Spiritual Development

Dr. Of Spiritual Development Final Essay By Dennis Zerull I appreciate Dr. David Crouch in authoring this course and the ULC Seminary for making it available to all students participating in this wonderful program and making a difference not only their own personal lives but making a difference in their relationship to fellow beings and communities around the world. Today in an age when science and technology have reached a most advance stage, we are incessantly preoccupied with mundane concerns. In such an age, it is crucial that we attain faith based on various traditions of religious and non-religious teachings on the basis of genuine understanding. It is with an objective mind endowed with the curious skepticism that we should engage in careful analysis and seek reason behind our beliefs. Then on the basis of seeing the reasons, we engender a faith that is accompanied by wisdom. It is this wisdom that should be the emphasis on approaching any kind of spiritual development not just through faith and devotion but also through critical inquiry. In Buddhism for example this approach is known as the "way of the intelligent person". Another saying I'm sure many have heard is "no self, no problems". The selflessness of both the person as well as the psychophysical components of the person is another way of understanding "no self".   In this course, NLP, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, is one of the main focuses as a method for self-improvement in achieving a higher plain of spiritual development.  It is my belief that Dr. Crouch needs to go a bit further into the history if this controversial approach to psychotherapy and organizational change based on a model of interpersonal communication chiefly concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behavior and the subjective experiences underlying them and a system of alternative therapy based on this which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective communication to change the patterns of mental and emotional behavior. We know that Richard Bandler while a UC Santa Cruz, was listening to taped portions of therapy sessions of the late Gestalt therapist Fritz Perls and Bandler believed he recognized particular word and sentence structures which facilitated Perls' therapeutic suggestions. Bandler took the idea to Linguist John Grinder and Virginia Satir to produce what the termed the meta model which gathers information and challenges a client's language and underlying thinking. It was then presented in 1975 in two volumes, The Structure of Magic I: A Book about Language and Therapy and the Structure of Magic II: A Book About Communication and Change. They believed that the   "therapeutic magick" as performed in therapy and by performers in any complex human activity, had structure that could be learned by others given appropriate models. They believed as Dr. Crouch, that implicit in the behavior was the ability to challenge distortion, generalization and deletion in a client's language. We also know that later Milton Erickson became the third model and wrote Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton Erickson, Volumes I & II.  Basically it was it was a model that was vague and metaphoric in the inverse of the meta model. It was a combination used with the meta model as a type of softener, to induce a trance, and to deliver indirect therapeutic suggestion and includes the models and techniques mentioned by Dr. Crouch such as anchoring, re-framing, sub modalities and representational systems. It was also a time of the so-called human potential movement and was developing into an industry. One so lucrative that Bandler and Grinder gave up academic writing and produced popular books from seminar transcripts such as Frogs into Princes. It may seem that I am a bit skeptical about this system but as I mentioned before I do have curious skepticism when it comes to representational systems. NLP doesn't seem to concentrate on diagnosis, treatment and assessment of any disorders. Instead it focuses on help people overcome their own self-perceived, or subjective problems. And as they learn more about their problems they learn how to modify those goals further as a result of extended interaction with a therapist or teacher. But what does NLP have to do with spiritual development. Dr. Crouch explains that there is "the application of mental technologies in spiritual change". I assume those technologies which are presented throughout this course is NLP.  In all honesty I have found NLP to be a bit like a Tony Robbins seminar. I find NLP to be somewhat vague and ambiguous in its language, which can mean different things to different people. NLP tends to offer you a sort of users manual for the brain. This seems to be a metaphor as I have also hear it referred to as "software for the brain". NLP relies heavily upon the notion of the "unconscious mind" as constantly influencing conscious thought and action. A common thread I did find in NLP is the emphasis on teaching a variety of communication and persuasion skills, and using self-hypnosis to motivate and change oneself. I certainly have no doubt that many people benefit from NLP training sessions and from these lesson but there seems to be several questionable assumptions based on such beliefs about the unconscious mind, hypnosis and the ability to influence people by appealing directly to the subconscious mind. All scientific evidence, which exists on such things, indicates that NLP claims are not necessarily accurate. You cannot learn to speak directly to the unconscious mind as Erickson and NLP claim, except in the obvious way of using the power of suggestion. We know that Einstein and Tolstoy's work as an example might produce a dozen "models" of how the mind works, but there is no way of knowing which, if any models is correct. In lesson 18, Dr. Crouch talks about Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now" and how it made an impact on his life. I can also attest to Tolle's works. I have read most if not all of his works and have attended his seminars and lecture.  He is a contemporary prolific spiritual teacher who expands on powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. In his book the Power of Now he talks about methods and "how methods are sometimes needed until they are no longer needed and should be cast aside or dropped".  An essential part of spiritual awakening is the recognition of the unawakened you, the ego as it thinks, speaks, and acts, as well as the recognition of the collectively conditioned mental process that perpetuate the unawakened state. I submit that unless you know the basic mechanics behind the workings of the ego, you won't recognize it, and it will trick you into identifying with it over and over again. It takes you over and pretends to be you. The simple act of recognition itself is on of the ways in which awakening happens. No other complicated methods or hours of writing are needed. "When you recognize the unconsciousness in you, that which makes the recognition possible is the arising consciousness, is the awakening." Eckhart Tolle, a New Earth.  Over and over again Tolle talks about living in the now and that the past and the future will always manifest themselves as the present. Therefore any method that uses projections into the future as to where your life will be is both illogical and not grounded in reason. It is of course possible to plan for the future as long as it is done in the present moment and done with understanding and reason. In my opinion NLP places outcomes on the criterion of usefulness rather than objective truth. Metaphors for the mind conflict with what cognitive science have discovered. This does not imply that NLP would argue against the mind being embodied. The difference between researcher working on Artificial intelligence and NLP is that the first use a computer as their laboratory, while the latter uses human subjects to test their theories. Again it is vital for us to obtain genuine confidence in the nature of mind and reality, grounded in understanding and reason. As long as you are unaware of being you will seek meaning only within the dimension of doing and of future. That meaning will dissolve or turn out to have been deception and it will be destroyed by time for it is only true relatively and temporarily. Earlier in this essay I mentioned selflessness.  Let me further expand on this subject briefly and how it relates to spiritual development. What would you say that success is? The world tells you that success is achieving what you set out to do. It tells that it is winning, finding recognition is essential in any success. They may be by-products of success but they are not success. The conventional notion of success is concerned with the outcome of what you do. Some say it is a combination of hard work and luck, determination and talent, being in the right place at the right time. What the world doesn't tell you is what it doesn't know. That is that you cannot become successful. You can only be successful. Being successful is nothing more than a successful moment. The sense of quality in what you do. Care and attention which comes into awareness. The joy of being conscious, of being awake, of Being. We create a universe with ourselves in the center, and from this point of reference, we relate to the rest of the world. With this understanding it becomes crucial to ask what the self is in relationship to spirituality. Self can be described as ego, as ignorance, which is the failure to see reality and the ultimate nature of reality. But once we gain insight into ultimate reality we ask what is it's nature? Since the physical and mental faculties that constitute our existence are transient, they change, age and then one day cease they cannot be true self. The answer may be that the existence of the individual is accepted only as a dependent entity and not as n independent absolute reality. We are a convergence in the world and the universe and are the interaction of all constituents in mutual interdependence. Each person's life and each life form represent a world a unique way in which the universe experiences itself. In place of spirit I use consciousness or Being. Consciousness is already conscious. It is timeless and therefore does not evolve. It was never born and does not die. When it is manifested it appears to be subject to time and undergoes some sort of evolutionary process. No human mind is remotely capable of comprehending or fully understanding the reason for this process. But we can become aware of it in ourselves and catch a glimpse of it and become a conscious participant in it. It is the intelligence, the spiritual, and the organizer behind the arising of form. Spiritual development is nothing more than an awakened consciousness. That realization is awakening because awakening is the realization of Presence. ********************** 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

