posted July 19, 2009 04:06 AM         

Spiritual Life Center is the interfaith unity church that I am a member of.

My dear friends,

Have you ever gone to New Thought church service, meeting or seminar and left feeling guilty or unworthy with your self-esteem battered and bruised? If so, it was probably because you heard the minister or facilitator say something like "You are responsible for everything in your life, so why did you choose to get cancer, or go bankrupt, break your leg, cross paths with that wacko, or..........?" You get the picture?

Recently a woman I know was having difficulty with her vision; her ophthalmologist told her that she would certainly go blind without surgery to correct the problem. The prospect of going blind was understandably frightening to her. One of her well-meaning friends asked her "What are you refusing to see in your life that you have now manifested this?" Suddenly she felt judged and guilty of turning a blind eye toward some unpleasantness that she had created. She was then told that as soon as she dealt with that "unseen" issue her sight would return to normal. Her friend advised her to cancel her surgery and follow a non-medical alternative that involved meditation, a special restricted diet, and spiritual cleansing. She asked me if I thought she should follow her friend's advise and cancel the surgery. I said, "It all sounds good EXCEPT the 'cancel the surgery' part. I am a firm believer in what I call "Meditate and Medicate." I teach that God is everywhere fully present which means Spirit works through prayers and doctors, medical procedures, and medications as well. Turn within and go where God directs.

Recently, I have spoken with more than a few people who have received some potentially catastrophic news concerning their own health or that of a loved one. Others have lost jobs, homes, or relationships that have catapulted them into a lonely, frightening and unfamiliar world. A common question is "Why is this happening to me?" No matter how enlightened we like to think we may be, almost everyone I know has had that question surface at a time of trauma. It's so very human.

What concerns me is how much judgment and guilt we "New Thought Types" tend to lay on ourselves or others when things get ugly. How many of us have said that one of the reasons we abandoned mainstream religion was because of the so called guilt trips? What we didn't realize was that we faced a whole new form of guilt that is equally as damaging to our self-esteem and quality of life--it's called New Age guilt. Old time religion told us to feel guilty about most everything that made us feel good; the New Thought version is to feel guilty about feeling less than positive, healthy, and abundant all the time!

It's so tempting to slip into the dangerous and erroneous thinking of "What did I do wrong to have created this? It's all my fault. I must not be a good person. How did I do this to myself? I must be weak. I must have really screwed up in a past life! If I only had more faith I could make this go away." This or some version of "monkey-mind thinking" goes on and on and we torture ourselves needlessly. (Please don't feel guilty if you have ever entertained these thoughts! I'm sure you haven't, but you probably know someone who has.)

It's important to examine our lives and be accountable for whatever we may have done that may have contributed to a painful or unhealthy situation. We need to realize that sometimes "stuff" just happens. Remember our individual conscious is constantly interacting with elements and people over whom we have little or no control at all.

I believe that we truly are powerful beings, but we are not so powerful as to be responsible for every sniffle, dented car door, angry neighbor, lost job, flat tire, vicious dog, or serious diagnosis that comes our way. Our true power is in the fact that we have total control over our thoughts and attitudes in every situation. It is through the practice of well-documented New Thought spiritual methods that we learn how to create inner peace and receive the clear guidance from our Divine Nature as to how to respond to life's joys and disappointments.

By using the power of affirmative prayer, meditation, creative visualization, and forgiveness, we can greatly influence desired positive outcomes and enhance our enjoyment of life. What's most valuable is that we learn how to establish and maintain our mind and heart at peace as we navigate life. That's what Jesus was talking about when he cautioned us not to focus on unpredictable outer conditions. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust can destroy, and thieves can break in and steal. Rather lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven....for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Again, focus on the inside, and the outside will take care of itself.

One of my favorite quotes by Unity's Co-Founder, Charles Fillmore, which has helped me stay focused on positive outcomes during challenging times is "This situation before us is pregnant with possibilities for good!" I must admit that many times I have thought to myself "well the good is certainly well disguised in there!" It always helps to keep a good sense of humor.

To those who may have told you that you were TOTALLY responsible for every "itty bitty" thing that went wrong (or right) in your life, I now charge them with Metaphysical Malpractice. Please instruct them to report to the Karma Police and turn in their suspended Metaphysician Licenses.

This Sunday I will continue with the Twelve Powers series as we focus on Spiritual Strength and the Power of the Spoken Word. SLC's "Fab Four," the Harmony Brothers, are joined by Victor Sparks on keyboard, as they inspire us with their rich and lively songs.

We will save a place for you in the now air-conditioned comfort of Pioneer Church. Bring your friends because, it's just not the same without you.

You are loved beyond measure,

Raymond

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“It is absolutely the perfect name,” Dr. Brown said, given the continuing discord among astronomers and the public over whether Pluto should have retained its planetary status.

In mythology, Eris ignited discord that led to the Trojan War.

posted July 19, 2009 04:19 AM         

I try to approach things from the perspective of "what can I learn from this?" or "what does this offer me?", rather than "what did I do wrong?", etc.

I apply that to situations where there is conflict with someone as well. I think "what is this person here to teach me?" and "what part of myself is this person showing me?".

I think everyone and everything offers us lessons. I find it moreso the more challenging it is. The harder it is, the more it mirrors something deep inside or more something that we need to learn. It doesn't have to have guilt or judgement attached to it. We're all different. We're supposed to be.

I think when people come off with the whole "why have you manifested this?" sense it's from enthusiasm as to their thinking, rather than any malice.

posted July 24, 2009 02:48 PM         

I think the problem of thinking "where did I go wrong so that I created this terrible thing?" is instead we should be thankful in ALL situations and for ALL things, without judging something as good or bad. If we are coming from the perspective of the finite personality, we do not have the infinite perspective to know whether or not something is ultimatly good or bad. If we are coming from the perspective of the infinite All, we know that EVERYTHING is always perfect.

posted July 26, 2009 05:26 AM         

I loved this post, thank you. I'm still new to figuring out what i genuinely believe and sometimes its easy to get caught up in the comfort of a guilt mentality because its what we've always known from the faiths we're born into.