On this fourth week in Advent, I want to take just a moment to acknowledge the joy possible within this season.  Joy is more than an emotion of extreme or lasting happiness.  Joy is an expression of Love that acknowledges the power of God active in, through, and as every aspect of our lives.  Joy is part of what might be called a mystery of faith.  The mystery of experiencing joy even in the midst of the challenges of daily life.  We can experience joy even in the midst of pain or perceived tribulation.  As an expression of Spirit, Joy is strengthens, inspires, and uplifts us.  Joy, like our other expressions of Spirit, needs to be nurtured and matured in order for us to benefit from its fullness.

One way to nurture joy is by paying attention to the thoughts that we think.  Thoughts are things.  Thoughts are not just passing energy that has no affect.  Thoughts already have form, and when we speak that form out loud we give it whatever energy is there. Are we thinking thoughts that create discord, or are we thinking thoughts that create harmony and goodwill?  A part of the Christmas story is when the angels come and bring tidings of great joy.  They sing Glory to God in the HIghest, and  Peace on Earth Goodwill toward humankind.  The blessing they bring is for all humankind not just the shepherds. As we move forward through this week of Christmas may we all look for those thoughts that bring us joy.  This year may we  consciously express Joy bringing Goodwill toward all.

May your Christmas be filled with Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.  May we all know the blessings of this season and the mystery of newness in the coming year.

In this third week of Advent, we look at the power of Divine Love.  The best description of Divine love I found is in the classic New Thought book, It’s All God, by Walter Starke, he says:  Without a doubt, at the birth of Christ Consciousness a new kind of love was introduced to humankind, an all-inclusive, spontaneous, altruistic, universal love __ Agapé love.

This Agapé love is the love that was brought into the world when Jesus was born.  Jesus came to bring in a new paradigm and it has taken us 2000 years to progress enough in consciousness to begin to understand what that means.

Love, as it has often been thought of, was exclusive.  It was reserved for family, clan, those who spoke and understood the world in the same way we do.  Jesus brought in a new and higher understanding of love.

In the past, we may have been told about the characteristics or traits that we need to get rid of or control.  They are the traits that we may put into a negative category: anger, depression, sadness, being over-excited to name a few.   These are not negative in and of themselves.  It is what we do with them that matters.  These traits are merely messengers.  Messengers that come to reveal to us areas within our consciousness that we are attempting to exclude and are making themselves known so that we may bring them into a state of love where all healing takes place.   Love releases all judgment, and sees these moments of awareness as gifts to allow all aspects of ourselves.  Inclusivity!

For instance: I recently resigned from my position as a hospice chaplain in Prescott.  I was having dinner with a one of the social workers and my supervisor when the social worker looked at my supervisor and said, “Well, you know, she holds down two full-time jobs and is a care giver for her husband.”… I heard it, and a still small voice within me said, “What is that truly about?”… The answer that came back surprised me.  I felt like I needed to do and be more, because I wasn’t enough.  OOOOHHH!  I thought that I had dealt with that issue.  Instead of pushing it away and denying it, I held it.  I asked for the feeling of not enough to tell me more.  It’s an old habit.  The belief was, if there is an empty space, fill it. Busy = productive=good.

It is only in holding this belief even though it is uncomfortable, and allowing it to reveal within my heart and mind that which is asking for healing: asking to be brought into wholeness, that I can release judgements and step into a new way of being.  A way that is freeer and more joyful.   It is through this awareness and acceptance that I can make conscious choices around what I take on.

Loving ourselves wholely is the greatest gift we can give to the world.  May this season bless you with inclusive love.   It is as we love ourselves that we are truly able to love others.  

Gracefilled Blessings,

Charli

I love Advent! I especially love this first week.  I’m still in the newness of the holidays.  Decorating has begun, buying gifts for loved ones, spending time contemplating this holy season and what it means to me this year.

