Thoughts Are Things: Recent Episodes
Jonathan Zenz
The expression of our lives are the sum of our thoughts and beliefs. Do you want to change your life? Begin by changing your thoughts and beliefs. Explore why life is the way it is and what can be done to change it... if that is what you want!
“If when one prays his prayer is a recognition of Spirit’s Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, and a realization of man’s unity with Spirit, then his prayer is a spiritual treatment.” – Ernest Holmes
It’s been a primary part of my work recently to remind others that the “go to” spiritual practice for us in New Thought is affirmative prayer, more commonly referred to, among those of us who are practitioners, as spiritual mind treatment. When I was studying to become a licensed practitioner, and ultimately a minister I spent a lot of my time looking at the use of prayer in faith traditions, and considering how it agrees or differs from the method we teach.
“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what [they] think into it.” - Ernest Holmes
I find myself saying frequently, “this is a fundamental part of the New Thought teaching,” and I’ve started to wonder why. There is so much depth in the philosophy, and the philosophy in so many ways reflects the wisdom of the ages. I think I am settling into the personal need to allow the fundamentals to be at the root of my thoughts and experience. A sort of “back to basics” approach to living.
The concept of beginner’s mind comes to the forefront of my thought in considering this. Beginner’s mind is something I strive for often as it keeps me out of judgment, and opens me to greater possibility and potential.
Hello Lovely World!
I am taking this week off from blogging/podcasting, but I will be back at it next week to complete the series on “The Sermon on the Mount.”
Have a blessed week!!
Jonathan
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 Just after the Lord’s Prayer is this little follow up. It speaks to a very important aspect of creation… forgiveness. When we practice forgiveness (and it is a practice), we free our own minds to more infinite creative expression. When we release the attachment to our need to be right, allow forgiveness to be centered in our soul, we create a framework in our own minds and heart that opens up the floodgates of love. Basically, we reap what we sow.
In Matthew 6:9-13 it is written: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” The Lord’s Prayer is, perhaps, the most famous prayer in the world. It is also a challenge for many adherents to the new thought philosophy as it seems very dualistic in its nature.
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - William Shakespeare (Hamlet Act 2 Scene ii) When we take the actual time to deeply consider our consciousness we begin the road to create change in our lives. The road map to change is consciousness, but that requires awareness. And all spiritual practice is about deepening awareness. An awareness of our unity with all things. This includes those beings of light whom we may have deemed enemies in our lives.
“[Jesus] lived in a world of spiritual realization far beyond that of which the average man has any understanding.” - Ernest Holmes
Can we begin to accept that we can rise above averages, and that we don’t need to live in the consideration that Jesus, or any other mystical prophet, was somehow greater than we are? I think it’s time!
“Owning your own feelings, rather than blaming them on someone else, is the mark of a person who has moved from contracted awareness to expanded awareness.” - Deepak Chopra
If there is one thing that I still see as a constant in our society, it is the capacity and seeming need we have to blame. It’s a challenge as a new thought minister to recognize this. It is also daily work to keep my own mind from moving to a place of blame when I am faced with certain experiences and circumstances that seem beyond my control.
Today’s section of the sermon on the mount is a metaphor for this concept.
“The Science of Mind does not necessarily create a new religion or sect, for it may be added to any spiritual system of thought since it is a compliment to all.” - Ernest Holmes
There is a great deal of confusion among even the most deep adherents to the Science of Mind as to whether we are a religion or something else. It’s pretty clear from Ernest Holmes’ view that this was never intended to be a religion. And it isn’t, in the same way Buddhism is not a religion. It is a philosophy and a way of life.
“The Universe and the light of the stars come through me.” - Rumi
There is so much about us that is magnificent. Sometimes we forget. At least, I forget sometimes. Spiritual practice is all about remembering.
This week I’ve spent some wonderful time remembering who I am and it is in perfect alignment with today’s continued deepening into the Sermon on the Mount.
Well… where the heck have I been? I start… I stop… there is no consistency.
