Living Consciously June 8, 2009

Dear friends,

There is an old song that states; The Best Things in Life are Free. This is actually a deep spiritual truth.  During the Conscious Giving part of our Sunday celebration, we affirm that we are a distribution center for the abundance of the universe.  This statement reminds us that abundance pre-exists us, that we are born into the stream of it and our lives are meant to be its outlet.

We can then realize that the same is true of all the Good we seek in the world. It all precedes our birth but proceeds to be a human experience by means of us.  We are points of departure for the attributes of love and peace, joy and creativity, vitality and abundance.  But how much of each do we require?  That is the amount we shall see in our lives.  In other words, how much love can you use?  Are there only one or two people who know of your love?  What if your heart were open to the whole of humanity, what would love do through you?

It is a human tendency to think of these spiritual qualities as things we must add to our personality, acquire in some way, grow and accept.  We often hear that we need to be better at receiving these blessings. The truth is, we need to acquire the awareness that they are already in us, alive and ready to be known, felt, expressed and developed as we allow them to come through our perception into action. 

Like a river flowing into the valley from the mountain top, the descent of Spirit into human experience is constant and plentiful.  Our part is to divert it into the particular use we make of it. There is no scarcity of the living qualities of Spirit that are known to us as the best things in life.  They are free and they are ours now.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously June 9, 2009

Dear friends,
There is an ancient saying: To the one who can perfectly practice inaction, all things are possible.
A friend sent me an article from a major U.S. publication which reported on the colossal shift in acceptance for the practice of meditation. Medical practitioners see it as a part of a wellness program but also beneficial to the recovering patient. The San Francisco school system has initiated a daily meditation involving junior high students. What was once viewed as something for the yogi or the mystical monk, is now a part of the more holistic approach to health and well being.

What is amusing to me is how, in our own spiritual communities populated by those who understand the benefits of the practice, few are actually including it in their daily routine. Many people insist they simply do not have the time for fifteen minutes of silence. These are the same people who would stand up and applaud the developments in medicine and education regarding the inclusion of this ancient practice.

Balance is the key to everything and when we hear ourselves defend a lack of time to devote to our own inner peace, then we can be sure we are erring on the side of activity. In this western culture, activity is God. We think that the more we have on our daily list, the more successful we are, the more value we have. Our self worth is often overly attached to the doing with little regard to the being.

Do not add meditation to your list of things to do sometime in the day if you can manage it. Place it in the same category as brushing your teeth in the morning. It is essential. It is health-promoting. It is preventive. It is life supporting. It is necessary to the overall quality of life. Sit, be still and reap the benefits of inactivity.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes