America’s Got Talent: The Champions aired for the first time early this year and was ranked number one in viewership.  Over ten million viewers from around the world tuned in to be entertained and inspired by individuals who courageously shared their unique gifts.  Contestants’ hopes were high as they aspired to not only win the million-dollar prize, but to be discovered and to obtain lucrative contracts, thereby realizing their dreams.  Judges and viewers prided themselves in spotting greatness as they voted for the contestants they deemed to be among the most talented.

    This was not the case on a cold winter’s morning in January of 2007 on a platform of a busy subway in Washington D.C.  Virtuoso violinist, Joshua Bell, dressed in jeans, a tee shirt, and a baseball cap played his 3.5 million dollar Stradivarius violin for 45 minutes during rush hour.  As part of a social experiment being conducted by the Washington Post on perception, awareness, and priorities, Joshua agreed to play 6 pieces of Bach. The same pieces he performed two days earlier at a sold out concert in Boston.  Did the thousands of people who walked by Bell notice or appreciate his talent? Surprisingly, very few people did. Six individuals thought Bell was homeless and threw money in his open violin case as they scurried by. Two adults paused for a few seconds and continued to go next door to a convenience store to buy lottery tickets, and 2 children around the age of 3 at separate times did take notice and wanted to watch, but were pulled along by their parents.  

    Neuroscientist, Dr. Shermer, was not surprised by the Washington Post experiment. After years of research and study, Shermer concludes that our brains are meaning making machines. He explains, “Our brains evolved to connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain our experiences…why things happen. These meaningful patterns become beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which adds an emotional boost of further confidence in the beliefs and, thereby accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive feedback loop of belief confirmation.”  Dr. Shermer’s work dispels the belief that our responses are primarily driven by external stimuli. For example, the behavior or actions of another is the cause of what I am experiencing physically and emotionally and the justification of my reactions (please note this information is not intended to be applied to physical or verbal abusive behavior of another).

    Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, reminds us that our consciousness is pivotal: “The conscious can look in two directions—to the outer world where the thoughts that rise within it give sensation and feeling, which ultimate in a moving panorama of visibility; or to the world within, whence all of its life, power, meaning and intelligence are derived.” This is why Fillmore professed, “The most important study was of our mind not only the intellectual mind but the spiritual mind.”   It is only through self-knowledge that we can be true Masters.  It is by becoming present and keenly aware of what we are experiencing in consciousness, thought, belief, emotion, word, and action, that we can make choices that are grounded in Principle and embody what we value. Which also empowers us to seek to understand others rather than making assumptions and spewing our judgments and criticisms onto them.  

As you go about your day, check-in with yourself and ask the following:

• What Am I feeling?
• What thoughts and beliefs am I assigning to my present experience?
• What do I value and want to be present to in this experience?
• What is the person(s) before me feeling and wanting?

    Daily devotion to self- awareness of deeply held beliefs and being honest about the conclusions you are wanting to defend and support is vital to living a life of personal empowerment and leads to the desire to connect, respect, and understand others even when we may hold a different view.   I am thrilled that 18 individuals from our community are currently participating in the Navigating my Way Through Conflict series, and I am delighted that Rev. Michelle Synegal will be presenting a powerful Sunday lesson and workshop on unconscious bias on June 23rd.  These opportunities and many others to come will help to support you in becoming more keenly self-aware and empower you to seek to connect and understand others.  When we are asleep, we behave like the D.C. subway riders failing to notice the greatness that is within and is present right in front of our eyes.

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.  And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here (Mark 16:1-7).

The above passage from the Gospel of Mark depicts the resurrection of Jesus.  Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, and Salome were secretly on the way to the tomb where Jesus lay after his crucifixion.  It was a customary Jewish practice to cleanse and anoint the body of a deceased loved one with oil and spices and then shroud the body in linen cloth. As the beloved of Jesus were on the way to the tomb they discussed their concerns about how they would be able to roll away the heavy stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. When they arrived, to their dismay they discovered that the stone had already been moved and upon entrance into the tomb they beheld a white robed young man, who they soon discovered was the resurrected Jesus.  What a jaw-dropping scene of bewilderment and awe.

Let us take a deeper look at Mark 16:1-7 through the metaphoric and metaphysical lenses.  The crucifixion, burial in the tomb, and the resurrection correlate to the cyclical nature of our lives as we move through endings, release what has come to pass, and step into new beginnings.  In order for us to move through the seasons of our lives, we must be willing to awaken in consciousness and claim a greater embodiment of our Divinity. If we truly desire to be resurrected to new life we must go through all 3 stages continuously throughout our lives or we risk moving through life sleepwalking.    

