline

You can download the entire outline in .doc format here. Right click the link and choose “Save target as…” or similar to save it to your computer.
Affirmative Prayer Class Outline If you prefer another format, email me and I’ll make sure it’s accessible for you to read and use.

The sections of the outline we covered are reproduced below, with notes beginning with *. These notes are transcribed from our live class discussions.

I. Other Names for Affirmative Prayer

* These are words you may find in books or other metaphysical settings to describe the method of prayer many of us use.

A. Positive prayer (so named for its positive statements/affirmations)

B. Scientific prayer (often used with step-by-step guidelines for prayer)

C. Effective prayer (more mainstream books use this term)

* Rightly done – that is, with the right attitude, this is the most effective form of prayer.

D. Spiritual Science prayer (used in general metaphysics; I use this term myself sometimes)

E. Spiritual Mind Treatment (often used in Religious Science/Science of Mind)

* What are we treating?

1. Personal consciousness

* There is universal consciousness (God, cosmic Mind, God-Mind, etc). We are all part of this consciousness. At the same time, this consciousness is individualized in, and as, each of us. It’s this personal aspect of universal consciousness that we treat in prayer.

2. Personal mind/ego

* We treat any sense of personal identity we’ve created. You are not your job, your children, your income… In treatment we make this real to ourselves, bringing our awareness back to our true identity. This ultimate reality is Spirit, Source, God, the Universe – and in treating the personal ego, we expand further into Truth.

3. Perception

* Treatment improves the way we see, sense, feel and perceive things. With improved perception come improved feelings. Suddenly, things don’t bother us as much, people aren’t as annoying, and all because we have a new perception after treatment.

Another aspect of perception is size. We seem to have agreed, as a human mass, that some things are bigger than others. Financial problems are bigger than paper cuts. Car accidents are bigger than forgetting your lunch. Manifesting 10 million dollars is bigger than getting a good parking space.

None of this is true! Looked at from the framework of ultimate reality/oneness, nothing is bigger than anything else. There is no big. There is no small. There is desire, and there is fulfillment. Treatment of our perceptions helps us to integrate and live by this Truth.

4. Thinking

* How do you spend your valuable thought time? Are you even consciously aware of most of your thoughts during the day?

Treatment is used to improve our thinking. A positive attitude is essential; so are positive thoughts. However, it’s possible to “fake” positive thinking, to show it off to others, but still have underlying negative beliefs. Treatment addresses the underlying foundation. So improvements are made from the subconscious, outward. With continued treatment, positive thinking becomes more authentic.

Prayer is also called
F. Metaphysical Treatment

G. Prayer Treatment

H. Healing Treatment

* “Healing” refers to bringing your consciousness back to a state of wholeness. It is not a cure or a treatment in the sense of a doctor’s or medical professional’s.

Treatment goes beyond the physical appearance (meta-physical) and lifts up your consciousness which created any physical appearance. When you create from an uplifted consciousness, you create better physical experiences.

I. Treatment (my favorite, for the reasons above)

* I offer the following as further explanation of treatment.

Treatment means going within and contacting the God-Presence that is always at the center of your mind.

The only thing we can truly treat, is consciousness. We can intend a treatment for a physical condition, such as a broken leg. However, all we’re really treating, is your consciousness (thoughts and conscious and subconscious beliefs) about that condition.

We don’t refuse to see the broken leg. But we refuse to give it power over us. In treatment we give power back to the Spirit within us. We establish to our own mental satisfaction, that something has more power than the broken leg. We recognize that this Power dwells within us; so how can a broken leg be anything more than an appearance?

We acknowledge that the broken leg, though it may seem so real, is not all there is. It’s not the end of things, not the be all and end all. There is more, beyond this. And we bring our consciousness back to “more” in a positive sense.

Imagine 2 people, each with a broken leg. The first person thinks: I have a broken leg. Guess I’ll do things differently for a while. Some rest might be nice. I wonder what I can read, learn, catch up on, or who I can re-connect with while I’ve been given this time?

The second person thinks: Oh no! Now my leg is broken, and I can’t go to work. I could lose my job. With my job loss I’ll lose my income. How will I provide for my family? What can I do with myself while I’m stuck in bed?

The first person has accepted the appearance and is embracing it for the good that can come out of it.

The second person is climbing up the walls of his/her mind… And can’t get away from it, because the mind is something we always carry with us!