Each year I open myself to see and hear the sights and sounds of Christmas in a new way.  What is the deeper understanding of this season, and the events told of long ago?  Of course the Marys are close by, both Mother and Magdalene.

When I envision Mother Mary being approached by the angel Gabriel, I don’t see a little peasant girl poor and shy.   I see a strong young lady who knows, on some level, that she is called to birth a deeper reality of Spirit into the world.  She might not have known it would be in the form of a child.  There are always mysteries to the ways that we are called to express Spirit in this world.  There is a spirit within us that is ever calling us into these mysteries.  I call that spirit HOPE.

Hope might commonly be thought of as a deep wishing for something to happen that isn’t happening.  Hope, elpis in Greek, is a great anticipation of good, and expectation of 100% completion.   Hope is that within us that knows who we have come here to be at this time on this planet, and the ways that we will birth that truth.  That hope is going to look different for each of us.  The power comes when we, as Mary did, say yes even when we don’t have the complete picture.  Every time we say yes to this desire within, we demonstrate within this world a greater reality.  It is by standing in our hope that we make a difference in the world.

May this Christmas season be one of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy.

Grace-filled Blessings,

Rev. Charli

 

Once upon a time in a land far away there was a young girl named Isabel. Isabel was born into a very poor family.  Her parents did the best they could, but circumstances of life kept them stuck.  From an early age, Isabel’s greatest desire was to serve God in this world.  If she could please God, everything would be okay.  She went to church – the right one – and obeyed all the rules. As Isabel got older, she read scripture, and tried and tried with all her might to be good.  She read things that told her if she did the right things, nothing bad would ever happen.  God would protect her.  But bad things did happen. They happened in her life, in the life of those she loved, and in the lives of people she didn’t even know who lived on the other side of the world.  Isabel’s heart was broken and the burden made her very tired. The more she tried, the more alone she felt.  The more alone she felt the more she felt like a failure.  Then the depression set in.   What is the use of all this work if there is only pain?  Where is God in all of this?  What did I do wrong?

One night, while in a deep sleep, a beautiful woman came to Isabel in a dream.  The woman was dressed in the most exquisite blue robe, her eyes were the color of the earth and radiated a compassion Isabel had never experienced.  In her left hand she held three stars, and in her right was a ruby red apple.  The woman smiled at Isabel, and offered her the apple.  Isabel was surprised by this gesture.  Old fairy tales of older women offering young women poisonous apples ran through her mind.  The old woman laughed because she could see what Isabel was thinking.  Her laugh was like water running down a stream; bubbly and light, filled with gaiety.  There was no judgement.

Isabel, she said, the apple has always been thought of as the forbidden fruit that caused all of humanities troubles.  It is the fruit that opened Adam and Eves eyes to the polarities of this life.  As we accept life as life is, our eyes are opened and we have the potential to see a new.  What was once thought of as a curse is actually a blessing.  This is true with much of life.  My daughter, I see that you are hungry and yet not satisfied.  Tonight I come to open your eyes to the three gifts of life and light:

Isabel takes the apple from the woman and bites into it, her seeing begins to shift; her heart opens, her mind becomes clear and Isabel begins to see her life with a new clarity.   The woman invites Isabel to have a seat next to her, and this is what she says.

The three gifts I bring this night are the gifts of Presence, Love, and Wisdom.

The first gift is Presence. We are always in the Presence and the Presence is always in us.  This Presence is the good you desire in your life.  As you take in this truth, your eyes are opened and you see the Presence of God at work in every situation, relationship, and circumstance.  This does not mean that every situation and circumstance of this life will be easy; rather that, your inner eyes will be opened to know that God is in this present moment.  God is absolute good; therefore, everything and everyone has within it at its core the seed of good.  When our eyes interpret something as less than what we would desire it to be, or find difficulty seeing the Presence, it is an opportunity for us to stop and refocus.  As we do this, we may be called into action.  Not action from the standpoint of fighting against what we don’t like, but of drawing forth the seed of good that is already there.

The second gift is Unconditional Love: From a human perspective, what you call love is an emotion that flows through your consciousness and therefore is based on your perceptions of what you like or don’t like, what you find acceptable and what you don’t find acceptable.  Unconditional love is the Presence active in and through you.  As your inner eyes are opened to the everywhere Presence of Good, you open yourself to the everywhere Presence of Love.  One of your biggest blocks that makes you feel as if love is being withheld from you is your belief that you must earn God’s love.  That would be like saying you need to earn air in order to breathe.  All you need to do is accept the love of God that is everywhere present.  One way to do this is by acknowledging no matter the circumstance: God is present here as unconditional love, and that love is being revealed through you in ways that are unmistakable.

The third gift is Wisdom:  This ever present Presence, God, is within us; therefore, we have the power of divine wisdom ALL OF THE TIME.  No matter what the question or circumstance if we stop and be still wisdom will speak within our heart and mind.  This wisdom is the uniting force of the Universe.  Wisdom empowers us to create good wherever we are.  Isabel, this gift of wisdom does not mean that you will not face challenges.  It means you never face challenges alone and without a course of action that will awaken you to deeper truths of who you are.  You are loved beyond measure.  I behold the Christ Consciousness in you.

Isabel was deeply touched, tears of joy and peace flowed down her face for the first time in a very long time.  She looked up at the woman and asked, How do I follow these truths?  What books can I read?  What groups can I attend?  What television shows do I watch?  What teachers do I follow?

You have spent many hours searching for the right answers.  The right way to be and the best actions to take.  Let go, your search is over.  You have found yourself.  You are the Presence, Love, and Wisdom of God in expression.

The woman smiled a big smile and said, stop and listen, your heart and mind will show you the way.  Remember your wisdom lies within.  As you open to this, you will be drawn to those who will support you on this path. And above all remember it’s not about being supported as much as it is about supporting others to know they too have these three gifts within them.  This is how you will strengthen these gifts within you.  Use them in service to your world.  All that you need to know will be revealed to you, as you need it.  Trust in the goodness of God and yourself.

With that, the woman was gone, and Isabel woke up.

Over the course of the past couple of years, I have been undergoing a transformation process that has led me down roads I never would have dreamed of going.  I have heard people talk about past lives, referring to times in their life that were so different from how they were experiencing life now.  I understand that now.

When I was going to ministerial school, it was a requirement to write a credo. Mine was,  there is One presence, One power active as the universe and as my life, love.  I do hold this belief close to my heart, and… I have come to realize that my actions demonstrated another belief: avoid conflict at all cost.  Some who know me, may not think that was the belief, because my behavior was sometimes irritable and irrational.  That is what happens when we live out of alignment with who we really are.  The conflict within expresses outside of us. We begin to resist life and the way the people in our life are expressing.  It may show up as anger, depression, or defensiveness.  What I know for sure is it causes a great deal of unnecessary pain for everyone.  The question that arises from within is: where in my life am I saying one thing and acting in a different way?  What are the values that I hold dear, but out of unconscious thoughtlessness or habit act in another way.? This is not a bash on myself.  It is an awareness that I can only express from the level of  consciousness that I am believe to be possible.  It is for this reason, I believe this to be one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves.

Becoming aware is the first step to any change. One of the most powerful ways to become aware is through asking questions.  When we ask questions such as, where in in my life am I demonstrating the core values I say I believe, or what are the driving values in my life, can empower us to make choices for ourselves that bring good not only into our personal lives, but into the world.

Having recently engaged these questions, has led me to reacquaint myself with my credo, and re-vision my purpose and mission.  I know, as an expression of God, I am whole, harmonious, creative, wise, and compassionate.  I am open and receptive to the inspiration that guides me in demonstrating these qualities in my life.  I once heard a minister say, “I can hardly wait to see how God is going to show up here.”  He wasn’t implying that God was absent and would magically appear and wave his magic wand to make everything okay.  It was a deeper reminder that God is every where every when present.  Remembering this truth empowers me to live from my wholeness and to express in new and dynamic ways.  I can hardly wait to see how living fully from the awareness that there is only one presence and power active in the universe and as my life, transforms this life.

