We Are the Light Of God...
December 1, 2011
As we come to the conclusion of this year, we have an opportunity to set a new intent for 2012. Shall we try to better understand the Oneness of Life which exists because of a unified field of intelligence from which every thing else manifests into creation?
This is actually a statement of fact, understood by the scientific community, but originally gleamed from the sages and ancient teachers of the past. During my search for spiritual growth I began to feel this interconnectedness, but I didn’t have a language to describe it, other than to call it the God Glue of the Universe.
Incredible breakthroughs have been accomplished by scientists beginning in the early 20th century, but in all honesty, many of the concepts which formed the basics in spirituality and philosophy began from early mankind’s search to understand his world, therefore in my mind, the two fields have always been related.
Over the past year I have brought you examples of how spirituality and the science of creation are no longer enemies if you approach them each from an enlightened perspective, utilizing the field of study I call sacred-science. I don’t know what others have named this union, as I am only able to speak to you from my own interpretation of the language of light, a communication system that is vastly more complicated than English, I assure you.
Since I won’t be writing a second service this month, (Rev. John and I will be with family) I want to share some of the treasures I’ve discovered over the past decade. If you find something that interests you, let me know. I am a voracious reader, dear friends, so from my perspective there is no reason why we can’t also be an informal book club. This site is whatever we want it to be, and winter is such a lovely time to catch up on our reading and personal studies, isn’t it?
I just finished reading a few books that I can recommend to you which I have enjoyed because they illustrate the power inherent within the human mind, body and soul: Penney Peirce’s book, frequency – the Power of Personal Vibration, Lynne McTaggart’s books, The Field, and The Intention Experiment are just a few. I have also participated in a Monroe Institute Excursion class which introduced me to "Hemi-Sync", sounds and beats that help people "to achieve and sustain synchronized brain-wave activity in both hemispheres of your brain.” I have determined for myself that the materials available through the Monroe Institute are of value to me because I am able to reach deeper levels of meditation, relaxation, and transcendence of my thinking and reasoning ability.
It’s funny, I have never been good at meditation but thankfully I am getting better at quieting my mind. And because I am getting better at it, I am accessing more universal information which helps me choose what my next move will be, or which book I will read, or which friends I will choose, etc.
By the way - I do not receive any compensation from anyone whose
work I reference, or materials I mention in my bi-monthly Sunday Services. I only offer you an opportunity to review the pathway that I have taken which has led me to a life which is blessed beyond measure. Since all of us have unique experiences which can benefit each other, I hope to hear from some of you next year.
Continuing now, I want you to know that your life isn’t just a random series of events, even if it sometimes feels that way. There is a "Divine" plan for you
that will make the experience of living more enjoyable, and help you discover your true purpose in this lifetime, but it is a multiple choice option for you to choose your daily experiences and life lessons.
When I tell you that you are God-In-Action, I’m not just coining a catchy phrase to get your attention. I am giving you a big hint that you can literally co-create your life and move out of the levels of consciousness that are keeping you miserable, if that is your story.
What’s more, you can do no wrong in this world that has any lasting consequence. Your indwelling God-Nature is still your compass even when you make a mistake or choose to stay in a painful experience. It’s your life and in just one brilliant flash of insight the whole of the universe will be available for you to understand if you just stay steady on your particular path.
You will occasionally miss the mark of your intentions. Forgive yourself for your mistakes, and love yourself because you are the best that you can be in each moment of your life. You can evolve into a person with enlightened thinking, of course, but many of you will also experience the ‘dark night of the soul’ before that moment comes. For some, that won't be necessary, but I had my own version when I lived in Los Angeles, CA. I survived,and in fact, after a few years I thrived. Why wouldn't your situation hold the same potential as mine?
Seek out people who can give you words of advice that are coming from a place of love and respect for your journey. You will meet them when you need them.
Those who are on the edge of enlightenment are the ones I seek out in order to learn something that will help me move into a higher vibration, or gateway, based on love, compassion and gratitude. We are not just thinking like a human being while we are on the planet, we have access to expanded universal laws and truths which frankly, do not work in the old consciousness of 3-D, or even 4-D if you prefer.
I have attempted to help you think like a 5th dimensional human because we are literally on the verge of an explosion of consciousness rising to its most powerful and enlightened level yet.
I am not referring to what I lovingly call the “prophesy- syndrome” which has negatively affected billions of people on the planet. I am speaking of the natural
progression inherent within all of life to seek its highest understanding about
life. So, forget everything you’ve heard or read about the year 2012, because we have busted right through that paradigm with advancement in science and spirituality over the past decade.
It’s an uphill climb, for sure, because the world is manifesting a complete breakdown, but in the example of rampaging cruelty to others, we have more people reaching out to help those in need today than ever before in the history of our planet. How do I know that?
Here are some examples of improvement over the past 50 years: disease is being conquered, and disease is a physical manifestation of an unhealthy spirituality. War is a manifestation of intolerance and more nations are standing firmly together to fight terrorism. Have you noticed that there is more freedom in areas of the world where dictators and religious extremists held sway?
And my last example is known in religious communities- organized religions are losing members to other forms of spirituality. When religious leaders gather together, this fact is prominent on their radar.
It was not to long ago that I had another seismic shift in perception; one which allowed me to go further than ever before into the potential that exists within my own mind to enlighten me spiritually, physically and emotionally.
I now understand that the unified field that quantum physics acknowledges is intelligence in its raw form, and from that material everything else that is manifested takes form. Now some people may be alarmed by that fact because it calls into question “Where is God in this understanding of yours?”
And, I say to them: “Why can’t God be the consciousness that exists within what scientists call the unified field of quantum physics?” I am always amazed that individuals need to create God in their form and limit God’s magnificence by confining it to the intellect of humans – when the multi-verses are so filled with potential for different expressions of life! You see, if you get right down to it, everything in the universe is vibrating, and our collective frequencies appear to be rising each year, so eventually we will all be of like-mind and we will respect one another’s right to choose how to answer life’s questions.
Once we shifted into the paradigm of spirituality, the wheels began to turn faster because people were free to follow their own understanding of what the teachings of God are, and are not. Actually, I think the whole idea of commandments is antiquated. I don't need an outside source to tell me what is morally offensive, and how to listen for the still small voice of Spirit. Finally,
we are revisiting the concept that humanity is one race of people, and not caring as much about ethnicity as was once prevalent in our country (the USA).
These examples are all indicators that we are evolving in the right direction.
You don't need me to tell you what isn't working in your lives - you already know that fearful thinking no longer serves you, and fear is the only thing to be fearful of. You know that if you continue to inundate your conscious and sub-conscious mind with thoughts, words and deeds that are limiting; or you isolate yourself from others you slow down your own enlightenment, something that you are guaranteed to achieve by the very act of your working towards it. To my way of understanding the information I've received from Spirit over the years - there is no such thing as ultimate failure built into your DNA. Enlightenment? Yes.
The only debatable reality is when will you gain enlightenment? Well, how much effort do you put into it? How many lives have you lived in which spirit was a driving factor in your relationship with others? You can’t lose, folks. Every opportunity you have had to shift your consciousness to one of loving compassion and gratitude you increase the consciousness for all of humanity. We are all linked together in an energy field that is magnificently complex and creative in its expression.
Some of my other 'favorite things' that I want to share with you today are two books whose content comes from channeled sources (interdimensional knowledge from loving entities). Because I have a very high tolerance, an eclectic nature, and I am good at filtering out inaccurate information (discernment), I am only offering you material that has resonated with my heart as 'universal truth' instead of entertainment. The material is avante guard information in some cases. Just remember that when you climb out on a
tree limb you can see the far horizon. 1. Lee Carroll’s series of books by Kryon – any of them that you are drawn to, and 2. Amorah Quan Yin’s book, The Pleiadian Workbook for an introduction to unique healing modalities and chambers of light for specific healing work.
Because we are all different, we will resonate to various teachings available to us through media and organizations. I would love to hear from you on what you have found that resonated with you, too. Meanwhile, if you don't like my choices for whatever reason, keep in mind that all paths lead to our Divine Self. You will find your own favorite things, and some day make a referral to a friend. It all works out in the end because we are all existing within the same circle of life.
Although I have spent years researching the religions of the world, I am not claiming to be an expert and I do not have a degree from an institution that says I’ve learned enough to go out and share my opinion. I think organized institutions are part of the problem with the world today because it stifles creative exploration and our brains need stimulation and creative problem solving in order to function at a higher level.
I like to avoid people who claim that their religion or belief's are the only way to salvation. God, say most of the people in America, has given us free choice. Why then would God need us to be saved from ourselves?
If you want a good read and are able to be objective about the Holy Bible, you may want to check out the works of Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. I am
fond of The Laughing Jesus and, Jesus and the Lost Goddess. Early Gnostic Christianity and Mystery Schools tell a very different story about Jesus than you find in the many revised versions of the sacred book in existence today. Not that I am Bible bashing, folks. I just want you to think this thing through for yourself. The facts are that there are many inaccuracies in the Bible because the people who were in power during the founding of what we now call Christianity had an agenda.
If you truly want to open your mind, you owe it to yourself to look into the dark places of fear. Most people who are religious do not really know the history of their faith. Those who are scholars have interesting information to share with those of us who are willing to keep an open mind and hold a vision of Oneness for Humanity in the coming decades. I do not participate in Christian bashing, but I do stand up for historical accuracy.
I have been a seeker my entire life. It’s funny that I didn’t even know there was a book about seeking spirituality until our Minister at the Center of Light brought it to my attention, but it is a good book to recommend to anyone who is sure there is more to life than the world we live in.
Check out Elizabeth Lesser’s book, The Seeker’s Guide –Making
your Life A Spiritual Adventure . No matter how far along your spiritual path you may be, you will find something of value in her work.
Do you have any books and teachings you want to share with our
readers? Just let me know.
Until next year, May the Peace of God Calm You. May the Science of God Illumine You. And, may loving kindness be the gift you offer everyone you meet during the holidays.
I’ll be back in January. Get ready for a new and sometimes controversial series of Sunday Services that I hope will stimulate your mind, emotions and Spirit. That's my job, and I love it. You are the light of God made manifest on this beautiful, beautiful planet we call Earth. Thank you for being you.
Rev. Cisi Martin
As we come to the conclusion of this year, we have an opportunity to set a new intent for 2012. Shall we try to better understand the Oneness of Life which exists because of a unified field of intelligence from which every thing else manifests into creation?
This is actually a statement of fact, understood by the scientific community, but originally gleamed from the sages and ancient teachers of the past. During my search for spiritual growth I began to feel this interconnectedness, but I didn’t have a language to describe it, other than to call it the God Glue of the Universe.
Incredible breakthroughs have been accomplished by scientists beginning in the early 20th century, but in all honesty, many of the concepts which formed the basics in spirituality and philosophy began from early mankind’s search to understand his world, therefore in my mind, the two fields have always been related.
Over the past year I have brought you examples of how spirituality and the science of creation are no longer enemies if you approach them each from an enlightened perspective, utilizing the field of study I call sacred-science. I don’t know what others have named this union, as I am only able to speak to you from my own interpretation of the language of light, a communication system that is vastly more complicated than English, I assure you.
Since I won’t be writing a second service this month, (Rev. John and I will be with family) I want to share some of the treasures I’ve discovered over the past decade. If you find something that interests you, let me know. I am a voracious reader, dear friends, so from my perspective there is no reason why we can’t also be an informal book club. This site is whatever we want it to be, and winter is such a lovely time to catch up on our reading and personal studies, isn’t it?
I just finished reading a few books that I can recommend to you which I have enjoyed because they illustrate the power inherent within the human mind, body and soul: Penney Peirce’s book, frequency – the Power of Personal Vibration, Lynne McTaggart’s books, The Field, and The Intention Experiment are just a few. I have also participated in a Monroe Institute Excursion class which introduced me to "Hemi-Sync", sounds and beats that help people "to achieve and sustain synchronized brain-wave activity in both hemispheres of your brain.” I have determined for myself that the materials available through the Monroe Institute are of value to me because I am able to reach deeper levels of meditation, relaxation, and transcendence of my thinking and reasoning ability.
It’s funny, I have never been good at meditation but thankfully I am getting better at quieting my mind. And because I am getting better at it, I am accessing more universal information which helps me choose what my next move will be, or which book I will read, or which friends I will choose, etc.
By the way - I do not receive any compensation from anyone whose
work I reference, or materials I mention in my bi-monthly Sunday Services. I only offer you an opportunity to review the pathway that I have taken which has led me to a life which is blessed beyond measure. Since all of us have unique experiences which can benefit each other, I hope to hear from some of you next year.
Continuing now, I want you to know that your life isn’t just a random series of events, even if it sometimes feels that way. There is a "Divine" plan for you
that will make the experience of living more enjoyable, and help you discover your true purpose in this lifetime, but it is a multiple choice option for you to choose your daily experiences and life lessons.
When I tell you that you are God-In-Action, I’m not just coining a catchy phrase to get your attention. I am giving you a big hint that you can literally co-create your life and move out of the levels of consciousness that are keeping you miserable, if that is your story.
What’s more, you can do no wrong in this world that has any lasting consequence. Your indwelling God-Nature is still your compass even when you make a mistake or choose to stay in a painful experience. It’s your life and in just one brilliant flash of insight the whole of the universe will be available for you to understand if you just stay steady on your particular path.
You will occasionally miss the mark of your intentions. Forgive yourself for your mistakes, and love yourself because you are the best that you can be in each moment of your life. You can evolve into a person with enlightened thinking, of course, but many of you will also experience the ‘dark night of the soul’ before that moment comes. For some, that won't be necessary, but I had my own version when I lived in Los Angeles, CA. I survived,and in fact, after a few years I thrived. Why wouldn't your situation hold the same potential as mine?
Seek out people who can give you words of advice that are coming from a place of love and respect for your journey. You will meet them when you need them.
Those who are on the edge of enlightenment are the ones I seek out in order to learn something that will help me move into a higher vibration, or gateway, based on love, compassion and gratitude. We are not just thinking like a human being while we are on the planet, we have access to expanded universal laws and truths which frankly, do not work in the old consciousness of 3-D, or even 4-D if you prefer.
I have attempted to help you think like a 5th dimensional human because we are literally on the verge of an explosion of consciousness rising to its most powerful and enlightened level yet.
I am not referring to what I lovingly call the “prophesy- syndrome” which has negatively affected billions of people on the planet. I am speaking of the natural
progression inherent within all of life to seek its highest understanding about
life. So, forget everything you’ve heard or read about the year 2012, because we have busted right through that paradigm with advancement in science and spirituality over the past decade.
It’s an uphill climb, for sure, because the world is manifesting a complete breakdown, but in the example of rampaging cruelty to others, we have more people reaching out to help those in need today than ever before in the history of our planet. How do I know that?
Here are some examples of improvement over the past 50 years: disease is being conquered, and disease is a physical manifestation of an unhealthy spirituality. War is a manifestation of intolerance and more nations are standing firmly together to fight terrorism. Have you noticed that there is more freedom in areas of the world where dictators and religious extremists held sway?
And my last example is known in religious communities- organized religions are losing members to other forms of spirituality. When religious leaders gather together, this fact is prominent on their radar.
It was not to long ago that I had another seismic shift in perception; one which allowed me to go further than ever before into the potential that exists within my own mind to enlighten me spiritually, physically and emotionally.
I now understand that the unified field that quantum physics acknowledges is intelligence in its raw form, and from that material everything else that is manifested takes form. Now some people may be alarmed by that fact because it calls into question “Where is God in this understanding of yours?”
And, I say to them: “Why can’t God be the consciousness that exists within what scientists call the unified field of quantum physics?” I am always amazed that individuals need to create God in their form and limit God’s magnificence by confining it to the intellect of humans – when the multi-verses are so filled with potential for different expressions of life! You see, if you get right down to it, everything in the universe is vibrating, and our collective frequencies appear to be rising each year, so eventually we will all be of like-mind and we will respect one another’s right to choose how to answer life’s questions.
Once we shifted into the paradigm of spirituality, the wheels began to turn faster because people were free to follow their own understanding of what the teachings of God are, and are not. Actually, I think the whole idea of commandments is antiquated. I don't need an outside source to tell me what is morally offensive, and how to listen for the still small voice of Spirit. Finally,
we are revisiting the concept that humanity is one race of people, and not caring as much about ethnicity as was once prevalent in our country (the USA).
These examples are all indicators that we are evolving in the right direction.
You don't need me to tell you what isn't working in your lives - you already know that fearful thinking no longer serves you, and fear is the only thing to be fearful of. You know that if you continue to inundate your conscious and sub-conscious mind with thoughts, words and deeds that are limiting; or you isolate yourself from others you slow down your own enlightenment, something that you are guaranteed to achieve by the very act of your working towards it. To my way of understanding the information I've received from Spirit over the years - there is no such thing as ultimate failure built into your DNA. Enlightenment? Yes.
The only debatable reality is when will you gain enlightenment? Well, how much effort do you put into it? How many lives have you lived in which spirit was a driving factor in your relationship with others? You can’t lose, folks. Every opportunity you have had to shift your consciousness to one of loving compassion and gratitude you increase the consciousness for all of humanity. We are all linked together in an energy field that is magnificently complex and creative in its expression.
Some of my other 'favorite things' that I want to share with you today are two books whose content comes from channeled sources (interdimensional knowledge from loving entities). Because I have a very high tolerance, an eclectic nature, and I am good at filtering out inaccurate information (discernment), I am only offering you material that has resonated with my heart as 'universal truth' instead of entertainment. The material is avante guard information in some cases. Just remember that when you climb out on a
tree limb you can see the far horizon. 1. Lee Carroll’s series of books by Kryon – any of them that you are drawn to, and 2. Amorah Quan Yin’s book, The Pleiadian Workbook for an introduction to unique healing modalities and chambers of light for specific healing work.
Because we are all different, we will resonate to various teachings available to us through media and organizations. I would love to hear from you on what you have found that resonated with you, too. Meanwhile, if you don't like my choices for whatever reason, keep in mind that all paths lead to our Divine Self. You will find your own favorite things, and some day make a referral to a friend. It all works out in the end because we are all existing within the same circle of life.
Although I have spent years researching the religions of the world, I am not claiming to be an expert and I do not have a degree from an institution that says I’ve learned enough to go out and share my opinion. I think organized institutions are part of the problem with the world today because it stifles creative exploration and our brains need stimulation and creative problem solving in order to function at a higher level.
I like to avoid people who claim that their religion or belief's are the only way to salvation. God, say most of the people in America, has given us free choice. Why then would God need us to be saved from ourselves?
If you want a good read and are able to be objective about the Holy Bible, you may want to check out the works of Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. I am
fond of The Laughing Jesus and, Jesus and the Lost Goddess. Early Gnostic Christianity and Mystery Schools tell a very different story about Jesus than you find in the many revised versions of the sacred book in existence today. Not that I am Bible bashing, folks. I just want you to think this thing through for yourself. The facts are that there are many inaccuracies in the Bible because the people who were in power during the founding of what we now call Christianity had an agenda.
If you truly want to open your mind, you owe it to yourself to look into the dark places of fear. Most people who are religious do not really know the history of their faith. Those who are scholars have interesting information to share with those of us who are willing to keep an open mind and hold a vision of Oneness for Humanity in the coming decades. I do not participate in Christian bashing, but I do stand up for historical accuracy.
I have been a seeker my entire life. It’s funny that I didn’t even know there was a book about seeking spirituality until our Minister at the Center of Light brought it to my attention, but it is a good book to recommend to anyone who is sure there is more to life than the world we live in.
Check out Elizabeth Lesser’s book, The Seeker’s Guide –Making
your Life A Spiritual Adventure . No matter how far along your spiritual path you may be, you will find something of value in her work.
Do you have any books and teachings you want to share with our
readers? Just let me know.
Until next year, May the Peace of God Calm You. May the Science of God Illumine You. And, may loving kindness be the gift you offer everyone you meet during the holidays.
I’ll be back in January. Get ready for a new and sometimes controversial series of Sunday Services that I hope will stimulate your mind, emotions and Spirit. That's my job, and I love it. You are the light of God made manifest on this beautiful, beautiful planet we call Earth. Thank you for being you.
Rev. Cisi Martin
I AM. WE ARE. ONE...
Rev. John is here, he's the photog!
November 15, 2011
A small group of us walked a labyrinth on 11-11-11. You would probably guess without being introduced to this group that they are spiritual seekers who have likely found a means of manifesting spirituality in their lifestyles. Each of them approached the center of the labyrinth according to their own practices. The invitation to create an organic experience had only one shared intent: “I AM. WE ARE. ONE”.
Groups also gathered around the world with intentions that were similar, in that love and peace were two major components of their ceremonies and rituals. Our group had all attended services at the Tulsa Center of Light, so we were gathering as church family, too.
I cannot speak for the others, but for me the most powerful part of our 11-11-11 labyrinth walk was the chanting of a shared intention. My background includes participating in groups whose focus on affirmations and mantras is fore front, and I know the power of the spoken word is supported by the science of creation. Energy follows thought, and an intention is more powerful when it becomes part of the energy of a spoken prayer, mantra or affirmation. This is because energy is the matrix for the creation of anything in our universe.
Before walking the labyrinth as a group, some of us walked it for ourselves. When I walked it, I felt a shift in my energy as I stepped into the energy field of manifestation, because I held within me the potential to co-create peace on earth, or healing for the collective mind, feelings and soul of humanity. Say what?
Let me ask you a question. What did Asaph mean when he wrote the following lyrics/poem/psalms? “I have said you are gods; all of you are children of the most high."
Even Jesus made reference to Asaph’s writing in John 10:34 "Jesus said to them, Is it not so written in your law, I said, you are gods?”
And, this idea appears again in First Corinthians 3:16 - “Do you not know that you are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
I now ask this same question of you, keep in mind that you can spend your whole life answering this question! It is truly, a question for the ages.
But now let's return to the subject of the energy field within the labyrinth that our group was walking. One can presume that if you are in a sacred space of whatever design and origin that you are able to tap into its field of energy. Consider this: we are all reduced to vibrating energy at our core, and we are technically interconnected- one with the other. In an expansive field of energy (the world, let’s say) it is probable that when you interact with others, and with ‘things’ that you are interacting with an extended field of energy. In the case of the labyrinth, a sacred energy field that could influence our thoughts, our feelings, our bodies and personal energy fields, or auras as they are often called.
Walking in this dedicated space helps amplify your own sacred self – adding power to your personal field. The
more power you generate the more you are able to change the field of energy that you are currently associated with as well. It is entirely likely that those of us who walked together, and chanted a shared intent that we were all ONE, did change something in the energy field we know of as reality. What that might have been I am not able to answer, but nothing remains static in this world. Everything is vibrating with energy, and it is energy that creates everything that we think (or perceive) as solid. So you decide what might or might not have occurred when eight spiritual people gathered together with a shared intention to promote love, peace and unity consciousness in the world.
A labyrinth is a focus tool, after all. Each person experiences it for themselves and that is what makes a labyrinth so universally appealing. Each person attending brought something beautiful to the whole energy of the group, and they received something beautiful from the experience as well. Some of us are going to visit the many labyrinths in Tulsa, and I think each one may hold a different key energy that we will have access to, or give us a chance to ‘feel’ something different or similar in each space. We’ll know what it’s all about when we enter the different sacred spaces, because even if the builders did not share an intention, the place upon which it was built still has a story to tell.
We do not live within a void, my friends. Everything is interconnected and interactive on some level of understanding be it conscious or sub-conscious.
As usual, you are invited to share your own understanding of God, indwelling and manifesting in this world.
If it passes the courtesy test, you may see it on this website soon. In the meantime, I am sending you the
light of loving good will which can only enhance your own spirituality with a blessing for your highest good to manifest for you.
Rev. Cisi Martin
“
A small group of us walked a labyrinth on 11-11-11. You would probably guess without being introduced to this group that they are spiritual seekers who have likely found a means of manifesting spirituality in their lifestyles. Each of them approached the center of the labyrinth according to their own practices. The invitation to create an organic experience had only one shared intent: “I AM. WE ARE. ONE”.
Groups also gathered around the world with intentions that were similar, in that love and peace were two major components of their ceremonies and rituals. Our group had all attended services at the Tulsa Center of Light, so we were gathering as church family, too.
I cannot speak for the others, but for me the most powerful part of our 11-11-11 labyrinth walk was the chanting of a shared intention. My background includes participating in groups whose focus on affirmations and mantras is fore front, and I know the power of the spoken word is supported by the science of creation. Energy follows thought, and an intention is more powerful when it becomes part of the energy of a spoken prayer, mantra or affirmation. This is because energy is the matrix for the creation of anything in our universe.
Before walking the labyrinth as a group, some of us walked it for ourselves. When I walked it, I felt a shift in my energy as I stepped into the energy field of manifestation, because I held within me the potential to co-create peace on earth, or healing for the collective mind, feelings and soul of humanity. Say what?
Let me ask you a question. What did Asaph mean when he wrote the following lyrics/poem/psalms? “I have said you are gods; all of you are children of the most high."
Even Jesus made reference to Asaph’s writing in John 10:34 "Jesus said to them, Is it not so written in your law, I said, you are gods?”
And, this idea appears again in First Corinthians 3:16 - “Do you not know that you are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
I now ask this same question of you, keep in mind that you can spend your whole life answering this question! It is truly, a question for the ages.
But now let's return to the subject of the energy field within the labyrinth that our group was walking. One can presume that if you are in a sacred space of whatever design and origin that you are able to tap into its field of energy. Consider this: we are all reduced to vibrating energy at our core, and we are technically interconnected- one with the other. In an expansive field of energy (the world, let’s say) it is probable that when you interact with others, and with ‘things’ that you are interacting with an extended field of energy. In the case of the labyrinth, a sacred energy field that could influence our thoughts, our feelings, our bodies and personal energy fields, or auras as they are often called.
Walking in this dedicated space helps amplify your own sacred self – adding power to your personal field. The
more power you generate the more you are able to change the field of energy that you are currently associated with as well. It is entirely likely that those of us who walked together, and chanted a shared intent that we were all ONE, did change something in the energy field we know of as reality. What that might have been I am not able to answer, but nothing remains static in this world. Everything is vibrating with energy, and it is energy that creates everything that we think (or perceive) as solid. So you decide what might or might not have occurred when eight spiritual people gathered together with a shared intention to promote love, peace and unity consciousness in the world.
A labyrinth is a focus tool, after all. Each person experiences it for themselves and that is what makes a labyrinth so universally appealing. Each person attending brought something beautiful to the whole energy of the group, and they received something beautiful from the experience as well. Some of us are going to visit the many labyrinths in Tulsa, and I think each one may hold a different key energy that we will have access to, or give us a chance to ‘feel’ something different or similar in each space. We’ll know what it’s all about when we enter the different sacred spaces, because even if the builders did not share an intention, the place upon which it was built still has a story to tell.
We do not live within a void, my friends. Everything is interconnected and interactive on some level of understanding be it conscious or sub-conscious.
As usual, you are invited to share your own understanding of God, indwelling and manifesting in this world.
If it passes the courtesy test, you may see it on this website soon. In the meantime, I am sending you the
light of loving good will which can only enhance your own spirituality with a blessing for your highest good to manifest for you.
Rev. Cisi Martin
“
Welcome In, Out of the Cold...
1 November 2011
My bookshelves are overflowing. I have at least half a dozen personal journals. And, I have been collecting scraps of interesting information, thinking that someday it will
inspire a service, or be a subject that might get an important conversation going.
My history includes being a public issues moderator, and this is one of my many passions in life. Study circles and public issues forums developed during the early history of our country. Before telegraphs, telephones, and our modern electronics, early Americans had to wait for news to come to their town via a visitor, or the sharing of an old crumpled newspaper.
This type of isolation often fostered friendships with neighbors, tradesmen and social organizations like churches, fraternities and various societies. If you lived near a town with a school or college you were very fortunate because these places were often the hub of the county for the latest news and gossip. Yes, people loved gossip in those days, too. Unfortunately gossip sometimes led to tragedy as in the case of the Salem witch trials. But, today we are not going to revisit that sad time in our history.
I was reminded last Sunday of just how fortunate we are when we
find our “church family”. It is comforting to share a faith with others because we then feel less isolated. In the case of New Thought Spirituality, this is especially so because our north star is an understanding that everyone
has the essence of God within them that is eternal and guides us to an individual relationship with the Divine, that is self defining and expanding because of our individual experiences with life.
So to get back to last Sunday, Rev. Monica led us in a discussion on the “landscape of the soul” from Elizabeth Lesser’s book, “The Seeker’s Guide”. And, in this book were many quotes from some wisdom books, and notable people from around the world whose theme quote was their understanding of the question, “Who Is God?” I offer you a few of those quotes so that we can be on the same page, so to speak.
From the Bhagavad-Gita: “I pervade the entire universe in my unmanifested form. All creatures find their essence in me, but I am not limited by them. Behold my divine mystery!”
From the Hindu Upanishads: “ Tat tvam asi, (translated as “Thou art That” or The Self in each person is not different from the Godhead).
From Meister Eckehart: “Isness is God.”
From the New Testament: Jesus says: “I and the Father are one.”
And, from Zen Master Dogen: “To be enlightened is to be intimate with all things”.
There are so many examples that exist wherein we learn from others that God is in everything and everything is of God so I am just offering a few to get you started on your own research if you are interested.
Thankfully, there are fewer holy books which tell us that we are separate from God, the eternal and omnipotent. And worse, that we are unworthy of knowing God personally through our mind, body, emotions and spirituality. How else might we know, and by knowing I mean intuitively grasping the concept of a Prime Source, the splendor inherent in all of life, if we don’t recognize that we are all part of One Essence?
