Thoughts Are Things

“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.

This is how we continue our reading and understanding of the metaphysical and metaphorical in the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.” - Matthew 5:5

To be considered “meek” is not quite what you might think it is. To be meek, is to be teachable, and from this place of being teachable we are open to Spiritual growth. Let’s move away from thinking meekness is a disadvantage. We may find more resistance in empty boldness and an unyielding reliance upon a sense of separation. When we settle into our hearts we may find an unassuming nature that is open to deeper understanding.

It is the basis of our Divine Natural Authority (that is our DNA) to be the activity of the creative process in action. To be meek, is to let go of resistance. And Ernest Holmes even identified the teaching in this way, “This is a teaching of non-resistance.”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” - Matthew 5:6

When we keep our minds and hearts focused on the constructive nature of life, we are most successful in demonstrating what we would like to experience in life.. To do this requires daily practice, and a hunger and thirst for the deepest understanding of righteousness. In this case, let us consider righteousness in a similar way we understand meekness, as a place of open hearted exploration. It is easy to consider righteousness from the point of view of being domineering our our belief. This is not necessary when we deeply embody the truth of our being.

When we hunger for enlightenment, are we not led to the light? It is a natural progression of the Law of Cause and Effect. We should practice steadfastly, holding the Spiritual truth of being in our hearts and minds at all times. This is what fills us, each and every day.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” - Matthew 5:7

This is essentially a comment on the value of the Law of Cause and Effect. We reap what we sow. In action do we not want to have the deepest experience of mercy and kindness from others? We can and do when we live the principle.

To complete today I would suggest we all take a look at who requires the most mercy… and I think it may be ourselves. We should be merciful with ourselves first and foremost. That provides within us a path to be merciful toward others.

“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.

In this second part of the metaphysical understanding of the Sermon on the Mount, we will look at the concept of blessing as expressed in the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are eight blessings.

First…

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:3

Let’s start with the concept of heaven. Heaven is not a place we are looking to get to after we die. Heaven is a state of mind. Conversely, so is hell. Which state of mind are we choosing to live in at any given time? To be poor in spirit is to be empty of pre-conceived notions and opinions. It is not unlike to the Buddhist concept of beginner’s mind. When we are free of the limitations of opinion, pride, ego, and preconceived notions we are more receptive to the Spiritual Truth. Living from the point of view of Spiritual Truth is living in the kingdom of heaven in the here and now.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4

Have you ever experienced mourning? I can’t imagine there is anyone on this planet who has not had the experience of mourning at some point in their lives. What is it we mourn? Mourning is rooted in a feeling of loss. We often feel loss when there is an experience in our lives of suffering, making mistakes, or even a perception of failure in our lives. I imagine we’ve all heard it before, but the experience of mourning can lead to strength. We build up from the low points in our lives.

While we outwardly mourn, if we keep an eye to the inner Spirit we may find comfort. To surrender and let it go the infinite truth provides a magnificent good.

We are comforted when we align with the truth of our being.

Is it easy? Not always. It may get more difficult before we see the ease and grace of the situation. In it all, we are blessed when we know who we are. Lifting ourselves up (sometimes with the help and support of others) is the blessed comfort we seek.

You are blessed, just as you are, right here and right now.

More beatitudes to explore over the next couple days.

“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.

While these traditions are different in their path, the ultimate goal, I believe, is the same: LOVE.

It is common among New Thought ministers to downplay the role of Jesus in the New Thought teaching; when in fact we privately hold to the paradigm that what Jesus was teaching was New Thought. I could go on, ad nauseam, about how the core message of Jesus was made less important as time marched on. I would rather not. I want to do something that I feel has more value.

Let today be a day of deeper reflection and acceptance for that which may have been previously rejected or resisted. Let a light shine in the dark places, and illuminate the heart and soul in an evolutionary way.

There are a great many options upon which I could place my focus in this exploration, but I chose to focus on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7)

We begin with Jesus ascending the mount. I think it is important to consider here the metaphor of the crowds. Have you ever felt like life was pressing in all around you? I have. And that is the metaphor. Pretty simple, huh?

How do we address the pressure we feel of the world all around us. We ascend. We work in our own minds to move to a higher acceptance of consciousness and let ourselves be aligned with our deepest faculties so that we may consider the world from a new perspective. When all this is balanced, we become the authorities in our lives, the deepest expression of the inner infinite. This is what is meant as Jesus ascends the mountain, sits, and his disciples come to him.