What are the questions that are arising within your soul?  What change might they bring as you engage with them and discover new truths about the power and creativity within you?  It is one thing to just ask the question, and another to actually take the time to sit down and listen for an answer.  I believe the answer to our questions is always being transmitted within our hearts.  It is the answer that actually calls the question into mind.  If we did not already have access to the answer, there could be no question.  We don’t need to look outside of ourselves to know the answer and to access the wisdom to live from these higher truths.   Each of us has within us the power and creativity to live our lives in ways that awaken us to a grace-filled life.

Grace-filled Blessings,

Rev. Charli

The question arises in my mind: What has happened in your life lately that makes you smile or laugh out loud?  Do we take ourselves and this human experience too seriously?  I know there are times when I have and do.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe we are in the midst of a great consciousness shift that requires us to take seriously our thoughts and actions — our thoughts and our actions.

We have been talking about what it looks like to live life on purpose.  Even saying, I’m living life on purpose, sounds very serious.  It can sound as if we are saying, there is a purpose for your life and you better get to it.  I don’t think that is exactly what living on purpose is.  For me, knowing my purpose is a way to live life from a freer more alive consciousness.

Being an introvert, I tend to project a more serious side more often than I would like to admit.  I have thought about this , because this serious side can be interpreted as snobby, judgmental, or uncaring.  I have spent many years judging myself as wrong for being this way, and trying every technique in the book to change it.  This judgment feels like a burden or as if I have a weight around my neck. It creates a spiral that is even more serious.  Recently I discovered a new thought about a way to live lighter, freer, and more joy-filled.  What do I appreciate about myself?

What is it that you appreciate about yourself?  When was the last time you sat down and contemplated that question?   Really allow the answers to come up without judgment of their value on the imaginary scale of your ego.  Make the list as long as you can make it. List the smallest things to the largest things.  Leave nothing out, and remember no judgment.

Now create affirmations around these qualities, focusing on the ones you want to expand and experience more of.    Here is a link to a guided meditation intended to instill these qualities in your heart and mind in an expanded demonstration.  meditation

Each of us is created uniquely in the image and after the likeness of God.  These qualities, skills, attributes that make up who we are, collectively make-up our gifts to this world and humanity.  It is our God essence shining forth.  As we center ourselves in an awareness of these qualities, the invitation we experience is a life that is lighter, freer, and more joy-filled regardless of the circumstances around us.

Join me on a journey of lightness, of centered awareness, and freedom to be our unique individualized self.

 

 

The question arises in my mind: What has happened in your life lately that makes you smile or laugh out loud?  Do we take ourselves and this human experience too seriously?  I know there are times when I have and do.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe we are in the midst of a great consciousness shift that requires us to take seriously our thoughts and actions — our thoughts and our actions.

We have been talking about what it looks like to live life on purpose.  Even saying, I’m living life on purpose, sounds very serious.  It can sound as if we are saying, there is a purpose for your life and you better get to it.  I don’t think that is exactly what living on purpose is.  For me, knowing my purpose is a way to live life from a freer more alive consciousness.

Being an introvert, I tend to put my more serious side forward more often than I would like to admit.  I have thought about this , because this serious side can be interpreted as snobby, judgmental, or uncaring.  I have spent many years judging myself as wrong for being this way, and trying every technique in the book to change it.  This judgment feels like a burden or as if I have a weight around my neck. It creates a spiral that is even more serious.  Recently I discovered a new thought about a way to live lighter, freer, and more joy-filled.

Teilhard de Chardin said, we do not become completely ‘reflective’…. except by being reflected in each other.

Paul in the 1 Corinthians 12 goes to great lengths to explain that there is one body with many different parts.  That no aspect of the body is less than any other, and that we are created differently in order to create a greater whole.

