Readers' Corner Archives - Guide for Spiritual Living

How to Submit a Story Idea

SOM Magazine — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 14:58:11 +0000

Your Questions and Article Queries »

Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind magazine is published by Centers for Spiritual Living.

Connect with Centers for Spiritual Living online at CSL.org.

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The post How to Submit a Story Idea appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

Thoughts on Peace

SOM Magazine — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 10:06:59 +0000

A Prayer for Oneness Revealed »

By Rev. Dr. Ron Fox
Senior Minister at CSLSpaceCoast.org
We gather this day to pray for peace in our day. In this moment, we recognize we are all one, blessed in our diversity, honoring our differences.
We may speak different languages, pray in our own way to the God of our choosing, wear skins of different colors and express our love in ways that differ.
Yet beneath all these differences, there remains an ever-present truth: We are all children of a loving God.
So I now speak these words of peace for each and every one of us.
Let us come together and cherish the gifts we all share on our beautiful planet. Let us planet seeds of love and compassion as we turn away from violence and hatred.
Let us embrace our children and create a world where they feel safe and protected, no longer living with the effects of war and anger.
Let us work together to be sure that each of us has enough to eat and feels free to turn to the God they believe in.
Let us welcome our differences as we glorify our oneness.
Let us remember that the choices we make create the world we live in, so make choices that speak to peace, compassion, dignity, love and forgiveness.
And lastly, let us always remember there is One Life and that Life is God. That Life is expressing as each of our lives right now. Thank you, God. Amen.

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World Peace Is Not an Illusion

SOM Magazine — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 08:27:20 +0000

A Rare, Unpublished Prayer by Dr. Ernest Holmes »

Here is an excerpt from one of Dr. Ernest Holmes’ unpublished works, “World Peace Is Not an Illusion” from July 1955. This was found recently in the Science of Mind Archives and Library Foundation.
As we celebrate freedom in the United States this month, please enjoy this timeless wisdom.
So we want peace on Earth? Then let us pray for peace in our own hearts, let us affirm peace in our own minds. Let us live as though peace were the mandate of God because it is. Together let us affirm it and let us encourage others to, no matter what the opposition appears to be, for it is a fundamental reality of God. “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.”
Let us face the future without fear but let us all also face it intelligently as men and women who are not afraid of anything. There is nothing in the universe to be afraid of. Some things could be avoided. Let us realize if the world is healed of war and brought into peace it won’t have been because guns were bigger and better or more of them. We need them until it does heal itself, but that will come to pass only because somewhere along the line the balance of the scales of eternal truth shall fall on the side of peace.
Let us, you and me, pray for peace and let us make our hearts fit to accept it when it comes. Let us make our intellect and our soul and our will and are feeling ready to receive it and embrace it even before it comes. Let us in the stillness of our own soul go back to that ineffable Presence which is Peace and proclaim It even in the midst of confusion, that Peace which is the Power at the heart of God. And so it is. Amen.

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Vision Tree: We Are CSL

SOM Magazine — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:37:12 +0000

What is Ours to Cause and Create? »

The “We Are CSL” Vision Tree

By Tina Greene, RScP

The completed “We Are CSL” Vision Tree at the Centers for Spiritual Living annual convention in Irvine, CA

The Vision of the Centers for Spiritual Living is “a world that works for everyone.” As practicing religious scientists, we know intellectually that living from our vision is the quickest way to that vision. But for many of us these words are much easier said than done.
What does it really mean to live from a vision anyway? And how do we do that?
The answer I’ve been working with for the last few years, both as a practitioner and a teacher of Intentional Creativity®, is that we live from our vision when we embody our vision. If I want to experience peace, I live as peace. If I want to experience love, I remember that I AM love and act accordingly. It’s simply a variation of the heart of our teaching: As within, so without.
When I read the theme for the 2018 CSL Convention — “We Are CSL” — I received one of those divine downloads that I’ve learned to pay careful attention to. What if I created a communal art project that gave all participants an opportunity to embody their personal visions of a world that works for everyone? And what if, through that process, together we created a piece of art that embodied our collective vision? How cool would that be?
In that moment, I saw the “We Are CSL” Vision Tree in my mind’s eye. Using a Klimt-like Tree of Life as the backdrop, attendees would be invited to participate in a ritual to discover their unique contributions to a world that works for everyone. And as we embodied our own vision of that world – represented by the individual leaves — we would bring our collective vision into form right there on the Vision Tree. Together, we would embody our individual and collective vision.
At the convention’s opening night, we learned that the theme, “We Are CSL,” has a dual meaning. Yes, it refers to our collective organization being the sum of its parts. The second, less obvious meaning – at least to me– was that each of us is our own Center for Spiritual Living.
In that moment I knew that the Vision Tree project, which reflected both meanings, was one of those miracles that we experience when we’re paying close attention. Everything was coming together in a beautiful and unexpected way.

