GREAT Morning Beloved!

“Spiritual Economics – The Truth About Substance”

Welcome to our Fall Series! If you have not read Eric Butterworth’s “Spiritual Economics – The Principles and Process of True Prosperity,” you are in for a treat. And you just might want to borrow the book after we complete the series, to read it again, or read along, even better!

Because, as with many great books, they are filled with wisdom that comes true again and again and again.

Spiritual Economics is one of several wonderful books written by Eric Butterworth. Born in Winnipeg, Canada but raised in Southern California, Eric actually followed his Mother into the Unity Ministry. His ministry attendance totaled in the thousands in both Detroit and New York.

He earned high respect for his delivery of universal spiritual ideas. His teaching focused on the divinity of all people, and his desire was that everyone would know their oneness with God.

Get that…UNIVERSAL. That means it’s for everyone. Simple.

SO, this series is for everyone.

We each have an inner urge to live life to its fullest and to share that fullness with others. This book gives us steps to achieve that fullness of life. It’s not necessarily about accumulating ‘things’, as you will learn.
Eric has coined the term ‘wealthful’ to mean “relating to the things that make for a personal experience of wealth.”

And why do we need a new term? To help us turn away from lack, and layoffs and limitations and instead turn our attention toward the omnipresence of universal substance. It is everywhere through all of nature and through the endless flow of creative ideas coming forth from our minds in moments of inspiration.

Are you still in the belief that godliness goes hand in hand with poverty? Lack & limitation go against the Laws of the Universe. The Universe is unlimited. We have not tapped into that Source.

What Charles Fillmore believed is we are ‘frustrating our potential’ when we live lives poor and limited. We believe that it’s all about bad luck. Really!

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33
SO, how many of us have done that?

Yeah, right. What are we waiting for?

‘We must begin to face the possibility that financial problems may be the outer manifestation of inner states of consciousness. A great idea whos time has come is that there is no such thing as a purely financial problem unrelated to false attitudes and emotions which caused it or a healthy attitude or emotion which can cure it.”
We have to declare independence from those beliefs that tie our personal welfare to the world ‘out there.

The free flow of substance can only be dammed up from within.

No one can keep your good from you but you.

“Affluence’ means ‘an abundant flow’, not ‘stuff’, ‘things’. And ‘wealth’ originally meant ‘’well-being’.

‘Prosperity’ originally meant ‘according to hope’ or ‘to go forward.’ Nothing like we mean it today. So, broadly interpreted, prosperity is ‘spiritual well-being.’ That is the whole experience of healing life, satisfying love, abiding peace, harmony, and sufficiency.

Butterworth reminds us, “It is consciousness that sets all the limits of life.”

But now we know that life is lived from within-out. So, our starting point in realizing prosperity is accepting responsibility for our own thoughts.

Take charge of your own life.

Eliminate “I can’t,” “I won’t,” and “There’s not enough” from your consciousness.

Talk and think only positive things.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

All that is required is that you keep yourself centered in the creative flow, in tune through positive thoughts.
Here’s another term for you – religion’s root word means ‘bind together.’ So, unity, wholeness, oneness.

Unfortunately, it’s become something to join rather than a transcendence experience.

And H. Emily Cady tells us, in “Lessons in Truth”; “God is not a being with qualities or attributes but is the good itself coming into expression as life, love, power, wisdom.”

This is telling us that God is not loving, but the allness of love. God is not a dispenser of divine substance, but the allness of ever-present substance in which we live, and move, and have being.

And this is the subtle but vitally important key which the entire structure of spiritual economics rests.

The term ‘substance’ comes from Latin which means ‘stand under’. There is a substance standing under everything.
This is not the component parts of a thing, but the nonmaterial essence at the root of everything…the space between where a force field holds the particles.

Relating to God and us, we are not just acted upon by God, but we are the activity of God expressing as us.

In our Tuesday class, we have learned that we live in two worlds. The world of our 5 senses, of either or, of love and evil, of lack and wealth, of health and illness.

But we also live in the Universe, the realm of consistency and stability of basic substances that stands beneath every human experience.

In that Universe, God doesn’t come and go; God is present at every point in space at the same time. “There is no spot where God is not.”

The Truth is, despite the appearance of lack in every area, “there is an infinite and eternal energy from which all things proceed.”

When we keep conscious of the Divine flow, substance will find expression through us as “creative ideas, ingenuity, the will to work, and a security of work opportunities.”

And, as the Quakers say, “When you pray, move your feet.”

Know that God can do no more for you than God can do through you.

And it follows that things may happen around you, things may happen to you, but the only things which really count are the things that happen in you.

The sum total of your thought is your consciousness. We need to control what goes into our minds. WE must take responsibility for our lives.

By your thinking, you are either adding to your good or you are taking away from it.

This is the Law. Failure or lack in your life is simply the result of continuously ‘minus-ing’ yourself.

Conversely, success and prosperity are the results of ‘plus-ing’ yourself.

Negative thoughts of worry and fear are depleting your good. And positive, optimistic thoughts add to your good.
Whatever your needs may be, the answer is to uncover and release our ‘imprisoned splendor.’ When we deal with changeless law, your faith is the key to the kingdom of the power within you.

There are no miracles in an orderly Universe. All things are possible under Divine Law.

And there is no such thing as luck in an orderly and Divine Universe. There is no way in which one can get something for nothing.

There is only one way in which you can change your ‘luck’ and that is by altering your thoughts.

Great Morning Beloved!

The Wizard of Oz – There’s no place like home

Well, home at last. This has been a bit longer journey through OZ than I anticipated when I choose to enter the Yellow Brick Road back in the Spring. But things happen, don’t they? And often, things aren’t always as they seem.
Our journey on the Yellow Brick Road through the Land of Oz has been an enlightening one…that is, IF we let the Lessons aid us on our own personal journey through this life.
Let’s see where we find our gang this week….

The Tao Te Ching tells us – “When they think they know the answer,
People are difficult to guide.
When they know that they don’t.
People can find their own way.”

So, what’s author Greene telling us in this last chapter of his book, “The Zen of Oz – Ten Spiritual Lessons from Over the Rainbow”?
If we believe that we already know everything and it is our journey to enlightenment through re-membering, then we can agree with the basic position of Zen – “it has nothing to say, nothing to teach.”
Alan Watts wrote in “The Way of Zen,” wrote, “the truth of Buddhism is so self-evident, so obvious that it is, if anything, concealed by explaining it. Therefore, the master does not ‘help’ the student in any way, since helping would actually be hindering.”
Which is why I ask questions of you…hoping to stimulate the thinking and thus your journey begins or continues. Though I do not consider myself a master by any means.

In the case of Dorothy and her quest to return to Kansas, the Wizard is certainly NOT the master here. It is Glinda, the Good Witch, who is and who sets Dorothy on her path to self-enlightenment.
When Dorothy learns to stop allowing others to control her life, when she stops putting her faith in others to solve her problems, when she discovers her inner spark, she attains the Zen experience of awakening.
Glinda tells herDorothy awakens to the realization that her heart’s desire is an inward journey, not an outward one. She had to discover this herself. And this is why Glinda sent her to see the Wizard who MIGHT be able to help her.
A Zen Master’s role is to intentionally mislead the student by putting obstacles and barriers in the students’ path. There are those questions again!
Alan Watts tells us again, “This is like encouraging the growth of a hedge by pruning, for obviously, the basic intention is to help, but the Zen student does not really know Zen unless he finds it himself.”
Knowledge cannot be taught; it must be gained from experience.
Jeremy Wolf, Zen poet: “experience isn’t the best teacher, it’s the only teacher.”
Think abut your experience and how they have taught you, led you on your journey of enlightenment….

