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Mary Manin Morrisey
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- Guided Healing Journeys
Do you hear your inner voice?
As we strive to find our mission in life, we can always find the answers when we listen to our inner self. This is often challenging because our conscious mind has become so dominant, and loves to chatter. Therefore, the more we being to cultivate a stillness within, the easier it will be to receive important messages. Since the minute we were born, we began to absorb the thoughts and feelings of other people around us. In fact, experts believe that by the age of 7, most of us have already formed a complete set of beliefs about the world. How many of those beliefs have limited our ability to follow our life purpose?
Below is a questionnaire designed to help you uncover your inner voice.
1. What beliefs did you learn as a child?
Make a list of as many beliefs you remember hearing growing up. Then decide if these beliefs are helping you along your path. If they are hindering you, you can do some work to clear those beliefs.
2. What or who makes you envious?
The people you admire, or the jobs you would like to have, are great indicators of what you really want. Make a list of the people you admire, and then next to each name, write a few of their good qualities. These are clues as to what you are wanting and needing to develop within yourself. Then make a list of the jobs you would like to have, and next to each one, write specifically what you like about that job.
3. What is the state of your health?
Our body is a reflection of our thoughts. When we are living in alignment with what our inner self-desires, we tend to experience good overall health. When there is a conflict going on between what our inner self desires, and what we are actually doing, health imbalances are a likely result. If your health is not at the level you desire, examine your thoughts. Are they what you want? Are you responding to your inner desires? If not, then make the changes here to experience a permanent relief from any physical symptoms.
4. Do you value yourself?
If you don’t value yourself, then you probably do not honor your needs. Your desires may be ignored for a myriad of reasons you invent. If you don’t feel worthy, you probably don’t believe the great mission you have could be fulfilled by someone as unimportant as yourself. You must first have faith and value in yourself in order to believe in your mission. Then, love yourself enough to take the necessary steps to do what you love.
5. What does responsibility mean to you?
Responsibility means being able to respond to anything, either inside or outside yourself. Many of us are great at responding to the outer needs of others and ourselves. But, what about the needs of the inner self? Since they are more subtle, we often ignore them. However, the soul’s needs are just as important, if not more important, then all those outer things that seem so important. The souls has a need to fulfill its purpose. Help yourself by listening and responding to your inner needs.
6. Does money control you?
Money affects almost every aspect of our lives. In reality, all money is energy. How can we learn to work with this energy? Do we allow false beliefs about money to affect us? I hear many times people say that if they did what they really love, they wouldn’t make enough money. Do you make choices based on money, or based on what you want to do with your life? When you follow your life purpose, money always follows.
7. Do you listen to external voices more than your own voice?
What do your friends, family and the job market tell you do to? Everyone usually has his or her opinion of what would be best for you to do. By following their advice, you give up your power to make your own decisions. Using the 6 intuitive sciences in the life purpose method will get you in touch with what you truly are meant to do.
8. What did you like to do as a child?
When we are young, we are often more in tune with our mission. We do only what interests us. Closely look at the games you played, the activities you enjoyed, and you will see what your soul came here to do. It is only when we become adults that we do things we don’t really want to do, such as working at an unsatisfying job for too long!
9. Do you understand your influences?
We are influenced by many factors, including the planets, our name, birth date, and the patterns in our hands and eyes. If you are not sure what your influences are, you may feel confused about many aspects of your life. Learning to understand yourself is the first key to knowing your life purpose.
10. Do you feel passionate about life?
If you aren’t excited about each day, you are not in alignment with your life purpose. When we are doing what we love, each day is like a new opportunity to show off our gifts and talents. The happiness we fell is coming from the inside, that contentment the soul experiences when we follow what we came here to do.
Article contributed by Karen Andries, author of Soul Choices: Six Paths to Find Your Life Purpose
Posted in Thoughts for the Day
Tagged consciousness, inner voice, life purpose, listening, personal development
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When Close Friendships Fade
One of the most painful and perplexing life situations is when a close personal relationship changes for no apparent reason and suddenly someone you considered a friend for life is no longer. That person who occupied a very special place in your heart reserved for a precious few, has suddenly removed themselves, and you are clueless as to the reason why. You feel confounded, hurt, angry, sad, and sometimes guilty, wondering what you did to cause such a drastic and permanent rift. Many times the cause is obvious, such as a betrayal of some sort and it still hurts, but you have a reason and over time you can eventually reconcile it. Sometimes life circumstances take someone away never to be seen again, and we just evolve in different directions. It’s sad, but that’s just life.
