Spiritual Living Podcast Archive

Digging into Ernest Holmes' book Living the Science of Mind Dr. Patrick looks at the chapter entitled "Self-Awareness is Not Enough". The three main points are: paradox, self-awareness, and self expression. A paradox is a statement or situation that defies logic. Our big paradox is that we are human and yet we are divine. We are here in complete freedom. We can choose to be a vessel for Spirit or not. Self-awareness clears the track for right action---self-expression.

Three key areas of focus: Prove It. If there is any field of research where the practical application is necessary, it is in the metaphysical field. Even when It's not working, It's working. Our embodied beliefs are always supported. For example, if we believe It doesn't work, It proves Itself to us by not working. We explore three genius practices where genius is developed and revealed: Ten minutes of deep, insightful reflection per day. Twenty minutes of insightful and meaningful reading per day. Thirty minutes of deep, clear focus every day.

Inspired by Dan Zadra's book 5 - Where Will You Be Five Years From Today?, Dr. Patrick looks at three areas of focus: Chunk it---break the goal or intention down into manageable pieces. Your success team---gathering the people and support around you to help you achieve your goals. The amazing you---a call to see your true essence, creativity, potential, and unlimited capacity. Yes you can!

Focusing on the classic Science of Mind textbook authored by Dr. Ernest Holmes, Dr. Patrick looks at Chapter 3, "What It Does". He discusses three main points: Energy unceasingly seeking an outlet. This power requires our receptivity. Our embodied belief is the only signal this Infinite Intelligence can and will respond to. If we seek to alter conditions and experiences, then it must first begin with our own consciousness. We practice the releasing the old to make way for the new possibility and opportunity.

Using Dan Zadra's book 5 - Where Will You Be 5 Years from Today?, Dr. Patrick looks at the importance of writing down our personal mission statement. Only we can write it, and only we can live it. It should be grounded upon our top five values. Write it with the awareness that mindfulness and balance are important. Be specific, and think big!

For years, the Centre for Spiritual Living Edmonton has had two services each Sunday: one at 10:00 am and one at 11:30 am. Starting in 2018, Dr. Patrick will be giving two different messages. The early services will focus on the fundamentals taught by our founder, Ernest Holmes, and the Science of Mind textbook. Today, we discuss the second chapter entitled "The Way It Works." How does the creative process respond to the individual's level of faith, receptivity, and collaboration? We must sow our seeds in faith. It is impersonal. Good is without bounds. It can only work for us by working through us! Let us accept more good into our lives today than we did yesterday.

The best day of our life is the day that we claim it as our own. To take responsibility for the direction that our lives will take. Everybody needs a mission statement. Goals and Dreams. Where will we be five years from today? What will we do with the time we have over the next five years? What are our top five values? Research shows the importance of writing down our goals and consistently revisiting them. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go." -- Dr. Seuss Our imaginations are just the preview to life's coming attractions. -- Einstein If we don't have a dream, how can our dream come true? A goal is a dream set to paper. Don't just think it---ink it!

Highlighting 100 years of the Science of Mind by focusing on Chapter 1 in Dr. Ernest Holmes' monumental work, The Science of Mind. Three areas of focus: The Divine Plan The Love and the Law Objective (conscious) and Subjective (subconscious) states of awareness The Divine Plan is one of Freedom. The Love and the Law is available and expressed through every individual because it is a definite principal. We plant seeds of possibility with our Objective (Conscious) Mind and our Subjective (Subconscious) Mind to demonstrate and reveal the intention set by conscious mind.

The story of the birth of Jesus is one of going through the deepest darkness and finding fresh radiance. That radiance comes from the courage to walk towards the things that scare us. Jesus' birth coincides with the return of the light to the world and the renewing of life. By taking on the Christ Consciousness---the personification of the Presence of God---we become the light of the world. If we find ourselves in a dark place right now, know that the dark place is where grace goes to be reborn.

Luke tells the story of the birth of Jesus as a message of hope; when we think there is no turning around, keep going. When the angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias, he questions it. When the angel appears to Mary, she is willing and simply asks, "What must I do?" Mary and Joseph represent what must change for a new shift to take place. They went through great hardships because of Jesus---they were cast out of their tribe, lost their privileges, and were rejected. Like Mary, we are all pregnant with the Christ, and we can choose to have faith and hope and be willing to go through some darkness in order to experience the new radiance.

