Great Morning Beloved!!

What did we learn?

We started off this adventure looking at some of the gadgets we have today that started in Science Fiction- Star Trek actually! Where would we be without our Phones??? Maybe a bit less stressed and a bit more present.

Anyway, I imagine there will be many things that are, right now, in someone’s imagination that will develop in the future and we will wonder both what did we do without this and why do we need it!

And that’s it, our imagination. One of the 12 Powers that we all have and are waiting to be developed; or to unfold, may be the better word.
Charles Fillmore understood the importance of Imagination, making it one of his Twelve Powers. From his book THE TWELVE POWERS: “It is through the imagination that the formless takes form.”

Can you think of anything that you imagined into form?

The core of science fiction is our belief that through the power of our imagination, our vision of a better tomorrow that works for all, we can believe in impossible things…
“No use trying, said Alice; one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I dare say you haven’t had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
— Lewis Carroll

So, I ask you, what impossible things have YOU dreamed this morning?

We learned so much more as we journeyed through Sci-fy. Gene Roddenberry had high hopes for the human beings that populated this blue marble floating in our Universe among many universes.
One more time, he said:
“Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. […] If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.”

Through every incarnation of Star Trek, Star Wars and all other science fiction and fantasy forms, Science fiction gives us a glimpse of what we can be. And it gave us and continues to give us ways to do that.

Recall one of the first questions we asked this summer, “What God have we created?”
We are created in the image and likeness of our Creator, yet we often create a god in our image with the faults and idiosyncrasies of humans.

The God of our understanding is of energy, is love and good. And so are we, if we would just let go of the ideas and domestication we have learned along our way. Enlightenment is releasing what no longer serves.

Many of the episodes we looked at and the many more that I watched as I was preparing these Lessons, reminded us that we are all of the Creator; we are all ONE. So many of the shows and movies and books have provided opportunities to remind us of that.

The fate of Data, the Android in Star Trek, The Next Generation had us look at CREATION….what does that actually mean? Who owned Data because he was created by scientists in the Federation?
The answer – in a sense, all beings are created but that does not necessarily make them the property of their creator.
Are we not created in the image and likeness of OUR Creator? We are not owned by that Creator. We have free choice.
The characters in that episode were challenged to let go of what they had previously believed to be true, what constitutes a living being.
And hopefully, so were we.

Time and time again we are challenged regarding how we treat anyone who is different from us in society. And how we reduce those who are different to non-beings.
Both in the wide variety of ‘aliens’ that were presented during the episodes and movies and in the instances when our ship mates were exposed to being treated as medical experiments and as prey in a hunt to the death.
Do you recall how you felt when YOU were the experiment? Or YOU were the prey?
Uncomfortable to say the least.

How easily we justify enslaving and killing anyone, or anything, not like us. And yet, our differences are absolutely necessary to make us strong. Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins to not just, tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in lifeforms. -. – Gene Roddenberry

Diversity is necessary for the survival of our species. Ironically, we continue to fear that which is different from ourselves.

Science Fiction writers have most often presented a look at the issues that we face daily – greed, homelessness, inequality, hunger…and more often than not, they give us a look at what we can become, a look at who we truly are if we just let our love shine through.

As we watched Luke grow with the Force, we got to see many things…learn many things
Starting with you must unlearn what you have learned.
The beginning of wisdom is acknowledging “I don’t know.”

How so like Luke were we in our youth…impatient, thinking we knew it all.

Luke was taught the Ways of the Force, that way of living, that philosophy so similar to our belief in the energy of the Universe that surrounds us all, encompasses us all.
George Lucas developed the Force from all religions, very similar to Charles Fillmore as he researched the religions and cultures of his day to develop Unity’s Principles and main ideas.
Lucas said that there is a conscious choice between good and bad, and “the world works better if you’re on the good side”. I believe Charles would agree with this, as it resonates with our 1st & 2nd Principle.

Obi Wan to Luke – “Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct. Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them. Stretch out with your feelings.”