A while ago man (I’ll call him Bob) came to me heart-sick over the loss of a close friendship since early childhood. Bob and his friend grew up in the same neighborhood, rode their bikes to school every day, served as scouts, went through puberty together learning about women by sneaking peaks at the lingerie section in the Sears catalogue, played sports, and were the best man in each other’s weddings. They were best friends, closer than brothers. They moved to separate parts of the country, but still stayed in regular contact and most years met for fishing and skiing excursions. Then one day, out of the blue, Bob’s lifelong buddy just dropped out saying he no longer felt a connection. He wanted no further contact. He had moved on. That was it. Bob pressed his friend for a reason and he went on to tell him how many ways he had let him down over the years. Bob was stunned since he didn’t recall any of the incidents mentioned, at least not the way they were presented.
As I listened to his story, I tried to stay focused on him, but memories of the people who had played such key roles in my life who were no longer there came flooding back to me. Some I knew why or suspected the reasons they had split, and still others were complete mysteries. I also thought of the times when it was reversed, and I was the one who no longer felt a close bond, and it was I who ended a relationship “just because.” That specialness you once felt for the other just gradually dissolved and you can’t really put your finger on when or why. I think we have all been on both sides of this at one time or another and it is never a pleasant experience for either party. The ambiguity can be maddening, especially for the one being left behind.
So what’s that all about? I could ponder on this one endlessly, but I think it boils down to everyone and everything in life serves a purpose. Once that purpose has been fulfilled, or it becomes obvious on some level it will never be fulfilled in that relationship, we gradually disconnect emotionally and this is followed by a physical separation, sooner or later. Lives change, priorities shift, shared perspectives are no longer. We become different people, grow apart spiritually, politically and so forth, and then one day we look at our old “life-long” friend and realize we just don’t have anything in common anymore. It’s happened to all of us, and most likely it will happen again. That’s the nature of life; people and things always change. People come and people go, meeting certain needs or offering us our life lessons, and then move on.
The sad thing is that too often instead of just acknowledging we are now different people and have moved on, we project failure onto the other person, make them wrong and create some drama to justify our decision. It’s an all-too-familiar scenario. I think that’s what happened to Bob. Unfortunately, his old best friend spewed vitriol and made it all about him, when it was quite likely the other way around. I gave him my copy of Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, “The Four Agreements” to hopefully give him some insight as he heals from this loss. The second agreement is “Nothing other people do is because of you, it is because of them. Don’t Take Anything Personally.” I know, it’s easier said than done, but it is so true. Of course, we still have to honestly examine our role in every relationship and own what is ours.
By the time he came to see me, Bob had been in pain for some time and was seeking release. He said something I have heard myself say, “I never dreamed of the day when this person wouldn’t be a major part of my life.” I asked him, “Assuming your former friend’s decision is irrevocable, how would you like this to be different?” He thought for some time and then said, “I would like to be able to fully accept it, quit obsessing about what went wrong, still remember the good times without feeling such sadness and loss, and just feel happiness and peace again. I want to move on.”
Ah, now we were getting somewhere; Bob identified what he wanted to bring into his life, instead of only focusing on what was missing. I then asked, “What can you do starting now that will help bring that about?” After an extended time of silence, Bob blessed his former friend, forgave him for the immature and unskilled way he ended the friendship, and chose to cherish the love and memories they had created during their many years of friendship. It was a great start. This process will probably have to be repeated often until the full healing takes place over time. In the Army I learned: “Stop the bleeding. Clean wound thoroughly. Change bandages. Repeat as often as necessary.” The same directions apply to an emotional and spiritual wound as well.
Shakespeare said it best in “As You Like It.” “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and entrances; and one man plays many parts.” And life goes on.
By Rev. Michael Moran
The Divine Design of Your Life
A statement I often hear from people is, “I don’t know why I am here.” Or, “I’m not sure if I am doing what I am really here for.” Have you every wondered about that?