I hope that after contemplating this essay you will sit quietly and practice the act of Tonglin. That is to say that you breathe in all of the negativity that is in your conscious mind and then blow that breath out through your mouth. Be conscious that you are breathing out the “breath of God”, which you are because you are made manifest from the intelligence of the universe we collectively call “God”. Breathe in your pain and suffering and let it be cleansed by your God nature so that you exhale a gift of loving good will to yourself and the world.
This is a Buddhist practice that I rejected for two years. I just could not get past breathing in such negativity! Slowly it dawned on me that I was transmuting the pain and suffering when my thoughts turned to loving good will. It was shortly after this realization that I “got it”. That was the first time that I remember understanding that we are individual “sparks”of a Divinity that is incomprehensible to our human minds. It is not, however, incomprehensible to the part of us that exists in a different dimension and that we often, as metaphysicians, refer to as our Highest Good or our I Am Presence.
People who have not yet ventured off the beaten path of established religious doctrine consider anyone outside of their group to be sinners, or atheists but that is simply not true. It is merely an opinion, and a uniformed one at that.
When John and I first moved to Tulsa we were isolated. Then John connected to a group of Sokka Goki Buddhists, and while at a Spirit Fair we were told that the Center of Light had just relocated to Tulsa from Broken Arrow. It took time
for us to connect, but we did and I have been especially grateful that we did. It was the first time in my life that I belonged to a group of people who tolerated each other without prejudice. By no means do we all believe the same thing, but we all understand that we are part of God, indwelling and eternal and that together we are stronger than alone.
Perhaps that is why I chose to devote part of my life to creating this website for people who haven’t yet found their own church family. If your heart knows and recognizes that the bi-monthly Sunday Services is of interest to you then I will have fulfilled my goal. No one should feel left out in the cold.
You have a place to visit when you want to check in, or contribute an essay about your own experience of exploring your spirituality that has been empowering for you. In the meantime, I am sending you loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever.
Rev. Cisi Martin
My bookshelves are overflowing. I have at least half a dozen personal journals. And, I have been collecting scraps of interesting information, thinking that someday it will
inspire a service, or be a subject that might get an important conversation going.
My history includes being a public issues moderator, and this is one of my many passions in life. Study circles and public issues forums developed during the early history of our country. Before telegraphs, telephones, and our modern electronics, early Americans had to wait for news to come to their town via a visitor, or the sharing of an old crumpled newspaper.
This type of isolation often fostered friendships with neighbors, tradesmen and social organizations like churches, fraternities and various societies. If you lived near a town with a school or college you were very fortunate because these places were often the hub of the county for the latest news and gossip. Yes, people loved gossip in those days, too. Unfortunately gossip sometimes led to tragedy as in the case of the Salem witch trials. But, today we are not going to revisit that sad time in our history.
I was reminded last Sunday of just how fortunate we are when we
find our “church family”. It is comforting to share a faith with others because we then feel less isolated. In the case of New Thought Spirituality, this is especially so because our north star is an understanding that everyone
has the essence of God within them that is eternal and guides us to an individual relationship with the Divine, that is self defining and expanding because of our individual experiences with life.
So to get back to last Sunday, Rev. Monica led us in a discussion on the “landscape of the soul” from Elizabeth Lesser’s book, “The Seeker’s Guide”. And, in this book were many quotes from some wisdom books, and notable people from around the world whose theme quote was their understanding of the question, “Who Is God?” I offer you a few of those quotes so that we can be on the same page, so to speak.
From the Bhagavad-Gita: “I pervade the entire universe in my unmanifested form. All creatures find their essence in me, but I am not limited by them. Behold my divine mystery!”
From the Hindu Upanishads: “ Tat tvam asi, (translated as “Thou art That” or The Self in each person is not different from the Godhead).
From Meister Eckehart: “Isness is God.”
From the New Testament: Jesus says: “I and the Father are one.”
And, from Zen Master Dogen: “To be enlightened is to be intimate with all things”.
There are so many examples that exist wherein we learn from others that God is in everything and everything is of God so I am just offering a few to get you started on your own research if you are interested.
Thankfully, there are fewer holy books which tell us that we are separate from God, the eternal and omnipotent. And worse, that we are unworthy of knowing God personally through our mind, body, emotions and spirituality. How else might we know, and by knowing I mean intuitively grasping the concept of a Prime Source, the splendor inherent in all of life, if we don’t recognize that we are all part of One Essence?
I hope that after contemplating this essay you will sit quietly and practice the act of Tonglin. That is to say that you breathe in all of the negativity that is in your conscious mind and then blow that breath out through your mouth. Be conscious that you are breathing out the “breath of God”, which you are because you are made manifest from the intelligence of the universe we collectively call “God”. Breathe in your pain and suffering and let it be cleansed by your God nature so that you exhale a gift of loving good will to yourself and the world.
This is a Buddhist practice that I rejected for two years. I just could not get past breathing in such negativity! Slowly it dawned on me that I was transmuting the pain and suffering when my thoughts turned to loving good will. It was shortly after this realization that I “got it”. That was the first time that I remember understanding that we are individual “sparks”of a Divinity that is incomprehensible to our human minds. It is not, however, incomprehensible to the part of us that exists in a different dimension and that we often, as metaphysicians, refer to as our Highest Good or our I Am Presence.
People who have not yet ventured off the beaten path of established religious doctrine consider anyone outside of their group to be sinners, or atheists but that is simply not true. It is merely an opinion, and a uniformed one at that.
When John and I first moved to Tulsa we were isolated. Then John connected to a group of Sokka Goki Buddhists, and while at a Spirit Fair we were told that the Center of Light had just relocated to Tulsa from Broken Arrow. It took time
for us to connect, but we did and I have been especially grateful that we did. It was the first time in my life that I belonged to a group of people who tolerated each other without prejudice. By no means do we all believe the same thing, but we all understand that we are part of God, indwelling and eternal and that together we are stronger than alone.
Perhaps that is why I chose to devote part of my life to creating this website for people who haven’t yet found their own church family. If your heart knows and recognizes that the bi-monthly Sunday Services is of interest to you then I will have fulfilled my goal. No one should feel left out in the cold.
You have a place to visit when you want to check in, or contribute an essay about your own experience of exploring your spirituality that has been empowering for you. In the meantime, I am sending you loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever.
Rev. Cisi Martin
The Wonderful Living Language of Light
October 15, 2011
I am researching my second book, The Wonders of the Language of Light and my head is swimming with the available choices I can use to illustrate to the reader just how magnificent the universe is, and that we are no less magnificent as the humanity genome, if you will.
We are a brilliant example of diversity on every level of living. As we are evolving, I suspect as do many others, that our species DNA structure is in the process of mutating. Scientists understand that DNA may possibly be multi-dimensional, meaning that there are more than two strands, and they just don’t have the technology available to “see” the other genetic material. It is possible that attached to our known two 3-D strands are strands composed of energetic material that is destined to alter our DNA patterns as we know them. This is such a wild thought, isn’t it?
If you felt the lurch of a fearful thought trying to take over your mind just then, relax. Although there is a lot of mystically oriented material on the internet discussing the 12 strands of DNA, it is not scientifically proven at this point and time; it is theory.
Getting back to the diversity within what I’m calling the humanity genome for ease of communication, think for a moment about the human brain and how it communicates with its physical, mental and emotional aspects. What a complicated subject that one organ is, so I am thinking of it as an engine that communicates with itself with frequencies (or Light) as chemical, electro-magnetic, and biologic. On the sub-atomic level of the biologic there is vast empty space that I think of as intelligent, a kind of God-Glue, or type of Light. This is why I am using the term “Language of Light”. Our brain uses a language to communicate with its totality that includes higher frequencies that may be even higher than we can imagine at the moment.
It is an exciting concept. It literally means that you are a Light Being, and not just a component part that is physical. Mystics have known this for centuries. In the early 1800s a whole mystic movement was launched by many people who “awakened” at once and began to share their understanding of higher vibrational beings made of Light that Theosophists called Ascended Masters.
What if, at a much higher frequency all of the brains of the peoples on this planet are connected, yes in this 4D world – it would be an invisible frequency for certain – and, it would have to be a system that allows for physics that is only theoretical at the moment, but, friends, think about it, we could be linked to everyone else and not yet know it.
Wouldn’t that explain why spiritually oriented people like us keep insisting that there is only One God force and that everything that exists is part of a Oneness of reality that is so huge a concept that we can only take a little taste of the possibility pie and we are satiated? I mean it sure would explain how those of us who are psychic do what we do. It would help us explain how two particles can exist in two different places at once when it is observed by a conscious entity, which would also launch us into multi-dimensionality as a common thread that flows between us. There is so much to think about when you start talking about Light as a Language, and the human capacity to communicate with other species of life some day- both on and off-world.
In addition to light as various levels of frequeny that express itself as color, it also expresses itself as sound. For at least two decades we have seen an increase in the holistic approach to body maintenance using sound and color in combination. Add to that the symbols that are emerging within the consciousness of humanity that are new to us, and you have the evoloving of a new language.
As you can tell I am very excited about the research I am doing. You might wonder, though, why I am bringing this subject to your attention before I have finished the research phase of my newest book. It is this: I want you to really understand just how magnificent you are.
Consciously and sub-consciously you are light-wired, if you will, to develop the God gene that is your Divinity expressing itself as a human being. Now by God-Gene I obviously don’t mean a real genetic DNA. I don’t have a scientific case study for you to look at because I made that term up to try to communicate an idea so big that I can only approach it a little bit at a time myself. This concept has been growing in my consciousness since I began my own metaphysical journey and got to the “channeled material” stage of my development. Examples of my channeled material are in my first book, The Multiple You Universe, and will be available by next year.
I am quite sure that there is new channeled material that will present itself to me when I am capable of understanding it, but right now I am the layperson struggling to try to communicate a big theory. I hope you will be kind as you read my materials, because like you, we are all on a journey of soulful, physical, and emotional evolution that will eventually bring us to an understanding so profound that we will be able to look into our eyes in a mirror and see the face of God/Goddess without questioning the wisdom of “why”.
All good authors use the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” questions to explain their work. I think of God/Goddess as a fabulous author, creator of a volume of mystical works that is so vast as to make reincarnation a necessity in order to get to the next level of humanity’s evolution. There would be no place big enough to keep these Godly books, so God simply created “Its Self” over and over again in different life forms (or volumes if we stick to the analogy). I like to think of each of you as a volume that is so unique that there is no other like you.
Anyway, this Sunday Service is asking you to consider what Marianne Williamson knew intuitively when she said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” And she is right.
You are the living language of light. Remember that, my friends. YOU are GOD MADE MANIFEST, and I am so very grateful that you are alive to share space with the rest of us.
You are invited to share your thoughts about our website, the teachings Rev. John and I share with you, and anything that will bring us closer to each other around the globe. We are not alone. We have each other.
I Am sending you loving good will today, tomorrow, and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
I am researching my second book, The Wonders of the Language of Light and my head is swimming with the available choices I can use to illustrate to the reader just how magnificent the universe is, and that we are no less magnificent as the humanity genome, if you will.
We are a brilliant example of diversity on every level of living. As we are evolving, I suspect as do many others, that our species DNA structure is in the process of mutating. Scientists understand that DNA may possibly be multi-dimensional, meaning that there are more than two strands, and they just don’t have the technology available to “see” the other genetic material. It is possible that attached to our known two 3-D strands are strands composed of energetic material that is destined to alter our DNA patterns as we know them. This is such a wild thought, isn’t it?
If you felt the lurch of a fearful thought trying to take over your mind just then, relax. Although there is a lot of mystically oriented material on the internet discussing the 12 strands of DNA, it is not scientifically proven at this point and time; it is theory.
Getting back to the diversity within what I’m calling the humanity genome for ease of communication, think for a moment about the human brain and how it communicates with its physical, mental and emotional aspects. What a complicated subject that one organ is, so I am thinking of it as an engine that communicates with itself with frequencies (or Light) as chemical, electro-magnetic, and biologic. On the sub-atomic level of the biologic there is vast empty space that I think of as intelligent, a kind of God-Glue, or type of Light. This is why I am using the term “Language of Light”. Our brain uses a language to communicate with its totality that includes higher frequencies that may be even higher than we can imagine at the moment.
It is an exciting concept. It literally means that you are a Light Being, and not just a component part that is physical. Mystics have known this for centuries. In the early 1800s a whole mystic movement was launched by many people who “awakened” at once and began to share their understanding of higher vibrational beings made of Light that Theosophists called Ascended Masters.
What if, at a much higher frequency all of the brains of the peoples on this planet are connected, yes in this 4D world – it would be an invisible frequency for certain – and, it would have to be a system that allows for physics that is only theoretical at the moment, but, friends, think about it, we could be linked to everyone else and not yet know it.
Wouldn’t that explain why spiritually oriented people like us keep insisting that there is only One God force and that everything that exists is part of a Oneness of reality that is so huge a concept that we can only take a little taste of the possibility pie and we are satiated? I mean it sure would explain how those of us who are psychic do what we do. It would help us explain how two particles can exist in two different places at once when it is observed by a conscious entity, which would also launch us into multi-dimensionality as a common thread that flows between us. There is so much to think about when you start talking about Light as a Language, and the human capacity to communicate with other species of life some day- both on and off-world.
In addition to light as various levels of frequeny that express itself as color, it also expresses itself as sound. For at least two decades we have seen an increase in the holistic approach to body maintenance using sound and color in combination. Add to that the symbols that are emerging within the consciousness of humanity that are new to us, and you have the evoloving of a new language.
As you can tell I am very excited about the research I am doing. You might wonder, though, why I am bringing this subject to your attention before I have finished the research phase of my newest book. It is this: I want you to really understand just how magnificent you are.
Consciously and sub-consciously you are light-wired, if you will, to develop the God gene that is your Divinity expressing itself as a human being. Now by God-Gene I obviously don’t mean a real genetic DNA. I don’t have a scientific case study for you to look at because I made that term up to try to communicate an idea so big that I can only approach it a little bit at a time myself. This concept has been growing in my consciousness since I began my own metaphysical journey and got to the “channeled material” stage of my development. Examples of my channeled material are in my first book, The Multiple You Universe, and will be available by next year.
I am quite sure that there is new channeled material that will present itself to me when I am capable of understanding it, but right now I am the layperson struggling to try to communicate a big theory. I hope you will be kind as you read my materials, because like you, we are all on a journey of soulful, physical, and emotional evolution that will eventually bring us to an understanding so profound that we will be able to look into our eyes in a mirror and see the face of God/Goddess without questioning the wisdom of “why”.
All good authors use the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” questions to explain their work. I think of God/Goddess as a fabulous author, creator of a volume of mystical works that is so vast as to make reincarnation a necessity in order to get to the next level of humanity’s evolution. There would be no place big enough to keep these Godly books, so God simply created “Its Self” over and over again in different life forms (or volumes if we stick to the analogy). I like to think of each of you as a volume that is so unique that there is no other like you.
Anyway, this Sunday Service is asking you to consider what Marianne Williamson knew intuitively when she said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” And she is right.
You are the living language of light. Remember that, my friends. YOU are GOD MADE MANIFEST, and I am so very grateful that you are alive to share space with the rest of us.
You are invited to share your thoughts about our website, the teachings Rev. John and I share with you, and anything that will bring us closer to each other around the globe. We are not alone. We have each other.
I Am sending you loving good will today, tomorrow, and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
Are You the Messenger We've Been Waiting For?
October 1, 2011
In ancient times, people believed that Gods and Goddesses could and would communicate with anyone they chose. There was a pipeline from the Gods to the prophets, seers, mystics, shamans, priests and priestess’- but anyone could be chosen, regardless of their status. Once a message was delivered it was usually accompanied with a command to go out into the town and tell everyone they met. Or in the case of seers, to given their message to the ruler of the land they dwelled in. As we know from scholars, some oracles were very famous like the Oracles of Delphi who regularly received kings and other potentates who gladly made a journey to them when they wanted to know the future outcome of an action they were about to take.
Everything hinged upon the charisma of the messenger and the other magicians, seers, oracles and mystics: if the King was happy with the message, the messengers lived and were rewarded. The gift of dream interpretation was highly valued in ancient times, too. We know from several holy books that dreams were considered messages from the Gods. Therefore, most kings had a staff of dream interpreters, and seers whom he thought could look into the future. If astrology was part of the mystical understandings of a nation, then there would be a court astrologer to tell the king when auspicious times for action had arrived. So, in times past a King had a revenue of people whom he believed would keep him and his kingdom one step ahead of his neighbors. The King, however, was always the one who made the final decision. He asked for counsel, but made the final decision. He was free to choose his own destiny and that of his people.
We can see in our time that things have not changed that much when it comes to people who want to know what is coming in the future. Whole religious, mystical and spiritual industries have grown up over thousands of years that have at their core a message that reinforces our need for someone else to tell us what the Gods want us to do in order to be “safe” in a dangerous world. Many of the modern messengers are charismatic. Some of them fill stadiums with people who have come to feel the power of the message and be healed in some way. Other charismatic men and women take messages from other prophets, put a new twist on it, and build mega-churches to hold on to the followers who are desperate to know that they are going to be ok when “the end” comes. The problem, as I see it, is that some of these charismatic preachers and teachers know that if you stop needing them, their “good life” will fade away; so they amp the message up. They meet in council to discuss the best course of action to make their covenants with their God the number one, in fact the only sanctioned religion of the land.
First they start agitating the waters in the political arena by threatening leaders with the loss of support from their base. Then they start to curry favor with elected officials through donations – in the millions of dollars - because they have a large standing in their community. Soon these special interest messengers of their Gods are helping elect “their kind” of candidate as quickly as they can. They have figured out that the way to change a kingdom is to become an important part of the governing of that kingdom. The goal for these people is not to respect the dignity of each individual to think for themselves and to live in a diverse community of people’s who have different lifestyles than their own- no. The ultimate goal for these messengers is to create a national environment that accepts their message as the holy of holies: in the language of today, they want to create a theocracy. They want the law of the land to reflect the laws and moral codes of their holy book, and this would mean putting aside the great Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States because the two cannot be reconcilled- we have guaranteed freedoms in this country solely because of our most noble documents.
We’ve seen that theocratic governments have not worked well in other countries around the globe. Those who have allowed religious or spiritual leaders to make strict rules of conduct for the kingdom, have been punished if they stray from the doctrine. Women especially have been executed, and mutilated because the men in these societies do not believe in equality for their people. Suffering will always come when there is not a leader or government whose goal is for every one of its citizens to have freedom and equality in order to build a life for themself. Leadership that insists upon a person’s right to choose what they will believe and how they will live their life creates a nurturing atmosphere where fear looses its grip over the minds of a society. The problem with theocracy is that it is fear-based at its best, and propogates violence against non believers at its worst.
It is my true belief that people, all people, are decent at heart. But we are easily swayed by the messengers when we have not heard our own message from God. Fortunately we are living in a time where people are waking up from the hypnotic dream of the charismatic messenger. However, make no mistake about this one thing: the messengers who want to create a theocratic form of government in our country do not have the sanction of God to do this. How do I know this? Because, my friends, we are all given free choice in this realm of consciousness. The priests of certain religious sects in America proclalim this to be true. They make a fortune scaring the "hell" out of people, driving them to desperation when they cannot live up to an unforgiving Gods rules. Their messengers obviously did not get messages from a loving God, but one of wrath if you read their holy book.
God lit the Divine Spark of Creation that animated our lives. And then went back to the business of Being. We are just one of God’s complex creations. And it is our job to get on with the business of Being the little gods and goddess’ that we are by doing the best we can in every given situation. The best that mankind has to offer is loving good will for everything that exists, and a willingness not to interfere with each other as we learn to create societies that are wholesome and nurturing. It is called tolerance and a respect for the diversity of mankind's personal choices and spiritual or non-spiritual belief's is essential for happiness to exist.
Now this concept can be argued if you are an atheist but the majority of us look at the universe in awe, and see an orderliness that is intelligent. We understand instinctively that we are a part of this intelligent universe. But if God gave us free will to create as we go, why would the Magnificent Creator give us rules to live by that would limit our ability to mature and create a society that will eventually learn to live in peace? Who ever said that God doesn't allow us to make mistakes and learn from them?
This is how I know that every holy book that has ever been written (usually written with good intentions), has been co-opted by various versions of a priesthood whose sole interest has been to create a theocracy of power that unfortunately would make taboo the “still small voice” of Spirit speaking to us directly. This little voice is our sacred connection to the Highest Realm of Consciousness that is accessible in our current dimension. In the name of wrathful Gods, priests and priestess’ conned humanity into subservience to a moral code that was never commanded by the CREATOR GOD OF THE UNIVERSE.
The holy books have all been edited over the millennia to strengthen the message of the priesthood that we are all born from “original sin”, and are going to either heaven or hell, depending upon our actions in this life. They also warn us about the people who are “not like us” for some reason and therefore “unclean” and dangerous. Original sin? How could a Creator God of such Magnificence create anything that is less than perfect? We are born perfect and we are not meant to carry forward the "sins of our fathers", or the "original sin of a woman" who made a choice to eat from the tree of knowledgend in a mythical garden.
Perhaps the most fearful message they have instilled into the minds of our ancestors is that “hell” is the domain of Satan and you will be claimed by Satan if you do not follow verbatim the rules of the theocratic kingdom. People believe that there is an evil entity that can tempt them into doing bad things, having no will of their own to stop the temptation from manifesting. I think it is tragic that any priesthood would use fear to subjugate its people. Spirituality is naturally uplifting when it is free to express itself individually through the mind, emotions, spirit and body of each of us. I wish that the only commandment taught in our spiritual congregations was the universally understood healer’s psalm: “First do no harm”. Were that the case, the human race would quickly find its way out of the darkness and into the light of God’s love.
If you think there is a God that is busy keeping score of your deeds in this life then I ask you to consider this last thought: God is not static, it is constantly changing, constantly creating things that we cannot even conceive. How do I know that? Because science is proving that the universe is much more complex than they ever dreamed. They are beginning to suspect that physics is just one way that things work out there in the universe. So my point is this: If God made you in its image then it provided you with the ability to create your life any way you want it to manifest - because the power of god in action is immence. And the power within you to be the messenger of loving good will to everyone in the world is just as immence. Go for it. Let go of the patterns of belief that no longer serve you and fly freely into the world to be who you were always meant to be: a god or goddess representing the best of creation instead of its worst.
One of my mantras is: I Am. We Are. ONE. I give this to you today with loving good will. In the meantime know that God-In-Action.org is your place to share your own spiritual experiences by blogging with each other. If you have questions for me, use the “contact form”. You will hear back from me. Promise. Rev. Cisi Martin
In ancient times, people believed that Gods and Goddesses could and would communicate with anyone they chose. There was a pipeline from the Gods to the prophets, seers, mystics, shamans, priests and priestess’- but anyone could be chosen, regardless of their status. Once a message was delivered it was usually accompanied with a command to go out into the town and tell everyone they met. Or in the case of seers, to given their message to the ruler of the land they dwelled in. As we know from scholars, some oracles were very famous like the Oracles of Delphi who regularly received kings and other potentates who gladly made a journey to them when they wanted to know the future outcome of an action they were about to take.
Everything hinged upon the charisma of the messenger and the other magicians, seers, oracles and mystics: if the King was happy with the message, the messengers lived and were rewarded. The gift of dream interpretation was highly valued in ancient times, too. We know from several holy books that dreams were considered messages from the Gods. Therefore, most kings had a staff of dream interpreters, and seers whom he thought could look into the future. If astrology was part of the mystical understandings of a nation, then there would be a court astrologer to tell the king when auspicious times for action had arrived. So, in times past a King had a revenue of people whom he believed would keep him and his kingdom one step ahead of his neighbors. The King, however, was always the one who made the final decision. He asked for counsel, but made the final decision. He was free to choose his own destiny and that of his people.
We can see in our time that things have not changed that much when it comes to people who want to know what is coming in the future. Whole religious, mystical and spiritual industries have grown up over thousands of years that have at their core a message that reinforces our need for someone else to tell us what the Gods want us to do in order to be “safe” in a dangerous world. Many of the modern messengers are charismatic. Some of them fill stadiums with people who have come to feel the power of the message and be healed in some way. Other charismatic men and women take messages from other prophets, put a new twist on it, and build mega-churches to hold on to the followers who are desperate to know that they are going to be ok when “the end” comes. The problem, as I see it, is that some of these charismatic preachers and teachers know that if you stop needing them, their “good life” will fade away; so they amp the message up. They meet in council to discuss the best course of action to make their covenants with their God the number one, in fact the only sanctioned religion of the land.
First they start agitating the waters in the political arena by threatening leaders with the loss of support from their base. Then they start to curry favor with elected officials through donations – in the millions of dollars - because they have a large standing in their community. Soon these special interest messengers of their Gods are helping elect “their kind” of candidate as quickly as they can. They have figured out that the way to change a kingdom is to become an important part of the governing of that kingdom. The goal for these people is not to respect the dignity of each individual to think for themselves and to live in a diverse community of people’s who have different lifestyles than their own- no. The ultimate goal for these messengers is to create a national environment that accepts their message as the holy of holies: in the language of today, they want to create a theocracy. They want the law of the land to reflect the laws and moral codes of their holy book, and this would mean putting aside the great Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States because the two cannot be reconcilled- we have guaranteed freedoms in this country solely because of our most noble documents.
We’ve seen that theocratic governments have not worked well in other countries around the globe. Those who have allowed religious or spiritual leaders to make strict rules of conduct for the kingdom, have been punished if they stray from the doctrine. Women especially have been executed, and mutilated because the men in these societies do not believe in equality for their people. Suffering will always come when there is not a leader or government whose goal is for every one of its citizens to have freedom and equality in order to build a life for themself. Leadership that insists upon a person’s right to choose what they will believe and how they will live their life creates a nurturing atmosphere where fear looses its grip over the minds of a society. The problem with theocracy is that it is fear-based at its best, and propogates violence against non believers at its worst.
It is my true belief that people, all people, are decent at heart. But we are easily swayed by the messengers when we have not heard our own message from God. Fortunately we are living in a time where people are waking up from the hypnotic dream of the charismatic messenger. However, make no mistake about this one thing: the messengers who want to create a theocratic form of government in our country do not have the sanction of God to do this. How do I know this? Because, my friends, we are all given free choice in this realm of consciousness. The priests of certain religious sects in America proclalim this to be true. They make a fortune scaring the "hell" out of people, driving them to desperation when they cannot live up to an unforgiving Gods rules. Their messengers obviously did not get messages from a loving God, but one of wrath if you read their holy book.
God lit the Divine Spark of Creation that animated our lives. And then went back to the business of Being. We are just one of God’s complex creations. And it is our job to get on with the business of Being the little gods and goddess’ that we are by doing the best we can in every given situation. The best that mankind has to offer is loving good will for everything that exists, and a willingness not to interfere with each other as we learn to create societies that are wholesome and nurturing. It is called tolerance and a respect for the diversity of mankind's personal choices and spiritual or non-spiritual belief's is essential for happiness to exist.
Now this concept can be argued if you are an atheist but the majority of us look at the universe in awe, and see an orderliness that is intelligent. We understand instinctively that we are a part of this intelligent universe. But if God gave us free will to create as we go, why would the Magnificent Creator give us rules to live by that would limit our ability to mature and create a society that will eventually learn to live in peace? Who ever said that God doesn't allow us to make mistakes and learn from them?
This is how I know that every holy book that has ever been written (usually written with good intentions), has been co-opted by various versions of a priesthood whose sole interest has been to create a theocracy of power that unfortunately would make taboo the “still small voice” of Spirit speaking to us directly. This little voice is our sacred connection to the Highest Realm of Consciousness that is accessible in our current dimension. In the name of wrathful Gods, priests and priestess’ conned humanity into subservience to a moral code that was never commanded by the CREATOR GOD OF THE UNIVERSE.
The holy books have all been edited over the millennia to strengthen the message of the priesthood that we are all born from “original sin”, and are going to either heaven or hell, depending upon our actions in this life. They also warn us about the people who are “not like us” for some reason and therefore “unclean” and dangerous. Original sin? How could a Creator God of such Magnificence create anything that is less than perfect? We are born perfect and we are not meant to carry forward the "sins of our fathers", or the "original sin of a woman" who made a choice to eat from the tree of knowledgend in a mythical garden.
Perhaps the most fearful message they have instilled into the minds of our ancestors is that “hell” is the domain of Satan and you will be claimed by Satan if you do not follow verbatim the rules of the theocratic kingdom. People believe that there is an evil entity that can tempt them into doing bad things, having no will of their own to stop the temptation from manifesting. I think it is tragic that any priesthood would use fear to subjugate its people. Spirituality is naturally uplifting when it is free to express itself individually through the mind, emotions, spirit and body of each of us. I wish that the only commandment taught in our spiritual congregations was the universally understood healer’s psalm: “First do no harm”. Were that the case, the human race would quickly find its way out of the darkness and into the light of God’s love.
If you think there is a God that is busy keeping score of your deeds in this life then I ask you to consider this last thought: God is not static, it is constantly changing, constantly creating things that we cannot even conceive. How do I know that? Because science is proving that the universe is much more complex than they ever dreamed. They are beginning to suspect that physics is just one way that things work out there in the universe. So my point is this: If God made you in its image then it provided you with the ability to create your life any way you want it to manifest - because the power of god in action is immence. And the power within you to be the messenger of loving good will to everyone in the world is just as immence. Go for it. Let go of the patterns of belief that no longer serve you and fly freely into the world to be who you were always meant to be: a god or goddess representing the best of creation instead of its worst.
One of my mantras is: I Am. We Are. ONE. I give this to you today with loving good will. In the meantime know that God-In-Action.org is your place to share your own spiritual experiences by blogging with each other. If you have questions for me, use the “contact form”. You will hear back from me. Promise. Rev. Cisi Martin
Social Skills are falling down, falling down, falling down...