Well, I get it, the starts and stops can be a little challenging. The excuse I offer is this… on March 15 Tucson New Thought took possession of a new space that we are calling our full time home. Since that time I have been deep in trying to make sure the space was suited to our needs. I had broken down my home office and only today have I finally pulled together a semblance of an office space at the new Center location… and now I am able to start blogging again.
So, where did we leave off?
We were still on the Beattitudes, the first section of the Sermon on the Mount.
Picking up with Matthew Chapter 5 Verse 8…
“In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” -Eric Hoffer
How resistant are you to new things? This is a question I ask myself, not infrequently. To be honest, I think I have let go of a lot of resistance over the years, partially because I understand now that “what I resist persists.” When I am open hearted, I get to live in cooperation with God, with nature, and with humanity.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is a blessing?
A standard dictionary definition would offer this: a blessing is “God’s favor and protection.” This a potentially a problematic concept for New Thought philosophy given that we do not teach the concept of God separate from the self. So if we are seeking God’s favor and protection, what does that mean? I think it means we can more deeply understand that blessing is an inside job of recognition. To recognize that we ARE God, we are always protected. We are always favored, but no more than anyone else. It becomes our life’s work then to pass the blessing on to others.
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them.” -Matthew 5:1-3
I had this thought today that I could do a little metaphysical interpretation of the New Testament. Now, before you settle into groans, let’s check in. There are many who come to New Thought teachings because they have had a previous relationship with Christianity that was less than ideal. As a result, there can be an attitude of resistance when New Thought ministers begin to utilize aspects of Christian teaching in their work. Yet, these same people will fully embrace teachings of other faith philosophies (like Buddhism, Hinduism, and the like) just because they are different.
“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” -Harold S. Kushner
Where is the evidence of our love? Is it in the words we use? Is it in the actions we take?
“Heaven–as you call it–is nowhere. Let’s just put some space between the w and the h in that word, and you’ll see that heaven is now…here.” -Neale Donald Walsch
There is an idea that’s been ruminating in my mind this morning. It’s a little bit of a trap. I sometimes find it difficult to be here now. Do you? The practice of being present is so big in our culture right now… and it is one of the most challenging aspects of living a spiritual life. I find myself stuck between my thoughts of who I once was, and who I want to be… not who I am right now. That is a trick of the mind. It’s a little bit of a tennis match, and where I would like to be is perfectly situated and balanced on the net.
“A diamond has many polished facets and it takes them all to make it shine in its full beauty.” -Emma Curtis Hopkins
Today I am feeling full of life. I am so grateful for this existence and for all the magnificence that accompanies me on the journey of time and space. I relish in the multiplicity that is derived from unity.
“People wrap themselves in their beliefs. And they do it in such a way that you can't set them free. Not even the truth will set them free.” -Michael Specter
How certain we are that we are right. To believe we are right is the most limiting belief we can have. And I admit, I believe I am right… but I am willing to be wrong. So I keep exploring.
“I know they make fun of me, but actually all these years people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually been on the public. I know exactly what I’m doing and I can change it at any time… I am sure of myself as a person.” -Dolly Parton
Yesterday was a very full day. It wasn’t supported by my decision to sleep in later than usual. Clearly, though, I needed the time, and if I am going to be honest (and why would I be anything but honest) if I had made an entry yesterday in the blog and podcast it would have been forced. So today I am inspired, and that makes for a better experience all around.
“Studying many scriptures is pointless if one does not practice the wisdom contained within them.” -The Dhammapada
Today is a beautiful and unexpected day. Well… every day is, really. We’ve just convinced ourselves to live in expectation. It’s more comfortable to do that.
“Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance.” -Immanuel Kant
I have been on a particular journey of pressing against the establishment for more than a year. I have been pressing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable among some of my peers. I am a firm believer that as long as we remain in our safe zone, wrapped in comfort, we do not expand our sensibilities which lead to growth. For many years, at the beginning of my journey in ministry, I was an adherent to the dictates set forth by the greater governing organization. I say this with tongue slightly in cheek because I think I was viewed as rebellious.