Jesus Christ gave us the perfect example of learning and living the divine design for our life. When questioned, He said, “I am about my Father’s business.” And, He went on to prove this to be true.
Each one of us can be about our “Father’s Business” – which is the real intention for each individual – however, not everyone discovers what that is. To some it seems a most difficult task – if they do get around to really asking. Some never bother to ask and live out their whole lives ignorant of what they really should be doing; never to be really fulfilled. To others, it may take years to get around to asking, and discovering, but that is better than never!
Personally, it took me nearly thirty years to get around to really seeking, and a little longer for it to be revealed to me. When it came it was what seemed to me, a rather strange way.
For several years I had rejected traditional religion but had nothing in its place. Finally, a time came when I was miserable with a case of strep throat. When I thought I had suffered enough, I prayed in the best I could regardless of the fact that I had never really learned how to pray effectively, if at all, and hadn’t prayed for years. So, what I did was to make a “bargain” with God in which I said that if He would make me well, I would do anything He asked of me. I really didn’t expect that anything positive would happen. I wasn’t even sure if I could depend on God to do anything because I believed He had long forgotten about me. Fortunately, I was in for a surprise! Within 24 hours, I was healed!
Although I soon forgot about the “bargain” I had made with God, it was not long before I learned that God had not forgotten! He had kept His part and now He expected me to keep mine. Since that time, I have learned that making bargains with God is not necessary nor is it the right way to pray, and I don’t recommend it. Nevertheless, it seemed to work for me at the time. I have since learned that Scientific or affirmative Prayer is best.
At about that time in my life, frustrated, dissatisfied, and floundering, I was earnestly seeking my right work in which I could be creatively fulfilled. After about two years of seeking, I heard a voice in my head telling me what I was to do which was very different than what I had been doing. Shortly thereafter, I began my studies to become a Unity Minister, already having found Unity as my “spiritual home.” Subsequently, I completed all of the required training, and was licensed as a Unity Minister in October, 1964, and ordained in June, 1966.
It was about that time, I discovered that I liked to write, especially letters. Since that time, I have written thousands of letters (print and e-mail) to people who asked for prayer and guidance, and have authored eleven print books, of which six and two more are e-books. My writing style is personal as though I am writing a letter to a friend or someone who needs my help. Now I spend a lot of time at my computer, answering requests for prayer. It’s a wonderful way to help people where they are, and often to do it rather quickly! I love my work.
My work is very rewarding. Sometimes, though, I wondered if there wasn’t something else I should be doing and even trying to go in a different direction, once in a while. Finally, quite a number of years ago, I heard that voice in me say, “Don’t you know you are about your Father’s business?” After that I quit seeking and really accepted that I am doing what God wants me to do while I am here on Mother Earth, and am at peace with that. The rewards are wonderful, in so many ways.
You, too, can discover what the Divine Design for your life is by asking – sincerely asking. Florence Scovell Shinn, writing in her book, The Game of Life, suggests a very effective way of having that revealed to you. She says to let your demand be:
“Infinite Spirit, open the way for the Divine Design of my life to manifest; let the genius within me now be released; let me see clearly the perfect plan.”
When you ask, open your mind and listen. Be alert. If the Divine Design of your life is not revealed immediately, keep asking, affirming—and listening. It might be revealed in bits and pieces or, all at once, or it may come when you are least expecting it. For me it was a definite leading, and it became very clear to me while sitting in a Unity church service one Sunday in Seattle, Washington. While relaxed and listening to the speaker, I heard the “voice” in my head say, “John, be a Unity Minister.” From that moment on, I knew what “my Father’s business” for me was, and took immediate steps to fulfill it.
The Divine Design of your life includes being creatively fulfilled as well as healthy, happy, loving and loved, and as prosperous as you really want to be. It may be for you, as it was for me, a totally different path than you are now on, or to get very interested in doing what you are doing now.
God as Infinite Intelligence is all-knowing, and always within you. Take some time and quiet your mind, and after you have established conscious contact with the loving, peaceful presence of God within, gently ask for the right and perfect plan for your life to be revealed to you. Use the above statement, speaking it several times. Then, listen. You may get a leading, hear a “voice,” or not get anything. Keep asking, affirming. Think about what you are already doing. Sometimes when someone asks me if I could help them discover their real purpose in life, I will ask them what they are doing now, and do they really enjoy it. Sometimes their present endeavor is the right plan for them. It just needs to be accepted, or to be refined in some way. Often a change in attitude is in order.