September 15, 2011
I am a communicator. I am currently working on book two, of a three book series (http://MultipleYouUniverse.com) so you could say that I'm willing to communicate with anyone I meet, and I look forward to meeting more people when my books are published. I'll be expected to do book-signings, workshops or public speaking, etc. Now, folks, I'm always going to have jitters before I get in front of a crowd but I am forcing myself to do it more and more so that I can be prepared for what my future brings.
Last week I decided to act on a communications problem I have with my cell phone. Not as scary as standing in front of a crowd, ha! I called my cell phone company and the young man who helped me with my needs was the chatty sort, so we began to talk. He told me how he is getting worried that people are losing the ability to communicate because of advancing technology. ("Ironic isn't it, that I work at ___" he said.)
He is 38, married and has a son. While he helped me I discovered that when people are walking down the hall at his work, they are usually heads down on their blackberry or chatting on the phone, deliberately looking at the floors or walls. They don't want to make contact, even superficially. Their body language is clear: "do not disturb".
He wants to reach out, and he used to smile at his co-workers but most people wanted to be annonymous, so after a while, he quit trying to socialize. I shared with him briefly that I've noticed how little people are socializing these days compared to when I was his age. The conversation hummed along as I learned that his young son won't answer his dad's call - he'll only respond to a text message. Then my customer service rep told me about his childhood (pre-cells, etc.) and how he always played with the kids in his neighborhood, while his son doesn't seem to be as interested. Maybe the other kids are feeling the same way and don't want to play outdoors anymore. Are they afraid of each other, I wondered? We didn't know the truth of that part of the problem facing todays pre-teens. But this young man is seriously considering limiting his sons hours on the phone and computer. Good choice, says I. Get him involved in group activities.
I told him how I make it a point to smile at everyone I meet eyes with everyday. Sometimes I even talk to strangers, shock! He countered with the information that he had grown up in a small community where everyone waved at each other when they passed on the street, and I told him "yeah, that was one of my favorite things about visiting my mom in Ozark, Arkansas during the 1970s"
You've heard all of this before, I'm sure, but we are de-sensitising ourselves by the use of modern media. People can live lives spending hours each day on the computer, and exist in a semi-conscious state until bedtime. I know how addicting television can be because I am currently weaning myself off of it. Seriously, I can have the television on all day, and although I defend my usage as more intelligent than those who watch sit-coms and shopping channel all day - I'm really just kidding myself. And, I'm being jugemental, or maybe self righteousness. Either way, it's not an attractive habit and I'm breaking down my resistance by listening to more music every day.
The reason I had called my cellphone company in the first place was because I don't use my allotted minutes and wanted to get on a bare-bones plan. I have a smart phone, so called because it is smarter than me when it comes to technology. He let me keep my 4000+ rollover minutes and go with a post-pay plan which I really appreciated. You now realize just how little I use my cell. My friends have the number but I don't always remember to have it on...although I'm getting better at this.
Then we wrapped up the conversation with me asking him to think about something:
1. Without good communication skills we are unable to have effective diplomatic relationships around the world, and we are more likely to have a worsening of conflict situations individually leading to less of a willingness to work together as a team.
2. Without team playing, good sportsmanship, and a willingness to talk to each other in order to find out just how much we are alike, we are moving backwards, down the social skills ladder that used to lead to success. I reminded him that social skills can only be learned through personal interaction.
3. And, if we are already seeing signs in our children that they want to withdraw from their peers, since the advent of communications technology, imagine what it will be like in 50 years. When we need it most, we'll be so locked into the hostility of opposition in the areas of politics, faith and morality, that we may just find ourselves in a world without love, forgiveness and the possibility of reconciliation.
Just remember this, that when you are spiritually receptive, you find that the right people come into your lives to be both friend, and enemies. PLEASE give this thought a chance to grow in your heart: if those you call enemies don't come to visit you, your social skills will devolve and you won't change the part of you that is wounded and invited the enemy into your life.
Children learn a little about conflict situations in school, like on the subject of "bullying", but they should also be encouraged to learn that it is safe to communicate with each other even when it isn't comfortable. What they think matters, even when it may not be right.
When you are talking heart to heart on the phone, the only clue to what you are feeling is the tone of your voice. Let's face it, if you're speaking to a self-absorbed person they aren't going to probe very deeply if they do get a clue from your voice. And, I'm not "just kidding". You might want to pick your friends for the quality of their character instead of the popularity of their position in your peer group.
But then I've always been a loner, hence my years of experience in social inadequacy! When I learned to accept that I had value just because I had been born, my whole world view shifted. I am Goddess-In-Action with every thought, word and deed . I'm not 100% yet, but I am moving closer to my true nature which is contained within my Divinity. You are too, you just may not know it, or be ready to act from such a powerful position. Don't be afraid. You are magnificent.
When we are looking at each other across a table, enjoying a meal, or, across a desk speaking with a co-worker, we are able to "read" the situation better and not misunderstand the things we are saying to each other. If conflict does come up we can tell right away and address it. The more we let someone slide with an unkind comment or act the more we are condoning the H8Rs.
My last Sunday Service was about the need to practice what Colin Tipping calls "Radical Forgiveness" (go to archives 2011). When we are communicating effectively we work through most problems that arise. Not all, of course, but in my lifetime I've discovered that if I can get someone to talk to me about what bothers them about me, I can usually keep or make a new friend. And, if I suddenly realize that I have a problem with someone and I don't call them to clear it up, I have to own that I'm missing out on a quality relationship that just might be salvageable.
It is never going to be easy to speak the truth as you perceive it. Most times you will want to walk away and not face the likelyhood that you'll hear something bad about yourself in the process. Just don't be afraid to hear about your "character flaws", because it is Spirit giving you a chance to change something for the better before you get so caught up in a web of fear-driven avoidance.
It's time for all of us to remember that we are alive on this side of the green grass because we haven't finished with our homework in the classroom called Earth. In the meantime I'll be your cosmic cheerleader twice a month, writing these Sunday Services for those of you who don't belong to a church of your own. And, as usual, I will continue to send everyone who reads this website loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
I am a communicator. I am currently working on book two, of a three book series (http://MultipleYouUniverse.com) so you could say that I'm willing to communicate with anyone I meet, and I look forward to meeting more people when my books are published. I'll be expected to do book-signings, workshops or public speaking, etc. Now, folks, I'm always going to have jitters before I get in front of a crowd but I am forcing myself to do it more and more so that I can be prepared for what my future brings.
Last week I decided to act on a communications problem I have with my cell phone. Not as scary as standing in front of a crowd, ha! I called my cell phone company and the young man who helped me with my needs was the chatty sort, so we began to talk. He told me how he is getting worried that people are losing the ability to communicate because of advancing technology. ("Ironic isn't it, that I work at ___" he said.)
He is 38, married and has a son. While he helped me I discovered that when people are walking down the hall at his work, they are usually heads down on their blackberry or chatting on the phone, deliberately looking at the floors or walls. They don't want to make contact, even superficially. Their body language is clear: "do not disturb".
He wants to reach out, and he used to smile at his co-workers but most people wanted to be annonymous, so after a while, he quit trying to socialize. I shared with him briefly that I've noticed how little people are socializing these days compared to when I was his age. The conversation hummed along as I learned that his young son won't answer his dad's call - he'll only respond to a text message. Then my customer service rep told me about his childhood (pre-cells, etc.) and how he always played with the kids in his neighborhood, while his son doesn't seem to be as interested. Maybe the other kids are feeling the same way and don't want to play outdoors anymore. Are they afraid of each other, I wondered? We didn't know the truth of that part of the problem facing todays pre-teens. But this young man is seriously considering limiting his sons hours on the phone and computer. Good choice, says I. Get him involved in group activities.
I told him how I make it a point to smile at everyone I meet eyes with everyday. Sometimes I even talk to strangers, shock! He countered with the information that he had grown up in a small community where everyone waved at each other when they passed on the street, and I told him "yeah, that was one of my favorite things about visiting my mom in Ozark, Arkansas during the 1970s"
You've heard all of this before, I'm sure, but we are de-sensitising ourselves by the use of modern media. People can live lives spending hours each day on the computer, and exist in a semi-conscious state until bedtime. I know how addicting television can be because I am currently weaning myself off of it. Seriously, I can have the television on all day, and although I defend my usage as more intelligent than those who watch sit-coms and shopping channel all day - I'm really just kidding myself. And, I'm being jugemental, or maybe self righteousness. Either way, it's not an attractive habit and I'm breaking down my resistance by listening to more music every day.
The reason I had called my cellphone company in the first place was because I don't use my allotted minutes and wanted to get on a bare-bones plan. I have a smart phone, so called because it is smarter than me when it comes to technology. He let me keep my 4000+ rollover minutes and go with a post-pay plan which I really appreciated. You now realize just how little I use my cell. My friends have the number but I don't always remember to have it on...although I'm getting better at this.
Then we wrapped up the conversation with me asking him to think about something:
1. Without good communication skills we are unable to have effective diplomatic relationships around the world, and we are more likely to have a worsening of conflict situations individually leading to less of a willingness to work together as a team.
2. Without team playing, good sportsmanship, and a willingness to talk to each other in order to find out just how much we are alike, we are moving backwards, down the social skills ladder that used to lead to success. I reminded him that social skills can only be learned through personal interaction.
3. And, if we are already seeing signs in our children that they want to withdraw from their peers, since the advent of communications technology, imagine what it will be like in 50 years. When we need it most, we'll be so locked into the hostility of opposition in the areas of politics, faith and morality, that we may just find ourselves in a world without love, forgiveness and the possibility of reconciliation.
Just remember this, that when you are spiritually receptive, you find that the right people come into your lives to be both friend, and enemies. PLEASE give this thought a chance to grow in your heart: if those you call enemies don't come to visit you, your social skills will devolve and you won't change the part of you that is wounded and invited the enemy into your life.
Children learn a little about conflict situations in school, like on the subject of "bullying", but they should also be encouraged to learn that it is safe to communicate with each other even when it isn't comfortable. What they think matters, even when it may not be right.
When you are talking heart to heart on the phone, the only clue to what you are feeling is the tone of your voice. Let's face it, if you're speaking to a self-absorbed person they aren't going to probe very deeply if they do get a clue from your voice. And, I'm not "just kidding". You might want to pick your friends for the quality of their character instead of the popularity of their position in your peer group.
But then I've always been a loner, hence my years of experience in social inadequacy! When I learned to accept that I had value just because I had been born, my whole world view shifted. I am Goddess-In-Action with every thought, word and deed . I'm not 100% yet, but I am moving closer to my true nature which is contained within my Divinity. You are too, you just may not know it, or be ready to act from such a powerful position. Don't be afraid. You are magnificent.
When we are looking at each other across a table, enjoying a meal, or, across a desk speaking with a co-worker, we are able to "read" the situation better and not misunderstand the things we are saying to each other. If conflict does come up we can tell right away and address it. The more we let someone slide with an unkind comment or act the more we are condoning the H8Rs.
My last Sunday Service was about the need to practice what Colin Tipping calls "Radical Forgiveness" (go to archives 2011). When we are communicating effectively we work through most problems that arise. Not all, of course, but in my lifetime I've discovered that if I can get someone to talk to me about what bothers them about me, I can usually keep or make a new friend. And, if I suddenly realize that I have a problem with someone and I don't call them to clear it up, I have to own that I'm missing out on a quality relationship that just might be salvageable.
It is never going to be easy to speak the truth as you perceive it. Most times you will want to walk away and not face the likelyhood that you'll hear something bad about yourself in the process. Just don't be afraid to hear about your "character flaws", because it is Spirit giving you a chance to change something for the better before you get so caught up in a web of fear-driven avoidance.
It's time for all of us to remember that we are alive on this side of the green grass because we haven't finished with our homework in the classroom called Earth. In the meantime I'll be your cosmic cheerleader twice a month, writing these Sunday Services for those of you who don't belong to a church of your own. And, as usual, I will continue to send everyone who reads this website loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
A Spiritual Overview of September 11, 2001
September 1, 2011
I originally planned to use a personal story to demonstrate the importance of radical forgiveness, a concept developed by author Colin Tipping. Then I remembered that we are approaching the ten year anniversary of the Al Quida terrorist attack on American grounds. I don't know about you, but I have struggled to get over the shock of that day, although I have done a lot of forgiveness work to try and mitigate the pain.
It seems to me that the American Psyche has been terribly damaged even though we have, thanks to President Obama, been able to eliminate more threats from the terrorist leaders for the most part. The deaths of some of their top leaders has made them realize that we are not going to be such an easy target again, and that we exact what we call "justice" from those whom attack us. But, folks, the real truth of that day's event is one that may be hard for you to accept: both sides of the ensuing "revenge" wars are playing in a spiritual arena that is giving the leaders and people on both shores an opportunity to release the pain we have inflicted upon each other for thousands of years.
This is where the forgiveness concept gets radical. The following quote is from Radical Forgiveness: Making Room for the Miracle, page 45: "With traditional forgiveness the willingness to forgive is present but so is the residual need to condemn. Therefore victim consciousness is maintained and nothing changes. With radical forgiveness, the willingness to forgive is present but NOT the need to condemn. Therefore the victim consciousness is dropped, and everything changes."
I can recommend his website to you if you are deeply troubled about anything in your life that is holding you in victim mode. Just visit, www.radicalforgiveness.com I used a worksheet he has developed before I sat down to write this Sunday Service to make sure that I had shifted my perspective and that I would be able to help you see the importance of shifting yours. I chose a tarot card that speaks to the need of forgiveness and the importance of moving out of the past into your future after you have forgiven yourself for giving in to, or staying inside the mindset of victim mentality. As you see in this particular rendition, three of the cups are spilled, but two remain. Not everything is lost. You are urged to take the experience that has caused you grief and turn it into something that blesses you, as in shifting your conscious from victim of war to architect of peace; for yourself and for others if you are guided to provide a larger service to humanity.
I feel my stomach roll whenever I see something on television that keeps us locked on the images of that horrible day because society lives with the belief that we are honoring those loved ones who were lost, as opposed to keeping us chained to the pain of their loss and chained to our government's arrogant judgement that says we have the right to do whatever makes America stronger on the world scene. Although the religious crusades began the struggle between our cultures, treating those countries with a lack of respect continued and escallated our part in the eventual 9-11 attack.
1. American business' have abused the resources in other countries without regard to fairness for the other party.
2. American government has undermined the governments of countries around the world that would be in opposition to our desire to see a democratic model of government around the world, but that implies that both their their people are not smart enough to have a workable government that looks nothing like democracy. I do truly understand that theocracy is a time-bomb, but the people of the country must come to that - and they have. Look at all the rebellions that have occured in 2010 to oust dictators from power! And this all happened after September 11th.
3. We say we want the peoples of these countries to be educated and have opportunities that will empower them, but we want our business interests to be part of that equation, so do other countries want to come in and stake a claim on the resources and cost of rebuilding.
Remember when I say "we" I am not speaking of the American people. I am speaking of a small percentage of Americans who are involved in global business, and are corrupting our politicians. We may have had noble ideas, but those quickly turned to self-serving manipulation of the countries in the middle east whose oil reserves are importance to us.
AND THEN THEY ATTACKED THE SYMBOLS OF OUR COUNTRY'S FINANCIAL STRENGTH, and our BELIEF THAT WE WERE UNASSAILABLE. Of course it was the extremist religious groups who plotted against us, but let me remind you that our hands are not clean either. Some of our own extremist churches have been working to undermine the Islamic holy places in Jerusalem by collecting money to rebuild the Temple of Solomon that is located on Islamic holy land.
So, what do you see from what I have written so far: too many of our countrymen are holding on to victimhood by hating the Islamic extremists, and blaming them exclusively for the attacks on our soil; and the citizens of America and its government are not acknowledging that we gave these extremists an opportunity to hate us. But there is something missing here. It is point number three: we aren't looking at the spiritual component that allowed this "world lesson" to happen in the first place.
Mr. Tipping says, "Peace/Love is the only antidote to the fear based consciousness that we now live in and participate in daily." How we get to that place depends upon our core belief's. My "antidote" is that we are all God-In-Action, indwelling and part of the Oneness of all that is. As long as I suffer, others suffer, and visa versa. I want to let go of my condemnation of both my country and the countries and leaders involved in the retaliatory strike against us. I want to accept that there is a Higher Order here that I might not be able to understand but that is leading us toward an opportunity to put aside the victim mentality and move into a co-operative and willing spirit of reconcilliation with our enemies.
Reconcilliation may be the biggest part of the equation, and by reconcilliation I do not mean that we should finance their governments efforts to rebuild their nations. We must all stand in our strength and determination to do our part to make the wholeness of the problem viable and healthy. We tried rebuilding infastructure for them, and the corruption on both sides ruined the opportunity to build better relations with our muslim brothers. I pray that the global community will contribute to the "peace efforts" that must come in order for us to save ourselves from future destruction. The time is now, not tomorrow.
1. We must accept that Middle Easterners are not wrong to resent our interference, they are soverign countries, and we stepped over the line, in many countries for many years. If we offer repentance it is a first step.
2. We must forgive ourselves for our part in sending the message to our politicians that violence is an acceptable option to get what we need for our self-gratification: more oil, more security for our citizens, more imported goods to feed our "consumerism mentality" without regard to the resources of the countries we import goods from. More importantly we are telling our legislatures that world peace shouldn't be our highest goal and that respect for others (their religion as well as cultural values) is only important if they go along with what we want to gain from an alliance with them.
3. We can let all of the religions of the world know that they do not have the right to claim superiority over another, that they act shamefully when they try to control the free choice of others who do not believe as they do. In order to co-exist on this planet we must seek respectful tolerance for our differences. Judgement is always a sign of weakness.
4. We can pass new laws that strengthen tolerance in the religious community. Yes we can! The seperation of "church and state" said that government cannot deny religious groups the right to assemble, or have one national religion to the exclusion of others. It did not give them the right to bully citizens and instigate legal change that deny Americans the right to make choices for themselves in moral matters. Nor did it give us the right to burn the holy books of others who also have the right to worship in this country where freedom is highly valued.
The very things that made our country strong in its early days is starting to contribute to the erosion of it because we, the majority of the citizens, are stuck in victimhood: poverty, abuse, illiteracy, hate crimes, and such are just a few of the ways we out-picture our core belief's. We can change that. But first we have to forgive everyone involved in any way with our staying in the role of victim. We will need to forgive ourselves for our part (great or small), make retribution possible within our communities, if possible by standing up for tolerance for everyone. We will need to understand why the "others" resented us and attacked us on September 11th, and we will need to let them know that we are sorry and want to be forgiven. Community out-reach from our side may start that effort rolling.
We must realize that although God-In-Action isn't always an easy process to live with, peace and love are worth more than gold. We must all play our part with one another; one time we are the Beloved Enemy (when trauma is created which needs forgiveness), or Noble Friend (one of Carolyn Myss' archetype). Peace will come when we accept that God doesn't choose sides. There is no one perfect religion for all of the people of our diverse world. Free choice is said to have been given to us by God. I say that free choice is an inheritance simply because we are born.
I'll let Colin Tipping sum it up for you, from page 69: "...the main principle underlying Radical Forgiveness is that without exception, everything that happens to us is Divinely guided, purposeful, and for our greater good."
That said, I will leave you to contemplate this service with the knowledge that I felt so much better after I did his worksheet entitled: "The Healing of America Project". Energy does follow thought. We live in a morphic field that affects everyone and every condition that exists - we call it Oneness. Sacred-science does reinforce the assumption that you cannot change one part of a hologram, or holo-field without affecting the entirety of it. Let's change the world for the better. Peace and Love is indwelling, you just have to allow yourself to own that you are already healed and magnificent. You , my friends, are God-In-Action, during a very challenging time on our planet.
You are welcome to submit your essay on the value of the belief's we espouse, or to tell us about your belief's and how they are working for you. I truly look forward to our readers blogging stories about their own sacred experiences as this helps build unity consciousness n the world.
As usual, I am sending you loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
I originally planned to use a personal story to demonstrate the importance of radical forgiveness, a concept developed by author Colin Tipping. Then I remembered that we are approaching the ten year anniversary of the Al Quida terrorist attack on American grounds. I don't know about you, but I have struggled to get over the shock of that day, although I have done a lot of forgiveness work to try and mitigate the pain.
It seems to me that the American Psyche has been terribly damaged even though we have, thanks to President Obama, been able to eliminate more threats from the terrorist leaders for the most part. The deaths of some of their top leaders has made them realize that we are not going to be such an easy target again, and that we exact what we call "justice" from those whom attack us. But, folks, the real truth of that day's event is one that may be hard for you to accept: both sides of the ensuing "revenge" wars are playing in a spiritual arena that is giving the leaders and people on both shores an opportunity to release the pain we have inflicted upon each other for thousands of years.
This is where the forgiveness concept gets radical. The following quote is from Radical Forgiveness: Making Room for the Miracle, page 45: "With traditional forgiveness the willingness to forgive is present but so is the residual need to condemn. Therefore victim consciousness is maintained and nothing changes. With radical forgiveness, the willingness to forgive is present but NOT the need to condemn. Therefore the victim consciousness is dropped, and everything changes."
I can recommend his website to you if you are deeply troubled about anything in your life that is holding you in victim mode. Just visit, www.radicalforgiveness.com I used a worksheet he has developed before I sat down to write this Sunday Service to make sure that I had shifted my perspective and that I would be able to help you see the importance of shifting yours. I chose a tarot card that speaks to the need of forgiveness and the importance of moving out of the past into your future after you have forgiven yourself for giving in to, or staying inside the mindset of victim mentality. As you see in this particular rendition, three of the cups are spilled, but two remain. Not everything is lost. You are urged to take the experience that has caused you grief and turn it into something that blesses you, as in shifting your conscious from victim of war to architect of peace; for yourself and for others if you are guided to provide a larger service to humanity.
I feel my stomach roll whenever I see something on television that keeps us locked on the images of that horrible day because society lives with the belief that we are honoring those loved ones who were lost, as opposed to keeping us chained to the pain of their loss and chained to our government's arrogant judgement that says we have the right to do whatever makes America stronger on the world scene. Although the religious crusades began the struggle between our cultures, treating those countries with a lack of respect continued and escallated our part in the eventual 9-11 attack.
1. American business' have abused the resources in other countries without regard to fairness for the other party.
2. American government has undermined the governments of countries around the world that would be in opposition to our desire to see a democratic model of government around the world, but that implies that both their their people are not smart enough to have a workable government that looks nothing like democracy. I do truly understand that theocracy is a time-bomb, but the people of the country must come to that - and they have. Look at all the rebellions that have occured in 2010 to oust dictators from power! And this all happened after September 11th.
3. We say we want the peoples of these countries to be educated and have opportunities that will empower them, but we want our business interests to be part of that equation, so do other countries want to come in and stake a claim on the resources and cost of rebuilding.
Remember when I say "we" I am not speaking of the American people. I am speaking of a small percentage of Americans who are involved in global business, and are corrupting our politicians. We may have had noble ideas, but those quickly turned to self-serving manipulation of the countries in the middle east whose oil reserves are importance to us.
AND THEN THEY ATTACKED THE SYMBOLS OF OUR COUNTRY'S FINANCIAL STRENGTH, and our BELIEF THAT WE WERE UNASSAILABLE. Of course it was the extremist religious groups who plotted against us, but let me remind you that our hands are not clean either. Some of our own extremist churches have been working to undermine the Islamic holy places in Jerusalem by collecting money to rebuild the Temple of Solomon that is located on Islamic holy land.
So, what do you see from what I have written so far: too many of our countrymen are holding on to victimhood by hating the Islamic extremists, and blaming them exclusively for the attacks on our soil; and the citizens of America and its government are not acknowledging that we gave these extremists an opportunity to hate us. But there is something missing here. It is point number three: we aren't looking at the spiritual component that allowed this "world lesson" to happen in the first place.
Mr. Tipping says, "Peace/Love is the only antidote to the fear based consciousness that we now live in and participate in daily." How we get to that place depends upon our core belief's. My "antidote" is that we are all God-In-Action, indwelling and part of the Oneness of all that is. As long as I suffer, others suffer, and visa versa. I want to let go of my condemnation of both my country and the countries and leaders involved in the retaliatory strike against us. I want to accept that there is a Higher Order here that I might not be able to understand but that is leading us toward an opportunity to put aside the victim mentality and move into a co-operative and willing spirit of reconcilliation with our enemies.
Reconcilliation may be the biggest part of the equation, and by reconcilliation I do not mean that we should finance their governments efforts to rebuild their nations. We must all stand in our strength and determination to do our part to make the wholeness of the problem viable and healthy. We tried rebuilding infastructure for them, and the corruption on both sides ruined the opportunity to build better relations with our muslim brothers. I pray that the global community will contribute to the "peace efforts" that must come in order for us to save ourselves from future destruction. The time is now, not tomorrow.
1. We must accept that Middle Easterners are not wrong to resent our interference, they are soverign countries, and we stepped over the line, in many countries for many years. If we offer repentance it is a first step.
2. We must forgive ourselves for our part in sending the message to our politicians that violence is an acceptable option to get what we need for our self-gratification: more oil, more security for our citizens, more imported goods to feed our "consumerism mentality" without regard to the resources of the countries we import goods from. More importantly we are telling our legislatures that world peace shouldn't be our highest goal and that respect for others (their religion as well as cultural values) is only important if they go along with what we want to gain from an alliance with them.
3. We can let all of the religions of the world know that they do not have the right to claim superiority over another, that they act shamefully when they try to control the free choice of others who do not believe as they do. In order to co-exist on this planet we must seek respectful tolerance for our differences. Judgement is always a sign of weakness.
4. We can pass new laws that strengthen tolerance in the religious community. Yes we can! The seperation of "church and state" said that government cannot deny religious groups the right to assemble, or have one national religion to the exclusion of others. It did not give them the right to bully citizens and instigate legal change that deny Americans the right to make choices for themselves in moral matters. Nor did it give us the right to burn the holy books of others who also have the right to worship in this country where freedom is highly valued.
The very things that made our country strong in its early days is starting to contribute to the erosion of it because we, the majority of the citizens, are stuck in victimhood: poverty, abuse, illiteracy, hate crimes, and such are just a few of the ways we out-picture our core belief's. We can change that. But first we have to forgive everyone involved in any way with our staying in the role of victim. We will need to forgive ourselves for our part (great or small), make retribution possible within our communities, if possible by standing up for tolerance for everyone. We will need to understand why the "others" resented us and attacked us on September 11th, and we will need to let them know that we are sorry and want to be forgiven. Community out-reach from our side may start that effort rolling.
We must realize that although God-In-Action isn't always an easy process to live with, peace and love are worth more than gold. We must all play our part with one another; one time we are the Beloved Enemy (when trauma is created which needs forgiveness), or Noble Friend (one of Carolyn Myss' archetype). Peace will come when we accept that God doesn't choose sides. There is no one perfect religion for all of the people of our diverse world. Free choice is said to have been given to us by God. I say that free choice is an inheritance simply because we are born.
I'll let Colin Tipping sum it up for you, from page 69: "...the main principle underlying Radical Forgiveness is that without exception, everything that happens to us is Divinely guided, purposeful, and for our greater good."
That said, I will leave you to contemplate this service with the knowledge that I felt so much better after I did his worksheet entitled: "The Healing of America Project". Energy does follow thought. We live in a morphic field that affects everyone and every condition that exists - we call it Oneness. Sacred-science does reinforce the assumption that you cannot change one part of a hologram, or holo-field without affecting the entirety of it. Let's change the world for the better. Peace and Love is indwelling, you just have to allow yourself to own that you are already healed and magnificent. You , my friends, are God-In-Action, during a very challenging time on our planet.
You are welcome to submit your essay on the value of the belief's we espouse, or to tell us about your belief's and how they are working for you. I truly look forward to our readers blogging stories about their own sacred experiences as this helps build unity consciousness n the world.
As usual, I am sending you loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
August 15, 2011
The following essay is presented by Oneness Trainer Rev. Brenda Cole Schmidt from Tulsa, OK. To contact her for further information you may call her at: 918-645-1590.
Introduction: Oneness consciousness is a part of New Thought Spirituality and Rev. John and I want you to be aware of groups who are also dedicated to Oneness Theory and Practice. There are many groups who incorporate Oneness Consciousness into their doctrine, and we are pleased to present this service to you. We hope you enjoy this essay presented to God-In-Action.org by Rev. Brenda Cole.
Oneness (DEEKSHA) Blessing
From the official Oneness University Website: http://www.onenessuniversity.org
© 2007 Oneness University
People visit places of power, People of power. Oneness Deeksha is a phenomenon of power. Man has been endeavoring to raze down the wall of mind that separates him from God or the Transcendental. Meditations, techniques, teachings and every form of effort to still thought, instead of leading him to the goal, have made it farther away. Sri Bhagavan says, "Thought cannot end thought; effort cannot end effort, the self cannot end itself". Every pursuit strengthens the pursuer and meditation the meditator. When you know that the effort is counterproductive, a new form of effort arises- the effort to stop all effort. Effort multiplies in an exponential ratio, effort, effort 2, effort 3. Thus numerous seekers fighting their battles with the mind have lost hope. A spiritual awakening calls for the outbreak of a massive phenomenon and 'Oneness Deeksha' is the response to that call.
It is 'God' or 'The Divine', now punching a hole on the wall for man to cross over.
'Oneness Deeksha' is based on an ancient principle that says, 'Anything could be transferred, be they states of consciousness, wisdom or energy'. In the Vedic lineage there is a story of a master who, enraged at his disciple, demanded that he return the wisdom imparted to him. The obedient disciple coughs out a 'golden ball of insights' bestowed by the master. The 'Pentecost' phenomenon where the apostles laid their hands and people had a plethora of experiences also testifies to the principle of transfer. In many eastern traditions 'Mantras' were used by the masters to transfer spiritual experiences and wisdom.
