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.”