Spiritual Uplift 8/29/07

A Practice of the Heart! August 29, 2007

“To all treatments, no matter how intellectually or analytically correct they may be, there must be added this deep feeling and conviction that enable one to commune with the Invisible. “ –Dr. Ernest Holmes– RURTR–these are the first letters of the names for the steps of Spiritual Mind Treatment or scientific prayer: Recognition, Unification, Realization, Thanksgiving, and Release. These are the steps that the Practitioner/scientist uses to align his or her thoughts with the one Mind of the Universe. However, as Holmes implies in the above quote, there is a deeper, broader understanding that Practitioners have of the divine process of manifestation. Just like an artist, Practitioners turn their awareness to the inner divine Muse and allow themselves to become a willing vessel for the artistry of Spirit to fill with its beauty and magnificence. So many times we feel as though our prayers are unanswered; however, often the actual circumstance is that we are not prepared to receive our good. This is where the other connotation of RURTR comes in: Are You Ready to Receive? Here the Practitioner/artist becomes available as a open, purified channel for the bounty of Spirit to move through, thereby completing the preparations for divine manifestation to take place. The Practitioners of the Community for Spiritual Living, whether newly licensed or in service for five years or more, are committed to using their gifts and talents on behalf of our radiant spiritual community, uplifting and inspiring all who come into their presence. AND SO IT IS! “This is what an artist feels. In a sense he weds himself to the essence of beauty and draws it into his own being until beauty becomes diffused through his technique and makes an imprint that the intellect cannot analyze.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes–. Chandogya Upanishad 8.1 2-3 If someone says to you, “in the fortified city of the imperishable, our body, there is a lotus and in this lotus a tiny space: what does it contain that one should desire to know it?” You must reply: “As vast as this space without is the tiny space within your heart: heaven and earth are found in it, fire and air, sun and moon, lightening and the constellations, whatever belongs to you here below and all that doesn’t, all this is gathered in that tiny space within your heart.” For the next few weeks we will be presenting (on topic) passages from The Science of the Mind – Original 1926 Text by Ernest Homes. It is our hope that this will provide a unique perspective on Dr. Homes own words. The text is now available at the CSL bookstore. “The great mystics have been illumined, that is , they have, at times, seen through the veil of matter and perceived the Spiritual Universe. They have taught that the Kingdom of God is NOW PRESENT AND NEEDS BUT TO BE REALIZED; and they have, apparently, sensed that this Kingdom is within….the Spirit within them has borne witness to the Truth.“

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Love, Serve, and Remember,

Spiritual Uplift 8/22/07

A Community Supported through Practice! August 22, 2007

“There is a science of Mind and Spirit because there is a principle of Mind and Spirit.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes– We at the Community for Spiritual Living are celebrating the presence of licensed Religious Science Practitioners who support the Community with their time and talents. This past Sunday, as we welcomed our newly-licensed Practitioners into our Ministry, we had the opportunity to consider the Practitioner as scientist. Dr. Ernest Holmes, the originator of the Science of Mind and Spirit philosophy, used the term “science” to describe the process of manifestation and demonstration of our desires. He did so because we use spiritual laws and principles when we treat (pray), and they are as reliable and undeniable as the laws and principles of physics and mathematics. Licensed Practitioners use their knowledge of these spiritual laws to create an atmosphere of healing within their own minds, thereby beginning the manifestation process in the experience of their clients. Religious Science Practitioners have the ability to see the divinity in all people, places, events, and circumstances, even when appearances seem otherwise. They also know that there is no limit to the magnificence of our being and stand ready to support, encourage, and uplift each of use in achieving our goals and dreams. “The laws of this science are so simple, direct, and usable that anyone who cares to make the effort may demonstrate them.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes–. What Religious Science Teaches by Dr. Ernest Holmes In the practice of spiritual mind healing, we start with this simple proposition: God is perfect. God is all there is. God includes humans. Spiritual humans are divine beings, as complete in essence as is God. When in thought, in contemplation, in imagination, in inward feeling, we consciously return to the Source of our being, the divine pattern which already exists springs forth into newness of manifestation. When we clear the consciousness–that is, the whole mental life, both conscious and subjective–of discord, we are automatically healed. Religious Science gives us a definite technique for doing this. It teaches us exactly how to proceed on a simple, understandable basis. It is a science because it is built upon the exact laws of Mind, for the laws of Mind are as exact as any other laws in nature. They are natural laws. From a practical viewpoint, this is done by making certain definite statements with the realization that they have power to remove any obstacle, to dissolve any false condition, and to reveal humankind’s spiritual nature. True mind healing cannot be divorced from spiritual realization; therefore, the practitioners of this science must have a deep and an abiding sense of calm, of peace, and of their union with the Spirit. They must have an unshakable conviction that spiritual man is perfect, that they are one with God, and they must know that in such degree as they realize, sense, or feel this inner perfection, it will appear. The physical healing itself is a result, an effect, of this inward consciousness. For the next few weeks we will be presenting (on topic) passages from The Science of the Mind – Original 1926 Text by Ernest Homes. It is our hope that this will provide a unique perspective on Dr. Homes own words. The text is now available at the CSL bookstore. “Treatment is the act, the art and the science of inducing thought within the mentality of the one treating, which thought shall perceive that the body of the patient is a Divine, Spiritual, and Perfect Idea.“