The first person hasn’t given the broken leg any power. Instead, the power goes to, what positive things can I do now?

On the other hand, the second person is letting the broken leg control what is going on in the mind. I.e. worry, stress, concern, anxiety. This person is projecting what could happen, as if it were already true! A broken leg does not need to have that much power over anyone!

During metaphysical treatment, we sublimate negativity into positivity. We take the power of fear away and replace it with love, possibility, understanding and Truth.

An important note about treatment: Someone else’s healing does not come through you! You may be a participant, you may allow God-energy to work through you and flow to that person. But when someone is healed, it’s because their consciousness has risen to that level where the healing can take place. It’s not because of you specifically, or your practitioner.

Parents sometimes have trouble with this. In some organizations it is said that treatment of a child comes through the parent. This is simply not true in the sense that it’s often understood. On this premise, if your child isn’t healed after treatment, you must be a bad parent, or you don’t have enough faith… So how do you feel? Guilty? Unworthy? Pretty rotten, and your child still isn’t healed!

You are not responsible for anyone else’s healing! Practitioners hold the space, a safe place in consciousness where, when the recipient is ready, healing can take place. But the recipient must accept the treatment. This acceptance goes beyond words. A person can say they accept the treatment and are ready to be healed. However, underlying beliefs can still exist, that keep the healing from manifesting right now.

This is why we assert: The only thing to treat, is consciousness.

Metaphysical Practitioners do not heal; we do not cure; we do not treat in any medical or physical sense. Our treatment is spiritual only, unless we are specifically qualified to offer other services in conjunction with metaphysical treatment.

If a Metaphysical Practitioner tells you to stop taking all medications or prescribes any substance (vitamin, pill, etc), perhaps you should find a different practitioner. A good practitioner will respect any choice you make. If you choose medical treatment as well, find a practitioner who respects that choice.

Some people choose only metaphysical treatment. That is their personal choice. However, treatment works in conjunction with any and all other therapies, modalities, medications and anything else you choose as a tool in your return to conscious wholeness.

II. Benefits of Affirmative Prayer

A. Aligns daily attitude with God-Mind

* Why? Because prayer is only as effective as we allow it to be. If we pray 10 minutes daily, and spend 23 hrs. 50 min. doubting our prayer “worked,” that means our attitude isn’t in alignment with our prayer.

Matching our attitude with God-Mind, highest good, the best outcome, allows our prayers to be answered. It’s been said, “God can only do for you, what He can do through you.” This is a true statement.

So what do we get when our attitudes are aligned with God-Mind?

1. Peace of mind

2. Reduced stress (mentally, emotionally and physically)

* I believe that treatments for health are so important. As long as we’re on this planet, we live in physical bodies. And we need to physically care for them. However, we also need to care for them spiritually. Unlike some traditions, Metaphysics doesn’t specifically encourage fasting, certain diets, sexual practices, exercises, programs, etc. What it does encourage, is unity and harmony in the psycho-physical unit, that is, the mind-body.

Treatment for health, and for anything, opens the mind-body energy field, allowing health to manifest. This automatically means reduced stress and a lighter feeling. It may be subtle at first, but meditation and prayer time, is time well spent.

3. Living your true purpose

* It always feels better to be doing something you love! Your true purpose won’t make you feel anything less than great! The more you pray effectively, the more you *easily* live your own purpose. You live on-path, and it’s not a struggle!

4. Increased happiness

* Even people who seem unhappy all the time, probably want to be happy deep down. Ultimately happiness is all we really want. The house, the money, the good job, the family, anything we could possibly desire… We only want these things because we think they will make us happy. Or they should, or could be part of our happiness. Maybe they are! But really, all we want is happiness itself.

5. Awareness and acceptance of choices and opportunities

* We’re all familiar with the victim consciousness. I have no choices. Things happen to me all the time. I have to do this. I need to struggle.

Prayer is cumulative. And the more positive prayer energy you accumulate, the more you will move upward from victim consciousness. Now, you’re aware that you do have choices. No matter what happens, you can choose how to respond.

In class I brought up negative trends. “Bad things come in 3’s” and so on. Negative trends probably will happen from time to time in your life. The important thing, and the thing you can control, is your response to them.

It’s not the trend or circumstance that matters, it’s how you respond to it. And that response, is a choice only you can make.

