The Parable of the Two Wolves

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a

battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son,

The battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret,

greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment

Inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,

serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,

empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute

and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

A Study on Mindfulness

"Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk

“Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?” 

- Lao Tzu

Today try to be more fully present wherever you are. 

Do one thing at a time
Do it slowly and deliberately

Do less

Put space between things

Spend at least 5 minutes each day doing nothing

Stop worrying about the future – focus on the present

When you’re talking to someone, be present

Eat slowly and savor your food

Live slowly and savor your life

Make cleaning and cooking become meditation

Keep practicing

Inspired by a wonderful article:

The Mindfulness Guide for the Super Busy: How to Live Life to the Fullest

A Prayer

Holy Spirit,

I come into the Sacred Place where you and I share a sacred communion,

where I share a sacred communion with myself,

where so many of the remarkable changes in my life have originated. 

I reach forward with the Infinite in my heart. 

I reach forward with eagerness. 

I reach forward with a taste of beauty on my lips.

There is no castle like the one within

And I open its gates with joy

All of the wisdom I need to know,

Find me and hide in my pockets!

You make me weightless

You make me dance to that

Sacred song, the one that resounds when I Listen.

Love is a necklace and I will wear it proudly.

Last Night As I Was Sleeping

Last Night As I Was Sleeping

Antonio Machado

Last night as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous illusion!—

that a spring was breaking

out in my heart.

I said: Along which secret aqueduct,

Oh water, are you coming to me,

water of a new life

that I have never drunk?

Last night as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous illusion!—

that I had a beehive

here inside my heart.

And the golden bees

were making white combs

and sweet honey

from all my old failures.

Last night as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous illusion!—

that a fiery sun was giving

light inside my heart.

It was fiery because I felt

warmth as from a hearth,

and sun because it gave light

and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night as I slept,

I dreamt—marvelous illusion!—

that it was God I had

here inside my heart.

Translated by Robert Bly

You Inner Divinity Wants to do Amazing Things in the World!

"Goddess Light Within" 

by Helena Nelson-Reed

"You are here to enrich the world."

-Woodrow Wilson

“The Spark of Spirit is within every single one of us and it burns brightly in the very soul, and very center of all of our beings.  Our responsibility is to fan that flame into a Fire of Passion and Purpose. We need to fan that spark until it is a Roaring Fire, the very essence of who we are.”

What if your search for what is yours to DO was informed by who you have come here to BE? So that we ground ourselves in being-ness and the authenticity of who we are, which is an emanation of Spirit, and then our doing-ness arises out of that. Imagine how much more powerful you might be in anything that you do.  If we arise out of that center of being we have all the power of the Universe around us, within us and behind us.

Rather than the common, misaligned way of thinking, “If I HAVE money, then I’ll DO what I came here to do and then I’ll BE okay,” a pattern rooted in truth is “If I BE who I’ve come here to BE, then I will be able to DO what I have come here to do, and then I will HAVE everything I need and want and more."

“In our world of business rarely to people inquire of themselves or each other “Who have you come here to BE?”  Instead we ask, “So what do you DO?”  You may strive and seek and search relentlessly to know what is yours to DO because DOING leads to HAVING and HAVING seems to contain a measure of relief and protection from the uncertainties and the discomforts of life.  Deep down inside you may know intuitively that your happiness is not in things or in your capacity to do and to succeed.  It is somehow rooted in a more intangible knowing of your own worth and capacity to make a difference.”

-Reverend Dr. Gary Simmons, Unity Minister

"Passion is power. On the color spectrum from faint interest to rabid obsession, it is

 toward the red end of the continuum. Passion is accompanied by the sound of

 primal yahoos, castanets in the heart, the beating of wings. It is the natural

 exudation of love, any kind of love, and spills from us like heat from a fire.  

Passion is the smelling salts of the soul. Passion's message is the same one that

 love brings: 'follow me!' "
    

Gregg Levoy, “Callings”

"I AM" Standing in the Fire of My Heart's Desire"

3-23-11 podcast, Center for Spiritual Living E-Side sermon, by Rev. Suzi Schadle

You can subscribe to her free podcasts here

Wholeness

"Love after Love" 


by Derek Walcott

The time will come

when, with elation,

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror,

and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here.  Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine.  Give bread.  Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit.  Feast on your life.

"Love after Love" from COLLECTED POEMS 1948-1984 by Derek Walcott. Copyright © 1986 by Derek Walcott. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

Words of Peace

Photo By Cara Myers

"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."

-Buddha

The Power of Gratitude

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. 

It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... 

It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

- Melodie Beattie

What is Within You is the Answer

"To appreciate and recognize the potential that you really are is one of the most important steps you can ever take." 

-Raymond Charles Barker

Your Words Have Power

What you praise, prospers. What you condemn, withers. 

Raymond Charles Barker

We must continually remind ourselves of the power of the Word, and of our ability to use it. 

