One Mind, Infinite Connections

There may be things I have to correct in my behavior. There may be social issues I have to attend to. There may be injustices I speak up about. And all the while I am doing what is mine to do, I say to myself: 

I am a product of this spiritual Universe, and its power is flowing through me. I plant seeds of conscious unity with every thought I think. The Presence of the Divine within me connects me with the Presence of the Divine in all beings, all people, all life. My connection to all Life shows me how to see that everything is holy and how everything matters. My Oneness causes me to see how this planet, our home, matters. The Presence of the Divine in me, in my heart, and my mind, communicate its wisdom to me through my intuition, and my intuition guides me to be loving, kind, helpful, and joyful. It teaches me to see its Presence everywhere around me, in every grain of sand, in every unique, precious being. And as I look at life this way, I see that all of life is holy. Nothing is expendable. Nothing is pointless. Everything matters.

To see this week's video on YouTube, click here.

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A Clean Slate

Have you ever prayed for a do-over, a second chance, a clean slate…only to have it happen and then find yourself confronted with a curious combination of exhilaration and terror? There’s an allure to the blank page, the empty canvas, the open road, and freshly tilled soil. It is the hope and fear inherent in life transitions like parenthood, divorce, career change, moving, losses and successes of all kinds. Sometimes we intentionally seek it; other times the blank slate is thrust upon us, unwelcome and unwanted. Always, the clean slate offers opportunity, as we tap the Source of Creation and Infinite Potentiality.

The CSL vision statement says, “We envision humanity awakening to its spiritual magnificence and discovering the creative power of thought.” To awaken to that spiritual magnificence, we begin by cultivating self-awareness and self-reflection. Consider establishing a routine of examining your beliefs and behaviors to determine whether or not they still serve you. In other words, create a clean slate in your mind. Ask yourself, “Where did this idea originate? Am I living in integrity with my values? Who would I be without this belief, fear or behavior?” As detrimental beliefs are removed from consciousness, there is clarity and space for new possibilities to emerge.

The birth of anything new is generally preceded by pain and messiness. Before we can enjoy the newness of a home remodeling project or the order of a clean closet, we must first contend with destruction and disorder that can temporarily look and feel worse than how we started out. Self-awareness encompasses heart and feeling, as well as mind. Emotions that emerge as the slate is being cleaned can be difficult to experience and manage. Stay with it. Emotions are your inner GPS, letting you know if your thoughts and their subsequent emotions are moving you further from or closer to Source.

Conclusion and Call to Action:

To live from the space of clarity and possibility that encompasses mind, body and heart, we are called to Practice the Presence regularly. We release thoughts of past or future and ground ourselves in the present, experiencing whatever understanding or gift the moment has for us. There are a myriad of ways to Practice the Presence. Core methods such as Spiritual Mind treatment, meditation and mindfulness serve to silence the mind. Give yourself permission to “indulge” in what feeds your soul…sacred service, nature, time with friends, music, creative endeavors, laughter, etc. Finally, honor your body and get plenty of sleep.

To watch Dr. Eward speaking about a clean slate on YouTube, click here.

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I Accept the Fullness of My Own Divine Well-Being

Within myself is that which is perfect, that which is complete, that which is divine; that which was never born and cannot die; that which lives, which is God-the Eternal Reality. Within myself are peace, poise, power, wholeness, and happiness. All the power that there is and all the presence that there is, and all the life that there is, is God-the Living Spirit Almighty-and this Divine and Living Spirit is within me. It is Wholeness. It is never weary. It is never tired. It is Life. It is complete Peace. It is never afraid; It is never confused. It is always poised and peaceful. It is always in a state of perfect equilibrium. This is the truth about myself; there is no other-self.

Every image of fear is erased from my mind, every sense of confusion leaves my thought. My mind now entertains and reflects the Divine into everything which I do, say, and think-into my body, into my affairs. That Divine within me is Wholeness, and my mind reflects this Wholeness into every organ, every function, every action, every reaction of my physical being, renewing it after the Perfect Pattern-the Christ within me. Universal Substance reflects Itself, into my mind, into daily supply, so that everything I need each day is supplied. Before the need, is the thing, and with the apparent need, it is met.

There is Something within me that goes before me and prepares the way wherever I go making straight the way, making perfect the way, making immediate and instant, and permanent and harmonious, every situation. Consequently, my mind reflects the fullness of that Divine Substance, which heals every sense of lack in my life. Peace, poise, power, perfection, Living Spirit within me, is me, myself.