So now you know you always have a choice. Next comes acceptance of opportunities. As soon as you see a choice, you also see opportunities opening up for you. When you accept them, you realize there are more!

6. Achieving goals

* If you’re running a marathon, finishing is a concrete goal. You can even see when the achievement is close; you see the finish line. But many goals aren’t so physically apparent. These goals in particular, are the ones we achieve through treatment. Physical form can’t help but follow the achievements of, say, calm, centered mind, peaceful feelings, spiritual connection above all, and the knowing that, as Einstein said, we live in a “friendly universe.”

With treatment as a tool, you don’t need to struggle to achieve any goal. Whether physically-oriented or not, life flows better, you’re open to possibilities, and goals are achieved more often and more quickly.

Also recognize that goals often have steps. Be grateful for each step achieved! Being grateful allows more good, thankful feelings to come to you. As your appreciation expands with each step toward the “big one,” you come closer to the big one itself. Be grateful for the journey, as well as the destination!

7. More physical and mental energy

* As we allow prayer to work through us, we’re freed up. We’re expanded, and we experience a lightness in mind and body. Gradually we notice we have more physical and mental energy, more time, things don’t take as long as they used to, we’re not as bone-tired at the end of the day, and more.

Along with this, be mindful of what you read, hear, and think before sleep. Every now and then, I still do what I call the sleep experiment. I’ll fall asleep reading an action-oriented novel, a mystery, something suspenseful, etc. And when I wake up, I notice I didn’t sleep well, maybe had bad dreams, and generally feel less rested.

But, when I meditate before going to sleep, read positive poetry or metaphysical things, or listen to relaxing music, I sleep much better. I wake up earlier, feel grateful for the new day, and know the day will be positive.

8. Inspiration and creativity

* Inspiration, by its very nature, is divine! Creativity is divine, too! There are so many ways to be inspired, and to express that as creativity. When we mention creative people, we often think of writers, cooks/chefs, artists, craftspeople and so on. But just by living, we are being creative! We create our lives each moment of each day, through our thoughts, words and actions. And we create *from* what underlies these thoughts, words and actions. TO live our best lives, we must be open to divine creativity being expressed through us. Prayer opens us to creativity, and lets us be open more of the time.

9. Opening to intuitive sensing and knowing

* The God-Power within us already knows. What does it know? Everything! Having a regular prayer practice allows us to tap into that intuition that is already ours in a spiritual sense. Our intellect is not worthless! But for best results, it should be guided by an inner sensing, an intuition from our God-Power. We can live by intellect alone. But we can live well when spiritual intuition guides our lives.

Opening to intuition means just that: opening to what is already there. You already possess divine knowing! You’re not gaining anything; you’re just shifting your awareness, your mind and consciousness, to the place of that intuition. It can be a comfort to realize you don’t have to “go out and get” this. It’s already there; just allow it to be in your life.

10. Expressing Truth in your own unique ways

* Truth is Truth is Truth. That is, ultimate, divine, universal Truth. So why are you here? To express Truth in ways that satisfy your soul’s purpose.

There are billions of musicians in the world! And there is always room for more! Why is that? Because even when 2 singers sing the same song, or 2 people play the same part on the same instrument, they express something different. The notes may seem the same. But the emotion, the energy, the spirit they interweave, is their own.

You are unique, an individualized expression of Truth. And no matter how you seem to be the same as others, know that you are unique. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t exist.

Prayer, along with other tools, can help you express your own uniqueness. When you do, you are happy, you’re living on your purpose, and your light will shine so that others will shine their lights as well.

B. Relieving pressure from the psycho-physical mind-body, so it can be uplifted from the problem, to the solution

* Each of us is a psycho-physical unit. We have a mind (psycho) and a body )physical). They interact as a unit – what the mind does, affects the body; and what the body does, affects the mind.

Prayer acts to relieve pressure from the whole unit. It takes mental pressure off the mind, and physical pressure off the body. The result is that we expend less energy carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.

In relieving this pressure, we let ourselves be uplifted. Whatever you’re experiencing has a level of consciousness. If you’re on the same level as a problem, you will experience it.

However, when you lift up your consciousness, you experience the solution! Your desire is fulfilled; the problem, isn’t anymore, and you’ve expanded your awareness.

C. Allowing the natural healing agency (God) to work through you

* God is wholeness. “Healing” means wholeness. So healing is God’s natural power. This is why we call God the natural healing agency. In prayer we open to that agency, and let it work through us, to flow into our lives.

