Living Consciously January 8, 2010

Dear friends,

The use of electricity is commonplace to us. We know that we can use it in specific ways to produce desirable results. We also know that if used improperly the power can harm us or will have no effect whatsoever. For example, I can cool down a small space with an electric fan but I would never expect it to light the room. My electric oven bakes a cake but cannot run the television. Each use is necessarily specific to the desired result. Some of the early spiritual teachers of New Thought presented this as analogous to how our thought processes access the universal Creative Intelligence.

There is a way to think that allows the Creative Intelligence to bring about exactly what we want to manifest. How would the power that gave form to the universe think if it wanted to create prosperity? It seems obvious that it would have no thought of lack! It would begin its announcement with “I Am.” It would see prosperity flowing from its own center! The same would be true of vitality and Love and Joy and Peace.

Here we are, individualizations of universal Creative Intelligence, using our own self identity to fashion words into forms. We discover the power, as the first people discovered fire, and we apply the power to our own creative ideas. We shape/shift the universal into the personal. This is how we feel the Presence of God in our lives and this is the way we reveal it to ourselves.

Think about what you are thinking about. Imagine that you are using an unlimited power to bring that thought into full experience. Is this the use you want to make of it? Try a simple adjustment to the conduit you are building. Instead of saying I want, I need or I must have this or that, say I am (your desire) and I am fully expressing it in my life with complete freedom.”

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes www.positiveliving.org

Living Consciously January 7, 2010

Dear friends,

The answers to the deepest questions in our hearts are often diametrically opposed to the conclusions we draw from our observations of experience. We mistakenly think that birth and death are demarcations for life, when really, life is forever and the so-called beginnings and endings are merely the rising and fading of a particular expression. Just as the toddler we once were is living inside us, so the human being is living in the Spiritual Body of universal consciousness at all times; in the seen and unseen realm of being. To think otherwise is to live with pain and sorrow as we watch our loved ones move into that otherworld.

Our linear view of things tends to fix us in time and space and make us into objects that are acted upon rather than beings who are acting upon the field of experience via the avenue of awareness. So, when we feel sick we feel attacked or that we have been invaded. We expect the sickness to run its course guided by its own intelligence and not receptive to ours. A relationship falls apart and we blame the other person for not loving us properly. We believe we have been robbed of our ability to love. We think we have been rejected. We expect to hurt and feel alone. It never occurs to us that we are the source of love whether it appears in an outer form or as a feeling in us.

Our money life is thought to be the result of the machinations of strangers on a street in New York City. We “buy into” the stock belief that wealth is the result of corruption, good luck or fanatical dedication to work that destroys other aspects of our lives. None of this is true. It is all perception and it is a warped view distorted by superstitious religious notions about the universe.

It is time to stop looking to the world for help, answers, love, substance or health. Those are the basic attributes of being and we already hold them in the inner kingdom of wholeness. 2010, if not now, when?

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes www.positiveliving.org click on XLeratdYour Spirit for an online message

Living Consciously January 6, 2010

Dear friends,

Human Beings are not things inhabiting space, separated from the universe itself. That is an old, out of date, mechanistic view of reality. Today we see that life is a web of relationships, that this universe is a dynamic, organic, living experience in awareness. Well, that last word may be the next realization, but to some of us it seems apparent that life itself is conscious. Each one of us is a point of individualized awareness in the Whole. This is not unlike ancient scripture which said that we are part of the body of God.

It may be that science will at last reveal to us the true nature of Being, yet our own senses are attuned to this higher awareness. We know that we exist; we think; we feel; we imagine; we invent and discover what was already there in the invisible realm, like electricity and gravity. We make art and music out of nothing more than our intention.

Our religions were met to prepare us to awaken to the living presence of the Infinite in everyday life. The problem was that religions became trapped in the mechanistic view of reality and therefore humans were seen as nothing but particles occupying space attempting to find their way back to some place in the universe where the Source lives. The Source itself was described as stern and judgmental, allowing only some into its presence.

