Doctor of Spiritual Development Essay by Janus Carson I found the course to be most enlightening. I especially liked the way Doctor Crouch incorporated NLP techniques as a vehicle to promote spiritual development. As I have had some studies in NLP this program is refreshingly easy to follow. Dr. Crouch covered many excellent points and this course has helped greatly in my personal growth. Surprisingly, One of the most powerful techniques I found was to ask myself who/what am I, really? I found myself returning more and more to this seemingly simple question, Meditating at times for hours. The layers of false self began to peel quickly at first, with little emotional attachment. After a few weeks I began to peel off some very painful layers however, once past the layer it was gone. I am now within the mind of my higher self and still peeling layers. This has been a very liberating experience for me. Another side effect from the self-inquiry is a calm, peaceful demeanor. I have much more energy and have begun to have prophetic dreams. I have now begun to think much more often in relation to what I desire and my life has improved immensely. I attracted all the information I needed to learn Hypnosis Therapy. I then attracted enough clients to pay for my school and certification as a Clinical Hypnotherapist (C.HT). I am now in the process of building my business with focused concentration, meditation and visualization. Thanks to Dr Crouch and the reviews of Magick chapters I feel as though every moment is a magickal working and life keeps getting better every day. Negative events no longer have a negative hold on me, I realize that my response controls the outcome. I am in control of my emotional, mental and physical body. I live my life noticing the good and lending my energy to that. Life is becoming brighter every day. Thank you; ~Janus Carson C.HT.~ True Mind Hypnosis ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link. Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program. |
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Spiritual Development
Saturday, April 23, 2011
A Course In Miracles
Samina Pitrello
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are several things that caught my attention within the lessons of the Dr. of Metaphysics Program, one of which is how the science of the mind can be linked directly with the workings of Metaphysics, and Miracles. Through the understanding of our three minds, the conscious, unconscious, and the higher mind we will find our way through the false ego, which is created through fear, and the feeling of separateness, to reach our pure connection to the divine.
I totally agree that love is all there is, and fear is a feeling of separation from love, for where there is the pure light of love, the darkness of fear cannot exist.
Prayer is talking to God, & meditation is listening to God. Until one has released the fear that is associated with ego, attachment to outcomes, and the feeling of separation from the divine, then creating magic, and miracles in this realm is not possible. Thoughts become things, and when our thoughts are darkened through fear, then our outcome will be as our fear sees it. Until we can get beyond this fear, learn to quiet the mind, not be attached to the outcome of our desires, and trust in the perfection of love, and understand that love is all there is, we will not create the miracles and magic within love that we seek.
Separating truth from illusion is our number one purpose in this life. It is a very hard thing to do though when we are stuck in our conscious minds, and still being controlled by the negative programming of our unconscious minds, because one of the easiest things to do is lie to ourselves. How do you know when you are not telling yourself the truth? It takes getting beyond the ego, and taking responsibility for your actions, facing your fears head on to realize that you are the creator of your reality here on this earth, and that you are not separate from the divine.
Never have been!
**********************
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers and lots of free online sermons for your use. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Spirituality
final essay The most fascinating part of this course was the discussion of god/God as an ever maturing entity. That was a completely new concept to me and one I rather enjoyed pondering. The multi-discipline approach (science, philosophy, etc.) was also unique from other presentations so that too was quite refreshing. The teacher had a great capacity to present complex ideas in common parlance. He also demonstrated considerably more than a passing understanding of the verifiable material presented. The romp through science was a great start to this course and I found the physics-lite portion of particular interest. I wish I had bumped into some of these concepts when in college, as the material was the same, however this rendering was far more interesting. The section on Marx too was particularly interesting. Again, the history was not new per se but the context in which it was placed allowed me to widen my understanding and for that I am grateful. Early on I surmised that the teacher of this course has (in the past or currently) a Christian point of view. Not a denominational affiliation - but an understanding of life's purpose and a relationship with God that aligns most often and most closely to my understanding of that shared by most Christians. He does not state that - but that is my take away. If correct, that point of view cannot help but color the lens and/or filter of his understanding. He makes every effort to be objective and certainly at every point is sensitive and accepting of other points of view as being of worth. For that, I am grateful. If that is his belief, there is no harm in sharing that fact directly. The last lesson in this course was a gutsy, personal and touching. It has an impact. Perhaps even a positive impact. While it is not inappropriate in the context of this course - a more objective and less personal ending would have suited me better. Classroom work is different from spiritual testimony and in a classroom setting one does not expect such a personal account. It is NOT a negative but it is a startling conclusion to a course that begins with science, traces the philosophers throughout the centuries and ends denoting the limitations of religion on personal growth. One final point in summation, I very much appreciated the condensed, clear and intelligent presentation of the materials and would encourage Rev. Chuck to offer a follow up course. ********************** Ordination with the Free Online Ordination button. The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar |
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Spiritual Awareness Course
Final Essay for the course, "Doctor of Spirituality."