The twelve disciples are the physical representation of our faculties. Very quickly and without interpretation this is what they represent:
Peter represents faith.

Andrew represents strength of mind.

James represents discernment.

John, love; Philip, patience; Bartholomew, imagination; Thomas, doubt; Matthew, divine will; James the Lesser, order; Thaddeus, heart; Simon, receptivity and enthusiasm; and Judas represents physical desire.

Our inner work is to be able to address these faculties with balance and authority. We are the point from which these aspects of our being spring forth into expression. Our mastery of them creates cohesion in our lives.

Let us learn to speak to them from the point of view of our inherent nature. We are Divine. We have the authority.

This is where we begin… in a place of willingness.

When we speak, we teach. Let’s take this to heart as we move through our day. What are we teaching the world around us? What are we teaching ourselves?

That is what I want to leave you with today. It is an invitation to know more, and know that the more you need to know is already a part of you.

“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?

I think the answer is yes on those counts… but words and actions are colored by our emotion and intent. So the evidence is not just in the form, but in the energy behind the form. Also, are we working to make our love evident to the world, or are we working to just be love in our hearts? One aspect of that is rooted in human ego. I expect you can guess which one.

Today is Fat Tuesday. It is the final day in the Carnival celebration. In many Christian traditions this is the final day before the period of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The period of Lent lasts approximately six weeks, ending just before Easter Sunday. What happens during Lent is ritualized penance and self-denial and fasting. It is meant to be a commemoration of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert facing temptations before beginning his public ministry. That’s the traditional context and understanding.

How do we, in New Thought, recognize this time and period which begins tomorrow? Well, we actually don’t, but we can.

To answer that let’s look within ourselves to see what temptations we have that take us away from our true nature. What things in mind do we cling to that are contrary to the life we would like to experience? Those are the things we should give up.

While in many years past I have used the acronym “Let’s Eliminate Negative Thinking” to signify a practice for Lent, I feel I have a slightly different take this year. No acronym, just practice.

Let’s take the time daily to really dig deep into our mind to see what is feeding the ego, and let the fast be to deny the ego anything that isn’t healthy and rooted in loving kindness. Beginning tomorrow, and continuing for the entire Lenten period, let’s commit to deeper self-reflection. Let’s take a step back and be the observer of our lives more actively. Let’s see if we are truly acting from love.

I propose doing this by spending time in meditation, contemplation and prayer every single day. Let that be the Lent that we take into our hearts.

This is our opportunity to practice love at the deepest level. Our energy of love in unmistakable, let’s lead with that more purposefully these next six weeks.

It’s reflected in the actions we take.

It’s reflected in the words we use.

That is the evidence of our love.

Just a side note: These six weeks of Lent, beginning tomorrow can set us up with new habits of being. We are retraining our minds. Take it to heart, do the work of moment by moment remembering to lead with love. You are worth it to commit to the work. It’s who you are!

“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.

So how do I get there? Well, the common and correct answer (for me) is practice. The more I commit to a daily spiritual practice the more the concepts of past and future lose their meaning and importance. It is not something that happens overnight.

What is the importance of living in the here and now moment? Well, pulling our past into our present keeps the present and future limited to the concepts of what has been. We remain imprisoned by those concepts and cannot grow beyond them until we’ve released them. This is true for what we consider good and bad aspects of our past. Whether good or bad, we are limited by the past.

The nature of the Divine is unlimited. And we are Divine.

The living place of the Divine is Heaven… so if we are Divine, are we not living in Heaven now? We are, when we decide we are, and when we decide we are we may need to give up limiting beliefs from our past.

I think we all want to expand our sense of belonging in Heaven. Make the commitment and step into it fully by giving up the limitations of the past, and any anxiety you may feel about the future. Take a breath, look around, sense the Infinite Truth of your being. You are here now. Love it.

“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.

I feel one of the most healing aspects of my life has been to accept that we are all born of the same source.

To put this into practice I feel it is important to engage in this particular form of recognition: see people.

Don’t just look at people… see them.

How often do we walk around looking through people? I walk daily on the “Loop” here in Tucson. It is a network of shared biking and pedestrian trails that circumnavigates Tucson. It is 131 miles long. That’s a lot of trail to discover! As I walk I see bikers, walkers, runners, pets, wildlife, trees, mountains, clouds, rivers… it’s a wonderfully diverse and rich experience to walk the trail.

