“Just as the Sufi dervish whirls for absolution amidst his material world, so must we transcend our physicality into something greater, something more.” The Whirling of the Dervish by Haafiz Karim

Dear Friends,

I love the phrase in the quote printed above. “Something greater, something more…”  To me this always means newness, growth, and transformation. Our word for the month is  GROWTH.    In March we begin to see new buds forming, new sprouts springing  up from the ground, new babies being born etc. Even grass, weeds and mini flowers find their way through asphalt or cement.  Everything in nature has a calling to GROW into something greater, something more as the caterpillar bursts forth from its cocoon into a beautiful butterfly, no longer encapsulated, but free to fly and soar to the sky.  At different stages in our lives we may be in the “growing up stage,” in the cocoon, and when we are ready, we burst forth into NEW GROWTH, a higher consciousness, and wholeness in our  physical, mental, emotional and spiritual body!  Where are you in your GROWTH today?  What is calling you to emerge into more of your Greatness, more of your Spiritual Magnificence?  The Calling is saying find JOY in  who you are and what you do.  You are a beloved expression of God, heir to the Divine Throne with the Mighty I AM Spirit moving in you, as you, being you now and forever!!! ***

I and My Father are One
-Jesus the Christ

Dear  Friends,
The beautiful phrase above says so much more than those 6 precious  words. The Master Jesus also meant everyone is ONE with the Father, the Mother, Creator, – God.  So, if I know I am One with God, then I know everyone is One with God. Therefore I am One with All my brothers, and sisters everywhere.  We are all One and part of God’s Divine Orchestration, and “instrumental” in doing God’s work.  We have all heard orchestras play.   When the musicians know their part and are watching the conductor, the music is melodious, magnificent and magical.   When only ONE player is out of sync or his instrument is out of tune it AFFECTS the entire performance and musical piece.   In Life, when ONE person is feeling off, sick, harmed, malnourished, abused, scared, or injured WE ALL feel it either consciously or subconsciously. We are all living and feeling all human consciousness.  When we meditate, let us go deep into our hearts, know the Truth and be the Light for all our brothers and sisters. Let us send out our energy of Love, Joy, Peace, Prosperity, Harmony, Health and Success to All beings.   Our spiritual gift is knowing the truth of our own being, and knowing this truth for others. Our human gift can be to help and support those physically  in need, in our community and/or globally. Mother Teresa said, “It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”
We Are Our Brothers & Sisters Keeper!

Dear  Friends,

We are going through the most wonderful experience. A few months ago  I was on our balcony looking out at our beautiful hills in the distance.  I then looked down at our backyard and realized the old swing and slide set no longer served its purpose.  I  stood there envisioning a beautiful labyrinth in its place.  I had no idea at the time how that would manifest.  It was a silent longing and call.  Well,  the Universe heard and we started on a journey only God could have Orchestrated!  The day I decided to search for someone to take out the swing-set, I found a “Haul It  Away” Ad and they came out that very day!  I called a friend who is a labyrinth expert and facilitator who came over and gave us wonderful ideas. We did more research on designs and sizes. Steve, being a former architect did the measurements.  We found a company who would come out and put in the special dirt and seal it. We made 4 trips to two Rock Quarries and hand picked  the labyrinth rocks – 814 lbs.  The design creation began one Saturday and it organically evolved and was completed.  We wondered what we should place in the center of the labyrinth, when a friend came over with a gift.  It was a 2′ high statue of a child praying. That was the answer to our prayer.  At one of the Rock places we were  given a beautiful hand held size Rose Quartz.  That too is in the center.   And the story goes on with more wondrous miracles and happenings!  Every day on this sacred labyrinth building journey we invoked the Power and Presence of  God and called forth DIVINE ORCHESTRATION,  for we knew the Highest Guidance would always come through.   God Always Has The Way, where to human sight there is no way.   Have a sacred intention,  then surrender it completely to Divine Orchestration, and watch the joy, fun and miracles begin!

I do believe we create a Divine Plan for our lives and we have the free will to carry it out. The more we listen and quiet our minds and hearts we HEAR our calling, our purpose and our Spiritual Plan and Divine Destiny.  We celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ at this time of year, because he represents the birth of our Christ Consciousness within us.  Have we stepped off our Christ Conscious road this year? Have we side-stepped, then come back on? Have we totally forgotten what it is that is calling us?  In God, As God, Of God, it is never too late to step back on the road, to realign our hearts and minds with our Christ Self. Today in the midst of our Christmas activities let us stop and be present to the Christ in Christmas.  It is your Christhood to recognize and draw forth. It is always  present in and as you.  Come and recognize who you are, affirm it, declare it and BE it.

And So It Is! Amen

This is such a busy time of year. We experience the hustle bustle of shopping malls, the heavy traffic and even the noisy holiday parties.   Sometimes we may wonder if we have enough time to “do it all!”   When we feel this way, it is the perfect time to:
“BE STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”
We may not be able to stop the noise on the outer, however we can stop the noise on the inner. Being STILL changes the energy, and vibration within and around us, in  the malls, at stoplights, on the road and even in the midst of a party. At this time we can send Blessings and Love to  people everywhere and spend a moment in gratitude for all the good we have been given. Time will suspend for a moment  and a feeling of deep peace will fill us up. The  Presence of God changes the whole day. Divine Order happens. Divine Timing gets us where we need to be. Divine Stillness  makes us pause so we can “do it all.”