D. Conversing with your inner God-Power, opening to its full expression as and through you

E. Experiencing God-presence fully (meditation is the highest form of prayer)

* True, meditation is the highest form of prayer. In deep meditation we’re completely open and we let the God-Mind be in control of our lives.

Prayer, as we’re speaking of it now, is only a little less than the meditative experience. It’s a conversation with the God-within. We may not be as completely open to God-Presence as we are in deep meditation. But we’re getting there.

I like prayer for its conversational benefits. Who better to converse with than your Higher God-self? Most effective is to spend time in prayer, and separate time in meditation. This way we benefit from the conversation and the deeply meditative experience where God truly lives as us, and where there is no more sense of personal ego.

Conclusion

We ended with a few moments of meditation. I asked class participants to commit to spending some time in prayer this week. All you really need is positive intention, the desire to converse with your own God-Self, and a little time. Treatment does not take long! It can, especially if you go into deep meditation along with prayer. However, you can pray any time, anywhere.

I ask that you, too, make a commitment to yourself to spend some time in prayer each day.

Prayer Partners

We will be forming prayer partnerships in this class. Two people will pray for each other, using affirmative prayer techniques, starting next week and as long as they wish to continue.

If you would like a prayer partner, please contact me! THhose in the live class will pray together, and online participants will be matched up on a first come, first served basis. Everyone who wants one, will have a partner.

I also provide Metaphysical Practitioner services. Contact me if interested.

As always, if you have any comments, questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me!

Heart-image – New Thought Song

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Companion song to The Heart of the Matter. I’m thankful for expressions of Truth, in all their forms that come through me!

Heart-image Lyrics

Instrument: Lady – tenor Flea ukulele

S: = spoken

Refrain:
You have a heart, don’t you?
Just look inside, won’t you?
And let yourself see the truth.
Is there a dark shadow,
Or a cave, a grotto?
If you want to, you can choose something new!

S: And why would I want to do that?
1. Because the image that you hold
Is what will unfold in your life.
And any error in heart –
It pulls you apart,
Leaving strife when life could be nice!
Refrain:

S: But what could I choose?
2. The greatest image of you –
The Spirit of Truth, is divine.
But mental thinking alone
Can’t bring you back home –
That’s inside, don’t hide, ’cause it’s yours and theirs and mine!
‘Cause
Refrain:

S: And how do I choose it?
3. This metaphysical stuff –
It isn’t a bluff or a dare.
While living this life you know,
You can make it your own
And be aware, you care, living “God is everywhere”:
That means in you!
‘Cause
Refrain:

If you want to, you can choose something new!

Affirmative Prayer: What is it and why Should I Care?

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This live class is just what it seems. We discuss traditional prayer vs. affirmative prayer, describe different prayer methods, and ask ourselves “To whom, or what, are we praying?” Handouts, activities and meditations included.

Online version will be posted the day after each live session.

Details:

* What? Class – Affirmative Prayer: What is it and why Should I Care?

* Why? To improve your relationship to God and prayer, and create a joyful prayer practice that works for you.

* How? Through discussion, prayer/treatment, meditation and hands-on activities

* Where? Unity of Reading
4443 10th Ave.
Temple, PA 19560

* When? Thursdays for 6 weeks, beginning April 18, 2013, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Specific dates are: 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16 and 5/23.

* Cost? Free – donation accepted

* Who? Taught by Rev. Crystal (New Thought Metaphysical Minister)

The Heart of the Matter – Metaphysical Talk

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Message shared 4/14 at Unity of Reading.

Updated 6/30/2013
Today it was brought to my attention that instead of being more general, I mentioned one spiritual leader in this message. I apologize for this and ask forgiveness from anyone who felt hurt. It was also said that this message is contrary to the teachings of Unity. While I will not speak for Unity, I affirm that the message upholds my own and other common New Thought metaphysical teachings. Thank you for your understanding and compassion, now and always!