And what an experience Dorothy and Toto had! She found out what really matters. Time spent with family and friends is what matters…spirituality matters. Discovering your true self matters.
It didn’t matter to Dorothy that her family didn’t believe her after telling them about her ‘Dream’. “This is my room and you are all here…I love you all. Oh, Auntie Em, there’s no place like home!”
This is so much like metaphysics. To truly understand it, you make it personal, you look at the verse or reading or question and ask what does it mean to you? What’s the underlying message for you?

Dorothy discovered what really matters to her.
Here’s another example of what’s important:
What’s Really Important?
It’s a story of a man who decided not to go to the 99 Cent Store for a Valentine’s gift for his wife, but rather a pet store because he thought that is wife would like a bird that would keep her company and sing and talk to her.

He thought, “Wouldn’t be wonderful if when my wife came into the room the bird would say, ‘Good morning, how are you?'” The man thought, “Yes, this is the gift I need to get for my wife.”

So, the man went shopping. He went into a pet shop, asked for the store manager and said, “Sir, I would like a bird that sings and talks.” Well, the man bought the bird. The next day the man returned the bird and said, “I’ve had this bird for twenty-four hours now and it just sits there and looks at me. He doesn’t sing and he doesn’t talk.” “That’s strange,” said the manager. “Does he peck on his little bell?” “What bell?” said the man, a bit frustrated.

“Oh no,” said the store manager. “Did I forget to sell you the bell? You have to have a bell for your bird, mister. You get up to the sound of a bell each morning, don’t you? Well, so will the bird. He will peck on his little bell, and when he hears its sound, he will start his day too.” “How much is the bell?” asked the man. “$8.95, sir,” replied the manager. “Give me the bell.”

The next day, the man was back in the pet shop, only this time he was a little more irritated. “The bird still doesn’t sing or talk,” he said. “Well,” said the manager, “Does he climb his little ladder? He doesn’t have a ladder. Oh, he must have a ladder. Don’t you exercise each morning? Well, birds need exercise too. In fact, that’s really what gets them started. He will begin his day pecking on his little bell, and then he will climb up and down his little ladder. His blood will start circulating and he’ll feel like singing and talking.” “How much is the ladder?” asked the man. “$16.50,” replied the manager. “I’ll take the ladder.” He pays his $16.50 and leaves the pet shop with a ray of hope.

But he is really irritated when he returns on the third day with the same complaint.

“Does he look into his mirror each day?” asked the store manager. “What do you mean by that?” shouted the angry man. “Well, you look into a mirror each morning, don’t you? Doesn’t it make you feel good about yourself? Well, the bird will look into the mirror and feels good about himself. In fact, he’ll feel so good about himself that he will want to sing and talk.”

“Okay, okay,” said the man. “How much is the mirror?”

“$21.95 for this framed mirror,” replied the manager. “Give me the mirror.”

On the fourth day, the angry man returned only to be sold a swing. On the fifth day he walked into the pet shop with a dead bird in his hand. “What happened?” said the store manager. “He died; that’s what happened!” shouted the angry man.

The store manager said, “I hate to ask this, but did he ever sing or talk?” “He never did sing, but he did talk,” replied the man in a quiet and solemn voice. “When I put the swing in his cage, he looked at me rather strangely and then he pecked on his bell, slowly climbed his ladder, looked into his mirror, and then he hopped onto his swing and began swinging ever so gently. Just before he toppled over and died, he looked at me so sadly and said, ‘Why didn’t you buy some birdseed?'”
Are we overlooking what really matters?

Zen Master, Glinda, knows she is sending Dorothy to the Wizard, who is a fraud, but she also knows Dorothy is safe with the ruby slippers, her inner spark. And as she showed them all when Dorothy and the Lion fell asleep in the poppy field, Glinda can help Dorothy when she needs it.

When Dorothy first meets Glinda, she floated away quickly, causing Dorothy to remark that people came and went quickly in Oz. Well, time is fleeting, Eternity is now, the present moment.
A Zen poet wrote, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
The way to live in the moment is to remember, “This too shall pass.”
When you are experiencing joy, remember it while you have it for it will pass. When you are experiencing pain or sorrow, remember that it will pass. It all is only temporary.

When Dorothy says she feels as if she has known the Scare Crow and the Tin Man and the Lion ‘all the time’, she concludes that “We know each other now,” choosing to be in the NOW.

When you embrace the present, when you immerse yourself in the here and now, when you become one with the moment, you experience the pure joy of the cosmos.

The Tao Te Ching says:
Be content with what you have;
Rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you.

Now is the moment of all creation; the moment of all potential; of infinite possibilities.

If you want to change the world, you must first change yourself. Living a life of love and service begins with the desire to center your life on the source of correct morals, ethics, and principles. That source is your intrinsic essence, your true Self, the inner spark within you.
Remember, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
When you discover the true essence of your inner spark and embrace your spiritual nature; when you live in the here and now and are at home with yourself, the creative energy of the cosmic intelligence will flow abundantly, propelling you to your cosmic purpose easily.
Then you will truly know with all your heart and might and soul that there’s no place like home.

This week concludes our Lessons based upon the story of the Wizard of Oz. I hope you had an opportunity to not only see the story through different eyes but maybe were tempted by some of the Lessons and the questions presented to look at yourself for more Spiritual Discovery Opportunities.

Great Morning Beloved!
The Wizard of Oz – Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

Welcome back to the Yellow Brick Road and the Lessons we can possibly learn from our Characters.
This week Joey Greene has us looking at that man behind the curtain…even though he asks us to ignore him.
People can change your life for the better. They can inspire you, motivate you, and help you recognize who you really are.

I am sure you all can look back and recall more than one person who has made a difference in the way your life has progressed. I pray I am doing that for at least some of you. That is my job. I am here to call you higher.

I hope I can be at least a small part for you that my ‘people’ have been for me. My biggest ‘person’ outside my Mother was Rev. Erica Trantham. Erica was my first Unity Minister and was instrumental in inspiring me to become a Licensed Teacher for Unity. She would kid me, tho I’m not sure it was kidding anymore, but she would say, ‘you’re going to be a minister anyway’ and then give me more to do.

She called me higher. I hope I am calling you higher, whatever that means for you.

Joey Greene tells us that inspiring people are gentle souls full of light and joy. Uninspiring people abuse power, in their attempts to help us they are really manipulating us to help themselves.

They are hiding behind the curtain.

Even though Glinda and the Munchkins both say the Wizard of Oz is wonderful, neither say what it is that makes him so. Dorothy’s song, “We’re off to see the Wizard” never answers the statement why he is a wonderful Wiz. Pg. 114
We do find out that the ‘wonderful wizard’ isn’t so powerful that he can contain the Wicked Witch of the West. So, those his powers are very limited.

However, Dorothy, the Scare Crow, the Lion and the Tin Man all put faith in a mysterious Wizard that they have never met to help them with, really, their inside issues….brain, courage and a heart. And of course, Dorothy’s challenge, to return to Kansas and home, a home she thought she wanted to leave.

So, any of that hit a note with any of you? How about depending upon an outsider, a stranger, no less, to solve our souls’ questions? How often have we questioned our brain power? And our courage…how long did it take you to walk through that door? How long did it take you to find the courage to ask yourself those important questions? To pull the curtain away? (What are you waiting for?)

And your heart…are you giving your heart to the one you love or holding out, thinking to protect it from hurt? Yes, we do that but why?

