Metaphysical Healing by Marti Tote

Master of Metaphysical Healing Essay
In taking this course in Master of Metaphysical Healing I quickly realized that it put my own faith, knowledge and beliefs to the test. This course has asked some very compelling questions and demands of me and although my answers may be only my perception, I will try and answer them in my final essay to the best of my honesty, belief and my own personal experiences.
As I have been blessed with my own successful practice for that past two years as a Spiritualist, conducting Angelic Readings, providing Spiritual Guidance, Past Life Regression as well as performing as a proven medium, I could have never dreamed there was so much more to learn. I became curious to the realms of Metaphysical Healing a few years ago when my daughter became violently ill due to a surgery she had replacing parts of her knee with a cadaver donor part. As I was sitting in on the consultation between her and her doctor I became extremely uncomfortable with the idea of her allowing them to place a stranger’s body part inside of her own body. As she was 18 and legally able to make her own decisions I pleaded my concerns to her but she didn’t want them to take her own parts from the back of her knee to replace what she needed as the healing process would be longer and more painful.
I asked the doctor if I could clear and bless the cadaver body parts. He could not allow this so I projected my healing and clearing light on the day of her surgery to the actual surgery room. As she lay there, waiting for them to come and get her, I had a sudden need to place my hands over my daughters head and as I did, I realized I was asking for permission and protection through the divine light of God. She became very relaxed and peaceful. She accredited this simply to a mother’s touch. I accredited this to – I had no clue what was going on but I felt a surge of love and strength flow through my hands as I thanked God for allowing my hands to be the conductor of this peace and serenity.
Two days after her surgery she became violently ill. She was vomiting and had a fever of 104. I rushed her to the hospital and they said she could possibly be trying to reject the cadaver parts or had contacted an infection. I was fear stricken. She was so very sick and incoherent. When the nurses left the room I walked behind the head of her bed and stood over her. I spoke in a whisper and told her if she could hear me to relax. I then told her I was going to ask God for his grace to heal her. I placed my hands over the crown of her head and then I moved my right hand down to her chest with my left hand on her head.
(I am right handed.) I somehow had a knowing of this infection. I asked for this infection to leave her body.
I asked for healing light to surge through her body taking the infection through my right hand and then allowing it to flow through me to my left hand and out through the crown of her head. I acknowledged that I was aware that I was simply a tool being used for this healing and that I would trust and accept whatever the outcome. I placed my trust completely within the divine and healing light of God.
Within about 15 minutes, she became wide awake and wanted to sit up. I told her to relax as I needed to clear myself of this infection. With her eyes still closed she asked,”Mom, what did you do?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, but I think I just conducted a healing. Her fever broke and she had no more nausea. When the nurses came in they said she probably just had a reaction to the anesthesia. They offered her juice but she was craving water. We went home an hour later. That was lesson one for me.
I ordered this course to learn what had happened to us that day. I wanted to learn what I had done that day and how I had done it. And then – during this course – another opportunity presented itself. This time it was my 30 year old son.
I was on Lesson 17 when we got a call from my daughter in law telling us that our son who is a bread man could not drive home and that he was experiencing terrible dizziness and numbness in his arms. She was going to pick him up from work and take him directly to the hospital as he was having symptoms of a heart attack. We met her at the hospital to pick up our grandchildren and went home. After they examined him they sent him home with a diagnosis of vertigo. He simply needed rest.
We took the kids home that night and I walked into my son’s bedroom and lay down next to him on the bed. I placed my right hand on his chest as he was sleeping and had a knowing instantly that they had missed something. I knew it wasn’t his heart. I trusted my reading capabilities but now needed to put my class knowledge to the test. I asked for permission to come into his space and as I received that permission I instantly felt a vibration from his stomach. I felt it looked like a yellow starburst, like a small sunshine in his stomach. I asked him if he had a stomach ache. He said no. and then – just as if someone had taken me by the face and screamed at me I knew he had a block in his stomach. I could see it. It made no sense to me at all as to why this would cause vertigo but I made him promise to ask our family doctor the next day to check his stomach. Our family doctor has known me for over twenty years and he is aware of what I do for a living. He doesn’t understand it – but I knew he would listen.