Following are companion readings:

Excerpt from Jesus Christ Heals

by Charles Fillmore
pp. 5-6

Perfect health is natural, and the work of the spiritual healer is to restore this perfect health, which is innate and can be spoken into expression. Our ills are the result of our sins or failure to adjust our minds to Divine Mind. “Man hath authority on earth to forgive sins.” When the sinning state of mind is forgiven and the right state of mind established, man is restored to his primal and natural wholeness. This is wholly a mental process, and so all conditions of man are the result of his thinking. “As he [man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Proverbs 23:7

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Affirmation

My heart is open to the truth that I am made in God’s image. All my conscious and unconscious thoughts, the words I speak, and all actions I take sprout from these roots of divine truth. I allow my heart, mind, body and soul to be made new whenever needed, so that God is made manifest through and as me. And so it is!

Handwoven Leno Hug – Ordination Shrug

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crystal-in-leno-hug

I started weaving this shrug/wrap on the 3rd, the day after I joyfully signed my vows and agreements. It was finished 4/6, the day before my first Sunday “as a minister”. It was a fun project with special meaning to me.

Originally I planned to weave the Shrug in Leno from The Weaver’s Idea Book by Jane Patrick. But there is a reason why we ask in affirmative prayer for “this, or something better!” I didn’t get “this” pattern, but I got something much better!

All this is :), is 2 pieces. The back piece is long enough to wrap over my shoulders with the fringe touching my upper arms. It has no sleeves, but the sides of the back act almost like capped sleeves.

The front piece is all leno lace. You set up the rigid heddle loom as you would to weave any tabby or plain weave cloth. But as you weave, you pick up and twist groups of threads, locking the twist in place as the shuttle carries the weft back and forth. This is not complicated! Some would say it’s slow, but I felt it wove up quickly, and I had fun – which explains a lot!

I tell you this is not complicated, and it’s not. But the first day I started weaving, I just could not get my mind or my fingers wrapped around what the cloth “should” look like. I’ve never touched leno until now, so I had no idea what I was actually striving to weave. So I stopped, temporarily, and wove a third of the back in plain weave. Fine.

Next day the leno worked great! I still didn’t know, from previous tactile experience, what I was supposed to weave. But I didn’t care. I kept on with it, which taught me again, that we don’t need to know the “how” or the means by which everything will work out. All we need to know, is that it will work out!

SO the second third of the back is in leno, and I felt a sense of accomplishment weaving it. It’s truly a beautiful texture!

The last third, like the first, is plain weave.

Added to the front piece that is all leno, this shrug is my favorite handwoven piece! I wear many of my handwovens, but this one is extra special.

In deciding how to connect the front and back, I had many ideas. I’m grateful for them all and I know I’ll use them in future projects! Chinese knot buttons, beads, standard buttons, ties, cords, plied, twisted or knotted fringe, netting, crocheting, sewing… There are more ways to join 2 pieces than there are pieces to join! 😀

But the idea that stuck was the most natural thing in the world to me. When I was little I got a necklace for Easter. It had plastic lambs strung with beads between them. A sheep-lover all my life, I adored that necklace! And I cried and cried the day it broke. But something made either my mom or me save the lambs from that necklace.

I found them in my jewelry box the night I finished this piece and actually said out loud, “Wow! That’s it!”

Now, one lamb is sewn on each side of the back piece. They lay on my shoulders when I wear this. The leno creates holes in the front piece, so I just put the lambs through some leno on each side. And there you have it.

All is not lost! Leno does work. My sheep live on. And I have something to wear that makes me smile and laugh – and yes, cry a little too, with amazement at how things do work together for our good.

And if it works in these “little things,” how much more does it work in great things?

Something *closer* this way comes!

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Not just a paraphrase from Shakespeare, but something I think we all need to hear now and then. 🙂

You know that feeling, when you’re *this* close to something, but it’s not here yet, or you don’t have it, can’t touch it, and yet you feel like you can taste it?

It’s a lot like that feeling of discontent I talked about before. Again I use the analogy of the pearl. It’s bugging you! You’re saying, “Get it out! Make it go away!” And at the same time, “All right already! Let me see it!” You want the thing in your hands, in your life, right now thankyouverymuch. Can you tell I know the feeling? 😮

So what do you do? I mean, what do you do, if you’re tired of it bugging you and you want something else? You do want to feel better rather than worse, right? Because if you’re happy feeling bad, stop reading now because we’re not on the same page.

What to do, to feel better and flow with the river already bringing your demonstration to you? How to work with it rather than against it? That is the question… Or 2 questions.

And I say, visualize your goal already done. Of course, you’ve already done that at some point, or you wouldn’t have gotten this far! But this is a journey, and journeys have steps. And now, it’s more important than ever to see the thing completed.