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Love, Serve, and Remember,

Spiritual Uplift 8/15/07

Asilomar – Renewing Your Spiritual Space! August 15, 2007

“We have come to Asilomar [to spend] this wonderful week together in love for each other and adoration for the God we believe in.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes– The annual summer United Centers for Spiritual Living gathering at Asilomar on the Monterey peninsula is a rich experience for the senses. Seeing the ocean in its many moods, the beauty of the woods covering the conference grounds, and the faces of loving friends and colleagues is a visual delight. Hearing the inspiring music, messages, and workshops brings joy and thoughtfulness. Smelling and tasting the marvelous food in the dining hall constitute a celebration, and feeling the sunshine, the fog, and the innumerable hugs is unforgettable. But there are other experiences to which our physical senses are not privy. There is the sense of acceptance, safety, and support, encouraging many people to find new and greater expressions of their divinity. A sense of belonging washes over new arrivals as they walk into the social hall and realize they have come to a family reunion of sorts. Every participant gains a new sense of self, or perhaps more accurately, a sense of Self, as they hear time and again that they are wonderful, beautiful, perfect expressions of Spirit. These experiences cannot be captured on a CD, in a photograph, or from a recipe; they are remembered by the heart and can be taken home as the ultimate souvenirs of a spiritual pilgrimage to that sacred space within–and savored again and again. “Our religion is not something to be lived merely here at Asilomar, as much inspiration as we receive from it, but rather to take that consciousness which we have arrived at here back with us into whatever activities we may be engaged in.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes–. A Brief Word from the Dali Lama Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities.

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Love, Serve, and Remember,

Spiritual Uplift 8/8/07

“I don’t like work – no man does – but I like what is in work – the chance to find yourself. Your own reality – for yourself, not for others – what no other man can ever know.”–Joseph Conrad– It’s summertime! How many days have you awakened and said, “Only ‘X’ days until the weekend.”? When did we decide that work was a drudgery, to be avoided at all costs, and that life begins again at our next ‘play day’? When Evan Hodkins goes to work, providing one of his Alchemy seminars, he invites all of his attendees to, “Come play with me!” How did he come to decide that work was play? He chooses to. Life, work and play, is an experience of Spirit, God expressing Himself through the highest and best good in each of us. When we open ourselves up to this fact at work we find ourselves tied to the present moment. When we are doing our best, whatever that is, and know that what we give is pure and authentic to who we are, we are at peace. In the innocence of childhood we played at work. Whether we were a fireman, nurse, doctor, or housewife we each took on our duties with excitement and a desire to do our best. Take back this innocence. Return to play. Know that God has made all experiences perfect and complete in conjunction with our thoughts and desires. Even work. “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you’re still a rat.” –Lilly Tomlin–. A Brief Word from Rumi This being human is a guest-house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture. Still, treat each guest honorably. She may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. Affirmation “Father, Thou art in me, I am well.” —-Paramahansa Yogananda—