“This isn’t a journey about becoming something. This is about unbecoming who we are not.” -Adyashanti
Today I had this come up during meditation, “Are we liberated by or trapped in our spiritual practices?” I think the question is related to yesterday’s blog and podcast on allowing our practice to become rote. When practice becomes rote it eliminates effectiveness, and we cease to benefit from the growth. That is the time when I believe we are trapped. There are many other ways, I think, that we become trapped.
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” -Rumi
In alignment with the concept of spiritual bypass I covered yesterday, there is another detrimental aspect of the spiritual life that can begin to take hold… if we are not paying attention.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” -Carl Jung
Last week, I completed five days of presenting some of the spiritual practices we utilize in this teaching. It was a good reminder to me that I deeply believe this approach to the experience of life has value and works to establish a new way of being.
“All illumination, inspiration, and realization must come through the self-knowing mind in order to manifest in man. Vision, intuition and revelation proclaim themselves through man’s self-knowing mind.” -Ernest Holmes
To wrap up this week’s offering of spiritual practices to carry with you I am choosing to end with the practice of visioning. Visioning is a process whereby we purposefully and actively seek to tap in and make ourselves aware of the unlimited flow of the Infinite Mind. It is a practice of allowing, creating a space of receptivity within ourselves. Visioning is a tool we can turn to to find direction in our lives.
“Through prayer , life can become a continuing experience of health, happiness, success, joy, and abundance.” -Ernest Holmes Prayer. It is the primary tool we use in New Thought to change our lives. In my branch of New Thought, Religious Science, we use an odd sounding term to refer to prayer. We call it spiritual mind treatment. In the teaching a common test question for students is, “Are prayer and spiritual mind treatment the same thing?” It is, of course, a loaded question. The answer is both yes and no.
“DAILY WE MUST CONTROL ALL THOUGHT THAT DENIES THE REAL; AFFIRM THE DIVINE PRESENCE WITHIN US; then, as the mist disappears before the sun, so shall adversity melt before the shining radiance of our exalted thought!” -Ernest Holmes
“There’s only one life. That life is God’s life. That life is perfect. That life is my life now.” -Ernest Holmes
What do you think of when considering the word meditation? Are you like me when I first considered meditation? I could feel the anxiety well up, my heart felt like it was in my throat, my breath would quicken, and the first thought in my mind was, “I can’t meditate, what’s the point?”
That was decades ago, for me, and I am grateful I worked through my anxiety (which in fact was supported by developing a meditation practice). My first knowledge of the practice of meditation was from around age 6. I was visiting my uncle in California, and I recall he had a dedicated space in his home for meditation. I was not allowed to enter that space. I thought it was strange that he would just sit there and do nothing.
“I would rather see a student of this Science prove its Principle than to have him repeat all the words of wisdom that have ever been uttered.” -Ernest Holmes
Practice.
The actual application of the method.
Moving beyond theory.
To become a living embodiment of the theory through practical application is what is requested of New Thought followers. So this week I am going to offer five practices to try, one for each day.
“The question, ‘What’s in it for me?’ is the internal dialogue of the ego. Asking, ‘How can I help?’ is the internal dialogue of the Spirit.” -Deepak Chopra
What is yours to do?
I just finished a great conversation with a dear friend and this question is what has come through as a result of that conversation. I have been telling a story for some time now that I had an awakening, an illumination moment in Toronto on Easter 2017 that has led me to this point… the point where I am now. On that date I stated aloud, “what was mine to do here is complete.”
“The only drag about adulthood is we think we need to act like an adult.” -Rev. Patrick Feren
I just came across this quote from the time I was on the Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder about a month ago. It was something I needed to hear today because I have been struggling a little with adulting in the last couple days. What does that mean exactly? It means that I was not finding joy in what may be considered the mundane tasks of living.
“Know that nothing can hinder you but yourself. If you believe you can, you can. You cannot fail if you start with the proposition that Life is all there is.” -Ernest Holmes
How do we make it work?
We don’t.