What is here now if there is no problem to solve? This is a question that nurtures the idea of possibility. What must we become to give birth to this possibility? Let us free ourselves forever from the thought that God may be pleased by a life of sacrifice, that the world is any better because of our misery, or that righteousness is more perfectly expressed through poverty than abundance. -- Dr. Ernest Holmes We are not meant to suffer. We bless the world by living in freedom, in joy, and in abundance. Know that the greater abundance of every good thing which we are bringing out in our lives, the more perfectly we are satisfying the Divine Urge within us. Every good thing is a reflection of the awake awareness of this unified field of co-creation. Discovering awake awareness is the key to the transformation of consciousness that leads to our ability to live from freedom, well-being, and loving connection.

This is the second of four "Planting the Seeds" community gatherings hosted by the Centre's new Board of Trustees. The meeting starts with a review of the last meeting. Then we hear results from the last meeting's small group gatherings, feedback from the community survey questionnaire, and an update on the social media and marketing effort for the Centre. We are then introduced to the idea of Spirit Groups, which are small groups that focus on ministering to the community at large. A highlight of this meeting is the impassioned speech given by Lisa, which occurs after the 37-minute mark, encouraging us to leave the past behind so that we can continue the work of touching lives by listening to one another and "doing something". A discussion takes place on the need to revise the meaning of membership as stated in the bylaws. Dwayne describes the ongoing work on the Centre's Strategic Plan as: "Planting trees under whose shade we never expect to sit." It is also a process of replacing panels on the plane as we fly it. Links: Spirit Groups, as founded by Mendhi Audlin "Do Something" by Matthew West

Life is curly! Don't try to straighten it out! Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Jennifer Bowerman, gives a talk on leading, living, and growing through change, highlighting the importance of white space in change moments. We are always in the light. We don't always see it, but it's there. Doubts are natural, but we can use them as signposts to guide us to the light. We always come out the other side. How do we manoeuvre in a world like this? The answer is that we want to keep as many options open as possible. We go for viability---something that's workable---rather than what's optimal. A lot of people say to that, "Aren't we accepting second-best?" No, we are not, because optimization isn't well defined any more. What we are trying to do is to optimize robustness, or survivability, in the face of an ill-defined future. And that in turn puts a premium on becoming aware of non-linear relationships and causal pathways as best we can. We observe the world very, very carefully, and we don't expect circumstances to last. -- Dr. Brian Arthur, in Waldrop When we're really in a stew! And we don't know what to do! Bring in the light Think "white space" And draw, draw, draw! And colour! There is no magic bullet to making us whole other than our own transformation. Our caring and sharing and loving for others are transformative practices that only exist in our heads, our hearts, and our hands. We have to work through our shadows that keep creating our dramas. Sunday Songs: You are Sacred Love When I Pray, by Daniel Nahmod God is my Source, by Karen Drucker Lean On Me, by Bill Withers

We are called to focus with great faith that as we turn our attention and energy to all that is good in the world, that is what will expand, and when we choose to focus on peace, peace will expand. Rev. Connie Phelps, currently working in Kenya, says, "This is a truth teaching and truth is truth for everyone, no matter who we are, where we are, or what colour we are. It's as simple as that." Let us be conscious of how we spend our spiritual coin---our attention and intention. Let us be aware of what we are saying yes to with clicks and tweets and thoughts. We are creative beings and we are stewards of our thoughts. Everything is energy. Sunday Songs: Spirit, by The Waterboys Shine On Me, by Dan Auerbach Let There Be Peace On Earth

This is the first of four "Planting the Seeds" community gatherings hosted by the Centre's new Board of Trustees. At this meeting, each member of the Board introduces themselves to the membership, giving some background on how they came to the Centre, how they got involved on the Board, and their personal vision surrounding the Centre's new focus on mission-centred ministry.