Many questions from this Lesson, already….

Thank you, Toto, for again leading the crew to truth when he pulls on the curtain and reveals the Wizard and his pullies and leavers, revealing just a man…and from Kansas too…wonder what that’s all about? Was Kansas really that bad a place in the 1900’s?

He too, fell from the sky but he accepted the honorary title of Wizard, whereas, when Dorothy fell from the sky in Munchkinland, she refused the honorary title…she wanted to go home. That life just didn’t fit her.
What does that say about the Wizard?

When did the Wizard lose his soul? When did he choose to hide behind a falsehood instead of admitting the truth to himself and the people of the Emerald City?
And are we any less guilty?

It is estimated that 85% of our bodily illnesses come from distress in the soul….yes, mind-body related. William Bausch, in his book, “The Yellow Brick Road-A Storytellers Approach to the Spiritual Journey,” calls it ‘soul sick.’

I remind you of the reading two weeks ago from Thomas Moore’s, “The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life,” ….we have forgotten that nature is the prime source of spiritual life.”

And we see that in many ways and in many places today. And yet, in many places, people who are searching to get back to their soul connection are often asked 4 questions. You may have heard of these:
1. “When in your life did you stop singing?” When did you lose your voice? Who made you feel that it was no longer safe to give voice to your own truth, thus submerging your real self? As a result, your soul has contracted and your identity has been lost.
2. “When did you stop dancing?” When did you begin to lose touch with your body? Children dance spontaneously all the time. How did it happen that we stopped dancing?
3. “When did you stop being enchanted with stories?” Stories are the greatest healing and teaching art we have. Through stories we transmit values, traditions, memories, and identity.
4. “When did you stop being comfortable with silence?” Silence is recognized by all cultures as that place where we connect to mystery. Is it any wonder that our culture is soul sick?

What answers do you think the Wizard would come up with if he asked himself these questions?
I do not think he even considered anything near them until the time he awarded the brain, heart and courage….and then, maybe.

The Wizard was still in the throes of his masquerade as he screened any potential visitor by posing as the Doorman to Emerald City, the Cabby with the Horse of a Different Color, and the Guard to the Palace. This way he remains unreachable and mysterious…..and out of touch with himself and his people.

How many questions do we have to ask ourselves? How many steps do you have to take before letting someone in? 3? 9? 25? More? Think about it. Are you still unreachable?

When the Wizard in the disguise of the Doorman tells our group of heroes that “Nobody can see the Great Oz! Nobody’d ever seen the Great Oz! Even I’ve never seen him!” Thus, he is telling the group that the Wizard is a myth.

He is also warning the group, and us, against blindly following leaders or expecting them to solve our own problems.

The Wizard rules through fear and intimidation, from behind a curtain. What does the curtain mean to you? Do you have one? How thick is it?

Of course, the curtain seems to keep the Wicked Witch at bay, because of the mystery, I suppose.

Through his intimidation and bullying, the Wizard convinces Dorothy and her friends to ‘earn’ the right to have their wishes granted by bringing him the Wicked Witches broomstick, thus killing her for him.

If the friends succeed, the Wizard is liberated from his self-imposed seclusion. If the Witch kills the friends, then he will be rid of the pesky farm girl and the Witches rathe. This is a win-win for him…unless the Witch gets the ruby slippers and the power that supposedly comes with them.

Green reminds us: “When you put your trust in someone who lacks integrity and compassion to solve your problems, chances are that someone will use you as a pawn to solve their own problems.”

The Tao Te Ching says, “If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled.”
So, ask yourself, “Why am I allowing someone else to control my life?”

The “Great” and Wonderful Wizard is astonished when Dorothy and her friends return with the Wicked Witches broomstick, and in his surprise tries to put them off. But after her ordeal with the Witch, she will not allow the Wizard to intimidate her anymore. And Toto comes to the aid again when he pulls the curtain away to expose the Wizard in his truth…or dishonesty.

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” says the supposed Wizard. How many times in our lifetime alone have we been asked to ignore something that we know, deep down in our soul, is not to be ignored? No matter where it came from…

The Wizard is a “humbug!”

He claims to be a bad Wizard but a good man…but would a good man send Dorothy and her friends on what certainly seemed like a suicide mission? That mission did allow for Dorothy to confront her fears. It did allow for her to finally offer herself to protect Toto. She finally takes control of her life.

The Wizard did this unintentionally; should he get good points for it?

When handing out brains, heart and courage, he realizes that he is in need of these qualities too. Proving that we see in others what we have or, in this case, don’t have in ourselves.

And we realize that ‘we already possess the attributes that we seek most passionately, regardless if those traits receive recognition from outside authorities.”

We are reminded again that when we put our faith in someone else to solve our problems, it is because “we lack faith in ourselves.” That lack of respect for ourselves allows us to be easily manipulated.

We must learn to trust our own inner nature and love ourselves. Then you will pay absolutely no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Great Morning Beloved!

The Wizard of Oz – Bring me the broomstick of the wicked witch of the west

We’re back at Oz, checking out what’s been happening to Dorothy and her friends. We’ve come a long way from drab Kansas. But we also have learned that things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes asking for adventure doesn’t turn out as the adventure we were thinking about, does it?

This week our leading question is: Have you been, unconsciously, letting others steal your energy?
We all unconsciously compete for energy with each other.

Did you know that?

But we do not need to surrender our energy. And you do not need to rob energy from others either.
The need to give control to others and the addictive need to dominate are both obstacles to spiritual enlightenment.

The true energy we all seek flows abundantly from the creative source of the universe.

When Dorothy and her trio ask the Wizard for help, after he bullies them, he gives them “a very small task.” But it’s not small at all…to bring him the Wicked Witch’s broomstick.

The Wizard is attempting to shatter their confidence in the process of attempting to prove their worthiness. He’s making promises but attaching conditions thus creating dependency. But this is false dependency since we know the Wizard is not all-knowing as he claims. Otherwise, why not do this small task himself or even trade the ruby slippers for our three friends’ requests.

It seems that he is fearful of the Wicked Witch himself and so bullies Dorothy & crew do his dirty work. Dorothy & friends allow themselves to be denigrated and controlled by the Wizard, letting the Wizard steal energy from the Wicked Witch by gaining her broom and therefore, control the energy flow in Oz.

Meanwhile, the Wicked Witch plans to win all the energy by robbing Dorothy.

This is almost like a daytime soap opera!

The only way our friends can circumvent these pathetic control dramas is by consciously recognizing these destructive energy dynamics. “Becoming aware of a power struggle allows you to consciously choose whether to continue it, transform it, or rise above it.’

Of course, the Wicked Witch may feel justified going after Dorothy; after all, the ruby slippers were her sisters. But, like Miss Gulch, the Wicked Witch is a deeply disturbed individual. She uses black-magic to control others and acquire more power – all to compensate for her deep-seated neuroses.

Greene tells us, “Inner peace is the harmony between conflicting forces. It is the balance between decency and indecency, between morality and immorality, between spiritual consciousness and base animal needs. When you are wicked, you disrupt this balance.”

The more you embrace evil, the bigger this chasm becomes, making it easier for your wickedness to continue which is why Glinda said, “Only bad witches are ugly.”

To feel in control, the Wicked Witch is obsessed with controlling others – the Winged Monkeys, the Winkie Guards, Dorothy, and ultimately Emerald City.

In Zen, monkeys symbolize the madness of an unbalanced mind, maybe why the witch surrounds herself with the Winged Monkeys.