That’s the good and bad news of it all. I think I have been challenged by faith lately. It seems to be at the forefront of my mind, and it is being reflected around me. I was having a conversation recently with someone who is looking to make change in life and the question that kept coming up was, “What do I do?”
“When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out–because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what’s inside.” -Wayne Dyer
I am trying something new. I have been wanting to return to podcasting after some time away. So I am offering my musings in both podcast and written form. You can listen. You can read, You can listen and read! Enjoy!
To read the corresponding blog go to jonathanzenz.com
Check out the work I am doing as the Founding Spiritual Director of Tucson New Thought by visiting tucsonnewthought.org.
Every negative event contains within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill
This may be the most important blog I’ve written. It starts with this important question:
How do I deal with the crap the Universe is throwing in my direction?
The answer is more than can be illuminated in one blog entry. So here is one small expression of possibility…
I believe there is a Universal presence that is aligning itself in myriad ways to create. All that exists is this Universal presence as form. The tangible expression of the intangible and ineffable. I teach that this presence is always working for our highest good.
So why does crap happen?
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”- Rosa Parks
What if it is all true?
What if it really works to live in faith rather than fear?
Sometimes I feel like these questions needs to be asked. In the work do I observe people around me whose baseline approach to living is letting fear be their guide (and I do this occasionally too). Fear is the norm. We are given warnings all the time, from the first time we hear “no” or “stop” as infants, to the constant warnings on TV and in media we are bombarded with as adults. We have become desensitized.
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” Søren Kierkegaard
For the past couple days there has been a lot of news about deep freezes, hate crimes, lying politicians and political advisors, unrest in foreign governments, and on…
and on…
and on.
Well, I guess it’s been more than a couple days.
“Energy flows where intention goes.” -Rhonda Byrne
We had the inspection of our home yesterday. It was thorough and exhaustive resulting in a 74 page document outlining every little detail discovered by our inspector. I was able to be there as he did his work, which is unusual. Normally the buyer in the transaction is not present, the realtor is there—it is not typical that the buyer is already occupying the space being purchased.
“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.” Joseph Campbell
It is not uncommon to use the metaphor of building and construction to describe the belief system and its relationship with the expression of our lives. When we are born, we begin the process of laying foundational beliefs. Just like with a home, a strong foundation will benefit the structure — any problem with the foundation will be detrimental.
“When we use the word God or Spirit we do not mean a tribal God, but the Supreme Mind and Power back of all created form, the Intelligence which responds to us, the Intelligence which rises through the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, and blossoms in the human mind as It approaches the conscious recognition that It is one with this Oversoul.” Ernest Holmes.
Returning to the roots on which we blossom in the New Thought paradigm, what is written above is such an important — if not the most important — concept in our philosophy of being. In the evolution of life (which I believe on some level includes all creation whether we consider it living or not) we have moved away from the concepts of the man in the sky, away from the “eternal Father” in the sense that there is a being “out there.” There is an eternal Father-ship, an energy of creation which is the wholeness of our own personal being. We are never separate from it.
On either side of the wall are God’s children and no man-made barrier can obliterate that fact. Whether it be East or West, men and women search for meaning, hope for fulfillment, yearn for faith in something beyond themselves, and cry desperately for love and community to support them in this pilgrim journey. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I had initially intended to write something yesterday using the quote above. I just had a weird day so it took me until today to get back on track.
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. Saint Augustine
If there is anything I bring home from the Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder (and there is a lot that I am bringing home) it is that life is too short to give in to trivialities. What matters to me is connection, and there are so many ways to connect.
There is no future. There is no past. I live this moment as my last. Lyrics from “Rent” by Jonathan Larsen
At last night’s bonfire on the beach (an annual tradition for the sacred journey) we journeyers reflected on the events and exploration of the past week. The reflection time is the last evening event of the sacred journey. We will close with a morning event today… and gratefully I know little about the event this morning, except that it is on the beach and involves sandcastles. I’ve been experiencing the journey in this way. Simply allowing myself to go from one event to another without expectation.
