GREAT MORNING!  

Welcome back to Unity Spiritual Center!

Back for our second week on Motown Music…Motown Magic!

This week we are taking a listen to the Temptations, “It’s Just My Imagination.”

We know a lot about imagination in Unity. Imagination is one of the 12 Powers that we all have within us.

Cora Fillmore stated, “Imagination is an attribute of God. It is the formative power of thought, the molding power of the mind. It is that which gives shape, tone, color, to thinking. In Truth, every word, every combination of words, has back of it an image, a thought picture. These images, these combinations of shapes working in omnipresent substance, mold our lives.”

Charles would call it the nerve center between the eyes. Through this, the formless takes form.

Without our imagination, there would be nothing. We need to imagine it to make it manifest. Remember, we are co-creators.

Just take a moment, take yourself back to when you were thinking about something you wanted to do, say paint the living room, or plant a garden. You let your imagination flow, devising different colors on the walls or in the garden. If you actually put feet to the thought, you ended up with a different color in the living room or a beautiful garden to enjoy through the days of spring, summer and fall.

We all use our imagination all the time. Sometimes it for a specific purpose. The imagination of a handful of people manifested Unity Spiritual Center. Your imagination can help to maintain it and see it grow and prosper.

Your imagination is the first step to manifestation. Feeling it, holding it, living it leads to the full manifestation.

Listen to the words of this weeks Motown Song

“Just My Imagination” by the Temptations

This song is an example of someone using their thoughts to imagine a relationship with another. Principle 3 “Since we are children of God, made in God’s image, we are co-creators with God. We create reality through our thoughts and beliefs.”

Or, as we often hear: Thoughts held in mind, produce after their kind.”

We have all daydreamed about one thing or another throughout our lives.

But what is the difference between a daydream and using our imagination to manifest some desire into form?

In a daydream, do we hold it in mind?  No. It is short lived and we move on, often suddenly awakened by someone nudging us back to reality!

In a daydream, do we put energy behind the thought to bring manifestation forward? No. Our energy is not grounded in the daydream.

In a daydream, do we put feet to the prayer? Not usually. We usually get busy doing what we are supposed to be doing, like listening to the teacher, or doing the dishes, or back to work before the boss comes by.

It’s No to all these questions. In a daydream, we let our thought wander to wherever they wish to go, there is no intent behind them.

But, when we bring an idea from Divine Mind and have desire behind it, we hold that in mind. We put desire behind it. We give it some detail, not too much, to imagine it in form.

It is the desire, the energy behind the idea that helps to bring it forth.

Emily Cady tells us, Desire is an expression of the inmost being of man; the onward impulse of an ever-evolving man.

However, she says, all the desires we have ever had, have now, or will have in the future, are part of the one desire- to truly know God, not merely to know about our Creator

Cady continues, “Even one who has strong desires never gets beyond mere “daydreaming,” unless their desires are backed up by an understanding faith. Desire is related to vision of some hoped-for good, but faith measures one’s capacity to receive that good; faith has been called the “measuring cup” that sets the time and quantity.

Because imagination is the faculty that actually molds and shapes substance, we may sometimes overlook the fact that it takes desire to determine the shape that imagination will work with. Our desire, the yearning for some good, comes alive under the action of faith and sets the imagination to work.

Just to hold a thought of some good in our intellect does not stir the soul to desire, for feeling is part of desire. We awaken feeling when faith is brought into conscious expression. An idea must go into the feeling nature, to become a desire that can “shape” the good we long for. We may be aware of many things in our conscious thinking, but until what we are thinking becomes impregnated with feeling in the (the heart, we will have only unfulfilled desires. When faith is linked with, understanding and imagination, we have added the feeling or conviction that can bring the good we desire into visible form.”

AND, we have no preconceived idea when or how it will manifest. It is all on God time, not ours.

I can imagine that if the gentleman in the song sang it daily with deep feelings, he may manifest his desire.

Look at the times in your life when you had a thought or idea that you wished to become real.  Did you hold it in mind with feeling and desire? Did you put your energy behind it as well as your action?

If not, maybe you can see why it did not manifest. Your thoughts must be aligned with your body, the desire must run true throughout your being.