Prayer Visualization

This weeks lesson has been a challenge for me. In just a few short weeks of this course, my ego is getting scared. I know this because as I sit down to do this lesson I'm feeling blocks come up. There's a part of that's afraid to let go of the known even though it's a lie. I feel feelings and thoughts come up such as "if this world is an illusion then how do I live in it? " And "how do I claim my inheritance?".

I'm seeing a particular situation in my life that bothers me very much. My ego is throwing up fear all over the place, placing importance on things that are illusions. It concerns LOVE. Of course I Do understand it's the illusionary type of love -pretend love or I would feel safe as love cannot be threatened. None the less, it's an illusion I'm trying to free myself from. Looking at it as the perfect all encompassing love of God, I can see if I release the illusion the problem drops away and no longer exists. My question is what exactly go away? Is it the feelings of lack and fear? Is it the whole situation? Is it part of the situation? Is it the person? Does the situation miraculously heal itself to a closer version of God Love?

I see and feel with compassion the situation, the relationship. I can see myself and the other person from the outside looking in and I see beautiful Peaceful Love. Living it is the issue. Thats the challenge I am to overcome while on earth, I know. Opening my perspective to the point that I am living and being the the Christ. Of course, it makes me wonder then if God only creates eternal life then that leads me to believe that the death of Christ was an illusion in a sense. I take it to believe that Christs death was symbolic of letting the illusion or the separation die. Christ example of the sacrifice is the example we have to release our suffering by releasing the lies and becoming the all encompassing LOVE that is God.

I can see to the from the pagan perspective with the earth and the the seasons, day and night, phases of the moon and planets the same learning. As the the seasons change, and leaves fall, winter comes (death), then spring (birth), summer (growth), fall (harvest), etc, etc, etc. This is parables of our soul path of releasing and letting go of the illusions, birthing truth, growing in love.

It's a bit of a game, humans do love games and drama! So this whole process of life make sense, this Game of Life fabricated by our imaginations. The 100th monkey scenario comes to mind. A few monkeys were trained on an island to wash sweet potatoes before eating them and in a short amount of time all the monkeys on this island eventually started washing their sweet potatoes before eating them on their own. The 100th monkey though was the clincher. The 100th monkey triggered a chain reaction in that 1000's of other monkeys on other islands automatically started washing their sweet potatoes too. It became a belief and enough people believing something creates a new illusion or belief or in this case a behavior. It also points to our Oneness and how the mass consciousness influences our beliefs/illusions/behaviors.

