Spiritual Living Podcast

What is here now if there is no problem to solve? This is a question that nurtures the idea of possibility. What must we become to give birth to this possibility? Let us free ourselves forever from the thought that God may be pleased by a life of sacrifice, that the world is any better because of our misery, or that righteousness is more perfectly expressed through poverty than abundance. -- Dr. Ernest Holmes We are not meant to suffer. We bless the world by living in freedom, in joy, and in abundance. Know that the greater abundance of every good thing which we are bringing out in our lives, the more perfectly we are satisfying the Divine Urge within us. Every good thing is a reflection of the awake awareness of this unified field of co-creation. Discovering awake awareness is the key to the transformation of consciousness that leads to our ability to live from freedom, well-being, and loving connection.

This is the second of four "Planting the Seeds" community gatherings hosted by the Centre's new Board of Trustees. The meeting starts with a review of the last meeting. Then we hear results from the last meeting's small group gatherings, feedback from the community survey questionnaire, and an update on the social media and marketing effort for the Centre. We are then introduced to the idea of Spirit Groups, which are small groups that focus on ministering to the community at large. A highlight of this meeting is the impassioned speech given by Lisa, which occurs after the 37-minute mark, encouraging us to leave the past behind so that we can continue the work of touching lives by listening to one another and "doing something". A discussion takes place on the need to revise the meaning of membership as stated in the bylaws. Dwayne describes the ongoing work on the Centre's Strategic Plan as: "Planting trees under whose shade we never expect to sit." It is also a process of replacing panels on the plane as we

Life is curly! Don't try to straighten it out! Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Jennifer Bowerman, gives a talk on leading, living, and growing through change, highlighting the importance of white space in change moments. We are always in the light. We don't always see it, but it's there. Doubts are natural, but we can use them as signposts to guide us to the light. We always come out the other side. How do we manoeuvre in a world like this? The answer is that we want to keep as many options open as possible. We go for viability---something that's workable---rather than what's optimal. A lot of people say to that, "Aren't we accepting second-best?" No, we are not, because optimization isn't well defined any more. What we are trying to do is to optimize robustness, or survivability, in the face of an ill-defined future. And that in turn puts a premium on becoming aware of non-linear relationships and causal pathways as best we can. We observe the world very, very carefully, and we don't expect circumstances

We are called to focus with great faith that as we turn our attention and energy to all that is good in the world, that is what will expand, and when we choose to focus on peace, peace will expand. Rev. Connie Phelps, currently working in Kenya, says, "This is a truth teaching and truth is truth for everyone, no matter who we are, where we are, or what colour we are. It's as simple as that." Let us be conscious of how we spend our spiritual coin---our attention and intention. Let us be aware of what we are saying yes to with clicks and tweets and thoughts. We are creative beings and we are stewards of our thoughts. Everything is energy. Sunday Songs: Spirit, by The Waterboys Shine On Me, by Dan Auerbach Let There Be Peace On Earth

This is the first of four "Planting the Seeds" community gatherings hosted by the Centre's new Board of Trustees. At this meeting, each member of the Board introduces themselves to the membership, giving some background on how they came to the Centre, how they got involved on the Board, and their personal vision surrounding the Centre's new focus on mission-centred ministry.

We all have gifts and we are accountable for how we use them. Jesus' parable of the talents teaches that those who use their gifts well will have abundance. Those who don't use their wealth well will lose what little they have. They may feel like they are suffering, but Ernest Holmes teaches that suffering is a result of not living according to the laws of the universe. It is a loving indicator that we are out of alignment with the truth of our being. The man in the parable who was foolish with money---who hid his gifts---went straight to making excuses and casting blame. That is not our truth. We have each been given gifts, and if we don't share them, we all lose. All of life, including money, is a gift from God, and it is ours to share and manage well. Sunday Songs: Lovely Day, by Bill Withers Amazing Things, by Megon McDonough and Jana Stanfield Loving Spirit Dwells in Me Happy, by Pharrell Williams

