UnityPeace Tucson: Recent Episodes
Rev. Nita Strauss
Each week, Unity Spiritual Center of Peace explores practical spirituality. Spirituality is not something just to be explored on Sundays, or Saturdays, or alternate Fridays when the tides are just right. Life well-lived is intentional.
An episode from the archives: We must learn to forgive, let go, and move on. Remembering to stop, breathe, and remind ourselves that there's nothing we can do about it now can help.
We begin our Lenten Practice by grounding ourselves in the Truth of What We Are, which is Divine. We are the Infinite expressing at the point we are. You are the Infinite at the point you are, and I AM the Infinite at the point I Am. We each share this sacred identity, and it is only by claiming this Truth that we will fully express our potential.
Today, we shift from the basics of "what" some of our very foundational teachings are, and begin to look at the "how" of actually creating a spiritual practice that works for us. Lent is the perfect time for us to make the commitment to live the Truth we know.
Now that the annual marketing blitz around Valentine's Day is behind us... let's talk about Love.
Unity was founded on the healing power of prayer, which - for us - also includes time in Silence, or meditation. Today's service is primarily an extended period of community prayer and meditation.
At some point, we must make the commitment to actually practice the tools which will help us to change our lives. Learning about these things is good, but as our fifth Unity principle states: It is not enough to know Truth, we must actually live the Truth we know. It's not a race or a competition, and we'll each learn to work with these things in the ways that work best for us. But we MUST practice. We MUST commit. We MUST be willing to do the work.
Have you ever really listened to yourself? Do you believe that your words are powerful? We've all been on the receiving end of hurtful words, and we've all been built up by loving words. Words are the way we communicate with others and with ourselves, through our thoughts. Words are important!
This is where we start actually working with our thoughts. Denials and affirmations are frequently the very first tool that we use to edit and become more mindful of our thoughts. Desire, intention, and belief are all coming into play when we begin practicing the use of denials and affirmations.
We are not victims of our thoughts! We have the ability to work with our thoughts. And since life is always lived from the perspective of our thoughts and beliefs, this ability to transform our thoughts can actually allow us to tranform our lives through changing those thoughts.
Rev. Nita's not a fan of New Year's resolutions, but she is a big fan of revisiting our core teachings and learning how to use them more effectively. In this series of lessons, we'll look at some basic New Thought ideas, as well as the tools which can help us to transform our lives.
There are many stories which we hear over and over, and we understand that they are told for reasons beyond the mere transmission of facts. There is a Truth within the story, and in New Thought, our interpretation of the Christmas Story is focused on the birth of the awareness of the DIvine Presence within each one of us.
We celebrate the third week of Advent with wisdom from Susan Smith, Licensed Unity Teacher.
This week's Advent talk is presented by our Spiritual Education students as part of our New Voices series. Birke Earl discusses Peace, Kathy Koneckny guides the meditation, and Larry Bearden discusses the inner guidance which is always unique to each one of us. Susan Smith, LUT, facilitates.
Licensed Unity Teacher Susan Smith begins our celebration of Advent with observations of Faith, Hope, and Faith-Based Hope through the story of a missing family member, TK the Dog.
It's Thanksgiving; time to refocus on the very generous gifts of gratitude and appreciation.
For those who are willing, the practice of tithing can be a very helpful practice. There's no requirement in Unity to tithe; we do teach that it is a powerful practice. Unity/Peace, Tucson is a tithing center, founded by tithers, and primarily supported by tithers. If tithing a full 10% seems too scary, start with something smaller and grow your practice. Thank you for listening- we know it's a challenge, because we've all been there!
It is not uncommon to worry and complain about lack in our lives even as we block our own good, and do not allow Good to express fully. We need to learn to allow ourselves to receive.
As we relax into "enough-ness" we begin to understand that it is okay to share. We can safely help others without fearing harm to ourselves. And... it can be a challenge to navigate generosity when so much of the world is sending us the message that we must have all the latest "stuff".
Part of our ability to thrive and live the abundant life involves learning to manage fear. Much of our fear has its source in the fear of death. Yet- we are told that Life is eternal. In Truth, the sacred portion of us will never, and can never, die. The human body and everything of "this world" will be left behind at some point. It's important for us to live fully as well as to do and to say what we need to do and say before that time. VIsit www.theconversationproject.org for important resources.
When we couple our thinking and feeling natures, we bring together Imagination and Faith, which give shape and form to our beliefs. Be mindful of what it is you believe; our faculties (12 Powers) are neutral and will support the use we choose. Do you believe life is a wonderful adventure or a drudge merely to be survived? The faculty of Faith will support you either way.
