Joke of the Day – Bud the Cowboy

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in Montana when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni® suit, Gucci® shoes, Ray Ban® sunglasses and a Saint Laurent Tie leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, “If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?”

Bud looks at the man, who obviously is a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, “Sure, why not?”

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell® notebook computer, connects it to his Apple I phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop® and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Apple ipad® that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL® database through an ODBC connected Excel® spreadsheet with email on his Galaxy S5® and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet® printer, turns to the cowboy and says, “You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.”

“That’s right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,” says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud says to the young man, “Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?”

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, “Okay, why not?”

“You’re a Congressman for the U.S. Government”, says Bud.

“Wow! That’s correct,” says the yuppie, “but how did you guess that?”

“No guessing required.” answered the cowboy. “You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars’ worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don’t know a thing about how working people make a living. Or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep.”

“Now give me back my dog.”

The Season of Nonviolence

Martin Luther King, Jr., was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
He was awarded many awards for his efforts for peace and equality, including the Noble Peace Prize in 1964, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

We celebrate his birthday tomorrow.

At the end of this month and through to April 4th is the Season for Nonviolence. This movement was started by Arun Gandhi, Mohandas Gandhi’s grandson, as a yearly event celebrating the philosophies and lives of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

The Season for Nonviolence is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities.

Part of what the Season provides to us is a Daily thought-provoking message designed to help increase our capacity to:

◦honor the dignity and inherent worth of every human being
◦understand that all of our words and actions have an impact
◦practice compassion with apparent adversaries
◦become stewards for the rights of individuals and the environment
◦use our talents to empower rather than to exert power
◦engage in constructive dialogue with one another to solve conflicts

We have a handout of 64 Daily Practices that make a difference. You are welcomed to take one along.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” -John 14:27

I think that quote from the Gospel of John leads us to the quote I have on today’s insert: “Don’t bash what you hate or don’t understand. Promote what you Love. There’s already too much negativity going around.”

I would say to that, that there is too much negativity being expressed and not enough Love and positive emotions. It too often seems that we hear more, remember more, of the negative and not enough of the positive.

We here at Unity hope to help change that.

As I was researching for this lesson, I found this and thought I’d share it with you. The writer is Brett Younger – Associate Professor of Preaching at the McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA.

He writes:
The year after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, I was a third grader in Ridgeland, Mississippi. I lived in a segregated world—separate and unequal. Everybody I knew wanted things to stay the way they were. The white people in my hometown didn’t understand what Dr. King preached. We didn’t hear what he heard God say. We didn’t hear God say anything we didn’t want to hear.

I knew that there were African Americans living nearby, but we went to different schools, stores, post offices, and saddest of all, churches. Then one Friday afternoon, Mr. Williams, our school. bus driver, told us to sit down and get quiet.

“Starting on Monday,” he shouted “there will be two black girls riding on our bus.”
Several boys in the back started booing.

Mr. Williams yelled, “Get quiet! I don’t like it either, but there’s nothing we can do about it. None of you will have to sit by them. They’ll sit in this seat right behind me.”
Then he started the bus. The bad kids said that they would call the new girls names and let them know that they didn’t belong on our bus. The good kids said that wasn’t fair and that the best thing to do was to say nothing at all. On Monday and on the days that followed, as far as I know, none of the bad kids ever said anything loud enough to be heard, but something no less tragic took place. The first children on the bus each morning and each afternoon sat in the back row. Every day for the rest of the year the bus filled from the back with every white child sitting as far as possible from the two children sitting in the front seat.

It’s embarrassing to confess that years passed before I realized how evil we were. It didn’t occur to me to sit on the second row, say hello, or question our actions. As the good white children of good white parents, we didn’t think of ourselves as bigots. We just found it easier not to challenge what was expected.

Years later, I became what my relatives in Mississippi consider a liberal. The liberal white children of the Deep South who left home are proud of the alienation we feel from the most embarrassing parts of our roots. We’re arrogant about our newfound sophistication, but sometimes I wonder what we would hear if we listened for God’s opinion on the subject of our prejudices.