This essay is in fulfillment of my responsibilities in order to acquire my certificate of completion.)
In embarking on this course I was initially dismayed in that it did not appear to be what I was looking for. As per the instructor's suggestion I read through the whole course trying to keep an open mind. There was much that was interesting but did not speak to me. There were things that certainly did and ultimately I would have to say that I am glad I attempted this class because it made me consider a wider definition of the term, "spirituality."
I too looked up the definition of spirituality. Of all the definitions the one that I gravitated to the most was, "sensitivity or attachment to religious values." The more spiritual reading I do in all faiths the more I see that at a deep and fundamental level all faiths hold the same basic values. In his talk, "Compassion in Global Politics," given at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the 14th Dalai Lama concluded by saying, "Without love, human society is in a very difficult state; without love, in the future we will face tremendous problems. Love is the center of human life." I believe Jesus said the same, as did the Buddha, the ancient Hindu seers, the authors of the Upanishads, Mohammed, Gandhi, to name a few in a very long list. So then, to me spirituality is about love and service. How do we embody these in our own life and how do we bring others to them?
Mahatma Ghandi said about the path to spiritual development, "I know this path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God's word is, "He who strives never perishes." I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, through my weakness I fail a thousand times, I shall not lose faith." The pursuit of spirituality is a joyous and arduous road. The practice of love and service flies in the face of our egos because it demands a selflessness that according to the great buddhist masters takes many lifetimes to achieve and a great christian mystic, St. Theresa of Avila tells us that "patience is the key." So with this course I continue my striving.
I am a member of the Blue Mountain Meditation Center founded by Eknath Easwaren. He teaches an eight point program that includes meditation, repetition of a mantram, slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, putting others first, reading in world mysticism and being part of a satsang (association with those who are spiritually oriented.) I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and so I retain some of my beliefs from that faith. At best I would describe myself as a Christo-Buddhist. This gives you a picture of where I come from in terms of spirituality and spiritual practice.
About to the course. I was very interested to read the section on the Laws. The law of free will was especially interesting since I had just been listening to a course on the Dead Sea Scrolls through the Teaching Company. The instructor talked about the disagreement in the ancient Hebraic world about this. One sect, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, believed in predestination only. Another sect believed in free will only and the Pharisees believed in the doctrine of Compatibility, which says that much is predetermined but we have the free will to alter the course. I go with the Pharisees and I agree with this course instructor who states, "a goal of our higher selves is to voluntarily and willingly surrender our egos to be a perfected spirit, (I would say as it is said in the Illumined Man from the Bhagavad Gita "to be united with the Lord of Love.) hanging up the soul overcoat of Manifestation regardless of how many lifetimes it takes." And also, in the Law of Gender I see a reflection of the cosmic web, the unity of all things and agree that we all live and move, and have our being within God and are all striving to be reunited with that genderless force.
