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