It’s easier not to listen to God, because listening is dangerous. It was for Samuel. He grew up in “the church,” helping Eli with chores around the temple—lighting lamps, sweeping the floor, putting the hymnals back in the pew racks. Samuel never thought about listening for God, because no one was listening for God. The author writes: “The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.”

It’s not surprising that when twelve-year-old Samuel hears a voice while sleeping in church—he was neither the first nor the last to sleep in church—he assumes it is Eli. Three times someone calling his name awakens him. Three times he goes to Eli and asks what he wants. After the third time Eli wonders, although God hasn’t been heard from in those parts for some time, if perhaps Samuel is hearing God’s voice. He tells Samuel that if he hears the voice again, he should answer, “God, I’m listening.” God speaks and gives Samuel disturbing news—news that Samuel doesn’t want to repeat. After he hears God’s voice, Samuel’s life is never the same. It’s harder—much harder!

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and uncle were all preachers. When he became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, however, he still hadn’t had a firsthand experience of God. But then Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus and Martin found himself in the middle of a boycott. Although he had only been in Montgomery a year and he was only twenty-seven years old, he quickly became a leader of the movement. It wasn’t long before his family started getting threatening phone calls. He wondered if he could take it. He wanted out. Then one night, around midnight, another threatening call came: “We’re tired of you, and if you aren’t out of this town in three days, we’re going to blow your brains out and blow up your house.”

Dr. King prayed aloud that night. He reports hearing a voice calling him to stand up for righteousness, justice, and truth; the voice of Jesus promising to be with him through the fight. Dr. King’s life from that moment on is a testimony to his response to that prayer.
What would we hear if we listened for God’s voice? Would God tell us to be honest about the prejudices that lie so deep within us that we don’t admit them even to ourselves; to repent not only of whatever hatred we feel but also whatever apathy we hide; to let worship penetrate our hearts enough for us to say, “Speak God, for I’m listening”; to realize that if racism seems like someone else’s problem then we are part of the problem; to stop waiting for others to take the first step and step across the lines ourselves; to speak with kindness and courage when it would be easier to say nothing; to do more than vote right and work for economic justice for all; to do more than tolerate our differences and honor and celebrate them; to be impatient with inequality, impatient with anything less than freedom and justice. If we listen for God, we’ll hear a dangerous voice telling us to do what’s right.

A powerful message, wouldn’t you say? I have prejudices. I carry them from my upbringing and from my experiences. I work daily to overcome them.

What we resist persists, so I do not want to resist violence, I want to see beyond it to the truth of Peace. How can I be in this world, but not of it, not of the hatred, discrimination, and violence? I can be the solution.

How can I have Peace, calm, perfection, and right action? By being it. Right here and right now I let go of the illusion of war, hate, fighting and violence and see only the Truth of Peace. Peace is where I came from, Peace is where I am, and Peace is where I’m going.

Peace the absence of war. Peace, the absence of hate. Peace is the absence of any kind of violence. Peace is the understanding of Love. I know and I know I know that Peace is all there is. Peace is God being God. I accept Peace, I am Peace, I see Peace, I smell Peace, I hear Peace, I taste Peace, I touch Peace, I know Peace is who and what I am. Peace is action. Peace in stillness. I experience Peace for myself, for every person, every animal, every living being on this wonderful planet, Mother Earth. Peace is, and so it is.

Even the Pope has expressed his opinion regarding our prejudices toward other religions, saying “that anyone who insults a religion can expect “a punch in the nose”.

His provocative remarks which may cause a problem for many, especially right now in France, yet the Pope said that freedom of expression had its limits, especially if it involved insulting or ridiculing religion.

I think that this falls in with what we are speaking about today. Freedom of expression MAY have its limits. We believe our thoughts create our world. So why would we wish to incite others by criticizing their religion. Or anything? Aren’t we here to get along? Isn’t that our choice?