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

Your eyes can deceive you. What is real and what is illusion? Something we must ask ourselves daily…

We were reminded that we are so much more than we think. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
So many times, I have read or viewed Unity thoughts and Principals in the fantasy book I’m reading or, in these Science Fiction Movies we are discussing.
Yoda is a Unitic! The Force is saying the same things we say every week. We are all One. There is a Force that is surrounding us and enfolding us, a part of us on every level.

Through many episodes of Star Trek and Star Wars, we were brought to an understanding that our shadow, that part of us that we may not be very familiar with, that we may not even like, IS a part of us.
Feelings such as sadness, joy, anger, fear, and disgust can form the basis for the actions we take and the interactions we have with others. That makes the interplay between emotions incredibly important.
Captain Kirk showed us the importance of the shadow when he was separated from his dark side, he was dying without it. He could not function as the captain, he lost his ability to make choices, difficult choices that many times were a matter of life and death to his crew.
Shadow work is about opening your heart and making peace with your internal devils. It is about embracing your fears and weaknesses and finding compassion for your humanity

The Gospel of St Thomas states: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

We may not have such melodrama in our lives, but to be a complete, whole human existing in this dualistic world, we must acknowledge our complete self and accept both shadow and heart into our understanding.

Dr. Judith Baard stated, “The interaction between the two Kirks dramatizes an important principle: the more volatile the emotion, the more likely we are to reach a wrong moral judgment. Likewise, the less emotionally agitated we are, the greater the chances that we will weigh alternative courses of action and reach a sound moral judgment.

Another thing Captain Kirk taught us, is ownership, responsibility. If you have ever watched Classic Star Trek, and I viewed them all this summer, how many times in each episode did he say, “MY Ship” My crew”?

ALL the TIME!

Look at how responsible you are in your life? In the things and people that you have some obligation…where do you stand?
We always have choice. And we choose where and with whom we spend our time and energy.
This is as it should be. SO, you get to choose….how are you doing with your choices? Are you pleased with how that’s going? Any changes needed?
It’s up to you.

Are we willing to befriend who we already are? Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we are only loving part of ourselves, the parts we deem to be acceptable, is that how we’re loving our neighbors? Loving only the parts that we deem to be acceptable?
Abraham Lincoln asked, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

Dr. Johanna Vanderpol says it this way: “Star Trek explores what it’s like to be human. It creates a positive vision of humanity. It explores what it means to honor and respect another person.”

Let’s talk about one of the most important things in Start Trek – The Prime Directive.
“The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proved again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well-intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous.”

Our Captain Kirk understood this, and yet, he would ignore it time and again. To him, people are more important than rules.
He would enforce the spirit of the law above the letter of the law.
How does this apply to us? What is OUR Prime Directive?

I would suggest our Integrity. And what all is in your integrity? What is YOUR Prime Directive?

The Prime Directive of Star Trek asks us to respect ALL other ways of being.
Or as Wade Davis observed, “The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you: they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”

Honoring all paths isn’t easy. Contrary to those who think we don’t believe in anything, what we believe in is difficult to practice. A spirituality based totally on loving one another, honoring one another’s path, even when we don’t understand it… a spirituality without hard and fast “rules”, without rigid do’s and don’ts is much harder to practice than a religion where everything is clearly defined for us.
Remember, a major difference between Unity and Traditional Christianity is our free thinking.
We set out Principles and let you go.
We give you ideas, thoughts to ponder and allow you to put them into practice in your life….or not.

This path, although more challenging to travel, is much more satisfying. And while I recognize it’s not for everyone, it is my path.

I leave you with some of the best quotes from this series:

No, try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
“Size matters not.
Luke: I don’t believe it. Yoda: And that is why you fail.
We’re only as sick as our secrets….
“If you want to know who you are, it’s important to know who you’ve been.”

Roddenberry was trying to show us that for all our differences, we have just as much in common. We dream, we love, we fear, we laugh, we cry, we have children and families and in-laws. We are born and we die. Star Trek is about the journey in between.

HOW will you fill your DASH?