Oneness Deekshas by themselves have varied forms; the transfer by touch, transfer through an intent, etc. Based on the evolution of the individual (giver and the receiver) the mode of Oneness Deeksha undergoes a change.
Oneness Deeksha thus given affects a neuro-biological change. There are 16 centers in the brain responsible for definitive experiences like sensory perception, emotions of jealousy, hatred, fear, compassion, love, joy, separation, connectedness, creativity, learning, etc. Oneness Deeksha results in the activation of certain centers and the de-activation of certain centres bringing about a shift in the perception and experience of life. The process finally lands the seeker in a permanent, incredible state of consciousness.
A unique feature about this phenomenon is 'a Blessing given is also a Blessing received'. When you receive Oneness Deeksha, you are a beneficiary. That is well known - But when you give Oneness Deeksha, your spiritual process is accentuated to a great extent. You play a role of a helmsman who himself crosses the river rowing others ashore. Millions across the globe are partaking in divine grace through the form of Oneness Deeksha, that quenches everyone's thirst.
It is the convergence of man's passion and God's compassion.
Who can receive Oneness Deeksha?
Everyone can receive Oneness Deeksha. For people under 18, Oneness Deeksha will naturally bring about the flowering of intelligence and love. For those over 18, it will help initiate the process of ascending to a higher state of consciousness which naturally opens the door to increased healing and prosperity on every level.
Who can offer Oneness Deeksha to others?
Oneness Deeksha can be transferred by anyone who has received the transmission and training during the special 21 Day Process in India. The Oneness Facilitator then works, as an empty vessel, for the energy to transfer to the receiver.
Does Oneness Deeksha belong to any particular religion or belief?
Oneness Deeksha does not belong to any religion, nor any particular belief or spiritual path. Oneness Deeksha is given each day to people all over the world, people of all races, all religions, all spiritual beliefs or no spiritual beliefs, and to people of all nationalities. It is not necessary to change one's religion, nor adopt a new guru or spiritual master to receive Oneness Deeksha - nor to offer Oneness Deeksha to others.
Why has Oneness Deeksha come at this time?
Our planet, and all of humanity, is currently undergoing a major evolutionary transformation. This is impacting our environment, our social structures, and our individual and collective consciousness. The twin avatars Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma have been Divinely sent to help us with this transformation, offering Full Awakening to the masses for the first time in thousands of years. In a very short time we will witness all of humanity shift into what is being called The Golden Age of Enlightenment.
Can all of humanity really make this shift?
Yes. According to Sri Bhagavan it is necessary for only 0.001% of the world's population to become Awakened. That is approximately 64,000 people. Once this happens the collective consciousness will be so greatly affected as to cause people the world over to also Awaken to Oneness.
Official Website in India:
http://www.onenessuniversity.org
The following essay is presented by Oneness Trainer Rev. Brenda Cole Schmidt from Tulsa, OK. To contact her for further information you may call her at: 918-645-1590.
Introduction: Oneness consciousness is a part of New Thought Spirituality and Rev. John and I want you to be aware of groups who are also dedicated to Oneness Theory and Practice. There are many groups who incorporate Oneness Consciousness into their doctrine, and we are pleased to present this service to you. We hope you enjoy this essay presented to God-In-Action.org by Rev. Brenda Cole.
Oneness (DEEKSHA) Blessing
From the official Oneness University Website: http://www.onenessuniversity.org
© 2007 Oneness University
People visit places of power, People of power. Oneness Deeksha is a phenomenon of power. Man has been endeavoring to raze down the wall of mind that separates him from God or the Transcendental. Meditations, techniques, teachings and every form of effort to still thought, instead of leading him to the goal, have made it farther away. Sri Bhagavan says, "Thought cannot end thought; effort cannot end effort, the self cannot end itself". Every pursuit strengthens the pursuer and meditation the meditator. When you know that the effort is counterproductive, a new form of effort arises- the effort to stop all effort. Effort multiplies in an exponential ratio, effort, effort 2, effort 3. Thus numerous seekers fighting their battles with the mind have lost hope. A spiritual awakening calls for the outbreak of a massive phenomenon and 'Oneness Deeksha' is the response to that call.
It is 'God' or 'The Divine', now punching a hole on the wall for man to cross over.
'Oneness Deeksha' is based on an ancient principle that says, 'Anything could be transferred, be they states of consciousness, wisdom or energy'. In the Vedic lineage there is a story of a master who, enraged at his disciple, demanded that he return the wisdom imparted to him. The obedient disciple coughs out a 'golden ball of insights' bestowed by the master. The 'Pentecost' phenomenon where the apostles laid their hands and people had a plethora of experiences also testifies to the principle of transfer. In many eastern traditions 'Mantras' were used by the masters to transfer spiritual experiences and wisdom.
Oneness Deekshas by themselves have varied forms; the transfer by touch, transfer through an intent, etc. Based on the evolution of the individual (giver and the receiver) the mode of Oneness Deeksha undergoes a change.
Oneness Deeksha thus given affects a neuro-biological change. There are 16 centers in the brain responsible for definitive experiences like sensory perception, emotions of jealousy, hatred, fear, compassion, love, joy, separation, connectedness, creativity, learning, etc. Oneness Deeksha results in the activation of certain centers and the de-activation of certain centres bringing about a shift in the perception and experience of life. The process finally lands the seeker in a permanent, incredible state of consciousness.
A unique feature about this phenomenon is 'a Blessing given is also a Blessing received'. When you receive Oneness Deeksha, you are a beneficiary. That is well known - But when you give Oneness Deeksha, your spiritual process is accentuated to a great extent. You play a role of a helmsman who himself crosses the river rowing others ashore. Millions across the globe are partaking in divine grace through the form of Oneness Deeksha, that quenches everyone's thirst.
It is the convergence of man's passion and God's compassion.
Who can receive Oneness Deeksha?
Everyone can receive Oneness Deeksha. For people under 18, Oneness Deeksha will naturally bring about the flowering of intelligence and love. For those over 18, it will help initiate the process of ascending to a higher state of consciousness which naturally opens the door to increased healing and prosperity on every level.
Who can offer Oneness Deeksha to others?
Oneness Deeksha can be transferred by anyone who has received the transmission and training during the special 21 Day Process in India. The Oneness Facilitator then works, as an empty vessel, for the energy to transfer to the receiver.
Does Oneness Deeksha belong to any particular religion or belief?
Oneness Deeksha does not belong to any religion, nor any particular belief or spiritual path. Oneness Deeksha is given each day to people all over the world, people of all races, all religions, all spiritual beliefs or no spiritual beliefs, and to people of all nationalities. It is not necessary to change one's religion, nor adopt a new guru or spiritual master to receive Oneness Deeksha - nor to offer Oneness Deeksha to others.
Why has Oneness Deeksha come at this time?
Our planet, and all of humanity, is currently undergoing a major evolutionary transformation. This is impacting our environment, our social structures, and our individual and collective consciousness. The twin avatars Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma have been Divinely sent to help us with this transformation, offering Full Awakening to the masses for the first time in thousands of years. In a very short time we will witness all of humanity shift into what is being called The Golden Age of Enlightenment.
Can all of humanity really make this shift?
Yes. According to Sri Bhagavan it is necessary for only 0.001% of the world's population to become Awakened. That is approximately 64,000 people. Once this happens the collective consciousness will be so greatly affected as to cause people the world over to also Awaken to Oneness.
Official Website in India:
http://www.onenessuniversity.org
God: The Ultimate Thought Form, PART III
August 1, 2011
I was sitting on the side of a mountain one day and as I breathed in I felt a new peace flow through me. As I continued to sit in the quiet, the breeze blew around me and the smell of summer in high country bathed my senses - until I felt a stirring deep in my conscious mind. I knew in that moment that I was “one” with everything that I could experience with my senses. This thought felt so true to me that I sat with it for the rest of my trip. I began to put together the pieces of what I had been taught, and what I had been teaching myself during the first 30 years of my life. Those pieces led me to the knowledge that New Thought Ministries around the world accept as our North Star. We are all God immanent, in-dwelling.
Even though there is tremendous strife in the world, at the core of it all is this one knowingness: the blueprint of everything in existence started out in perfection of structure. Think of our bodies and how complex the individual components are, and yet the body works in such a way that we are amazed at its natural perfection.
We may have come from the primordial seas, or we may have been evolving with the help of ancient aliens whose purpose we may never know. We may accept that we are the thought form of a Creator God with a majesty and power that we cannot even grasp, much less explain. Of course, the Bible may be accurate in that God blew the breath of life (animation) into us. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say!
Lastly, some of us may not care how humanity came to be. We are content to live each day and deal with what comes our way. But, if you are one of the millions of people on earth who are not satisfied with life and what they see it around them as “reality”, then I challenge you to take your own next step. Go on the inward journey that brings to you a clarity of mind, emotions and loving compassion that your world is literally changed by the single thought that you are God-in-Action, everyday, every waking and sleeping moment.
We will stay, in this service, in the middle ground of all of these possibilities because one path leads you to another and to another until you eventually get to your own “aha” moment about who you really, really are. Believe what you believe now until you are prompted to change your mind. It is because it is important for us to refine our point of view at the end of the day that we will look first at the mind, and archetypes to understand how the big God Thought-Form and us, the little God-Thought-Form in action are ONE.
Life is a learning process. At first it is slower as we experience the building blocks of reason. As we advance and use more of the brain, we incorporate creative problem solving and genius springs forth in certain individuals. Just so is the knowingness that we are all part of one great thought: let there be life. Perhaps God was on the sidelines saying, “They’ll sort it out in the end…” Perhaps not. Perhaps we have only been dreaming our lives – “am I the butterfly dreaming that I am a man or a man dreaming that I am a butterfly?” asked Chuang Tzu, a Taoist teacher (389-286BC). So, now I ask you “are you the Archetype of God made manifest in human form”?
Remember the popularity of exploring the expanded Jungian world of archetypes as a means to achieve personal growth and success in life? We hoped to gain insight into what our talents and personality traits might mean to us in the choosing of a new career, or the choice of a certification program that would let us work in the metaphysical arena. By identifying our archetype of expression, for instance, we could explore our strengths and weaknesses in how we present ourselves to others. We could research new job opportunities that would better match our self-identification and skills sets. But what we may not have realized was that once we opened up the conscious mind’s door to the mystery of the sub-conscious, the floods of change would set us free.
Some people began the work with Carolyn Myss- we considered her book “Sacred Contracts” the guide we needed in order to “Awaken our Divine Potential”. If we were energy workers we might have used Ambika Wauters book, “Chakras and their Archetypes”. I worked with the Ascension Series of books by Dr. Joshua David Stone (1953-2005) whose interpretation of spiritual archetypes: “Twelve Archetype Initiation” I found helpful. I agree with those who say that working with your archetypes benefits your spiritual growth. I know myself to be Cassandra, Goddess in Action because of my own work in this area.
When mystics in the 1970s-1980s began to explore their spirit guides and teachers many of them, like me, had First Peoples as helpers or totem animal guides. I have a friend who sees her guides as characters from the fairy tales she has loved and grown up reading. My own archetypal work helped me understand that this life is my spiritual realization lifetime.
My mystical experiences started when I was 9 years old. All of the change that has occurred in my life, from violent date rape to years of isolated loneliness, through 14 frustrating years in my chosen job vocation, rental management, helped me put into perspective just who I am and who I am not. I was able to engage lessons that helped me learn to cut myself free of negative patterns of thought and action that truly did not serve me anymore.
If we are able to tap into our true nature, then it is easier to live an authentic life, the only life that will bring happiness. But, what is our true nature? And, how do you get to the center of the little self to tap into the power of the Divine Self?
You might ask what Divine Archetype your true nature might be.
My understanding of the answer for all of us is this: we are all God-In-Action. We are the little gods and goddesses that come from the Divine thought-form named humanity. We come from the heart of Creation. We are star material. Our consciousness is linked to the intelligence of God in some unknowable way; unproven at the moment.
Sacred-Science will advance our understanding of how this has all come to be – one day. And in the meantime we can feel confident that the majority of people living on the planet feel a compelling need to connect to a Divine Source. There is an emptiness that prompts all of us to connect or reconnect to something that we can relate to in others. We don’t want to be alone in an alienated world.
The bigger truth, however, is that God needed to create the opportunity for life on our planet so that we could experience the gamut of human emotions that help us move ever closer to our Divine Nature within. Otherwise, “humanity” might have been a failed experiment. Soon, we will have a better understanding of what our destiny is becoming.
There is too much energy swirling around the planet, too much pain and suffering, killing and terrorism manifesting now for this not to be the approach of a dynamic cycle of change. We each have to decide which camp we will join when it comes to the 2012 scenario, but I am seeing it as a great opportunity for humanity to say “enough is enough”, it is time to forgive and seek forgiveness for our fear driven action against each other in thought, word, and deed.
God may not need us to succeed in attaining knowledge of our connection to our Divine Nature, but we need to acknowledge that we are the magnificent potential of God’s manifestation that operates from a tenant of free choice; in experience. Once we own that we are self sabotaging ourselves with limited thinking and feeling, we can change the way we self identify. So how about this: think of yourself as the son or daughter of a God who is the cosmic cheerleader urging you to become the best that you can be by living from your true nature, your God Nature, on a daily basis. I’m chuckling as I write this down, I can hear God Almighty’s voice cheering: “2,4,6,8, Who do I appreciate? Humanity! Humanity! Humanity”
There is no better than- or less than-mentality in the spirit driven life. There is no judgment because you are only interested in becoming the most magnificent person you can be! Not, my friends, because your ego needs to be recognized by others, but because you shift your goals to include yourself as part of everyone else. Now, you will want to help others. And, because you are manifesting love in your life, you are also the blessing of love in the lives of others around you. That is the first message you will receive from the core of your true nature, your Divine Nature. You are God, indwelling. When you start to live from that place of love and compassion you begin to accelerate your earthbound lifetime. So the message in today’s Service is this: If God is the Ultimate Thought-Form, and you are made FROM the intelligence of God-In-Action, doesn’t that make your potential for personal growth a fantastic certainty?
So say it with me now: I am God, Indwelling. I am everything I need to be and know to live a life of loving joy and service to all that is.
When you acknowledge that society’s rules and thought-forms of fear-choked pain and depressive creating are not natural to your true nature, you are beginning to change your perspective to allow freedom; the type of freedom that comes when we each take responsibility for our own actions.
We are usually just reacting to the energetic turbulence around us on a daily basis. We can learn skills to help us become stronger at resisting the energies that drag us down. God didn’t build failure into our DNA. Failure is a judgment you make upon yourself. Isn’t it time to set yourself free?
You are welcome to submit an essay to appear on this website – just go to the top of the Service page and look for the Blog & Submit Essay button. If you are new to this site you may want to review the archives from 2010 services. We look forward to hearing from our readers. In July we had 7000 + hits to God-In-Action.org
As always, I send you loving good will for today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
P.S. I'm also cheering you on with this cheer: " 2,4,6,8, who will save the world today? You will! You will! You will!
GOD: THE ULTIMATE THOUGHT FORM, PART II
July 15, 2011
The subject of this Service may take time to fully develop so that we all have a deeper understanding of the magnificence that we truly are. We usually keep our Divinity a secret from ourselves until we are ready to take responsibility for our unfolding destiny. The simple thought-form that Creator God exists within us – and every form of life – is often the beginning of our Soulful empowerment. However, it is also true that we sometimes create situations that bring us to our knees in order for us to love ourselves enough to get back up again.
Each of us will use thought-forms to our advantage during our lives. I do not add the word disadvantage to this concept because I now understand that everything we experience is an opportunity to evolve mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. And, I also acknowledge that sometimes we just can’t get up. Thankfully, there is always another opportunity for us to proceed towards our Soulful Evolution. It is called reincarnation.
You can agree with my evaluations of the experiences I share with you which have led me to my world-view, or not. I am at peace with your choice because I don’t need validation from outside of myself anymore. When I truly got the God indwelling thing, I identified with a natural alignment that happens: body, mind, feelings and spirituality quit fighting with each other; and this insight helps continue to move us into a deeper, authentic connection with all that exists.
I became more liberated. That is what I wish for you. The thought-forms that we are a slave to are useful to us, so do not be afraid if you can help it. They can set us free or we wouldn’t believe them. This also includes the thought-forms about advanced spirituality. If we continue to live in judgment we will discover that everything we think we know is only a small part of the truth; skewed. We are evolving as a species. Part of that process means that we are always moving toward a reconnection with the oneness of all that exists. And another part means that we are changing what has manifested as "reality". We are dissolving the powerful thought-forms that have been humanity's previous reality.
Have you noticed how many times in your life you have changed your mind about something because you got more information and insight into both the macro and micro view of the subject? That is what is happening with humanity’s “Collective Thought-Forms” right now. Off stage God is saying, “Camera’s ready- action!” All of us are participating in a paradigm shift to release old belief’s that actually continue to subjugate us to fear.
One might say the movie of humanity’s karma is being re-written, by us. What we have created over time is now ready to be reviewed individually. A movement has been growing for two centuries that has held the door open for us to experience ourselves as sacred beings – interconnected, living in a new paradigm of harmony. We simply call it oneness spirituality as opposed to religion.
Because we all buy into some of society’s created belief’s we have lessons that manifest around the shifting of our consciousness to allow for less or more alignment with this newer thought-form. I believe the blue-print for mankind is meant to be more sacred and that when we acknowledge this, we are compelled to find answers to questions we didn’t even know we had! A light bulb goes on and we are never in the dark again. (Truthfully, we were never in the dark but that’s another service.) We are at a tipping point of opportunity in which we can help each other as we are awakening.
If you have reached a point in your life where you are tired of being told you aren’t worthy of a wonderful life because you don’t fit into a narrow band of society- smile and feel the love of what we call God flowing through your veins. You are God made manifest in your body. If you are exhausted each night because the fear and tension in your body is weakening your health, change your thought about your body to include “I am God-In-Action through every cell of my body”. And if you are afraid to admit that you do not share the beliefs of your friends and family, take a deep breath and touch your heart. Here is the intelligence of God pumping through your body, flowing through your brain and empowering you with the energy you need to break free of the fear that has held you hostage. Breaking away from the suppressive thought-forms created by society is never easy, but it is essential if you want to live your life fully.
Since Rev. John and I started our website we have not heard from anyone on their point of view about God indwelling, Oneness consciousness, or essays from your lives about your journey into reclaiming your God Nature. We hope this will change as we are approaching our 1 year anniversary of establishing this website; but whatever the outcome, we are here just as millions of others are here for each other. We are all part of a whole that is already enlightened and functioning on a level that we cannot yet dream of.
To paraphrase Herman Kuhn, a Jainist author on the subject of Karma (see Services in December, 2010) we already have the answers we seek – everything we need to know exists on the periphery of our consciousness. When you are ready for the insight, it will manifest.
Happy manifesting!
I send you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
July 15, 2011
The subject of this Service may take time to fully develop so that we all have a deeper understanding of the magnificence that we truly are. We usually keep our Divinity a secret from ourselves until we are ready to take responsibility for our unfolding destiny. The simple thought-form that Creator God exists within us – and every form of life – is often the beginning of our Soulful empowerment. However, it is also true that we sometimes create situations that bring us to our knees in order for us to love ourselves enough to get back up again.
Each of us will use thought-forms to our advantage during our lives. I do not add the word disadvantage to this concept because I now understand that everything we experience is an opportunity to evolve mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. And, I also acknowledge that sometimes we just can’t get up. Thankfully, there is always another opportunity for us to proceed towards our Soulful Evolution. It is called reincarnation.
You can agree with my evaluations of the experiences I share with you which have led me to my world-view, or not. I am at peace with your choice because I don’t need validation from outside of myself anymore. When I truly got the God indwelling thing, I identified with a natural alignment that happens: body, mind, feelings and spirituality quit fighting with each other; and this insight helps continue to move us into a deeper, authentic connection with all that exists.
I became more liberated. That is what I wish for you. The thought-forms that we are a slave to are useful to us, so do not be afraid if you can help it. They can set us free or we wouldn’t believe them. This also includes the thought-forms about advanced spirituality. If we continue to live in judgment we will discover that everything we think we know is only a small part of the truth; skewed. We are evolving as a species. Part of that process means that we are always moving toward a reconnection with the oneness of all that exists. And another part means that we are changing what has manifested as "reality". We are dissolving the powerful thought-forms that have been humanity's previous reality.
Have you noticed how many times in your life you have changed your mind about something because you got more information and insight into both the macro and micro view of the subject? That is what is happening with humanity’s “Collective Thought-Forms” right now. Off stage God is saying, “Camera’s ready- action!” All of us are participating in a paradigm shift to release old belief’s that actually continue to subjugate us to fear.
One might say the movie of humanity’s karma is being re-written, by us. What we have created over time is now ready to be reviewed individually. A movement has been growing for two centuries that has held the door open for us to experience ourselves as sacred beings – interconnected, living in a new paradigm of harmony. We simply call it oneness spirituality as opposed to religion.
Because we all buy into some of society’s created belief’s we have lessons that manifest around the shifting of our consciousness to allow for less or more alignment with this newer thought-form. I believe the blue-print for mankind is meant to be more sacred and that when we acknowledge this, we are compelled to find answers to questions we didn’t even know we had! A light bulb goes on and we are never in the dark again. (Truthfully, we were never in the dark but that’s another service.) We are at a tipping point of opportunity in which we can help each other as we are awakening.
If you have reached a point in your life where you are tired of being told you aren’t worthy of a wonderful life because you don’t fit into a narrow band of society- smile and feel the love of what we call God flowing through your veins. You are God made manifest in your body. If you are exhausted each night because the fear and tension in your body is weakening your health, change your thought about your body to include “I am God-In-Action through every cell of my body”. And if you are afraid to admit that you do not share the beliefs of your friends and family, take a deep breath and touch your heart. Here is the intelligence of God pumping through your body, flowing through your brain and empowering you with the energy you need to break free of the fear that has held you hostage. Breaking away from the suppressive thought-forms created by society is never easy, but it is essential if you want to live your life fully.
Since Rev. John and I started our website we have not heard from anyone on their point of view about God indwelling, Oneness consciousness, or essays from your lives about your journey into reclaiming your God Nature. We hope this will change as we are approaching our 1 year anniversary of establishing this website; but whatever the outcome, we are here just as millions of others are here for each other. We are all part of a whole that is already enlightened and functioning on a level that we cannot yet dream of.
To paraphrase Herman Kuhn, a Jainist author on the subject of Karma (see Services in December, 2010) we already have the answers we seek – everything we need to know exists on the periphery of our consciousness. When you are ready for the insight, it will manifest.
Happy manifesting!
I send you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
God: The Ultimate Thought Form- Part I
July 2, 2011
We have been exploring the power of collectively created thought-forms; how they influence society and how we are influenced by them. First we reviewed our human preoccupation with fear and how we create various types of thought-forms that continue to influence us until we come to a time in our lives when we are ready to take back the power we have fed them.
Thought-forms are voracious and powerful only when we continue to believe they have power over us. Since I am not a proponent of abdicating free will to anything or anyone else, I have taken the position that my innate God Nature is stronger than any thought form that exists in the 4th and 5th dimension.
I suspect this applies to the other dimensions as well, but I am only willing to talk about what I have personally experienced. So now let's consider our concept of God and try to better understand why so many thought-forms have evolved around the concept of a singular creator diety that are as different as night and day. Karen Armstrong, author of The History of God, will start us off on our journey with this simple statement, " ...my study of the history of religion has revealed that human beings are spiritual animals. Indeed, there is a case for arguing that Homo sapiens is also Homo religiosus." I suspect that worship came early in mankind's evolution because life was often brutal and early man looked to appease, somehow, the nature gods and goddess they mystically "felt" around them, or created because they needed not to feel alone in the world. Armstrong's book is basically about the three main religions, whereas our site is interested in all religions. And, for the purpose of understanding the diverse thought-forms of God we need to be able to look around the world.
Because I am not an expert on world religions I will touch on other religions lightly, with a respectful hand. Let us start with a simple thought that the majority of world religions share: God is great, and we are small by comparison. This simple statement says that God is something we are not and can never be. All religions of which I am aware have, in their early stages, held this separation value. With maturity and evolution we begin to realize that God is not the enemy, but rather the source of evolution into enlightenment. However, we are talking about a few basic God-based thought-forms that have been built into most religious cosmology. If we do the math this means that this one statement is a global thought-form which makes it very powerful indeed. Unless we are able to shift our paradigm to change the statement thusly, God is Great and God dwells within me so that I, too, am part of this Divinity; we continue to reinforce that humanity is basically a failure and will never amount to much.
Another global thought form would be: God can punish us anytime it feels like it and we have no power to stop it. To survive, we must appease our Gods. This is the root of suffering and anguish. Religions that still have laws that must be obeyed because otherwise God will abandon them or destroy humanity are fear-based examples of the mind-set of our ancient forefathers. It is true that during wars many religious sects lost temples, treasure, etc. to the invading enemy to which they said "what have we done, oh lord? to displease you so!". It was as if deep within the psyche was the thought that if we do what we're told our parent god will protect us, we will thrive and live forever.
It is the 21st century and we know this is an immature thought. We have created much suffering in the world, and we have shared love with strangers who are in desparate need because of a natural disaster. God caused neither of these things, it is part of the cycle of nature and part of the psyche of humanity. You see, we are God made manifest in this world and we cannot help but do good works some of the time. The only question is are we doing them for the right reason. Are we appeasing a God that we are secretly still afraid of, or are we working from the power of creation within us that never fails to illumine, heal and supply us and those we touch? We are creators, friends, especially when it comes to our thoughts, words and deeds. If we do not take responsibility for what we are creating we delay the big payoff - peace of mind and spirit. I think that when we strip away the rules and regulations that the leaders of certain religious sects have decreed we will discover that it is allright for people to come to God, or not, in their own way. We each have an instinct that is attempting to bring us back into the heart of God and out of the mind of man, whose success rate to date is abysmal. Part of this journey will surely include forgiveness and reconcilliation with those we have affected negatively in our lives, so let's get on with it. Let's use our imagination and fight those dastardly thought forms that we have created so that we can be free of them and get on with the job of evolving.
I like to use affirmations because I can say them any way I want to, I can use my imagination to create a whole story about how the world will be a better place when we release ourselves from the chains of our egos and the histories of our forefathers. It's a brave new day and it is yours to create. Start any way you are comfortable. Last week I gave you one; "Everyone has everything they need". This is a good one to overcome fear of all types. Now that we are talking about the God Thought Forms I would offer this one for your consideration: I am God indwelling, and can never fail to illumine, heal and supply myself with love. As you recognize that you are sacred, you begin to act in a sacred manner and all life responds to love, compassion and respect. Respect yourself and remember that you are God-In-Action and you are helping the rest of us break down those beastly thought forms that have choked the astral plane for so many millenium. Go get em, team!
As usual, you are welcome to dialogue on the blog page or submit an essay on your thoughts about our services and Oneness in general. I am sending you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
We have been exploring the power of collectively created thought-forms; how they influence society and how we are influenced by them. First we reviewed our human preoccupation with fear and how we create various types of thought-forms that continue to influence us until we come to a time in our lives when we are ready to take back the power we have fed them.
Thought-forms are voracious and powerful only when we continue to believe they have power over us. Since I am not a proponent of abdicating free will to anything or anyone else, I have taken the position that my innate God Nature is stronger than any thought form that exists in the 4th and 5th dimension.
I suspect this applies to the other dimensions as well, but I am only willing to talk about what I have personally experienced. So now let's consider our concept of God and try to better understand why so many thought-forms have evolved around the concept of a singular creator diety that are as different as night and day. Karen Armstrong, author of The History of God, will start us off on our journey with this simple statement, " ...my study of the history of religion has revealed that human beings are spiritual animals. Indeed, there is a case for arguing that Homo sapiens is also Homo religiosus." I suspect that worship came early in mankind's evolution because life was often brutal and early man looked to appease, somehow, the nature gods and goddess they mystically "felt" around them, or created because they needed not to feel alone in the world. Armstrong's book is basically about the three main religions, whereas our site is interested in all religions. And, for the purpose of understanding the diverse thought-forms of God we need to be able to look around the world.
Because I am not an expert on world religions I will touch on other religions lightly, with a respectful hand. Let us start with a simple thought that the majority of world religions share: God is great, and we are small by comparison. This simple statement says that God is something we are not and can never be. All religions of which I am aware have, in their early stages, held this separation value. With maturity and evolution we begin to realize that God is not the enemy, but rather the source of evolution into enlightenment. However, we are talking about a few basic God-based thought-forms that have been built into most religious cosmology. If we do the math this means that this one statement is a global thought-form which makes it very powerful indeed. Unless we are able to shift our paradigm to change the statement thusly, God is Great and God dwells within me so that I, too, am part of this Divinity; we continue to reinforce that humanity is basically a failure and will never amount to much.
Another global thought form would be: God can punish us anytime it feels like it and we have no power to stop it. To survive, we must appease our Gods. This is the root of suffering and anguish. Religions that still have laws that must be obeyed because otherwise God will abandon them or destroy humanity are fear-based examples of the mind-set of our ancient forefathers. It is true that during wars many religious sects lost temples, treasure, etc. to the invading enemy to which they said "what have we done, oh lord? to displease you so!". It was as if deep within the psyche was the thought that if we do what we're told our parent god will protect us, we will thrive and live forever.