When the Divine Design of Your Life is revealed to you, listen carefully. Pay attention. Then get busy fulfilling your purpose for being here. Pray as you go. As someone said, “Treat and move your feet!” Make positive prayer the foundation of your life and you will be amazed at what happens. (For more information on Positive Prayer, please ask.)
We are all here to be about our Father’s business. His business is the business of loving and being loved, to grow spiritually, to gain in spiritual enlightenment; it is kindness and thoughtfulness, peace and prosperity, creative fulfillment, contributing positively to all of humanity on Mother Earth. There are as many ways to be about God’s business as there are people. There is something divinely designed just for you.
Jesus affirmed that we have the authority to do great things. Often those are done in small ways. Ask for the Divine Design of your life to be revealed to you, but in the meantime, do all the good you can for as many people as you can, every day that you can. And, when the time comes for you to leave Mother Earth for awhile, you can say, “Thank You, God. That was a great trip!”
Contributed by Rev. John W. Adams
Posted in Thoughts for the Day
Tagged enlightenment, illumination, life purpose, personal development, soul purpose
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Gaining Clarity on our Life Mission
Can you see your life mission clearly? If not, you may be blind to your talents. Other people may have told you how great you are, but you may not have believed it. Have you ever been blindsided by a challenging lesson? To understand our blind spots, we can look to several of the intuitive paths described in the book, “Soul Choices: Six Paths to Find Your Life Purpose.”
Opposites
Astrology, palmistry, spiritual emotional iridology, birth order and numerology all contain opposite influences. When we seem blind to our talents and challenges, study your opposite influence to gain clearly. Your opposite can show you the way to balance and success.
Astrology
When you assess your astrological chart, there are several key places to look for potential blind spots. The first place is the planet Neptune. This is the planet of illusion, which often clouds your vision. Neptune urges you to transcend the physical and search for greater meaning in the spiritual world. This often translates into avoiding problems. Use the planet Neptune to gain a spiritual perspective, rather than an escape route. The way to do this is through meditation.
The second place on an astrology chart to look for blind spots is the 12th house. This house contains things you may be unconscious of and avoided dealing with for several lifetimes. Any planets in this house can turn into problematic blind spots if you do not seek to understand them. The planet can be a source of unconscious habits, and self-sabotaging techniques. 12th house issues can best be dealt with by looking deep within the psyche through counseling.
Do you recognize where you overdo it and get yourself into trouble? Jupiter can show you the way to clearly see where you tend to overextend yourself. When this planet’s position and aspects are understood, it can bring you great gifts and abundance, as opposed to debt and weight gain! Use Jupiter to take advantage of opportunities.
Palmistry
The four hand types, fire, earth, air, and water, each possess strengths and weaknesses. The blind spots for each are listed below:
Fire: Fire hands often don’t see how they allow their ego to get in the way of success. Put your ego in perspective, and you can gain clarity of purpose.
Earth: The over focus on practicality and the mundane issues of life can blind you from your mission. If you broaden your vision, you can see you are a spiritual being having a physical experience. This shift in perspective helps you gain clarity.
Air: Air hand people get so caught up in the mind that they tune out their inner voice. It is the constant mental chatter that clouds your life purpose. When you learn to calm you mind through practices such as yoga or meditation, you will be able to hear your inner voice.
Water: You become so absorbed with other people’s issues and problems that you lose clarity on who you are and what your mission is. When you allow your emotions to get out of control, you get lost in muddy water. Grounding yourself with exercise and meditation, and spending time alone can help you regain clarity.
Past Lives
Do you have unresolved past life karma that is clouding your present life mission? Anything unresolved, from this life or a previous one, can linger in the mind and cause confusion. A past life reading, or a past life regression session, can clarify current life dilemmas by revealing a possible pattern or event that was unresolved. Once you know the root of a situation, you can then take steps to resolve it. To obtain a past life reading, see our intuitive readings page.