So, the next day, I was reading over my lessons beginning with lesson one making sure I of what I should be doing as my son was at the doctor and our doctor gave him the old once over and told him that vertigo was quite common and to take some time off. That is when my daughter in law told him that I wanted him to check my son’s stomach. Our doctor asked if I said this specifically and my daughter in law told him yes. Reluctantly, he asked my son to lie down on the table and my son was a bit embarrassed as he said you are kidding right? Our doctor simply told him that if he didn’t check his stomach that he would never hear the end of it from me.
So as he listened with a stethoscope for about three minutes, he then pressed on my sons stomach and he about came off of the table. Our doctor then turned and slammed his hand on the wall and exclaimed, “How does she do that?!!! He has a hernia!”
My daughter in law then whispered to him that I have a knowing. He exclaimed that I was a crack pot – but that I was a correct crackpot.
My son had a hernia that was about to burst and yes this will cause vertigo. And this was lesson two of many for me.
I have gone over my lessons in this class many times. I can not possibly retain all of the terms I need to remember as I use this wonderful class as a tool. I have conducted healing sessions in my session’s room and they have been successful although they have been very light healing such as a broken heart etc. Baby steps, but I don’t mind at all. I have printed out all of my lessons and I use it as my text book. And each and every time I read it I learn and retain something new.
This is a fascinating course and although I can not recite all I have learned verbatim, my hopes are that some day I will. However, my knowing of what and how to heal is there. I have learned how to identify and ground myself to listen.
It is my belief that terminal conditions do in fact exist and I think that we do have to acknowledge these diagnoses as the proof is in the pudding so to speak – however – we do not have to accept it. In other words, this diagnosis is true in that tests have revealed it is so and if this is our spiritual path out of this existence then so be it – but what if it isn’t? What if this is simply a plight or lesson for us at this time in our life – perhaps a test of faith if you will? If this is so, then I truly do believe this is where spiritual healing comes in. What do we have to lose?
Spiritual Healing in my opinion is all in the eyes of the beholder. Yes, I am aware that some do believe it is the work of the devil – whoever he is? I do all of my work within the divine light of God therefore – the devil as he is called – has no existence in my realm of healing. I have no space for him. He too – is in the perception of the beholder. I call upon God and my angels for healing, guidance and wisdom.
When I am asked if this treatment will cause pain and how does it work, I simply say, it has been my experience that spiritual healing causes no physical pain. As I am a practicing spiritualist I have only had the experience of observing emotional pain. Lots of tears flow in my session’s room and I believe that to be the body’s way of clearing emotional toxins from within one’s self. Not to worry, most healers have lots of hugs and tissues.
I do not believe that any one person has to believe in any thing or any one that you do not want to believe in, in order to be healed. However, it is more than obvious that they do believe that an illness exists inside of them, therefore, they do have a belief in some thing. That is key. It doesn’t matter what you yourself believe as much as it matters that you believe in something. I, myself believe in the divine light of healing and I can call upon my own belief to heal through my knowledge of my lessons learned through this course, faith, love and the divine light of God. I, myself allow my client to choose the ambiance they prefer to conduct our sessions, therefore, if they want candles and a darker setting – so it will be – and if they don’t – then we wont. I created my session’s room for the privacy and comfort of my clients. I can read and heal in a garage if need be. Confidentiality and complete serenity has been beautifully created for my clients comfort and privacy and they, themselves, choose what that environment will be.
As I believe that we are all here for a reason, the healers who have prescribed other treatments have done so for a reason. That reason is based upon past experience and history of possible recovery. Therefore, I am not one to criticize another healer whether they be a surgeon or doctor or???? A client’s treatment is a personal decision that only they can make. Sadly, I can not guarantee a cure, however, what I can offer is my gift of the belief that I can call upon a higher power to allow me to help and try to heal along with other healers and my fee is based upon what they can afford. It has been my experience that when we make this about money, then we take away from the true gift. Someone else who can afford it – will pay it forward. This has always been my belief and the way I conduct my sessions. Through the healing energy I have called upon based upon my faith.
The most precious gift we are given here in this place is time. That is our only risk.
Thank you for this most enlightening class that I will be studying for many years to come.
Many Blessings in Light and Love,
Marti Tote