Photo courtesy of Hobby Parent

The Red Thread Ritual

The Vision Tree ritual started with a sparkly ball of red thread and this ancient Chinese legend:

Everyone who is destined to meet in this lifetime is connected by an invisible red thread that’s been in place since before birth. That thread may stretch and fray, but it will never break.

Each person wrapped the red thread around their wrist before passing it on. Then we gently “tugged on the red thread” and felt the resistance that indicated there was someone on the other end. This is a great metaphor for all of us.
That tug reminds us that we are never alone. Instead, we are part of — and one with — the great web of life. It reminds us that support is just a “tug” away. For example, if someone posts in our Intentional Creativity Facebook group that they are “tugging on the red thread,” they receive immediate prayer support from whoever happens to be online at that time. Since we have thousands of members worldwide, someone is always able to respond. It’s like having a worldwide network of on-call practitioners.
The next step involved cutting ourselves free from the group and, with help, tying our own piece of red thread around our wrist. This represents the second teaching of the red thread, the one that aligned so perfectly with the individual-focused theme of the convention: While we are always virtually connected, each of us is only responsible for the piece of the red thread that we hold in our hands.
We each have our own voice and our own unique gifts to share. Our sacred assignment is to focus on what is ours to be and do, and to trust that everyone else is doing the same.
With this in heart, we moved to the central question: In a world that works for everyone, what is mine to cause and create?
Each of us will have our own answer to this question. Even if the words we choose are the same, the fact that we are unique expressions of the Divine will make our answers — and how we bring them into form — unique. Besides, how can there possibly be too much love or acceptance or compassion in the world?
Some answers came quickly. Others required a deeper dive. There were tears and laughter and amazing conversations as together we explored that central question: What is mine to cause and create?
The sense of empowerment — individual and collective — was palpable. We left this part of the convention filled with a deep sense of hope and possibility.

Call to Action: Bring Your Vision into Form

As the “We Are CSL” Vision Tree showed us, when we choose to engage actively with our vision, magic happens. If we are to bring the convention magic into our own lives, we have to show up for — and to — our vision on a daily basis. As the saying goes, we must “treat and move our feet.” We have to back up our vision with action.
I am an acronym junkie. I love using key words to help me remember a process I use that works. Not only does that help me, it makes it easier to share with my coaching clients and audiences. So I took the word ACT into meditation and asked my heart if ACT is an acronym for something I already do. The answer was right there. I hope you find it useful.

ACT

Align your intention with who you are and with your vision.
Choose what is yours to cause and create.
Trust that all is well.
If we remember to ACT on a regular basis, we will embody our visions. This is how we change the world. We live from our vision. We embody our vision. We act on our vision of a world that works for everyone.
We have everything we need already. It’s all inside. As Dr. Ernest Holmes said in “Living the Science of Mind”:

“We are centers or points
in a Cosmic Universal Consciousness
which is the Origin of all things.
On the scale of our individual lives
we reproduce the Divine Order in its entirety.”

For more information about Tina Greene, visit http://tinagreenewisdom.com. For more information about the Vision Tree, visit http://tinagreenewisdom.com/vision-tree/ or email her at her at Tina@TinaGreeneWisdom.com.

Vision Tree Photo Gallery

Please scroll over and click below for the full-size image and photo captions.

Vision Tree leaves: Gravid, Radical Inclusivity, Compassion

CSL Davis begins its own Vision Tree

Tina Greene with the Vision Tree

Rev. Patricia Davies with the "We Are CSL" Vision Tree

Vision Tree leaves: Clarity, Forgiveness, Love

The post Vision Tree: We Are CSL appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

Online Exclusive: Gratitude Practice

SOM Magazine — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 12:53:34 +0000

The Wonder of Gratitude »

By Barbara Doern Drew and Walter Drew |
Walter Drew and Barbara Doern Drew have been involved with Science of Mind as students, teachers, writers and through leadership roles for more than 20 years. Contact them at DrewDoernDrew@Gmail.com.

“There is a fundamental spiritual quality to gratitude that transcends religious traditions. Gratitude is a universal human experience that can seem to be either a random occurrence of grace or a chosen attitude to create a better experience of life; in many ways it contains elements of both. Grateful people sense that they are not separated from others or from God; this recognition of unity with all things brings a deep sense of gratefulness, whether we are religious or not.”

Angeles Arrien’s description above captures much of the essential nature of gratitude and its importance to a meaningful, interconnected existence. A cultural anthropologist, author and shaman, Arrien delves into the many dimensions of gratitude from a multicultural perspective in her book “Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life.” We spent several months on a journey of experiencing the transformational effects of a daily spiritual practice of gratitude. Here’s what we learned.

Expressions of Gratitude

The expression of gratitude takes many forms. Perhaps most simply, gratitude can be expressed as a “thank you” when someone does something kind. While this automatic response is valuable and may be genuine, there can also be a perfunctory quality to it that limits its potential full effect on both the person saying it and the one receiving it.
We can make a conscious decision to seek out things to be grateful for, making gratitude a regular spiritual practice in our lives. In doing so, we develop what Arrien refers to as “grateful seeing.” She elaborates: “The ability to look first for what is good and working in our lives without minimizing or denying the hardships or challenges that are also present. Focusing on the benefits and goodness that are all around us leads to feelings of gratitude, and this creates a multiplier effect: The experience of gratitude generates a sense of well-being. And the better we feel, the more good we will do. Gratitude and the actions it stimulates also build and strengthen social bonds and friendships.

“This practice of grateful seeing, looking for the good, allows us to see the gift of love — given and received — that is present in our lives.”

Thankful expression may also be anticipatory gratitude. In the five-step affirmative prayer developed by Dr. Ernest Holmes, gratitude is the critical fourth step. Once we acknowledge that Spirit is all there is and that we are one with this power, and we speak our words for some outcome, we give thanks in advance for knowing that what we have declared is already done in the Mind of God. There is no more for us to do except release it into the law of cause and effect to manifest in form. This is a high-level gratitude consciousness where we tap into the truth of how life works.
In its own category, outside of our personal volition, is the numinous gratitude we experience in moments of grace, when it wells up from within us unbidden. When this occurs, we are often overcome with feelings of joy and unbounded love, frequently accompanied by tears. There may be no “object” for this gratitude, as we are filled with the wonder and awe of being alive and the majesty of the human experience. This is a state of pure being, where no action is necessary.
However we express our gratitude, being grateful enhances our lives and, by extension, the world. According to Robert Emmons, the eminent scientific expert on gratitude, “The significance of gratitude lies in its ability… to enrich human life. Gratitude elevates, it energizes, it inspires, it transforms. People are moved, opened and humbled through experiences and expressions of gratitude. Gratitude provides life with meaning by encapsulating life itself as a gift. Without gratitude, life can be lonely, depressing, impoverished.”

Grateful Seeing in Action

Here is Barbara’s recent exploration of gratitude: In February 2016, I tore the meniscus in my right knee and could neither bend, straighten nor put weight on my leg for the three weeks before surgery. I had to cancel a trip with Walter to the annual Spiritual Living Convention, which added an element of emotional disappointment. I realized that I could either take the stance of feeling like a victim, or I could use the experience as an opportunity for growth. I set an intention to focus on the latter, and as soon as Walter left for eight days, I started a gratitude journal to begin to consciously look for the blessings in the situation.

Friends Rinpoche and Jadzia top the list of things for which Barbara is grateful in her daily life.

Beginning with writing about my gratitude for small things in the moment — the constant companionship of our spirited cats and devoted golden retriever, the setting sun lighting up the New Mexico winter sky and so on — my gratitude expanded to many areas of my life, flowing more and more freely over the next eight days. I got back in touch with how much I love journaling in the treasured quiet moments of the day.
Friends and family stepped up to help out, and I realized that none of this deepening of relationships with others would have occurred had I not hurt my knee. Establishing a practice of grateful seeing during this time led to its continuation over the next few months and into the present, creating a shift to seeing the presence of Spirit everywhere when I pay attention. I feel more peaceful, content and connected with the life around me.

The sun sets and lights up the New Mexico winter sky.

Walter shares his gratitude for another kind of grateful seeing, that which is brought about by the perspective of time: A preteen physical exam led me to believe that I was not whole, perfect or complete. I believed that I could not produce offspring, and I was teased, ridiculed and unhappy for several years.
Looking back with a 60-year perspective, I can express gratitude for that time in my life that seemed so painful. I realize that who I am today has been in large part shaped by those circumstances, which led me to move 2,000 miles away from home to create a new life in a new state. They led me to a unique creative expression that likely never would have found form had I stayed where I was raised. I have come to know that regardless of outer appearances, we are all whole, perfect and complete, just as we are. There is no need for regret, just gratitude to be expressed.