As we learn to live more abundantly, we begin to use our innate faculties, AKA Twelve Powers. Today, we engage our faculty of Imagination to give shape and form to our desires.
Licensed Unity Teacher Susan Smith shares the lesson today, reminding us that - no matter what! - there is ALWAYS a Divine Idea available which is absolutely perfect. Looking for outer "fixes" sometimes works, sometimes does not. Divine Ideas are always helpful
Jesus, the master teacher we call our "Elder Brother" or "Wayshower", reportedly said that he had come that we might "live life more abundantly". That would seem to indicate that there is more - much more- to be had from living life than just merely surviving. Surely, his whole teaching mission revolved around the message that there is more to life than just the things we see with our eyes.
Emmet Fox was one of the great metaphysics teachers of the early-mid 20th century. He wrote of creating "mental equivalents" of whatever we wished to see manifested in our lives. He also spoke to the fact that many folks affirm their good in a rote manner, which discussing their ill with a great deal of passion. Licensed Unity Teacher, Susan Smith, discusses the importance of passion and feeling as we work with Truth.
We continue building our willingness and awareness of our Divine Nature. Our ability to demonstrate abundance and prosperity in our lives requires us to really believe.
One of the hardest things for us humans to do along the spiritual path is to really, truly accept that we ARE divine. That we ARE the Infinite in expression at the point we are. Thriving requires us to integrate this Truth into our day-to-day lives.
Every week we speak a denial/affirmation which begins with the words, "Releasing the things that are behind...". Today we start a deep dive into what it means to actually thrive in our lives, and that needs to start with letting go of ALL of the false thoughts, beliefs, habits, ideas, relationships, unforgiveness... everything that no longer serves our claims for living live more abundantly.
Today we introduce two more new voices in our Unity/Peace family, Diane Lloyd and John McKearney, credit students in our Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) program. Each of our continuing credit students has been invited to share what has been their most valued lesson so far in their journey of integrating Unity principles into their lives.
Wrapping up our exploration of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, we look at the need to balance our lives. All of our "doing" must come from our ability to "be". That means taking time to rest, relax, renew, and remain gounded in Truth.
Something a little different this week. As we look at the concept of synergy (which is simply the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts), Rev. Nita shared a video by National Geographic photographer and motivational speaker, Dewitt Jones. Due to copyright issues, we're not including Mr. Jones's talk, but please visit https://youtu.be/gD_1Eh6rqf8 and watch it!. As we explore synergy, his comments about finding the "next" right answer, and shifting to a lens which celebrates the good are helpful and eye-opening.
It's been another week of hard news in the world, and understanding can seem hard to come by. No matter how much we want others to understand us, we must be willing to pause, to listen, to pray, and to understand before we ask others to understand us.
We're so used to operating from the basic expectation that everything is a matter of winning or losing, and, in Truth, the most optimal outcomes will always occur when we function from the knowing that my good never comes at you loss. We can ALWAYS choose to expect Good, and always choose to work with others until we come to a point of win/win (or no deal).
One of the most challenging lessons for us to assimilate is that we are ALREADY whole, complete, perfect, and that our words, thoughts, and actions are important. You are not insignificant- YOU MATTER! Licensed Unity Teacher, Susan Smith, shares her insights with us today.
Susan Smith, Licensed Unity Teacher, shares her wisdom with us today. The stories we tell ourselves are important- what are you telling yourself?
We're at a pausing point in the 7 Habits- moving from those habits which cultivate our fullest interdependence, and then taking that interdependence to the next step, the practices of Interdependence. We may think we're doing this work for ourselves, but really, our goal is nothing less than the transformation of humankind!
As a teaching Center, we offer Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute (UWSI) Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) classes on a regular basis. These classes are the first level of credit classes for those who wish to dive deeper into understanding the spiritual principles and practices which make up Unity's theology. Today, we enjoy lessons from two of those students, Birke Earl (currently our Board Secretary) and Larry Bearden (currently our Board President). Settle in and listen to two of our upcoming leaders!
We're approaching the mid-point in our exploration of the book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and a shift in focus is beginning. The move is from "me"- centered behavior to "we"-centered practices. The fact is, we need to master ourselves with the intention of better service the Wholeness of which we are a portion.
Core values came under discussion a couple of sessions ago, and this is where they really start to come into play. Our life experience is determined by the choices we make, and we must have clarity around what is most important if we are going choose wisely.
When we're cultivating optimal behaviors, we need to recognize when we are actually leading our life rather than simply managing the external events which show up in our lives. There is a place to use our mangement skills, but that comes later.