********Please say with me, if you feel these statements resonate with your beliefs:
As a spiritual being who has access to this spiritual truth, I recognize that I am in a unique position to influence the course of world events through my personal choices. I also recognize that I must embody peace in order to have peace.

I choose peace as my personal experience. Every relationship in my life is established in love, harmony and respect. I am able to enjoy diversity as an expression of the richness of Infinite Intelligence. I choose to experience joy in the abundance of life, including the wealth of ways that others live and express themselves.

I choose peace in my national experience. This great nation was founded on principles of equality and religious freedom. Its strength comes from diversity. This nation has a powerful mandate to embody peace and I am willing to contribute to that choice in ways that seem appropriate to me as an individual.

I choose peace for the planet. I know that people are different from each other but I do not believe that differences need to lead to conflict. I understand that there is fear and belief in limitation in the world but I do not believe that fear is the truth. I see every person on the planet as a spiritual being seeking to express God in his or her unique way. I know that in his heart, once fear is dissolved, everyone chooses peace. I refuse to be a prisoner of fear.

It is our choice as to how we respond to words and actions in our world. And we do have a choice – always. We can choose to react in a negative way or we can choose to not react at all. Or we can choose to react positively.

― Bohdi Sanders said, “Never respond to an angry person with a fiery comeback, even if he deserves it…Don’t allow his anger to become your anger.”

“Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.” – Lao Tzu

Instead of being against something, whether it’s in yourself, in your family, in your community or in your government, or even in the world, let’s be FOR something.
Let’s be for peace. Let’s be for compassion. Let’s be for equality for all. Let’s be for Love. Let’s be for loving.

Marianne Williamson, “Only one thing is more powerful than a brotherhood based on hate, and that is a brotherhood based on love.”

How Cold Will the Winter Be?
It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was an Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets, and when he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side – and because he didn’t want to disappoint his people – he replied that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood to be prepared, so out they went to begin collecting wood.

But also being a practical leader, he sneaked to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, “Is the coming winter going to be cold?”

“It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed,” the Meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

One week later he called the National Weather Service again. “Is it going to be a very cold winter?” he asked.

“Yes,” the man at National Weather Service again replied, “it’s going to be a very cold winter.”

The Chief again went back to his people and told them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.

Two weeks later he called the National Weather Service again. “Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?”

“Absolutely,” the man replied. “It looks like it’s going to be one of the coldest winters ever.”

“How can you be so sure?” the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied, “The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy.”

The Wisdom of Pope Francis

Pope Francis has spoken quite a few words of wisdom since he came into his office. Many of those words have encouraged not just those of the Catholic Faith, but others who are working on their journey and aiding the collective consciousness of the Earth. WE are some of those who work as a Light onto the world. So, I thought it might be fun and enlightening to look at some of the things Pope Francis has said and how those words might be relevant, and even equal to, much of what those of us in Unity believe and strive for.

Shortly he will be visiting Tacloban where the people are still recovering from the incredible power of super Typhoon Haiyan. And after that he will be issuing an encyclical urging all Catholics to take action on climate change on moral and scientific grounds.

Encyclicals are published on issues of high priority to the Pope. His plan is to affect the outcome of a very important meeting late in 2015 at The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. That meeting’s expressed intent is to create a legally binding global agreement about actions to take on climate change. Visiting Tacloban and then issuing the encyclical will present a strong and clear message of the urgency of this issue. AT least we pray so.

Another ‘statement; that Pope Francis made recently that made history, of sorts, was the message to his Cardinals. The traditional Christmas speech took on a very different tone that many found profound.

During the Christmas speech Pope Francis read out 15 sins that he believed the Curia was guilty of. See if any resonate within yourselves. Please let me know your thoughts. The Pope’s list is:

1) Feeling immortal, immune or indispensable. ‘A Curia that doesn’t criticize itself, that doesn’t update itself, that doesn’t seek to improve itself is a sick body.’

2) Working too hard. ‘Rest for those who have done their work is necessary, good and should be taken seriously.’

