Dr. Deborah Gordon is currently at the 2022 Spiritual Living Convention: Embrace the Now in California. While away, she asked me to be a guest blogger for today’s Happy Monday post. It’s such an honour, and great timing for me, because I have a lot to say about two recent events at CSL Kelowna!
The Foundations for the Science of Mind class began on January 4th, so we’ve had two classes now. Already, so many insights have come up for us as individuals and as a group. I have taken SOM classes in the past; I’ve read these very same materials before; and yet, I am constantly learning something that is fresh, new, enlightening and at times, even mind-blowing!
In The Power of Thought (chapter 8) of The Science of Mind text by Ernest Holmes, the philosophy for me is condensed into this one truth:
“Life externalizes at the level of our thought.”
It sounds simple. It kind of is simple. Yet, how empowering it is to be reminded that we choose each and every thought that outwardly manifests as things and experiences in our lives!
It’s been way too easy to get caught up in the dramas going on around us (especially these past two years), allowing our thoughts to be unconsciously dragged to places we don’t want to go. It’s so essential to be reminded of the deeper truths about our ability to consciously choose where to focus our attention, so we can get back on track creating the lives we really want to experience!
One of the practices we focussed on in our Week 2 class, is affirmations. We talked about how writing a statement for something we desire is written in the present tense, and how saying it in first person (I or me/my), second person (you/your) and third person (using your name or he/she/they) reinforces the idea. It also feels great to hear someone else say the affirmation back to you in second person, and this is something we experimented with in class. It’s like a mini prayer; we were holding the vision of what another person is affirming for themselves. This is what I chose to affirm. I invite you to try it out to see how it feels!
Which brings me to another powerful tool: Visioning. CSLK held three Visioning Sessions on Zoom, the third of which was on January 9th. As we all know, with the sale of the Pandosy Peace Centre (on top of all of the other shifts and changes our Centre and its membership have been through in recent years), our Centre is evolving and we aim to do this consciously. Visioning is perfect for that!
The Visioning process developed by Michael Beckwith helps us get in touch with our higher spiritual potential. Being led through a series of questions while in a somewhat meditative state, participants jot down answers in whatever words, thoughts or images bubbled up for them. Even if the words make no sense, we write them down; no judgement. After each session, within the group we briefly share our impressions and any common themes that come up.
While some people may intend to actively implement something that comes out of a Visioning session, for me, it was the experience of the process itself that feels most important. Just doing it has an impact. On some level, there is an energetic shift. During the process, something is already moving in the direction of those positive words we describe. It's powerful, palpable, and real.
It's such a great technique, so I'm pretty sure we'll be doing some more visioning at CSL Kelowna in the future. I encourage you to look out for the opportunity to join in and experience it for yourself! (It's open to everyone.)
Having said that, any opportunity to connect with fellow CSLK members is a chance to deepen our understanding of New Thought principles. The next event to hang out in this way is after service at Community Chat on January 23rd! We'd love to see you there!
No doubt, upon her return from the CSL convention, Dr. Deb will have more ideas to share with us, and I am already looking forward to reading about it in her Happy Monday blog post next week!
In the meantime, may you be healthy and happy! 💗
Annie
If you missed yesterday’s talk given by Amanda Pope, RScP, titled Embrace the Now, you can watch it (and other past services) on the CSLK YouTube channel.
MIND-FULL MOMENT
“To the soul that knows its own divinity, all else must gravitate. Let us, then, enlarge our thought processes and dare to think in Universal terms. Let us dare to believe that every constructive word is invincible!”
— Ernest Holmes
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