Meditation & Knowing for Sue Pfaffinger

This is a meditation taken from 365 Days of Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes that Sue Pfaffinger found comforting as she faced a diagnosis of untreatable cancer. October 28 - I am an individualized center in the consciousness of God. I am an individualized activity in the Action of God. I am eternal, therefore, I do not have to wait for immortality. The resurrection of life is today living today as though I were an immortal being. I allow all thought of death, all fear of change to slip from me. I step out of the tomb of uncertainty and into the light of eternal day. The nighttime of my soul has passed and the eternal light of everlasting day dawns as the great Reality in my life. Joyfully I am resurrected into that which is beautiful, enduring and true. Silently I pass from less to more, from isolation into inclusion, from separation into oneness. Today, realizing that there is nothing in my past that can rise against me, nothing in my future that can menace the unfoldment of my experience. I declare that life will be an eternal adventure of greater and better experiences. I revel in the contemplation of the immeasurable future, the path of eternal progress, the everlastingness of my own being. I am renewed daily by that Divinity within me that has forever set the stamp of individualized Being on my mind. Sweet Sue, we bless you on your ever expanding adventure into greater experiences. Rev. Carolyn and LCSL

3rd in the series "The Untethered Soul"

To be able to answer yes to the question, "Do you want to be happy?", you must learn to detach or as Michael Singer describes it 'fall back.' When something happens or just in everyday life, we have the opportunity to practice falling back. Taking a mental step back from circumstances, people, our thoughts and be the observer we are. In order to truly experience the upward experience of oneness with the One, first we must detach. This is a skill, a habit, like every other that must be practiced and strengthened. It is like getting our bodies into shape, we must exercise the muscles. If we wait until the big things happen to try to detach, our chances are low. If we practice on the small things on a regular basis, then when we are engaged in the senses in a powerful way, we will have the muscle memory of stepping back and observing from the place of knowing the Truth of who we are. In traffic, we begin to fall back whenever we feel someone is cutting us off or speeding or being inconsiderate. I like to let people in when traffic is merging, but can be really engaged if they then do not wave a thank you. When I fall back I can see a basic belief that people should be appreciative of what I do and when they are not I get upset. When I fall back, I can see where my reaction is coming from, observe it but not let it determine how I feel about the situation or the fairness of my world. This has built an awareness and experience of the process. When someone close to me is in my opinion being inconsiderate, I now know that I can fall back and observe. This is not about being fully present in your life, it is about also knowing that you are the observer. Blessings on the journey, Rev. Carolyn

2nd in series on The Untethered Soul

Hello everyone, This week we have been talking about how we build in protection that ends up restricting/crippling us. In Michael Singer's book The Untethered Soul, he gave the metaphor of the thorn. Think about having a thorn in your body somewhere. It hurts when it is touched but otherwise we can ignore it. But, it is in a place that it gets touched often. So, we are careful where we might go that might have things that would reach out and touch it. We are careful what people we get around because they touch it, sometimes with just a word. If the wind blows too hard, it can hurt. We roll over on it in our sleep. It is so upsetting. So we construct a defense. We start by building up a small wall around it, but that doesn't fix it completely. So, we build a bigger defense Pretty soon, in protecting the thorn, we restrict our movements, our involvements, our very happiness in an effort to avoid pain. This thorn and our need to protect it takes over a large portion of our lives. Instead of living, we are protecting. When we have been hurt, unless we have dealt with it and released it, we spend lots of energy in trying to avoid that particular pain again. One example that comes to mind; if we ask for what we need, people won't like us anymore. The child who was told they were selfish and Mommy was angry when they asked for what they wanted and needed. So we avoid asking for what we need and end up unhappy, lonely and frustrated. We are going to talk about falling behind the thought to a place of observing. Simple yet very challenging concept. Have a great week. Rev. Carolyn

Which Self are we going to be true to?

Michael Singer in his book The Untethered Soul asks the question to which self will you be true? He invites us to look behind the constantly chattering voice that many of us think of as our true self and to ask who is it that is observing the voice? What is it that can question the voice, that can think as we are blowing off steam, "They are really out of control?" It is called by many names, soul, higher self, spirit, the never touched or harmed, etc. It is what we listen to when we meditate. We know it because it is so different from the chattering voice we normally hear. Why is that voice so reactive? Take a moment to close your eyes. When you open them do not label what you see, simply take it all in No dialogue. There is more input than we seem able to hold. So, the voice narrates and chooses what to focus on. Close your eyes and again open them normally and see what the voice picks out. It may focus on a particular person or object or the beauty around you. It just all depends and what gets focused on will give you an insight as to how your world is narrated and constructed by the voice. Take a moment to celebrate your 'narrator'. It is very important to your survival and it can be influenced by your making new choices, giving new input. So in our series, we are going to talk about and explore getting in touch with and increasing our awareness of our higher selves. "It's the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes our problems." Why does a teakettle whistle? To let off steam. Why does the mind focus on one thought and keep going over and over it? To let off energy. Think of a time when someone hurt your feelings. Your mind played it over and over and over again with narrative and what you should have said or done. It is processing the energy. When you realize this, you can step in and release the energy intentionally and move out of the loop of playing it over and over in your mind. You are not a slave to the 'voice.' It is all about informed choices. Have a great week! Rev. Carolyn