As for the other laws, In the law of good will I resonate with the second sentence. It reminds me of the opening to the Dharmapada in which the Buddha says, "Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think." In that same opening chapter he says, "Hatred cannot be overcome by hatred. Only love can do this. It is an unalterable law. Many people don't know that they will die soon. For those who do all quarrels cease." If more people understood the need for good will our world would be a more harmonious and peaceful place. In the middle east there are legions of people who believe in the jihad as God's directive. They believe their violence is a form of good will. How do we relate cross-culturally to belivers who hold such views? The law of grace escapes me. The illustration used led me to write in the margin of my printed copy of the lesson..."and if she did get a ticket how would that not be a blessing?" The law of group life manifests love and service. It asks how we can benefit others, how we can affect our communities, the world. There is a practice in Buddhism called Tonglen in which we begin by wishing happiness and freedom from suffering to our intimate family members. Then we begin to extend it out to our extended family, our friends, our community our nation and finally to all other sentient beings in the world. The Buddhists believes that this positive force has a wide, positive impact on the world. As per the law of healing, I felt there was not enough detail or references to make it understandable. It sounded a little jargon like. I have no debate at all about the law of higher will. The law of Intention reminded me of the parable from the New Testament of the Pharisee praying in the temple. The law of inverse proportions confounded me. What about DNA and genes? If we choose our lives do we choose our deaths as well? The law of knowledge and the law of love need much more development to be truly understood. Laws 50 through 54 did not resonate with me but the law of mantras and the law of meditation did because they are so close to the practice I follow. Likewise the law of non-attachment and the law of one. The law of non-intervention disturbed me. Does this mean that slavery should be allowed to continue; that Doctors without Borders should be disbanded or we should do away with International Peace Keepers? Does it mean that the caste system in India is moral or that the oppression and abuse of women is all in the nature of things? Finally the law of patience and the law of patterns. The law of patience is so important in the difficult path of spiritual development. Without it we flounder. Such wise masters like Pema Chodrun remind us of this as does the Dalai Lama. The Law of Patterns to me is just another way of taming the senses without which we can't quiet the mind. In "The Illumined Man" Krishna says to Arjuna, "When we can walk through the world of the senses both from attachment and aversion free, we find a peace in which all sorrow ends and we live in the wisdom of the self."
The laws were of the most interest to me in the course but there were other sections of the course that drew my comments in the margin as I was reading and reflecting. In lesson 17 on Energy I found myself disturbed by the sending of negative energies back to the sender. I would rather send a blessing back to the sender and follow the mission of our seminary to do no harm. One of my comments in the margin was, "If you are doing this then you have felt the tug but not realized that you have been hooked by "shengpa", the Buddhist term for strong emotion. What if, instead of returning the negative energies to equally harm the other person, you send a blessing instead. "May you be free of pain and suffering." It's like a mental tai chi where you channel the energy around you so that it can dissipate harmlessly without introducing more negative energy into the world. We create much of what is negative in our lives by our perception and interpretation of events. These interpretations are running through our biased minds which are caught in the grip of ego and unconsciousness. If we learn to control our own minds I think it will be clearer where negative energy is coming from.
I did try very hard to read communicating with spirit but it was a bit too far out for me. I was very interested in Kundalini and other energies enough to read further in these areas as I know very little about them. They seem so foreign to this western mind but there is so much that the mind and body are capable of that other cultures are more advanced in. The Chinese system of acupuncture is based on energy flow. I don't know exactly how it works but I do know that it is the only thing that healed my severe tennis elbow and my whip lashed neck. There is definitely something to this that I would like to know more about.
The final chapter in the lessons introduced me to ascended masters I had never heard of before. I know from my own studies that many Buddhas choose reincarnation so that they can lead others to enlightenment. There is a dedication I say at the end of my morning meditation: "By whatever merit has accrued by this practice, may it go toward the enlightenment of all beings and may it become one drop in the ocean of the activities of all the Buddhas as they work tirelessly for the liberation of all beings." I look forward to read in greater depth about the masters presented in this chapter.
This is a sketchy essay I know. Perhaps it is a bit rambling but I hope it conveys not only that I read through the material but also tried to reflect on it, see how it connected with my own spiritual practice and spurred me on to further, more in depth reading. I hope this is the format you had hoped I would follow. If not please advise. I would like to thank the instructors for putting together this course and being interested in my commentary.
Submitted by China R. Dusk
**********************
This essay is in fulfillment of my responsibilities in order to acquire my certificate of completion.)
In embarking on this course I was initially dismayed in that it did not appear to be what I was looking for. As per the instructor's suggestion I read through the whole course trying to keep an open mind. There was much that was interesting but did not speak to me. There were things that certainly did and ultimately I would have to say that I am glad I attempted this class because it made me consider a wider definition of the term, "spirituality."