It is our diversity that makes us one.  It is by being in community that we reflect back to each other that which completes us?  When I have an argument with my husband, instead of making him wrong and the bane of my existence; I have an opportunity to see what he is reflecting to me that completes some aspect of myself.  When we see polar opposites not as either/or, good/bad, right/wrong, but as both/and we can embrace our differences to create a greater experience of wholeness and joy.

When we are truly living on purpose —  being led by the indwelling Spirit —  everyone and everything benefits.  There is no separation, and there is a lightness that expresses through us.  It is time for us to see our diversity as a gift that completes the picture of humanity.  It is time for us to embrace our differences knowing that as we do so we will be in lightened.  It is this lightness that brings healing to our hearts and minds.

My invitation to you is to ask yourself who the people are in your life that you want to see as wrong?  Then ask, what part of the whole is being expressed through this person?   Just as the picture shows, where one decreases, the other increases and it is through these perfect fits we create a world that is a living expression of the Christ.

Grace-filled Blessings,

Rev. Charli

Living our purpose is about fully engaging life at the level of consciousness that reflects and manifests who we are.  It is one thing to have an idea of who we are and another to fully step into the power of expressing that on all levels of being.   As our purpose becomes clearer and begins to unfold, we catch glimpses of  it coming into manifestation in our life.  During these moments we may experience great joy or a deep sense of peace, and we say yes to Spirit through our energy of fun.  And then… we begin to recognize those areas in our life that are not in alignment with our purpose.

These revelations can sometimes be painful, and we may at first think that all this work was for naught.  From my perspective, we can look at these revelations in at least two different ways. We can lower our vibration by thinking thoughts of accusation and shame toward ourselves and others, or we can honestly assess the circumstances with a willingness to see with new eyes.  In order to fully engage in true transformation we must be willing to honestly look at what thoughts and beliefs we are holding on to that are not in alignment with who we are.  This is the part of transformation that we so often want to skip over.  If I just change my thinking to positive, this negative will go away.  It appears to be a bit more complex than that in my life.

Spiritual principle tells us we are a part of the  natural flow of giving and receiving in the universe. Therefore, we must be willing to give in order to open space for new ideas, feelings, behaviors to take root within us.   We often think of giving in terms of the physical. The aspect of giving I would like to speak to is forgiving. 

Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”  Jesus said much the same thing when he taught us to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us.  (Matt 5:46)  When we raise our vibration to the level of affirming the One everywhere every-when presence and power of God, we open ourselves to see whatever is happening with new eyes — eyes of compassion and understanding.   This is true For-giveness. 

There is a paradox within this principle.  When we give from an open heart without expectation of return, we open ourselves to receive even more than we gave away. If we give with expectation of return, we draw to ourselves only what we expect.  Metaphysics tells us that there is always a greater good underneath appearance.

True forgiveness is about letting go and creating space within ourselves to express more fully our divine purpose.  It is only through expressing our divine purpose that we experience the fullness of who we are: Christ Consciousness.  Expressing that Truth is our purpose; our gift to the world.

 

When I speak of discerning your purpose, I am not speaking of what we do with our lives as much as the energy through which our lives come into form.  My understanding is there is only one of us, and that one is here to express the fullness of God in physical form.  In order to do this, we must be willing to release our ideas of separation: separation from God and each other.

Love at this level is when we stop berating and thinking harshly toward ourselves and others.  This love is a gift.  It is not something we can earn, or make.  It is innate within us and as we release that which is unlike it, this love becomes manifest through us.Jesus taught that we are to love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

It’s a paradox that as we love ourselves we open to love other greater, when love other we open to love ourselves deeper, and this love that flows through us is the Divine.  Divine Love is the energy that takes us deep and wide, and of which there is no end.  Love at this level is more than being in love or being in a state of acceptance of what is happening.  Love at this level is an energy that expresses through us regardless of the circumstances.  This is the compassion and kindness the Dalai refers to when he says my religion is kindness.