The witch, like Miss Gulch, is a heartless coward, unconsciously convinced that controlling all of Oz and subjugating all its inhabitants will compensate for her inability to overcome her unresolved subconscious conflicts, like her inability to overcome her lack of self-worth, perhaps created from sibling rivalry with her sister.

Like Miss Gulch, the Wicked Witch does not accept herself as she is, craving recognition and acquisition as substitutes for love. Thus, her need for control, but what she really needs is control of herself.
Of course, that control only comes about when you discover your True Self and awaken the inner spark within you. This unlocks your rich creative potential.

Here’s a story…see if you can figure out who has the low self-esteem?

A man went to the local barber. He mentioned that he was taking a trip to Rome.

“I hear that Rome is overrated,” said the barber. “The hotels are substandard and over-priced. The streets are a nightmare. Italians are rude to Americans. You really won’t like it.”

The man protested, “But I’ve been saving for years to make this trip. Besides, there is a good chance that I will be able to get an audience with the Pope.”

The barber gave him a skeptical look. “I wouldn’t count on that if I were you,” he said. “The Pope only gives audiences to really important people.”

A couple of weeks later the man returned to the barber shop.
“How was your trip?” the barber asked.

Oh, it was great!” the man answered. “The city was beautiful, the hotel was fantastic, Italian people were so friendly, and I got to see the Pope.”

The barber couldn’t believe it. “You saw the Pope?”

“That’s right, “said the man. “I bent down and kissed his ring.”
“Wow!” Said the barber, “Did he say anything?”

“Yes, he did,” replied the man. “He looked down at my head while I was kneeling and said, “What a lousy haircut!”

According to William Bausch in “The Yellow Brick Road – A Storyteller’s Approach to the Spiritual Journey,” low self-esteem presents itself in 10 possible ways:
1. All-or-nothing thinking: pg.126

2. Overgeneralization: see a single event as a never-ending pattern of defeat; using words like ‘always’ and ‘never’ when they speak.

3. Mental filtering: will pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively

4. Discounting the positive: reject positive experiences insisting they do not count. Pg. 128-129

5. Jumping to conclusions: interprets things negatively when there are no facts to support their conclusions.
6. Magnification: exaggerate the importance of their problems and shortcomings.

7. Emotional reasoning: assuming their negative emotions reflect the way things really are – “I feel guilty, I must be a rotten person”

8. ‘Should’ statements: things SHOULD be the way they hoped or expected them to be

9. Labeling: the extreme of all-or-nothing thinking – instead of saying “I made a mistake” they say, “I’m a loser”.
10. Personalization and blame: hold themselves personally responsible for events that aren’t under their control.

Having lost her inner connection with the source of all energy, the Wicked Witch resorts to manipulation to steal energy from others. She fails to grasp the basic Zen principle by Lao-tzu, “For every force there is a counterforce. Violence, even well-intentioned, always rebounds upon itself.”

The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West both need to clear away their past programming for controlling the flow of energy. They use intimidation to create an aura of power, when in fact they are most isolated from universal energy.

Dorothy and her friends need to clear away their past programming to prevent others from controlling them and take control of their own lives. Instead they reacted to the control drama by being meek and small to elicit sympathy to regain the flow of energy.

We can break free from a pattern of control by discovering our true Self, by tapping into the universal source of all energy, become aware of the controlling dramas. Instead of trying to elicit sympathy, use our compassion to help others like the three friends did for Dorothy.

Instead of intimidation, drop the illusion of power and use your leadership skills to help others get in touch with their true power.

If you refuse to give up your control like the Wicked Witch, you will eventually self-destruct. “Good always prevails over evil because evil ultimately dissolves itself.”

Just look at the demise of the Wicked Witch, melting from the water splashed on her as Dorothy threw it on the Scare Crow’s burning arm: “Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness?”

From the Tao Te Ching:
Nothing in the world
Is as soft and yielding as water
Yet, for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
Nothing can surpass it.

So, we can see from this weeks’ Lesson that: Self-knowledge + self-acceptance = self-esteem

GREAT MORNING BELOVED!!

“The Wizard of Oz – Surrender Dorothy”

This week we get to talk a little about our main character, Dorothy.

Joey Green tells us, “Your hearts’ desire is your destiny” but then he reminds us that we must first give up our attachment to the outcome.

It’s not giving up intention, just the attachment to the result. In this way we give over, we surrender to the creative intelligence of the cosmos. Go with the flow…allow it to unfold before you.

Dorothy certainly did surrender to the tornado! She got her dream of adventure, but certainly not what she thought it would be.

But she DID get to see things from a different perspective. We’ve discussed our perspective several times over the years. It’s important to remember that what you are seeing is most often NOT the whole picture.

Here’s an example from William Bausch’s book, “The Yellow Brick Road – A Storytellers Approach to the Spiritual Journey.”
Told from a missionary’s viewpoint…” At one time, myself and a family – a mother, a father and two children-were living in the same quarters in China, all under house arrest. We had been under house arrest for several years and we were living somewhat comfortably. One day a soldier came and told the family, “You can all return to America, but you may take only two hundred pounds of belongings with you, no more, no less.”
Well, we had been there for two years. Two hundred pounds. So, the family got a scale, and then the arguments started between the husband and the wife and the two children: “I must have this vase.” “I must take this typewriter; it’s almost new.” “I must have these books.” “I must take this…I must take that.”
And so, they weighed everything, took off, weighed it, put back on. Back and forth, back and forth, until finally they got it just precisely on the dot: two hundred pounds.
The soldier returned the next day and said, “ready to go?” The parents said, “Yes.” He said, “Did you weigh everything?” They said, “Yes.” “Did you weigh your kids?” “No, we didn’t.” He said, “Weigh the kids.”
And in a moment, off went the typewriter, off went the vase, off went the books, into the trash. All the things that they thought they could not do without-into the trash.
This family certainly saw things differently when faced with a tough but really simple choice.

When the Wicked Witch of the West writes; “Surrender Dorothy” across the sky, it’s obvious, Dorothy has attracted an enemy. But she doesn’t let the Wicked Witch deter her until her precious Toto is threatened. She will eventually face some choices and in the end, she choose to remain with her intent to return to Kansas and her Aunt Em.

Dorothy has attracted a serious enemy in the Wicked Witch of the West. But even our worst enemy has something to teach us. The Witch’s ruthless desire to gain the ruby slippers inadvertently teaches Dorothy how to detach from her own burning desire.

Can you recall lessons learned from people or situations that, at the time, you might have considered the enemy?
Were they permanent lessons or do you have to go through that situation one more time?

The tornado certainly seemed to be an answer to Dorothy’s dream for a life more than dreary Kansas. Now she has choices: she can stay in Technicolor Munchkinland and be a heroine. Her only threat is the Wicked Witch of the West who threatens her: “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too.”

Glinda lets Dorothy know that the ruby slippers will protect her. Remember, the slippers are our ‘inner spark.’
Why does Dorothy wish to return to drab Kansas? She could live as a hero in Munchkinland, protected by the ruby slippers and Glinda. It was her dream, after all, to go somewhere over the rainbow and now she’s in the colorful land of Oz, she wants to go back.

Isn’t that surrendering? Isn’t she forsaking her dream?

Does Dorothy really belong in Munchkinland? Under these circumstances, some would say she was a freak, a giant, and probably worse. She’d be a minority of one, forever out of step with the citizenry.

In a sense, these are the same reasons she had to leave Kansas – she was the only one to stand up to Miss Gulch, even though, Miss Gulch owned half the county.