It's hard to know whether you're headed in the right direction if you don't know where you want to end up. This week's lesson includes a guided meditation from the book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and it would be best if you listen at a time you can sit by yourself quietly and consider - deeply - what you value in life.
As we begin to work at cultivating response-ability, and choosing to be proactive about our lives, it is very helpful to focus our efforts where they can actually be effective. Our circle of influence is the only place we can really make a difference in our lives and in the world.
We begin revisiting a classic, from (perhaps) a more spiritual orientation. Universal spiritual Truth should apply to everyone, always, and this "business sector" book makes that point beautifully. Our first look at Habit #1, Be Proactive, relates to our 5th Unity principle, which says its not enough to KNOW Truth, we must also LIVE the Truth we know.
Welcome to Rev. Nita's least favorite day! Why? You'll need to listen. There is, of course, a wonderful principle behind Mother's Day.
Practice... Practice... Practice!!! We tend to keep looking and looking, and not necessarily being and being. Start where you are, begin, and stop looking for better, newer, trendier.
Our Twelve Powers are innate abilities which we can cultivate and use whenever we find ourselves in any sort of less-than optimal experience. Since we also create our experiences of life by the thoughts we are holding around those situations, we also have the ability to create the life we choose to experience. When we combine an awareness of the creative process with our twelve powers, we invoke powerful tools to shift our consciousness.
One of our Easter Traditions at Unity/Peace, Tucson is to become still and listen for the wisdom within which is always available to guide our path. Set aside about an hour, and allow yourself to simply pause, breathe, and listen.
We look at the metaphysics of the Easter story, through the lens of willingness to take the steps which lead us forward to our own transformation
Many of us are (in Unity minister Eric Butterworth's words) 'over-read and under-done". In other words, its easier to know about Truth than to actually live the Truth we know. At some point, we have to put feet on our prayers.
For some, faith is easy and natural. For others, not so much. Some of us thought "faith" is something you either have or you don't, but - since it's one of our Twelve Powers, we all have it, and it can be used in helpful or not-so-helpful ways.
Sometimes, when things seem the most chaotic, we want to wonder who or what to blame. Surely something "out there" much be at the root of our unease and uncertainty. The real answer is usually much closer- we need to look at our own thoughts and beliefs
Probably the most-used and well-known New Thought/ Unity practices are affirmations and denials, which help us to train our minds to think more productively. Denials help us to release old, erroneous beliefs which do not serve us, and affirmations help us to integrate Truth (which is ALREADY True) into our thought processes. No matter how long you've been studying New Thought or how much you think you are ready for the "more advanced" teachings, denials and affirmations are always helpful, and can help kickstart shifts in thought (which helps facilitate shifts in behavior).
Zeal is one of our inherant abilities in life: the ability to be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm motivates us and helps us to more readily activate our other abilities, which helps us live more optimally in the world. As with all of our abilities, enthusiasm can also go astry if used from our sense consciousness. Licensed Teacher Susan Smith presents today's lesson.
Spiritual Community is where we learn to live together authentically. We learn to assume the best of one another, and grant one another grace to try what may be a very new way of being in the world. Today is also the day we affirm our leadership council and welcome new members into our community.
Our words and our thoughts are important. The things we say have an effect, on us and on others. The way we talk about ourselves is especially important. Today we have a guest, singer-songwriter Teri Wilder, who supports the message with her music. Thank you, Teri.
Our fourth Unity principle is that prayer and meditation are the tools we use to train our minds and most optimally align our thoughts and feelings with Truth. Hint...affirmative prayer is probably not the type of prayer you grew up with.
We've come to the 5th principle (note: #4, Prayer and Meditation, was not recorded due to technical difficulties. Check out the new series, Basic Practices, on 02/10/2019 for a lesson on Affirmative Prayer) O= One Power, One Presence O= Original Good M= Mind Action P= Prayer and Meditation A= ACTION!
Continuing our look at the five basic Unity principles: O= One Power, One Presence O= Original Good
We're beginning the year with a look at the Five Basic Unity Principles. O: One Power, One Presence
As we prepare to begin a new year, it's a good time to remember that, just like the dates on the calendar, everything in the outer world changes. Placing our trust in outer things will always provide an opportunity to grown. Placing our trust in the absolute, eternal nature of Spirit helps us to grow our faith.
We are always Divine, and sometimes our human life seems very much less than Divine. Learning to live in (and as) Joy is a process of remembering that our joy does not come from outside of us, but rather from expressing the joy which is always within.