3) Becoming spiritually and mentally hardened. ‘It’s dangerous to lose that human sensibility that lets you cry with those who are crying, and celebrate those who are joyful.’

4) Planning too much. ‘Preparing things well is necessary, but don’t fall into the temptation of trying to close or direct the freedom of the Holy Spirit, which is bigger and more generous than any human plan.’

5) Working without coordination, like an orchestra that produces noise. ‘When the foot tells the hand, ‘I don’t need you’ or the hand tells the head ‘I’m in charge.”

6) Having ‘spiritual Alzheimer’s.’ ‘We see it in the people who have forgotten their encounter with the Lord … in those who depend completely on their here and now, on their passions, whims and manias, in those who build walls around themselves and become enslaved to the idols that they have built with their own hands.’

7) Being rivals or boastful. ‘When one’s appearance, the color of one’s vestments or honorific titles become the primary objective of life.’

8) Suffering from ‘existential schizophrenia.’ ‘It’s the sickness of those who live a double life, fruit of hypocrisy that is typical of mediocre and progressive spiritual emptiness that academic degrees cannot fill. It’s a sickness that often affects those who, abandoning pastoral service, limit themselves to bureaucratic work, losing contact with reality and concrete people.’

9) Committing the ‘terrorism of gossip.’ ‘It’s the sickness of cowardly people who, not having the courage to speak directly, talk behind people’s backs.’

10) Glorifying one’s bosses. ‘It’s the sickness of those who court their superiors, hoping for their benevolence. They are victims of careerism and opportunism, they honor people who aren’t God.

11) Being indifferent to others. ‘When, out of jealousy or cunning, one finds joy in seeing another fall rather than helping him up and encouraging him.’

12) Having a ‘funereal face.’ ‘In reality, theatrical severity and sterile pessimism are often symptoms of fear and insecurity. The apostle must be polite, serene, enthusiastic and happy and transmit joy wherever he goes.’

13) Wanting more. ‘When the apostle tries to fill an existential emptiness in his heart by accumulating material goods, not because he needs them but because he’ll feel more secure.’

14) Forming ‘closed circles’ that seek to be stronger than the whole. ‘This sickness always starts with good intentions but as time goes by, it enslaves its members by becoming a cancer that threatens the harmony of the body and causes so much bad — scandals — especially to our younger brothers.’

15) Seeking worldly profit and showing off. ‘It’s the sickness of those who insatiably try to multiply their powers and to do so are capable of calumny, defamation and discrediting others, even in newspapers and magazines, naturally to show themselves as being more capable than others.

When I read these, I wanted to look at them from the point of view of our 5 Principles:

1) God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere.

2) We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good.

3) We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.

4) There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our connection to God.

5) Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.

I could see that the very things the Pope was pointing out to his Cardinals were things that we strive against by following the 5 Principles that Charles and Myrtle Fillmore extrapolated from the teachings of Jesus, our way shower, as well as other Masters.

Especially in Principle 1 – God is the Source of all, there is no other power. Therefore, we could not be immortal or indispensable. We could not work all on our own, which was a major problem with the people of Babylon or have “Spiritual Alzheimer’s and forget our connection with God, remincient of the Israelites in the Old Testament.” And we surely couldn’t give power to our ‘boss’ by worshipping them.

If we are boastful or gossiping, or closing ourselves off from other groups, we are not putting the principles into action, as #5 states.

Whatever we follow, we are creating our own life experience, Principle #3.

And of course, if we are guilty of the listed ‘sins’, we are not living as if we are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good, Principle #2.

So, by following the Unity Principles, we can live a blessed, abundant and loving life. Maybe the Cardinals should study some Fillmore!

Another message Pope Francis issued recently, was to the staff from the Vatican and their families. To them he gave a list of wishes or resolutions. Again, interesting thoughts from the leader of the Catholic Faith. He told them:

“Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.” (Knowing that God is our Source, that we are made in the image and likeness of God, Our prayer life, affirmations and meditations)

– “Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.” (We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; We must LIVE the Principles)

– “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.” (again, We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person, We must LIVE the Principles)

– “Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.” (We must LIVE the Principles by how We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.)