If you’re not in awe you’re not paying attention. Lyrics from “Awe” by Lisa Ferraro & Erika Luckett
I think of music mostly. There is always a song in my head and it usually relates in some way to what is happening in my world at the moment. This week has been no different… especially yesterday. The song in my head a lot this week has been “Awe” by Lisa Ferraro and Erika Luckett.
I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. Plato
The Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder took a deep dive yesterday. I love these beautiful little gems of care provided by our hosts which deepen into self-discovery, and ultimately self-actualization. During our midday workshop yesterday we were reminded that all the work we do while we are here means nothing if we don’t carry it with us beyond this experience.
Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again. Joseph Campbell
For the sixth year in a row I have enjoyed the sacred spaces of the Kauaʻi Hindu Monastery. The Sacred Journey took us, as it does each year, to the monastery where we had an audience with Sadasivanatha Palaniswami. This is the activity I most look forward to each year I visit the island. I become deeply reflective in this most magnificent place. This year was no different.
We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. T.S. Elliot
Over the past several days one thing has become abundantly clear, my spiritual practice and understanding is made better when I have variety in my life experiences. I love to be creative and the Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder as re-awakened that delight within me. For that I am truly grateful.
“Youth is not a time of life-it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” - Ernest Holmes (Living the Science of Mind, p. 177)
“Just because today provides a setback, doesn’t mean tomorrow there won’t be a rocket launch into greatness.” - Jonathan Zenz
There is only this moment. “The first principle fundamental to the understanding of the operation of thought is, that we are surrounded by an Infinite Intelligence. The possibility of healing … rests entirely on the theory that we are surrounded by an Infinite Mind, which reacts to our thought according to Law.” -Ernest Holmes
Our creative nature starts with our clear identity. But who are we? How do we identify ourselves? Identifying ourselves as Divine is a good start!
Ready to go deeper into Spirit?
I am. Here I go.
Ok... the Truth is none of us can go deeper into Spirit... because we ARE Spirit. Let us remember who we are! Divine identification enhances and enriches life! We get to decide what that enrichment looks like!
To give pleasure to a single heart by a single kind act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer.
-Saadi
A realization of the presence of God is the most powerful healing agency known to the mind of man.
-Ernest Holmes
Every one of us has a song in our heart. Is it in harmony or discord with love? That is the question we should ask of ourselves.
Emerson: “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his.”
There is a blessing and a curse in New Thought.
The art of letting go addresses the path to freedom, and three practices serve your personal evolution!
What is our inherent birthright? If you guessed FREEDOM you are right! But, are we truly free? What are the ways we keep ourselves in bondage? It's all a matter of mind... that's it!
In the current political climate of the USA, freedom is a big talking point. As we are about to celebrate Independence Day, let's move to the core of what true freedom is.
At the root of the New Thought faith tradition is action. We take action though spiritual practice. Do you have a spiritual practice?
When we align with the three keys we are more easily able to settle into the spiritual blueprint from which all things physical arise!
I am back! It's been a ride returning to Tucson, Arizona after 21 years and staring a new Spiritual Center.
It was never my intention to let the podcast go for so long... but it happened. Now I am returning to a regular practice of posting podcasts.
So much has been going on. It's wonderful, magnificent, and also challenging. I am up to the challenge, though. Getting clarity about how to allow this work in Tucson to unfold, and doing so in faith, has proven to be a wild ride!
Today's VLOG
You are a creative thinker... and what you think creates! What might you have been putting off? Don't put it off any longer!
Gratitude is the gasoline in the engine of creation! Be grateful... you are a part of the Infinity of the multiverse!
Today's Vlog!!Prayer is Essential to Happiness
"The conscious commingling of our thought with Spirit is essential to the well-being of every part of us." - Ernest Holmes
TODAY'S READING:508.M1&2So last week I decided to "Change It Up." I am grateful to everyone for the week off... and I am grateful to be back. This is my intention as a new paradigm for the daily posts... video blogs!
There is no rest for the eternal Spirit. It is always unfolding, creating, evolving. We can either try to work against it or go with the flow.