Dorothy could also make Emerald City her home, after all, the citizens welcomed her with open arms. And when the Wizard finally agreed to see them and asked for the ‘very small task’ of the Wicked Witches broomstick, they could have said no and just stayed in the city.

Again, there’s no future for Dorothy in the Emerald City. The citizens just laugh all day, wake at noon, start work at one, take an hour for lunch and finish work by two.

Dorothy is much more ambitious – just look at all she’s done already to get to Emerald City.

And again, Dorothy could live in the Wicked Witch’s castle now that she is dead. The green faced Winkie Guards and blue faced Winged Monkeys were pleased that the witch was dead. “Hail to Dorothy! The Wicked Witch is Dead.”
Living there goes against Dorothy’s nature.

Ever feel like that…like you don’t belong? You searched for a Spiritual Family and you belong here.

When it looks as if her last chance to return to Kansas floats away with the balloon, she says, “But this could never be like Kansas,” insinuating that there are no dreams for her to dream in Oz.

DO you remember, she gave up on her dream to explore when she ran back to the farm after Professor Marvel tricked her into wanted to go back to Auntie EM.

There’s a difference between desire and intent. The Desire to return to Kansas includes attachment to the outcome. It becomes an obsession.

An intention has no attachment. Dorothy intends to return to Kansas but has no attachment to the outcome. There is no longer an obsession.

By letting go of our desire and by participating with detached involvement, you open up to infinite possibilities.
Dorothy never seems to give up her attachment of her goal. She never seems to put her life on the line for anyone. In fact, many would say she is nothing more than a self-centered child.

Getting sent to bed without supper to save Toto from Miss Gulch is hardly a self-sacrifice. And running away never thinking what it would do to Aunt Em & Uncle Henry is a cowardly act,

In Oz, the Scare Crow, Tin Man & Lion all risk their lives for Dorothy.

Only when she surrenders the ruby slippers to the Wicked Witch to save Toto does she sacrifice herself to the witch’s mercy. She also surrenders her desire to get back to Kansas, but not her intention.

Dorothy believed her chance to return to Kansas left with the balloon, so her desire left with it. But she still intended to go, but the obsession is gone.

Only when Glinda comes does she see things from a different perspective, in this case, from within, using her ‘inner spark’, her ruby slippers.

If only we all had a pair of ruby slippers…..but we do! We all have that inner spark that can guide us if we would just connect to it.

Let’s do that now in meditation.

Great Morning Beloved!
The Wizard of Oz – If I were king of the forest

We meet the third companion of Dorothy’s this week. So far, you have had opportunity to meet and possibly relate to: Dorothy, Toto, Miss Gulch, the Munchkins, Glinda, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Scare Crow and the Tin Man.
Each has had something to share with us. And it’s possible that we relate to more than one character.

This week we meet the Cowardly Lion. But is he really a coward?

Your true Self doesn’t fear any challenge. It is neither inferior nor superior to anyone. Pure consciousness, our True Self, is unencumbered by insecurities, apprehension or the need for approval or control.

Unfortunately, our thinking and behavior in the material world is generally based on fear. The Lion, trying to look fierce, attempts to intimidate the Tin Man and the Scare Crow. When that doesn’t work, he chases Toto, causing Dorothy to slap him on the nose causing the Lion to cry.

Dorothy meets two other cowards in Oz; the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wizard. They each pick on Dorothy and her companions, resorting to name calling and threats.

Cowards feel compelled to conquer others to compensate for the fact that they have not conquered themselves. Green tells us; “All relationships reflect your relationship with yourself.”

What the Lion craves is to be king of the forest, but really, he wishes to be king over himself. All the external things that the companions are asking for will not fill this void in our existence. Only discovering your true Self will start you on the path toward spiritual fulfillment.
pg. 80

Clearly, the Lion wishes to be king for the wrong reasons.

And, looking at ourselves, if we need to subjugate others to compensate for our insecurities, we become a cruel and selfish ruler – like the Witch and the Wizard.

When you become king over yourself, you become a compassionate and caring leader, like Glinda.

The Tao puts it this way: “He who has power over others cannot empower himself.”

True power stems from power over yourself.

The Lion confuses courage with intimidation, bullying. A courageous individual does not resort to either of these. Like the Wizard and the Wicked Witch, the Lion yearns for power merely to validate himself.

People with the talent for leadership express power to serve. They do not need to resort to intimidation or bullying.

To be the king of the forest the Lion must cast away his need for power and control. And we must do the same if we wish to get in touch with our spiritual essence. We must re-discover our higher Self and re-member our life’s purpose.

We are here, in this body for a unique cosmic purpose…what is it? What are your talents? We all have them. Then how can you use these talents to help others?

Courage flows when we use our talents for the benefit of others because we are being true to ourselves.
Lao-tsu wrote; “There is no greater illusion than fear.”

That is an amazing statement.

Think about it…. fear is an illusion.

What fears are holding you back from your true Self?

If they are illusions, what can you do to remove them from your beliefs?

One fear that the Lion may be struggling with is accepting himself. There’s several hints that the Lion may actually be gay, several times the stereotyped limp wrist is presented in the story, and he receives a perm and bow at the Wash & Brush Up Company; he calls himself a ‘dandelion’, and when the guard refuses to let them in to see the Wizard, he laments, ‘And I got a permanent just for the occasion.”

Maybe part of the Lion’s problem is his refusal to accept his sexual orientation. That IS an issue for many, and it is interesting that the issue is presented in a story from 1900.

And it doesn’t have to be a gay issue. Many of us have struggled with accepting a part of our selves.

The Lion overcomes his fears when his love for Dorothy is put to the test, when she is taken prisoner in the Witches castle.
Lao-tse again tells us, “Because of deep love, one is courageous.”

When the foursome return to the Wizard with the Witches broomstick, the Lion is awarded the Triple Cross ‘for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against wicked witches” the Wizard tells the Lion “he is under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger, you have no courage. You’re confusing courage with wisdom.”

We must understand that courage means acting in the face of fear, which the Lion does frequently.

The Scare Crow, the Tin Man, and the Lion are given positions in Oz, beyond what the Lion even dreamed.

And we too can access the infinite potential of the cosmos, freeing yourself to experience life as a miraculous expression of love.

We must link with the cosmos, connect with our true Self and share our gifts with others.

GREAT MORNING BELOVED!
“The Wizard of Oz – Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”

We start this weeks’ Lesson with a question: when the Wizard gives the Tin Man a heart-shaped watch on a chain (in the movie, not the book…the book it was a satin shaped heart), he tells the Tin Man; “a heart is judged not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”
What does that mean? Do you agree?

Does it mean someone like Mother Theresa, who was always doing good didn’t really have a heart? What about the egotist who gives to charity only to have a building named after him? Is his heart big or small?

Is public opinion the judge for heart size? Because the people of Emerald City love the Wizard, is his heart bigger than the Tin Man’s who is loved by Dorothy, the Scare Crow and the Lion?

Here’s the real question: is the heart judged by how deeply you are loved by others? Or is the depth of your love the true measure of a heart?

How deeply you are loved by others reveals the depth and sincerity of your love for them.

No one loves the Wicked Witch because she has no love for anyone. She didn’t even morn her sister.

The Wizard is loved by the people of Emerald City, as long as he protects them. The Wizard’s love for the people is not genuine; it’s conditional. Only if he can remain in power. And he’ll ‘love’ Dorothy and her crew only if they can bring the Wicked Witches broomstick to him.

So, he has a heart only by virtue of the fact that he is loved by others.