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Love, Serve, and Remember,

Spiritual Uplift 8/1/07

Sweet Surrender! August 1, 2007

“And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” –Anais Nin– The word “surrender” can conjure up some pretty frightening images. “Must I give up my freedom, my way of life, my comfort and security?” We often feel that to surrender means to lose something precious and valuable, and even if what we are holding onto isn’t all that desirable, at least it’s ours! But what if surrender means to gain more than we stand to lose? What if our surrendering the familiar yields us such incredibly beautiful possibilities that we are never tempted to go back? This is what it is to surrender to Spirit. By relinquishing control of our processes of living and allowing God to guide and inspire us, we discover a wonder beyond our wildest imaginings. More than a soft place to land, Spirit has prepared for us a supporting and uplifting love that empowers us to live our dreams of prosperity, health, loving relationships, meaningful work, and spiritual wholeness. What will it take for us to surrender to a better, more productive, more complete life, to open our hearts and minds to the possibilities of fulfillment? Are we willing to fall into the arms of God? “Love alone can overcome fear because love surrenders itself to the object of its adoration. The soul must make a complete surrender of itself to the Spirit.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes–. Sunday Words of Inspiration 365 Science of the Mind by Ernest Holmes Emerson tells us that the Ancient of Days is in the latest invention. In other words, since God is all there is, the only Presence, the only Power, and the only Mind or Intelligence, when we conceive a new idea we are thinking directly from the creativity of God. It is not our isolated, limited human personality that projects this new idea. We are merely the instrument through which this projection takes place. But we are in partnership with the Projector. God really is in the latest invention, in the newest song, in the latest novel, in the last picture that was painted, and in the feeling we have of new and greater and better things to come. For God is all there is–there is nothing else besides. God is both the inventor of the game and those who play in it, the author and the actor,the singer and the song.Today I imbibe new ideas from the creativity of God. My whole conciousness is alive and awake and aware. It is impregnated with Divine ideas and shall bear fruit after the image of the impression conceived within it and the Divine imprint made upon on it. Today,then, I expect new ways of doing things; I expect to meet new people,form new friendships; I expect everything in my experience to enlarge and deepen and broaden. I expect more Good than I have ever eperienced before, and today I expect togive out more, to increase my love for others. Today I expect more of myself a more genle approach to life, a more kindly feeling a more beneficent impulse. New thoughts,new ideas, new people,new situations, new waysof doing things, and a new influx of the Divine will make this day perfect, glad and expressive of limitless bounty from the storehouse of the Infinite Good.

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Love, Serve, and Remember,

Spiritual Uplift 7/25/07

“If you want a garden, plant one; bury the seed in the ground, and nature will take over and produce the plant.”–Dr. Ernest Holmes– How difficult can it be? To have a garden, all we need do is plant some seeds. Of course, then there is the watering, and the weeding, and the fertilizing…. To create a healthy, productive garden, be it flowers or herbs or vegetables, there is work involved, and we must be diligent so that we reap what we sow. Rarely do we hear a true gardener say, “Well, all I had were squash seeds, so I planted them, but I really wanted broccoli. What am I going to do with all this squash?” Even the amateur knows to plant the right seeds. The most intricate and complex work takes place within the seeds themselves, however, and we must provide the most nurturing environment to allow that work to transpire. It is a similar process when we are tending the “garden” of our thoughts. We plant the seeds of our desires, but unless we consciously cultivate and nurture those seed thoughts, our resulting experience may not please us. We must water with spiritual readings and study, weed out any stray thoughts that could nullify our intentions, and fertilize with rich spiritual practices. With such diligence, our ideas and visions become a beautiful and bountiful harvest. “I see humanity now as one vast plant, needing for its highest fulfillment only love, the natural blessings of the great outdoors, and intelligent crossing and selection.” –Luther Burbank–. New Outreach Program During the month of July, The Community for Spiritual Living is joining KKTV 11, Office Depot and Christmas Unlimited to collect basic supplies to help those in need provide their children with the proper tools and supplies to start their school year off successfully. Just a reminder that this is the last Sunday to contribute. Let’s send the kids back to school fully stocked. Thank you!