 

Sample Wedding Vows

Looking for your wedding vows – those special words that will marry you? Here is an assortment of traditional and non-traditional, religious and secular wedding vows to get you started. If you are getting married in a religious setting, check with your officiant as she/he may have specific words that you cannot deviate from. Otherwise, feel free to add your own embellishments, loving words, funny promises (I promise to always make your favorite apple pie!) and inside jokes.

I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

I, (name), take you, (name), to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife), my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

I (name), take you (name) to be my (husband/wife), my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.

In the presence of God and these our friends I take thee to be my husband/wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband/wife so long as we both shall live.

I, (name), take you, (name), to be my friend, my lover, the (mother/father) of my children and my (husband/wife). I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.

I, [name], choose you [name] to be my [husband/wife], to respect you in your successes and in your failures, to care for you in sickness and in health, to nurture you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life.

I, (name), take you, (name), to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the (man/woman) you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us.

After both have said individual vows, they may wish to say something in unison such as:

Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.

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The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 
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Wiccan Basic Training

The Wiccan Basic Training Course did not hold my interest as much as the other courses I have taken though the ULC Seminary. I truly had misgivings when I found most of the course online at another website and for free. By time my concerns were passed onto the Seminary, Lord Skywalker had passed into the Summerland. Perhaps communication with him would have removed the barrier I had erected regarding the validity of this course.
That being said, Lord Skywalker touched on many subjects and showed the variety, scope and depth of Wicca.
This is obviously a subject which cannot be learned through reading but must be lived. The course was written from personal experience and holistic viewpoint, unlike some agenda driven books I’ve read on Wicca and practitioners encountered. Any magik works and ceremonies were pleasant, gentle and always reminding of the nature of magik and its power, his web links fun and informative.
I particularly liked the lessons on pendulum use and dowsing. These were non invasive uses of energy and fun to play with. As with all Wicca, practice, total concentration and dedication made worlds of difference in the outcome. I found the most successful attempts at these occurred when I didn’t have any stimulant in my system i.e. coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar. Windy days seemed to interfere with dowsing as I couldn’t keep a steady energy going and consecrating the dowsing tool with the element searched for seemed to make a positive difference in the outcome.
The Banishing Lesson #24, confused me, why were Wiccans using the Hebrew Kabbala and invoking the Hebrew God Yahweh and archangels Rapheal, Gabriel, Auriel and Micheal? And then end with an Irish blessing? All the components, deities and rituals are familiar to me; I’ve not encountered them in this combination. This lesson just didn’t have the feel of the other lessons, although it does demonstrate the variety and freedom Wicca allows.
I would recommend this as an introduction to Wicca; it appears some on the Forum has taken to filling some of the blanks left by Lord Starwalker’s passing, thank you.
A personal note, Wicca is an earth religion; therefore the practice of it is subject to one’s surroundings. The ceremonies, herbs, simple feasts, garments or lack of, tools etc…in my opinion, should reflect and be a part of the natural surroundings. The ethics, soul and spirit of Wicca is universal, the practice is regional.
May the Energy Which Animates Your Heart bring your Hearts desire, and the Lord and Lady bring their Blessings.
Rev. Linda Spicer
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning, I’ve watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.