There is One Power, One Presence, One Beloved Spirit which moves in, through and as all of us. This is God, our Creator and our Source of All Good.  I invite this beautiful God Presence here at the Thanksgiving Table knowing the ONE takes many different forms.
As I look into the eyes of all sitting AT THE TABLE, I see the Face of God looking back at me.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my family, for I feel their love, trust and support forever.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my relatives, for they remind me of the extension of God’s love  and  the knowledge  I am related to all human beings.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my friends, for I know I am truly accepted for who I am.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my co-workers for I know our collaborative work helps each person to succeed.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my team for we come together in full cooperation knowing we have each other’s backs and best interest at heart.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with strangers, for I bring forth within myself greater compassion, greater generosity knowing I have enough to give and to share.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my pets, knowing they bring me great joy and unconditional love no matter what kind of day I have had.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with the decorative flowers and delicious food, for I am appreciative for the bounty and blessings of  Mother Earth.
AND I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my enemies, for I know those who are unkind, mean, and/or deceitful are also God’s children worthy of love, kindness, and understanding.
So as we break bread together AT THE TABLE, we understand our human and Spiritual ONENESS, our inter-relatedness, inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of all Life. Everyone AT OUR TABLE  is  sacredly nourished, maintained and sustained in body, mind, soul and sprit. For there is no other, there is just God being God in all through all, as all.
And So It Is.  Amen

“I AM surrounded by Living Substance,
a ‘Niagara’ of Good and Plenty”
– Rev. Dr. Kathleen Johnson

Dear Friends,
I love this quote by my friend Rev. Dr. Kathleen Johnson.  I have been affirming I AM the “Niagara of Good and Plenty,” overflowing and continually abundant!  I feel so blessed  with all the good in my life and realize there is more good to come! I am continuously presented with an abundance of Divine Opportunities and feel very grateful for my life.  This is truly the season to be grateful for everything, from the smallest pencil to the huge comfy sofa, to the piece of sliced apple to the grandiose banquet on Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for.  Remember YOU are the Niagara Falls of Spirit continuously present, available and abundant! Call forth and invoke this God Source within you. You have the power to do so. You are the “Heirs of the Kingdom!”  The beautiful Jesus the Christ said, “I and my Father are One.” That was the Truth for him as he manifested so much good and plenty and it is the Truth for you and me. We each have the innate ability to experience the NIAGARA of Good in our lives. Say it, Claim and BE it!
Abundant Blessings to All!

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”   Aesop

November is the month of Gratitude!

We stop and take time to be grateful for All the Good present in our lives  right now. Our Divine Good begins in our heart and mind first before it manifests in the visible realm.  We all can be thankful for the Good times and we must learn to be thankful for the “not so good times.”

The “not so good” times can be turned around to our benefit when we thank God for the experience and thank God for guiding us through it and to use it for a beneficial purpose.  We learn from those times. We learn more patience, kindness, love, appreciation and ways in which we can help others going through similar experiences.

All is meant to Bless us. When we focus on the blessings, beautiful good comes bursting forth from the experience. Ways to experience more gratitude:

*Start a Gratitude Journal and write down all the good and not so good experiences for the day. Look at each and say “Thank you God for the blessings and Thank you God for turning this situation around.” Look back at your life and find the miracles that happened when you felt loss or hurt. You are never alone and God is always moving within you to create a better and more wonderful life in, through and as you!

*Print the word “Gratitude” on River Rocks and set them among your flowers and patio area. Give them out to friends and neighbors.

* Create a Gratitude bracelet for a friend who helped you in your time of need..

*Write ” I AM Grateful” in the sand.

* Write a Letter of Gratitude to someone who really made a difference in your life this year!

Write more than one!

“Each time a man looks into your eyes, he is only searching to find himself; for he knows already, that he is part of you”   Jeremy Aldana

A Beautiful Story

 One day, as usual, an orphan, a little girl stood at the street corner begging for food, money or whatever she could get. Now, this girl was wearing very tattered clothes, was dirty and quite disheveled.

A well-to-do young man passed that corner without giving the girl a second look. But, when he returned to his expensive home, his happy and comfortable family, and his well-laden dinner table, his thoughts returned to the young orphan. He became very angry with God for allowing such conditions to exist.

He reproached God saying, “How can you let this happen! Why don’t you do something to help this girl?”

Then he heard God in the depths of his being responding by saying “I did. I created you.”

-Anonymous

What a “beautiful story” truly showing  how connected we all are and how everyone is a part of us in the ONE LIFE of GOD.

***

What a beautiful quote by Pema Chodron, and so true.  Life always has a way of sending us messages and is very persistent as well as patient.  What areas of your life are being repeated  and replayed  over and over?  Are you ready to learn the lesson and move on?  Learning the lesson means we are willing to be silent and go deep within and really be honest with ourselves in how we conduct the business of life. What words and intentions are we using in our relationships, work place, finances and health. Look carefully.  If we continue to “claim” ill health it will remain and be repeated. If we “state” our checkbook never has enough to pay our bills, it never will. If we hold a grudge against someone who got “the job” we wanted, we become stuck in life. When we use words, thoughts and feelings in this way we place

a DEMAND on the Universe to MAKE IT COME TRUE!  Let’s STOP the pattern! Claim, state, demand and picture, a different outcome.  The beauty of this exercise is we can also do it for past memories as well. Do you have a  memory that replays itself constantly? Stop for a moment, be silent, get quiet and Visualize  what you really wanted to do or say to not cause harm or hurt to another human being and/or to yourself! Also replay the memory so the other person does not cause you suffering or stress.  Picture the outcome as one of peace and harmony, abundance and joy, love and compassion. Yes, you can do that for the past, present and future.   When you change the memory of the past, you change the timing, experiences and vibrations of the present and future. All is energy, and all time is occurring NOW.

The lesson is….

“Change your thinking, Change Your Life!”              (Ernest Holmes)

Lesson Learned!