There it is.  The work we are called to do: release that which is unlike love that comes up into our minds.  This may seem like an impossible task when we are talking about circumstances or events that we believe have harmed us, or someone we care deeply for.  In all spiritual traditions, however, there is a call for forgiveness, for healing, and for love.  This forgiveness and love does not condone someone’s behavior that is harmful to others.  This forgiveness and love does not put its head in the sand and pretend something didn’t affect us deeply.  This is a love that has a voice and takes action.  This voice and action come in the form of standing for what I believe, not against someone else.

It is much about intention.  When we set an intention it is more than just a good idea. Intention can be measured in the sense of whether or not we followed through.  Intentions are powerful spiritual tools, because when we don’t follow through, it is apparent.  We may feel uneasy in our belly’s or our critical mind will kick in and tell us where we fell short, or our focus turns toward someone else and what they are doing that we don’t like.  This is a time to be gentle and bring ourselves back on track with our intention, and take action.  This action may be doing a spiritual practice of loving-kindness or Metta meditation.  This action may be engaging in a process that allows you to forgive.  This practice always brings us back to the remembrance that we are all one.  This practice brings us back into the understanding that I am responsible for my thoughts and actions, and as I align my thoughts and actions with Divine Love, my purpose of expressing the fullness of God awakens a little more within each of us.

I’ve never thought of myself as a dancer. I can remember as a child trying to learn to dance. My sister was graceful and had rhythm. Me, I didn’t think I did. There are many ways that I judged myself harshly as a child that I am coming to understand as not completely true. This has been a habit that I am not fond of. It is a habit that limits my awareness of the power within me to dance with/in Spirit.
Every one of us is born with the perfect abilities and gifts to dance to the cosmic music that sings within our souls. This music is the life energy that flows through each of us individually, and as a humanity collectively. It is the music that awakens our hearts to those precious aha moments and our ability to let go of what is not serving us as we move to the music.
When I think of learning to dance, I know part of my problem was I always wanted to lead. You know, be in control. One of us would be trying to do one dance, and another trying to do something else. As I tried to force my partner to move the way I thought I wanted, we would trip, pull, fall, or just feel silly.
Learning to dance requires communicating with your partner and being in touch with the music. From a spiritual standpoint, learning the dance of our life requires communion with Spirit which aligns us with our self and all of life. Dancing requires listening. We must listen to the rhythm of the music. Listen so deeply we feel the tempo of this cosmic music within our soul. We allow the ornament of the piece to move our lives faster and slower; swaying left and right, back and forth. Moving with the cosmic music of our soul in this way allows us to experience all the energies of life. And, of course, there is also the moment when this music piece comes to an end. Can we hear the cadence and move within it?
Learning to move with/in the music of the soul is another way of learning to discern our purpose in life. Our purpose is more than what we want or do. It is more than the goals that we set that will help us achieve certain experiences. Our purpose is simple and yet profound. Why does it feel as if it is a secret buried deep within us that is not easily accessed? I believe this is because we have spent so much of our energy trying to dance someone else’s dance. We haven’t asked ourselves; what would bring me joy to express?
From early on in life we have been taught to listen to the voice of other. What do our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, grandparents, society, race, culture all think is appropriate for us to do. As a little girl, wanting to be a minister was out of the question. Women aren’t ministers! That was the cultural thought that held me back for years. There were other limiting beliefs that kept me from believing that I could listen to my own soul and dance my dance.
Through the practice of mediation; of quieting the mind and allowing ourselves to just be in the moment, we give spirit permission to reveal to us who we really are. We open ourselves to the music that is so powerful, it has no audible sound, and yet it changes everything. It is the vibrations from this music that every thought that is not in alignment with our truth is released. It is through this vibration that we release others expectations and live in a true state of freedom. This sounds like I am making it easy and yet I believe it is the greatest work we can do. It is through this art of listening and dancing that we discover and live from our purpose.