Choosing a Satisfying Career
Are you stuck in an unsatisfying job? When you turn your attention to focusing on what you want in a job, rather than searching for a job title, you open up new possibilities. Have you ever chosen a job, only to be disappointed because it doesn’t match up to your expectations? If you choose a job that matches the qualities you want, and supports your influences from the 6 paths, you are more likely to be satisfied. Consider these key points when choosing a job.
The Four Elements
In astrology and palmistry there are four elements; earth, air, water, and fire. Refer to your astrological chart and your hand analysis to see your elemental make-up.
1. Fire
If you have a majority of fire elements, you would do best in a people oriented job where you can shine in limelight. You need a career that offers leadership opportunities, lots of change and activity. Your element is about vision, so you need a career where you can make a change in the world.
2. Earth
Earth people like job security and opportunities to be creative. A job that allows you to keep busy and productive will keep you happy. Working in nature, or creating things that add more efficiency to the world are your best bets.
3. Air
If you have a majority of air elements, get a job that will keep you mentally stimulated. You need a career that allows you to get your ideas across to the world. Jobs that incorporate some form of writing and speaking would be beneficial.
4. Water
If you are high in the water element, find a place where there is a clear direction and goals for you to meet. People or animal contact is stimulating for you. An environment that is mentally, physically and emotionally nurturing will keep you happy. Also, a career that is focused on serving and aiding the world would suit you well.
The Four Iris Types
Your iris constitution will also aid you to identify qualities that should be present in the jobs you seek. Take a close look at these guidelines for optimal job success.
Flower:
You need a job that allows for self-expression. Choose jobs that put you in contact with people, and offer you the freedom to create.
Stream:
Choose professions that are stable and supportive. You would do well in careers that focus on healing, ethics, the environment, and teamwork. If these qualities are absent, you may withdraw and your natural sensitivity will be tuned out.
Jewel:
No matter what career you choose, you can rise to the top and attain positions of authority. You need a place where you can be the leader and use your awesome mental power. The corporate world may suit you just fine.
Shaker:
Get involved in something that is cutting edge. Entrepreneurship may be your best route because it offers you the freedom you need for your unconventional ideas to flourish. A job that is constricting will surely leave you unsatisfied.
For more information on working with the four elements and iris types, read Soul Choices: Six Paths to Find Your Life Purpose by Kathryn Andries
Article contributed by Karen Andries, author of Soul Choices: Six Paths to Find Your Life Purpose
The Stream of Life
by Mary Morrissey, author of “The Miracle Minute”
There is something wonderful called life that is happening in us right now. Henry David Thoreau once said that he wanted to do an experiment of learning to live in not only appreciation of, but connection with, the stream of life –the current of life that is moving through us.
That current, as long as we are breathing, is no reflection of age. It isn’t a stronger current when we are young and a narrower current with age…It is life. There is not less life in you today than there ever was, but there might be an opportunity to appreciate and connect with the stream of your own life more today.
I invite you several times today to join me in taking several deep breaths and noticing at a cellular level that it activates an awareness, appreciation of and a connection to the stream of life – that life current that is moving through us all.
Posted in Thoughts for the Day
Tagged creation, life, mary morrissey, miracle minute
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200 Feet at a Time
By Kim Luret.
I have the great pleasure of working with young people. They are so full of promise and potential as they stand at the threshold of their adult lives. Sometimes, though, I’ll see a young person struggle with the belief that before they set out for their dream, they must first know the precise plan to follow and its exact outcome.
Part of the work I do is to help such a person understand that not knowing is OK; it’s not even necessary. And I help them realize that their unique gift is always right there with them; though they might have a little trouble recognizing it. Because sometimes it looks very different than what they were expecting. That was certainly the case for me…
“You! A model?? … You’re kidding, right?”
As if it was yesterday, I can still remember the stunned look on her face as I gathered up my courage and admitted my dream to a close high school friend.
But I wasn’t kidding. Not only would I become a model, but I had every intention of becoming the world’s next supermodel (though I decided that moment probably wasn’t the best time to share this particular detail with my friend).
In fairness to her, I should say that most people would have been hard pressed to share my vision. I was by anyone’s account less than, shall we say, “glamorous”.
Actually, I was about as far away from glamorous as one could get. Yes, I was taller than everyone I knew, including tall he boys in my school. But I was also rail thin, freckle-faced, with frizzy hair and braces. Oh, and did I mention awkward and painfully shy?