The more I can expand my love as the Son of God ( - pretty kewl) the more others will expand their love and then POW- the 100th Monkey!!

Blessings
Rev Naunie Maddox

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1. Think about something for which you have been praying. Now write a prayer that prays from the perspective of your new understanding of what God, His Son and you really are. 

2. Imagine the comfort you would feel if you were able to fully accept the fact that you are loved beyond measure. Think of the miracles that will occur in your life when you are able to accept the fullness of your complete worthiness. Write a prayer that asks for these conditions and a few paragraphs describing the way your world will change when receive that for which you have asked. 

1.  My Great Father in the Heavens, Jesus the Christ Son of God, I approach you with Love and Reverence.  Thank you for your love and light.  Let me be God realized.  Remove from me the obstacles and the illusions that have imprisoned me.  Assist me now in remembering who I truly am.  Let me remember the love and perfection I really am. Thank you the perfect, whole, and healed self that I am. Allow me to realize this.  Let me please be an extension of your love, that I may expand the love I am to the world around me.  
Assist me now in claiming my birthright of Perfect Love.  Help me to understand this with all of my existence.   This is the truth and I accept it now.  I surrender now my Dear Loving Father.  

Thank you.  

Blessed Be

Amen. 

 2.  Accepting and realizing my worthiness fully as Gods Son would remedy the many illusions that create pain and suffering in my life.  There would never be an issue of insecurity, low self esteem, and low self confidence.  Sickness and pain would disappear as all fear would dissolve as would the things the illusions created.  The love that would fill me would radiate out to all things in my life.  Problems and dilemmas would be gone. Peace would replace all the Junk in my life.  Understanding would expand to all around me.  Freedom from bondage.
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Spirituality Course

Final Essay – Defining Spiritualism by Rev. Lucinda Parker

Perhaps the most important quote in the entire course is “…but we must remember that we are not ministering to ourselves, we are ministering to people who are searching for meaning. It is important therefore that we learn to minister to all people.”

As a trained and practicing environmental scientist who is also deeply spiritual, I found Defining Spiritualism an interesting read. It is really a history of scientific thought, and a discussion of the thinkers who have tried to explain our existence and purpose in this life. I have long believed that science is a religion but not spiritual. This course furthered those opinions. One drawback is that course is written based upon the assumption that scientifically minded, “prove it to me” type folks have no spiritual belief at all. No where does the author acknowledge that a great many scientists and scientifically based people are agnostics. This weakened the course.

The lessons on Marx, Darwin, Hegel and Freud were extremely well written. These two lessons made me sit down and think about the human condition and our thinking about it over the last fifty years. All too often we relegate philosophy to some unknown time a long time ago in some unknown, un-experienced place. These two lessons brilliantly demonstrated that philosophy and spiritualism are constantly evolving. These lessons also showed what happens when one person or group tries to convince any other person or group that “THIS is the ultimate answer you are seeking”. There is no ONE definition or right thought. I would have liked to see more on Einstein, Steven Hawkins and other recent great thinkers.

The worst lesson was the last lesson, although there were parts of the other lessons that drifted away from the topic too far. The author assumes everyone taking this course is Christian or will “end up” being a Christian. That assumption although never specifically stated, comes through loud and clear. As a non-Christian, I tired of the author’s proselytizing. He broke his own rule, as I quoted at the beginning of this essay “…but we must remember that we are not ministering to ourselves, we are ministering to people who are searching for meaning. It is important therefore that we learn to minister to all people.” His personal experience and belief detracted from the course. The last lesson should have been omitted for this very reason. In fact, the editor saved part of the day by adding a comment on a view of sin in non-Christian beliefs as distance from God. Rarely did the author mention any spiritual ideas other than monotheism.

If you are a Christian and have never studied the history of intellectual thought, this course is a good start.

Rev. Lucinda Parker

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Dr of Spirituality Lesson 1

Prayer Visualization:

Close your eyes. Hold your awareness on your breathing for a minute or two until you feel a sense of inner calm. With your eyes still closed, feel the place where you sit, stand or lie. Listen to the sounds you hear. Affirm your intention to come to a deeper understanding of the awareness of Love's presence not only within you but in every person, place, and thing around you.

Open your eyes for a moment. Now look all around you. Try to imagine Love's presence as you rest your gaze on what is around you. As you gaze from object to object try to realize that every thing you see, hear and feel is this world's attempt to hide Love's all pervasive presence. 

Now close your eyes again. Bring your mind to a specific situation in which you feel threatened or scared. As you look upon this scene repeat these words to yourself:

Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. 

Say this over and over to yourself as a prayer or affirmation of Love's presence within until you feel a sense of peace emanate from your being

Open your eyes and write a one page description of what happened to you during this visualization. 

     This exercise is awakening for me.  I had lots of realization come me in rush of a few moments.  First of all, most of us are not always very aware of what's around us much less what's inside of us.  We are looking so hard outside of ourselves that we have no clue as to what we are "looking" for anyway.  We don't realize that there is nothing to look for.  It's an illusion.   