– “Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.” (again, We create our life experiences through our way of thinking. We must LIVE the Principles)

– “Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.” (We must LIVE the Principles)

– “Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.” (We create our life experiences through our way of thinking, We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good. We must LIVE the Principles )

– “Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.” (We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good. We must LIVE the Principles)

– “Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.” (We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good. We must LIVE the Principles)

– Making sure your Christmas is about Jesus and not about shopping. (We must LIVE the Principles, not just for Christmas, but every day)
Notice, that knowledge of the TRUTH is only part of what we must do and be. WE MUST LIVE THE PRINCIPLES. Everyday.

Mother Teresa said: “Life is a challenge, meet it.”

I choose the reading for today because it spoke of living an authentic life. I ask you to review your life and ask yourself if you are living it authentically.
If not, what can you do to change that? That is your challenge.

This is a season of celebrating the coming of the Christ Light in each of us. We journeyed with Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem and we experienced the transformation we all can experience each and every time we allow the Christ presence to be born or, really, awakened within us.

We also celebrate the Season of Light by lighting our individual candles, the birth or rebirth of our own Light of Life, our Light of perfect love, which is the Christ in us.

Last week we let go of anything that no longer served us.  We also were given a “New Name” or Word to use as our Spiritual guide for the New Year.

Today, we will look at the 12 Powers, The 12 Fundamental Aspects of our Divine Nature that we all have awakened within us to some degree.  And we will light a candle for each Power.  You will be given an opportunity to come forward and light your own candle from the Power or Powers that resonate with you.  The Power that you are drawn to.  The Power that you wish to work with through the New Year.

So, as we identify each candle, I will be read the introduction, Barbara will say the statement for the Power and you will please follow with the response listed on your insert.

We begin:

1 Faith – dark blue, Faith is that quality in us which enables us to look past appearances of lack, limitation, or difficulty. It allows us to take hold of the divine idea and believe in it even though we do not see any evidence of it except in our mind. Through faith we know with an inner knowing the Truth that has not yet expressed in our manifest world.

Faith is more than mere belief. It is the very substance of that which is believed. Faith working in spiritual substance accomplishes all things. This is the faith that cooperates with creative law. When it is exercised deep in spiritual consciousness, it finds its abode. Here it works under divine law, without variation. It brings results that are seemingly miraculous

Reading – With Faith in God, my soul magnifies the Lord and I express my Christ nature.

Response – “Through the Christ Mind within me my faith blesses my day and paves my way.  I claim my Power of Faith.”

2 Strength – light green, The strength discussed here is not physical strength alone, but mental and spiritual strength. All strength originates in Spirit; and the thought and the word spiritually expressed bring the manifestation.  The Power of Strength is not force, manipulation or defensiveness; it is spiritual courage and confidence. Nonresistance is the highest expression of strength; it does not mean non-action, but is an effective, calm, single-minded, Divine Mind-centered attitude of mind.

Reading – No matter how humble the surroundings or unimportant the occurrence, God is my Strength and is present. My transformation process continues as I put forth the best that is in me. Strength helps us persist in our spiritual purpose despite the material inconveniences or distraction

Response – “Through the Christ Mind within me, I am made strong. I have the fortitude to overcome all things.  I claim my Power of Strength.”

3 Wisdom, Discernment, Judgment –  yellow, Spiritual discernment is the inner voice through whose expression we come into larger realization of ourselves. It is the faculty by which we appraise, evaluate and discern in order to make correct decisions. “Wisdom includes judgment, discernment, intuition, and all the departments of mind that come under the head of knowing.” Judgment, discernment and wisdom are our ability to maintain enlightened objectivity about our life and our world. Judgment is a faculty of the mind that can be exercised in two ways—from sense perception or spiritual understanding. If its action be based on sense perception its conclusions are fallible and often condemnatory; if based on spiritual understanding, they are safe.