Four Power Spaces

As we talked about on Sunday, there are four Power Spaces that each of us does call upon and each of us can call upon more. We used Thomas Edison as an example of one life and some ways that he called upon and expressed these spaces. 1. Exploration - openness and commitment to exploring new possibilities. Thomas Edison asked the question, "Why?" all of his life. He was the kind of child that can drive adults to distraction when they realize how little they truly know about the things around them. He wanted to know why and how everything worked. He was forever experimenting and taking things apart and putting them back together so that they were better/more efficient than when he started. He has been called the most influential man of his century. He changed how we all lived, from phonographs to electricity in our homes. He once said, "Discontent is the first necessity of progress." Where are you discontent or are you so comfortable that in Tom's words, 'nothing is happening.' 2. Meaning - Knowing that there is value and purpose in your existence. A part of Tom's was that he wanted everything he did to serve others. He looked for what the world needed and then proceeded to invent it. When you think of the gift you would like to give the world, what is it? Not how you can do it, but what is it that makes your heart sing when you think about giving it? 3. Resource - "I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us - everything that exists - proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision." At the Centers for Spiritual Living we are dedicated to learning more about these 'infinite laws' and how to best express them in our lives. The basic Law we understand is that it is only One. What this means is that all the Infinite resources are ours for the accepting. 4. Identity - Who are you? The expression of the Whole. Our lives are a wonderful journey of awakening to the Truth of our being. The expression of the unique unfoldment of Spirit/Law that we are. These are very quick ideas around these profound ideas. I invite you to allow them to swim around in the edges of your mind and see where they lead. Joy in the journey, Rev. Carolyn

Two Stories of Life Supporting Creativity

The following two stories are examples of people living their creativity to create lives of their choosing. We are made to be creative. When we block that creativity, we diminish how we express and our enjoyment of life. There is a story about the young Stephen Spielberg and how he moved an obstacle in his life to being a life giving support. As a young man in Middle School he had a bully that liked to pick on him. He tried avoiding him and then one day he went up to him and said he was doing a home movie, did this kid want to be one of the actors? The bully responded with more bullying, but in a few days, he showed up at Stephen's and said tell me more. The bully became the hero in a movie about bullies in Nazi Germany. And, he became a life long friend to Stephen. Stephen had been creative in thinking of a new way of dealing with a situation that most of us would never have thought of. There was a Park Warden who was in charge of making sure that anyone who fished in a certain lake had a permit to do so. One day he saw a man with two buckets of fish. He asked to see his permit. The man with the buckets of fish said, "I don't need a permit, these are my pet fish." "Your what?" "My pet fish. I bring them out in the morning so they so out to play in the lake. Then they come back, jump in the bucket and I take them home." The Warden said, "that is impossible!" The man with the buckets of fish responded insisting that they were indeed his pet fish. So, the Warden finally said, "Show me." The man dumped the fish in the lake and then stood quietly. "Well, call the fish back!" "What fish?" Not only was the guy a fast thinker, creative in his response, but also now free to go. No evidence was available. How can you think a new thought this day? Rev. Carolyn

Five Supporting Steps to Power

In discussing Power vs. Force we explore five supporting steps to power or affirmative prayer. Power, is another name for Spirit. Power expressed clearly in our lives is the expression of the One. Force is when we work to manipulate or make something happen. This is true whether we are talking about ourselves, another person, a situation, etc. The five steps turn our attention to the One Power. The steps align us with who we truly are and Spirit. 1. Contemplate the One Life – Let in the Light. Every time we turn our attention to the Presence that is greater than we are, we are letting more Light and Presence in and as and through us. We are aligning ourselves with what cannot change, instead of focusing on what is in constant flux. 2. Stop fixating on problems and needs – Discipline. This is really tough. When something is right in front of us, even when we know it is only temporary and not truth, it is hard for us to take our attention off of it. I have learned that when I get a scratch in my throat, I can tell myself the story of, "Oh no, here comes a sinus infection or cold or whatever and start planning what medicine I am going to take." or "I know that I am the perfect health of Spirit and my sinuses are healthy now." When I finally got that seeing it is a problem, created the problem, I was able to change the story. Sinus events just don't happen to me. 3. Give into God – allow the infiltration of Love. Open yourself to all the things that remind you of Truth. Like a dry sponge soaks up moisture, soak up Spirit. 4. Affirm God’s Good for you. Your Divine Birthright. Study, read, contemplate the Truth that you are the creation of the One. One of my favorite affirmations is found in our brochure. It comes from the book by Ernest Holmes "Living the Science of Mind." - It goes something like this. - Good and more Good is mine. It flows to me, through me, surrounds me, supports me. Good and more Good is mine. Not going to be. Not if I do the 'right' things. Good and more Good is mine. 5. Celebrate and release. Trust that not by might but by the Spirit it is done. Smile a lot. Laugh a lot. And open to more reasons/opportunities to smile and laugh. Good and more good is yours. May you see it, feel it, and enjoy it! Rev. Carolyn