We all have gifts and we are accountable for how we use them. Jesus' parable of the talents teaches that those who use their gifts well will have abundance. Those who don't use their wealth well will lose what little they have. They may feel like they are suffering, but Ernest Holmes teaches that suffering is a result of not living according to the laws of the universe. It is a loving indicator that we are out of alignment with the truth of our being. The man in the parable who was foolish with money---who hid his gifts---went straight to making excuses and casting blame. That is not our truth. We have each been given gifts, and if we don't share them, we all lose. All of life, including money, is a gift from God, and it is ours to share and manage well. Sunday Songs: Lovely Day, by Bill Withers Amazing Things, by Megon McDonough and Jana Stanfield Loving Spirit Dwells in Me Happy, by Pharrell Williams

Sufficiency isn't an amount at all. It is an experience. A context we generate. A declaration. A knowing that there is enough and that we are enough. As we lay down the path of our lives, we must find something that works for us and keep digging. We keep digging our well, and we keep digging deep, because there is water there. We are a community here. A Beloved Community is a collection of individuals who are learning how to love themselves, one another, and the Universe. In community, through respect and equal partnership, we activate and cultivate the energy of hope and possibility. Sunday Songs: I Am Opening Up In Sweet Surrender So Much Significance So Sacred Stand Together

The natural effort of every individual to better his or her own condition is more powerful than any obstacle that gets in his or her way. -- Adam Smith Independent of any amount of resources, scarcity is an unexamined and false system of assumptions, opinions, and beliefs from which we view the world as a place where we are in constant danger of having our needs unmet. There are three toxic myths of scarcity: There is not enough. More is better. That's just the way it is. By buying into these myths, we lose the fullness of what we already have. It perpetuates a source of resignation instead of having a soul experience. Instead, each day upon going to sleep, we should ask ourselves: What bounty did we get today? What do we want to celebrate about today? Sunday Songs: God is My Source, by Karen Drucker Grateful for it All, by Daniel Nahmod Alive in the World, by Jackson Browne More than Enough, by Daniel Nahmod

Today, we look at the journey that brings our soul to money, and money to our soul. It is a journey of realigning our relationship with money to be more truthful, free, and potent. It enables us to live a life of integrity and full expression that is consistent with our deepest core values no matter what our financial circumstances. On this journey, we learn to embrace its flow. It is all about forming a life not grounded by wants and needs, but by commitments. Ultimately, we find that our life is independent of our financial situation. For many of us, our first thought of the day is, "Not enough sleep." And our second thought is, "Not enough time." We can see how immersed we are in an internal mindset of scarcity. This fuels our outer experiences of discord, fighting, annoyances, and grief. But we can change this pattern and form a new dream. And how can we change the dream of the modern world? It takes knowing ourselves at a deeper level, and it requires courage. Our opportunity is ultimately to answer the call of greatness. Like no other time in history, we are free to make meaningful lives. Be ennobled by this thought!

Fear is opportunity. The ups and downs of life either create personal growth or personal fear. Which of these dominate is completely dependent on how we view change. Fear is the tool of a man-made devil. Self-confident faith in oneself is both the man-made weapon which defeats this devil and the man-made tool which builds a triumphant life. It is more than that. It is the link to the irresistible forces of the Universe which stand behind a person who does not believe in failure and defeat as being anything but temporary experiences. -- Napoleon Hill Situations are often not as we like. How do we come up with the assumption that life is not okay the way it is? Who says that the way that life unfolds is not alright? Fear. Projection is this: We define all of creation based on the messed up parts of our insides. If this is so, then what do we expect creation to look like? For spiritual evolution, the heart must become a sea of love, and the mind must become a river of detachment. Let us prepare our mind to receive the best that life has to offer. As for the person we are called to become, how would they operate this day? In order to be who we are, we have to be willing to let go of who we think we are. -- Michael Singer When prayer removes distrust and doubt, and enters the field of mental certainty, it becomes faith; and the Universe is built on faith. -- Dr. Ernest Holmes

If we know God as an Indwelling Presence, our prayer is naturally addressed to this Presence in us. We long for, and need, a conscious union with the Infinite. This is as necessary to the nature and intellect of humanity, as food is to the well-being of our physical body. -- Dr. Ernest Holmes A river of energy flows through all of Life, through the whole Universe. The most spiritual primal energy we have is directed toward survival. But most of us don't live lives under constant threat of annihilation anymore. So we have moved from the physical protection of ourselves to the psychological. And this habit of constant protection causes us to shut down our energy centres. So real spiritual growth requires one person inside of us---not the scared person and then the protector. If we don't really want it, then don't protect it. Because when we get rid of the scared part of us, we don't have to worry about getting disturbed. This is the process of working with our triggers. Spiritual growth is when we feel our energy start to change. When we start to tighten, it's a signal that it's a time to grow, not to defend. And the only price we have to pay is letting go of our small self.