Reading – I cleanse my consciousness of erroneous thoughts about myself so that I can replace them with Truth and allow the Christ to emerge.

Response – “Through the Christ Mind within me. I make wise choices.  Divine justice is established in my life. I claim my Power of Wisdom now.”

4 Love – pink, is the power that joins and binds together the universe and everything in it. Love is a harmonizing, constructive power. When it is made active in consciousness, it conserves substance and reconstructs, rebuilds, and restores everyone and his or her world. Spiritual Love is the total, unconditional acceptance of everyone and everything. Love is patient, kind, humble, courteous, unselfish, good-tempered, guileless and sincere.

Divine love is impersonal; it loves for the sake of loving. It is not concerned with what or who it loves, nor with a return of love. Like the sun, its joy is in the shining forth of its nature. … Love is an inner quality that sees good everywhere and in everybody. It insists that all is good, and by refusing to see anything but good it causes that quality finally to appear in the uppermost in itself, and in all things. … Love is the great harmonizer and healer”

Whatever we are focusing on or attracting ourselves to, we are “loving.”

Reading – The “Glory of the Lord” has shone around me and revealed the presence of the Higher Self in the midst of us. I recognize its presence in others and my divine Love is activated, creating harmony among parts of myself, so that I can spontaneously express Love toward my family, friends, and foes

Response – “Through the Christ love within me, I AM now filled with peace and harmony, I attract good into my life. I claim my Power of Love now.”

5 Power – purple, Power, we must understand, is not an end in itself, not a goal to be sought. Rather, it is simply a means that enables us to attain the end of bringing forth God ideas on earth. It is not to be used for selfish gain or satisfaction of the personal ego, but for the forward spiritual movement of the whole. It is to be exercised not for the purpose of controlling others, but for the purpose of taking dominion over our own thoughts and feelings in order to come into a greater God awareness

Reading – There is no Power but God. I am made in the image of God and accept the inflow of Spiritual Power.

Response – “Through the Christ power within me, my words go forth to accomplish God’s purposes in my life. I claim my Power of Dominion now.”

6 Imagination – light blue, Imagination is our conceiving, picturing and conceptualizing faculty. It is the formative power of mind that shapes thoughts into mental images, which have color, variety and dimension. The highest use of Imagination is to shape thoughts into images that most fully reflect the nature of the original Divine Idea.  Imagination gives form to the formless.

Reading – I use my faculty of Imagination to mentally see or conceive and focus on the Christ idea and whole activity of God brings it into manifestation.

Response – “By the imaging power of the indwelling Christ, I now see the good in every person and every situation. I claim my Power of Imagination now. I give form and shape to Divine Ideas and Substance.”

7 Understanding – gold, That in us which comprehends is understanding; it knows and comprehends [compares] in wisdom. Its comparisons are not made in the realm of form, but in the realm of ideas. It knows how to accomplish things. Spiritual discernment reveals that knowledge and intelligence are auxiliary to understanding. Understanding: the ability to know, perceive, comprehend

There are two ways of getting understanding. One is by following the guidance of Spirit that dwells within, and the other is to go blindly ahead and learn by hard experience. Spiritual understanding is the ability of the mind to apprehend and realize the laws of thought and the relation of ideas one to another

Reading – I understand that no matter what my age it’s never too late to change. My thinking nature and my feeling nature can blend together to produce a new nature of love and mercy which prepares my consciousness for the will of God through the inner Christ.

Response – “Through the light of the indwelling Christ. I understand the Truth about myself. I AM a child of God, loved and worthy. I claim my Power of Understanding now.”