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com

Spiritual Uplift 7/18/07

When Nature Speaks! July 18, 2007

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” –Dr. George Washington Carver– It’s the third week of July–where has the summer gone??!! Has that thought passed through your mind? In our culture, summer is the traditional time for families to get together, for vacations, for cultivating gardens, and for outdoor recreation. But when we are out enjoying the wonders of the natural world, do we slow down long enough to notice the divinity in nature? Ernest Holmes said, ” We live in a sea of Perfect Life, and we should take time to understand and sense this in our imagination.” Do we stop to admire the beauty of a flower? Do we ponder the many changes in the world to which an old tree has been a silent and patient witness? Do we sense the sacredness of the forest or the awesome power of the ocean? As we enjoy the warm temperatures and long daylight of summer, opportunities abound for us to use our five senses to connect with the creator of all that is, and nature’s bounty is such a joyful expression of the source energy of Spirit. Let’s pause during the many activities of a summer’s day to notice God, to commune with God, and to gain sustenance from God. “But we are born to be happy, to be abundantly supplied with every good thing, to have fun in living, to consciously unite with the Divine Power that is around us and within us, and to grow and expand forever.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes–. New Outreach Program During the month of July, The Community for Spiritual Living is joining KKTV 11, Office Depot and Christmas Unlimited to collect basic supplies to help those in need provide their children with the proper tools and supplies to start their school year off successfully. Please take the flyer in today’s bulletin with you and when shopping pick up some of the items needed and bring to the Volunteer Center during service on Sunday. If you have further questions, please contact Karen Buckingham or Robyn Bonner. Thank you!

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com

Spiritual Uplift 7/11/07

Your Spiritual Muscle! July 11, 2007

“It We should daily feel a deeper union with Life, a greater sense of that indwelling God–the God of the seen and of the unseen–within us.” –Dr. Ernest Holmes– Practice makes perfect. Ask any athlete the reason she practices, and you will hear that she seeks to enhance her strength, stamina, endurance, or coordination. Ask a musician or artist the same question, and he will tell you that he is striving to improve his technique or to expand his expression of the beauty of his work. Spiritual people also practice their craft, and many would say it is in order to expand their understanding of the creative power of the universe or to more deeply commune with that power. Every spiritual tradition has its own specific spiritual practices: the dances of the Sufi, the chanting of the Buddhist, the quiet contemplation of the Quaker, to name a few. Religious Scientists also teach and employ spiritual practices that enhance our experience of Life, such as Spiritual Mind Treatment (affirmative, scientific prayer), meditation, and visioning. When practiced often–say, daily–these activities bring us in close connection with the divinity within and around us. Others may also find compassionate service, forgiveness, communion with nature, or celebrations of successes large and small are practices that serve their spiritual growth. Dr. Ernest Holmes, the founder of the Science of Mind and Spirit movement, says, “We do well to listen to the Inner Voice, for it tells us of a life wonderful in its scope; of a love beyond our fondest dreams; of a freedom which the soul craves.” Isn’t this worth spending some time every day exercising our spiritual muscles? “Keep fresh before me the moments of my High Resolve, that in good times or in tempests, I may not forget that to which my life is committed.” –Howard Thurman–. New Outreach Program During the month of July, The Community for Spiritual Living is joining KKTV 11, Office Depot and Christmas Unlimited to collect basic supplies to help those in need provide their children with the proper tools and supplies to start their school year off successfully. Please take the flyer in today’s bulletin with you and when shopping pick up some of the items needed and bring to the Volunteer Center during service on Sunday. If you have further questions, please contact Karen Buckingham or Robyn Bonner. Thank you!

Check Out CSL on the Web If you have not gone to our webpage as yet you are missing out on lots of information related to classes, services and special events. To learn more go to: www.community-for-spiritual- living.com Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com