Dr. Gary Simmons, co-creator of the Q Process, speaks today on the Shadow Effect. The world is changing. Are we on the transition team yet? Sometimes we are being the somebody that is not the truth of us. So in the Q Process, we explore the ways to release our own limiting beliefs and bring forth greater awareness of the dimension of ourselves that is infinite and eternal, to co-create a new world. We have been sent to be the One unto our own life.

Our souls long to be free. For each of us, the only significant experience with the Divine is the direct experience. It is very personal. There has to be an opening. It has to be welcomed. The world of the senses draws us in. Then our mental reactions and emotions draw us in further. What differentiates a conscious-centred being from a person who is not conscious is the focus of their awareness. True meditation is the simple awareness of being aware. When the heart opens, we feel love. When the heart closes, love stops. The heart controls the flow of energy by opening and closing. This is the secret of the spiritual heart. The heart is the centre of Divine Love and perfect circulation. Its actions are harmonious, vital, adequate, and complete. The pulsations of Life are steady, unceasing, and perfect. Love is at the centre of humanity's being, and the calm, continuous pulsations of Life are governed by love.

Michael Singer says in his book The Untethered Soul that, "There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that we are not the voice in the mind. We're the one who hears it." It's all about consciousness. Yet we can become engulfed in fear even though there is nothing to fear. We can try to change our physical world to feel empowered, yet the real power is internal. We think that winning the lottery will make us abundant, yet it will not shift consciousness. When we feel triggered, we should ask, "What is alive in us? Why do we perceive this situation as a problem?" The place to deal with a problem is within. Enjoy Jackson Browne's song "Alive in the World".

Life requires courage, and it takes courage to trust. We can build trust and treat confidentiality as a spiritual practice. Brené Brown says we can create a vault---a safe place where we put things people have told us that we never share. Gossip merely creates a false sense of intimacy. Past-president Barack Obama shared his thoughts and perspective to a group of young people called the Goalkeepers. He spoke of looking at the world and rejecting the notion that there are things we can't control. We have the opportunity to push for change, to contribute to something proactive and creative. We must reject pessimism and cynicism and keep up a relentless optimism. We can trust the God-Presence within us, above all else. With It, we have the energy to maintain that relentless optimism.

Watch "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars. Brené Brown says, "When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending." We are each here to be the author of the brave new ending of our lives. Become aware of the expectations you have and how they can lead to disappointment. We can learn to listen to the busy voice in our heads but not be that voice. We can take a step back and be aware of our thoughts, and this helps us process outside things on the inside. We won't get the answers all at once, but when we're in coherence and we ask, "What's ours to do here?", we can feel our way forward. We've never had as many people waking up on the planet as right now. We are part of that tribe!

We can move forward---evolve---more effectively when we bring greater consciousness to everything we do. It takes courage to do that, in particular, to write our own story and be the director of our own lives. Ernest Holmes said, "We really never bound freedom. We merely use it in a restricted way. The restriction is not in the principle, but in our use of it. Why not use our imagination to enlarge our experience?"

In the quest to live a wholehearted life, we must have courage. Brené Brown, in her book Rising Strong, explores how those who recognize the power of emotion and are not afraid to lean into discomfort make the biggest difference in the world. There is no courage without the fear that causes it, and it is okay to feel vulnerable. "Owning our stories and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we'll ever do." -- Brené Brown

Carl Jung said, "Until we make the unconscious conscious, it will direct our lives and we will call it fate." He also said, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." We all have triggering moments. These give us the opportunity to learn something about ourselves. When we feel uncomfortable or troubled, we are out of alignment with the truth of our being. The Q Process, by Dr. Gary Simmons, helps us work through our triggers and aspects of our shadow. "The One" video that Dr. Patrick plays is here.

We have the incredible opportunity to live in harmony with the Unified Field---like metronomes that become synchronized. If we don't, we will find that incoherent messages in our energy create incoherent messages in the body. There are two states we can live in: survival or creation. Survival mode is filled with stress and dis-ease. The long-term effect is that we become enslaved to the material reality. To enter creative mode, we must abandon our attachment to our body, to the physical world. Instead of consuming energy, as we do in survival mode, we create it. When we are in sync with the natural rhythm of the Unified Field, we have more energy and better balance. We can learn to live with the paradoxes of the world---to allow both sides to exist in equal dignity and worth.