8 Will – silver, The will is the executive faculty of the mind, The will moves to action all the other faculties of the mind.  The perfect person is produced by rounding out the will and joining it to the understanding. This means that the will is being instructed how to act for the best. Do not act until you know how to act. ‘Look before you leap.’ This does not imply that one should be inactive or indefinite, waiting for understanding, as do many persons who are afraid to act because they may possibly do the wrong thing; it means that understanding will be quickened and the will strengthened by the confidence that comes as a result of knowledge

Reading – The choice to discover and do God’s Will is the most important point of my transformative journey. I am ready to do whatever is required to do to allow my Higher Self emerge and take its rightful place as the governing center of consciousness.

Response – “The indwelling Christ guides my will.  I let God’s perfect will be done in all that I think, say, and do. I claim my Power of Will now.  I choose and lead based on Divine Ideas.”

9 Order – dark green, Order is the faculty by which we establish harmony, balance, right adjustment, and right sequence in our lives. Order in the Mind of God is an idea of harmonious progress, evolution. Order in humankind is humankind’s ability to perceive and cooperate with the law of growth. To develop divine order in our life, we must learn to cooperate with spiritual law.  Divine Order (mind, idea, manifestation) is a Universal Law. Each one of us is always using it to manifest everything. Each person determines how it will be used. When used in accordance with Spiritual Principle, good results. When used out of alignment with Spiritual Principle, we miss the mark (sin) and error results. Authentic

Reading – We light this candle as the proper sequence of inner events unfold in Divine Order.  My transformation from what I seem to be into what I truly am – an expression of God’s image is unfolding.  I commit myself to God’s service through my Christ Nature.

Response – “The indwelling Christ establishes order in my life now.  All things are working together for good. I claim my Power of Order now.  I organize and balance my life according to Divine Ideas.”

10 Zeal – orange, Zeal is the great universal force that impels humankind to spring forward in a field of endeavor and accomplish the seemingly miraculous. To be without zeal is to be without the zest of living. It is the Faculty of enthusiasm, intensity, and exuberance. It provides our inner urge to progress; our motivation to achieve. The highest expression of Zeal is an unflagging, fervent interest in knowing, speaking, and doing good. Understanding and Wisdom help to temper Zeal so that its enthusiasm and intensity are directed to grow spiritually and express the Christ Nature.

Reading – My “inner fire”, my divine enthusiasm motivates me to do whatever I must do to co-operate with the creativity of God and to express my own higher self. The zeal of God inspires me to divine right action.

Response – “Christ is the motivating power within me. I am now filled with divine Zeal. I move toward my highest good. I claim my Power of Zeal now. I am passionate and enthusiastic about Divine Ideas.”

11 Renunciation –russet, Renunciation is a letting go of old thoughts in order that new thoughts may find place in consciousness. A healthy state of mind is attained when the thinker willingly lets go of the old thoughts and takes on the new. Thoughts are things; they occupy space in the mental field. A healthy state of mind is attained and continued when the thinker willingly lets go of the old thoughts and takes on the new, by which we release false beliefs and accomplish a mental cleansing. Elimination enables us to surrender to our inner Spirit any thought that is not for our highest good so that transformation and purification of consciousness can take place.

Reading – I cleanse my consciousness of erroneous beliefs about myself so that I can replace them with Truth and allow the Christ to emerge.

Response – “Through the power of the indwelling Christ, I AM cleansed and forgiven.  I now let go of all un-Christlike thoughts and feelings.  I make room for God’s good to fill my life. I claim my Power of Elimination now. I deny and eliminate any limiting beliefs, ideas, thoughts, feelings and attitudes.”

12 Life – red, Life is the energy that propels all forms to action. It is the faculty of movement, vitality, wholeness and creativity, and is indiscriminant and requires direction. When it is directed from sense consciousness, it degenerates into a seeking to satisfy the senses. When the Faculties of Wisdom, Understanding, and Judgment direct it, it enhances one’s spiritual life.

Reading – Daily I walk in the newness of life. The Life of God is my life. I live fully, freely, and joyfully in the Christ Spirit.

Response – “The indwelling Christ guides and governs the wellsprings of life within me. I AM energized, renewed, and restored.  I claim my Power of Life now. I vitalize and energize all that I think and do based on Divine Ideas.”