Every time I walk I am aware of the degree to which I look through it, rather than seeing it all. So I let myself have the luxury of seeing — after all as I walk I have no destination, I walk for health, so if I am not taking it in what is the point?

The people on the loop path are varied and plentiful. I choose to see them, not look through them. What I have found is that we are all joyful at our core. We all smile and we all acknowledge each other.

Why is this important to me to recount? Well, it is the reminder to take this practice into my everyday life. Where do I get so encumbered by my own thinking and inner life that I forget to see people? Am I looking through the grocery clerk? Am I looking through the bank teller? Am I looking through the barista? What is my relationship to those with whom I seemingly have no relationship?

The practice of seeing people is a practice of loving kindness. When we express loving kindness we are contributing our facet to the infinite diamond of life’s expression. The shine is unmistakable.

“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.

There is no magic pill or incantation that will change your life. Change comes from within, and the desire for change must be present to activate the process. So what, then, is the point of spiritual practice? Isn’t that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? I suppose it can be seen that way.

The value, for me, in the forms of spiritual practice that I utilize is that I get to change it up. I don’t rely on the recitation of a single prayer. My meditation practice is always a unique experience even if I have the same centering music playing in the background. Every moment is an opportunity to adopt a new affirmation. Gods nature is not static, so our nature is the same.

On the cover of the book, The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes, which is the most common text used in Religious Science centers, are these words: A philosophy, a faith, a way of life. I believe this to be so important as a reminder to us all who follow a new thought path. We provide a context for living, a philosophy for exploring the nature of Divinity. We are not demanding an adherence to a belief system. I live in the place of choice about what I believe, and know that my beliefs are in a constant state of shift. I am open to newness in my life, I am open to being wrong about it all. I want to ask the hard questions, and run the risk of having no answers.

The opposite of this concept is, I believe, fundamentalism. What I have come to believe is that fundamentalism is rooted in insecurity. Adherents to a fundamentalist viewpoint (even Religious Science fundamentalists… and these do exist) do not question. There is comfort and security in believing we have all the answers. This belief system is built on a shaky foundation, though; when challenged will it stand?

I don’t have all the answers, but I keep asking the questions. I think that is really what this experience of life is all about. In asking the questions I am challenged each day to be the best, most loving, kind, and supportive person I can  be. That is a philosophy, a faith, and a way of life I can live by. I am in gratitude each day for the ways in which I am challenged to go deeper.

That is how my life changes. It changes because of my willingness to activate the good. I activate it purposefully in every moment and I do so with abandon.

I am grateful to you for sharing in the journey with me.

“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.

There is a lot that I’ve taken into consideration in the past twenty-four hours that has moved me. The first was the quote from Dolly Parton. In feeling inspired by that quote, I am reminded to look beyond the places where I know I can easily find inspiration. Inspiration is everywhere when we are open to it. I have always been inspired by Dolly. She is a pretty amazing expression of love on this earth.

I am also inspired by RuPaul. The philosophy of self-love and the deepest understanding of inner-truth that is expressed by this six-foot-four (in flats) drag queen rivals that of many known philosophers.

I think what draws me to them is the propensity to live life with abandon, to unapologetically be themselves. I am drawn to that because it is something that I struggle with myself.

Part of spiritual practice is allowing ourselves to live in a state of consistent reminders. We don’t have to do it all ourselves. When we understand who we are, and that we are all connected as one, then the reminders keep showing up. It is the divine flow of good. We can stay in the flow or remove ourselves from it. The choice is entirely ours.

Later in the day, yesterday, I was saddened by the act of an organization that is choosing to, in my opinion, remove themselves from the flow. The United Methodist Church, in their international conference, voted in favor of maintaining a ban on GLBTQ+ clergy as well as a continued ban on same-sex marriage ceremonies. This saddened me because I felt going up that UMC was more inclusive as a religious community than is evidenced by this vote. I am not going to go deeply into this here, I wrote about it on Facebook and Instagram last night.

Hearing about this vote, though, in the news made me stop for a moment and relish in gratitude for my faith tradition. As a religious science minister I recognize the inherent value of all people as aspects of an infinite wholeness. We all matter to the expression and experience of the Infinite Spirit, because it is who we are. I frequently say to people in service, and just in my sphere of influence, that truth is the great equalizer.