It is the 21st century and we know this is an immature thought. We have created much suffering in the world, and we have shared love with strangers who are in desparate need because of a natural disaster. God caused neither of these things, it is part of the cycle of nature and part of the psyche of humanity. You see, we are God made manifest in this world and we cannot help but do good works some of the time. The only question is are we doing them for the right reason. Are we appeasing a God that we are secretly still afraid of, or are we working from the power of creation within us that never fails to illumine, heal and supply us and those we touch? We are creators, friends, especially when it comes to our thoughts, words and deeds. If we do not take responsibility for what we are creating we delay the big payoff - peace of mind and spirit. I think that when we strip away the rules and regulations that the leaders of certain religious sects have decreed we will discover that it is allright for people to come to God, or not, in their own way. We each have an instinct that is attempting to bring us back into the heart of God and out of the mind of man, whose success rate to date is abysmal. Part of this journey will surely include forgiveness and reconcilliation with those we have affected negatively in our lives, so let's get on with it. Let's use our imagination and fight those dastardly thought forms that we have created so that we can be free of them and get on with the job of evolving.
I like to use affirmations because I can say them any way I want to, I can use my imagination to create a whole story about how the world will be a better place when we release ourselves from the chains of our egos and the histories of our forefathers. It's a brave new day and it is yours to create. Start any way you are comfortable. Last week I gave you one; "Everyone has everything they need". This is a good one to overcome fear of all types. Now that we are talking about the God Thought Forms I would offer this one for your consideration: I am God indwelling, and can never fail to illumine, heal and supply myself with love. As you recognize that you are sacred, you begin to act in a sacred manner and all life responds to love, compassion and respect. Respect yourself and remember that you are God-In-Action and you are helping the rest of us break down those beastly thought forms that have choked the astral plane for so many millenium. Go get em, team!
As usual, you are welcome to dialogue on the blog page or submit an essay on your thoughts about our services and Oneness in general. I am sending you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
Ancient Monsters vs Today's Monster Thought-Forms
June 15, 2011
Mythology is full of stories about the monsters of olden days, and the heros who slay them. Yet I wonder if we have forgotten that those monsters are the same "energies" as the ones that exist in the 3rd dimension today. In ancient times the dragon was a flesh eater who destroyed crops. Why was this so horrible an event in ancient times? Because without crops, and animals for food, sale or sacrifice to the Gods people starved and were poorer; or as some believed, cursed. Fear for survival was powerful in the psyche of the early humans because life was rarely easy for our ancestors. So, the dragon is an often cited monster in mythology. There were others like the cyclops, sphinx, minotaru, the water monsters that are described like dinosaurs but with multiple heads that grew back when cut off, or the magician and witch who wrecked havoc in communities around the early superstitious world. But they were all fear monsters based upon survival issues.
Now I want to ask you to consider something about these monsters. Life was wilder then, and if one was vigilant and watchful all of the time, less likely was there to be a premature death. So on the one hand the fear associated with survival was healthy; whereas the fear of mankind's thoughtforms were very unhealthy because they created a divide between people in a family or a community, which was the strength of survival in those times. For instance, a thought form like "I don't have enough so I must take from someone else", or "My bad luck is because someone has put a curse on me" began to grow, or be fed by thousands of people when weather patterns were tough and food or survival iffy because of maurading tribes.
If you believe that you don't have enough to exist without pain and suffering, you will become desperate and act in a desperate manner. Whereas if early man had stuck together and helped one another within their communities you would always have known you could rely upon the community's survival to take care of everyone. The whole group would have been stronger because they acted for the benefit of everyone.
Even if mauraders came and destroyed your village, those who survived could become part of another community, even if at first they were hauled off as slaves. Grim, yes, but survival required individuals to work hard in order to be fed and to have shelter. As a slave, at least you had hope that some day you could be free.
We know the shame of owning slaves in this country and from that horrid practice eventually came the Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of a new society based upon equality. We cannot claim that we have reached the 100% mark of social justice, but we continue to strive to help one another with a hand up when troubles might otherwise drive people to desperation.
We are to idle as a species because we don't spend that much time in survival mode. This allows us to use our time by being entertained: stories and movies based upon negative emotional responses for the most part. This, too, feeds the thought forms of fear, male domination over women instead of equality, humor based upon the lowest IQ of its characters and reality shows on TV that encourage bad manners and selfish behavior because the producers believe that's what we want to see. And, they may be right. Today our youth seems to thrive on the excitement that fear generates, as in extreme sports or scary movies. So many people today live in a fantacy world where they are heros and heroines in the media games that are so popular. In the olden times you actually acted nobly to become a hero. Who are our heros today?
Obviously our military protects us from the fearful realilty of the 21st century which includes terrible cruelty, terrorism, war and torture. Civil Police and Firefighters have their jobs cut out for them when every day we hear about another psychotic killer, or home grown terrorist who has set fire to a public building. Then we have the fringe-reality anarchists who are prepared to start a revolution because they don't like our government. Me, I'll take the peaceful path by voting and writing letters to the people we elect to power, but as you can see by those I've pointed out to you, these are just a few fears of modern man. Oh, I forgot about the worry that our planet is finally turning against us because we polluted the environment to such a degree that it is not going to be reversable within my lifetime! Our society may have tipped the point from nobility to stupidity but I just can't stand by and let that become my own reality. If I don't take a stand and refuse to feed the thought forms that are the monsters of the 21st century, there is no hope for my sanity.
Nowadays we have more complicated thought forms that are built around religions than in the early days when Pagans practiced rituals that were meant to keep the earth in good harmony with the people. Today we frequently hear things like "God loves us more than them", we are the "chosen people", "our religion is meant to be the only world wide religion." These are all thought forms that have been building in power over the millenium. And they are all "separation" thought forms that divide us instead of bring us back into the oneness of communal harmony.
As Rev. John and I know, we are all God, indwelling. No one has the only interpretation of what God is or isn't, what it wants or doesn't want from humanity, etc. For us we do not spend any time worrying about the so called "end times": of humanity, of the world, of our own lives. We believe that we will be reborn in another life form, maybe on another world, and have another chance to fully realize our God Nature. It is easier for me to do this because I no longer empower the thought forms that used to bring me such grief in my life. In the 1980s I worried alot about survival. My solution was to live minimally so that I did not have to slave in a corporate environment. This might not be your solution. Maybe you are the best CEO your company has ever known. Maybe survival isn't your issue, but you have health concerns that terrify you because you aren't ready to die yet. We all have struggles that visit us so that we can make the choice to feed or starve the thought-form of fear.
I struggle less with fear than every before in my life, but that doesn't mean that I don't still have an occasional visit from the fear monster. When that happens, I turn to the truth as I know it: I am God made manifest and I can choose to handle this situation in a more positive manner so that fear doesn't get the best of me.
Now to my last word on this topic. THE GREEN LANTERN is opening in theatres soon and there are many examples of powerful monster "thought-forms" from what I've heard. Get your kids and friends to see it and let me know how many thought-forms you can name during the movie that take form and become real - something the hero has to overcome! In my day GHOST BUSTERS was a funny version of the thought-form monsters but even I know that's to dated to recommend to you, ha! Our lives are really like the movies, folks. We make up these fantastic adventures that include monsters and evil-doers so that we can either become heros and heroines and destroy them all - or as I like to say I'd rather "love them into happiness". Choice is powerful. Feed the monster or starve it.
As usual, you are welcome to submit your thoughts on our services and tell us your own experiences with the concepts that are outlined on our home page. Blog with us about your monsters, too. By sharing our perspectives we build a powerful "oneness" thoughtform even when we dissagree. Dialogue is powerful and healing.
I am sending you loving good will, today, tomorrow and forever. And today I'm going to add a thought-form for you that "You have everything you need to be happy in this world!" Rev. Cisi Martin
Mythology is full of stories about the monsters of olden days, and the heros who slay them. Yet I wonder if we have forgotten that those monsters are the same "energies" as the ones that exist in the 3rd dimension today. In ancient times the dragon was a flesh eater who destroyed crops. Why was this so horrible an event in ancient times? Because without crops, and animals for food, sale or sacrifice to the Gods people starved and were poorer; or as some believed, cursed. Fear for survival was powerful in the psyche of the early humans because life was rarely easy for our ancestors. So, the dragon is an often cited monster in mythology. There were others like the cyclops, sphinx, minotaru, the water monsters that are described like dinosaurs but with multiple heads that grew back when cut off, or the magician and witch who wrecked havoc in communities around the early superstitious world. But they were all fear monsters based upon survival issues.
Now I want to ask you to consider something about these monsters. Life was wilder then, and if one was vigilant and watchful all of the time, less likely was there to be a premature death. So on the one hand the fear associated with survival was healthy; whereas the fear of mankind's thoughtforms were very unhealthy because they created a divide between people in a family or a community, which was the strength of survival in those times. For instance, a thought form like "I don't have enough so I must take from someone else", or "My bad luck is because someone has put a curse on me" began to grow, or be fed by thousands of people when weather patterns were tough and food or survival iffy because of maurading tribes.
If you believe that you don't have enough to exist without pain and suffering, you will become desperate and act in a desperate manner. Whereas if early man had stuck together and helped one another within their communities you would always have known you could rely upon the community's survival to take care of everyone. The whole group would have been stronger because they acted for the benefit of everyone.
Even if mauraders came and destroyed your village, those who survived could become part of another community, even if at first they were hauled off as slaves. Grim, yes, but survival required individuals to work hard in order to be fed and to have shelter. As a slave, at least you had hope that some day you could be free.
We know the shame of owning slaves in this country and from that horrid practice eventually came the Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of a new society based upon equality. We cannot claim that we have reached the 100% mark of social justice, but we continue to strive to help one another with a hand up when troubles might otherwise drive people to desperation.
We are to idle as a species because we don't spend that much time in survival mode. This allows us to use our time by being entertained: stories and movies based upon negative emotional responses for the most part. This, too, feeds the thought forms of fear, male domination over women instead of equality, humor based upon the lowest IQ of its characters and reality shows on TV that encourage bad manners and selfish behavior because the producers believe that's what we want to see. And, they may be right. Today our youth seems to thrive on the excitement that fear generates, as in extreme sports or scary movies. So many people today live in a fantacy world where they are heros and heroines in the media games that are so popular. In the olden times you actually acted nobly to become a hero. Who are our heros today?
Obviously our military protects us from the fearful realilty of the 21st century which includes terrible cruelty, terrorism, war and torture. Civil Police and Firefighters have their jobs cut out for them when every day we hear about another psychotic killer, or home grown terrorist who has set fire to a public building. Then we have the fringe-reality anarchists who are prepared to start a revolution because they don't like our government. Me, I'll take the peaceful path by voting and writing letters to the people we elect to power, but as you can see by those I've pointed out to you, these are just a few fears of modern man. Oh, I forgot about the worry that our planet is finally turning against us because we polluted the environment to such a degree that it is not going to be reversable within my lifetime! Our society may have tipped the point from nobility to stupidity but I just can't stand by and let that become my own reality. If I don't take a stand and refuse to feed the thought forms that are the monsters of the 21st century, there is no hope for my sanity.
Nowadays we have more complicated thought forms that are built around religions than in the early days when Pagans practiced rituals that were meant to keep the earth in good harmony with the people. Today we frequently hear things like "God loves us more than them", we are the "chosen people", "our religion is meant to be the only world wide religion." These are all thought forms that have been building in power over the millenium. And they are all "separation" thought forms that divide us instead of bring us back into the oneness of communal harmony.
As Rev. John and I know, we are all God, indwelling. No one has the only interpretation of what God is or isn't, what it wants or doesn't want from humanity, etc. For us we do not spend any time worrying about the so called "end times": of humanity, of the world, of our own lives. We believe that we will be reborn in another life form, maybe on another world, and have another chance to fully realize our God Nature. It is easier for me to do this because I no longer empower the thought forms that used to bring me such grief in my life. In the 1980s I worried alot about survival. My solution was to live minimally so that I did not have to slave in a corporate environment. This might not be your solution. Maybe you are the best CEO your company has ever known. Maybe survival isn't your issue, but you have health concerns that terrify you because you aren't ready to die yet. We all have struggles that visit us so that we can make the choice to feed or starve the thought-form of fear.
I struggle less with fear than every before in my life, but that doesn't mean that I don't still have an occasional visit from the fear monster. When that happens, I turn to the truth as I know it: I am God made manifest and I can choose to handle this situation in a more positive manner so that fear doesn't get the best of me.
Now to my last word on this topic. THE GREEN LANTERN is opening in theatres soon and there are many examples of powerful monster "thought-forms" from what I've heard. Get your kids and friends to see it and let me know how many thought-forms you can name during the movie that take form and become real - something the hero has to overcome! In my day GHOST BUSTERS was a funny version of the thought-form monsters but even I know that's to dated to recommend to you, ha! Our lives are really like the movies, folks. We make up these fantastic adventures that include monsters and evil-doers so that we can either become heros and heroines and destroy them all - or as I like to say I'd rather "love them into happiness". Choice is powerful. Feed the monster or starve it.
As usual, you are welcome to submit your thoughts on our services and tell us your own experiences with the concepts that are outlined on our home page. Blog with us about your monsters, too. By sharing our perspectives we build a powerful "oneness" thoughtform even when we dissagree. Dialogue is powerful and healing.
I am sending you loving good will, today, tomorrow and forever. And today I'm going to add a thought-form for you that "You have everything you need to be happy in this world!" Rev. Cisi Martin
Thought Forms are Your Creations....
June 2, 2011
Like the shifting sands, our thoughts are influenced by everything that exists in our environment: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. In addition, many of us are now navigating the multi-dimensionality of ourselves and therefore beginning to understand that at the heart of our creation is what might commonly be called our personal "energy signature". In my last service I used "The Ghost In Your Closet" as an example of how we may choose to buy into a societal thought form that ghosts, and other forms of inivisible energy that we lable scary or evil are able to interfere with us in a negative manner. As this particular thought form is truly ancient, it is not surprising that the energy signature is strong in the 3rd and 4th dimensional realms.
It is true that we may choose to believe whatever we want to, and by doing so have an opportunity to create an experience from which we can learn something of value to benefit our personality, our physical being, our emotional sensitivity or for our spiritual growth.
By using that term "energy signature" I am asking you to consider that every person has an energy signature that is uniquely their own. It may have commonalities with species, location of dimension, lessons to be learned within the structure of lifestyle we are born into and more; but each person's energy signature has totally unique properties within it. Hence, we are all asked to view everything around us from a very personal perspective.
So far we have only looked at one example of a powerful thought form created by the masses. We can easily name a dozen or more if we look at what exists as torment and blessings around the world. Thought forms are not just negative. We also create collective thought forms that bless humanity and all life on our planet. The difficulty I see is that adding to a fear-based thought form takes much less effort than adding to a positive one. Fear is King on planet earth. We've all noticed how we start something -looking for a new positive result in our life, and soon after we quit the effort it takes to develop those results. In order to release fear from being a controling factor in our psyche we soon discover that we must turn to its polar opposite; love.
Several schools of thought, usually called mystery schools, have existed throughout time; whose intent has been to achieve enlightenment for the individual but also for the human species. The one fact they have in common is that they understand the Universal Law of Love as the most powerful energy in existance.
Now what the universe calls love may not look like love to us: chaos within the cosmos that creates opportunities for new life to flourish, the destruction of galaxies that may also destroy life forms that have formed, and a constant movement from one frequency to another sort of like falling in and out of love a million times in one lifetime-dizzying! The Universal Law of Love is really just another way of saying that the Sacredness of God exists within every element and fiber of creation, regardless of its shape and activity.
Life itself is like attending a mystery school. From childhood we learn to co-create our reality. We do things that both hurt and help others and soon notice that when we are more friendly, happy, and healthy, we attract those same qualities to us. Of course some of us take the other path and use power over others as their reality. Without each of these styles of co-creating we would have very little opportunity for spiritual growth. In my book, "The Multiple You Universe", I mention several mystery schools because I personally benefited from a kernel of "truth" from the different pathways offered up for consideration. Each system was usually over developed for my personal taste so I kept my attention focused on what might be called "keys" that resonated deeply within my psyche. I recommend the same for you.
I also recommend that you begin to see yourself as a much more complex "energy signature" because we are beginning to move out of the old paradigms that have stagnated to the point of collapse and are going to need to begin to see that we have a powerful key by which we can unlock our own apathy and co-created fears that are limiting our spiritual enlightenment.
Look for ways to recharge yourself with enthusiasm when you are in a slump. Sometimes it is the simple pleasures in life that create the right "resonation" for us to be lifted up from a momentary slump. Fear is like that momentary slump. I have been practicing living fearlessly for over a decade and I am here to tell you that when you truly begin to shift away from the power generated by those who are still feeding fearful thought forms in the world it will get much easier to co-create loving, compassionate, forgiving frequencies in the world. Of course, it will start with changing the frequencies within your own "energy signature", but it will soon build power in your own subconscious and from there affect the collective un-conscious realm of humanity; the ultimate thought-form of all!
You can quit wondering why things seem to happen to you. It isn't arbitrary, it is as I always say, because today creates tomorrow. The more you recharge your "energy signature" with positive, loving and wholesome intentions the more you will manifest those very things. For yourself, and then for the world.
As always, remember that you are invited to send an essay to us on the topic of God In Action in your life, the concept of Oneness, and any other variation on this self loving theme. All are welcome to start a blog. Spiritual dialoge is a very powerful "frequency" and one that has potential on the internet to "resonate" powerfully with the changes that are constantly evolving in our lives and in the world.
As always, I send you loving goodwill today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
Like the shifting sands, our thoughts are influenced by everything that exists in our environment: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. In addition, many of us are now navigating the multi-dimensionality of ourselves and therefore beginning to understand that at the heart of our creation is what might commonly be called our personal "energy signature". In my last service I used "The Ghost In Your Closet" as an example of how we may choose to buy into a societal thought form that ghosts, and other forms of inivisible energy that we lable scary or evil are able to interfere with us in a negative manner. As this particular thought form is truly ancient, it is not surprising that the energy signature is strong in the 3rd and 4th dimensional realms.
It is true that we may choose to believe whatever we want to, and by doing so have an opportunity to create an experience from which we can learn something of value to benefit our personality, our physical being, our emotional sensitivity or for our spiritual growth.
By using that term "energy signature" I am asking you to consider that every person has an energy signature that is uniquely their own. It may have commonalities with species, location of dimension, lessons to be learned within the structure of lifestyle we are born into and more; but each person's energy signature has totally unique properties within it. Hence, we are all asked to view everything around us from a very personal perspective.
So far we have only looked at one example of a powerful thought form created by the masses. We can easily name a dozen or more if we look at what exists as torment and blessings around the world. Thought forms are not just negative. We also create collective thought forms that bless humanity and all life on our planet. The difficulty I see is that adding to a fear-based thought form takes much less effort than adding to a positive one. Fear is King on planet earth. We've all noticed how we start something -looking for a new positive result in our life, and soon after we quit the effort it takes to develop those results. In order to release fear from being a controling factor in our psyche we soon discover that we must turn to its polar opposite; love.
Several schools of thought, usually called mystery schools, have existed throughout time; whose intent has been to achieve enlightenment for the individual but also for the human species. The one fact they have in common is that they understand the Universal Law of Love as the most powerful energy in existance.
Now what the universe calls love may not look like love to us: chaos within the cosmos that creates opportunities for new life to flourish, the destruction of galaxies that may also destroy life forms that have formed, and a constant movement from one frequency to another sort of like falling in and out of love a million times in one lifetime-dizzying! The Universal Law of Love is really just another way of saying that the Sacredness of God exists within every element and fiber of creation, regardless of its shape and activity.
Life itself is like attending a mystery school. From childhood we learn to co-create our reality. We do things that both hurt and help others and soon notice that when we are more friendly, happy, and healthy, we attract those same qualities to us. Of course some of us take the other path and use power over others as their reality. Without each of these styles of co-creating we would have very little opportunity for spiritual growth. In my book, "The Multiple You Universe", I mention several mystery schools because I personally benefited from a kernel of "truth" from the different pathways offered up for consideration. Each system was usually over developed for my personal taste so I kept my attention focused on what might be called "keys" that resonated deeply within my psyche. I recommend the same for you.
I also recommend that you begin to see yourself as a much more complex "energy signature" because we are beginning to move out of the old paradigms that have stagnated to the point of collapse and are going to need to begin to see that we have a powerful key by which we can unlock our own apathy and co-created fears that are limiting our spiritual enlightenment.
Look for ways to recharge yourself with enthusiasm when you are in a slump. Sometimes it is the simple pleasures in life that create the right "resonation" for us to be lifted up from a momentary slump. Fear is like that momentary slump. I have been practicing living fearlessly for over a decade and I am here to tell you that when you truly begin to shift away from the power generated by those who are still feeding fearful thought forms in the world it will get much easier to co-create loving, compassionate, forgiving frequencies in the world. Of course, it will start with changing the frequencies within your own "energy signature", but it will soon build power in your own subconscious and from there affect the collective un-conscious realm of humanity; the ultimate thought-form of all!
You can quit wondering why things seem to happen to you. It isn't arbitrary, it is as I always say, because today creates tomorrow. The more you recharge your "energy signature" with positive, loving and wholesome intentions the more you will manifest those very things. For yourself, and then for the world.
As always, remember that you are invited to send an essay to us on the topic of God In Action in your life, the concept of Oneness, and any other variation on this self loving theme. All are welcome to start a blog. Spiritual dialoge is a very powerful "frequency" and one that has potential on the internet to "resonate" powerfully with the changes that are constantly evolving in our lives and in the world.
As always, I send you loving goodwill today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
Is there a ghost in your closet?
May 15, 2011
Energy follows thought, right? Try this: have someone hold a piece of paper in their hands (holding from the two corners- away from their own body) and then attempt to puncture a hole in the center of the paper without shredding it in the process. You will be unable to accomplish this task, even if you are a martial arts expert, unless you use your mind. See your hand on the other side of the paper, already through the paper, before you begin. Now pick a visual point on the paper as a target. Gather your energy. You are going to psychically strike the paper before your hand reaches it. Ready? Go.
I already know from personal experience that your hand will penetrate the paper. This is simply an exercise to show you that you can focus your energy to such a degree that you can create an outcome simply by envisioning it. Energy follows the direction of your thought. There are certain universal guidelines, I'm sure, but that is another Sunday Service.
I bring this up because I am fascinated by how many people watch ghost related tv shows. I know the audience is growing because the new shows appearing on television schedules has gone up by about 50% in less than 3 years. Now, I confess that I am one of those who has watched most of the shows - at least once. At first it was just for entertainment. And then, I began to watch because I found a ghost in my own closet.
I don't mean a literal ectoplasm spewing, see through, or whispy ghost; the shade of a person who has died and is still tied to the planet because of unresolved issues. My ghost is a hitherto invisible prejudice. You see, I don't believe in ghosts because according to my world view we go directly to a higher octave of light and intelligence when we transition from physical life to the hereafter. The reason I use the term ghost in this service is because there are many "energy" layers to my understanding of how energy follows thought; there are different shades of belief, but ultimately, they are all compatible. When we die we leave the same train station and the drop off depot is the same for everyone! It is in how many stops along your route you take where we see differences of opinion.
Because I resonate 100% with the statement that energy follows thought I must also accept that everyone's idea is going to be equal to mine if we could agree on an energetic measurement. Dick and Jane believe in Heaven and Hell. They know they are going to go to one of those places when they die. And if you could report back their experience for the rest of us, we would all be surprised to find out that they are right. Because they have put so much energy into the thought-form of a heaven or hell, that is exactly what they will experience when they first pass. But it is not the final destination.
Let's say Harry and Mary are a mixed family - one an athiest, the other a Buddhist. They die together, and each wakes up to what they expected. Harry says to himself, "I knew there was nothing after death!" Of course depending upon the level of his IQ is how long it takes him to realize that if there was nothing after death he wouldn't have "said" what he did - only kidding about the IQ part!
When Mary opens her eyes to find herself sitting at the feet of the Buddha who is in a deep meditation; dreaming new worlds into creation, she feels safe and loved on a level that she had never known when she was embodied. She probably hangs out for quite a while - bliss is, afterall, very seductive.
Behind the scenes are the helpers for Dick, Jane, Harry and Mary so that when the time is right and the couples are ready to release the afterlife they have created and have been maintaining (simply because they put so much energy into what they chose to believe), said helpers will become visible to our friends.
You see we are very, very powerful. Especially when we are unencumbered by a physical body: but we still experience the imaginary existance because of the power of our thoughts and the desire that was linked to them, rather like our train engine. This creation of ours will get weaker over space and time and then our helpers will be able to gently bring us out of the illusions we have created and into a new opportunity to reincarnate according to our soul's needs.
Thankfully, those who have been exposed to metaphysical concepts usually have the least amount of difficulty in getting back into the business of living! At least so I have intuited. Then again, that belief is my creation, and perhaps not yours. It really isn't about being right because there is no wrong as I am pointing out in this service. I accept that you may believe in ghosts, think they are experiencing pain and believe their soul is lost. I choose to believe that a soul cannot be lost because our total being is made of God's energy. What belongs to the one cannot be lost from it - ever. There is nothing that I can think of that is incomplete in God's univeral expression of itself.
Now lets seque back to the television shows who focus on fearful ghosts and demons who are making people miserable and sometimes even overpowering their free-will and possessing their bodies and minds. We have various types of ghost hunters, a few mediums and psychics and even a group of retired police officers who are investigating the "reality" of ghostly encounters. A part of their goal is to get the ghost, or demon out of the home of the person who is their client. When they succeed they send the ghost "away". So now we have arrived at the root of my problem with the ghost in my closet.
1. Energy follows thought. Whatever you create will be your reality.
2. Everyone's reality can be different because it is all illusion until we break the hold that our belief's have created over us, and/or its power dissipates over time and space (karma).
3. Since I know that everything that exists is part of God's intelligent light made manifest - where does that leave me and ghosts?
Obviously ghosts must be thought-forms. Whose I cannot debate. What purpose they serve is also questionable in my mind. I don't need them, but some people do as evidenced by the popularity of ghostly television shows for entertainment purposes. In ancient days when just keeping alive was a scary thing, we can understand why the psyche of early mankind was fear based: our mythology is chock full of wonderfully rich tales of adventure with ghosts, dragons, elves and trolls. As Carl Jung pointed out, our archetypal blueprints for the human psyche are built from deep within the complexities of our minds. Stories of "the noble quest", "transition from evil to purity", and other themes come from deep within our belief's about ourselves. These "thought forms" were made manifest out of the minds of our ancestors. I think they are rather like the ghosts that are the subject of today's service.
Life can be very scary. We are under the illusion that we can have control of our lives and live happily ever after. Terrorism is increasing, financial security is speculative at best, and every day we see pictures of a broken world turning on its axis. We can't even be sure it will stay on its axis because of the fear based prophecies of ancient civilizations and prophets. But this is the thing. WE ARE MAKING IT WORSE BY BELIEVING THAT LIFE ISN'T SAFE.
If we were to put our energy into the thought that everyone has everything they need in order to live a well balanced and happy life - life would eventually outpicture that new reality. This is a broad sweep of the pen, I know, because a higher wisdom requires us to sit with our fears, and our pain as well as our joy; but discernment is invaluable when the time comes for us to release old thought-forms in order to achieve a higher understanding of the complexity of life. Fear is and will always be, the absence of Love: self love to start with. The latter is more powerful, energetically speaking than the first, but fear is so exhilarating!
So, this is what I think about the television ghost hunters.
1. Try not to confuse ghost stories with other forms of paranormal activity. They don't belong in the same category. The energy you may associate with the vision of a ghost is really being fed by your mind.
2. The television "ghost hunters" appear to me to be uninterested in helping their clients move out of fear and helping the so-called ghostly energies back "into the light". Their approach is like no hospital follow-up for outpatients. Since I don't see ghosts as having souls -it is the clients whom I believe need follow up care.
3. Ghostly apparitions are just thought forms with no ability to generate power by themselves - they feed off energy that is coming from the humans within the energetic equation. If fear is allowed to grow, the power of the thought-form will grow. But fear is a choice, my friends.
4. Ghosts could not sustain any energetic existance on their own, be it 'replay of their personal history', ' lessoning', or whatever category you want to name that lends credence to the theory that these are actually souls who are lost, waiting to be found. I am afraid that it is the humans whose interest is being served who are keeping these ghost stories alive. I do not believe that ghosts are lost souls. A soul cannot be lost if you believe that all souls contain the God-essence, a sure fire homing device.
5. We would all be better off if we starved the thought-forms to death. What feeds them and keeps them active (notice I did not say alive) is the fear which has an actual energetic measurement. Everything that exists is in motion of some sort; hence creating an energy field. Everything that exists does not have a soul, but it does have a purpose in that it is a teaching aid of sorts.
Perhaps I should close with this thought: Ghosts may be one of Humanity's teaching aids, sanctioned by God only in that people are free to choose what they will create for themselves. An attachment to the thrill of creating fear in our lives is a choice. We can believe that Ghosts are real, or see them as simple thought forms; like I do. They can't hurt me because I don't give them any power to affect my life at all.
Your thoughts on this subject and others in the Sunday Service archives is appreciated. Just go to the blog and essays submission button to get a message to Rev. John and I. In the meantime, I will continue to send you loving good will- today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
I already know from personal experience that your hand will penetrate the paper. This is simply an exercise to show you that you can focus your energy to such a degree that you can create an outcome simply by envisioning it. Energy follows the direction of your thought. There are certain universal guidelines, I'm sure, but that is another Sunday Service.
I bring this up because I am fascinated by how many people watch ghost related tv shows. I know the audience is growing because the new shows appearing on television schedules has gone up by about 50% in less than 3 years. Now, I confess that I am one of those who has watched most of the shows - at least once. At first it was just for entertainment. And then, I began to watch because I found a ghost in my own closet.