Opportunities for Gratitude Abound

It’s amazing how when we start seeking out things for which to be grateful, we find that they are limitless. The list we developed from our own life experiences moves through many categories, from our 28-year ever-evolving relationship and loving family members, friends and pets to our meaningful careers, the spiritual communities in which we are involved and the opportunities for service. It meanders through our colorful gardens to the natural beauty of planet Earth and its sustaining resources. We acknowledge the impact of profound spiritual teachers and teachings on us individually, our relationship and the larger world. We are grateful for the healers who have showed up to assist us through challenging situations.
We also give thanks for the spiritual practices that weave through our lives, assisting us in our conscious evolution. Meditation, reading the inspirational Daily Guides in this magazine and expressing gratitude are part of our daily routines. Other valuable practices include forgiveness, compassion for self and others, releasing old beliefs and patterns, visioning, living in accord with our life purpose, and taking and teaching inspirational classes.

The Good blooms when planted in great gratitude.

We have discovered that we can even be grateful for the painful or challenging circumstances in our lives. We are working on shortening the time between being grateful in hindsight to being grateful as close to the difficult event as possible and, ultimately, during it. We have learned over time that Spirit is always present and that these kinds of situations have produced great personal growth, providing tools we use in everyday life.
Expanding beyond the visible universe, we are grateful for the one indivisible Source of all life, which has chosen to express itself in wildly diverse forms throughout the cosmos and supports each one of us with its ever-present love, wisdom and creativity.

The Impact of Gratitude

Arrien acknowledges the transformative power of gratitude: “Through conscious and sustained practice over a period of time, we can discover again how gratitude and all its related qualities — thankfulness, appreciation, compassion, generosity, grace and so many other positive states — can become integrated and embodied in our lives. And when people in great numbers choose to practice, integrate and embody gratitude, the cumulative force that is generated can help create the kind of world we all hope for and desire for ourselves and for future generations.”

Making Gratitude a Spiritual Practice

Once we begin to notice all the opportunities to be grateful, how do we go about making it a spiritual practice? Here are a few suggestions:

We can set an intention to practice grateful seeing throughout the day, looking for the good in our experiences. A gratitude journal is a great tool for recording these observations, as is sharing them aloud with another person.
Verbally expressing our gratitude is important. Saying “thank you” to our partner for taking out the trash or to someone who helps us in the grocery store creates a ripple effect that spreads the positive energy out into our immediate circles and beyond. When possible, tell the person specifically what you appreciate about them. The atmosphere tangibly shifts when we make these brief, heartfelt acknowledgments.
In today’s busy world, sending cards with handwritten thank-you notes seems to be a lost art, but we all know how wonderful it is to receive a card in the mailbox. Online cards also enable us to share our gratitude.
As a daily email routine, writing a short note or two to friends, family or colleagues, thanking them for who they are and what they do, helps us express our gratitude.
If you experience disconnection from someone and have been feeling judgmental, think of three things you are grateful for about the person. This slight shift in focus begins to soften the edges and helps you move toward reconnection and appreciation.

The post Online Exclusive: Gratitude Practice appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

Speedy the 100-year-old Tortoise

SOM Magazine — Sun, 28 May 2017 10:09:06 +0000

Speedy Has Lived an Exciting Life »

Sandy Chapman, a valued member of our editorial team, shared this photo of her family’s beloved tortoise, Speedy. Sandy shares, “My grandfather found him on the desert outside of Los Angeles sometime in the 1920s and gave him to my mother in the 1930s. She named him Speedy, which is really pretty accurate. He moves a lot faster than you’d think, especially when he’s escaping from the yard. Bruce and I got him in 1983, and he now lives with our veterinarian’s assistant. He developed kidney problems and needed more care than we could give him. I’m intending to write a children’s book about him. He’s had a pretty adventurous life for a tortoise!”

Speedy is an amazing reptile friend we celebrate as part of our “For the Love of Pets” special issue. He’s seen below eating his favorite treat, frozen crabapples that have been thawed.

Speedy’s favorite treat is frozen crabapples that have been thawed.