Spiritual Leadership

Master of Spiritual Leadership
Lesson 1 Introduction
What are your expectations in your pilgrimage
           Find my true self
           Give the best of me at all the time
Tree Pillars…….Perfect Health
                             Perfect Relationship
                             Financial freedom
Five Goals…………Love
                                 Gratitude
                                  Faith
                                 Compassion
                                 Wisdom
Five Principles…….Be impeccable with my words
                                  Don’t take anything personally
                                   Don’t make assumption
                                   Always do my best
                                   Be skeptical but learn to listen
Just for today and everyday follow the path of truth
                                  Do not anger
                                   Do not anger
                                   Be filled with gratitude
                                   Devote myself to work
                                   Be kind to people
More to live by
              Live life like I will died tomorrow
                                          and learn as I will live forever
             Listen to the silence… heard the little voice inside myself and make the connection with God myself and the Universe
               Live a life with Simplicity Humility and Integrity
                Perfect harmony
                Be an example and leave a legacy

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.


Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual Awakening
I have been thinking about what it means to be spiritually awake and have not yet figured out what that means.  I have been going from one Internet site after another looking for information that will explain exactly what spiritual awakening is all about.
The closest I came to finding an answer talked about being a Christian and all that has to it.  But, being a Christian is only a very small part of what it means to be spiritually awake.  One site talked about the attributes of a spiritually awake person in a paper titled “The Purpose of Life is Spiritual Growth”.  I can agree with this statement but still it is only a title to a paper.  Within the paper it gives a statement about the fact that there are two types of people in this world.  One is the materialist minded person and the other is the spiritually-minded person.  The paper says that a person with a “materialistic mind is greedy, selfish, competitive, cold-hearted, deceitful, unintelligent, close-minded, ill mannered, unfriendly, easily addicted, overly emotional, easily angered, revengeful, vicious, barbaric, inhumane and war like.  They are destructive through their thoughts, words and actions”.  The paper goes on to describe the “spiritually minded person as being generous, kind, helpful, cooperative, loving, forgiving, caring, considerate, compassionate, patient, calm, honest, intelligent, logical, open-minded, friendly and peaceful.  They are constructive through their thoughts, words and actions”.
How many of you would describe your self as being a materialistic person with all the characteristic of that kind of a person?  Very few of you I’m sure, but do you not display those kinds of attributes from time to time?  You could say, “I’m only normal” and you are.  We all present to the world both kinds of mannerisms and we are both materialistic and spiritual people. Some of us believe that we are more spiritual than the other, andthat’s OK.
Now, what can we do to become totally spiritually awake?  Well, I think that the description above of the spiritual minded person tells all.  We can be that kind, generous and loving person we claim to be 24/7.  It only takes a little mindfulness to make it so.  Keeping in mind those attribute that make us a spiritual person.
Ok, you are a spiritual person, so what do you do to prove it?  Do you work with the sick and dying?  Do you go to church and pray for all the non-Christians in this world?  Maybe there are other things you do that you believe proves that you are a spiritually awakened person.  Or, maybe you just think about all that without doing anything… Maybe…
I want to be a totally awaken spiritual person and I want you to awaken also.  We can change this world from being totally materialistic to be spiritually oriented world in 2012.  2012 will bea year of change, a transitional world into the higher aspects of the spiritual life.  You and I can be apart of that.  We only have to make up our minds to be so by promoting to the world that we are indeed a spiritually awaken person.
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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Christian Ethics

Myrna L. Durr
Dr. of Christian Ethics
Lessons XI & XII


1. Define Caritas & Cupitas
     A. As used in Lesson XI and defined by Augustine, the definition of Caritas is man’s love of God.  The Latin translation would be a reference to charity, virtue, or love for all.

     B. Lesson IX refers to Cupitas as the love of the world.  The Latin reference is to desired.

2. Knudson’s view on the disjunction of agape and eros is a false abstraction.
     A. Knudson states that to exclude self-love and duties to self are non-Christian and to limit Christian love unmotivated towards others would be to create an abstract Christian ethic and fall into sentimental immoralist.

3. Text for “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”  is found in: Eph. 4-16.

4. To the Christian, the ultimate source of strength is God, who’s will is the final standard of what is good.

5. The statement: “within the immediacy of interpersonal relations lies mans greatest capacity for self giving love and his worst temptations to love” is True.