The things around me that I gazed upon were very revealing.  The attempt to hide Loves presence comes in that this need for something that I think I'm lacking. So, by having it, in a deceitful way, a void is being filled.  The void isn't there in the first place.  There's nothing to fill.  I looked at my dresser for example, something in me felt empty so I needed this item so I can fill up my space, a shell to hide it's contents.  Kind of like me & everyone and all things.  We have shell, a dresser per say that hides and holds what is within -LOVE. I can think by not having this thing or any other thing I'm not loved or I'm not good enough or I'm lacking or I'm needing.  All which is an illusion invented out of fear.  

The whole clincher for me is so what I got the dresser. It doesn't make feel or be happy in anyway. By having it I do not feel more loved.  It didn't change me as human being. Truly, whether or not I have my dresser has no bearing as to what I am or who I am or being what I am.  Do I have more inner or outer peace for that matter? No I don't. Most of the time I don't pay any attention to it.  In fact when I'm dressing I truly don't really see the dresser.  I'm only concerned with what's inside of it.  Which parallels the human condition.  All that matters is what's within.  

At the same time love can be seen in my dresser, in that LOVE created it, LOVE was the tree that is now my dresser. LOVE is the human who crafted it's beauty and function.  LOVE is the water and Earth that nourished the tree. LOVE is the sunlight that provided the photosynthesis for the tree to grow and provide the oxygen that I Breathe.  In that sense there is a lot of love in the object -the dresser.   

Revelation

Nothing real can be threatened

Nothing unreal exists

Therein lies the peace of God.

I think most of what humans do is invent and discover.  We have nothing to create as it already exists.  This applies not only to the material world -the world of things but also to human nature and interaction.  It applies to human psychology and behavior.  

A huge life long obstacle for human existence is relationships. Relationships with things are much easier for us to cope that's why we have so many things.  That's why there's shopping malls and places to buy things all over the place. It's easier to shop than to fear over exposure, abandonment, & rejection from truly interact with another human being on any meaningful level. 

I know I struggle from time to time with, what if I say or do and I'm not loved anymore.  Humans fear the idea of being unloved and alone.  That's an illusion of course.  Humans then spend all of their lives searching for the right friends or the right lover or the right spouse.  Humans keep searching for someone to save them or to "make me happy".   Humans label and judge their relationships with many forms of illusion of fear.  He's this, she's that, blah blah blah.  We including myself, create separation between ourselves in the notion that we will not be loved for some reason or another.  Then we, including myself, are not allowing our true selves be present within (LOVE) . Which means we are not loving ourselves and when we are not Being Love we can't Love anyone else much less a partner.  Because we forgot that we are love and we forgot how to love and because we cut ourselves off from love we then realize that the fear we feel about being unloved come from ourselves not anyone else.  If we feel unloved by someone it's because we don't love ourselves.  If we love ourselves then that's what we are and that what we reap.  

Whenever I think I'll be rejected for some reason or another, it's because I'm rejecting myself.  If I feel loved then it's because I'm being love and loving myself.  

Relationship, which I've had a few.  A few good and a few bad.  I can think back to feeling so miserable because this or that or the other thing. Or feeling disappointed because someone didn't make me happy or fulfill me...what nerve I had. That's a lot of pressure for any human to live up to.  I have to save myself, I have to love myself, and I make myself happy.   It's my responsibility to be Love.  

All of these blockages we create to separate ourselves or to Not love ourselves is a fabricated invented illusion..... It's not real.. If it was real it couldn't be threatened in anyway.  Nothing unreal exists.... Herein lies the peace of God.  

That was my experience during this exercise.  I examined my current and past relationships and where I would feel threatened.   Everyday, I remember more and more how to Love myself and that I never had to learn to love myself or others, I just have to remember what I AM and who I AM and allow it to come through.   If we all loved ourselves we would love each other just fine and that's all there would be. Fear could no longer spread and rear it's ugly head with it's deception.

God is Love. I Am Love.  All is Love. It just is.  I enjoyed how The Course In Miracles  brought out that Love cannot be taught.  We only learn what doesn't come natural to us.  Profound for me and I guess it should be common sense.  

Free will, God is free will, God created free will, hence the free will path is to Love which is God.  I am now using my free will to choose God to choose Love. I am releasing and letting go of imprisonment which is everything but Love.  Love is real. Love is never threatened. Love is the only thing that exists.  

It starts with myself.  How cool is that.  I can no longer give my power away to anyone or anything else.  It's my responsibility.  

I do realize that it's a minute by minute process to be love as the separation from God occurred many eons ago by choosing this imprisonment.  With Love and with God there are Miracles- How Loving!  

Blessings To All

Naunie Maddox

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DR OF SPIRITUALITY LESSON

Prayer Exercise:

Describe the obstacles that are preventing you from recognizing Love's presence within you. 

Write an essay explaining how the concept that nothing real can be threatened and nothing unreal exists might change what you ask for in prayer? 

The answer this question is my imagination and illusion that I am separate prevents me from allowing myself to recognize Love's presence around and within me.  Imagined fear, doubt, and lack makes me think I'm anything less than love.  This results in looking outside of myself to "find" something that's not lost to begin with.  It's the only things that's real. All things could not exist without love yet out of fear as human we scrounge around discovering what's already there, inventing what we already have, thinking we will "find" love.  It's a cycle that has gone on for eons that we are searching for love.  Time to stop searching and ALLOW what we are to be.  I understand now what it means to be.  It means that I AM LOVE. Nothing less nothing more because there is not anything more than LOVE.  

Feeling separate from everyone and everything is a lie- an illusion.  The challenge there in lies how to let go of the imagination of fear.  Letting go of fear which is imagined is the key to true FREEDOM by doing that only LOVE is left because that's all there is.  

Now, as I pray to God I now ask for help and guidance so I can use my free will to let My Love shine, let all Love shine in all things. I now ask God to assist me in letting what I AM BE! That is my true self, that's who I AM.  I now pray to God to help me accept and allow all that there is to be present in my life.  I now ask God that the only thing I perceive and have awareness of is LOVE

Law Of One

Naunie Maddox

Prayer

Spiritual Awareness

Spiritual Awareness I have found many things very helpful in this course and have learned a great deal from all that is offered.  I love how Charles is able to make things so understandable.  I have especially liked this course going through the natural laws and I am still working at seeing how these laws are so interwoven into my everyday life.  It has helped me to become more focused and to understand that we have the power to achieve what our desires and whatever our intention may be.  This enables our lives to flow with love and abundance in all areas. I have also learned from the meditation section and bringing in the Christ Light and allowing it to fill my being.  This has really helped to deepen my love for people and enabling me to see this Light in them as well. I also feel that it has made me much more aware of my higher self and it's relation to my own divinity.  This is always something I have struggled with because I was brought up in a very strict religious home and community and have had to relearn all my truth. I have learned from the chakra lesson and the energies that come from them as well.  I have always been aware of these and their associations to different colors but this lesson has led me to do some extra reading about them and I have learned much from it. I loved the part on the Kandalini and other life force energies taught in lesson 19.  These I have greatly benefited from because I didn't have much knowledge about them before. I was also very interested in learning about the Ascended Masters and their various rays and the energies they can bring to our lives.  I am really going to look into these some more and learn more about them so I can call on them for what they have to offer in my life. I also enjoyed the lesson on Spirit communication.  As a medium I am always in touch with my guides and the spirits of those who have passed and I often get asked how people can sharpen their abilities in these areas and so I love ideas and information that I can give them because it works so differently for everyone. One of the things that has really stuck in my mind through these lessons is not using so much of your own energy but using the energy around you from Ley Lines and Ley nodes and tapping into it.  Also just allowing the energy to come to you.  Remembering this has helped me not to feel as drained and also to control more of the energy that comes to me by doing more grounding. I could go on and on about all that these lessons have meant to me and how they have helped me grow as a person and a medium and my spiritual awareness in my everyday life.  I hope that with my learning I can offer more help and guidance to people around me as my own understanding and spiritual awareness grows. Rev. Cindy Roskamp ******************** Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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 since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality

Rev. David Dale Mavity
Master of Spirituality Final Essay

Having spent the last twenty-five years studying comparative religion and philosophy, as well as several esoteric/ mystery systems, I found this course to be very straight forward, concise, and easy to understand. What I found of particular value was the advice given from a practical, ministerial perspective. When ministering to others, it is clearly necessary to not only understand why a person would come from a completely scientific perspective, and the thought process, historically, that would bring a person to that perspective.

A very practical, nice little course for ministers. Or, so I thought. And then came Lesson 18.

In Albert Pike’s “Morals and Dogma,”# there is an odd chapter describing the lessons taught in the 15th Degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. The author goes on for quite some time, explaining the exoteric and esoteric meanings within the Zend- Avesta, Kabbalah, and Gnosticism (all favorite subjects of students of the Western Mystery system), then suddenly tells us that they are “wild and useless speculations.”  This generally leaves most readers scratching their heads, wondering what Pike was trying to do with this chapter. Then, it is usually quickly forgotten and the average reader goes back to his in- depth study of the same systems he was just told are a waste of time.

Rev. Chuck Bynum nailed it in one, short lesson, and that one lesson, Lesson 18, is the inner, secret beauty of this entire course, and the one I enjoyed and identified with the most.

To quote another famous Freemason (albeit a contemporary one, still living), “As I begin the seventh decade of my life, I find myself more inclined to listen to a story than to study a text or reflect on an argument- more inclined to tell a story than to presume to teach a lesson or offer advice.”# I have not hit my seventh decade yet, but I have the same issue, so I suppose that is sufficient apology for the story that follows. Even in the case of trying to describe what I learned from the course and my impressions, this seems the best way to do it, particularly with the subject at hand, and even more particularly with the fact that the knowledge imparted by Rev. Chuck is entirely indescribable- in his words, “The problem with words is that they are limiting.”