No matter. I knew I was going to ‘make it’; it was only a question of time. How I would make it was something else entirely. The truth was, I had no idea how I would get from my small town school to the covers of the world’s top fashion magazines.
But therein lies the true power of pursuing your dream. It begins with seeing your destination clearly and starting to move towards it, even if you can’t say for sure how you will reach it.
Jack Canfield has compared this to driving in a car on a dark night and I agree. All you can ever see is 200 feet at a time by the glow of the headlights, but that’s enough to advance you the next 200 feet, and so on all the way to your destination.
Sometimes you may take a fork in the road and discover that your destination changes as a result, and that’s OK too. In fact if my name is not a household word today, that’s because my own destination changed along the way…
Don’t misunderstand—I fully expected to be the world’s next supermodel and I did all I knew how towards that end. But early on I realized one crucial fact—I’m not particularly photogenic. And when it comes to supermodels, being very photogenic is pretty much ‘Square One’.
The ‘light of my headlights’ had brought me to the awareness that I would not be an international cover girl. This was a blow to both my ego and my plans. But because I had begun the ‘drive’, I was about to discover something about myself I hadn’t realized beforehand.
My ‘fork in the road’ presented itself to me a while later in San Francisco, where I was attempting to get a modeling job, or ‘booking’—any booking—in print work. I would have been happy to appear in a flyer for the local car wash, but no client seemed to want me.
Then one day Calvin Klein himself came to town to put on a gala fashion show at the San Francisco Opera House. He brought with him several models from New York, but he was holding a casting to select a few local models as well.
Any girl in San Francisco who called herself a model was there, including the most successful and in demand print models I was trying so hard to emulate.
I remember my interview with Calvin Klein. He was smiling and gracious. He asked me to try something on and walk for him, and I did. Then, I watched as his smile grew wider and he booked me on the spot!
And then came the evening of the show. Everything changed for me on that runway. I felt totally natural, at ease and inspired there. I could sense that I had found my ‘true place’.
Afterwards people came backstage and asked me where I’d learned to walk like that. I answered, “I don’t know!” and it was true. I didn’t know because I’d never done it before!
All this time I’d been trying with all my might to be a cover girl when it was now clear to me that runway was my gift. But I never would have known that had I not believed in my original dream and started moving towards it as best I could, ‘200 feet at a time’.
Soon afterwards I moved to Europe where, unlike San Francisco, ‘high fashion’ was the look and the runway market was very strong. I went first to Milan and then to Paris, where I still live today.
Ultimately I became an international high fashion runway model, working with top designers such as Armani, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, and many others. I enjoyed a fantastic career spanning more than a decade.
I traveled to over 60 countries and have done shows before royalty and heads of state. I met some of the world’s most interesting and fascinating people; some of them rich and famous, some completely unknown but rich in other ways.
And I got the education of a lifetime.
None of this would have happened if I had been ‘stuck’ on just one possible outcome and continued to try and become a top international cover girl at all costs. As Ken Keesey Jr. says “To be upset about what we don’t have is to waste what we do have.”
Each of us has what I call a ‘Unique Package’; that singular combination of our unique inner and outer selves. And through that package comes our gifts.
Discovering what our gifts are and then expressing and sharing them is what we’re all here for. There are no ‘better’ sets of gifts and talents. They are all needed. We are all needed.
Or as the French say, “Il faut de tout pour faire un monde,” which translated means, “It takes everyone to make a world.”
The dream you have inside is not there by accident. There’s a reason it’s calling to you.
I firmly believe that if you’ll step onto the path of your dream, always giving your best, the Universe will step up and meet you more than half way.
And even if your destination changes, as did mine, I can promise you this: You will definitely have more, do more and above all be more, for having made the journey.
Posted in Thoughts for the Day
Tagged abilities, jack canfield, kim luret, life journey, life path, talents
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The Weirdness of Oneness
by RB Dozier.
My mind was elsewhere but the song on the radio kept repeating, “One is the loneliest number.” As many times as I’d heard the song I’d never paid much attention, but this time I thought, “This is weird, because I have been believing and teaching that one is the coziest number.” Then my mind started going weird on me…”Yes, one IS the loneliest number. No, it isn’t. Yes, it IS!”