6. “Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” is found in I Cor: 10-12 in the Bible.

7. Four things that moral dullness may be the result of are:
     A. Ignorance
     B. Willful moral blindness
     C. Unconscious self -deception
     D. A mixture of the three above

8. “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”, is found in Romans 12:2 in the Bible.

9. Three types of Christian actions open to us in challenging and changing the gigantic structure of social evil and social sin that infests our world are as follows:
     A. Social Service=Projection of Christian love through sympathy and compassion and responding to human need.

     B. Social Education=Understanding social issues that may negatively effect society.  Through education and speaking truth in love can have a positive outcome on social action.

     C. Political and economic= Combining coercion with love may result in justice but must be spearheaded by love, it must not be just the seeking of justice.

10. The force that is relevant to every situation is LOVE.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.

Comparative Religion

I was about 14 when I decided that I could not be a religious person. The only religion that I knew about was Catholicism, so my real decision was not to be Catholic. There were two basic reasons that stopped me then. The first was the way women and homosexuals were viewed and treated within the church: blocked from the priesthood making them inferior, almost as if helpers. With a budding interest in biology, I found that hard to reconcile with what I saw in nature. The second was the idea that good people who have never harmed another, but who don’t believe as I do, would be prevented from obtaining salvation.
For a while, science became my religion and then my life hit one of those inevitable bumps that forced me to stop and take stock of myself. Only in one area did I feel that I came up lacking. I was not a spiritual person. Slightly older and slightly wiser, I took a second look at Christianity and found that my basic reasons for not being a Christian still prevented me from adopting that faith, although I found some good messages that I had no problems with. I looked to other faiths, and found something that really astounded me.
There are some definite differences between the major religions, but for the most part, the message; the essence of the message, is the same. The basic concepts on how to treat others, especially the poor, weak and sick are all the same. I am puzzled, to this day, that people are so ready to kill others, fight others, and fear others based on the mechanistic differences between the religions. I find it strange, because if people truly followed the basic teachings of their religions, this should not occur.
With the gift of technological advances and break-throughs, it seems like our world is becoming smaller and more connected than ever before with increasing contact between people and governments. In this light, we need to recognize the basic rights and responsibilities of individuals, peoples and nations in relation to each other and to the planet as a whole with our newly emerging “united global family”.
No matter where we come from we all have the same needs and concerns, the same prayers and wishes. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering regardless of our race, religion, sex or political status. One thing I’ve learned after taking this course is that once you recognize that you have every right to be an abundant loving person, every other sentient being also is entitled to being abundant and loving. But if we are prevented from using our creative potential due to rigid or condemning spiritual dogmas, we’ll stay in the same stagnant energetic space and we’ll continue to pass on that programming to future generations.
After taking this course I came to the conclusion that there are many different roads to the same place, and it matters little where you start and what path you take, the end result is the same.
If there is a satan, an evil sprit, or an incarnation of evil I would give it the name ‘fear’. I feel that all the actions of people of good faith that cause pain to others, happens when people are afraid. Fear breeds intolerance, and in my view, intolerance puts up a huge wall on that road to the sacred.
Yet when I see a new life start, a beautiful sunset, hear a child laugh, go to a concert, watch an athlete perform, look at a work of art, a butterfly, a kids painting, I can’t help thinking that I have just caught a glimpse of the divine. All these things come from things being fully and completely themselves and being observed doing so. Buying something I want, gaining stature at the workplace, winning a competition, while pleasurable, don’t give me that same feeling. At the end of the day they don’t really seem to matter as much.
To conclude, I’ve learned the best approach to fostering world peace and interfaith unity is staying centered in your faith, in love and without fear. You have to follow your heart, in love and without fear of being who you are. Hopefully we will all meet again at the end of that road upon which we all are traveling. It is the only thing I can believe on a spiritual level, I guess it is the scientist in me that maintains that if there is a deity that created such a wonderful diversity of life, not just among humans but all across nature, why would that same deity then say there is only one way to reach it? Especially when it has gone to so much trouble to ensure that the same message be received by so many religious and nonreligious scholars alike — albeit in different forms, and through different filters — each uniquely suited for a particular cultural condition.
I thought this was an excellent course, and well worth the tuition that I paid for it. After taking a break to let all the new knowledge I’ve gained really sink in, I’ll definitely be looking into taking further courses. The only suggestion I could offer is: instead of sending each discourse in the “body” of an email – send it as an attachment in a word document. I request this because when I go to print out each discourse to add to my binder the email server adds pop up around the text of the discourse and I find it very distracting. So then I thought I’d copy and paste the text on a Word document myself to “clean it up” and make the discourses look nicer – the text and picture get all jumbled up and it looks even worse! So my only recommendation is sending your discourses as an attachment on a Word or publishing document instead of in the body of the email.
Rev. William Gameson
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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.