Inclusivity. "Where there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you." -- African proverb First of all, inclusivity starts with ourselves---owning all of ourselves and welcoming every experience in life as our teacher. Secondly, we need to understand the difference between translation and transformation. Translation opens the door, but true transformation causes real changes to occur in our ego. Thirdly, new learning opens new doors. We can learn new ways of relating and processing our hurts. Carl Jung understood how important it is to be nonjudgmental and practice "unprejudiced objectivity".

When we are in a place of joy, then we are at our best. When we are living from an inner experience of freedom, joy, and abundance, everything else works out. When we get to the place in consciousness where we realize that it is no better to have a million dollars than it is to owe a million dollars, then we will have the consciousness to create anything we want with the snap of our fingers. To say otherwise, to say that this situation is better than that situation, is to say that the world of form has control over how we feel inside. This an outside-in game, whereas we know the truth that it is an inside-out game.

We are all one. There is one Spirit or Force that contains All. We create our reality through what we think. Love and God are synonymous. Meditation and conscious prayer create dynamic change in our lives. We are capable and all on a path of evolving into higher states of consciousness and expressions of love. We are not creating our reality from the presence of our personal self, we are creating our reality from the presence of our higher self. Therefore, everything that is created is for us, and nothing is against us. We are not just evolving as a species, we are evolving into a new species. A universal human. This means becoming beings who walk in harmony with all things, and who recognize our power to create our reality.

We are born with an inherent wholeness. We learn of the creative power of thought. We are intrigued by the wonder of it. We can become fascinated with the fact that thought is creative, that what we think takes form in our experience to some degree. We begin to use this law for every possible purpose for the benefit of ourselves and for others. We often go through a phase of treating to control people and things. Most of us pass through this phase. We then move on to treat to control our own mind and our own consciousness. Of this, Emerson said, "We must stay at home with the Cause." Wholeness is the experience of staying at home with the Cause.

We are not a drop in the ocean---We are the entire ocean in a drop. -- Rumi We are all myth-makers. Empowerment is when we are no longer dependent on something or someone outside of ourselves. Are we creating our personal reality consciously, or is it being created by virtue of our conditioned self? There is an infinite potentiality available to all. It mirrors back to us what we are sending out from our own state of consciousness.

We are living the richest experience, in wholeheartedness in the quantum field of possibility. Our newest science meets the oldest traditions in beautiful synergy. Buddhism teaches that everything is impermanent and suffering is a part of living. We have the opportunity to learn how to suffer and then cast it off. In our modern world, we are learning the secrets that ancients knew---how activating the pineal gland and keeping our chakras in alignment gives us a better chance of reaching coherence and accessing the divine.

Tibetan monks attempting to move a large, clay Buddha discovered that it was actually a gold statue covered in clay. We too have a golden shadow---a part of ourselves we do not want to recognize, that isn't a part of the image we present to the world. The mask we wear is one of clay; it can crack and show the true self within. We must give our attention and energy to that which creates greater aliveness. Let us understand our mask and begin chipping away at it. What is the opposite to our public persona? Look for the blessings that our unowned self has gifted us with. We can't embrace that which we won't own. We must do this to experience wholeness. Dr. Brené Brown said, "The irony is that we disown our difficult stories to appear more whole and more acceptable. But our wholeness, even our wholeheartedness, actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences including the false."

The kingdom of heaven of which Jesus spoke is the unified field of consciousness. The seeds in Jesus' parables are ideas in our consciousness. A small seed planted in the right conditions and tended in the appropriate ways can flourish. The same is true of the thoughts in our consciousness. "Think about God and God will think about you. When we turn from destructive emotions, they are no longer fed by the creative imagination. A transformation takes place when love destroys hate by absorbing it in its Divine flame. The negative state which we have created by unhappiness cannot be healed by adding more unhappiness nor by analyzing the unhappiness we already have. Rather,it is healed as we turn to the contemplation of wholeness. Filling the consciousness with joy lifts grief out of itself until it no longer exists." -- Dr. Ernest Holmes There is nothing between us and the Kingdom of God but our own mistakes. What seeds are we planting? Is the field (of consciousness) ready?