The words crucifixion, death, and tomb have a negative, morose, and morbid connotation for many of us.  We think of death as final and not as a stage in the ongoing evolution of our soul. Additionally, we do not have the metaphysical understanding of a “tomb” as a time of pause, rest and reflection.  During “our time in the tomb” we have the opportunity to muster the willingness, strength, and courage, to roll away our “heavy stone” which stands in the way of our Greater Good. The stone represents a state of mind that is plagued with resistance, stubbornness, doubt, guilt, and/or blame.  In order to transcend victim consciousness, one must invoke Mary Magdalene, Mary Mother of James, and Salome from within, for no one can roll away the stone for us. These three women represent being a devote of Truth as one harmonizes and unifies his/her thoughts and actions to be in alignment with our Divine Nature and Power.  From a consciousness that is lit up with willingness, possibility, courage, strength and Wholeness, the stone will roll away on command allowing each one of us to emerge from the tomb resurrected to new life. I Am the resurrection and Life!

Let’s start the New Year by reflecting on a question that resides deep within the core of every human being, “For what purpose have I been born?”. Some of us are consciously aware of this query and live their whole life discerning and trying to fulfill their life’s mission while others move through life not quite sure why they feel unsatisfied even when they are financially comfortable and are surrounded by people who love and respect them.

How we become aware of our innate calling is dependent on several factors. What we hold in consciousness and what we allow to hold influence over our choices and actions has great sway over how we uncover and live out our purpose.

When we are born into this world, we are taught to believe that we should live our lives from the outside in rather than from the inside out. Cultural, familial, and societal views and norms often have greater influence over who we believe we are, what will make us happy, what roles we play, and what work we should do in the world, than our innate Divine Inner Wisdom. We come to believe that the answers we seek are out there in the world somewhere.

Eventually, we come to believe that our life’s work revolves around approval seeking, attracting the perfect life partner, and landing our dream job that will make us wealthy and/or famous, and will allow us to retire to a life of leisure and luxury. There isn’t anything wrong with notoriety, wealth, or luxury. However, when we are in pursuit of any or all of these things as our sole source of happiness, and in doing so we are not fully grounded in spiritual principle and our core values and most importantly do not call us into our sacred duty, we will not experience true fulfillment.

In the book, The Great Work of Your Life, author, Stephen Cope looks to the teachings of The Bhagavad Gita, the teachings of great mystics, and the stories of everyday people to give the reader a clear understanding of the meaning of sacred duty. Cope explains that one’s sacred duty, dharma, or vocation is to bring forth from within us our innate True Divine Nature in service to others. Discerning and living one’s sacred calling is not an easy task for the majority of individuals, therefore, throughout The Great Work of Your Life, Cope shares how to discern your sacred duty, describes how to identify and overcome the obstacles to living one’s dharma, and how one must allow one’s dharma to be fluid throughout his/her life and does not end when one retires from the work force.

On January 13, 2019, I will begin a nine week Sunday 10:30 a.m. talk series on the Four Pillars of Dharma and how these teachings can assist you in coming home to your True Self. I invite you to join me and discover how you can deepen your commitment to living a life of meaning and purpose.

“Every man and woman has a vocation to be someone; but he/she must understand clearly that in order to fulfill this vocation he/she can only be one person; himself/herself.” ~ Thomas Merton

   Historians, theologians, and biblical scholars have debated for years what is fact and what is fiction regarding the birth of Jesus.  If Jesus’s birth was so significant and believed to be an anticipated and miraculous birth, why do only two of the gospels, Matthew and Luke, include a birth story, whereas, earlier writings like Paul’s letters and Mark, of the New Testament do not include any details about the birth of Jesus?  How can Mary have conceived a virgin birth? Was Jesus really born in a manger on the twenty-fifth day of December? These are just a few questions pondered and argued in the fact or fable discussion concerning the birth of Jesus by Christians and those from other faith traditions.

    In a lecture given by Charles Fillmore, Unity co-founder, on December 24, 1911, he states, “Now, as history we know that the birth of Jesus Christ did not occur at this season of the year.  There are no records that tell definitely when he was born, not even the year. We are told he was born in either March or April-some time in the spring.” As he continues, he calls students of Truth to reflect instead on the rich symbolism of the season.  Marcus Borg and John Crossan, authors of The First Christmas, concur with Fillmore’s assertion and explain that prior to the year 350 Christians all over the world celebrated the birth of Jesus at different times of the year.  Some celebrated the birthday of Jesus in March, some in April, some in May, and some in November. Marcus and John state, “Around the year 350 Pope Julius of Rome declared December 25 as the date, thereby, integrating it with a Roman winter solstice festival celebrating the Birth day of the Unconquered Sun.”   

    Fillmore, Borg, and Crossman agree that the narratives depicting the birth of Jesus, like all biblical text, not only must be viewed through the historical context of the time period, but also be viewed metaphorically, metaphysically, and symbolically.  One of Jesus’s favorite methods of teaching was through parable to convey spiritual and moral lessons to the disciples and his followers. The “Good Samaritan” and the “Prodigal Son” are just 2 of the renowned parables reported to be spoken by Jesus. Therefore, it would be natural that the authors of Matthew and Luke would create parabolic birth stories over 60 years after the death of Jesus.  The birth narratives of Matthew and Luke differ significantly, however, the symbolism of new life, light against darkness, joy, and hope are themes that can be extracted from the narratives.