I don't mean a literal ectoplasm spewing, see through, or whispy ghost; the shade of a person who has died and is still tied to the planet because of unresolved issues. My ghost is a hitherto invisible prejudice. You see, I don't believe in ghosts because according to my world view we go directly to a higher octave of light and intelligence when we transition from physical life to the hereafter. The reason I use the term ghost in this service is because there are many "energy" layers to my understanding of how energy follows thought; there are different shades of belief, but ultimately, they are all compatible. When we die we leave the same train station and the drop off depot is the same for everyone! It is in how many stops along your route you take where we see differences of opinion.
Because I resonate 100% with the statement that energy follows thought I must also accept that everyone's idea is going to be equal to mine if we could agree on an energetic measurement. Dick and Jane believe in Heaven and Hell. They know they are going to go to one of those places when they die. And if you could report back their experience for the rest of us, we would all be surprised to find out that they are right. Because they have put so much energy into the thought-form of a heaven or hell, that is exactly what they will experience when they first pass. But it is not the final destination.
Let's say Harry and Mary are a mixed family - one an athiest, the other a Buddhist. They die together, and each wakes up to what they expected. Harry says to himself, "I knew there was nothing after death!" Of course depending upon the level of his IQ is how long it takes him to realize that if there was nothing after death he wouldn't have "said" what he did - only kidding about the IQ part!
When Mary opens her eyes to find herself sitting at the feet of the Buddha who is in a deep meditation; dreaming new worlds into creation, she feels safe and loved on a level that she had never known when she was embodied. She probably hangs out for quite a while - bliss is, afterall, very seductive.
Behind the scenes are the helpers for Dick, Jane, Harry and Mary so that when the time is right and the couples are ready to release the afterlife they have created and have been maintaining (simply because they put so much energy into what they chose to believe), said helpers will become visible to our friends.
You see we are very, very powerful. Especially when we are unencumbered by a physical body: but we still experience the imaginary existance because of the power of our thoughts and the desire that was linked to them, rather like our train engine. This creation of ours will get weaker over space and time and then our helpers will be able to gently bring us out of the illusions we have created and into a new opportunity to reincarnate according to our soul's needs.
Thankfully, those who have been exposed to metaphysical concepts usually have the least amount of difficulty in getting back into the business of living! At least so I have intuited. Then again, that belief is my creation, and perhaps not yours. It really isn't about being right because there is no wrong as I am pointing out in this service. I accept that you may believe in ghosts, think they are experiencing pain and believe their soul is lost. I choose to believe that a soul cannot be lost because our total being is made of God's energy. What belongs to the one cannot be lost from it - ever. There is nothing that I can think of that is incomplete in God's univeral expression of itself.
Now lets seque back to the television shows who focus on fearful ghosts and demons who are making people miserable and sometimes even overpowering their free-will and possessing their bodies and minds. We have various types of ghost hunters, a few mediums and psychics and even a group of retired police officers who are investigating the "reality" of ghostly encounters. A part of their goal is to get the ghost, or demon out of the home of the person who is their client. When they succeed they send the ghost "away". So now we have arrived at the root of my problem with the ghost in my closet.
1. Energy follows thought. Whatever you create will be your reality.
2. Everyone's reality can be different because it is all illusion until we break the hold that our belief's have created over us, and/or its power dissipates over time and space (karma).
3. Since I know that everything that exists is part of God's intelligent light made manifest - where does that leave me and ghosts?
Obviously ghosts must be thought-forms. Whose I cannot debate. What purpose they serve is also questionable in my mind. I don't need them, but some people do as evidenced by the popularity of ghostly television shows for entertainment purposes. In ancient days when just keeping alive was a scary thing, we can understand why the psyche of early mankind was fear based: our mythology is chock full of wonderfully rich tales of adventure with ghosts, dragons, elves and trolls. As Carl Jung pointed out, our archetypal blueprints for the human psyche are built from deep within the complexities of our minds. Stories of "the noble quest", "transition from evil to purity", and other themes come from deep within our belief's about ourselves. These "thought forms" were made manifest out of the minds of our ancestors. I think they are rather like the ghosts that are the subject of today's service.
Life can be very scary. We are under the illusion that we can have control of our lives and live happily ever after. Terrorism is increasing, financial security is speculative at best, and every day we see pictures of a broken world turning on its axis. We can't even be sure it will stay on its axis because of the fear based prophecies of ancient civilizations and prophets. But this is the thing. WE ARE MAKING IT WORSE BY BELIEVING THAT LIFE ISN'T SAFE.
If we were to put our energy into the thought that everyone has everything they need in order to live a well balanced and happy life - life would eventually outpicture that new reality. This is a broad sweep of the pen, I know, because a higher wisdom requires us to sit with our fears, and our pain as well as our joy; but discernment is invaluable when the time comes for us to release old thought-forms in order to achieve a higher understanding of the complexity of life. Fear is and will always be, the absence of Love: self love to start with. The latter is more powerful, energetically speaking than the first, but fear is so exhilarating!
So, this is what I think about the television ghost hunters.
1. Try not to confuse ghost stories with other forms of paranormal activity. They don't belong in the same category. The energy you may associate with the vision of a ghost is really being fed by your mind.
2. The television "ghost hunters" appear to me to be uninterested in helping their clients move out of fear and helping the so-called ghostly energies back "into the light". Their approach is like no hospital follow-up for outpatients. Since I don't see ghosts as having souls -it is the clients whom I believe need follow up care.
3. Ghostly apparitions are just thought forms with no ability to generate power by themselves - they feed off energy that is coming from the humans within the energetic equation. If fear is allowed to grow, the power of the thought-form will grow. But fear is a choice, my friends.
4. Ghosts could not sustain any energetic existance on their own, be it 'replay of their personal history', ' lessoning', or whatever category you want to name that lends credence to the theory that these are actually souls who are lost, waiting to be found. I am afraid that it is the humans whose interest is being served who are keeping these ghost stories alive. I do not believe that ghosts are lost souls. A soul cannot be lost if you believe that all souls contain the God-essence, a sure fire homing device.
5. We would all be better off if we starved the thought-forms to death. What feeds them and keeps them active (notice I did not say alive) is the fear which has an actual energetic measurement. Everything that exists is in motion of some sort; hence creating an energy field. Everything that exists does not have a soul, but it does have a purpose in that it is a teaching aid of sorts.
Perhaps I should close with this thought: Ghosts may be one of Humanity's teaching aids, sanctioned by God only in that people are free to choose what they will create for themselves. An attachment to the thrill of creating fear in our lives is a choice. We can believe that Ghosts are real, or see them as simple thought forms; like I do. They can't hurt me because I don't give them any power to affect my life at all.
Your thoughts on this subject and others in the Sunday Service archives is appreciated. Just go to the blog and essays submission button to get a message to Rev. John and I. In the meantime, I will continue to send you loving good will- today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
The Mythology of Easter - Part II
Rev. John Martin
April 30, 2011
In Part I, we discussed some of the early origins of Easter and the festivals, traditions, and myths around it. This time we will talk about the origins of the Christian holiday, the similarities of earlier beliefs, and the stories in the Gospels found in the New Testament as well as Gospels which are not in the New Testament.
Perhaps the best known dying/resurrected savior god in Constantine’s time was Mithras. Many officers in the Roman army worshipped Mithras while evidence exists that some of the legionares were Christians. It is important to note that for the most part, early Christianity was drastically different than what we know today.
Where the Vatican sits today, there are still some remains of a temple built to Mithras, whose ancient inscription states “He who will not eat of my body, nor drink of my blood, so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved." While this is a major tenet of the Catholic Church, the inscription also shows us this was also a major tenet of the cult of Mithras. There are many other similarities between Jesus, Mithras, and several other earlier savior gods.
In addition to Jesus and Mithras, several other gods share the December 25th birthday and many others share the winter solstace, only four days earlier. All of these gods are solar gods, often born of virgin mothers, and die and then are reborn. Many were crucified and so the sign of the cross is often associated with them.
It is said that Mithras was born on December 25th to a virgin named Anahita. After he was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger, and was attended by shepherds. As an adult, Mithras traveled with twelve deciples, healed the sick and performed miracles. He willingly gave up his life for world peace, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven. Later followers referred to him as the Good Shepherd, the "Way, the Truth and the Light," the Redeemer, the Savior, and the Messiah. Other similarities included being identified with the lion and the lamb, Sunday being his sacred day, his religion having a Eucharist or "Lord's Supper", and his emphasis on baptism.
Another major savior god of ancient times was Dionysus. Like Jesus and Mithras, he was born in a stable, to a virgin mother. As an adult he also traveled with a band of followers, preaching and performing miracles including the famous turning water into wine. Like Jesus, he became a problem to the religious authorities of the time, so he was arrested, tried and found guilty of blasphemy and executed. Three days after his execution, he rose from the dead and appeared to his women followers who were mourning at his grave. Like Mary Magdalene, these women did not recognise him at first, it was only after he assumed his divine form that they realized who he was.
There are many other examples of these dying/resurrected savior gods including Attis, whose virgin mother, Cybele, was worshipped as "The Queen of heaven." Attis was also known as "The lamb of God," and his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection were celebrated annually with rituals that included communions of bread and wine. The goddess Ishtar had a consort known as Tammuz and they were the Babylonian predessors of Attis and Cybele. Some claim that rather than Eostre, the Germanic fertility goddess, Easter actually got its name from Ishtar. In addition, the earliest recorded use of the cross as a religious symbol was related to Tammuz, apparently as a reference to the first letter of his name.
While many early Christians were aware of and accepted these connections, there was also a strong movement to distance themselves from their earlier beliefs. It was this disconnecting and denying of their past, especially of their Jewish origins, that worried the Romans. Many Christians, like today, believe that theirs is the only true faith. Of course, then as now, there were many different schools of thought with different, sometimes conflicting, ideas. Moderates, including Clement of Alexandria who stated "There is one river of Truth, which receives tributaries from every side", understood the connection between the old and new faiths. Others were so disturbed by these similarities that Justin Martyr, in the early second century, actually accused the devil of sending Mithras as a false Messiah in advance of Jesus to lead people from the true path. One has to wonder what the world would look like today had the moderates view become the accepted orthodoxy.
There are definate differences in the crucifixion storey from Gospel to Gospel. Of the Gospels found in the New Testament, the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) seem to be the most alike. In these Gospels, Simon of Cyrene was made to carry the cross to Golgotha, while in the Gospel of John, Jesus carried his own cross. The Gospel of John is also the only Gospel to say that Jesus’ mother, Mary was at the crucifixion, while all four of the Gospels place Mary Magdalene there. The Gospel of John also differs from the other three in that while all state there was a Roman centurian present at the crucifixion; John is the only Gospel which mentions Jesus being pierced in the side by a spear.
The last words of Jesus during the crucifixion have been the subject of a wide range of Christian teachings and sermons, and a number of authors have written books specifically devoted to the last sayings of Christ. These last words also vary from Gospel to Gospel and even translation to translation. In the King James Bible Jesus’ last words in Matthew and Mark are “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me”, while in the original Aramaic, it is translated as “My God, My God, for this I was Spared.” In Luke, both translations quote Jesus as saying “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”, while John states “It is finished” or “It is fulfilled”, in the Aramaic.
The actual resurrection of Jesus seems a bit problematic in that the earliest Gospel, Mark, was written about forty years after the death of Jesus. In the original writing, Mark ends at chapter 16, verse 8, with the tomb open and a young man inside telling Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome that Jesus had risen from the grave. Several short endings and a long ending were added to the Gospel of Mark later. We know this because these endings are in a different writing style than the original.
While the circumstances vary greatly, the Gospels all agree that Mary Magdalene was the first of Jesus’ desciples to see him after the resurrection. Were there any actual witnesses to the resurrection of Christ? Once again it depends on which Gospel you read. In the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, there were no witnesses. However, in others, including the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel of Nicodemus, there are several. The Pharisees, worried that Jesus’ followers would steal the body during the night and say he had been resurrected, posted guards to prevent this. However on Sunday morning, as the two Marys approached, an angel came down and moved the stone from in front of the tomb. At this point, the guards fainted dead away while the angel tells the women that Jesus had risen and to go let the other desciples know. It would seem that Jesus was already gone when the stone was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. As for the guards, they were bribed to remain silent as this news could inject new vigor into the Jesus movement.
Perhaps the strangest account of the actual resurrection I have read is in the Lost Gospel According to Peter. In this Gospel, when the Pharisees asked Pilate for guards for the tomb, he ordered a centurion named Petronius to take some soldiers and guard the tomb. Petronius and his soldiers, along with several elders and scribes, went to the tomb, rolled the stone in front of the entrance, and placed seven seals upon it. Early on Sunday morning, long before first light, the soldiers on watch heard a great voice from heaven, at which time the heavens opened up and two men rode down out of the heavens on a beam of light. As the men approached the tomb, the stone rolled away of its own accord, and the men entered the tomb. At this point, the soldiers woke up the centurion and the others so they could witness the events that followed.
The two men who had descended from the sky came out of the tomb suporting Jesus between them. Where they went isn’t mentioned but while the soldiers and the others discussed what, if anything to tell Pilate, another man descended from the heavens and entered the tomb. At this point they all left and went to report these events to Pilate. Pilate upon hearing this was convinced that Jesus really was the Son of God and happy he had washed his hands of his death. The elders and scribes, afraid of retribution from Jesus’ followers begged Pilate to keep these events secret. Pilate then ordered Petronius and his soldiers to keep quiet. After this, the story returns to the familiar story of Mark up to chapter 16, verse 8. It makes sense that this “Lost Gospel According to Peter” would have a similar ending to that of Mark. According to many historians, the Gospel of Mark was written by Mark the Evangelist, a later companion of the desciple Peter. The Gospel is written based on the stories Peter told Mark about events during the time of Jesus.
As we have seen, the story of Easter has taken many turns, come from many traditions, and indeed as Clement of Alexandria would say many tributaries have fed into this river. The question I have now is not whether the stories true, but is this river of story just another tributary leading to a larger river, or is it the main river? Even if it is the main river of story, all rivers eventually lead to the ocean; what will it look like when it reaches its end?
Rev. John Martin
April 30, 2011
In Part I, we discussed some of the early origins of Easter and the festivals, traditions, and myths around it. This time we will talk about the origins of the Christian holiday, the similarities of earlier beliefs, and the stories in the Gospels found in the New Testament as well as Gospels which are not in the New Testament.
Perhaps the best known dying/resurrected savior god in Constantine’s time was Mithras. Many officers in the Roman army worshipped Mithras while evidence exists that some of the legionares were Christians. It is important to note that for the most part, early Christianity was drastically different than what we know today.
Where the Vatican sits today, there are still some remains of a temple built to Mithras, whose ancient inscription states “He who will not eat of my body, nor drink of my blood, so that he may be one with me and I with him, shall not be saved." While this is a major tenet of the Catholic Church, the inscription also shows us this was also a major tenet of the cult of Mithras. There are many other similarities between Jesus, Mithras, and several other earlier savior gods.
In addition to Jesus and Mithras, several other gods share the December 25th birthday and many others share the winter solstace, only four days earlier. All of these gods are solar gods, often born of virgin mothers, and die and then are reborn. Many were crucified and so the sign of the cross is often associated with them.
It is said that Mithras was born on December 25th to a virgin named Anahita. After he was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger, and was attended by shepherds. As an adult, Mithras traveled with twelve deciples, healed the sick and performed miracles. He willingly gave up his life for world peace, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven. Later followers referred to him as the Good Shepherd, the "Way, the Truth and the Light," the Redeemer, the Savior, and the Messiah. Other similarities included being identified with the lion and the lamb, Sunday being his sacred day, his religion having a Eucharist or "Lord's Supper", and his emphasis on baptism.
Another major savior god of ancient times was Dionysus. Like Jesus and Mithras, he was born in a stable, to a virgin mother. As an adult he also traveled with a band of followers, preaching and performing miracles including the famous turning water into wine. Like Jesus, he became a problem to the religious authorities of the time, so he was arrested, tried and found guilty of blasphemy and executed. Three days after his execution, he rose from the dead and appeared to his women followers who were mourning at his grave. Like Mary Magdalene, these women did not recognise him at first, it was only after he assumed his divine form that they realized who he was.
There are many other examples of these dying/resurrected savior gods including Attis, whose virgin mother, Cybele, was worshipped as "The Queen of heaven." Attis was also known as "The lamb of God," and his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection were celebrated annually with rituals that included communions of bread and wine. The goddess Ishtar had a consort known as Tammuz and they were the Babylonian predessors of Attis and Cybele. Some claim that rather than Eostre, the Germanic fertility goddess, Easter actually got its name from Ishtar. In addition, the earliest recorded use of the cross as a religious symbol was related to Tammuz, apparently as a reference to the first letter of his name.
While many early Christians were aware of and accepted these connections, there was also a strong movement to distance themselves from their earlier beliefs. It was this disconnecting and denying of their past, especially of their Jewish origins, that worried the Romans. Many Christians, like today, believe that theirs is the only true faith. Of course, then as now, there were many different schools of thought with different, sometimes conflicting, ideas. Moderates, including Clement of Alexandria who stated "There is one river of Truth, which receives tributaries from every side", understood the connection between the old and new faiths. Others were so disturbed by these similarities that Justin Martyr, in the early second century, actually accused the devil of sending Mithras as a false Messiah in advance of Jesus to lead people from the true path. One has to wonder what the world would look like today had the moderates view become the accepted orthodoxy.
There are definate differences in the crucifixion storey from Gospel to Gospel. Of the Gospels found in the New Testament, the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) seem to be the most alike. In these Gospels, Simon of Cyrene was made to carry the cross to Golgotha, while in the Gospel of John, Jesus carried his own cross. The Gospel of John is also the only Gospel to say that Jesus’ mother, Mary was at the crucifixion, while all four of the Gospels place Mary Magdalene there. The Gospel of John also differs from the other three in that while all state there was a Roman centurian present at the crucifixion; John is the only Gospel which mentions Jesus being pierced in the side by a spear.
The last words of Jesus during the crucifixion have been the subject of a wide range of Christian teachings and sermons, and a number of authors have written books specifically devoted to the last sayings of Christ. These last words also vary from Gospel to Gospel and even translation to translation. In the King James Bible Jesus’ last words in Matthew and Mark are “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me”, while in the original Aramaic, it is translated as “My God, My God, for this I was Spared.” In Luke, both translations quote Jesus as saying “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”, while John states “It is finished” or “It is fulfilled”, in the Aramaic.
The actual resurrection of Jesus seems a bit problematic in that the earliest Gospel, Mark, was written about forty years after the death of Jesus. In the original writing, Mark ends at chapter 16, verse 8, with the tomb open and a young man inside telling Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome that Jesus had risen from the grave. Several short endings and a long ending were added to the Gospel of Mark later. We know this because these endings are in a different writing style than the original.
While the circumstances vary greatly, the Gospels all agree that Mary Magdalene was the first of Jesus’ desciples to see him after the resurrection. Were there any actual witnesses to the resurrection of Christ? Once again it depends on which Gospel you read. In the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, there were no witnesses. However, in others, including the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel of Nicodemus, there are several. The Pharisees, worried that Jesus’ followers would steal the body during the night and say he had been resurrected, posted guards to prevent this. However on Sunday morning, as the two Marys approached, an angel came down and moved the stone from in front of the tomb. At this point, the guards fainted dead away while the angel tells the women that Jesus had risen and to go let the other desciples know. It would seem that Jesus was already gone when the stone was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. As for the guards, they were bribed to remain silent as this news could inject new vigor into the Jesus movement.
Perhaps the strangest account of the actual resurrection I have read is in the Lost Gospel According to Peter. In this Gospel, when the Pharisees asked Pilate for guards for the tomb, he ordered a centurion named Petronius to take some soldiers and guard the tomb. Petronius and his soldiers, along with several elders and scribes, went to the tomb, rolled the stone in front of the entrance, and placed seven seals upon it. Early on Sunday morning, long before first light, the soldiers on watch heard a great voice from heaven, at which time the heavens opened up and two men rode down out of the heavens on a beam of light. As the men approached the tomb, the stone rolled away of its own accord, and the men entered the tomb. At this point, the soldiers woke up the centurion and the others so they could witness the events that followed.
The two men who had descended from the sky came out of the tomb suporting Jesus between them. Where they went isn’t mentioned but while the soldiers and the others discussed what, if anything to tell Pilate, another man descended from the heavens and entered the tomb. At this point they all left and went to report these events to Pilate. Pilate upon hearing this was convinced that Jesus really was the Son of God and happy he had washed his hands of his death. The elders and scribes, afraid of retribution from Jesus’ followers begged Pilate to keep these events secret. Pilate then ordered Petronius and his soldiers to keep quiet. After this, the story returns to the familiar story of Mark up to chapter 16, verse 8. It makes sense that this “Lost Gospel According to Peter” would have a similar ending to that of Mark. According to many historians, the Gospel of Mark was written by Mark the Evangelist, a later companion of the desciple Peter. The Gospel is written based on the stories Peter told Mark about events during the time of Jesus.
As we have seen, the story of Easter has taken many turns, come from many traditions, and indeed as Clement of Alexandria would say many tributaries have fed into this river. The question I have now is not whether the stories true, but is this river of story just another tributary leading to a larger river, or is it the main river? Even if it is the main river of story, all rivers eventually lead to the ocean; what will it look like when it reaches its end?
The Mythology of Easter –Part I
Rev. John Martin
April 15, 2011
While Easter is considered by many to be the most important Christian holiday of the year, the resurrection of Jesus being one of its major tenants, Easter seems to be more complex than first meets the eye. The story of the dying/resurrected savior god is much older than the story of Jesus, and even the story of Jesus’ death and resurection changes depending upon which gospel you are reading. There are even some Gnostic gospels which deny that Jesus ever rose from the grave because he was never crucified.
How to cut the chafe from the wheat? Should we even try? In her book, “The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets”, Barbara G. Walker compares trying to cut through all the myths and find the historical Jesus like “trying to peel an onion”. Yet all too often, this is what many faithful try to do. It is a natural human tendency to try and over analyze everything to the smallest detail. I have witnessed arguments that lasted for hours with no resolution over whether Jesus was crucified on a cross or a stake. My question to this would have to be “does it really matter”? Even in the New Testament, the stories of the crucifixion and resurrection differ in many details. This is especially true for the Gospel of John. The first three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are referred to as the three Synoptic Gospels. This is because Matthew and Luke used the oldest of the four gospels, Mark, as their basis. John, which was written much later, does not. Once again the question is does it really matter?
In Christian, as well as other traditions, the resurrection represents the victory of life over death. Whether this victory comes in the form of physical resurrection as in many Christian sects, a non-physical resurrection to a place many call Heaven or being reincarnated into another body depends upon the believer. At the end of the day, we all have our basic ideas and beliefs and the rest as they say, is just details.
Many of the trappings and rituals of the modern celebration of Easter can be traced back to ancient times. The name itself, Easter, is believed to be derived from the name Eostre, a Germanic fertility goddess. The earliest mention of the name Eostre was by an 8th century English scholar-monk known as Venerable, or Saint Bede. He is known as both an author and scholar and it is he who developed the dating system of AD and BC. While many Christian scholars doubt Bede’s account of the goddess, it seems rather odd that this should be the only work of his that is called into question.
While long denied by church elders of every stripe, it is well known that many Christian holidays and rituals are based on older pagan holidays. As Christianity was spreading through Europe, it was discovered that while many people were willing to give up their old gods in favor of the new religion, they were not so willing to give up their holidays and festivals from the old religion. In response to this, many early clerics simply blended these festivals into Christian practices to make them more acceptable. Easter is no exception as we will see.
In pre-Christian Europe, many festivals were centered on the seasons of the year, especially the summer and winter solstice, the spring and fall equinox, and the many gods and goddesses associated with them. One of the predominant spring festivals was a fertility celebration in honor of the goddess Eostre, or Eastre held at the spring equinox.
Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions. Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter. Many ancient peoples shared similar legends. Wiccans and other neopagans continue to hold festivals in celebration of the arrival of spring.
Eostre is associated with the egg and with the hare, both symbols of procreation which in modern times have become Easter eggs and the Easter bunny who brings them. The hare was Eostre’s sacred animal and familiar, much like the modern association of a black cat with a witch. The egg has been a sacred symbol of fertility and rebirth since the earliest of times. It was believed that the goddess Hathor “hatched” the golden egg of the sun at the beginning of the world. While we may never be able to know just how early in human history the practice started, the Persians, Ancient Romans and Greeks used the egg as a solar symbol in the festivals of numerous resurrected gods. During the late-middle ages, German children waited for the arrival of Oschter Haws, the hare who layed colored eggs in nests for children to discover on Easter morning. This German tradition was brought to America by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and became our modern Easter bunny. Tradition holds that following the ascention, Mary Magdalene comes to the emperor Tiberius to announce to him that Jesus has risen from the grave. In the story, Mary is holding an egg in her hand and Tiberius states that there is a better chance of that egg turning red than Jesus being resurrected. At that point, the egg suddenly turns red in color and the emperor is convinced.
Like many festivals, Easter, and the traditions associated with it have changed with time. The goddess of the spring equinox has been replaced by the savior-god, the Easter bunny is no longer the sacred moon hare and the egg is no longer a symbol of the sun and life. While Easter is still primaraly a religious festival in modern times, there are still leftovers from the early pagan festivals which have taken on a more lighthearted, secular function. Painting eggs in bright colors with pretty designs for the delight of children. The Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts have become part of the holiday's modern celebrations and are often observed by Christians and non-Christians alike.
Many modern practitioners of Neo-pagan and earth-based religions have embraced these symbols as part of their religious practice, identifying with the life-affirming aspects of the spring holiday. Ironically, some Christian groups have used the presence of these symbols to denounce the celebration of the Easter holiday, and many churches have recently abandoned the Pagan moniker with more Christian oriented titles like 'Resurrection Sunday.' As we will see in part two, available May 1st, there are also some Christian denominations who do not celebrate Easter.
Rev. John Martin
April 15, 2011
While Easter is considered by many to be the most important Christian holiday of the year, the resurrection of Jesus being one of its major tenants, Easter seems to be more complex than first meets the eye. The story of the dying/resurrected savior god is much older than the story of Jesus, and even the story of Jesus’ death and resurection changes depending upon which gospel you are reading. There are even some Gnostic gospels which deny that Jesus ever rose from the grave because he was never crucified.
How to cut the chafe from the wheat? Should we even try? In her book, “The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets”, Barbara G. Walker compares trying to cut through all the myths and find the historical Jesus like “trying to peel an onion”. Yet all too often, this is what many faithful try to do. It is a natural human tendency to try and over analyze everything to the smallest detail. I have witnessed arguments that lasted for hours with no resolution over whether Jesus was crucified on a cross or a stake. My question to this would have to be “does it really matter”? Even in the New Testament, the stories of the crucifixion and resurrection differ in many details. This is especially true for the Gospel of John. The first three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are referred to as the three Synoptic Gospels. This is because Matthew and Luke used the oldest of the four gospels, Mark, as their basis. John, which was written much later, does not. Once again the question is does it really matter?
In Christian, as well as other traditions, the resurrection represents the victory of life over death. Whether this victory comes in the form of physical resurrection as in many Christian sects, a non-physical resurrection to a place many call Heaven or being reincarnated into another body depends upon the believer. At the end of the day, we all have our basic ideas and beliefs and the rest as they say, is just details.
Many of the trappings and rituals of the modern celebration of Easter can be traced back to ancient times. The name itself, Easter, is believed to be derived from the name Eostre, a Germanic fertility goddess. The earliest mention of the name Eostre was by an 8th century English scholar-monk known as Venerable, or Saint Bede. He is known as both an author and scholar and it is he who developed the dating system of AD and BC. While many Christian scholars doubt Bede’s account of the goddess, it seems rather odd that this should be the only work of his that is called into question.
While long denied by church elders of every stripe, it is well known that many Christian holidays and rituals are based on older pagan holidays. As Christianity was spreading through Europe, it was discovered that while many people were willing to give up their old gods in favor of the new religion, they were not so willing to give up their holidays and festivals from the old religion. In response to this, many early clerics simply blended these festivals into Christian practices to make them more acceptable. Easter is no exception as we will see.
In pre-Christian Europe, many festivals were centered on the seasons of the year, especially the summer and winter solstice, the spring and fall equinox, and the many gods and goddesses associated with them. One of the predominant spring festivals was a fertility celebration in honor of the goddess Eostre, or Eastre held at the spring equinox.
Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions. Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter. Many ancient peoples shared similar legends. Wiccans and other neopagans continue to hold festivals in celebration of the arrival of spring.
Eostre is associated with the egg and with the hare, both symbols of procreation which in modern times have become Easter eggs and the Easter bunny who brings them. The hare was Eostre’s sacred animal and familiar, much like the modern association of a black cat with a witch. The egg has been a sacred symbol of fertility and rebirth since the earliest of times. It was believed that the goddess Hathor “hatched” the golden egg of the sun at the beginning of the world. While we may never be able to know just how early in human history the practice started, the Persians, Ancient Romans and Greeks used the egg as a solar symbol in the festivals of numerous resurrected gods. During the late-middle ages, German children waited for the arrival of Oschter Haws, the hare who layed colored eggs in nests for children to discover on Easter morning. This German tradition was brought to America by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and became our modern Easter bunny. Tradition holds that following the ascention, Mary Magdalene comes to the emperor Tiberius to announce to him that Jesus has risen from the grave. In the story, Mary is holding an egg in her hand and Tiberius states that there is a better chance of that egg turning red than Jesus being resurrected. At that point, the egg suddenly turns red in color and the emperor is convinced.