The post Speedy the 100-year-old Tortoise appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

In Memoriam: The Gift of Gabby

SOM Magazine — Tue, 01 May 2018 14:57:19 +0000

Gabby the Macaw Stole Their Hearts »

Ryan Van Stelten and Gabby share a very special bond. Gabby lets him cradle her and gives him kisses.

Animal lover Suzi Van Stelten knew Gabby had found her forever home with their family.

Our sweet friend Gabby made her transition in spring 2018. We honor her survivor spirit here with a story from the June 2017 issue.
With three dogs, a rescue bunny, a full fish tank and four other birds, the Van Stelten family didn’t know they needed another pet.
Gabby the Macaw has an inspiring story of survival in the June issue of Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind magazine.
The Van Steltens may have rescued Gabby from a life of trauma, but she has just as many gifts to share — genuine nurturing, compassion and a unique love that has brought their family even closer.

Check out Gabby’s dance moves in the video below. You’ll have a new appreciation for her love of life after reading what she’s endured for this second chance.

The post In Memoriam: The Gift of Gabby appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

Art Honoring Animals

SOM Magazine — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:07:14 +0000

Music and Poetry Dedicated to Our Pets »

In the June 2018 issue of Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind magazine, musicians Karen Karsh and Park Peters inspire with their tales of triumph and gratitude over adversity (both are vision-impaired, bold performers). Karsh shares a special bond with her service dog, Faulkner, and Peters is father to five cats at his home studio in Denver.
Enjoy one of Peters’ original songs below, “If Not Now, When?” Some lyrics are available in the June 2018 issue in the “Mindful Music” feature devoted to Park Peters and Karen Karen by Dr. Kent Rautenstraus:
http://csl.org/magazine/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2018/06/If-Not-Now-When.mp3

Another artist to share her passion for pets is Religious Science practitioner Elizabeth Allen. Based at Om Center for Spiritual Living in La Mesa, California, Allen’s books and poetry are all about her life with animals, stories of deep love and loss intermixed with her New Thought journey.
Discover more about Allen’s work in the world and her published books on her website: ElizabethMJAllen.com

Here is a beautiful poem from Allen called “Ashami Rests.”
Ashami Rests
by Elizabeth Allen
He came around and I mean around
When I was no more looking
But searching
For peace
In a smoky quartz haze of tears
From losing the last one
His bright light shattering like a fallen moon
Upon dark days
Now gone
But somehow a little
Back again
For he has gone too
Not far
But still away
Yet he did what he came here to do
No easy or little task
Taking the hug from the tree &
Tugging the heart without moving a muscle
Chirping his sound around town
Into his final home
Down by the coast
Gentle days
Thriving under her care
Set up for life, I’d say
Worry-free
She dished sunlight up for dinner
Moonlight up for tea
And the days awash with a living
Of breakable blessings
Like china in tea
A life of little fuss
Poured
Into the night of liquid light
While angels shuffled
Between his fur-lined paws
Deep in the dirt now
Under Mother Earth
Beneath Father Sky
Ashami rests his silken crested soul
Into divinely orchestrated bliss
Like electricity out to sea
Adrift now
Spirit free
Ashami wrapped in stars
Draped in infinite love
As quiet adoration rings
And Ashami wonders
What’s for tea?

The post Art Honoring Animals appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

Love Always: A Reflective Reminder

SOM Magazine — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 14:08:14 +0000

Reminders of Divine Love »

By Rev. Dr. Bob Luckin
Love others — they are your breath of life.
Love the past, the present and the future.
Be the child who falls to his knees from the power of his own laughter.
Be the song every lover hears in the passion of a perfect union.
Be the leaves on the tallest tree who long to fall and kiss the ground.
Be the love that bends hard corners into hearts and clouds into pillows.
Love the ego you have abandoned along with all the disowned parts of yourself and others.
When there is nothing you have not loved, lay down and sleep.
Lie down and dream the dreams that lovers dream.
When you wake, you will be awakened.
Love everything you touch, everything you see and most of all, love me.
Love me in all my many forms. I am the love you are meant to be.

The post Love Always: A Reflective Reminder appeared first on Guide for Spiritual Living.

Photo Gallery: Your Beloved Pets

SOM Magazine — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:18:06 +0000

Big Love to You and Your Furry, Feathered and Scaly BFFs »

Inspiring, silly, fun and doggone life-changing. We honor our readers and the beings who make their lives complete. We’ve created this online gallery to share your favorite photos.
You can send your pet photos to LovePets@ScienceOfMind.com, and please check back often for updates to this page.