Five Ways to Experience More Giving in Your Life

Part of changing our consciousness of prosperity and abundance is to change our view of ourselves as being givers. Another word for God or Spirit is Givingness. So giving/sharing is our very nature. Here are just five little suggestions of seeing ourselves as givers and experiencing more giving in our lives. 1. The next time someone says something that we take exception to, give them the blessing of being who they are. 2. At the store when they have that little dish for leaving extra change, leave some. 3. The guy standing on the side of the road with a sign, give him a dollar. Here you also get to practice non-judgment. Your job is to give not to judge how it will be spent or the worthiness of the recipient. I still remember the sign from one guy who said, "I just want a hamburger." I gave him $5 and he gave me a great laugh and a fun memory. 4. Imagine a bright light of love emanating from your heart into the world. You are a blessing. 5. Send a $5 check to someone you don't know or, I like this one a lot, tip 30% to a waiter or waitress who you feel some connection with. There are so many blessings to giving, increasing your consciousness of always enough and more is just one of them.

Four ways to invite more Nibbling Experiences

The idea behind this week's blog is that while we have meals of awareness of Spirit in our lives; Sunday mornings, meditation, classes, reading, prayer work, etc., there are opportunities to also have nibbles of Spirit throughout our days. "Little moments of awareness and blessing" is my working definition of nibbling/snacking on Spirit. So, I offer four ideas of how to invite more of these experiences into your life - 1. When they happen allow yourself to truly experience them. Sounds like one of those 'duh' statements. Often, we rush through our lives and when something happens we think, "Oh I will think about that later, right now I gotta move on." Very often we never get back to it. Example, you walk out in your yard on your way to your car and one of your plants is now blooming (OK, maybe it is in your neighbor's yard.). It is beautiful and what a nice surprise on a Monday morning. Stop, take twenty seconds to really see the bloom, feel the sense of beauty and joy, feel the connection to the All that is, let gratitude and awe fill you. You have just had a nibble of Spirit. 2. Let the memory fill you with the original feeling. Later on the same Monday, you are sitting in a room having a meeting. The image of that bloom and your moment with it comes into your mind. Let it fill you. You won't loose your place in the meeting. Let the awe, the gratitude, the smile, the connection be just as real as it was earlier in the day. You have just been nourished with a snack of Spirit. 3. Have moments planned in your day to remember your spiritual nature and connection to the Whole. One of the easiest and one that has been around a long time, is taking a moment before you eat anything to be aware. You don't have to close your eyes, or say something profound, just take a moment and be aware. Aware of gratitude for the joy and sensation of eating. Pardon the pun, but eating is just a delicious experience. So awareness of the joy of eating, gratitude for having the supply of what your body needs to flourish, etc. 4. Set your intention. Making a decision that you will invite and experience more moments of blessing and awareness of Spirit in your life invites them in. Emerson tells us the end creates the means. We set an intention and Spirit says, "OK I will get right on that." Have a great day of knowing and experiencing your oneness with the All that Is. Rev. Carolyn

Giving Thanks

I was raised in a family that saw more lack in the world than abundance.  Giving was not something we did freely.  We were a poor family and if we gave away our supply there may not be any more.  It has taken me many years to retrain my mind to know what is true for me.  I am One with an Unlimited supply I am One with Spirit.  Spirit is all there is.  As I open myself up to give of my thoughts (positive energy), my talent (smiles, hospitality, encouraging talks, etc.), my time (volunteering at the Center, neighborhood projects,  people in need), and my treasure (the energy of money) to where I am spiritually fed I put myself into the flow of Spirit. 

In all things give thanks – even if it looks like something we do not prefer.  Maybe it is a job interview that we learn we did not get the job – give thanks.  It may sound like crazy talk, but do you really want to be in a job that is not the right fit for you?  Trusting Spirit, trusting the process and being confident that Spirit is leading me to abundant good and more good has served me well.  

As I heard last week – the only power I have is where I put my attention.  I choose to put my attention on the positive.   I lived enough years with my family focused on lack, I consciously choose to focus on the positive now.  Am I able to stay positive every day in every situation?  No, but I certainly can catch myself sooner now when I start down that path of lack.