Lifestyle meditation teacher Mandy Trapp shares with us the true meaning of yoga. Yoga means to yoke together, or to bring together, into union all the dimensions of who we are. The soulful aspect of ourselves is the one that is just watching it all happen. And it is the same one that has been watching since the moment we took the first breath in our life, and it will be the same one that watches as we take the last breath in our life. And in that last breath in our life, we may feel the greatest sense of yoga or union. Patanjali wrote that the practice of yoga is available to us throughout our entire life if we go through the process. The outermost expression of who we are in yoga or in union is who we are in relationship to each other. The next layer is how we relate to ourselves---our inner dialogue. The third layer is known as asana---the seat and position that we sit in all areas in our lives. It is the many hats we wear, and all the rules that surround those roles. To get there, to reconnect with ourselves, we need to practice closing our eyes and withdrawing our senses and to practice the cessation of comparing. Yoga is learning who we are in those quieter places and then showing up just like that as we plug back into the world.

"Man re-enacts the nature of God." -- Dr. Ernest Holmes After the dark night of the soul, we are broken open, and we learn a lot about ourselves. But we can only go so far with our intellect, and then we need to open our hearts. Our ego mind can spin a story of separation, of aloneness, but the heart tells a different story. Jesus spoke of God as a Father, but God is also a Mother. The father is the activity, the light, the thinking, the electricity. The mother is the love, the magnetism, the bonding, the attraction; Mother-Love brings order to chaos. In the Law of Attraction, the thought (Father) is where it starts, but the magnetism (Mother) brings the experience to us. It is electro-magnetism. We are creations of the I Am Presence; we have incarnated and are plugged into the Cosmic Lattice. Our thoughts activate love. We are all superheroes because we love---and our superpower is love.

In today's talk, Rev. Tammie gives us several practical ways to become more prosperous. The three metaphysical laws that govern everything govern money, too. The first is the Law of Unity---a spirituality of wholeness. When we find wholeness through Source, we find the peace we may be seeking in money and learn what prosperity looks like for us individually. The second is the Law of Cause and Effect. For every manifestation, there is an invisible idea behind it. An experience of lack is caused by ideas or beliefs about lack. The third is the Law of Circulation. The nature of life is giving and receiving---life energy flowing. Feeling prosperous comes from a grateful attitude, a generous heart, and a life of circulating our good. In our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives. -- Deepak Chopra

Carl Jung was guided by four key principles in his teaching and life work: We need to become our complete selves to live as whole human beings. The complete self lives naturally in two worlds: the outer materialistic one and the inner spiritual one. The Spiritual Source of Life needs humanity to mirror Its creation in consciousness and help It evolve further. The whole human being is open to the Divine as co-creator. Ernest Holmes wrote, "There is an infinite, creative Intelligence which creates all things by imparting of Itself to become that which is created. This Creative Cause is an indivisible unity." Shadow work is an imperative part of the spiritual path. We must own our own shadow. We can learn the power of waiting while others do their shadow work. By not protesting or denying a situation, we can leave enough room for people to work out their problems among themselves. Such things can only be accomplished if our own shadow is reasonably well in-hand and we are not tempted to plan our own retaliation. We are advised to love our enemies, but this is not possible when the inner enemy---our own shadow---is waiting to pounce and make the most of an incendiary situation. If we can learn to love the inner enemy, then there is a chance of loving and redeeming the outer one.

When we are volunteering, the quality of the outcome as the result of our activity is directly connected to the state of our being or our consciousness that our activity springs from. The consciousness from which we offer our gift determines the ongoing nature of our efforts and the results that follow. When we plant a seed of love from a consciousness of love, there is a better chance that what we've planted will flourish and have long-standing impact and a ripple effect. Who we choose to be, and taking action from a feeling tone of what we've chosen, makes all the difference in the experience of our action and the crop that we harvest. We are the soil and the gardener of our own field of possibility. This agreement that we strike personally has everything to do with our relationship with others---how contribution, generosity, openness, and willingness can liberate us in relationship with ourselves and with one another. A shift in awareness can move us from a life of survival to a life of contribution. When we name ourselves as a contribution, this produces a shift away from self-concerns and engages us in a relationship with others that is an arena for making a difference. It produces rewards of a deep and enduring kind. Joseph Campbell put it this way: "When we are connected to something larger, at those moments we realize that we and the other are in fact one. Survival is the second law of life---and the first is that we are all one. These truths are revealed in moments of great gratitude, true inspiration, heart-felt joy, or heart-stopping awe."