Like many festivals, Easter, and the traditions associated with it have changed with time. The goddess of the spring equinox has been replaced by the savior-god, the Easter bunny is no longer the sacred moon hare and the egg is no longer a symbol of the sun and life. While Easter is still primaraly a religious festival in modern times, there are still leftovers from the early pagan festivals which have taken on a more lighthearted, secular function. Painting eggs in bright colors with pretty designs for the delight of children. The Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts have become part of the holiday's modern celebrations and are often observed by Christians and non-Christians alike.
Many modern practitioners of Neo-pagan and earth-based religions have embraced these symbols as part of their religious practice, identifying with the life-affirming aspects of the spring holiday. Ironically, some Christian groups have used the presence of these symbols to denounce the celebration of the Easter holiday, and many churches have recently abandoned the Pagan moniker with more Christian oriented titles like 'Resurrection Sunday.' As we will see in part two, available May 1st, there are also some Christian denominations who do not celebrate Easter.
Embracing Conflict
April 1, 2011
In my last Sunday Service I was sharing with you how we sometimes lose faith in each other, as individuals or as collective humanity, because the picture is too blurry for us to see it clearly from a greater distance. There are many psychological reasons why conflict of any kind moves us out of our center where we are whole and balanced with our true nature, our God Nature as I frequently call it. Blindness is just one part of it. I was out of balance in the weeks preceding my service, and so I shared my lesson with you.
We are blinded by our expectations which usually require others to do something the way we want them to be done. But the truth of each moment is that we can change the way we think about things, and we can open our hearts to a miracle. While at the Center of Light Congregation’s Sunday Service last month my eye caught a glimpse of a book. After service I went over to the book and looked at it; then I smiled.
Gary Simmons wrote “The I of the Storm” about embracing conflict and creating peace within. I read his book over the next couple of days and realized that I had to share some of his thoughts with you. Gary is coming from a Unity point of reference which is also considered a New Thought religion. His book reinforced for me the thought that I can always change my perspective.
Like many of us, I am led to the answers to the questions, sometimes unarticulated, and discover additional tools to add to my spiritual tool chest. We are all growing and doing our best, moment to moment. Some moments are just more insightful and Gary’s book made me think about how I had gotten myself into a spiritual funk.
NO ONE IS AGAINST YOU, he says, even though it may sometimes feel like it. This was a big gulp moment for me. How can this be true, I thought, as I reviewed the memories of experiences that have recently plagued my heart? Simmons’ message can be true because all of our perceptions of conflict arise from how you are relating to the experience NOT how the experience is relating to you.
Gary Simmons says that there is a new paradigm for wholeness that we can embrace: wholeness is the “essence of your true nature and spiritual identity”. So if wholeness is the essence of who you are, and it is your foundation, nothing can rock you off of your foundation through opposition. Big thoughts, but as someone who understands that we are all God, indwelling, I know that when I am expressing myself through love, compassion and a willingness to not play the blame game, I am thereby grounded in my God Nature, or wholeness. I had just forgotten that GOD IS ALWAYS WHOLENESS. God is always expressing itself through constant creation. At least I assume it is constant because the world keeps spinning around.
The tool I always use to change myself for the better is CHOICE. If I find myself in an adversarial position which may temporarily jerk me off balance – I choose to come back to my center as quickly as I can because in the center of my wholeness I feel safe and protected. From that reality I can look at the conflict from a more peaceful point of view. From that reality I am being the God I AM instead of thinking I Am the God I AM.
Gary explains that your soul moves you toward experiences which are designed to show you what belief or dependency you have that no longer serves you. He means that you are ready to review a pattern that no longer serves the Divine You because you are strong enough to stand up to whatever version of conflict is visiting you that day. Unfortunately most of us avoid conflict at all costs because we fear it. We believe ourselves to be inadequate in the face of conflict. By avoiding conflict we cannot live authentic lives.
“Authenticity supports right action and ownership of your creative process” Gary says. When was the last time that you compromised your principles in order to please or not displease someone important to you? Metaphysicians use descriptions such as “speaking your truth”, and “walking your talk”. These are the actions of someone who understands the importance of being authentic, even in the face of adversity.
I will leave it to you to learn more about the lessons Gary Simmons shares in his book, “The I of the Storm”, but I will recommend it.
So the next time I get discouraged by what appears to be manifesting in the world I will take a deep breath in, and exhale on a sigh of gratitude. In order for me to really stay in my center I have to remember that we are all connected to each other. If I have a conflict with you it is because something in me has called you into my lesson, and visa versa. I believe that we all seek balance. That we are all trying to live up to the part of us that nobly expresses God-In-Action. And, that the shifting of an old paradigm often means the destruction of the previous cycle. Hence, my original concern that I was witnessing the devolving of civilization in America just as history has left proof that other ancient civilizations had a cycle of birth, growth, decline and finally, death.
We can break down the old patterns and beliefs that have bound us to conflict by utilizing the powers of love, compassion and gratitude –but all change must originate first within ourselves. A simple way to begin your journey is to spread the energy of “loving good will” to yourself. Then include everyone you think of, meet or interact with each day. Expand that simple thought to include everyone in the world. Then expand that to include everyone in our universe. Then expand that energy to include everything that exists outside of ourselves. Suddenly we “get it”. There is NO OTHER. THERE IS NO ONE AGAINST YOU.
Remember that you are welcome to submit an essay about how you see God-In-Action, Oneness Theory, or anything that is related to spiritual inclusivity. In the meantime I am sending you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
In my last Sunday Service I was sharing with you how we sometimes lose faith in each other, as individuals or as collective humanity, because the picture is too blurry for us to see it clearly from a greater distance. There are many psychological reasons why conflict of any kind moves us out of our center where we are whole and balanced with our true nature, our God Nature as I frequently call it. Blindness is just one part of it. I was out of balance in the weeks preceding my service, and so I shared my lesson with you.
We are blinded by our expectations which usually require others to do something the way we want them to be done. But the truth of each moment is that we can change the way we think about things, and we can open our hearts to a miracle. While at the Center of Light Congregation’s Sunday Service last month my eye caught a glimpse of a book. After service I went over to the book and looked at it; then I smiled.
Gary Simmons wrote “The I of the Storm” about embracing conflict and creating peace within. I read his book over the next couple of days and realized that I had to share some of his thoughts with you. Gary is coming from a Unity point of reference which is also considered a New Thought religion. His book reinforced for me the thought that I can always change my perspective.
Like many of us, I am led to the answers to the questions, sometimes unarticulated, and discover additional tools to add to my spiritual tool chest. We are all growing and doing our best, moment to moment. Some moments are just more insightful and Gary’s book made me think about how I had gotten myself into a spiritual funk.
NO ONE IS AGAINST YOU, he says, even though it may sometimes feel like it. This was a big gulp moment for me. How can this be true, I thought, as I reviewed the memories of experiences that have recently plagued my heart? Simmons’ message can be true because all of our perceptions of conflict arise from how you are relating to the experience NOT how the experience is relating to you.
Gary Simmons says that there is a new paradigm for wholeness that we can embrace: wholeness is the “essence of your true nature and spiritual identity”. So if wholeness is the essence of who you are, and it is your foundation, nothing can rock you off of your foundation through opposition. Big thoughts, but as someone who understands that we are all God, indwelling, I know that when I am expressing myself through love, compassion and a willingness to not play the blame game, I am thereby grounded in my God Nature, or wholeness. I had just forgotten that GOD IS ALWAYS WHOLENESS. God is always expressing itself through constant creation. At least I assume it is constant because the world keeps spinning around.
The tool I always use to change myself for the better is CHOICE. If I find myself in an adversarial position which may temporarily jerk me off balance – I choose to come back to my center as quickly as I can because in the center of my wholeness I feel safe and protected. From that reality I can look at the conflict from a more peaceful point of view. From that reality I am being the God I AM instead of thinking I Am the God I AM.
Gary explains that your soul moves you toward experiences which are designed to show you what belief or dependency you have that no longer serves you. He means that you are ready to review a pattern that no longer serves the Divine You because you are strong enough to stand up to whatever version of conflict is visiting you that day. Unfortunately most of us avoid conflict at all costs because we fear it. We believe ourselves to be inadequate in the face of conflict. By avoiding conflict we cannot live authentic lives.
“Authenticity supports right action and ownership of your creative process” Gary says. When was the last time that you compromised your principles in order to please or not displease someone important to you? Metaphysicians use descriptions such as “speaking your truth”, and “walking your talk”. These are the actions of someone who understands the importance of being authentic, even in the face of adversity.
I will leave it to you to learn more about the lessons Gary Simmons shares in his book, “The I of the Storm”, but I will recommend it.
So the next time I get discouraged by what appears to be manifesting in the world I will take a deep breath in, and exhale on a sigh of gratitude. In order for me to really stay in my center I have to remember that we are all connected to each other. If I have a conflict with you it is because something in me has called you into my lesson, and visa versa. I believe that we all seek balance. That we are all trying to live up to the part of us that nobly expresses God-In-Action. And, that the shifting of an old paradigm often means the destruction of the previous cycle. Hence, my original concern that I was witnessing the devolving of civilization in America just as history has left proof that other ancient civilizations had a cycle of birth, growth, decline and finally, death.
We can break down the old patterns and beliefs that have bound us to conflict by utilizing the powers of love, compassion and gratitude –but all change must originate first within ourselves. A simple way to begin your journey is to spread the energy of “loving good will” to yourself. Then include everyone you think of, meet or interact with each day. Expand that simple thought to include everyone in the world. Then expand that to include everyone in our universe. Then expand that energy to include everything that exists outside of ourselves. Suddenly we “get it”. There is NO OTHER. THERE IS NO ONE AGAINST YOU.
Remember that you are welcome to submit an essay about how you see God-In-Action, Oneness Theory, or anything that is related to spiritual inclusivity. In the meantime I am sending you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
The Divine Struggle - March 14, 2011
Every so often I run into a situation which triggers in me a crisis of faith. I celebrate this event in my life because it helps me to dig deeper and really think about what is troubling me. Sometimes I feel the calm settle over me as the crisis is dissolved in just a few days, and sometimes it takes months to find and reclaim my holy ground. This time around my confusion and pain has been triggered by, of all things, the wide rift between political points of view. I have found myself getting angrier and more discouraged because of the actions of some state legislators and federal legislators alike. In other words, I am having trouble seeing how their version of God-In-Action is in synch with my understanding of God-In-Action.
If you have been reading my bi-monthly services, you know that I believe that a power we call God is in everything, known and unknown. That hasn't changed, by the way. What is now triggering my crisis is that I can no longer sit silently when social injustice rears its ugly head. I have mostly refused to judge people for their actions, knowing that as terrible as their acts may be - and we're talking killers, molestors, and other such deviant behaviour- that I am not a capable judge of the person who has committed the offensive behavior or actions- only an observer of the acts themselves.
Judging people under the banner of morality has brought us to this unhappy state of affairs around the world. But, I ask myself, what is the solution here that serves the highest good for all of humanity? I have spent years of my life praying, speaking aloud affirmations of healing, and supporting local groups whose goal has been to be a focus, or center of higher understanding in their communities.
I have organized two such groups, "Talking Circles" and "The Political Gender", each designed to educate citizens on issues that affect their quality of life in our country. The Political Gender was formed because to many rural women did not vote in Oklahoma, nor was the percentage of women voters equal to that of their male counterparts. As a woman I knew that such a weak voice in politics was never going to foster constructive change within government. Both of these organizations are now inactive, but the strength of my convictions created them.
I have tried to walk my talk. When I have been discouraged I have patiently worked through my frustrations, always believing that the scales of justice would eventually balance. My crisis in faith is that I am now not so sure. I have concerns that we may be witnessing the end of our civilization, a spiral down effect for America. Until now I have felt myself to be in tune with the perfect rhythm of life. The in breath and the outbreath has always been in synch- even during terrible events that have befallen us as a nation because we have always risen to a higher ground after each temporary set back. Now I see groups who are manufacturing dissension instead of building diversity and inclusivity. And this has brought me to ask the question "is it to late to save America and other democracies from people who are not capable of building a better society, because their intrest lies in building a better future for people who are just like them?"
The God I know does not ask us to serve ourselves by breaking the backs of others. Sadly, I am talking about the devolution of humanity instead of its natural tendency toward growth, expansion and enlightenment. Unless the good people of the world stand up and unite, I am afraid that those whom are motivated by self interest will impair everyone's quality of life. Although I believe that within each of us God's True Essence lives, I am also coming to understand that we are so polarized under banners with names like "morality", "sinners", "luxury" and "profit" that we have completely missed the point. We are free to choose and make our own destiny to the best of our ability.
God has not asked us to allow others to enforce their will upon us. If we can't find God in the faces of our neighbors we can't find God in a church. If we can't make a decent living because the wages aren't fair, we shouldn't put the slogan "In God We Trust" on our money. If our government allows corporations to have special tax deals over those of its citizens, it shouldn't say that it is a government of the people, by the people and for the people, because it clearly isn't. And finally, if people cannot marry because they are in love because part of society considers their lifestyle offensive, what has American Values come to? Our country is built upon the premise that we are all equal and we are all allowed to pursue our happiness.
All of these examples come to life from people who have the spark of Divinity within them, and are all God-In-Action with every thought, word and deed they create. So how do I justify this imbalance for myself? Wait for it, wait for it....
Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it. And that is the sweet, sweet voice of God whispering in our ear that true greatness comes through diversity and inclusivity, not in the denial of human rights.
We can create laws that allow for personal freedom or create laws that stifle a person's right to choose how they will live their life. Good things happen to us, bad things happen to us and no one is to blame. Not the criminals. Not the Religious Leaders. Not those who claim to govern us for our own good. And especially, not God. God is in a brilliant starry sky. God is in our laughter and in the tears of everyone who suffers but God has not created our suffering; we have to use our free will wisely and most of us do not. We are, for the most part, more passive in modern times than in the past when we had to fight to survive. Perhaps that is why hate groups continue to exist.
We are allowing ourselves to become a society of vicitims who need protection rather than individuals who are empowered by our own self determination. I truly believe that we wanted to create a society that nurtured people who needed help for as long as it took them to get back on their feet, but we have created a whole segment of society that is weaker because of our good will. You will never get out of a bad situation unless one of two things happen: you love yourself more than you fear the unknown, or your security blanket is taken away and you have to fend for yourself.
I wonder if God is in the process of taking away our security blanket because it is time for Americans to quit doing what others tell them is moral, and just. I think the reason I am having a crisis in faith is not because my faith in God is weak, but because my faith in humanity is weaker than at any other time in my life. In the meantime I will keep doing what I do, send loving good will to everyone in the world with the hope that our actions are serving our highest good.
Everyday is a new opportunity for me to write a letter to the editor, actively participate in groups that spread healthy messages, but more importantly, to actively fight against groups that are eager to spread hate and discrimination. I realize now that I have been to passive. I've left it up to the government to fix our national problems. It is really up to us. Will you step forward today and do something to change the world for the better?
I will, and I will continue to send you loving good will, today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
If you have been reading my bi-monthly services, you know that I believe that a power we call God is in everything, known and unknown. That hasn't changed, by the way. What is now triggering my crisis is that I can no longer sit silently when social injustice rears its ugly head. I have mostly refused to judge people for their actions, knowing that as terrible as their acts may be - and we're talking killers, molestors, and other such deviant behaviour- that I am not a capable judge of the person who has committed the offensive behavior or actions- only an observer of the acts themselves.
Judging people under the banner of morality has brought us to this unhappy state of affairs around the world. But, I ask myself, what is the solution here that serves the highest good for all of humanity? I have spent years of my life praying, speaking aloud affirmations of healing, and supporting local groups whose goal has been to be a focus, or center of higher understanding in their communities.
I have organized two such groups, "Talking Circles" and "The Political Gender", each designed to educate citizens on issues that affect their quality of life in our country. The Political Gender was formed because to many rural women did not vote in Oklahoma, nor was the percentage of women voters equal to that of their male counterparts. As a woman I knew that such a weak voice in politics was never going to foster constructive change within government. Both of these organizations are now inactive, but the strength of my convictions created them.
I have tried to walk my talk. When I have been discouraged I have patiently worked through my frustrations, always believing that the scales of justice would eventually balance. My crisis in faith is that I am now not so sure. I have concerns that we may be witnessing the end of our civilization, a spiral down effect for America. Until now I have felt myself to be in tune with the perfect rhythm of life. The in breath and the outbreath has always been in synch- even during terrible events that have befallen us as a nation because we have always risen to a higher ground after each temporary set back. Now I see groups who are manufacturing dissension instead of building diversity and inclusivity. And this has brought me to ask the question "is it to late to save America and other democracies from people who are not capable of building a better society, because their intrest lies in building a better future for people who are just like them?"
The God I know does not ask us to serve ourselves by breaking the backs of others. Sadly, I am talking about the devolution of humanity instead of its natural tendency toward growth, expansion and enlightenment. Unless the good people of the world stand up and unite, I am afraid that those whom are motivated by self interest will impair everyone's quality of life. Although I believe that within each of us God's True Essence lives, I am also coming to understand that we are so polarized under banners with names like "morality", "sinners", "luxury" and "profit" that we have completely missed the point. We are free to choose and make our own destiny to the best of our ability.
God has not asked us to allow others to enforce their will upon us. If we can't find God in the faces of our neighbors we can't find God in a church. If we can't make a decent living because the wages aren't fair, we shouldn't put the slogan "In God We Trust" on our money. If our government allows corporations to have special tax deals over those of its citizens, it shouldn't say that it is a government of the people, by the people and for the people, because it clearly isn't. And finally, if people cannot marry because they are in love because part of society considers their lifestyle offensive, what has American Values come to? Our country is built upon the premise that we are all equal and we are all allowed to pursue our happiness.
All of these examples come to life from people who have the spark of Divinity within them, and are all God-In-Action with every thought, word and deed they create. So how do I justify this imbalance for myself? Wait for it, wait for it....
Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it. And that is the sweet, sweet voice of God whispering in our ear that true greatness comes through diversity and inclusivity, not in the denial of human rights.
We can create laws that allow for personal freedom or create laws that stifle a person's right to choose how they will live their life. Good things happen to us, bad things happen to us and no one is to blame. Not the criminals. Not the Religious Leaders. Not those who claim to govern us for our own good. And especially, not God. God is in a brilliant starry sky. God is in our laughter and in the tears of everyone who suffers but God has not created our suffering; we have to use our free will wisely and most of us do not. We are, for the most part, more passive in modern times than in the past when we had to fight to survive. Perhaps that is why hate groups continue to exist.
We are allowing ourselves to become a society of vicitims who need protection rather than individuals who are empowered by our own self determination. I truly believe that we wanted to create a society that nurtured people who needed help for as long as it took them to get back on their feet, but we have created a whole segment of society that is weaker because of our good will. You will never get out of a bad situation unless one of two things happen: you love yourself more than you fear the unknown, or your security blanket is taken away and you have to fend for yourself.
I wonder if God is in the process of taking away our security blanket because it is time for Americans to quit doing what others tell them is moral, and just. I think the reason I am having a crisis in faith is not because my faith in God is weak, but because my faith in humanity is weaker than at any other time in my life. In the meantime I will keep doing what I do, send loving good will to everyone in the world with the hope that our actions are serving our highest good.
Everyday is a new opportunity for me to write a letter to the editor, actively participate in groups that spread healthy messages, but more importantly, to actively fight against groups that are eager to spread hate and discrimination. I realize now that I have been to passive. I've left it up to the government to fix our national problems. It is really up to us. Will you step forward today and do something to change the world for the better?
I will, and I will continue to send you loving good will, today, tomorrow and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
The medicine bowl as a metaphor - 15 February 2011
While living outside of Taos, New Mexico in the early 1990s I had many mystical experiences. It was the right time in my life to receive information that would help me let go of old patterns that no longer served me and to begin the exploration of who I was destined to become. In order to do this I was drawn to, or channeled certain tools that symbolically acted as teaching aids. The medicine bowl teaching was one such opportunity for me to see how a simple bowl could change my perspective. I was ready for a different perspective from which to review my past and to chart my future. I'm going to share that with you today.
The Cherokee have a certain belief that you do not share your medicine stories with others until you have gained from the experience everything you needed to learn. At least that is what I was told by one Cherokee woman who was an elder. I have followed her advice and kept this teaching to myself until 2010 - when I offered the teaching to a small group of women at the Center of Light in Tulsa, OK where I live. I believe it is fair to say that the class gave them concepts to consider their own lives and what they were going to focus upon in the future in order to create a good life.
I cannot speak to their individual medicine experience but as I taught the class I received a wonderful blessing. Women are more oneness oriented than men, and this is basically understandable since we are the ones who share the archetype of family nurturering. I felt a bond with the women I shared the teaching with that was stronger than other bonds and other classes I've led. I know this happened because the energy was right. First for me to give the class. And second for them to see a different perspective on how to heal ourselves from the grief inherent in each lifetime. That, and much more.
On November 29, 1995 I smoked my sacred pipe for a dear friend who had asked me to understand the crossroads she was currently facing. I was inspired to channel this information, but it turned out that it wasn't just for her, it was for all of us women who intuitively know the power inherent in being a woman.
By physically or symbolically making a medicine bowl our visions may come through to us in such a strong way that there is no mistake as to the context of the message. I saw how each step of the making of the bowl represents a composite part of the whole healing for a woman when she is troubled. First we must realize that a bowl is a sacred symbol for any woman. Her uterus is the life-giving bowl. A woman can use her bowl in ceremonial ways to release a thought, action, or emotion that she knows is keeping her tied to her pain. Or, she can use the bowl as a vessel for the potential energy that is coming to her in the future. Better yet, she can use it in both ways because the cycles of life are connected to both the known and unknown in her life. Or still yet, she can do ceremony for all of creation which is what so many of us realize we want to do.
If she makes her own bowl the medicine is stronger, but she can use any special bowl she finds as long as she makes it her ceremonial bowl. It should be fireproof so that she can burn pieces of paper upon which she has written those things she wants to give away, and waterproof so that she can fill it with liquid to cleanse symbolic objects before she releases them from her life. It should be personalized in some way so that she claims it and no one else ever touches it unless she gives permission.
If you were to make your own bowl you would want to incorporate clay from a favorite place. In my case I carried clay from the Ross Dam area in OK because I had a special experience there. Cranes were standing in the water and after they left, I gathered up some of the fine clay that held the imprint of a crane's foot. I carried that clay with me for 5 years before I realized that I was given the teaching to share, not to do.
Apparently upon receiving it, I moved through the need to make the vision physical because I had understood the power inherent in the medicine that was shared with me that night. I was just slow to realize this because I had a romantic attachment to the clay and the vision. Once I let that go, I used the medicine bowl energy to do my envisioning, and the etheric medicine bowl is the strongest yet.
Now, here is the most important part of this experience. My vision clearly showed that women are asked to use symbols to represent the events they have lived, and those they now want to anchor into their personal medicine bowl as it is built from the bottom up. So, for the potter or person interested who reads this, make your bowl from the place of respect and gratitude. What you are thinking when you make the bowl stays in the bowl even though it can be transformed with the firing of the clay, the thought is always present etherically.
The thought changes from negative to positive, or from passive positive to active positive while you are creating the bowl, but it is only representational as you will probably discover when you are making your special bowl that you are working through the energy that you are recording. At the very bottom of the bowl you will leave a ring, as thick as you want. The ring represents Great Mystery/God-Goddess. From this empty void you incarnate. It is symbolic. From Creator we come and to Creator we go.
The next layer up from the bottom of the bowl represents your childhood: from birth to adolescence. Here you give away any wounded feelings you have about parenting, family, ethnicity, or burdens of genetic illnesses and/or any physical traumas, which took place during the formative years. For those with debilitating childhood's, there is a cleansing that comes in making a version of yourself (the bowl) which can be fired to purify the pain of the past. The memory is left behind but it has no power over your future. If you were happy, put your joy into this section of the bowl.
The third layer up from the bottom of your bowl represents adolescence to adulthood. In this part of the making of the bowl we actively engage in a healing as we give away all of our joys, sorrows, errors of judgement, and anything in our character which is wounded or strong. Either extreme is out of balance. Since the universal intelligence (I believe) seeks a complimentary balance we want to come to the center of the circle of life/light whenever we are able. Each woman's experiences will be sacred to her, though there will be many commonalties because of the collective karma attached to the women in our society. If a man were to make his bowl the same male societal karma would apply.
Give it all away, and with each coil, (if you are doing the coil method of making your pot) put the burden energy into the bowl. The firing of the bowl is the transmutation of the wounded into the purification of healing. Once again, the memory remains for a time but then subsides - but this time without the emotions attached to the event.
The fourth layer up from the bottom of your bowl becomes the place in which you dream and document your actions to accomplish any goal you may have. It is the symbolic section of the bowl that represents your future. Put your thoughts, dreams, and project your vision of yourself into the clay as you form this section.
Remember to keep the project about you, not your dreams for others. The strength of this medicine experience is in focusing on your life and situation. And, your strength is in the symbols you have chosen to incorporate into your raw clay. This is an experience that you should think about long before you physically make the bowl. What symbols will represent your childhood? What symbols for your adolescence?
It may be a challenge for you to envision yourself as an elder while you are making this bowl. Do not be afraid to see yourself as an energetic, wise old crone or medicine woman. This is your bowl and no ego is involved in the making of it. You are speaking to yourself from your spiritual place of existance. I recommend that you do not share the meaning of the symbols until the time of your transition, but that is just because I am part-Indian and I still have a pinch of superstition. You will know what is right for you.
This medicine bowl is your chance to hold in your hand the story of your life in a very loving manner. You own your history, or her-story. Do not fib or put untruths into your bowl or deceit will have a greater influence during your lifetime.
Finally, The top section of the medicine bowl is the As Above, So Below universal teaching. Here you make prayers, affirmations, or in some way communicate with the sacred self. Here, you will blend with your conceptual vision of your Godhead. If you have not previously considered that you are born of spirit making itself manifest through you, this might be a time to review your personal beliefs.
During the making of your personal medicine bowl you are doing several things- working on several levels of consciousness. And, the dialogue you are having with yourself is even more meaningful because you have taken the responsibility for recording your life in a field of substance. It isn't just memory anymore. When you manifest something, it stands for something. You determine what that something is.
For me, I claimed my ancient knowledge, left behind in other lifetimes, and allowed myself to become stronger against others who would treat me with disrespect. At the time I had this experience, I was dealing with the lessons of rejection and self respect.
It will be good for you to look at what is happening in your life before you actually make your bowl. Part of the process is the healing you are calling forth for your current situations.
Fire the bowl with ceremony, and gratitude for the opportunity to have this personal cleansing and healing; and to claim whatever quality you are ready to own in your life from that day forward. How you do this is dependent upon your spiritual path. Aho!
As I close this sacred space with you today I want you to know that I am sending you loving good will.
If you want to know more about God-In-Action just go to the archive pages. We created this website for you. And, you are invited to share with us your understanding of Oneness, God as Indwelling, and other themes that will be complementary and harmonious with the context of this website.
Rev. Cisi Martin
The Cherokee have a certain belief that you do not share your medicine stories with others until you have gained from the experience everything you needed to learn. At least that is what I was told by one Cherokee woman who was an elder. I have followed her advice and kept this teaching to myself until 2010 - when I offered the teaching to a small group of women at the Center of Light in Tulsa, OK where I live. I believe it is fair to say that the class gave them concepts to consider their own lives and what they were going to focus upon in the future in order to create a good life.
I cannot speak to their individual medicine experience but as I taught the class I received a wonderful blessing. Women are more oneness oriented than men, and this is basically understandable since we are the ones who share the archetype of family nurturering. I felt a bond with the women I shared the teaching with that was stronger than other bonds and other classes I've led. I know this happened because the energy was right. First for me to give the class. And second for them to see a different perspective on how to heal ourselves from the grief inherent in each lifetime. That, and much more.
On November 29, 1995 I smoked my sacred pipe for a dear friend who had asked me to understand the crossroads she was currently facing. I was inspired to channel this information, but it turned out that it wasn't just for her, it was for all of us women who intuitively know the power inherent in being a woman.
By physically or symbolically making a medicine bowl our visions may come through to us in such a strong way that there is no mistake as to the context of the message. I saw how each step of the making of the bowl represents a composite part of the whole healing for a woman when she is troubled. First we must realize that a bowl is a sacred symbol for any woman. Her uterus is the life-giving bowl. A woman can use her bowl in ceremonial ways to release a thought, action, or emotion that she knows is keeping her tied to her pain. Or, she can use the bowl as a vessel for the potential energy that is coming to her in the future. Better yet, she can use it in both ways because the cycles of life are connected to both the known and unknown in her life. Or still yet, she can do ceremony for all of creation which is what so many of us realize we want to do.
If she makes her own bowl the medicine is stronger, but she can use any special bowl she finds as long as she makes it her ceremonial bowl. It should be fireproof so that she can burn pieces of paper upon which she has written those things she wants to give away, and waterproof so that she can fill it with liquid to cleanse symbolic objects before she releases them from her life. It should be personalized in some way so that she claims it and no one else ever touches it unless she gives permission.
If you were to make your own bowl you would want to incorporate clay from a favorite place. In my case I carried clay from the Ross Dam area in OK because I had a special experience there. Cranes were standing in the water and after they left, I gathered up some of the fine clay that held the imprint of a crane's foot. I carried that clay with me for 5 years before I realized that I was given the teaching to share, not to do.
Apparently upon receiving it, I moved through the need to make the vision physical because I had understood the power inherent in the medicine that was shared with me that night. I was just slow to realize this because I had a romantic attachment to the clay and the vision. Once I let that go, I used the medicine bowl energy to do my envisioning, and the etheric medicine bowl is the strongest yet.