Spiritual Uplift 7/4/07

The Picnic We Call Life! July 4, 2007

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson– Tis the season–for backyard barbecues, swim parties, picnics, and other fun in the sun. So, what do you have in your picnic hamper? Insect repellent, sunscreen, dark glasses, an umbrella, a first aid kit? Or do you have a Super Soaker, some water balloons, the ingredients for s’mores, a Frisbee, and your baseball mitt? The former group of items may be valuable, even necessary, but the latter are evidence of your intention to have fun. The chance to be outdoors, enjoying Nature at her finest, is an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the pleasure of living our lives more fully, more joyfully; an opportunity to forget ourselves and indulge in a little foolishness. What if we could translate that one-day picnic into a lifetime of joyful, carefree living? Dr. Ernest Holmes, the innovative, focused, and profound thinker who devised the philosophy we call the Science of Mind and Spirit, was known by his contemporaries as a fun-loving man with a mischievous sense of humor. He made sure to include lightness and joy in his experience of life; can we students of Dr. Holmes’ philosophy do likewise? “Each is drawing from Life what he (or she) thinks into It!” –Dr. Ernest Holmes–. From Your Soul’s Assignment by Rev. Chris Michaels Have Fun “Many people feel that God intended them to have a life of suffering and hardship, and is it any wonder that that is what they have?” Dr. Ernest Holmes God did not create your life as an experience for you to suffer through. Nor was your life designed as an obstacle course that you have to fight your way through. God isn’t cruel. It creates out of a desire for Self-expression–just as any great artist does. It creates manifestations of its own perfect ideas. Its only purpose is to express beauty, love, and joy. Your life is supposed to be a joyful experience. You are not here to work hard, climb corporate ladders, or compete for your good. YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN LIFE IS TO HAVE FUN! Surely any Creator that could make a giraffe and an anteater has to have a sense of humor. I have a friend that says, “If just one of the early Renaissance artists had painted a picture with Jesus smiling, maybe the Christians wouldn’t take everything so seriously.” Statistics show that children laugh dozens of times a day more than adults. I think the reason is as adults, we’ve lost touch with some of the simple pleasures in life. We’ve forgotten how to laugh! We’ve forgotten how to play and have fun. Maybe that’s why we’re told that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become as little children. Perhaps we have to “unlearn” the ways of the world to reenter the center of joy. Having fun isn’t a frivolous activity reserved for goofy people. It is a valid compass that you can use to keep your life on course. If your work is fun, then you’re in the right profession. If your relationships are fun, then you’re with the right people. If your life is fun, then you’re living the right way. Use joy as your compass to keep your life on track. Make having fun your number one priority in life.

Liberty Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom and dignity. It is not enough, as communist systems have assumed, merely to provide people with food, shelter and clothing. Human nature needs to breathe the precious air of liberty. -His Holiness the Dalai Lama- Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com

Spiritual Uplift 6/27/07

Celebrating Life! June 27, 2007

“Within us is the unborn possibility of limitless experience. Ours is the privilege of giving birth to it!” –Dr. Ernest Holmes– The Community for Spiritual Living was blessed this past Sunday to have as a guest speaker Mary Zalmanek, a long time member and friend of our Community and the author of The Art of the Spark. She spoke of celebration as adventure, as a way to honor the people and events in our lives by going beyond an everyday acknowledgment to a joyful and grateful recognition. This is easiest when we are celebrating the “positive” experiences; it becomes more difficult when we are experiencing what we feel are less desirable circumstances and encounters and separations. It is important to remember, however, that there are no positives or negatives in the divine, so the act of celebration uplifts our consciousness to recognize the good–God–in everything. In the above quote, Dr. Ernest Holmes, the originator of the Science of Mind and Spirit, reminds us that the energy of opportunity to have an unlimited array of experiences lies within our own consciousness. It falls to us to decide the way in which we will manifest that energy in our lives. How wonderful it is to remember that we can choose to celebrate all of Life! The adventure of celebration is yet another way of acknowledging the activity of Spirit in our lives and of connecting with others in joy and gratitude. “When we give from the heart, we do so out of a joy that springs forth whenever we willingly enrich another person’s life.” –Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D.–.

Annual CSL Picnic – July 1, 2007 Just a reminder so you can mark your calendar, the annual CSL picnic will be held this Sunday, July 1, 2007 after the service. The location will be in Monument Valley Park. There will be more information during the service. Reverend Charllotte invites all congregants to dress casually to the Sunday service on July 1 to avoid having to make the quick change in the car on the way to the picnic. Not advised by the CSPD! Besides the Wednesday Uplift you can also listen to the Sunday presentation by going to the CSL Website, www.community-for-spiritual- living.com