As science helps us evolve our awareness of the immediacy of the Originating Power, we will cease to fight over territory or worldviews and begin to realize the how intimately connected we are to everything we could possibly desire in this life. But why wait? The spiritual practices of meditation, service, compassion, affirmation, study, conscious giving and celebration give us a first hand experience of our place in the universe.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes www.positiveliving.org

Living Consciously January 5, 2010

Dear friends,

As the great Thomas Troward wrote a century ago, the creative process is everywhere and is the same in the universal as it is in the personal. We are drawing from and expressing with the Intelligence that is behind all sentient life and the universe itself. Another way of understanding what this means to us is to ask: Is God enjoying itself as my life? What am I giving It to do? If I were the power that makes all things new, would I be getting rusty from lack of use?

It is understandable that we have trouble believing this basic truth. We are feeling beings, emotional memory systems and our bodies seem to be the real self. The physical realm is seductive and convinces us of our fallibility. Well, yes, these bodies are only temporary. This brain is a vehicle for consciousness. But the Consciousness of Being is the leader and the eternality of us and it is the only way that we make changes, progress and create newness. The body doesn’t do it by itself. The brain does not think new thoughts. It is the Self Awareness that directs the creative process by means of us.

Assume this is true, even if your experience seems to indicate otherwise. Now think of what you truly would like to think and feel and experience this year. Begin today to frame that vision in words and thoughts and mental pictures. Begin today to say “I am this vision in action”.See it, feel it, act as though it were so. What belongs to the nucleus of that image will form around it and become something in your human experience. It will begin, as everything does, on the inside. The outer reflection of it will unfold in the time/space manner that is perfect for you. The only way to know God is to be available to It.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes www.positiveliving.org

Living Consciously January 4, 2010

Dear friends,

I highly recommend that you go see “Avatar” a stunningly beautiful new movie. It is about seeing everything from a new perspective and how that changes how we behave in the world and therefore, changes our reality. The theme is classic. Greed and ignorance lead us into behaviours that challenge the sustainability of our environment, whether that be emotional or physical. We can be greedy when it comes to the quest for approval or love or validation of our opinions. We will decimate the immediate peace when we demand that our needs be met, despite the negative effects that might have on our partners.

Ignorance of our own capacity for generating love and joy from within, causes us to act like monkeys fighting over the last banana. We will go to great lengths to feel temporarily good about ourselves and then have to repeat the process when the feeling fades as it inevitably must. Ignorance of our spiritual wholeness makes us think life is a daily battle for the survival of our ego. Spirituality leads us not into the temptation to dominate others but into the realization that thrival is about revealing who we really are.

Everything we think is being withheld from us is awaiting our claim to it. This planet is the physical representation of the inner kingdom. It is all here right now and does not need to be exploited but does require respect and caretaking. This is true of natural resources of all kinds.

As we begin this new year, let’s pause and bow to the beauty of this world that we inhabit; the one we see with our eyes and the one we see from our awakened minds.

Peace and Blessings and Happy New Year,

Rev Carol Carnes www.positiveliving.org

Living Consciously December 19, 2009

Dear friends,

I love buying presents for my family and friends. I remember one Christmas however, when money was tight, there was a kind of recession and the whole family felt unable to give the way we were used to doing. We came up with a solution that is still one of my favourite Christmas memories. We decided to buy only for the children. The rest of us would draw names and we would give something from our home that the other person had admired over the years. That way we felt that we had fulfilled a wish but also that we gave something that was of value to us!

It was the most joyful time as we shrieked with laughter at the choices we had made for one another. Some of the gifts, we knew, had been hard to part with and that made the moment even more special. I got the antique evening bags that my mother had treasured for years. Each of us felt that our gift was especially chosen for us and that was true.

This is a good metaphor for extending the Self that we are. We possess qualities that someone would welcome any day of the year; kindness, good humour, compassion, generosity, understanding, a listening ear, hope, encouragement and love. We have ideas to share that could set someone on a new path; we have experience and wisdom that young people could benefit from hearing; we have a wealth of information and stories to tell. Without buying a thing or changing in any way, you have so much to give that this world needs.

Peace and Blessings and Happy Holidays,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously December 19, 2009

Dear friends,

I love buying presents for my family and friends. I remember one Christmas however, when money was tight, there was a kind of recession and the whole family felt unable to give the way we were used to doing. We came up with a solution that is still one of my favourite Christmas memories. We decided to buy only for the children. The rest of us would draw names and we would give something from our home that the other person had admired over the years. That way we felt that we had fulfilled a wish but also that we gave something that was of value to us!