I too looked up the definition of spirituality. Of all the definitions the one that I gravitated to the most was, "sensitivity or attachment to religious values." The more spiritual reading I do in all faiths the more I see that at a deep and fundamental level all faiths hold the same basic values. In his talk, "Compassion in Global Politics," given at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the 14th Dalai Lama concluded by saying, "Without love, human society is in a very difficult state; without love, in the future we will face tremendous problems. Love is the center of human life." I believe Jesus said the same, as did the Buddha, the ancient Hindu seers, the authors of the Upanishads, Mohammed, Gandhi, to name a few in a very long list. So then, to me spirituality is about love and service. How do we embody these in our own life and how do we bring others to them?
Mahatma Ghandi said about the path to spiritual development, "I know this path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God's word is, "He who strives never perishes." I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, through my weakness I fail a thousand times, I shall not lose faith." The pursuit of spirituality is a joyous and arduous road. The practice of love and service flies in the face of our egos because it demands a selflessness that according to the great buddhist masters takes many lifetimes to achieve and a great christian mystic, St. Theresa of Avila tells us that "patience is the key." So with this course I continue my striving.
I am a member of the Blue Mountain Meditation Center founded by Eknath Easwaren. He teaches an eight point program that includes meditation, repetition of a mantram, slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, putting others first, reading in world mysticism and being part of a satsang (association with those who are spiritually oriented.) I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and so I retain some of my beliefs from that faith. At best I would describe myself as a Christo-Buddhist. This gives you a picture of where I come from in terms of spirituality and spiritual practice.
About to the course. I was very interested to read the section on the Laws. The law of free will was especially interesting since I had just been listening to a course on the Dead Sea Scrolls through the Teaching Company. The instructor talked about the disagreement in the ancient Hebraic world about this. One sect, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, believed in predestination only. Another sect believed in free will only and the Pharisees believed in the doctrine of Compatibility, which says that much is predetermined but we have the free will to alter the course. I go with the Pharisees and I agree with this course instructor who states, "a goal of our higher selves is to voluntarily and willingly surrender our egos to be a perfected spirit, (I would say as it is said in the Illumined Man from the Bhagavad Gita "to be united with the Lord of Love.) hanging up the soul overcoat of Manifestation regardless of how many lifetimes it takes." And also, in the Law of Gender I see a reflection of the cosmic web, the unity of all things and agree that we all live and move, and have our being within God and are all striving to be reunited with that genderless force.
As for the other laws, In the law of good will I resonate with the second sentence. It reminds me of the opening to the Dharmapada in which the Buddha says, "Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think." In that same opening chapter he says, "Hatred cannot be overcome by hatred. Only love can do this. It is an unalterable law. Many people don't know that they will die soon. For those who do all quarrels cease." If more people understood the need for good will our world would be a more harmonious and peaceful place. In the middle east there are legions of people who believe in the jihad as God's directive. They believe their violence is a form of good will. How do we relate cross-culturally to belivers who hold such views? The law of grace escapes me. The illustration used led me to write in the margin of my printed copy of the lesson..."and if she did get a ticket how would that not be a blessing?" The law of group life manifests love and service. It asks how we can benefit others, how we can affect our communities, the world. There is a practice in Buddhism called Tonglen in which we begin by wishing happiness and freedom from suffering to our intimate family members. Then we begin to extend it out to our extended family, our friends, our community our nation and finally to all other sentient beings in the world. The Buddhists believes that this positive force has a wide, positive impact on the world. As per the law of healing, I felt there was not enough detail or references to make it understandable. It sounded a little jargon like. I have no debate at all about the law of higher will. The law of Intention reminded me of the parable from the New Testament of the Pharisee praying in the temple. The law of inverse proportions confounded me. What about DNA and genes? If we choose our lives do we choose our deaths as well? The law of knowledge and the law of love need much more development to be truly understood. Laws 50 through 54 did not resonate with me but the law of mantras and the law of meditation did because they are so close to the practice I follow. Likewise the law of non-attachment and the law of one. The law of non-intervention disturbed me. Does this mean that slavery should be allowed to continue; that Doctors without Borders should be disbanded or we should do away with International Peace Keepers? Does it mean that the caste system in India is moral or that the oppression and abuse of women is all in the nature of things? Finally the law of patience and the law of patterns. The law of patience is so important in the difficult path of spiritual development. Without it we flounder. Such wise masters like Pema Chodrun remind us of this as does the Dalai Lama. The Law of Patterns to me is just another way of taming the senses without which we can't quiet the mind. In "The Illumined Man" Krishna says to Arjuna, "When we can walk through the world of the senses both from attachment and aversion free, we find a peace in which all sorrow ends and we live in the wisdom of the self."