When we are isolated, our “onliness” becomes painful loneliness. Daniel Defoe captured, in Robinson Crusoe, the aching void of self, seeing only itself in the mirror of consciousness. Contemplating self can be a luxury when we’re in a throng, and yet solitary confinement is prison’s most severe punishment. We want both solitude and company, but can be content with neither. Even weirder, since physics denies two physical entities occupying the same space, oneness must require a mental/spiritual component.
Into the song again, I ask, “Was God lonely in His onliness?” On one hand the Bible sings, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, is one.” (Deut. 6:4) But then, when we read the Creation Story, don’t we detect, in the deity, a wistfulness for companionship that leads to His thought of–or image of–Himself outpicturing as humankind?
Then there are souls, so caught up in otherness that they seem unable to contemplate the self within and to discover the solitary wonder that they are. Weird and shifting are the shapes of oneness, and perhaps we can’t fully appreciate the divinity of oneness until we sense our isolation in our Spirit-derived humanity.
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Tagged loneliness, oneness, personal development, RB Dozier, self contemplation
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Does God Care If We Cuss?
By Lorna Bright, Singer & Songwriter.
When Sarah Palin condemned the critics of the National Day of Prayer she boldly exclaimed, “What the hell scares people about talking about America’s foundation of faith?” For me, hearing “what the hell” in the same sentence as the word “faith” pushed a button that took me way back to my childhood. I could hear my Grandma Pearl admonishing me as she so often did: “The Bible says, ‘Don’t cuss.’”
Grandma Pearl was a petite, powerful and very pious woman. She wore her dresses well below the knee and her uncut hair was always pinned back in a tidy little bun. She sat in the front row every Sunday morning at a little white steepled-church where she taught Sunday school and never missed a Wednesday night prayer meeting.
I was always nervous around Grandma Pearl because she would get pretty riled up about what she called, “the sins of the devil” — smoking, drinking, gambling and cussing. It’s interesting to note that she had five sons, all of whom joined the Navy and, you guessed it, learned to cuss like sailors. This familiar injunction against having a potty mouth is derived from The Ten Commandments. All this time I thought it simply said, “Don’t cuss.” Come to find out it actually says: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who take His name in vain.”
The first glaring question to ask is: What is God’s name? If you don’t know what God’s name is, how could you take that name in vain? Off the tip-top of my head I thought God’s name was God. But, now that I think about it, that’s presumptuous and a tad bit absurd. It would be like thinking Brad Pitt’s name is Actor or Shaquille O’Neal’s name is Basketball Player or Grandma’s name is Grandma. What an eye-opener.
Obviously, the Hebrew people were privy to what God’s name was. In order to get in on the secret, you can either flip back a few pages in the Book of Exodus, or you can pop in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 classic movie, The Ten Commandments, and you’ll find the answer for yourself.
As the story goes, one day Moses was out in the field tending sheep, and all of a sudden, he found himself talking to a burning bush that never really burned up. He was having a vision, I guess you could say, and he heard a voice telling him to go tell Pharaoh to free the people. Moses was reluctant. (Wouldn’t you be if you were talking to a bush?) So, Moses said, “Whom shall I say sent me?” The Voice replied, “I AM THAT I AM. Tell them, ‘I AM has sent me.’”
There it is. God’s name is I AM.
So “God” is not God’s name at all. God is what God is. So, if God’s name is I AM, just think how many times a day you are actually saying the name of God. “I AM an actor.” “I AM pleased as punch to meet you.” “I AM eating Oreos for dinner.” “I AM selling my lava lamp to the highest bidder.” “I AM this.” “I AM that.” Your every minutely detailed experience of life is an expression of God.
The next question erupting from this edict is: What does the word vain mean?
One meaning is, “conceited or egotistical” as in, “You’re so vain.” Everybody sing, “I bet you think this song is about you.” Using that definition, this decree would say, “Now that you realize your oneness with the host, don’t walk into the party like you’re walking onto a yacht. Just because of your name, don’t be stuck up about it.”
But another definition of the word vain is “ineffectual, useless or unproductive.” Basically, this commandment says that in taking the name of God, in wearing the name “I AM,” you boldly step into the power of that name and take hold of all the rights and responsibilities that it affords. There is never a time or reason to think, feel or act as if you are useless, ineffectual or unproductive. Your life has meaning because it is sustained and supported by the One Supreme Power.
