Living Consciously April 2, 2009

Dear friends,

You have seen the warnings signs that begin with “in case of ”followed by instructions, such as, in case of fire do not use elevator. People lock their doors or take out insurance “just in case.” Do we ever see signs warning us of impending good? Imagine you are walking down the street and you see a poster which announces happiness just around the corner. You would start smiling, would you not? How about a street sign that warns you to Stop Complaining! Or Don’t worry, be happy.

We may not realize how many written instructions we receive every day. It would be so nice to see some that actually promote the greater good. Of course we can create affirmative statements for ourselves. People who take the time to induce positive ideas in themselves tend to be more aware of possibility, which is another way of saying more creative in the face of everyday challenges. They are more prepared to meet the world with cheerful expectation.
It is an unavoidable principle that what we expect out of life tends to come about in our life. Little signs won’t change the world, but spiritual messages do change our mind and it is from there that our life proceeds.

Affirm: Life is a beautiful adventure.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously April 3, 2009

Dear friends,

The biggest fear that plagues humanity is that no one is listening; that there is no responsive power, that there is no mechanism to support us in fulfilling our desires. Is it this subjective fear that has caused us to invent a Father God figure who takes care of his children? Some people are stuck in that image, blaming a punishing God for the ills of the world, while others reject it but are left feeling bereft of support. There is a more plausible model for how this universe functions at the point of individuality. It is simply that Life supports life and, as self realization evolves, Life supports life according to what is realized.

In New Thought spirituality the maxim is that Life doesn`t give us what we want, it creates through us what we think we are. This is why real prayer is always said in the first person, present tense, ie: I am living in an abundant universe with access to all I require to live abundantly, right now. This is not to coerce a faraway power into giving us a little more supply, but to deepen our realization of ever flowing abundance, which is the nature of things. It is to awaken to the truth that we cannot be separated from that flow. However, we can cut ourselves out of the picture by having an inner conviction that we are poor and powerless victims. The more we attribute the cause of our condition to anything other than our own realization, the less conscious we are of the immediacy of what we used to call God, that wonderful feeling of being touched by Grace.

Rethink your relationship to the Creative Process, for God is a verb, an ongoing activity. It is Life moving from the invisible to the visible. It happens through the outlet of Self expression, which is the effect of Self realization.

Let this be your prayer today: I am the way and the means for Life to personify itself, express itself, reveal all that it is uniquely, as I give it wonderful things to do!

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes