“Use your intellect, imagination and feeling for the purpose of seeing and sensing freedom instead of bondage, joy instead of unhappiness, plenty instead of want, health in place of disease. The very denial of your good keeps that good from you.” —Ernest Holmes
Every year around election time, I pull out Ernest Holmes “Prayer for My Country.” I pass it around to friends and social media and pray it feverishly in hopes that people who think like me will step up and vote so that my candidate will win.
When I read the prayer recently, I realized that what I was doing was based in fear. I slipped back into my childhood ways of beseeching God — please bring me the bike I want for Christmas or please help our team win the football game.
Ernest’s prayer has nothing to do with elections, politics or winning. The prayer is acknowledging a vision of our country where “success, prosperity and happiness are now operating in the affairs of every individual in this country.”
In his recent talk (October 9), Dr. David Alexander stated the importance of embodiment. He said we are missing the point if we are trying to GET something. We already live in a divine flow of life. Ernest Holmes states, “God’s Creative Power of Mind is right here. We have as much of this power to use as we believe in and embody.” It is our work to align, believe and embrace this good.
I realized Ernest’s Prayer for My Country is an opportunity for me to stand in agreement with this vision, to heal my places of unforgiveness, release resentment and fear. My work is to surrender my belief in separation and my belief that my way is the right way. My work is to be of service to my community, take responsibility for my actions and speak with good purpose.
My work is to vote with a loving heart for our country and embody the vision “…this spiritual democracy shall endure, guaranteeing to everyone in this country personal liberty, happiness and self-expression.”
“Truly, the peace, health and plenty of prosperity come not by chance but in accordance with the laws of prosperous thinking.” Catherine Ponder
A friend was describing her book club to me. She said they called it a book club but it was actually an organ recital because they spent more time complaining about what was going wrong with their internal organs than they did reading the book. Funny — and completely relatable.
It is so easy to do! Pain in the body takes all our attention. Recognizing physical limitations can take an emotional toll on us. We can feel frustration and a deep sense of grief when we lose the physical abilities we once had.
We know whatever we put our attention on increases. As we complain about what is not working we notice more of what is not working. It’s like a car speeding down a steep hill: If you don’t stop it in the beginning, it will just pick up momentum and speed out of control. Before you know it, our aches and pains have completely taken over our thought process.
Charles Fillmore says, “The law is that my body is transformed by the renewing of the mind.” I acknowledge my flexibility, strength and energy—even on those days where it feels like I don’t have any. I appreciate the parts of that are in good working order and send love to those parts that are aching and in pain.
I bless my body temple which houses my living Spirit within me. My voice is an instrument for peace, my hands a medium for service. My feet and legs transport me so that I many be vehicle to express Divine Love in the world.
Breathe. Move. Give thanks. And bless your body temple.
Affirmation: I bless my body temple and my vitality, energy, stamina and endurance.
If we look for validation from the outside world, our worthiness may seem elusive at times. Worthiness is not based on your financial portfolio, career achievement, or the car you drive. Worthiness is an inside job. It is a conscious connection we make knowing we are an extension of the creative energy of life itself. We are loved unconditionally just as we are.
When we make that connection with worthiness, we are lifted into a sense of well-being. We know that each aspect of self— spirit, mind, body and emotions— is an intricate part of our wholeness. We have an awareness of this holistic nature and have an appreciation of how it all works together for our highest good.
When our worthiness is in alignment with our sense of well-being we feel a deep appreciation which lifts us into the powerful presence of love. Love opens us to Infinite Wisdom available to us at every moment. Divine Wisdom is the creative spark, inspiration, illumination that shows up just when we need it. It can appear as needed information, project support revealed or simply a connection from a friend. Wisdom is inner knowing that all is well.
Yet this can all feel elusive when we are stressed, worried and hurried in life’s busy world. It takes conscious effort to stop, listen, and allow ourselves to be nurtured and nourished.
Take time to step away from your calendar, computer and commitments. Schedule a time and place where you can renew and replenish. Hone your spiritual practice in on your sacredness. Celebrate your Oneness with the Divine.
Warning: Shameless plug here!
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You are worthy. You are powerful. You are amazing. You are loved.
“If you can’t do something about the situation in your life, go be a blessing to someone else.” Joyce Meyer
We spend so much time worrying about things we often can’t do anything about. We obsess about family and friends and wish they would change. We wake up stressing about things that haven’t happened yet. We worry for the world, for the planet, for our children.
Something powerful happens when we move from the place of needing to get something to being willing to give. The best place to start is being willing to listen. Listen to the experiences of others. Listen to their stories, their pain, their process. Practice listening and not responding. Listen without attachment.
Then when you are ready to move outside your comfort zone, a good question to ask yourself is: “How can I be of service for the highest good today? Please guide me to think the thoughts, speak the words and take the actions that will allow me to be love, and to bring that love into service.” Then observe everything from that moment forward as a sign responding to that question.
You are needed during this very important time. Some are needed to be in prayer and meditation, others are needed to give hugs or to hold signs, others are needed to service in positions of influence. Some are needed to raise a family, to care for others, or to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
You are needed. Your gifts are needed. Your presence is needed. Your love and peace are needed. Ask yourself, “Where can I be a blessing today?”
“As I become conscious of my Oneness with God, I am filled with enthusiasm and a sense of energy and vitality.” – Ernest Holmes
Feeling tired lately? You are not alone! Vitality seems to be in short supply these days. There are so many challenges that drain our energy and can leave us sleepless and exhausted.
Vitality Is defined an exuberance; living with purpose. But some days it can be quite a feat to move from exhausted to vitality. It takes practice to take a breath, take a pause, and let go of our self-imposed demands. It often takes courage to ask for help and compassion to release our need for perfection. When we practice letting go we open the heart to more love, and we naturally feel more enthusiasm and vitality for life.
I feel vitality when I am in nature, at the ocean, forest, or desert, I feel a newness and freshness. My friend feels it when she is with her granddaughter. The world seems to stop and she is completely in the moment and in a state of unconditional love. Another friend feels exactly the same way when playing with her dog, feeling immense love and joy.
When we tap into vitality we are tapping into our connection with the divine and the life force energy. We feel an aliveness and appreciation for life itself. Eric Butterworth describes vitality as “All the the attributes of the Infinite are in focus as you, flowing forth through you. You are this flow.”
Pay attention to what makes you feel energized. You may not feel it every day and that’s okay. If we are willing to recognize vitality and pay attention, it happens more frequently. To some it may show up as an abundance of energy and to others it may be a quiet sense of purpose and gratitude. Wherever we are, we are connecting with the frequency of love.
“You are not asking that a force outside of you magically change external circumstances; you are asking that a Divine Guide within you change the nature of your thoughts.” –Marianne Williamson
How easy it is to fall into the black hole of ‘what if?’ The mind immediately leaps to the worse case scenario imaging the suffering in tribulation of what might happen in the future.
Imagine instead that we took dominion of our thinking. Imagine if we claimed the highest and greatest good for ourselves and humanity. That my friend is the true power of prayer.
I invite you to pray for yourself to know the highest good. Pray for our country and see that success, prosperity and freedom are the divine inheritance of everyone in our country. Pray for our neighbors around the world seeing peace, wholeness and harmony for all.
When you find yourself falling down the rabbit hole of despair, STOP, shift your attention to the power of prayer. Breathe in and give thanks. And know that you are loved.