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As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.

My Master of Metaphysics Essay By Rev. Armando U. Arbolay

Universal Life Church

From the moment we are born, our minds begin a journey. It is a spiritual journey. I believe that. This course has helped me focus on that a little better. In this life journey there is so much negativity. We have things to learn, things to get rid of, things to fix. To be able to forgive, and to be able to let go of hate and anger, are some of of the most important lessons in my life and I have been working on it hard. And it has transformed me, into a better man.  I have learned to be more connected with myself and with mother earth, and with the universe. The universe is fully alive and filled with energy, ans so is the earth. And I have opened my eyes and my mind to that energy. Hate and anger are energies that drag me down, it is something that destroys minds and spirits. Cosmic energy is like a cure for the spirit, the mind and the body.  I have learned how to protect myself from the negativity that other people spread around (the roses and the suns). So much jealousy, so much competition. But I know that we have the ability to let all of that pass by and not affect us. Through meditation, through forgiveness, kindness and compassion we can overcome the hate and the negativity.

We come to this life, we are born, to learn. And there are so many lessons to learn. Many opportunities to grow.  Situations with family and friends and even co-workers can be chances to grow spiritually. I agree that we have a choice to accept the teachings and to learn, or to dismiss them and not learn anything. I choose to grow and to learn.  I agree that we are able to change our thoughts, and move in a new direction away from the negative. It is our choice. Just as it is our choice to get closer to God, or move away from him. I choose to get closer.  I choose to think and speak positive, and it does work! Speaking gently and in a positive way, I get better reactions from people, and get more things done.  Changing our belief system works.  For many years I lived my life taking things too seriously, mostly at work. Now thinking back, I would have done it a bit differently; a bit loose and a bit happier maybe. I was an english instructor years ago, and i still remember 2 other  instructors saying hello to me, and because I was in that state of mind, I didn’t answer back. I even noticed their reaction, they probably thought I was a stuck up, or that i was arrogant. I didn’t mean to be that way, but it came our that way. Nothing I can do about that, except to be a more humble person, be more loving and I have been. I have been becoming more aware of th real me, the spiritual me. I was not aware that the spirit communicates in numbers and colors and music.  So from now on that is something I will pay much more attention to.

 

Another chapter I liked is the one on telepathy. I believe I have experienced it. The times that i have thought of someone and that person has called. The many times that words are not necessary, me and someone else, like my brother for example, sometimes we look at each other and we already know what we are saying to each other. And this has happened many times with other people as well. I also agree that it is important to ask the right questions, because the result may not exactly be what we really want. I think on each question we have to include a bit of love and kindness in it, whatever the question is. If we ask questions in anger or passion, we might not get the right response. We must be clear, and gentle, and patient. I hope I am able to see in my daily life, the chances that appear in front of me, to do some good. I want good karma, I want to be a clean and good spirit.