It was the most joyful time as we shrieked with laughter at the choices we had made for one another. Some of the gifts, we knew, had been hard to part with and that made the moment even more special. I got the antique evening bags that my mother had treasured for years. Each of us felt that our gift was especially chosen for us and that was true.

This is a good metaphor for extending the Self that we are. We possess qualities that someone would welcome any day of the year; kindness, good humour, compassion, generosity, understanding, a listening ear, hope, encouragement and love. We have ideas to share that could set someone on a new path; we have experience and wisdom that young people could benefit from hearing; we have a wealth of information and stories to tell. Without buying a thing or changing in any way, you have so much to give that this world needs.

Peace and Blessings and Happy Holidays,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously December 18, 2009

Dear friends,

The young and troubled aboriginal boy was released from prison and found his way to his biological grandfather. In despair that he would never find his true identity and get his life on track, the boy turned to the old man for direction. “If you are able to sit in the darkness with the shadow and still remember where the moon is, you will stand again. If you know where the moon is you will move in the right direction.”

The moon is enough light to travel by. It can guide us to ourselves if we just remember that the moon lives in us. The old man was telling his grandson that it is never too late to reclaim our soul. It is always intact despite the shadow cast over it by addiction or anger or terrible sadness. If we can remember that the answer to our anguish comes from within, we will be moving in the right direction. It will do no good to seek solace in materiality; the abuse of drugs, alcohol, sex, food, excitement, is a temporary fix that must be repeated and which will ultimately cause even greater suffering.

We get lost when we mistakenly think we are permanently ruined. We drift into trouble when we assume that the darkness has more power than the light. We invite depression when we ignore the prompting of the Moon to wake up and re-identify ourselves in its light and not by the shadow of experience.

This is the season when the darkness of winter shifts into days of more light. It is symbolic of rebirth. This is a good time to reconnect with our true nature, stand up and follow its direction. There is something wonderful waiting for us.

Peace and blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously December 16, 2009

Dear friends,

A friend remarked they could not believe I was once terrified of public speaking, which is what I do professionally and which I find so enjoyable. Change is perceptible only by those with a good memory. That is because real change involves a new self identity and it is sometimes hard to imagine that we were once shy or afraid of what is now so effortless.

It was the practice of regular meditation, coupled with learning how to rethink my identity that allowed a natural gift to emerge and begin to express. That, and saying yes to what wanted to happen by means of me. I accepted invitations to speak in public long before I had lost the fear of it! The “yes factor” overrode the fear and before long I was eagerly stepping onto the platform with confidence. Our spiritual practice is a refinement process, an unlearning, a removal of mental and emotional obstacles which stand between our ego and our real self. That person I thought I was had reacted to her childhood in a way that felt protective and safe, but which actually caused even more pain and frustration.

As I look back it seems ridiculous that I was so afraid yet I remember the consciousness that produced the fear. I can identify the style of thinking that created it. I can understand it when I see it in other people, yet know that it is entirely changeable. When we are caught in a limiting self identity, it seems like the only reality. We feel that we will always feel this way and that our lives will be about managing our restrictions. But change will surely come to those who do not wait, but those who realize that who they are is greater than any experience, any labels, any fear or any current situation. This is the great secret that brings about great change.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously December 15, 2009

What if there were no outer Cause for anything in our experience? What if everything were generated from the field of consciousness? I happen to believe that, but it is a hard sell, even to myself sometimes, because the physical world is so real, so concrete, so apparent. It seems so creative of its own accord.

If I were standing still and a big bully came up and shouted in my face, it would seem that I were a victim of circumstance. Why me? Why now? Why here? The standard answer is: there is no reason, it is a random act. Yet his rage comes from within his own consciousness and my sense of victimization does also. He might think I represent something that needs to be abused, even though we had never met. There may be a part of me that is in some kind of agreement with that, or fear of it! Yes, I know that on the one hand we could “prove” that effects become cause and repeat themselves. But on the other hand, what if that were a result of our not intervening with a new idea? What if nothing moves until mind moves and nothing moves but mind, as the Buddhists say?