Far from being a decree against expletives, this commandment is about oneness. It tells us that we all wear a very important and impressive name. We are all members of the number one family in the universe with every resource available to do fantastic things in life for ourselves and for the world. If you don’t realize who you are, if you don’t do anything with everything you have, “Then shame on you,” as Grandma Pearl would say.
Posted in Thoughts for the Day
Tagged cussing, Lorna Bright, religious views, the bible says
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Mind Body Spirit: What Leading Medical Experts Have To Say
By Amy Mosher, author of Inspirational Quotes.
I have been fascinated with the connection between mind and body for most of my life. Below are quotes by leading medical authorities in the U.S.A.
“The brain and body communicate using a flood of chemical messengers that hook up to receptors on the surface membranes of our cells, and our very thoughts, moods, and attitudes have a significant impact on which chemical messengers are sent and how they are received.” “These neurotransmitters translate our every fleeting thought, reaction, and emotion- conscious or unconscious – into physiological changes.” “By causing the release of neuropeptides, which communicate directly with every cell in our bodies, our moods and attitudes become incarnate.” “Feelings and thoughts seem intangible but produce a cascade of cellular action, telling each of our cells when to divide, which genes to turn on and when, to make more of this protein or less of that one.” “We are not only what we eat, but what we think.” –Joseph Pizzorno, N.D. (founding president of Bastyr University)
“You can’t afford prejudice, dislike, hatred, resentment, greed, or ignorance (the failure to accept truth or facts). Fear, anger, guilt, anxiety, depression, pessimism, prejudice, hatred, resentment and greed sap or zap our health. What are the antidotes? Joy, laughter, happiness, serenity, peacefulness, optimism, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, compassion, and love- a desire to do good and help others. These attributes of the spirit enhance health and well-being. They build beta endorphins, the feel-good natural narcotics, D.H.E.A. and immune competency. The key to good health is attitude, that is, one’s belief in the ultimate goodness of the universe.” – Norman Sheally, M.D., Ph.D. (neurosurgeon)
“Your body has a remarkable capacity to begin healing itself if you give it a chance to do so. Loneliness, depression, and isolation increase mortality by 3 – 7 times. Anything that creates a sense of connection, community, and love is healing. Meditation, compassion, and service are in a sense the most selfish things we can do because they create intimacy and create healing.” – Dean Ornish, M.D. (clinical professor of medicine at University of California, private practice is with coronary artery disease)
“Research supports that guided imagery can help people cope with allergies, and reduce allergy symptoms, office visits, and medication usage in many cases.” –American Academy of Allergies, Asthma, & Immunology
“Deep healing involves awakening and nurturing yourself at your most essential levels, that is, at those levels we sometimes describe as ‘unconscious’….Our self-talk is a powerful inner mechanism through which we can make dramatic changes in our lives. It can affect every part of our being—mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. As such, I consider this kind of inner talk to be one of the key tools we need to develop for deep healing.”
Emmett Miller, M.D. (founder and medical director of the Cancer Support and Education Center)
“It’s paying attention to heart wisdom, feelings, not living a role, but having a unique, authentic life, having something to contribute, finding time to love and laugh. All these things are qualities of survivors.”
– Bernie Siegel, M.D. (surgeon and oncologist)
“By getting very clear about whether they really want to live and why they want to live, patients often find previously unknown reserves of energy and strength which can be extremely valuable on their journey through cancer.” “Fully honor and embrace your spiritual essence. It is not only the source of the love, joy, and fulfillment that we all seek, but of physical healing as well. Seek this through meditation, prayer, reflection, time in nature, and sharing with loved ones. Remember that just as your body, mind, and heart need attention, so does your spirit.”
Jeremy Geffen, M.D. (director of integrative oncology at Caring4Cancer, and 1999 and 2000 advisor to United States Congress on cancer care)
“Regardless of what supplements you take and what kind of exercise you do, when all is said and done it is your attitude, your beliefs, and your daily thought patterns that have the most profound effect on your health.” –
Christiane Northrup, M.D. (obgyn)
Makes you think, doesn’t it?