The laws were of the most interest to me in the course but there were other sections of the course that drew my comments in the margin as I was reading and reflecting. In lesson 17 on Energy I found myself disturbed by the sending of negative energies back to the sender. I would rather send a blessing back to the sender and follow the mission of our seminary to do no harm. One of my comments in the margin was, "If you are doing this then you have felt the tug but not realized that you have been hooked by "shengpa", the Buddhist term for strong emotion. What if, instead of returning the negative energies to equally harm the other person, you send a blessing instead. "May you be free of pain and suffering." It's like a mental tai chi where you channel the energy around you so that it can dissipate harmlessly without introducing more negative energy into the world. We create much of what is negative in our lives by our perception and interpretation of events. These interpretations are running through our biased minds which are caught in the grip of ego and unconsciousness. If we learn to control our own minds I think it will be clearer where negative energy is coming from.
I did try very hard to read communicating with spirit but it was a bit too far out for me. I was very interested in Kundalini and other energies enough to read further in these areas as I know very little about them. They seem so foreign to this western mind but there is so much that the mind and body are capable of that other cultures are more advanced in. The Chinese system of acupuncture is based on energy flow. I don't know exactly how it works but I do know that it is the only thing that healed my severe tennis elbow and my whip lashed neck. There is definitely something to this that I would like to know more about.
The final chapter in the lessons introduced me to ascended masters I had never heard of before. I know from my own studies that many Buddhas choose reincarnation so that they can lead others to enlightenment. There is a dedication I say at the end of my morning meditation: "By whatever merit has accrued by this practice, may it go toward the enlightenment of all beings and may it become one drop in the ocean of the activities of all the Buddhas as they work tirelessly for the liberation of all beings." I look forward to read in greater depth about the masters presented in this chapter.
This is a sketchy essay I know. Perhaps it is a bit rambling but I hope it conveys not only that I read through the material but also tried to reflect on it, see how it connected with my own spiritual practice and spurred me on to further, more in depth reading. I hope this is the format you had hoped I would follow. If not please advise. I would like to thank the instructors for putting together this course and being interested in my commentary.
Submitted by China R. Dusk
**********************
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers and lots of free online sermons for your use. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Saturday, April 16, 2011
A Course In Miracles
A Course In Miracles Lesson #10 Comments
Visualization is good, but I always give a condition to anything that I think I want. That condition is that what I think that I want (which may be mostly ego-based) is for my higher mind and higher consciousness. I would not be on the earth if I were not supposed to advance spiritually; this is what it is all about. Many times the ego wants "stuff" that is not for ones overall highest good. I only want what is for my highest good. All mistakes are lessons and all lessons are for my highest good. I do think that visualizing is good for the neurobics of the brain and can assist us in numerous ways. Visualization can be a powerful form of Meditation if done correctly, but Visualization is about the future and future manifestation. So we have some contradictions as to being in the present moment and manifesting what we want to have happen in life. Isn't this the way of metaphysics though?! What if we Visualize the present moment? Now this is a very good thing.. The true purpose of Visualization may be to make improvements in our lives in order to experience more pleasant present moments. Thank you and with Love and Light,
Elizabeth
**********************
Visualization is good, but I always give a condition to anything that I think I want. That condition is that what I think that I want (which may be mostly ego-based) is for my higher mind and higher consciousness. I would not be on the earth if I were not supposed to advance spiritually; this is what it is all about. Many times the ego wants "stuff" that is not for ones overall highest good. I only want what is for my highest good. All mistakes are lessons and all lessons are for my highest good. I do think that visualizing is good for the neurobics of the brain and can assist us in numerous ways. Visualization can be a powerful form of Meditation if done correctly, but Visualization is about the future and future manifestation. So we have some contradictions as to being in the present moment and manifesting what we want to have happen in life. Isn't this the way of metaphysics though?! What if we Visualize the present moment? Now this is a very good thing.. The true purpose of Visualization may be to make improvements in our lives in order to experience more pleasant present moments. Thank you and with Love and Light,
Elizabeth
**********************
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers and lots of free online sermons for your use. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Spirituality Course
DEFINING SPIRITUALITY
I was very pleased that the first lesson recognized that there is a re-emergence of Spirituality, even now, within the current trend towards materialism that has been increasing over the last century. I was additionally pleased that the author has recognized that many people have moved beyond "traditional religion" in their Spiritual Lives.