Why? Because the alternative, which you may be feeling now, is frustration, impatience, being all fed up with the blasted goal, and what possessed me to want this in the first place? That’s also the reason some people say, or people unfortunately say about others, they never finish anything. That can’t possibly be true! But we say it, and worse, we believe it. When really, all that’s happening is that we lost focus of the thing already done.

Which do you want? You want to see the goal accomplished. You know you do. So that’s where you need to shift. Do what you did when it was just a dream, because it’s still just a dream, and when it’s done and you can see it, guess what! It will still be just a dream!

So be happy about it now. Imagine it done. See it. Feel it. Smell it if it has a smell–which it does, even if you can’t conjure it up. Imagine what you do now, with this accomplished. Now live your life that way, today.

Yes, I’m saying, visualize the goal. But it’s much more than that. Live like you have it. But there’s still more. Know in your heart, in your gut, that it’s yours. Because the Spirit that gave you the desire is the same Spirit that makes it tangible in your life. For you and for itself.

“Whatever you do for the least of these, you do also for me.” ~Jesus Christ

This means, whatever good you do in seeing the Truth of any situation or any goal accomplished, you’re doing it for Christ, for that Spirit within you that wants only to manifest itself more and more! And you, co-creator that you are, are the vehicle that brings forth your unique life.

So do it for you and do it for God/Spirit. Live your life, now! Don’t wait for a better time, “because everything will be great when I have ____.” Why can’t life be great now? It can, and it is, if you allow it to be.

What is your reality? The frustration and lack that comes from the personal ego? Or the Truth and abundance of the Christ-Mind? St. Paul said, “Let the mind be in you that was in Christ.” The key word is “let”. Let it be so, this day, for this goal, and any day, for everything. And so it is!

Random Acts of Kindness – You can Help!

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The week of May 5-12, 2013 is Unity of Reading’s second annual Purposeful Acts of Kindness Week.

Each day at least one kind act will be done on behalf of our Unity center as a whole. In addition, and more importantly for each individual, we encourage everyone to take this into their own hearts and hands! What can you do to spread simple kindness in your community?

This post by William Kelly really sums up these random acts nicely. It doesn’t have to cost you money, or much time. The only requirement as it were, is that the act is heart-felt. I would add spontaneous – it’s fine to have a list of things you’d like to do, but many times what truly will help someone feel blessed is not something you pre-plan!

During your daily meditation period (You do have one, right? 🙂 ) ask for openness. Ask for guidance toward the special, unique kindness that God/Spirit wants to express through you.

You could easily make a list of kind things, without meditation. But the answers you get in meditation will be so in line with your soul, happiness and purpose for being right here, right now… that they will make your heart soar! And how much more will people appreciate them, and pass on the kindness, when it is given from your heart and spirit?

Unity has a list of things it wants to share. Putting quarters in parking meters. Giving out soup. Creating a kind of survival kit as a reminder of who we truly are as spiritual beings. And other things.

You can tell I’m not too excited about any of these! The one that got me feeling all fuzzy inside is the letter-writing. People so often feel under-appreciated, or not appreciated at all. I’ve felt that way myself at times, and it’s just about as bad as it gets. So, I’m helping to write letters to companies and individuals who contribute to Unity in some way. My favorite is the piano tuner – I marvel every Sunday when I play how wonderful our piano sounds, and it’s over 100 years old!

Think about it. How many services do you receive? If you’re going, “Uh, what services?” start with the bills you pay. Obviously you’re paying for something, whether you think it’s worth it or not… 😀

How impressed would you be, say, as an employee of your electric company, if you were the one to open a letter of appreciation? How profound would that be to you, and to the company? And what would you do? You’d go home and tell everyone! You’d give your partner or kids an extra hug! Heck, you might even let someone cut you off in traffic!

So, if letter-writing, or phone-calling is your thing, you have a starting place. Now take this ball and run with it! Make it your ball, your pet, your heart-felt expression. Because there is something you can do! In fact, there is something that ONLY you can do! Someone may not feel blessed by my brand of letter. But maybe yours is just what they need!

All you gotta do, is do what you gotta do!

P.S. Remember the children! They’re often much better at this than we grown-ups! Even the really little ones… Ask them what they would do to be kind? And let them do their own random acts among their community of family and friends.

Kids already know how to be kind… It’s time we truly encouraged their openness to possibility, love, peace and happiness!