I am God. You are God. We are all God. Everything that exists is God. In this framework of understanding we’ve eliminated the “other.” The “other” is a perception of separation, and as long as we maintain this perception we will remain separate. I welcome you and everyone into my spiritual home. I trust there is room for all in this Universe because this universe is an integrated expression of infinite wholeness. You are welcome here, just as you are.

“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.

What makes this day particularly unexpected is that there has been a constant snowfall here in Tucson for the last few hours, and it is expected to continue through the day. While I didn’t live in Tucson for 21 years, the last time I recall a snowfall like this in this area was in the mid-eighties.

As I’ve considered the snowfall, and the relationship it has provided to look at how I do and do not live in expectation, I sense the spiritual practice behind this as a metaphor.

What are we expecting at any given moment? Do we expect our good or are we dreading the worst? It seems simple on the surface, and I have had a personal tendency to believe it is simple. It actually is a pretty deep and important question. It is important because for real change to unfold in life I believe we are called upon for constant attention to be paid to our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. And we may experience that as exhausting. It doesn’t have to be. After all we ARE the infinite energy of the Universe expressed uniquely as individuality. The energy is inexhaustible. So are we when we accept this.

That concept means nothing, though, without embodiment. The intellectual understanding of any spiritual philosophy will effect no lasting change until we embody it. The answers we seek are not in the philosophy itself, they are within ourselves. The philosophy simply provides a language and practices to contextualize this, but the philosophy doesn’t change anything. We have to work it.

At dinner with friends last night (friends who are steeped in this philosophy) we had part of our discussion fall into this very premise. How many people who claim to be steeped in this philosophy are actually experiencing their lives getting better? This is not from a place of judgment, it is a legitimate question. I could look upon others and see the ways I perceive the philosophy is not working… or better phrased, being worked. It is the “curse of ministry” to have such clear vision about others. The real work comes when we accept in our hearts that what we perceive “out there” is a reflection of our own minds and hearts. So if I see the philosophy not being worked by others, the first place to look is in the mirror. Am I working the philosophy?

Ultimately the answer for each of us on how to make our lives better through spirituality is to recognize that the answer is not philosophy… the answer is me, the answer is you, the answer is us.

All of this from considering a snow day.

What a magnificent day!

“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.

I was less a rabble rouser then than I am now. In reflecting on that I wonder to myself, “What changed?” While I think I know an answer, I am reminded that the only thing that can change for me is my own mind, and it’s relationship to all life’s circumstances.

Here is what changed for me. I didn’t want to be a conformist to an organization in a philosophy that teaches “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” (that’s attributable to Ralph Waldo Emerson, by the way). So my answer was to choose to not align with the organization. That’s a scary proposition because I hang out there on my own now. I don’t have even the perception of a safety net into which I can fall. It’s an absolute experience of faith.

What is the result? Well, there were grumblings in the organization. Did those have any effect on me? I can only be honest in saying, yes, for a little while. I honor and respect the members of the organization, so I took the grumblings a little personally. I have since moved away from that. The more important result, though, is the freedom I have found in non-conformity. And that is the lesson… right?

Well, the challenge for me now is to ponder this question: Is this just my ego, or have I stepped even a little bit into enlightenment? I don’t think I have an answer right now, but it definitely seems to be the next part of my spiritual evolution. If I am able to use my own understanding without another’s guidance, then I am enlightened (according to Kant). But am I?

So I cycle back… what are the ways in which I am still in my nonage? I am starting to realize that this may be a soul-journey that lasts beyond one life experience.

What does any of this have to do with spiritual practice, you may be asking? Well, if I am to be a beacon of illumination for others, which is what I believe my purpose and path to be in this life, then my struggles with the big questions must be available for all to see. I chose to live my life out loud. If I am in a place that requires deeper work, I express it openly. As a community we all constantly learn from each other. If I am on this journey, and you are experiencing this, then we’ve attracted each other into each other’s spheres for the purpose of co-awakening. I don’t think that is ego talking.

We are unfolding on a path of enlightenment together. Let’s commit today to rely less on the dictates set forth by others and begin to delve more deeply into our own individualization of the Infinite Mind.

The journey excites me deeply. I think that’s I why I stay on it. I could easily move to something “easier” (like returning to a profession in the performing arts) but I think there would always be a little part of me that went unfulfilled.

Today I choose the path of enlightenment, to have my cup filled, and to move beyond spiritual nonage into a greater spiritual maturity than I have ever experienced before.

Wanna come?