I put quotes around the phrase "traditional religion" because anthropology and history have revealed that over the thousands of years of human history people have held so many different religions and religious practices that it is impossible to call any one of them "traditional". Among all cultures there are records of those who have gone beyond their traditions. It is these individuals who are held as the shining lights of their cultures.
Nevertheless, the drive towards spirituality has moved within humanity even longer and more universally throughout all cultures than any specific religion. This becomes clear when we look at the most ancient of the Shamanistic traditions. It is clear that Spirituality moved within the human heart from the beginning and that at first, religions formed naturally as a way for people to try and make sense of the spiritual experiences they were having.
Unfortunately, some denominations devolved to become only concerned with bureaucracy and cash flow. As a method of revitalizing the Spiritual core of the human experience, Philosophy became a study. The author has given us an excellent review of some of the key 'moments" in the history of philosophy. But, these ideas are presented as if they had up sprung in a vacuum. There has been no discussion of the religious ideas and historical events that were occurring at the same time and in many cases were the impetus for the philosophical explorations (such events as war, the Spanish Inquisition, the exploitation of the poor, etc.). Never the less, the presentation has been extremely impressive and parallels my own studies. I addition to the author's observation that "…mysticism was recognized by science as being the ultimate truth of all things" (Lesson #3) a quote was discovered by a prominent physicist who, after studying the nature of matter for a lifetime, concluded that the Universe is a thought in the Mind of God.
What is Philosophy? For simplicity's sake, let us say that a philosophy is a set of guiding principles. In this regard then, we can say that all religions have a philosophy, but, not all philosophies are religions. Also, in this regard, Philosophy is not necessarily antithetical to either Religion or Spirituality and in many instances has illuminated many aspects of both. As a mental exercise, philosophy has illuminated the minds of many who have then gone on to achieve profound levels of Spirituality.
Many groups have recognized Spirituality as the core of their culture and have indicated this realization in their symbolism. In the West, the rose and in Egypt and the East, the lotus is used to illuminate this idea.
In this symbol each flower is a life and each unfolding pedal is an experience, a lesson learned, knowledge acquired or a skill mastered. As our life unfolds the golden Spiritual core is gradually revealed. What is also revealed is that, whether we were aware of it or not, the Spiritual was always there in the center of things.
Whomever we are counseling or teaching or ministering, whether they consider themselves religious or not, still have within them that Golden Heart of Spirituality. Knowing this can enhance our effectiveness if we seek to speak to that core. Each group has a vocabulary with which they are most comfortable and the first rule of communication is 'know your audience'.
With that in mind I would like to add to the discussion of the definition of the word 'sin' on the last page of lesson #18. Originally the word was an archery term that means 'missing the bull' (bull's eye). Far too many use the word to mean 'shooting arrows up into the grand stand', when it fact we are hitting the target but we just need more training.
Adding the above meaning to our understanding may allow us to use more kindness and thoughtfulness into our ministries, it has in mine.
Thank you for the opportunity to study this course with everyone. I am always grateful for the opportunity to achieve greater understanding.
Again, thank you and Blessings upon all.
Rev Dr Kenneth A Thompson DD PhD
*******************************
The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Defining Spirituality Course
Final Essay
**********************
Defining Spirituality
I'll start by saying how much I learned in this course. I really enjoyed the history lesson going back to ancient Greece where western thought is believed to have originated. This course was also designed to teach ministers how to minister to scientificfically minded people, which is good information all ministers can make good use off in this scientific age off ours.