The Science of Mind, page 189

There is power and magic in our resolve, as Goethe has suggested, and nowhere is this more vigorously demonstrated than in the spoken word. In fact, what we say goes before us more than almost any other act we may perform. Our words put the face on what people think of us and sometimes create an indelible impression on others that will not leave for a very long time, if ever.

We all know that words have power. We have seen and heard charismatic speakers send listeners into ecstasies of devotion or into mobs that murder. And it is not only clever speakers that can influence others. You and I can and often do, whether we speak out of love or hatred, invitation or dismissal, honesty or deviousness. We must know how our thoughts are revealed through speech. If we speak from the highest sense of the Divine, others cannot fail to notice the inspiration. On the other hand, if there is anger and distrust behind our words, people will not be fooled about what the inner distress is transmitting, no matter how sweet and persuasive the comments. We were never meant to misuse the spiritual gifts we have been given, especially not if we know ourselves to be man- ifestations of the One. Let us, then, affirm life with loving speech worthy of a spirit-filled humanity.

affirmation

I am a revealer of Truth every day, every hour, every minute. Naturally, I am an opening through which God is made manifest. Through my words, I show myself to be a messenger of infinite love. I speak from my heart, and my heart is secure in God.


Science of Mind Magazine 
March 2011, March 15th Passage
Written by Margaret Stortz

The Possibilities Are Endless

Photo by Niki Lynn

"The Infinite, which is God, leaves Its creation free to discover itself, to uncover itself, to reveal itself, to become itself." 

-Raymond Charles Barker

"I look to the future with great and pleasurable anticipation, knowing it will expand my opportunity for radiant self-expression." 

-The Science of Mind, page 246

I believe that growth is a choice.  There is a moment, either conscious or unconscious when we decide that we want to grow and are willing to do what it takes to do it, or we shrink back, having decided the sacrifices required are too great.  

When we decide to move forward in faith and absolute surrender, the rewards are profound, but we do not know that at first.  There is always that moment of pause after the step is made where we neither see nor feel anything happen.  We are left to wonder about our decision: "What will happen?  Will God catch me?" That is the moment where our faith is tested.

When we push off from the safe harbor of our habits-healthy or unhealthy, past our fears and attachments to our comfort zones, we make ourselves available to Divine Change-the kind of change that has the power to dismantle our blockages, realign our relationships, revolutionize our finances, to miraculously correct the chemistry of every aspect of our lives.  In truth, nothing can be more scary, and make us feel more vulnerable, but nothing can revolutionize our lives in the most dramatic, positive ways.

This is the moment it becomes apparent: do we Trust?  Are we willing to trust?  Will we choose to trust?

“A quantum leap into the unknown, into uncharted territory is massively exciting because there’s infinite possibility and expansion available there, total freedom to let go of what’s gone before and any worry about what might be…

But rather to be in the co-creative moment of the present NOW…

To create what we desire and want to see happen in our lives.”

-Center for Spiritual Living E-Side Sermon

2-7-10 “Redefining and Redesigning Our Lives”

Today I Begin Anew

Photo By Niki Lynn

Life is a livingness to the last second.

Raymond Charles Barker

Try to sense the Infinite Life around and within you. 

The Science of Mind, page 489

Every morning when we open our eyes, it is possible to restart the creative process within us. It is possible to shed attitude after attitude that holds worlds of limitation, keeping us shackled to the past. As the day proceeds, if we have not actively set in motion an energetic intention, it becomes so easy to get sucked into default mental settings that keep us wallowing in old, established programs, very much like a computer that needs massive updates. To be present to the day means to be willing to set it up as a sacred gift from the Divine, a twenty-four-hour block of infinite possibilities that could eventuate into things we never imagined. And what if some incredible, dreamlike possibility does become a physical reality? Would we be ready for this?

Long ago, I made an agreement with myself to bring love into the mix every day, no matter what else was happening. Believe me, this is not always an exercise in sweetness and light! Appearances can sometimes be daunting; I don’t always have the right words, the smart words, the words that make all the crooked places straight. What I do have is the love of God that goes before me, making a fresh atmosphere available for something new to happen. We are truly divine beings with the ability to bring an enlightened mind into a dark place, sometimes with vigor and sometimes very quietly. There is no telling what we can bring into a new day.

affirmation

I am a revealer of Truth every day, every hour, every minute. Naturally, I am an opening through which God is made manifest. There is no place in me for misgivings. There is only room for love fully offered.

-Margaret Stortz

Science of Mind Magazine

March 2011 Edition, March 1rst

Letting Go of Fear

Claim a Greater Life

FEAR is an acronym I the English Language for,

“False Evidence Appearing Real.”

-Neal Donald Walsch

“We need fear nothing in the Universe.”

-Science of Mind, page 383

Fear and doubt are normal human reactions to growth.  They are evidence of your past limited beliefs about what is possible for your life.  They are knee-jerk responses to old programming.  As you start to claim a greater life experience, fear and doubt will naturally float to the surface of your thinking.  They are evidence that you are moving beyond your past into a whole new vision for your life.