We are all on a soul's journey. So much of our growth happens in our heads, we forget that we need to take action as well---it all works together. Contributing to the world around us is the culmination of our growth. 3 key points: Longing---Longing is the soul's language. When we trust the invisible then our longing has purpose. It changes from desperate longing to assured longing. Grace---Grace is that unseen force that helps us and allows us to change the course we're on at any time, to change our path and our karma. The Gift---Be a gift to others. Thach Nguyen uses these 4 steps: Connect deeply. Ask questions about the person you're with. Contribute on the spot. Watch the miracles happen. Deepak Chopra's book: How to Know God

The universal creative force is as much feminine as it is masculine. It is accepting of any ideas we give it and it gives birth to them. We are created in the image and likeness of the divine, with the ability to interact with it and determine our life's course. Our choices build faith in something---possibility, opportunity, creativity---or in error beliefs of restriction and limitations. God created with his word, "let there be..." and so do we create with our words. What we say most often, we become. Jesus was a radical, and he said, "I have come so that you may have life and have it more abundantly." Mother Nature shows us that abundance and is always guiding and directing us. If you ever feel like an invisible mom, know that God sees, knows, and loves you. (Story by Nicole Johnson.) (Song is "Hands of Grace" by Jack Fowler.)

Adam Grant, in his book Give and Take, describes three types of people---givers, takers, and matchers. He studied organizations, engineering firms, and hospitals to discover that the givers are both the most and least productive people. How can we create a world where more of the givers get to excel? We must recognize that givers are the most valuable people in any organization. We must create a culture where it's okay to ask for help. This changes everything, and allows the givers to help more. Adam Rifkin, successful entrepreneur, says his secret is five-minute favours or strategic giving to help another. It is conscious giving---identifying what he can do that will help another and contribute without overextending himself. The key to creating a successful team is not to bring in more givers---it's to weed out the takers. This can be tricky, because agreeable people may not always be givers.

New belief requires resilience. We have to decide whether we would rather be a victim or a creator of our lives. Do we want to suffer more, or do we want more joy? It can become power to us only as we recognize It as Power. We cannot recognize that It is while we are believing that It is not. Our belief sets the limit to a Principle which of itself is without limit. It is ready to fill everything because It is infinite. So it is not a question of Its willingness nor Its ability---it is entirely a question of our receptivity. -- Dr. Ernest Holmes Gratitude is giving thanks before the thing is here, because we know it is already complete in the Mind of the One. Could we become inspired by our future? To see the lower self from the higher self, and get back into the best state of being? Stop walking back into the past. Start bringing up the emotions of the future, feeling a magnetic charge. Energy is a frequency. Who will we be today? Change Change Change! We are reprogramming ourselves to the Unknown. We have set our intentions and we surrender the old to the Unknown. We are unlimited possibility.

Our evolution is never ending. We are always evolving and growing, on the journey. Dr. Holmes said, "There is something within us all which consistently pushes us forward, which demands continued progress." Ask great questions. Because the Infinite answers! Why not ask, How can I see the divine in this? Can I claim this as a gift? "We're all a cell in that soul of the infinite," says Deepak Choprah. There is a divine realm and we can lift our vibration and interact with it. What are the ideal growing conditions? The Science of Mind practice works, but sometimes we don't work---"The very thing we wish to avoid, neglect, and flee from turns out to be the primal material in which all real growth occurs." -- Andrew Harvey Here is how to embrace growth in every opportunity, see God in every opportunity, and embrace the good and bad and everything in between: Wake up. Continue to wake up. Remember where your true power lies and go within. Get help. Partner with a practitioner. Be gentle and kind with yourself. [Video about forgiveness]

We celebrate Easter, Jesus the Christ's personification of the presence of God, his life of wisdom and integrity, his death and resurrection, and what it means for all of us. We have all experienced suffering because of what we believe. We all must die to our egoic or false selves. Our calling is to follow Jesus' example and learn to have the courage to love. Our journey ultimately is not one of consumption. It is one of contribution. It is one of service, of love.

Guest motivational speaker and entertainer Wayne Lee talks about how we can face a life challenge and, through the process, empower ourselves. How can we be free? How can we empower ourselves? How can we let go of the stuff that stops us in our own mind? How can we become a better performer? Fundamentally, how do we consciously create the life we desire? We can ask ourselves two questions whenever we are going through such a life shift: What can we learn from this? What can we do about this? A third, final question that becomes the most important question: What are we grateful for because of this?