How would this world improve if everyone knew without a doubt that nothing happens from the outside in, but is a response to deep inner self awareness? What would our most intimate relationships be like? How would our expectations change? What would prosperity be but a self generated relationship with invisible supply? Who would we blame for anything? What would happen to crime? Might it disappear with such empowered people? In a mind that knows its creative power, where would be the need to rob, steal or violate the earth? Is violence an extreme response to feelings of powerlessness?

As the year comes to completion, it is good to reflect on the cause/effect sequence. Where could it begin but in Mind?

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously December 14, 2009

Dear friends,

Modern travel is a real gift to those of us who yearn to see what the rest of our planet is like. Yet in the process of travelling, there are delays, long lines, cramped seating, poor food and intermittent sleep. It is worth it and we forget the inconveniences once our destination is reached. We are amazed that what once took weeks and months is now a matter of hours. On very long trips, the pilot might announce that “we have just reached the point of no return.” There is not enough fuel to turn back, we must proceed ahead.

This is similar to the experience of personal growth through spiritual practice. Some issues resolve themselves easily and seem to float away from us. There are others, perhaps with more emotion attached, that may cause some discomfort as we attempt to gain a new perception of ourselves despite the stored memory.

Sometimes it feels like a battle, in the same way that quitting a bad habit does. It seems as if we are fighting ourselves for control of our thoughts. Really it is a self identity struggle. If we have identified ourselves as a victim of some past event, then we have adapted our expectations to fit that image. We will have a sense of self that must be defended and protected. When we begin to affirm such things as “I am a brand new, right now awareness of wholeness and open possibility,” that long standing self identity will throw up a challenge to what it perceives as an intruder in its space. We will hear ourselves defending our limitations. This is the point of no return.

Once we board the vehicle of spiritual practice, our trip is in progress. The discomfort is part of the journey but the results are guaranteed. We will reach a new place in consciousness and we will feel as if we never left home.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously November 28, 2009

Dear friends,

Here is a Sesame Street lesson for grown-ups. The letter is R!

What is missing in your life? Where is it? By now we have enough maturity to take full responsibility for what our life is, but do we claim responsibility for what it is not? That is a little trickier. We certainly do not want to live with regrets but neither do we want blame to be active in our interior reality. Nothing beats down the advent of natural joy like regret and blame.

There is a beautiful energy trying to restore our delight in living, knocking at the door of our awareness right this minute. The only thing that can keep it at bay are the three “R’s” : recrimination, resentment, regret. The superhero of Mind which always saves the day is Responsibility. If we were to stand in our own power and claim that what we think we missed out on was the result of our own choices and beliefs, what would be left but the very things that seemed to be missing? Namely, Love, Joy and Peace. And another big R: Relief!

Give yourself the greatest gift of all. The joy of living that accompanies the recognition that nothing is missing and can be realized beginning right now.

Release, Relax, Regenerate!

I will be back on line in two weeks. On my way to Australia tomorrow.

Many blessings and love,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously November 27, 2009

Dear friends,

Many of the great spiritual masters advised us to keep our own counsel when consciously creating through the power of the mind. They suggested that a new idea, a vision for our own life will likely meet with negative criticism along the way. When people we care about tell us our idea is fraught with challenge or even impossible, it becomes more difficult to retain the highest level of enthusiasm and conviction. Our belief is shaken and if enough voices ridicule the idea, we might find ourselves letting it go completely. It is easier to drop back into predictability than to it is to boldly pursue a dream.

As Thomas Troward wrote, you tell your troubles in order to make them seem unimportant. If we say it out loud, it loses power, begins to weaken in our mind. The same holds true for a visualization of any kind. Tell the world and it begins to dissipate. The person you want to talk to is yourself. You will have enough convincing to do there! We are sometimes the biggest obstacle as our tendency is to comfort. Even lack can become a comfort zone, easier to manage than wealth. If you must talk to anyone, make it a person who fervently believes in the power of mind to change circumstances. That is the one who will help sustain your passion and certainty.

As much as the world is talking about the power of positive thinking, it is still a rare person who lives their life in constant awareness that it is they themselves who create their experience. You do not want someone else’s fear or limited thinking to infect your mental environment. Keep that great idea a secret as it takes root in the soil of creative mind and begins to push through into your experience.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

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