No Separation

In the 1866 Mary Baker Eddy founded a religious group called First Church of Christ Scientists or more commonly called, Christian Science. Eddy was so clear that the her interpretations were absolute that Christian Science still today only use her text, 'Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures'. Her belief in healing prayer was so strong that she mandated practicing Christian Scientists could not work with physicians or apply medical practice to an illness. When faced with a health challenge members are directed toward a trained Christian Science Practictioner who provides prayer support for the healing.

Now a century later, people are having difficulty believing prayer is the only method of healing. The New York Times reported last week the church is now opening itself to the use of medicine to accompany prayer. Faced with declining membership and several losing legal battles where medical procedures were denied to children something needed to shift.

I see it this way- When you look at the seen (the visible world) and the unseen there is no separation. While our power of observation works well at the macro level we are aware of a greater knowing that is harder to describe or apply linearly to the areas that are unseen.  The nature of Science has been to reveal and predict the behavior of the unseen. And the beauty of the Infinite is that when you think you understand it all, there is more unseen to understand. As the Universe creates humans, it creates them as perfection. That means perfect health is by design. When there is disharmony in the mind, or dis-ease, the body takes on the illness.  Thus prayer that is used to reset an individual's knowing of their own physical perfection is powerful. It is healing. And the medical procedures, the drugs that help the cells come back to health are also part of the Universe in operation. They could not have been created without human research and experimentation. Taking a pill does not take away from using healing prayer, there is a continuum of the seen and the unseen. There is no separation between the seen and the unseen.

Synthetic & Creative Imagination

I'm taking a 14 week class based on the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. In the early 1900's Hill was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to investigate the characteristics of successful people.  The book is the result of his research. At the beginning each person creates their desire statement which is read twice a day during the 14 weeks. It goes as "I desire ____ dollars to be in my hands by the end of this class, April 6.  I am willing to (do or give up) _________ to receive this.  I intend to possess this money by _____ ". During the week we gather in groups to discuss and support other class members in achieving their desire.

The topic this week is imagination.  I have a rich imagination which shows up as ideas, images, words, phrases, dreams or all of the above.  In classes I teach both two areas of imagination- visualization and visioning. Visualization is the picturing or acting out in the mind an activity or upcoming event.  Visualizations can be guided by a leader or like a baseball player or golfer you can picture yourself  doing the activity as a way of preparing for the event.

In the other method, visioning, one person leads a process of meditation and asks a series of questions designed to reveal more information about the new idea.

With that background I thoroughly enjoyed and understood Napoleon Hill's definitions of imagination. He said, "Our only limitation, within reason, lies in our development and use of our imagination."..."The imaginative faculty functions in two forms. One is known as "synthetic imagination: and the other as 'creative imagination.'"
"Synthetic Imagination: Through this faculty, one may arrange old concepts, ideas, or plans into new combinations.This faculty creates nothing. It merely works with the material of experience, education, and observation with which it is fed."
"Creative Imagination: Through the faculty of creative imagination, the finite mind of man has direct communication with Infinite Intelligence; It is the faculty through which 'hunches' and 'inspirations' are received. It is by this faculty that all basic or new ideas are handed over to man."

So writings from two different eras, describing the same thing. Synthetic Imagination is equivalent to visualizing and reforming the current known order. while Creative Imagination is open at the top.  How do you use your imagination? Using these methods you can enhance and extend your use of imagination...and create new ideas.

Knowing this Day

Let this affirmative prayer always begin your day-

In this moment and all moments I know the Divine Presence. The infinite applied through me as Ease and Grace in every activity I take on. Where there is struggle I now see new ways in mind to the outcome. I fully access my creative nature...I fully access God within in my work and my life today. It is in that way that I wake up, prepare, engage and complete my work today. I know the Universe supports me, I support me, my surroundings support me, my friends and family support me and the great unfolding happening now. As I participate in this activity of life even more life pours through me. I am so blessed. I am so full. I am so capable. I am Divine activity and love in action all at the same time. With open arms I embrace the I Am that I am. I accept my greater good. I celebrate it all. And knowing all this is already done I release this word into law. My mind is clear and it is most certainly so!

The Only way to Salvation

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life promotes discussion on topics where religion and public affairs intersect.  It is a nonpartisan group and does not take any position on policy debates.  With that introduction the US Religious Landscape Survey was created from interviews with over 35,000 adults in the US.  I was impressed with the  summary which led me to read the rest of the report. The idea of Faith in the unseen is broad and the human constructs we create can be limiting.  When I was a youth I found the absolutism of salvation and damnation constraining. So I think it is interesting that adults today are willing to see a bigger picture of the Divine. Which view is 'correct'?  In survey and interview work there is no right answer.  It is only a statement of what is.

Summary:
"A major survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A strong majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, including majorities of nearly every religious tradition, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion. This openness to a range of religious viewpoints is in line with the great diversity of religious affiliation, belief and practice that exists in the United States, as documented in a survey of more than 35,000 Americans that comprehensively examines the country’s religious landscape."

The Divine is Everywhere

Jesus was the body manifestation of God, the Divine, the Universe.  During this holiday season look to see the Jesus in each one you meet.

The Realization Process- Visioning

Recently I've made a conscious effort to catch up with friends and colleagues and to introduce myself to a wider circle of new people. As a result a few weeks ago I attended an evening networking meeting at a nearby church.  Networking is really a discussion in commonality where strangers openly share their plans and listen to the aspirations of others. Together they look for common elements, companies, opportunities that may be helpful during job search. The people I have met are genuinely interested in sharing contacts and strategies to help each other.

I met Judy at a networking meeting. She had recently left her work position and was beginning her search for a new opportunity.  She no longer wanted to use her skills in the old way, she was ready to apply them and learn skills in a new area. She wasn't sure of the next step but she was clear that she was done with her old role.

As the meeting was winding down I suggested to Judy to consider this question, 'What is God's idea for greater expansion of my work?'  It's a question designed to support the identification of a higher purpose in work and to move from uncertainty to clarity in what's next. Although there are many church denominations and dogma may make them seem separated, the fundamental Truth is that the Universe wants every individual to flourish. You see it in nature all the time.  Trees crowd each other reaching for sunlight, vines crawl up a wall, thousands of acorns drop from a single tree. You can also see it in individuals, companies and groups. An idea carefully formed wants to grow larger and expand.  My question to Judy came from the Visioning Process (highlighted here) which is a great tool for individuals and groups to open up their mind to a greater idea and greater potential in any area of life. It honors the connection we have with a bigger intelligence and recognizes the insight that comes when you listen.

The next steps after Visioning become more clear day by day until you know it's time to move ideas to plans and action. It is part of the Realization Process...of how ideas come into physical form. I saw Judy again this week at different meeting and will post more on 'the search' and the application of Visioning in future posts. In closing, what is your answer to 'What is God's idea for greater expansion of my work?'

John Muir and Emerson on PBS

The National Parks PBS series aired in 6 episodes from Sept 27 - Oct 2. It's online now this week through Oct 9 and can be purchased for $99 DVD ($129 Blue Ray). Or if you miss it I'm sure it will play again on pledge weekends.

For me, all six nights were good, but the best, the most fascinating were the first two nights. The common character in both episodes was John Muir, the naturalist and conservationist. In Episode One- ' The Scripture of Nature (1851-1890)' was the period of the Transcendentalists, the literary, philosophers and poets who believed that spiritual ideas transcend the material existence. For the past two years I've taught a class on Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists. During the 8 week class students are asked to increase the amount of time they spend in Nature and to keep a journal. John Muir spent years in the Yosemite valley and used a journal to characterize and interpret his experiences. The episode talks about how Muir would climb a tree during a storm in order to experience the rain from the tree's perspective (43 min. into the episode). His experience of Yosemite, the giant Sequoia forests and the great outdoors was that of the most holy place, his Sanctum Santorum. That is how I feel during a hike in the woods. That is what is revealed to each student as they study Emerson and they experience the multiple ways unity appears in nature.

I haven't been to Yosemite for 15 years but I understand the beauty in the meadow, the waterfalls and the granite. I visited Yellowstone for the first time in 1991, driving with a van full of family and staying for about a week. I visited again for a day in 2007. Each time I experience the wonder and the beauty as demonstrated in this one picture.