At our movie night this past weekend we heard Louise Hay say – Every thought we think creates our future.  I look forward to wonderful future full of life, love, happiness and friends.  Who is ready to join me?

Rick McCollum, RScP  7/30/2012

Sick, not-sick, thriving

Victor Frakl, in my experience, is most famous for his quote, "The only thing that can never be taken from you is your ability to choose your response." I was reminded recently that part of his work was around the idea that most of us live on a short swing between sick and not sick. If we have pain or illness, our focus is on fixing that. If we are feeling pretty good with little or no pain and no pressing illness, then we consider ourselves not-sick or as well as can be expected. His premise is that we miss what we actually are built to experience - thriving. Thriving is defined as to grow or develop well or vigorously. It is active, ever expanding, full of energy, constantly creative, always being more. Look at that sentence again. Could it be used to describe the Universe, the Power that is, Spirit, etc? We understand that we as individuals are the microcosm of the macrocosm. If the above words can describe the All that Is, are they not also words to describe our 'isness.' Thriving. Say the word out-loud. How does it feel? "Say that with a smile Pilgrim." Feel it in your mouth, your face, your mind, your body. To thrive, how can we invite that more fully into our expectations and lives. Emerson tells us "Knowing the end creates the means." Knowing we are meant to thrive creates the means to do just that. Rev. Carolyn

Louisville Center for Spiritual Living New Home

Come celebrate with us for our first service at our new location.
105 N. Lyndon Lane, Louisville, Kentucky 40222
September 9, 2012   10:30 am.

For more information check out our website at www.lcslonline.org

Happy Happy Daddy

A story came to me about a Dad who greeted his daughter every morning with open arms and the phrase, "Come here honey and hug your Happy Happy Daddy!" Collectively we say, ahhhhh. It is a sweet story that contains some great truths. The Dad was stating what he was without putting conditions on it. He was happy everyday. One of the things I first thought was that I expected him to be commenting on the little girl. "Come here you happy girl and hug your Dad." Or,"How's my happy girl today?" He was staying in his place of decision, himself. He can't speak for his daughter, even though many of us would like to be able to do just that, decide for others. He was also a living example to his daughter and all who hear the story. Choose to be happy, happy everyday. Not based on circumstances, but based on choice. Based on doing things that support the way he wanted to experience his life. He also was starting each day by setting his intention for happiness and with gratitude and appreciation. When I picture the scene with the open arms and the little-smiling-girl flying into them, it brings a smile and a resolve to be Happy! Happy! Rev. Carolyn

Ease and Grace

Rev. Roger Teel of the Mile Hi Center in Denver, brought up in his talk at the Asilomar Conference this year, the idea of whether or not it is a good practice to use the phrase, "ease and grace", when doing an affirmative prayer. Part of his thought was that not everything comes with ease and grace and if we expect it to be so we will think we are going the wrong direction when things get tough. I understand his perspective, but ease and grace means something different to me. It's not that there will be no problem or issue to deal with, but that in dealing with them we have a knowing, an awareness that we are loved and supported right where we are. There is a mantra that goes - God is. I am. All is well. Keeping this in mind allows us to move through life without undo resistance and with confidence that 'all is well.' Ease and grace is living in the awareness that we are loved, sourced, inspired, directed and protected no matter how the circumstances look. If you are interested in exploring this idea and other life changing questions, check out our class offerings at www.lcslonline.org. Rev. Carolyn

Spiritual Community Projects

It is always a blessing to see our community express from a clear awareness of our spirituality. As my travels to the Asilomar Conference Center on the Monterrey peninsula of California showed me, the spirit and commitment of our organization on a National basis is inspiring. So much work is being done internationally to share our teachings. We see a world that works for everyone and we work toward supporting and achieving that level of Life. As Rev. John Scott from the Jamaican Center shared, to be a part of the Centers for Spiritual Living is to be a part of a movement that changes lives! As I got caught up on what is happening here at the Louisville Center for Spiritual Living, I see again people committed to sharing truth, doing the work and making the commitment to do what it takes. There is great energy generating lots of Good stuff. Our new location is calling our name, we are listening, and know we will recognize it soon. We are making plans for the balance of the year and for 2013 to offer more opportunities to grown and learn to our current members and the wider community. Join me in knowing, "I live and move and have my being in the One." Rev. Carolyn

LCSL Blessing and Welcome

It is my pleasure to post our first blog with a welcome and a blessing. Welcome to this outreach of the Louisville Center for Spiritual Living. You can find out much more about us at www.lcslonline.org. A blessing - may our eyes and ears, our minds and hearts, and the fullness of our beings, perceive and welcome the outpouring of the Love and Givignness of the One. Rev. Carolyn