Sufficiency isn't an amount at all. It is an experience. A context we generate. A declaration. A knowing that there is enough and that we are enough. As we lay down the path of our lives, we must find something that works for us and keep digging. We keep digging our well, and we keep digging deep, because there is water there. We are a community here. A Beloved Community is a collection of individuals who are learning how to love themselves, one another, and the Universe. In community, through respect and equal partnership, we activate and cultivate the energy of hope and possibility. Sunday Songs: I Am Opening Up In Sweet Surrender So Much Significance So Sacred Stand Together

The natural effort of every individual to better his or her own condition is more powerful than any obstacle that gets in his or her way. -- Adam Smith Independent of any amount of resources, scarcity is an unexamined and false system of assumptions, opinions, and beliefs from which we view the world as a place where we are in constant danger of having our needs unmet. There are three toxic myths of scarcity: There is not enough. More is better. That's just the way it is. By buying into these myths, we lose the fullness of what we already have. It perpetuates a source of resignation instead of having a soul experience. Instead, each day upon going to sleep, we should ask ourselves: What bounty did we get today? What do we want to celebrate about today? Sunday Songs: God is My Source, by Karen Drucker Grateful for it All, by Daniel Nahmod Alive in the World, by Jackson Browne More than Enough, by Daniel Nahmod

Today, we look at the journey that brings our soul to money, and money to our soul. It is a journey of realigning our relationship with money to be more truthful, free, and potent. It enables us to live a life of integrity and full expression that is consistent with our deepest core values no matter what our financial circumstances. On this journey, we learn to embrace its flow. It is all about forming a life not grounded by wants and needs, but by commitments. Ultimately, we find that our life is independent of our financial situation. For many of us, our first thought of the day is, "Not enough sleep." And our second thought is, "Not enough time." We can see how immersed we are in an internal mindset of scarcity. This fuels our outer experiences of discord, fighting, annoyances, and grief. But we can change this pattern and form a new dream. And how can we change the dream of the modern world? It takes knowing ourselves at a deeper level, and it requires courage. Our opportunity is ultimately to answer the

Fear is opportunity. The ups and downs of life either create personal growth or personal fear. Which of these dominate is completely dependent on how we view change. Fear is the tool of a man-made devil. Self-confident faith in oneself is both the man-made weapon which defeats this devil and the man-made tool which builds a triumphant life. It is more than that. It is the link to the irresistible forces of the Universe which stand behind a person who does not believe in failure and defeat as being anything but temporary experiences. -- Napoleon Hill Situations are often not as we like. How do we come up with the assumption that life is not okay the way it is? Who says that the way that life unfolds is not alright? Fear. Projection is this: We define all of creation based on the messed up parts of our insides. If this is so, then what do we expect creation to look like? For spiritual evolution, the heart must become a sea of love, and the mind must become a river of detachment. Let us prepare our mind to recei

If we know God as an Indwelling Presence, our prayer is naturally addressed to this Presence in us. We long for, and need, a conscious union with the Infinite. This is as necessary to the nature and intellect of humanity, as food is to the well-being of our physical body. -- Dr. Ernest Holmes A river of energy flows through all of Life, through the whole Universe. The most spiritual primal energy we have is directed toward survival. But most of us don't live lives under constant threat of annihilation anymore. So we have moved from the physical protection of ourselves to the psychological. And this habit of constant protection causes us to shut down our energy centres. So real spiritual growth requires one person inside of us---not the scared person and then the protector. If we don't really want it, then don't protect it. Because when we get rid of the scared part of us, we don't have to worry about getting disturbed. This is the process of working with our triggers. Spiritual growth is when we feel our ener

Dr. Gary Simmons, co-creator of the Q Process, speaks today on the Shadow Effect. The world is changing. Are we on the transition team yet? Sometimes we are being the somebody that is not the truth of us. So in the Q Process, we explore the ways to release our own limiting beliefs and bring forth greater awareness of the dimension of ourselves that is infinite and eternal, to co-create a new world. We have been sent to be the One unto our own life.

