I have been doing a lot of introspection recently, and a lot of retrospection.
It was about a year ago that we started holding our services at Studio 9. We have certainly had a lot of changes since then! We started off in a smaller classroom that suited us to a T. It was a great, intimate start to our in-person gatherings, and it felt so good to see everyone, face-to-face. We then moved into the main auditorium and got into a routine with volunteers, new and old, to step in and help. It has been a fun time, figuring out the best way to do things in our new location and I think it is down to a fine art now!
We are still in a place of change. Dr. Deborah Gordon has retired and been away travelling lots. We welcomed our interim minister, Rev. Karin Wilson, in January, and we will be looking for a new Pastor.
I don’t know about you, but I have a love / hate relationship with change. I am very much a creature of habit, but I do love discovering new places, things to do and people. I loved discovering all that Studio 9 has to offer and I have come to feel very much at home there, and love to see our community attending, whether in-person or on our “love stream” (as Rev. Barb Samuel calls it).
But you know what? I find myself at a place in my life where my spiritual life has changed; it has expanded into my life in a bigger way than I ever thought it could. While I have struggled recently with getting back into my meditation practice (no thanks to COVID-19), I have found that my mind is more often very aware of my thoughts and feelings. It is like a deepening and expansion of my awareness which helps me to be very selective with my thoughts and feelings while at the same time I find I am letting go of a lot of stuff.
Perhaps, this comes with age for many or all people, but it is new to me. My desires have changed as I have less desire for material things and want more love, more peace, more joy. I am very aware of when what I am reading, watching or listening to gets focused on the negative and will often switch off the tv, change channels or read something else. This all started when I first came to CSL Kelowna, but I have noticed it escalating recently.
I think what this all boils down to is that when you not only study the Science of Mind, but also delve into many New Thought teachers, music and make a dedicated point of incorporating spiritual practices into your daily life, then it shows up! We do not teach the Science of Mind as an intellectual exercise for people, but as life tools, spiritual tools, to practice daily, to make our lives better. And you know what? When I talk to you, our community, during fellowship after our Sunday service, I hear an awful lot about how good your lives are and even, in difficult times, you have a positive attitude and outlook on life.
I am really enjoying all this inner introspection and seeing how this manifests in the outer world. How about you?
Blessings,
Rev. Melody Bailey
If you missed yesterday’s Sunday celebration titled The Inner and Outer Spectrum, you can watch the replay and other past services on the CSLK YouTube channel.
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