How much you are loved by others is equal to how deeply you love.

If your love for others is selfless, you are much more deeply loved than a person whose love is selfish and motivated by greed.

Having a heart requires more than compassion. It is necessary to serve others with unselfish love.

Dorothy and the Scare Crow meet a Tin Woodman, who was once an ordinary being of flesh in love with a beautiful Munchkin maiden. Unfortunately, however, he was under a spell cast by the wicked Witch, so he kept chopping off parts of himself and being repaired by a tinsmith until he became the first fully bionic man, with a completely mechanical body. In the process, he lost his heart and thus is no longer able to love the Munchkin maiden; now he wants a heart so he can love again

When Dorothy and the Scare Crow find the Tin Man and get him oiled and moving again, he tells them to bang on his chest…it’s hollow!

A suggestion that many people never seek or heed their inner essence and consequently fail to grasp their true potential. WE here at Unity believe and strongly suggest that it is our own responsibility to work toward re-membering who and what we truly are…connected to Source, to the Divine Mind that we call God, Spirit, even Universe.

The Tin Man longs to be ‘tender,’ ‘gentle.’…”I could be kind-a-human, if I only had a heart”

He puts out the fire the Wicked Witch throws at the Scare Crow and then vows to help get Dorothy to the Wizard whether he gets a heart or not.

So, his altruism is already showing he has an enormous heart. He is showing if you want to be blessed with a heart, you must give with your heart.

“Give and you will receive.”

Helping others get what they want is the easiest way to get what you want.

“When you give from your heart, sympathetically, unconditionally, without expecting anything in return, you receive happiness in abundance.”

Love is a life force that must continue circulating; keep the energy flowing. Keep love in perpetual motion.

And our intention is vitally important. There must not be an ulterior motive. We cannot try to manipulate anyone or create indebtedness.

Only create happiness. The most precious gifts you can give are spiritual gifts: compassion, sympathy, affection, appreciation, and love.

Love, as we know, can hurt too. The heart can be broken, especially when you see someone you love being hurt.

The Tin Man cries when his friends fall for the poppy fields sleep effect. And again, when he sees where Dorothy is being held prisoner, the dark and terrible witch’s castle. And of course, then he rusts and must be oiled again.
Being overly sensitive, attached, can be paralyzing.

Love must be allowed to flow to empower you to serve others. Allowing love to bottle up, to become stagnant, interrupts the energy flow of the universe.

How can that happen? when we’re indulging in personal interests at the expense of ‘others’ … we realize that we’re sacrificing kindness to others (being a victimizer) or ourselves (being a martyr or victim); we need the oil of shared interests to loosen up our rigid thinking and find the real heart-felt comfort that transcends ego’s artificial comfort zones.

The Tin Man doesn’t realize how he gives so selfishly and instinctively. He touches the lives of nearly everyone he meets with genuine generosity and loving kindness.

Do you know anyone like that?

And that is what having a heart is all about the Wizard tells him as he is handed his ‘heart’.

As Dorothy prepares to leave, the Tin Man realize he will no longer be able to receive the joy of giving love to her.

He laments, “Now I know I have a heart because it’s breaking.”

How much you are loved by others is determined by how much you love.

Simply, ‘what goes around, comes around.’

GREAT MORNING BELOVED!!!
“The Wizard of Oz Summer Series – Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking”

Welcome back! Did you enjoy your journey on the Yellow Brick Road? Hopefully, yes.

And you are possibly learning something about yourself….maybe your life as your travel the road that is your True Nature.

I think something like this book and movie remind us of our true self…if only we could let go and travel that road to self-awareness. We use so many different excuses to not go within, to not look at who we truly are.

The Path to Enlightenment is a personal journey. No one can hand you the answer on a silver platter. So, the ego must grow up, maybe even fly away to who knows where for a little while until it learns how to handle all that hot air from the Wizard and in that balloon! This is letting go and taking advantage of the present moment.

This is exactly what Dorothy does – as soon as she realizes she can. As Lama Surya Das says, “If you cling to nothing, you can handle anything.”

Always we must tend to our own gardens. No one can do it for us. The best way to deal with another person’s out of control ego (As in the Wizard) is to get control of one’s own. Sometimes (but not always), getting control means just the opposite – letting go – seeing through – and smiling down on the little self that loves to make mountains out of molehills and who thinks it’s the king of all of them, including the forest.

In other words, sometimes we need to stop taking ourselves so seriously.

Instead of looking at the obstacles that we find on the path as a learning opportunity, we look at it as a struggle…. just something to get by. We say; ‘there’s always something.’ My Mom used to say that, and I would turn it around for her.

And we can do that too. It doesn’t have to be ‘always something’. We can find a way to keep moving.

This week we look at ourselves. Our spiritual essence is pure consciousness. We have a responsibility to delve into our selves and know our True Self so we are able to align with the pure potential and total Oneness of the universe.

The scarecrow does a lot of thinking for someone who claims to not have a brain. “I’d think of things I never thunk before and then I’d sit and think some more.”

AS a conscious being, the only thing you need to find happiness is to perceive clearly who you are. Being upset about what you don’t have wastes what you do have.

Morya, one of the “Masters of the Ancient Wisdom”, says, “A man depressed by circumstances, becomes immobile and dull. Dullness LIKE RUST corrodes a portion of the fundamental substance. Sympathy draws men’s energy downwards. When we sympathize with someone, we prevent them from learning their lessons in life that intend to teach them and we get pulled down into their misery. Sympathy is delusion but compassion means understanding.”

What the Scarecrow really yearns for is higher consciousness, enlightenment. His head may be filled with straw but he echos a profound metaphysical insight when he states “I’d face a whole box of matches for the chance of getting some brains”, proclaiming Sarte’s philosophy: ‘existence preceded essence’.

In other words, you exist whether or not you have discovered your true Self, your cosmic purpose.

The Scarecrow is saying he is willing to risk his existence to discover his essence.

Plato urged his students to “Know thyself” believing ‘a life unexamined is not worth living’

The Tao Te Ching says it this way:
Knowing others is intelligence;
Knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
Mastering yourself is true power.

AS Dorothy & the Scarecrow travel the Yellow Brick Road, they must travel through a dark and rather creepy forest. The Scarecrow says, “Of course, I don’t know, but I think it’ll get darker before it gets lighter.”

Pretty keen philosophical insight for a brainless straw man! The Tao states “The path into light seems dark.”
How could this brainless man of straw be on the same wavelength as some of the greatest Zen masters? Natures intelligence flows freely and effortlessly. When you are in harmony with the creative intelligence of the cosmos, when you know your True Self, you can harness the pure potential of the universe.

I’ve experienced that myself and I bet you have also. Many times, in class or discussing something with someone, some words will flow from me and I have no idea where they come from. Have you experienced that?

Of course, we all know that to get to that True Self, we must get past those obstacles that can block us…the insecurities, the past conditioning, the domestication, the guilt, compulsions and need for approval.

All this old baggage wastes your energy. Get off that pole stuck in the middle of the corn field and let go. Free that energy and accept things as they are right now.

By doing nothing, letting go and being in the here and now, you let your talents flow, you’re connected to the abundant universe. The Tao say to acquire anything, simply give up your attachment to the outcome.

When the Scarecrow accepts the here and now, every obstacle he encounters becomes an opportunity in disguise: pgs. 62-63 of Zen

When the Scarecrow is bestowed with a Doctor of Thinkology, he tries to impress the others by forcing to use his brain. He forced himself out of sync with the Tao, the universe.