The mistake that many people make when they encounter fear or doubt is to retreat back into the comfort zone.  They see fear as a stop sign rather than a line that delineates the old from the new.  They become afraid and run back into the comfort of their past behaviors.

To live well, you must do something different with your fears.  See they as a sign of growth.  Use them to push your further ahead into the new vision you’re creating.  Don’t be afraid of your fears.  Embrace them.  See them for what they truly are: old ideas mourning their own loss.

Once you have shone the light of wisdom on your fears, recommit yourself to the vision of a good life. Dedicate the rest of your time to envisioning a life of continued health, love, joy, and abundance.  You have the ability to live the life of your dreams.  It’s also what you do with your fears.

-Rev. Chris Michaels

Science of Mind Magazine April 2011 Issue

The Power of Self Forgiveness

“When you forgive yourself, you let go of a part of yourself-the part that wants to keep you trapped inside a circle of blame, shame, guilt and fear. Free yourself from this vicious pattern of behavior for the it has the ability to murder your spirit. This way of living has you immobilized because you are dwelling in the past, the guilt and blame for what has been, and you cannot enjoy your future for fear of the consequences of what has been. There is only one solution: you must give yourself the ultimate gift-The gift of Self Forgiveness.”
-Helen Williams
authenticself.com

Part of a sermon from Center for Spiritual Living E-Side called
"The Gift of Self-Forgiveness" given on 10-27-10 by Suzie Schadle

Love Them Anyway

"Unity" by Stephen Moros

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Be good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People need help, but may attack you if you try to help them.

Help them anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway."

-Mother Teresa

What are You Thinking and Therefore Creating?

"Exper" by G.R. exper.3drecursions.com

“The most astonishing implication of the new physics concerns the role of human intention-It’s ability to shape our world and its central role in the nature of reality. Quantum theory suggests that reality is not fixed but fluid or mutable and hence, open to influence, and that we, as influencers are central to this entire process.  The latest scientific research proves that every thought we have is a tangible energy, as energy that can be measured as a surge of electrical voltage that changes the molecular structure of the object of our intentions. Our thoughts our hopes, desires, wishes, have an energy that transforms the nature of our world.”

 -Lynne McTaggart

This quote was a part of a sermon from  I listened to by my new, favorite teacher, Reverend Suzi Schadle of Center for Spiritual Living E-Side.  The sermon was recorded on 10-13-10 and is called "The Gift of Intention Setting." You can find her sermons here!

The Four Agreements

Art by Monica Stewart

The Four Agreements

Be impeccable with your word

Speak with integrity.  Say only what you mean.  Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don’t take anything personally

Nothing others do is because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.  When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Don’t Make Assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.  Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings sadness and drama.  With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment.  It will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick.  Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self abuse and regret.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

By Don Miguel Ruiz

A Quantum Leap

“A quantum leap into the unknown, into uncharted territory…

is massively exciting because there’s infinite possibility and expansion available there, total freedom to let go of what’s gone before and any worry about what might be…

But rather to be in the co-creative moment of the present NOW…

To create what we desire and want to see happen in our lives.”

-Center for Spiritual Living East Side Sermon

2-7-10 “Redefining and Redesigning Our Lives”

Forgiveness Releases the Forgiver

I once found a copy of Kahlil Gibran "The Prophet" in a used book store.  As if finding this rare treasure wasn't gift enough, I also found a something beautiful inside on the first page of the book.

There was a note at the top dated 12-25-76 that said, "To Fern, Merry Christmas so someone so full of life. Love, Anna"  It is always amusing to read old writing inside of books, and as lovely as that was that wasn't even the best part!

Then there was a passage that had been cut out and taped inside on yellow paper entitled "
Forgiveness."  As that time, I was carrying around the weight of bitterness towards someone because of the way they had treated me.  It was exactly what I needed to read and it pierced that darkness square in the heart.  It read...

Forgiveness

The art of forgiveness brings the forgiver a step towards empowerment and starts the process of releasing the attachment to the person and actions that caused the problem.  So forgiveness is really for the forgiver and not the forgiven.

Forgiveness releases the person being forgiven from the forgiver, but not the person being forgiven from their actions.  They are still responsible for what they have done.  But it is not the responsibility of the person who is doing the forgiving to hold onto the hurt or anger.  "What goes around comes around."  What this person puts out into life will come bank to them, but it is not the responsibility of the forgiver to see that this happens.

We are all doing the best we can.  Try to keep this in mind when forgiving someone...That they did the best they could, no matter how horrible of a thing they have done, they did it because they need healing.

Forgiveness does not mean you open yourself up to being hurt again.  You should always keep healthy boundaries.  You can forgive someone and still keep them out of your life or at a distance.  

Also, work on forgiving yourself for anything you may have done to yourself or others, for you are also doing the best that you can.