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