The Scarecrow is like a very intelligent person who cannot afford college and therefore feels inferior. You are always smarter than you think. Trust the power of your True Self and you will have no need to try to impress others seeking approval. “No need to do an awful lot of talking”

Be yourself.

GREAT MORNING BELOVED!!!
“The Wizard of Oz Summer Series” – ‘Follow the yellow brick road’

Here we are, week three in on our Journey following the Yellow Brick Road into Oz. What are your thoughts so far? Is it a comfortable journey for you? Or have you struggled a bit like Dorothy? Maybe you relate to Glinda, the Good Witch of the North? Or one of the Munchkins? Hopefully not Miss Gulch!! Though even SHE has some lessons for us, right?
The Munchkins lead us onto the Yellow Brick Road to follow Dorothy’s and OUR True Nature, to embrace our True Self.
Their mantra, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” is easy for us to chant along with Dorothy.

And why are we looking at this old book and movie for inspiration? William Bausch tells us in his book, “The Yellow Brick Road; A Storytellers Approach to the Spiritual Journey” that ‘stories try to make sense of the journey itself.’

Stories help to explain some of the ‘wonderful and terrible things’ that happen in life.

Think about your own stories….don’t they tell about your life? Maybe it’s time to write a new story….just saying.
The journey itself has a goal, a story says more than words, helping that journey along.
Pg 5-6

We know the Universe is composed of pure energy. When we are in harmony with the infinite creative intelligence of this Universe, we have connected with the Oneness of the cosmos.

The Munchkin’s mantra, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” lead Dorothy & Toto on their way to connect with the Tao, that creative force we know as Spirit, God, Universe, Cosmos…the WAY, the Path, the way to creative intelligence.
Our one intention doesn’t change: to be a light of God expressing. This light encompasses love, joy, peace, compassion, and generosity of spirit—all present within all of us.

“When you align yourself with the Tao, you align yourself with the infinite potential of the universe.”

And the nice thing is, this is something you don’t have to work at, you already ARE aligned when you ALLOW your mind to function freely and naturally….you go with the flow.

As the Zen poem by Seng-ts states:
‘Follow your nature and accord with the Tao;
Saunter along and stop worrying.’

The question about whether Dorothy is a good witch, or a bad witch comes with some discriminatory language – are all witches ugly? And by who’s standard?

The fact that Glinda asks Dorothy if she is a good or bad witch, I think, questions Glinda’s integrity. Do the people of Oz base everyone’s character on beauty?

Or is Glinda planting seeds in Dorothy’s young mind about HER integrity?

It’s like we have heard people say, ‘get ‘em while they are young’ meaning that’s when their minds are ready for seeds of wisdom to rely on later in life.

If you have those opportunities with young people, tread wisely.

Dorothy is traveling the yellow brick road searching for something she never lost – her True Self.

And we all have done that too: we’ve gone here & there looking for something to give us peace….yet we didn’t think to look within, maybe until recently, unless you found the wisdom early on…lucky you!

All Dorothy needs is the brains, the heart, and the courage to let go and trust her natural instincts. And we know that choosing which way to go doesn’t matter, because all roads lead to self-actualization, to God, to Spirit.

Our choices aren’t as important as we make them…Green tells us, ‘what matters is that we make the choice, that we have the courage to move forward’. If we are paralyzed with indecision, we are like the scarecrow, stagnant, lifeless.

If we turn around, back to Munchkinland, we regress, deteriorate.

Only moving forward, facing the unknown, experiencing uncertainty are we opening ourselves up to the infinite possibilities, realize our dreams and find our hearts desire. Only when we dare to step out of our comfort zone do we find freedom and fulfillment.
Green reminds us that when we step into the unknown, the road less traveled, we are on the right path.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.”

And so, our Dorothy travels hopefully on the yellow brick road, her true nature toward self-discovery.

We’ve discussed many times here on Sunday’s and in our various classes the importance of self-discovery in our quest to re-member our innate divinity. And it’s linked to Unity’s belief…

Self-responsibility….it is your responsibility to do the work, to ask the questions of yourself, to search for the answers. To knock three times and more to receive. To be open and accepting….to be willing.

And of course, our travels are never alone.

Dorothy travels with her very wise Toto. Remember, Toto is our wise inner Self.

And her passion to self-discovery inspires the scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and even the Wizard himself to make a change.

Have you found yourself, like the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, hanging about by the sidelines of life, not knowing what to do to move forward and then someone or something comes along to motivate you to move forward, just a step first, and then maybe more.

Maybe someone shares a book with you that moves you off that domestication that was holding you down like the Scarecrow, maybe someone actually listened to you about that hurt had you frozen in time like the Tin Man, or maybe you finally faced the fear that had you afraid to move out of your safe place like the Lion?

Did you give that inspiration the time and effort it needed to get you started on your yellow brick road to self-knowledge? To self-actualization?

Or did you give in to domestication? To the fear of something new, something maybe better?

The Scarecrow, nailed to the post, cannot go anywhere. He represents those people who let others hold them back from realizing their dreams and aspirations.

The Tin Man was also immobilized, was rusted in place for a year. Frozen in place because of indecision. Did he need a whole year to ponder his troubled soul and realized that ‘he is all hollow’? He represents people paralyzed by their indecisiveness.

The Cowardly Lion, who, like others, lacks the courage to make the spiritual journey.

Does any of this resonate with any of you? Are you indecisive or fearful? Do you let others dictate your actions?

Each of these characters, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion have nothing to lose but their unhappiness. YOU have nothing to lose but unhappiness by stepping on your yellow brick road; your path to actualization’.

Dorothy states they would be no worse off than they are right now.

In our own discontent, we could wallow in self-pity or we could set forward. We could:
Set a goal
Use our imagination seeing us reaching that goal
Picture it often
Give it lots of positive energy
Clear our mind of all negative thoughts and let our energy flow

Dorothy visualizes a Wizard at the end of the Yellow Brick Road who will send her back to Kansas; she gives that idea positive energy, never stopping to see herself being sent home by the Wizard.

We attract into our lives whatever we picture most vividly, what we put energy to.

“Thoughts held in mind produce after their kind”

Get it!?! Get what that means?

So where are your thoughts? Are they traveling down your true nature singing; “Follow the Yellow Brick Road?”

Or have you let yourself fall into maybe victimhood? Or negativity? Are you seeing the bad in the world or are you counting your blessings? Your blessings of friends to travel with, wisdom and brains and heart and courage to make conscious choices. You have your inner spark, your passion, your individuality, your uniqueness, your spirit.

And no one can take that from you without your consent….so don’t let them! Be strong.

The universe works through the dynamic exchange of energy. The more you give, the more you receive. The love Dorothy gave to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion came back to her many time as they try to rescue her from the Wicked Witch of the West.

And though you may encounter some smarty trees throwing apples at you, or you may travel through the dark and scary forest or you may sleep for a bit in the poppy fields, when you go with the flow and travel the path of least resistance, the universe will unfold perfectly.

A Zen Proverb says: “Obstacles do not block the path…the obstacle is the path”

Green reminds us to not hold onto our goal too tightly, for when the Wizard accidently takes off without you in his balloon, there may be something better waiting for you.

In this case, when Dorothy lets go and connects with her inner essence, she ultimately realizes she has all the love she needs within her own heart to be at home with herself.

Dorothy “journeys down the Yellow Brick Road while staying open to the harmonious forces in the universe that will unfold before her. No matter which fork she takes, no matter who her companions are, no matter what obstacles are placed in her path, she will ultimately be returned to Kansas once she puts herself in tune with the creative energy of the universe.”