About two years ago, I felt I had hit a wall in my studies and practice, both as esotericist and as a minister. Everything I had studied suddenly seemed to be meaningless, even though it had been intensely interesting and exciting to learn. Even Freemasonry, of which I have been a member for 14 years (and of which some of my Brethren foolishly believe me to be a  “leader” and mentor) had lost its appeal and interest. I gradually stopped reading the oddball and obscure texts I had once so much enjoyed, and everything seemed to lack any particular meaning. About six months ago, I decided to put into practice something I had preached and given lip service for years: the line written above the doorway to the temple of Apollo at Delphi.

“Man, Know Thyself, and thou shalt know the secrets of the gods and of the universe.”

Having meditated for many years (effectively, I thought), I hit it with extra force and this orientation. So as not to further bore you, I won’t go into the progressive understanding, but suffice it to say, I arrived at the same conclusions as Chuck (and Albert Pike).

It’s so complicated that it’s not that complicated. I don’t think I can explain that in a way that makes any sense, maybe the worn- out phrase “the only secret is that there are no secrets” might come close.

What gets in our way with everything is our ego. Like it or not, I’ll bet that almost all of us initially became ministers largely because we could put “Rev.” in front of our names and have people think that we’re wise, serene gurus who have all the answers. C’mon, admit it. I originally became a minister and then even studied for the priesthood (Liberal Catholic) for just those reasons, although I fooled myself into thinking it was purely to “serve humanity.” Don’t get me wrong; some of it was that. But I realized most of it was me wanting to feel superior. My study of esoteric religion and philosophy eventually became motivated by the same thing.

There are really only a few of things we need to know, as ministers and just as regular people:
-    There is some sort of universal organizing, creating Source (I call it “God” because it’s easy to type and socially acceptable) that has its presence within all of us. Know Thyself to know God. You aren’t Him/ Her/ It, but you’re certainly a part of Him/ Her/ It, and He/ She/ It dwells within you, and connects all of us.
-    There is only now. No past, no future. What is, is what there is. Live in it, now.  
-    Your ego isn’t going to go away, and completely forget the popular idea of “dissolving the ego.” You can’t do it, nor do you want to- it’s a useful tool. But manage it. Question your own motivations by standing back and analyzing why you are doing what you are doing.
-    You can’t know everything, because there isn’t all that much to know. Like a rabbi friend of mine says, “You can try to get to the center of an onion by tearing off every layer, one at a time. And when you finally reach the center, you’ve destroyed the onion.”

That’s about the sum total of it. The course spent 17 weeks giving some incredibly valuable information on the evolution of Western thought, as well as great advice on how to minister to non- spiritual people, but the gem was Lesson 18.




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Spiritual Development

Doctor of Spiritual Development

Joseph Ceh

It would appear that self-acceptance begins very early in one's life – even while one inhabits the womb. Science tells us that singing, reading, music, and noises affect the yet-to-be-born. After birth one continues the process of learning, experiencing change and growth in one's self perception, viz., self-acceptance. This process is life-long and inherently dynamic because it involves change and inner growth. As we grow chronologically, ideally we develop core, personal values that enhance one's life or not!

Moving through childhood, pubescence, adolescence, and eventually emerging into adulthood, we have gained in self-acceptance and self-actualization. However, this is a process both ongoing and developmental. That is to say, we are always becoming, always changing – ideally for the better. We may come to recognize that we are much more than our job or title; more than our academic background or other mundane achievements. We are complex beings. In other words we are more than what we do. As homo-sapiens we live also on other levels, namely, the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels along with our intellectual capacity. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for us to experience aspects of life that threaten or strike an axe at our self-image. Negative self-talk about one's regrets and disappointing behavior may weaken authentic self-esteem and self actualization. In such circumstances we may fall into the trap of debilitating self-doubt or unnecessary worry. Genuine self-acceptance and spiritual growth ought not allow negative self-talk to grow, but rather one may employ the "tools" of prayer, meditation, journaling, spiritual reading, spiritual direction and any other methods to ground one in the highest good, altruistic living, and service to humanity. These are the touchstones of what is sacred and offers peace of heart, peace of mind, peace of soul, self-actualization and self-acceptance.

Being a responsible person fundamentally means having the ability to respond to life's circumstances with clarity of heart and mind. We are responsible when we aim to act purposefully in our choices while choosing goals worthy of us as beings reflecting the Divine image. These choices include living daily attuned to each aspect of that which makes us fully human and spiritually alive. As sojourners on this earthly journey we may ready ourselves to receive insights flowing from being attentive to every life situation, and appealing to one's inner conscience or soul or heart or spiritual intuition. And, too, it may be more than useful to consider a life-coach or spiritual director when life throws its inevitable curve balls that disrupt inner peace. Life-coaches help us to re-evaluate the paths we are taking on our earthly journey.

The goal or goals we set before us are more about the path itself and not the destination. Mistakes, personal disappointments, wrong turns, so to speak, are opportunities for growth. If, for example, my goal is to become a teacher, it is not merely obtaining the credentials to teach, but also to become a skilled teacher and a person of patience, compassion, understanding and openness. An authentic teacher continues to keep her/his goals in mind while at the same time remaining open to all those life lessons and challenges along the way.

During my ministry in a very large suburban parish, I fell victim to stress stemming from the demands of a large parish. I wrestled with this uncomfortable feeling far too long before naming the stressors brought about by daily time constraints, meetings, pastoral care, preaching and… You get the picture! I was able to refocus and take additional quiet, reflective time to reevaluate my ministry. In conversation with my spiritual director I learned something, or rather re-learned what I had lost sight of: that being present to/with parishioners means being in the here-and-now. That is to say, we may only be present to others when we are present to this very moment.

I recall an adolescent who was struggling with many issues inherent in the often tumultuous late adolescent years. We met often, but one particular day I asked if he might try living just one day at a time. His response was, "No, not for me. I can only live moment to moment for now." What insight he had! It is only in the NOW that we live, and each day takes us a little farther along on our journey. To place ourselves in the present is not to lose sight of one's goals, but to allow our goals to unfold in the thoughts and actions of this moment. We recognize that our thoughts affect attitudes and attitudes influence behavior in this moment.

There are many techniques to help us refocus and review our goals and aspirations – as has already been said. Whatever techniques or tools we use, the aim is the same, to allow time to reestablish clarity when life's waters become a little muddy. I especially like using a daily journal to help affirm established goals, evaluate and living in this moment, and reaffirm my goals for the future.

Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Ceh

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A Course in Miracles

Lesson 19 – Summary

Denise L. Graves

Choice

I was called to preach at a very early age.  I did not think women would be accepted as a preacher so I found other ways more acceptable to serve.  I taught school, Sunday school, bible classes, community classes and focus groups.  However, the nudge has always put me in positions to prayer and deliver faith based talks and lessons publicly.  I agree with the following statement in Lesson 19: Jesus says we have no choice in the matter of listening to God, for God is Truth cannot be denied.  We can choose to put off listening to Truth but ultimately we must all accept it.  Free will is not about if, it’s about when.

My faith journey has led me to the conclusion that my hesitation had to do with the historical Image of God presented to me.  Because in this image, I believed I would never measure up.  The God presented to me was racist, oppressive, sexist and fearful to the point of executing vengeful wrath upon those who do not comply.  However, in all my efforts, I never felt enough.  Every sin seemed to be a neon light over my head that flashed guilty.  I felt that the scrutiny of my humanity was more than I could bear or my family could stand.  So I stood and served in the shadows hoping God would see my piety and selfless service and lift me up to places of acceptability, value and honor.

The Course in Miracles and this course on Prayer have shaken my foundation.  It has challenged my beliefs about Gods’ choice of me, Gods’ love for me and my love for myself.  It has ushered me to a place of reconciliation with the truth of God I knew from the beginning, my beliefs now and presented new thoughts and behaviors that bring me closer to my call to serve.  Happily, I exercise free will to choose to counsel, teach and preach, pray for and with others, perform wedding ceremonies, teach others to heal and more. 

Moreover, I realized that my not choosing to follow the will of God in the past had to do with my perception of my worth and the lack of love for myself and others.  When every picture I see on billboards, television, movies and other media forms to not look like me, I have questioned my acceptability to a perfect all knowing God.  Without the faulty foundation agrees that forgiveness frees and heals, however, I have struggled with “is what I am forgiving the right or root thing to forgive.”  I do it because what have known has not produced the most optimum outcomes.  I can accept each outcome as a manifestation of the loving plan God has for me.

Projection

“Thought can be invested in fear or love.”   I agree with this.  As a young person, I learned to focus on the negative outcome rather than the positive outcome.  The reason given was that if I expect less then I would not be disappointed when the outcome is less than expected.  So I grew up wanting more and the best but not believing it would occur for me.  I believed it for others.  I hoped for me but did not act as if I knew my good were possible in matters of intimate relationships and acquiring economic wealth.  I projected fear.  The problem with this projection was that it escalated and before I knew it any unexplained absence of someone I loved, was due to tragedy and death.  Any test I took in school, though I studied hard, seemed not render the best score and if it did, I thought it was an error, everyone did bad (bell curve) or someone provided a deceitful favor.  I wanted love to win, It just seemed to take too long for it to manifest in an appreciable way.  I have been challenged to repeat mantras affirming my loving expected outcomes in the face of great hurdles. Those hurdles were typically associated with corrupt outside influences.  I needed someone or something to blame. My perception of powerlessness and the lack of great value were associated with obtaining my greatest good.  I thought that what I wanted was not what God wanted.  And often I felt God did not know my good or want it.  I also felt than my sins prevented me from receiving my good, consequently, I was unable to live up to the holy life standards required by God.  Boy, that was “some” madness!

I have been challenged to anticipate optimum intimate relationships and economic wealth.  It is a work in progress.  This lesson states that “In this world the power surge caused by the collective projection of unconscious fear causes incalculable devastation and destruction.  War, murder, rape, disease, accidents, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes etc are all the work of projected fear.  So when, I ran into the back of a pickup truck significantly damaging the front end of my car, I wondered what I was thinking about.  Did I project fear unknowingly, was my behavior prior to the moment of impact fearful or was this the result of earlier thoughts?  I might add that I got out of the car grateful that none were seriously hurt.  I apologized to the driver and proceeded to handle the business of reconciling the exchange.  I want to accept ownership of my thoughts in that situation; however it does not come easily.  I am grateful for the presence of God and sustaining our lives and limbs.  I surrender my guilt of that moment and pray for my continual healing from projecting fear to projecting love and every situation.

How to perform Miracles

Jesus says we are all miracle workers.  I agree. However, I think many people live in such a sleepy, wounded and sick state that they do not know they are miracle workers.  As a faith based community organizer, I hear the prevailing thought about miracles is that they are far and few in between and that they are only recognized when the miracle is seemingly abrupt, against all odds and witnessed by certain valued religious voices.

The three step process of (1) accepting my healing, requires recognition that my mind changes when I say yes that I am healed in the presence of the health ailments and diseases.  Accepting my forgiveness means knowing I am guilty of nothing, now.  Step one is an ongoing process that needs the Holy Spirit to act with knowing, mercy and grace.  As I write this essay I wonder have I accepted my healing and forgiven in the last few moments to be in position for do step two- give away healing and the forgiveness I have received.  Again my foundation is re-shifting.  The very idea that I am like my elder brother Jesus, is able to do the seemingly impossible is mixed  with lifelong questions asked of me  “who does she think she is to call forth healing and I risk the possibility that the on lookers and I do not know what healing looks like in a particular circumstances.  I think we don’t do step two because the possibility of healing is incredible, seems risky and somewhat pompous.

With the entire above, step three makes sense to the teacher in me.  I feel confident about teaching the mechanics of teaching healing, forgiveness and miracle performance.  Perhaps, right now this is so because I doubt my own power and the knighting / anointing of my life to be extraordinary.  Foundation shift – who am I to play small and immature?

The opportunity to give up milk for food as a sign of maturity is about choosing God over the world.  I know longer choose to be sick and not know or accept the Truth.  Performing miracles allows me to face the guilt that has held me hostage.  With this recognition, I realize that I am not guilty.  My new challenge and opportunity is to learn to live without guilt.  What will I think, talk or act on.  Where will I work, what will I do now and who do I do my new life with?  The truth will change a person to replicate performance of miracles constantly.  It seems that performing miracles brings me closer to the crossover from time to eternity.  And my thoughts about shifting my energy manifestation in this world now to a different form in this world or another holds me captive, has my attention and yet encourages me to walk toward world transformation one thought and act at a time.

The merciful gracious act of Jesus’ undoing the side effects of guilt is appreciated and accepted yet not quite understood.  I look forward to deeper prayer practices that equip me to consistently choose the truth, project love and perform miracles.

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Spiritual Development

I would not rate this course on the same level as some of the other courses I have or am currently taking. For example the idea of multiple universes where we exist in different worlds playing out different scenarios is good for science fiction but does not jibe with my Christian background or upbringing. How can one soul live out so many different destinies?? 

 

Basically in this scenario we are able to pick the best outcome and ignore the rest???  The other idea that we can "will" things to happen, if we think hard enough we can make things happen, picture it....and it becomes real. A lot of books have been written about this, but in my experience, life is not that easy. We are asked to pray for things and whatever is the highest good for one and all will happen. 

 

Sometimes what we think we want or need, is the worst thing that can happen to us, so willing it and producing it...may not be a good thing. "changing our mind...can change our reality.....I wish we had this much control of our lives.....changing our minds...can change our course in life...but my sense is..the reality stays the same.....our perception of things can change...but not the things themselves.........I try and be open to new ideas and concepts...but I find this course very simplistic and contrary to my christian beliefs and upbringing and actual experiences. The concept of "outcomes" to be is very controlling, like we have the power to change outcomes which means we can change our destiny??? If our destiny is for us to be at 'x', all the positive thinking in the world will not get us to 'y'. Yes we can influence our friends and family and coworkers with a positive attitude and mindset, but can we really change outcomes that have been set in motion?? by others....suppose we have a group of people all together, with different "outcomes" in mind for the group..which "outcome" will prevail???  the strongest desire?  the strongest will?? what happened to all the other "outcomes"? The author mentions "referencial" information we take in, influences our lives......that is true to a degree....but to the degree he seems to indicate.......if I inherited "high blood pressure" thru genetics...no matter what i think or do...i still have high blood pressure....if someone kills another human being in cold blood...the fact remains..they were killed....yes..it could be in self defense....protecting oneself and family members....but it is still murder...killing of someone...that is not going to change..how we deal with this situation as a society..is a different issue.....the reality remains the same...how we deal with the reality..is what changes............

 

The concept of NLP and communicating with the unconscious is dealing with reality as if...Deity..God does not exist....if mankind was the only creation and we all were individual islands of our own...we were all individual "gods" that we could tap into our deepest most mind, unconscious mind...higher self..and change things.........again...this goes against everything the Bible has to say...we are to pray to God...for help...we are to reach out to Him...the power of prayer and Divine Guidance..the working of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than anything mankind can think of. Sorry to be so negative...I read all the lessons with an open mind....and I know this course is required reading for the Chaplain Program...and it did explain what the author was trying to get at....it just did not resonate with me and I basically disagree with the basic concept.

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