Our souls long to be free. For each of us, the only significant experience with the Divine is the direct experience. It is very personal. There has to be an opening. It has to be welcomed. The world of the senses draws us in. Then our mental reactions and emotions draw us in further. What differentiates a conscious-centred being from a person who is not conscious is the focus of their awareness. True meditation is the simple awareness of being aware. When the heart opens, we feel love. When the heart closes, love stops. The heart controls the flow of energy by opening and closing. This is the secret of the spiritual heart. The heart is the centre of Divine Love and perfect circulation. Its actions are harmonious, vital, adequate, and complete. The pulsations of Life are steady, unceasing, and perfect. Love is at the centre of humanity's being, and the calm, continuous pulsations of Life are governed by love.

Michael Singer says in his book The Untethered Soul that, "There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that we are not the voice in the mind. We're the one who hears it." It's all about consciousness. Yet we can become engulfed in fear even though there is nothing to fear. We can try to change our physical world to feel empowered, yet the real power is internal. We think that winning the lottery will make us abundant, yet it will not shift consciousness. When we feel triggered, we should ask, "What is alive in us? Why do we perceive this situation as a problem?" The place to deal with a problem is within. Enjoy Jackson Browne's song "Alive in the World".

Life requires courage, and it takes courage to trust. We can build trust and treat confidentiality as a spiritual practice. Brené Brown says we can create a vault---a safe place where we put things people have told us that we never share. Gossip merely creates a false sense of intimacy. Past-president Barack Obama shared his thoughts and perspective to a group of young people called the Goalkeepers. He spoke of looking at the world and rejecting the notion that there are things we can't control. We have the opportunity to push for change, to contribute to something proactive and creative. We must reject pessimism and cynicism and keep up a relentless optimism. We can trust the God-Presence within us, above all else. With It, we have the energy to maintain that relentless optimism.

Watch "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars. Brené Brown says, "When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending." We are each here to be the author of the brave new ending of our lives. Become aware of the expectations you have and how they can lead to disappointment. We can learn to listen to the busy voice in our heads but not be that voice. We can take a step back and be aware of our thoughts, and this helps us process outside things on the inside. We won't get the answers all at once, but when we're in coherence and we ask, "What's ours to do here?", we can feel our way forward. We've never had as many people waking up on the planet as right now. We are part of that tribe!

We can move forward---evolve---more effectively when we bring greater consciousness to everything we do. It takes courage to do that, in particular, to write our own story and be the director of our own lives. Ernest Holmes said, "We really never bound freedom. We merely use it in a restricted way. The restriction is not in the principle, but in our use of it. Why not use our imagination to enlarge our experience?"

In the quest to live a wholehearted life, we must have courage. Brené Brown, in her book Rising Strong, explores how those who recognize the power of emotion and are not afraid to lean into discomfort make the biggest difference in the world. There is no courage without the fear that causes it, and it is okay to feel vulnerable. "Owning our stories and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we'll ever do." -- Brené Brown

Carl Jung said, "Until we make the unconscious conscious, it will direct our lives and we will call it fate." He also said, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." We all have triggering moments. These give us the opportunity to learn something about ourselves. When we feel uncomfortable or troubled, we are out of alignment with the truth of our being. The Q Process, by Dr. Gary Simmons, helps us work through our triggers and aspects of our shadow. "The One" video that Dr. Patrick plays is here.

We have the incredible opportunity to live in harmony with the Unified Field---like metronomes that become synchronized. If we don't, we will find that incoherent messages in our energy create incoherent messages in the body. There are two states we can live in: survival or creation. Survival mode is filled with stress and dis-ease. The long-term effect is that we become enslaved to the material reality. To enter creative mode, we must abandon our attachment to our body, to the physical world. Instead of consuming energy, as we do in survival mode, we create it. When we are in sync with the natural rhythm of the Unified Field, we have more energy and better balance. We can learn to live with the paradoxes of the world---to allow both sides to exist in equal dignity and worth.