Truth be told, we could row upstream in the river of life. That would provide a lot of stress and strain. We could also allow ourselves to flow with the Divine current knowing that the momentum takes us down the river to wherever we chose to be.
A couple years ago I sang in a concert with Forte: Toronto Gay Men’s Chorus, of which I was a member. The concert was titled, “My Story, My Song” and the conceit of the evening was members of the chorus brought to the mix a song that had deep resonance for them. One of the songs that we sang was a hymn called, “It Is Well With My Soul.” Some of the lyrics were,
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
The reading today touches on going more deeply in understanding what we don’t know, and allowing ourselves to know it. It also asks us to question the necessity of concerning ourselves with too much beyond ourselves.
Some people look to this reading as an affront on what they believe, and I suppose it can be taken that way, but that is all point of view.
"Find me one person who is for something and against nothing, who is redeemed enough not to condemn others out of the burden of his soul, and I will find another savior, another Jesus, and an exalted human being.” - Ernest Holmes
Thank you to the Douglas Family for allowing me to incorporate the speech given by 14 year old Tillie Douglas, at the March For Our Lives Tucson
We are more than our bodies, and yet, at the level of consciousness where we currently operate the body we have is the body that is required.
Whether we have a body hereafter is less important to me in this moment than the way in which my current body serves me in this moment.
Have you ever considered what your body is? What are the delineating factors that make up your body? Are you flesh and bone? Are you the individual cells that make up the aspects of your being? Are you the subatomic particles that have converged to create your cells? How about the energetic forms that are all below the level of the subatomic? Where does your body begin and end? Does it begin and end?
All these questions boil down to one: What makes you, you?
The fundamental question that leads many people to follow a Spritual path is the very question that Ernest Holmes doesn’t answer in today’s reading. That feels ironic to me.
What is that question? It is, “Why am I here?”
Maybe it feels morbid. Today’s reading is essentially framing the concept that we deal with in this plane of existence that few want to talk about… death.
Let's begin with this:
"There is nothing more constant than change."
—Heraclitus
I was walking with someone very close to me yesterday as we discussed an issue that was unfolding in their life. The issue was one that didn’t feel so good. Looking at the circumstances of this issue elicited a feeling of being defeated by the effects. Do you ever feel this way?
Audio taken from a Facebook Live Video posted in celebration of the first small gathering of Tucson New Thought.
Tomorrow is a big day for me. I have the first gathering of Tucson New Thought. It will be an intimate gathering to begin, only fifteen people. Keeping this first gathering small is purposeful as the location at which we are meeting can only accommodate at most that many comfortably.
As I consider what is to be with the new community, I am also reminiscing about my past and all that I bring with me to the table as I embark on this new exciting adventure.
There is an immutable law at work from which the entire form of the Universe has been created. Everything that exists is the out-picturing of the law. Everything. There are no exceptions to this.
Why is this important? Well, if everything that exists is the result of this unchanging law… then there must be something that sets in motion this law. There is cause to all effect.
The reading today… these couple pages… I have used for teaching multiple classes. There is so much going on here! I decided to post a picture of myself holding the book today, because I wanted to show the highlights I’ve placed just on these pages… these highlights are statements within the book that I use for class discussion. When I am teaching this part of the book, the class is VERY lively!
“The potential of all things exists in the Universal Wholeness.”
We create our own limits. We may talk a good game about being unlimited, but any degree to which we feel we have not excelled in creating the life we would like, is simply an indication of where the work is to be done.
There are a couple things happening in the world today that show, for me, where the work for me is to be done.
I’ve been considering last night’s class more as I have woken from a good night’s sleep. There was some opinion expressed in last night’s class about the Bible. The opinion didn’t hold the Bible in very high regard, and some of what was expressed was founded in a belief that the Bible is difficult to understand. This is true for those people who hold the belief. And yet, I have another approach.
I had a tumultuous relationship with the Bible. That relationship continued until I decided that I didn’t need to have that relationship any longer.
