Good Morning Beloved!
Back in PA, fishing season started, so here’s a joke for you….
A man was stopped by a game warden recently leaving a river well known for its fishing with two ice chests of fish.
The game warden asked the man, “Do you have a license to catch those fish? You are going to have to pay a huge fine if you do not have a license.”
“No, my friend, I do not have a license. These are my pet fish.”
“Pet fish?”
“Yep. Every night I take these fish down to the river and let ’em swim’ round for a while. Then I whistle and they jump right back into this ice chest and I take ’em home.”
“That’s a bunch of stuff! Fish can’t do that!”
The man looked at the game warden for a moment and then said, “It’s the truth. I’ll show you. It really works.”
“Okay, I’ve GOT to see this!”
The man poured the fish into the river and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to him and said, “Well?”
“Well, what?” said the man.
“When are you going to call them back?”
“Call who back?”
“The FISH!”
“What fish?”

April: the power is Judgment/Wisdom
The topic or theme for April is Discover A Positive Attitude
Affirmation: I am an open channel through which the healing, prospering currents of God’s life, power and joy are now flowing

We are combining a few ideas this week, as I wish to honor my plan to discuss some aspect of prosperity anwith one of the 12 powers each month.
And, it happens that Earth day is upon us this week also, so, I’ll throw that in for good measure.
You may ask, why am I doing them all in one day when there is another Sunday this month? The response is, I will not be here. You may all bless me as I journey to The Magical World of Harry Potter next Sunday for a week of fun with two of my dear friends from PA. We are all Harry Potter fans and have dreamed of this trip since the beginning of the plans for the park. I am very sure I will be discovering a positive attitude as I visit the world of fantasy with two of my best friends!
And you will be blessed with the musings of Carol Borsello next week. I thank her profoundly. I know you will be blessed by her insight and wisdom.
So, Prosperity, wisdom and Earth Day. What can we do with this?
Actually, I think a lot. There is much wisdom in taking care of Mother Earth. And in doing so, we certainly help to keep our positive attitude! Just recall the attitude change you experience just stepping out into nature.

“One of the most exciting and beneficial things,” according to Elisabet Sahtouris, an internationally known evolution biologist, that happened to humanity in the past century were physicists’ recognition that “the universe is more like a great thought than like a great machine” and astronauts lifting far enough from Earth to see, feel and show us how very much alive our planet is. Those events led to a wonderful sea of change from the older – and rather depressing – scientific story of a non-living material universe accidentally giving rise to all within it, devoid of meaning or purpose.
The new view, revealing a conscious universe and a living Earth in which we are co-creators, takes us out of fatalistic victimhood to becoming consciously active agents of our destiny! It lifts the fog of our self-image as consumers of stuff, giving us awesome rights and responsibilities to live out our full co-creative humanity.”
Interesting stuff…she sounds like a Unitic!

When I think of wisdom and Mother Earth together, I think of our Native American brothers and sisters. They seem to have an innate knowing when it comes to caring for the Earth, for nature. And the idea that we live as a part of a conscious universe and a living Earth, I believe, is what the Native Americans believed and lived.
Just listen to the 10 Indian Commandments:
1. The Earth is our Mother, care for her.
2. Honor all your relations,
3. Open your heart and soul to the Great Spirit.
4. All life is sacred, treat all beings with respect.
5. Take from the earth what is needed, nothing more.
6. Do what needs to be done for the good of all.
7. Give constant thanks to the Great Spirit for each and every day.
8. Speak the truth, but only for the good in others.
9. Follow the rhythms of nature.
10. Enjoy life’s journey, but leave not tracks.
Almost every one of these commandments in one way or another have reference to taking care of and respect for, nature. One need not think deeply to find a connection.
Let’s look at wisdom for a minute…
Webster defines wisdom as the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, a wise attitude or course of action. Wisdom is not to be confused with knowledge for “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers” according to Lord Alfred Tennyson
Webster defines judgment as the process of forming an opinion by discerning and comparing.
Charles Fillmore used these two words, wisdom & judgment, interchangeably when describing this deep inner power, one of our 12 powers. But we, in our human mind often do more comparing than discerning which can lead to condemnation. When we attach a condemnation thought to this power, we must remember that we experience the results of those judgments.
The keyword in both definitions is discernment. This power is how we discern good from bad, but only for ourselves. When we try to discern what is right or wrong for someone else, or when we condemn someone else, we are not using “right judgment.” Right judgment is only what is right for us personally.
Applying judgment/wisdom to the idea of prosperity is also a discernment process. When life is not showing up the way we would like we must ask ourselves, “Am I using ‘right judgment,’ and am I accessing divine wisdom within me to meet this prosperity challenge?”
Sometimes we think prosperity is only about finances or money. This is very limited wisdom. Prosperity shows up in many different forms: health, love, joy and peace. And if we judge money as the only form of prosperity, we shut off the flow to these other forms.
So, let’s apply wisdom and prosperity to the Mother EARTH.
We already are aware that prosperity, abundance is more, much more than financial security. Applying wisdom and prosperity to the Earth is easy then.
We thank the Earth for her bounty. Without it, we would not be fed, or clothed. No water to replenish our bodies of the moisture it needs.
Without the Earth we would not have the shelter we need from cold and wind, and rain and snow and heat.
Humans alone, as co-creators with God, can think consciously, make choices, and determine the direction their lives will take. All other forms of life simply follow instinct. Only we can think for ourselves and say “I will” or “I won’t.”
We are charged to use this ability to think, reason and choose wisely to establish an orderly growth for ourselves as God’s highest creations.
And, as we are told in Genesis, to have dominion over the earth and its inhabitants, that means we are to take care of all of it. Having dominion does not mean destroying the air we breathe or contaminating the rivers and oceans. And it certainly doesn’t mean to use and abuse the other life on, in and through the planet.
Where would we be without the earth, sustained to its fullest? How is it wise to destroy the very things that sustain us?
We need the earth to live. We need the air. We need the water. We need the diversity. We need nature to save us from ourselves!
David Suzuki said in The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature;
“Every breath is a sacrament, an affirmation of our connection with all other living things, a renewal of our link with our ancestors and a contribution to generations yet to come. Our breath is a part of life’s breath, the ocean of air that envelopes the earth.”
One of the reasons I love the song, “Breathe,” we have been listening to at the beginning of Service.
I truly believe everything we need to live, to cure disease, to survive is right here for us to find. Kind of like finding our inner Divinity.
As a Star Trek fan, I always remember one of the original episodes with Captain Kirk being transported to this isolated planet by some “higher” beings along with another life form, kind of lizard like. They were to ‘entertain’ these ‘higher beings’ by fighting to the death.
What I always remembered about it, though, was the instructions they were given; “Everything you need is right here, you just have to find it, figure it out.”
Of course Captain Kirk did figure out a way to overcome, without killing I might add, the adversary he was given and in turn, taught the ‘higher beings’ a lesson in compassion and the need to NOT have to kill.
“Intelligence without wisdom is fruitless and wisdom without compassion is simply not wise.” A quote from and unknown writer.
A few lessons we can all learn.