All we need to do is listen to that mantra: Follow the Yellow Brick Road, one brick at a time.

Zen saying: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

And Martin Luther King, Jr. told us; “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

GREAT MORNING BELOVED!!

“The Wizard of Oz”
‘Never let those ruby slippers off your feet”

Welcome back to Oz…..does your life sometimes look like Oz? Either very colorful which is good or very confusing which may not be very good….
Either way, I hope you are looking at how these characters, and some ARE characters(!) are a part of you as you have traveled the Yellow Brick Road of your Spiritual Journey.

Today we enter the colorful world of Oz. If you recall, Kansas was pictured as a drab and dreary world with no one to love or care for Dorothy. She only had the wise Toto (kind of like the wise Yoda!) to give her help as she traveled her own Yellow Brick Road.

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” These are Dorothy’s first words after she steps out into Munchkinland. Many of us have had that feeling, haven’t we? Perhaps we’ve experienced the tornados or twisters of our lives and as we move through a new landscape, we realize that our life will never be the same.

Indeed, Dorothy and Toto are not in Kansas anymore. At this point in the story Dorothy may think all her problems are solved. After all, she’s escaped Elmira Gulch, Toto is safe in her arms and she’s in this beautiful place. What could possibly go wrong?

She has yet to realize that she will face the same and bigger trials in this new life as she faced in the old life.

It’s like the story of a traveler coming to a village and finds a man standing by the gate. The traveler asks the man what kind of people live here. The man asks what kind of people lived where you came from?

The traveler replied, “they were mean and unhelpful, gossips.”

Well, the man said, you find the same kind of people here.

Later, another traveler came by the village and asked the man the same question. The man replied with his same question, “what kind of people lived where you came from?”

The traveler replied, ‘Oh they were great, really friendly, always wanting to help each other.”

The man said, “you find the same kind of people here.”

Some of us can identify with this. We want a different sort of life, a life filled with love, ease and grace and yet we go through life, making unconscious choices – like Dorothy, unnecessarily walking past Miss Gulch’s house, running away from her problems and getting catapulted over the rainbow to face those same problems in another form.

The good news is that we can make other, conscious, enlightened choices as we move along the Yellow Brick Road. The yellow brick road is following our true nature – our divine essence. And where do we begin?
At the beginning. Right where we are – right now – this breath, this moment.
(BREATHE DEEP)

Dorothy says, “I Can’t Go the Way I Came” by house! – And we cannot begin again with the same consciousness we used to get here. When we begin again, we are called to go a new way, to take a different path.

We can wake up to our innate divinity and use our Spirit given power to co-create our lives with heart, with wisdom and with courage.

Today’s trip reminds us that we carry within us an inner spark. That spark gives us a “potentially radiant character and the capability of knowing, loving, and spiritually communing with the creative intelligence of the universe.”

We are endowed with infinite potential for goodness and greatness. We all have free will to discover this inner spark and our cosmic purpose.

Our Tuesday Group is studying “Living Between Two Worlds” by Joel Goldsmith. He calls it our God given destiny.

In our story, our author, Joey Green has the Ruby Slippers representing that inner spark within all of us. One of my mentors called it Gods urge. These slippers are made from the rarest of gems, reminding us of the value of that inner spark.

And he sees Glinda as Dorothy’s Mother. When she tells Dorothy, “Never let those ruby slippers off your feet,” she’s telling Dorothy to never give up her passion, her individuality, her uniqueness, her spirit….her inner spark.

Think about that. Have you ever given up your inner spark? Your passion? Your individuality? And why did you do that? I venture to guess that many of us have to some degree. There’s one of your Questions for meditation and contemplation. “What have I given up and why?

The Wicked Witch of the West isn’t very happy to see her sister dead, under Dorothy’s house. And she’s even more upset as she watches her sister’s body wither away as the slippers, her inner spark, are removed magically and placed on Dorothy’s feet.

“Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn’t want them so badly,” Glinda tells Dorothy of the Wicket Witch of the West’s protests in losing her sister’s slippers. Glinda leaves Dorothy to figure out the power of the ruby slippers on her own.

The Wicked Witch of the West extinguished her inner spark long before this, which explains why she is much worse off than her late sister. Even her sister wasn’t as cruel to the Munchkins as the Witch from the West is to the Winged-Monkeys and the castle guards, the Winkies.

She wants to ruby slippers to increase her power, ‘my power will be the greatest in Oz!” Her hunger for power is a sign of insecurity. Remind you of anyone in your life? I think we all know someone who fits this description.

We all know that security does not come with power; it comes from “self-love, knowing your true essence, your cosmic purpose. When we choose a life of righteousness, we come closer to the creative force of the universe.”

Choosing wickedness distances us from the creative force of the universe, extinguishing the inner spark.

Embittered people who have extinguished their own inner spark justify their miserable existence by trying to extinguish the inner spark in others. The Wicked Witch of the West tries to do this by placing Toto in a basket much like the one Miss Gulch did in Kansas. Didn’t last long that time either!

There are ‘Wicked Witches of the West’ in our lives. They try to get us down the same hole that they are in. Bosses, politicians, teachers, even parents and friends and family. They try to rob our integrity, our passions, our spirit, our reputation, even our cosmic purpose. But they cannot unless we let them.
We just need to heed Glinda’s words, “Never let those ruby slippers off your feet.” Never give in to others negativity.

After Dorothy accidently liquidates the Wicked Witch, we forget about the ruby slippers until Glinda tells Dorothy she always had the power to return to Kansas.

The Scarecrow asks Glinda why she didn’t tell her sooner?
Glinda replies, “Because she wouldn’t have believed me, she had to learn it for herself.”

Dorothy has to discover her cosmic purpose on her own. Sound familiar? There are many things we must discover on our own, hopefully they ‘sink in’ the first time around!

Dorothy agreed, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard, because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”

Simply, the answers are within, not handed to you by a wizard, in any form.

Discovering our cosmic purpose brings us home to our true nature. And we discover that true purpose by becoming One with our Spiritual Essence.

After Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road in the beginning of our story, Dorothy says, “What happens if…….? I imagine completing Dorothy’s sentence… What happens if I get lost? What happens if the Wizard won’t see me? What happens if the witch confronts me?”

For us it might be – What happens if I lose my job or if I get sick or if my relationship ends?
Just follow the yellow brick road. Follow our Divine Nature
Even as we follow our divine nature, there is no guarantee that we will not sometimes get confused or afraid. We will come up to forks where a choice must be made as to which direction we need to go.
When Dorothy meets the scarecrow at the fork in the road, Dorothy called upon wisdom in the guise of the scarecrow and then the choice was easy to make. In fact, she never referred to it again, she made a choice and took the steps.
It doesn’t really matter anyway, as we follow our Divine Nature, all roads lead to Illumination if we let them.

From the book, “The Zen of Oz”: “Choosing is absurd. It doesn’t really matter which fork in the road Dorothy takes. As long as she follows the Yellow Brick Road, our inner divine guidance, all the roads lead to self-actualization. If Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow go one way, they will meet the Tin Man and the Lion. If they take the other route, they will undoubtedly affect the lives of others as they go with the flow, enjoy the here and now and guide themselves consciously toward the Emerald City.”

And truth is, we never travel alone. Remember that!
Just like Dorothy, our passion for our spiritual journey is contagious. Look around, you’ve attracted all of these like-minded people. And I bet you have attracted and inspired other people in your life just by shining your light.
And you DO shine!