Think of elite athletes. Part of their training is using the imagination as a desire, to see and feel themselves moving through the skill. The muscles memorize what is needed to perform the act.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein

And why would he say that? Here are some thoughts:

1. Imagination ignites passion. As adults we have been forced into a world of responsibility and practicality where money, bills, and jobs (many of which we hate) dictate how we live, breathe, and experience the world. Dreaming of what can be allows us to tap into our imaginations again, reminding us what it feels like to be passionate about something. Somewhere along the lines we have lost that connection to passion and purpose in life and replaced it with survival and responsibility. Who says you can’t be passionate and responsible?

• Our imagination and thoughts create our future. It’s long been said that ‘thoughts become things’ and our imaginative muscle is the very thing that helps make that possible. When we stay immersed in what is directly in front of us at all times (i.e. our current reality, in the NOW), we continually create the same challenges, problems, and experiences over and over again. But, when we venture into our imagination to focus on the reality that we want to experience, the energy is set in motion and magnificent change can occur.

And as Albert Einstein so eloquently stated:

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview for life’s coming attractions.”

• Imagination stimulates creativity and innovation. Some of the most influential and innovative creations have come from the simple act of imagining something bigger, easier, or more beautiful. Scientists and creative artists have an amazing gift for thinking outside the box and allowing their imaginations the freedom to grow and evolve their thoughts, many of which have created products that have changed the way we live entirely. Without this creative power we may never have had the internet, smartphones, airplanes, and other amazing technology we rely on every day. Simply put, imagination is the key ingredient to expansion and the advancement of our world.

• Imagination is magical. Take a moment to watch a young child play alone and you will experience first-hand the magic that comes from imagination. Creative thought turns the mundane into a magical experience. It is what turns a simple box into a powerful rocket, a laundry basket into a pirate ship, and a simple bathtub into the deep blue sea. Taking a moment to view the world through a child’s eyes is enough to bring back the joy and wonder that imagination brings. How amazing would our world be if we all experienced that same joy and wonder on a day-to-day basis?

• Sometimes reality just sucks. Watching the news and hearing about the violence, crime, sickness, and sadness in the world is enough to make anyone believe that things are falling apart. By falling into the trap of ‘what is’ and believing that this is just the way the world works, we become a victim and relinquish our true creative power. Choosing to use our imaginative muscle as a means of creation provides hope. And where there is hope there is ultimately an opportunity for transformation and change. Two things that are necessary for us to create a better world for generations to come.

Albert Einstein had it right when he said:

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

Reality is merely an outward expression of what we have chosen to accept and focus on in the world. But when we turn our thoughts to that which we want to create in our lives, the possibilities are endless. With that kind of imaginative power, why would we waste it focusing on the mundane only to perpetuate a reality that is less than optimum? We have the power to create so much more and it is up to us to use our imaginations to change our lives and our world for the better.

How to imagine your future

The mind’s ability to turn imagination into reality is truly very powerful. If you want to have a creative mind, just follow these steps:

• Describe or draw your desired image, seeing yourself successfully, as you’d like.
• Breathe deeply and relax. This way you’ll be more responsive and able to create a more detailed picture, since what you imagine must be as close to the real experience as possible. Pay special attention to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and any other details of the scene.
• Imagine your desired results. Imagine that they’re really happening, and imagine yourself in the present tense with phrases like “I am,” and forget the “I hope” or “I’ll try.”
• Create positive emotions such as joy, happiness and relaxation in the scene and smile while you’re imagining.
• Spend five minutes mentally visualizing the image you want realized, a minimum of twice per week. Try it first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, and again at night just before bedtime. Free yourself of tensions, and imagine yourself in a calm and relaxed place. By Lamisha Serf-Walls, Contributor, Transformational Coach

I’ll close with the Reading I chose for today’s Message: Imagination

I use the power of imagination to shape and form my thoughts into positive, constructive action.

If I have dismissed the activity of imagination as unproductive, wishful thinking, I need to recognize that imagination is a gift from God. How I use the power of imagination determines the productiveness of it. When I put my imagination to good use, I realize good results.

Imagination is a direct inheritance from God. As I use the power of imaging, I accept divine ideas from God and form them into an appropriate plan of action in my life.

The powerful process of imaging helps link divine ideas in mind to their manifestation in reality. I use my imagination to plan for success. I am led to think positively and constructively, and also to act in positive and constructive ways. I follow the plan of good that my use of the power of imagination has already established in my mind.

We have a lot to think about this week.  Let’s start with meditation.