According to this course there are only two kinds of people. Those that are influenced by there hearts and those that are influenced by there minds. Heart people of course are those that trust there feelings, are feely touchy, are compassionate and warm and believe in things they cannot see (faith) etc. Whereas Mind people tend to be rational, logical, analytical etc., not believing anything they cannot see etc. As Ministers driven by are hearts we of course feel for mind driven people and want to help them. The only problem with this of course is that if we push to hard our efforts might backfire and all we'll accomplish is scaring people away. As this course teaches rational scientific types a lot of times will come to a place in there lives where science, as great as it is, can only go so far in answering the real deep questions about life. That's when these rational scientific types will suddenly become interested in seeking answers that science in all its greatness cannot answer. That's when they start seeking out us, the heart driven types for answers. As we learn in this course when these mind types finally decide to seek us heart types out we should be loving and kind not preachy and observe and listen. Remembering always to be a guide only and empowering people to seek out answers for themselves.
This course also takes us through a history of western thought starting with the Pythagoreans going all the way to Freud. Fascinating is all I can say. I think the philosopher I really enjoyed the most was Plato. I think the reason for this is because I'm very intuitive and spiritual and I found My spirit resonating with Plato's philosophy. Plato believed in the duality of the universe. He believed there existed another dimension or a dual or parallel universe.This world that we live in now is imperfect and there exists in another dimension a perfect dimension or universe so to speak. Jung talks about this years later and calls it the unconscious mind.According to Plato the ultimate goal of Mankind was to reach for this perfect world as much as they possibly could. A good ex., of this perfect world is shown in His allegory of the cave. After taking this course I was inspired to actually read Plato's Republic in its entirety and was amazed at how little has changed since Plato when it comes to people. Although I admitted to liking Plato this course teaches to learn from all philosophers. Balance in all things.
I really appreciated how this course ended by the author. He went on to share his personal life journey and open himself so that He could show us His real self. This takes courage and guts to say the least. I agree with the author that to be an effective minister requires one to be open and transparent with ones own life thus being believable and trustworthy. People open up to you more because they have found someone they can relate to and trust. I find that this makes you a whole lot more effective minister than someone who comes across as this perfect person on an ivory tower. If there is such a person.
Obviously there is no such thing as a perfect course, but this is definitely one of the better ones I've taken. As I said at the beginning of this essay I learned a lot and I can see myself coming back to this course over and over again for further study.
**********************
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers and lots of free online sermons for your use. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Monday, April 4, 2011
Spirituality Course
Rev. James Connor
I found these lessons most enlightening especially the Faith and Learning chapters. A number of years ago I met a man named Walter. He was close in age to me but he seemed to have a lot of knowledge about human nature, faith and wisdom.
It was a time in my life when I was questioning my own faith in God so I began to watch this man and how he handled different situations. One day he was ministering to another man who was acting very belligerent, self-centered and just plain obnoxious. After the conversation ended between them, the man who was angry left in a huff. I then walked over to my friend and asked, "How could you let him talk to you like that?" "If it was me I would have hauled off and punched him in the face." My friend, Walter replied saying,"Well he must have convinced himself that he was right and I was wrong".Walter then asked me if I knew that the spirit of God is in all of us and that is what needs to be expressed in our every day living.
He then continued to say, let the Lord find expression through you in love and forgiveness. Otherwise nothing will ever change in this war torn world unless the Lord finds expression through each one of us, through you Jim, through me and everyone else. Then the Lord will not be "missing in action". He will be right here on earth because we make it so by our every day expression of good faith in everything we say and do. When deep down in your heart you want to see peace on earth, then you are not concerned if someone else thinks they have gotten "the best of you". Let the Lord express through you and me, then things will change and we can truly love our neighbor as ourselves.
So to summarize: I did put the Lord in action through me and lo and behold, my expression did change and so did my whole life experience. I stopped judging people and started to handle different situations with love and forgiveness. It wasn't long after that previous episode occurred that the fruits of my labor of controlling myself first, then I could really let God do his work on earth through me. Only when I was ready did I make the decision that now is the time to know the Lord.
Rev. James Connor
*******************************
The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.
The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)