I loved today’s reading. I love the idea of the external cycles of life… and that there is no end to the experience of life for any one of us. We are part of infinity, and being a part of infinity is an oxymoron, for there is no part of infinity that is not inherently infinite. The infinity of life is represented here as cycle, after cycle, after cycle of livingness.
Those cycles are only experienced at the level of the experiential world… and we are so much more.
YESTERDAY'S READING:144.3-146.1TODAY'S READING:146.2-148.4Move away from a constant need to focus on the mechanical aspects of changing your thoughts and develop a technique for constant constructive thinking!
I was a bit tied up today... I laid down scratch tracks for an album I am working on as vocalist. This picture is from my recording session! As a result... no blog today. But, a podcast WILL be released tomorrow during the day.
I am back in Los Angeles for the weekend. I drove back today for a couple reasons. One, my Dad and I have tickets to see Glen Hansard at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday (which also happens to be my Dad’s birthday). Also, I am starting the process of recording an album tomorrow by laying down scratch tracks from which full arrangements will be constructed—and proper vocals will be recorded later. It’s an exciting time!
So much of what we are reading right now has to do with speaking and the voice. Perhaps as metaphor, and perhaps literally. It doesn’t go unnoticed by me that I’ve had difficulty with my voice this last week. The cold from which I have nursed myself back to health has dissipated, and the only lingering issue is that my voice is not 100%.
There are many people in many spiritual circles that might wonder about the lack of voice that I’ve been experiencing. They might ask, “What is it that you feel you can’t say, or is being left unsaid?”
What prayer is:
A deliberate use of thought, expressed through spoken word, to purposefully activate the Infinite Law of Cause and Effect in order to produce a shift in consciousness, thereby creating a shift in experience.
What is it to speak with your authentic voice?
I believe it is speaking from a place of Spiritual Integrity, never denigrating anyone or anything (especially yourself). In the first of today’s meditations we are encouraged to recognize that place of Spirit that is who we are and allow that voice to come forth.
Have you ever made a major life change without any guarantee that the choice you made was going to work out in your favor? I am going through it now. Moving to a new (old) city with no guarantees is a scary thought. I can easily fall into the frame of mind that there is more going “against” me than going for me in this endeavor.
TODAY'S READING:140.3-141.2Jonathan sounds a little froggy. He welcomed in a head cold unknowingly and it set the tone for what he wanted to talk about today!
Life is NOT about struggle! Let it go!
In reading today’s few paragraphs there are two ideas that come to me. First, the power of thought is the practical application of the Science of Mind. This entire faith tradition hinges on the power of thought as cause to all effects. To practice the Science of Mind, we must practice the art of affirmative, constructive, and active thinking. That’s all there is to it. What we think becomes the experience of our lives.
I’m back! It has been an eventful and busy couple days since my last “proper” blog post. I have made my way to Starbucks because I know I can grab internet service on my computer (and not tether off my phone). It feels good to be back.
I suspect there was an expectation for a blog post today. I thought I would be able to do one... and a twelve hour drive from LA to Tucson (longer than expected), followed by a couple hours unloading the truck, and I have been fighting a cold in the midst of this move... it just wasn’t in the cards.
I will I’ll get “caught up“ tomorrow... I will grab some wifi at a coffee shop and get the spirit flowing!!
That all said... I am moved to Tucson! Tucson New Though is coming!!
Judgment. How does that word feel? What comes up for you when you speak the word out loud. Do you find there is a hit in your chest as if your body is responding with distaste? I have felt that way… mostly when I believe I am being judged.
Our response to feeling judged is a great teacher. If we do not like it, then why would we subject others to our judgment? We can stop the cycle of judgment when we decide to stop it.
Today’s meditation was a fitting reading for me. I really needed to be reminded of the perfection in all things, and open my eyes to it. The tendency of my mental process is in that direction most of the time, and this week has, so far, been a little challenging. Yet the challenge has all been in my mind. When I step back and review the grand scope of life… it’s pretty darn good and everything is in perfect flow.
So what is the challenge?