Now, here is the most important part of this experience. My vision clearly showed that women are asked to use symbols to represent the events they have lived, and those they now want to anchor into their personal medicine bowl as it is built from the bottom up. So, for the potter or person interested who reads this, make your bowl from the place of respect and gratitude. What you are thinking when you make the bowl stays in the bowl even though it can be transformed with the firing of the clay, the thought is always present etherically.
The thought changes from negative to positive, or from passive positive to active positive while you are creating the bowl, but it is only representational as you will probably discover when you are making your special bowl that you are working through the energy that you are recording. At the very bottom of the bowl you will leave a ring, as thick as you want. The ring represents Great Mystery/God-Goddess. From this empty void you incarnate. It is symbolic. From Creator we come and to Creator we go.
The next layer up from the bottom of the bowl represents your childhood: from birth to adolescence. Here you give away any wounded feelings you have about parenting, family, ethnicity, or burdens of genetic illnesses and/or any physical traumas, which took place during the formative years. For those with debilitating childhood's, there is a cleansing that comes in making a version of yourself (the bowl) which can be fired to purify the pain of the past. The memory is left behind but it has no power over your future. If you were happy, put your joy into this section of the bowl.
The third layer up from the bottom of your bowl represents adolescence to adulthood. In this part of the making of the bowl we actively engage in a healing as we give away all of our joys, sorrows, errors of judgement, and anything in our character which is wounded or strong. Either extreme is out of balance. Since the universal intelligence (I believe) seeks a complimentary balance we want to come to the center of the circle of life/light whenever we are able. Each woman's experiences will be sacred to her, though there will be many commonalties because of the collective karma attached to the women in our society. If a man were to make his bowl the same male societal karma would apply.
Give it all away, and with each coil, (if you are doing the coil method of making your pot) put the burden energy into the bowl. The firing of the bowl is the transmutation of the wounded into the purification of healing. Once again, the memory remains for a time but then subsides - but this time without the emotions attached to the event.
The fourth layer up from the bottom of your bowl becomes the place in which you dream and document your actions to accomplish any goal you may have. It is the symbolic section of the bowl that represents your future. Put your thoughts, dreams, and project your vision of yourself into the clay as you form this section.
Remember to keep the project about you, not your dreams for others. The strength of this medicine experience is in focusing on your life and situation. And, your strength is in the symbols you have chosen to incorporate into your raw clay. This is an experience that you should think about long before you physically make the bowl. What symbols will represent your childhood? What symbols for your adolescence?
It may be a challenge for you to envision yourself as an elder while you are making this bowl. Do not be afraid to see yourself as an energetic, wise old crone or medicine woman. This is your bowl and no ego is involved in the making of it. You are speaking to yourself from your spiritual place of existance. I recommend that you do not share the meaning of the symbols until the time of your transition, but that is just because I am part-Indian and I still have a pinch of superstition. You will know what is right for you.
This medicine bowl is your chance to hold in your hand the story of your life in a very loving manner. You own your history, or her-story. Do not fib or put untruths into your bowl or deceit will have a greater influence during your lifetime.
Finally, The top section of the medicine bowl is the As Above, So Below universal teaching. Here you make prayers, affirmations, or in some way communicate with the sacred self. Here, you will blend with your conceptual vision of your Godhead. If you have not previously considered that you are born of spirit making itself manifest through you, this might be a time to review your personal beliefs.
During the making of your personal medicine bowl you are doing several things- working on several levels of consciousness. And, the dialogue you are having with yourself is even more meaningful because you have taken the responsibility for recording your life in a field of substance. It isn't just memory anymore. When you manifest something, it stands for something. You determine what that something is.
For me, I claimed my ancient knowledge, left behind in other lifetimes, and allowed myself to become stronger against others who would treat me with disrespect. At the time I had this experience, I was dealing with the lessons of rejection and self respect.
It will be good for you to look at what is happening in your life before you actually make your bowl. Part of the process is the healing you are calling forth for your current situations.
Fire the bowl with ceremony, and gratitude for the opportunity to have this personal cleansing and healing; and to claim whatever quality you are ready to own in your life from that day forward. How you do this is dependent upon your spiritual path. Aho!
As I close this sacred space with you today I want you to know that I am sending you loving good will.
If you want to know more about God-In-Action just go to the archive pages. We created this website for you. And, you are invited to share with us your understanding of Oneness, God as Indwelling, and other themes that will be complementary and harmonious with the context of this website.
Rev. Cisi Martin
Special Service from Rev. Monica McIntyre, 01 Feb 2011
In December of next year we face the end of the Mayan calendar and many and varied explanations have been suggested as to what this means. Obviously we cannot know for sure what this will bring but the most usual speculation is that we will reach a place of higher consciousness and the paradigm of the 100th Monkey will be activated - such that a global shift in consciousness will occur. I recently read that in the human equivalence of this phenomenon, the 100th Human, 1/3 of the world’s population is required to change their thinking in order to effect this shift.
We glibly talk about “higher consciousness” and “raising our consciousness” but what does this mean? Does it mean that as in the Celestine Prophecy – for those who have read it - we will begin to see the energy signatures of everyone and everything around us? Does it mean that we will begin to disappear and reappear as our vibration fluctuates up and down? Will we become very pious and all-knowing?
A good starting place to explore the meaning of “higher consciousness” is to look at the basic concept of the word “consciousness”. The word “conscious” came into English around the early 17th Century from the Latin con meaning with or together and scire meaning to know. In an excerpt from an excellent essay on the word “Unconscious[1]” R. Williams lists the most specific common senses as:
· The waking state of mind
· The knowledge which the mind has of anything
· Awareness
· Thought
So if we choose any one of these definitions and apply them to “Higher Consciousness” what does the “higher” part indicate? If we look at the most basic description, it indicates a greater awareness of ourselves and everything around us. But what does that have to do with spirituality?
As you know, we have two sides to our brain that we now know are far more connected than previously thought. But neuro-anatomy and physiology aside, usually we are taught that the left brain is the logical, practical, detail-oriented side of the brain where facts rule, and math and science make sense. The left brain controls everything on the right side of the body: interesting, isn’t it that most of us are right-handed. The right side of the brain is the intuitive, creative, feeling side that loves abstractions and is more comfortable with the “big picture.”
We have been conditioned by society to be left-brain oriented, where the practical application of things guarantees success. We need the left brain to be able to cope with all the technological advances of this and the last century and have become, as I read somewhere, left-brain prisoners. But if we could dissect the right brain, that is where we would find our spirituality; that would be the location of our “higher consciousness.”
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who founded Humanistic Psychology. Humanistic psychology was different from the other psychological perspectives because Maslow chose to focus on healthy, whole individuals rather than the sick or the conditioned subjects chosen by Freud, and Watson and B.F. Skinner. Perhaps he is most famous for his Hierarchy of Needs: most of you are familiar with the visual aid to explain the hierarchy in the shape of a pyramid.
1. At the bottom of the pyramid is physiological needs: Breath, Food, Sex, Sleep and Excretion
2. Safety is the next level up: Security, Employment, Health, Property
3. Belonging and Love are the next level up: Friendship, Family, and Sexual Intimacy
4. Esteem is: Self-esteem, Confidence, Achievements and Respect
5. And, Self Actualization is: Morale, Creativity, and Openess
According to Maslow, in the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied, nor the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on. Beyond these needs, higher levels of needs exist, including the needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs. In terms of our discussion, this would suggest therefore that it is not really possible to be spiritually developed while you are focused on survival, safety, belonging and developing self esteem.
The more I thought about Maslow’s hierarchy, it occurred to me that in some ways, spiritual development is the reverse of Maslow’s model. Rather, we can view our spiritual development as a reverse pyramid with “awareness” at the bottom and “higher consciousness” at the top. Compare these numbered explanation to the ones above in order to see the complementary status.
1. This would mean that in Early Childhood you are simply AWARE of being.
2. From Childhood through your teens you may experience RELIGIOUS AWARENESS.
3. As a Young Adult you may experience RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND REBELLION.
4. As an Adult you may now REJECT ORGANIZED RELIGION.
5. And with Maturity comes HIGHER AWARENESS.
Obviously, as individuals, our rate of development is unique and may be completely different from our peers - and even from our siblings. As children, we are aware and totally accepting as we have no preconceived notions about anything. However, as we grow and are taken to church and Sunday school, we begin to be more of aware of the religious parameters our parents observe. Through education, experience and exposure to other religious or spiritual practices, we begin to formulate our own belief system which may conform to that of our family, or it may be a total rebellion against what we have been exposed to throughout our family life. As Adlin Sinclair (British-born businessman, motivational speaker and humanitarian) said: You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon.
Frequently as we get older, many reject completely the early religious indoctrination. Once again though, this is an individual process and the person may choose to join a group such as ours, or simply stop going to any kind of church. I know several people who have given up going to church but tell me that they are more spiritual than they have ever been. Looking at the two systems side-by-side, we have a rhombus where development is not necessarily matched in time-scales but is occurring in the same upward progression.
So now we have a basic construct for how we get to the state known as higher consciousness. This is obviously only a theoretical perspective which I offer for you to discuss, dissect and, hopefully, enhance. Perhaps my speculation is purely fictional and the progression is simply a function of age, or education or experience – who knows- but it’s now up to you.
So I finish today with a quote from a colleague of Abraham Maslow’s, one of the founders of Transpersonal Psychology (a branch of psychology that attempts to describe and integrate spiritual experience within modern psychological theory and to formulate new theory to encompass such experience. Types of spiritual experience examined vary greatly but include mysticism, religious conversion, altered states of consciousness, trance and spiritual practices.), Stanislav Grof, who said:
A radical inner transformation and rise to a new level of consciousness might be the only real hope we have in the current global crisis brought on by the dominance of the Western mechanistic paradigm.
[1] Proposition 1 – Etymology of Consciousness v. 3.13 uploaded to www.philaletheians.co.uk 23 May 2010
Why do we still empower fear-based thoughts?
January 15, 2011
During the services on Karma we analyzed the importance of our thoughts. Review these services in Archives 2010 and 2011 if you want to read the essays about Karma. The point we are going to focus upon today is the absolute importance of remembering that energy follows thought. This is not negotiable for us, and maybe not for any species existing anywhere within the universes. The way you co-create is to keep your thoughts focused, and charged with emotional intent. You feed your thoughts energy from within your conscious mind, and even from your sub-conscious mind. As we continue to advance scientifically we might even discover that we feed our thoughts from multiple levels of existance. In the years that I have been channeling this has been a reoccurring theme. Life is so incredibly full of potential, and we are still elementary school level when compared to more advanced civilizations.
If you continue to revist an idea, a slight from someone in your past or present, a pleasant experience, or a trauma from your life you will keep its effect going in your life no matter how much you think you've released its power over you. Energy is subtle; even when its effect hits you like a cosmic 2x4. What you dwell upon you become. What you resist persists. These are only two well known sayings that continue to circulate in our societal vocabulary. Here is one I've always liked because I wrote it: Today creates tomorrow. Please feel free to apply it to your life. Eat well. Live well. Sing and dance even if you aren't very good at it. Laugh as much as you can because it does change your body's chemical balance. Send love notes to your friends on paper instead of the easy way - via email! And send forgiveness notes to those in your life whom you believe have disrespected you- again, never on email. These are just some of the little ways that you begin to change your thoughts.
The saying, "Act enthusiastic and you'll become enthusiastic" was a training tool for sales reps when I was an apartment manager working for corporate real estate firms. I bring this up because it is an example from my life and shows just how slow we can be before we realize the importance of the adage, energy follows thought. The energy of standing up and the emotional 'charge' of smiling while saying the mantra created a shift in our moods.
The next time you're feeling grouchy, try it. It always made me laugh.
My truth is that I hated being an apartment manager because I had to file eviction notices and go through the legal procedures involved. It didn't matter if they were responsible for setting the situation into motion, I just hated to see how low they had fallen from where they wanted to be. I was already years into my metaphysical studies when I entered the management field in 1984. I trudged along for years, getting better at my job but unhappier by the year. In 1998 I got my first 2x4 reminder: a company bought the property I was on and I was not asked to continue in place. One of the young ladies in the takeover team mentioned to my husband that I was just to nice a person to be in the business. She saw me as a book buyer for Barnes and Noble, ha!
I got another job and it was the worse of the lot. While enjoying a full spa day, a birthday present from my beloved husband John, the masseur suggested to me that I get out of the property management business because my body just couldn't continue to hold so much stress without a serious breakdown. Imagine this coming from two total strangers; the same message within about 2 years of each other.
This is an example of the mystery of how God-In-Action works. Just as I had created my pain, I co-created my freedom by letting the energy build until I would be ready for the message that it was time to get out of the business and get on with the business of living a happy life. I was afraid that if I quit doing what I was good at, I'd never find another job. As you may have already guessed, I was afraid to move forward into the unknown.
So now, take a few seconds and answer this question: am I happy now? If the answer is no it's time to change all of that; try this:
1. Your emotions empower your thoughts and facilitate the creation of events in your life. CHANGE YOUR EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE. You know what you need to do, do it! It helps when you catch yourself being negative if you forgive yourself and intend to be more positive in thought, word and deed. If you like heavy metal music throw in an occasional classical album - ok - maybe you're not quite that ready to change but you really do need to surround yourself with positive things that make you feel better. Start small and build.
2. Surround yourself with positive energy, external and internal. Watching television, electronic communications, gossiping, and letting yourself get lazier with each decade is just a few examples about exposure to energy that can devolve you're brainpower. I'm not saying to eliminate everything entirely, but start making improvements in the selection of what you do with your free time. I gave up soap operas in 2005. I quit watching news 3 times a day after I recovered from the trauma of September 11, 2001. I backslid during the 2008 Presidential Elections, ha!
Creating internal positive energy is a matter of choice. Eat natural foods to the best of your ability. When you catch yourself thinking or projecting negative thoughts, do what my friend Karen does, say "cancel, cancel" out loud. You are, as they say, what you think and what you eat. You are also God-In-Action learning how to live in your God Nature. Give yourself a break, but be vigilant. Persistance is the key to success.
You are welcome to present your essay to us for publication on this service page. Go to the "Blog and Submit Essays" button and we'll get it. If you have trouble getting it to us, contact me via the blog so I can find out what the technical difficulty is and get it corrected.
In the meantime keep in mind that as you let go of your fear based thoughts you move toward the positive pole of enlightenment.
I am sending you loving good will, today, tomorrow, and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
If you continue to revist an idea, a slight from someone in your past or present, a pleasant experience, or a trauma from your life you will keep its effect going in your life no matter how much you think you've released its power over you. Energy is subtle; even when its effect hits you like a cosmic 2x4. What you dwell upon you become. What you resist persists. These are only two well known sayings that continue to circulate in our societal vocabulary. Here is one I've always liked because I wrote it: Today creates tomorrow. Please feel free to apply it to your life. Eat well. Live well. Sing and dance even if you aren't very good at it. Laugh as much as you can because it does change your body's chemical balance. Send love notes to your friends on paper instead of the easy way - via email! And send forgiveness notes to those in your life whom you believe have disrespected you- again, never on email. These are just some of the little ways that you begin to change your thoughts.
The saying, "Act enthusiastic and you'll become enthusiastic" was a training tool for sales reps when I was an apartment manager working for corporate real estate firms. I bring this up because it is an example from my life and shows just how slow we can be before we realize the importance of the adage, energy follows thought. The energy of standing up and the emotional 'charge' of smiling while saying the mantra created a shift in our moods.
The next time you're feeling grouchy, try it. It always made me laugh.
My truth is that I hated being an apartment manager because I had to file eviction notices and go through the legal procedures involved. It didn't matter if they were responsible for setting the situation into motion, I just hated to see how low they had fallen from where they wanted to be. I was already years into my metaphysical studies when I entered the management field in 1984. I trudged along for years, getting better at my job but unhappier by the year. In 1998 I got my first 2x4 reminder: a company bought the property I was on and I was not asked to continue in place. One of the young ladies in the takeover team mentioned to my husband that I was just to nice a person to be in the business. She saw me as a book buyer for Barnes and Noble, ha!
I got another job and it was the worse of the lot. While enjoying a full spa day, a birthday present from my beloved husband John, the masseur suggested to me that I get out of the property management business because my body just couldn't continue to hold so much stress without a serious breakdown. Imagine this coming from two total strangers; the same message within about 2 years of each other.
This is an example of the mystery of how God-In-Action works. Just as I had created my pain, I co-created my freedom by letting the energy build until I would be ready for the message that it was time to get out of the business and get on with the business of living a happy life. I was afraid that if I quit doing what I was good at, I'd never find another job. As you may have already guessed, I was afraid to move forward into the unknown.
So now, take a few seconds and answer this question: am I happy now? If the answer is no it's time to change all of that; try this:
1. Your emotions empower your thoughts and facilitate the creation of events in your life. CHANGE YOUR EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE. You know what you need to do, do it! It helps when you catch yourself being negative if you forgive yourself and intend to be more positive in thought, word and deed. If you like heavy metal music throw in an occasional classical album - ok - maybe you're not quite that ready to change but you really do need to surround yourself with positive things that make you feel better. Start small and build.
2. Surround yourself with positive energy, external and internal. Watching television, electronic communications, gossiping, and letting yourself get lazier with each decade is just a few examples about exposure to energy that can devolve you're brainpower. I'm not saying to eliminate everything entirely, but start making improvements in the selection of what you do with your free time. I gave up soap operas in 2005. I quit watching news 3 times a day after I recovered from the trauma of September 11, 2001. I backslid during the 2008 Presidential Elections, ha!
Creating internal positive energy is a matter of choice. Eat natural foods to the best of your ability. When you catch yourself thinking or projecting negative thoughts, do what my friend Karen does, say "cancel, cancel" out loud. You are, as they say, what you think and what you eat. You are also God-In-Action learning how to live in your God Nature. Give yourself a break, but be vigilant. Persistance is the key to success.
You are welcome to present your essay to us for publication on this service page. Go to the "Blog and Submit Essays" button and we'll get it. If you have trouble getting it to us, contact me via the blog so I can find out what the technical difficulty is and get it corrected.
In the meantime keep in mind that as you let go of your fear based thoughts you move toward the positive pole of enlightenment.
I am sending you loving good will, today, tomorrow, and forever. Rev. Cisi Martin
The Blessing of Loving Good Will
January 01, 2011- Shared with the Center of Light Congregation
Today we are going to give ourselves the chance to change everything in our world for the better. We are going to celebrate the New Year and in doing so; we have an additional opportunity to set into motion everything we want to manifest or change; and to send a blessing of loving good will to ourselves, and those we know and love. We even have a chance to send loving good will to those whom we do not like and don’t want to be around in the upcoming New Yearbecause they irritate us no end.
As Spiritual beings, we know that it is those whom we don’t care for who often act as our mirror and reflect back to us character defects that we haven’t yet changed within our own psyche. When we interact, we teach each other how to live in right relationship and how to work through any disagreements we might have. In order to do this we must form a powerful intent – to be conscious of our thoughts and reactions to everyone we meet –if we are able to do this we are able to eliminate forming new karma that is based upon judgment and negative emotions. Here is an example of how your intent will change your life.
Energy follows thought. Here are two things we’ve heard repeatedly; What your mind is on, you become. And also: That which you resist, persists.
Affirmations can work for people because we are linking thought with energy and the power of our words. In other words, we create our lives by what we say, and how emotionally charged the engine that drives our thought may be. Let’s put some real feeling into the affirmations that I am calling Blessings today. After I say the blessing – make a joyful noise to celebrate your intent to honor this affirmation. We’ll repeat each affirmation three times.
Our first Blessing today is: I Bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
I bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
I bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
I bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
Patience is a virtue because it allows us space in which to enjoy a pleasant experience, or an opportunity to sit mindfully with loving good will towards ourselves while our lessons work themselves out to their karmic conclusion. Probably the one thing we all share in common is a lack of patience! When things in life are not moving at a speed or in a direction that we would like, it is harder to slow down and allow life to move at its own pace.
The value of patience from a karmic point of view is that while you are waiting- without agitation and prejudice- you practice acceptance of your situation- thereby dissolving your karma quicker than if you had fought against it. With that thought in mind,
Our next Blessing today is: Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will. Let’s make some noise:
Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will.
Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will.
Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will.
If you resolve to be patient with yourself for as long as it takes to dissolve this karmic experience you will persevere; your impulse to fight against a situation that appears in your life will be tempered by acceptance. Otherwise, it will get worse as you struggle against it. Once you move into acceptance, you are able to relax and let go of the emotions that have plagued you.
You are freeing yourself from adding more karma to the situation. You were struggling against the law of Balance, my friends. I believe that the universe gives us plenty of opportunity to find balance, because our true God Nature is to live in complementary balance with everything that exists.
Does that mean you have to accept everyone into your life if they are not on your wavelength? Their actions, no. If they are harmful and hurt you or another person you do not have to accept that person’s actions. However, you should be aware that if you accept them as a part of the Oneness of Creation, and as a part of you since you are also a part of God, indwelling as we often say, your life will improve tremendously. You don’t have to like someone in order to love the Spirit of that person whose spirit is the same part of God that you are.
So during this New Year let’s think about our third blessing.
It is simply this: Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone. Don’t forget the noise!
Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone.
Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone.
Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone.
What happens to those of us who are generous with our time, our finances, and our willingness to go out of our way to help someone in need? The answer is one we’ve all experienced. We will meet someone who will begin to take advantage- in some way - because your boundaries of self respect need a little repair. Ever heard of the law of opposites? Why do you think people need to be pushed off center sometimes? The next time it happens to you, consider this: You are experiencing an attraction of opposites because you are out of sync with the intent of the universal flow which is always to seek complimentary balance.
We can shift our consciousness to think of these people, not as someone who is in need of our help because they can’t help themselves, but as an individual who is seeking a way to change a personal pattern that no longer serves them. They are seeking personal balance and have come to you for an opportunity to use your spiritual understanding to help them break a pattern that no longer serves them.
Our fourth Blessing today is: With Thought, Word, and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action. 1-2-3 make it loud!
With Thought, Word and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action
With Thought, Word and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action
With Thought, Word and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action
Our last blessing of loving good will today will be the easiest for us to achieve because we were born to succeed, and we will achieve our goal of enlightenment at some point along our path during reincarnation. We will know ourselves as indwelling God, at some point in our lives no matter our religious preference, our cultural practices, or our current lifestyle. If you are on a spiritual path, the destination is always your enlightenment.
One of the mistaken ideas about karma is that we bring karma forward from each life we have lived and that it must be dissolved before we can achieve enlightenment. The first group to conceive of karma was the Jainist Dharma community, over 5,000 years ago. They understood that karma was like a molecule that interacted with our energy field in such a way as to give us opportunities to achieve a state of balance out of a negative experience.
They understood that karma was both positive and negative in nature and would create situations in our lives to teach us how to live in right relationship with all that exists in nature. They understood this molecule to be karma, the intelligence of God acting in the lives of human beings so that humans could evolve to be omniscience. Jainists call these masters “tirthankaras”, who like Buddhist “Bodhisattva’s”, stay on the planet in order to help teach others what will set them free from the karmic wheel.
Our last blessing of the day, for the New Year of 2011 is: Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime. You know what to do!
Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime.
Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime.
Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime.
You have all the answers you will ever need because you are the consciousness of God, made manifest within you. To be set free from the karmic wheel of rebirthis not as easy as a snap of the fingers. But, there is no magic involved. It is a way of living your life that is respectful to all life forms, that encourages us all to share loving good will for each other and asks of us to apply the spiritual tools we learn along the way so that we may be the Gods and Goddess’-In-Action in the world – a world that needs us so desperately right now.
You are all blessed because you have recognized that God does not exist outside of yourselves, you might even say that God is living life from macro to the micro levels to experience itself.
Be the Gods and Goddess’ you are every day. The Year 2011 is a good year to give away the habits and beliefs that still bind you to karma. Set yourselves free. There has never been a better time.
As your friend, I offer you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever; And So It Is. Rev. Cisi Martin
Today we are going to give ourselves the chance to change everything in our world for the better. We are going to celebrate the New Year and in doing so; we have an additional opportunity to set into motion everything we want to manifest or change; and to send a blessing of loving good will to ourselves, and those we know and love. We even have a chance to send loving good will to those whom we do not like and don’t want to be around in the upcoming New Yearbecause they irritate us no end.
As Spiritual beings, we know that it is those whom we don’t care for who often act as our mirror and reflect back to us character defects that we haven’t yet changed within our own psyche. When we interact, we teach each other how to live in right relationship and how to work through any disagreements we might have. In order to do this we must form a powerful intent – to be conscious of our thoughts and reactions to everyone we meet –if we are able to do this we are able to eliminate forming new karma that is based upon judgment and negative emotions. Here is an example of how your intent will change your life.
Energy follows thought. Here are two things we’ve heard repeatedly; What your mind is on, you become. And also: That which you resist, persists.
Affirmations can work for people because we are linking thought with energy and the power of our words. In other words, we create our lives by what we say, and how emotionally charged the engine that drives our thought may be. Let’s put some real feeling into the affirmations that I am calling Blessings today. After I say the blessing – make a joyful noise to celebrate your intent to honor this affirmation. We’ll repeat each affirmation three times.
Our first Blessing today is: I Bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
I bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
I bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
I bless everyone I know with Loving Good Will.
Patience is a virtue because it allows us space in which to enjoy a pleasant experience, or an opportunity to sit mindfully with loving good will towards ourselves while our lessons work themselves out to their karmic conclusion. Probably the one thing we all share in common is a lack of patience! When things in life are not moving at a speed or in a direction that we would like, it is harder to slow down and allow life to move at its own pace.
The value of patience from a karmic point of view is that while you are waiting- without agitation and prejudice- you practice acceptance of your situation- thereby dissolving your karma quicker than if you had fought against it. With that thought in mind,
Our next Blessing today is: Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will. Let’s make some noise:
Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will.
Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will.
Whatever I have created to get to this moment, I now bless it with Loving Good Will.
If you resolve to be patient with yourself for as long as it takes to dissolve this karmic experience you will persevere; your impulse to fight against a situation that appears in your life will be tempered by acceptance. Otherwise, it will get worse as you struggle against it. Once you move into acceptance, you are able to relax and let go of the emotions that have plagued you.
You are freeing yourself from adding more karma to the situation. You were struggling against the law of Balance, my friends. I believe that the universe gives us plenty of opportunity to find balance, because our true God Nature is to live in complementary balance with everything that exists.
Does that mean you have to accept everyone into your life if they are not on your wavelength? Their actions, no. If they are harmful and hurt you or another person you do not have to accept that person’s actions. However, you should be aware that if you accept them as a part of the Oneness of Creation, and as a part of you since you are also a part of God, indwelling as we often say, your life will improve tremendously. You don’t have to like someone in order to love the Spirit of that person whose spirit is the same part of God that you are.
So during this New Year let’s think about our third blessing.
It is simply this: Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone. Don’t forget the noise!
Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone.
Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone.
Acceptance is Loving Good Will in Action and I share it with everyone.
What happens to those of us who are generous with our time, our finances, and our willingness to go out of our way to help someone in need? The answer is one we’ve all experienced. We will meet someone who will begin to take advantage- in some way - because your boundaries of self respect need a little repair. Ever heard of the law of opposites? Why do you think people need to be pushed off center sometimes? The next time it happens to you, consider this: You are experiencing an attraction of opposites because you are out of sync with the intent of the universal flow which is always to seek complimentary balance.
We can shift our consciousness to think of these people, not as someone who is in need of our help because they can’t help themselves, but as an individual who is seeking a way to change a personal pattern that no longer serves them. They are seeking personal balance and have come to you for an opportunity to use your spiritual understanding to help them break a pattern that no longer serves them.
Our fourth Blessing today is: With Thought, Word, and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action. 1-2-3 make it loud!
With Thought, Word and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action
With Thought, Word and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action
With Thought, Word and Deed I will be the Good Will of God-In-Action
Our last blessing of loving good will today will be the easiest for us to achieve because we were born to succeed, and we will achieve our goal of enlightenment at some point along our path during reincarnation. We will know ourselves as indwelling God, at some point in our lives no matter our religious preference, our cultural practices, or our current lifestyle. If you are on a spiritual path, the destination is always your enlightenment.
One of the mistaken ideas about karma is that we bring karma forward from each life we have lived and that it must be dissolved before we can achieve enlightenment. The first group to conceive of karma was the Jainist Dharma community, over 5,000 years ago. They understood that karma was like a molecule that interacted with our energy field in such a way as to give us opportunities to achieve a state of balance out of a negative experience.
They understood that karma was both positive and negative in nature and would create situations in our lives to teach us how to live in right relationship with all that exists in nature. They understood this molecule to be karma, the intelligence of God acting in the lives of human beings so that humans could evolve to be omniscience. Jainists call these masters “tirthankaras”, who like Buddhist “Bodhisattva’s”, stay on the planet in order to help teach others what will set them free from the karmic wheel.
Our last blessing of the day, for the New Year of 2011 is: Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime. You know what to do!
Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime.
Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime.
Within me is the solution to every experience I will have in this lifetime.
You have all the answers you will ever need because you are the consciousness of God, made manifest within you. To be set free from the karmic wheel of rebirthis not as easy as a snap of the fingers. But, there is no magic involved. It is a way of living your life that is respectful to all life forms, that encourages us all to share loving good will for each other and asks of us to apply the spiritual tools we learn along the way so that we may be the Gods and Goddess’-In-Action in the world – a world that needs us so desperately right now.
You are all blessed because you have recognized that God does not exist outside of yourselves, you might even say that God is living life from macro to the micro levels to experience itself.
Be the Gods and Goddess’ you are every day. The Year 2011 is a good year to give away the habits and beliefs that still bind you to karma. Set yourselves free. There has never been a better time.
As your friend, I offer you loving good will today, tomorrow and forever; And So It Is. Rev. Cisi Martin