Emily Cady, a major author in Unity, wrote in Lessons in Truth: “All the wisdom and intelligence that we see in the universe is God. Wisdom is projected through the visible form. God as infinite wisdom lies within every human being, waiting to be lead forth into manifestation. This is true education.”
There is a natural flow within our lives, and as soon as we can tune into that frequency that is both around us in nature and within us spiritually, the closer we will be to peace. Our world is filled with clutter, noise, and distraction—things that contribute to feelings of disharmony.
Sometimes we have to learn to pull away and get back to what is simple, basic, and easy. There are times we have to pick up the pace, but turning to Spirit within keeps us balanced psychologically, emotionally, socially, and physically.
Nature helps us do that.
Richard Mabey said, “To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.” Those roots help us to stay connected to Spirit. Nature helps to GROUND us!

Here’s a story about wisdom, compassion and abundance: By Stephanie Pifer-Stone
The other day, while waiting in line at the grocery store, I began reflecting on the nice lunch I had earlier with a new friend. During our conversation, we talked about how good it feels to help other people, especially when you are feeling down about yourself. How uplifting it is to do something for someone else and how it takes you out of your own drama!
A woman about my age was behind me in line. She had one can of cake frosting and was counting a handful of change to pay for it. She asked, “Have you ever been unemployed? I am counting this ahead of time so I won’t be embarrassed at the checkout stand.” I told her, “Yes, I have been there.” She asked what I did for a living now. I told her my husband and I were self-employed, and that even though money was still a bit tight, it does get better. I looked more closely at her. She was clean, but her clothes were old. Her eyes were red and her face was drawn, from worry, I assumed.
I very much remember counting the items in my cart and mentally calculating the total so I wouldn’t be embarrassed at the checkout by not having enough money. I often had to put some items back on the shelf.
All this lady wanted was a can of frosting. I could do that for her, but I wondered, how do I do it and not embarrass her? I quietly picked up the can and placed it on my side of the separator on the belt. When she objected, I told her that someone nice just bought me lunch, and now it was my turn, so please don’t deny me that. She was stunned, and tears welled up in her already red eyes.
The cashier saw what was happening. She was very subtle about the transaction and slid the frosting into a bag, giving it to the other customer and putting my items in my bag. It was all so sweet; it made my heart swell to be a part of it. All for the bargain price of $1.35. It made that lady’s day that someone cared. It didn’t matter if she was frosting cupcakes for her granddaughter or going to eat it with a spoon. It did me good to do it!
It made me think, wouldn’t it be a nice world if, when we go to the grocery store and don’t have enough money that those who do would help out? Then when things were better for us, we could do that for others. What if everything worked that way?
I remembered my favorite neighbor and what she did for us during our rough times. My husband and I have three critters that depend on us—two beautiful dogs, Izzy and Dharma, and Larry the parakeet. We opened the front door one day to find a huge bag of dog food and a big canister of parakeet food courtesy of our neighbor Becky. She knew we were struggling and wanted to help. When I went to thank her, she reminded me of a time when she lost her job, and we brought her groceries. I had forgotten about that, but she hadn’t.
Maybe this tough economy is forming a bond of support throughout the community … neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping another stranger. Maybe it is already a wonderful world, and we just have to open our eyes to it.

My eyes are open. Are yours?

The common question we need to ask is, “Where did I meet God today? And where did I miss God?”
These questions can be applied to Mother Nature as surely as the person behind you in the grocery store! And many other places.
Let me end with an Apache Blessing for your day:
May the sun bring you new energy by day.
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the rain wash away your worries.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.

Let’s take those words into meditation…