What a wonderful celebration we had on Sunday – where we recognized the commitment to Conscious Evolution that our students, practitioners and ministers have had, and the evolution of consciousness that is truly available to any of us who chooses. It’s not lost on me that none of our students, practitioners, or ministers are ‘special’ in any way; all are just people who’ve made a decision to follow a path and to choose lives of personal empowerment and then to share that with our community both here and in the greater outside world as well.
And so, with that feeling, I’m also feeling some sadness and concern, as I’ve just heard about one of our CSL’s having to close their doors due to lack of participation and commitment from their members. And, I very much realize that according to what I’ve been reading, that’s not an uncommon experience for many churches of all religions at this time. Apparently, churches of all kinds, all over North America are finding themselves with dwindling populations, lack of participation and cohesion, which then naturally results in churches having to shut down.
I’m not sure what this means, or honestly, where it’s all going, but I do know that if spiritual communities (or any kind of community for that matter) wants to grow and thrive, that there is an investment required of all of its participants.
I had a beautiful conversation this weekend with someone who participates at a very active level with a CSL in a third world country and she was sharing with me the incredible excitement and hunger that her students have for this teaching. They are learning principles for successful living and using them actively in their lives. They find it’s making a profound difference in their experiences. She was also sharing with me how they have such gratitude for this teaching and for learning the tools that have helped them be empowered and to know that they can live lives of choice rather than lives as victims.
My friend and I got to wondering together, if as a first world country, we just take so much of our (for the most part) pretty privileged lives here for granted, so that we don’t have that same drive to really take hold of our experience of life and our futures by consistently remembering to actively use the creative power of Mind, that’s ours by our Divine Nature. We also wondered if that experience of so much privilege on our parts has decreased our gratitude for all that we have. That really caused me to reflect for myself: how much of all the good I have, including my spiritual family here locally and globally, do I take for granted?
I’m taking it upon myself to amp up both of these aspects. I want to remember more consistently and consciously that I am the co-creator of my own life, and I want to live in a state of deep and profound gratitude for both this teaching and its principles, as well as for the community of people where I can be reminded of the beauty of my life and of the life around me.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to be aware of those over the next two weeks as Kenn and I have a couple of short trips to honour some big life events. We’re going to Banff for a couple of days this week where Kenn is officiating a wedding for a dear friend. Next week, we’re going for a couple of days where he’s been asked to officiate a memorial in Denver for the daughter of a dear friend who passed too soon. I’m very aware that I’ll be choosing to remember the principle of love and the power of gratitude during both.
Blessings,
Deborah
If you missed yesterday’s service, titled Honouring and Celebrating Conscious Evolution, you can watch the replay and other past services on the CSLK YouTube channel.
MIND-FULL MOMENT
“Our greatest human adventure is the evolution of consciousness. We are in this life to enlarge the soul, liberate the spirit, and light up the brain.”
— Tom Robbins
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