    The birth of Jesus in an outdoor, meager manger on a cold, bleak, “dark” winter night as told in Luke creates the perfect setting and mood for the birth of a messiah.  Additionally, study of this time period reveals that the peasant class, the majority of the population, lived under harsh rule, discrimination, and oppression. During the height of his teaching and preaching days, Jesus brought a new, fresh, hopeful message to the people as he proclaimed, “The Kingdom of God is within” and “I AM the Light of the World”.  His message of Truth, joy, hope, and love inspired people to rise above bleak circumstances by seeking their guidance, power, and wisdom from within, and by joining in solidarity with their neighbors to support one another in Love.

    Isn’t Jesus’s message relevant and words to live by today?  We are going through challenging and dark times. Regularly, we witness corruption, violent mass shootings, a weakening of our 3 branches of government, and acts of racial, religious, gender, and sexual, intolerance.  Like the peasants centuries ago, are you waiting for a “messiah”, a new congress, a new president, a new governor, etc., to save you and our country from the darkness? Or are you claiming and realizing your Christ Light within as you take bold, courageous, action to change your life and to be of service to your neighbors.  When the majority of the people of this nation stand in solidarity as the Light of the World it is then we will collectively experience a miraculous and holy new birth. For we are the ones we have been waiting for. Bring joy, hope, love, and light to the world. I call you to bring it!!!!

Happy Birthday Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, co-founders of Unity!  This past August Unity Worldwide Ministries celebrated the 173rd birthday anniversary of Myrtle and the 164th birthday anniversary of Charles.  Like many spiritual masters, Charles and Myrtle did not originally set out to establish a movement of churches or ministries or to form a new religion.  

As a young girl, Myrtle was very sickly and became afflicted with tuberculosis in early adulthood.  At the age of 10, Charles had a skating accident and dislocated his hip, which was the cause of an invalid leg.   In the mid to late 1800’s, Myrtle and Charles began studying the works of philosopher and theologian Ralph Waldo Emerson and the works of new thought metaphysicians, such as, Mary Baker Eddy, Emma Curtis Hopkins, and E.B. Weeks.  One evening while attending a lecture given by E.B. Weeks, Myrtle had an awakening when she heard him profess, “I am a child of God, and therefore, I do not inherit sickness.” In that moment she had the spiritual realization that the life in her was God, the animating Source of all creation, therefore, she could never be inseparable from God and that she was Divinely Whole.  

Myrtle became determined to shift her consciousness from a long held and deep-seated belief that she was destined to be ill to claiming Wholeness in body, mind and spirit.  She committed herself to a daily devotion of affirmative prayer where she would speak words of Truth, Love, Strength and Power to all of her organs. Recognizing the power of the spoken word and thought Myrtle refrained from speaking “gossipy, frivolous, petulant, angry words” and remained vigilant every hour to affirm the activity of renewing life within her.  Within two years, Myrtle was healed of a life-threating disease and vowed to teach and empower others to direct the life within through the power of heart-centered belief, the spoken word and deed.  With Zeal Myrtle proclaimed, “I want everybody to know about this beautiful, true law, and to use it. It is not a new discovery, but when you use it and get the fruits of health and harmony, it will seem new to you, and you will feel that it is your own discovery.” Like Jesus, the Master Teacher, Myrtle believed, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these (John 14:12 NRSV).”

It wasn’t long before people got wind of Myrtles “miraculous” healing and began flocking to her for support in healing a multitude of aliments.  In the meantime, Charles Fillmore remained skeptical about the ability to heal through the power of mind action and decided to test it out for himself.  He too began participating in affirmative prayer and meditation and was vigilant to hold and speak life affirming thoughts and words throughout the day. In time, Charles healed his handicapped leg and became enthusiastic about empowering others to claim Wholeness. Shortly thereafter, the Unity Movement was born with the first publication of Modern Thought magazine with its tagline, “Devoted to the Spiritualization of Humanity from an Independent Standpoint.” This magazine publication in 1890 was renamed Thought and in 1895 morphed into Unity Magazine which still remains in publication today.  

Soon after Myrtle’s healing, she began hosting a prayer circle in the Fillmore home.  In the April 1890 issue of Thought, Myrtle invited readers who desired healing to join in silent soul communion at 10 p.m. each evening affirming statements of Truth that were printed in each issue of the magazine.  Prayer requests began coming in from all over the nation and in 1890, The Society of Silent Help was born.  The Fillmore’s were pioneers of their time and began a new thought radio broadcast and a telephone prayer ministry.   In no time, the Society of Silent Help became Silent Unity, our current day 24 hour 7 day a week prayer ministry, as they devoted their efforts to be a source of Truth and healing to others.  

In an effort to honor our healing roots this year, Silent Unity’s theme for World Day of Prayer on September 13th is “The Courage to Heal” which Unity by the Shore will be participating in.  Additionally, in October both during the Sunday service and in a class series I invite you to explore the teachings of Myrtle and Charles Fillmore, as well as, modern day teachers and mystics, on healing and wholeness.  Let us take this journey together in claiming Wholeness and in the words of Myrtle, “When we learn to become still and know the I AM, we lack nothing.”