I Accept the Fullness of My Own Divine Well-Being

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Peace is Here and Now, so Be Here Now

The topic for today is Here and Now.

It’s about the perfect stillness, peace, and silence at the center of all being.

Reminder:  Silence is not the absence of noise, although that helps.  It's not in a particular location, although 

It’s something inside – and available all the time in all places

A friend told me her favorite place to practice the Silence is at airports – everyone caught up, late, rushing, and multiple announcements competing for attention.

She walks, mindfully, slowly, serenely, unhurriedly taking conscious note of any tendency her body has to tense up and comes back to the quiet presence within.

Reminded me that we can’t always have the perfect outer environment and that ought not to always stand in the way of inner peace.

What knocks you off your Center?

I was having a conversation with a friend whom I love.

And as she was talking I realized, 

I hadn’t heard the last five sentences

I was anxiously going over a distressing situation that had happened

While I was reviewing multiple possible outcomes

And I missed the beautiful things she was saying.

Instead I was using my mind for negative visualizations.

Which has the effect of kicking my brain into fight/flight mode

Releasing stress hormones into my body

Elevating anxiety, loss of focus, reduction in motivation

My blessings to you,

What knocks you off your Center?

And what do you do to get back?

Rev. Edward Viljoen, DD (hon.)
Spiritual Leader

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A moment of peace for our nation and our world.

In this week's virtual service, Dr. Edward shares a meditation from Science of Mind about peace as the power at the heart of the Divine. To see this week's video on YouTube and to meet Dr. Edward's new family member, click this link.

Peace Is the Power at the Heart of God

My peace is found at the heart of God. The heart of God, for me, is found at the very center of my being. It does not matter how closely the confusion of the outer world presses against me, I am not even disturbed by the confusion in my immediate environment. I know that the only way to counteract confusion is to bring peace into play. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you." These words of assurance stay with me, and I hear them re-echoing in the depths of my being.

I surrender all of my fears-those nameless fears which have beset me for such a long time, dulling my pleasure and clouding with misery and apprehension all of my days. I am now through with fear. What, indeed, is there for a divine and immortal being to fear. Certainly not people, for as I am a divine and immortal being, so is every person, and every person is my family. I recognize the one Life Principle, working in and through and inspiring the motives of everyone I contact.

My Peace Is Found at the Heart of God

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The Miracle is You, with Rev. Cynthia James

There are spiritual codes within you that help you remember, and our work is to decipher them to live a thriving life.  Rev. Cynthia James, a guest speaker at the Center, helps us to remember what a miracle you are.

To see the video below on YouTube, click here.

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Cultivate the Light

Light plays such an important role in human ceremony, whether a candle on a cake, or in a candelabra in a Kwanzaa celebration, or a fire in the darkness to celebrate the winter solstice, or a flame lit on a menorah to commemorate a miracle, light has marked occasions of human significance time began… and still do.

Try this: Light a candle every morning and for five minutes be still and look at it.  In your mind state firmly “There is a bright, luminous, magnificent light at the Center of my being, I did not create it, it creates me, I did not turn it on, I recognize it and through its brightness, I see the truth and walk the path that is mine to walk on."

Or Try this, next zoom meeting you have… Light a candle and notice the difference. Next time you have a meal - Light a candle, and notice the difference.  Next time you meditate and notice the difference.  

Or you can even light a candle next time you feel sad, lonely, disconnected, or hopeless

I do, because it reminds me of Spirit.  Try it and notice the difference. 

To see this week's video on YouTube, click here.

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Preparing the Way, an Optimistic View of Our Future as a Spiritual Community

I’m extremely optimistic about our future because there is a backlog of people like you and me
who love each other and long to connect, hug, commune, and be together…and we will have that again.

I’m extremely optimistic about our future because of the pandemic we now know things
that we never knew before. We now know that yes, we can adapt, connect in new ways, and evolve quickly and learn fast.

And what we knew before has been strengthened…now we know the value of community
like we never knew it before. We now know how important it is for us to get up, dress up, get out, connect, share, argue, interact, hug, laugh, cry, mourn and celebrate together.

I’m extremely optimistic about our future because I know that the consciousness I develop and reside in shapes the future for me, for each other, for the world. I’m extremely optimistic about our future because there is power for Good in the universe and we can use it. Indeed we are using it right now in a constructive, creative, powerful way, to imagine a post pandemic community reality where we are together again.

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