 

I liked the chapter on dreams. I believe we do get out of our bodies during sleep, we get to experience life in another dimension.  Some dreams can be strange but life is strange sometimes.  I also liked the chapter on reincarnation. I believe in it. We come to this earth to learn, to become stronger and better spirits, and to go back to the light of God. I agree that as we age, we have a clearer mind (most of us) and we are able to understand this concept better. Life has become more beautiful for me, even with all the violence and ignorance that goes around lately. And I say lately because it was not like this years ago. It feels like there are two extremes; violence seems to be taking over more people, and more people are looking into the spiritual world at the same time. Time is another important subject. For a long time, I have been trying to hold on to some aspects of my past. But for a while now, I have started to let go. Obviously some things of the past are good for us, the values our parents taught us for example. Some other bad habits like smoking (I smoked for 16 years) can stay in the past. The way i look at my life now, is certainly with my mind in the present and in the future. I am living a better life now, and I am happy for it. I hope I can continue to learn, become more spiritual every day. I know that I am.

A Course in Miracles

Dr. in Metaphysics Final Essay
By Rev. Patricia Buben
A Course in Miracles is all about love and forgiveness. All situations can improve and miracles can happen when we open ourselves up to love and forgiveness in all areas of our lives.
The Miracle Worker course starts with explaining the function of the three parts of our mind: conscious, subconscious and higher mind. The conscious mind, which is the lower mind, is where we are consciously most of the time. It contains our personality and ego. Anytime we move to a different level of thinking, we move from servitude into freedom. As the Course states: “Freedom of choice is the only freedom that exists in this world”.
It goes on to discuss the nature of reality and how our being separate from God is only an illusion. Love is the only thing that really exists. When we choose to heal the separateness, we go back to the true reality of our oneness with God. The Holy Spirit is here to remind us that this world is only an illusion. When we let him in, he takes away all guilt and fear. He teaches us how to forgive.
Meditation is one way of going from the chaos of the world to true inner peace. It helps you to remove yourself from the attachment of the ego/false self and reconnect with who you really are inside. Meditation also has a profound effect on the body. It helps to reduce stress, induces the relaxation response and helps to balance out your body. This is the opposite effect that stress has on the body.
In order to create what we want, we need to focus on positive thoughts otherwise we will attract negative situations into our lives. Every thought we think creates our reality. Thoughts filled with fear and guilt will produce negative results. Thoughts filled with love and forgiveness will produce positive results. In order to have the life we want, we must have a desire to change and an intention to take action. These two things will produce the needed change and attract positive results into our lives. One thing that I found very interesting and thought-provoking was the definition of an addiction: “the giving away of our power to an outside source in order to hide from our guilt.” What a powerful (and true) statement!
Lesson 19 especially resonated with me. It discusses the purpose of life, which is to give of ourselves. This is true in every situation that we are in. For example, the purpose of work is not to obtain wealth, status and compliments from our boss. The purpose of work is to give of ourselves—to our coworkers, staff and boss. Work is a temple where we combine our talents with others’ talents and use them to meet the needs of others. We are at work to do God’s will and if we surrender ourselves to him, the Holy Spirit will be able to work through us. That is what creates miracles. God only wants us to be happy doing our work and doing what we love to do.
A quotation taken from the Course: “Our talents are diamonds reflecting the infinite talent of God” is one of the most beautiful statements I have ever read. It expresses beautifully how important our talents are and the genius that God must be.
Overall, the entire course was very powerful and I had many “aha’s” while taking it. I would recommend it for all students. It has made a big difference in how I look at life and how my thoughts have had such a powerful affect. I never realized just how responsible we are for everything that occurs in our lives.

 

Biblical Egyptology

Week two
What arises out of this week’s reading is not necessarily the xenophobia, or the religious/national wars as explained.  Rather I would like to zero in on the list of `Deities’.  As you explore the Egyptian Pantheon, similar patterns emerge, an omnipotent deity, virgin birth, sun/son imagery, a fallen/darker god that is a tempter.  Within these religious systems similar patterns are found emergent in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic world, but also within indigenous religions.
As noted in other writings where universal stories and patterns emerge (the flood, creation, origin of language and diversity, etc)…we are noting the rise and fall of different systems of thought, belief, that eventually grows into a system of polarity.  This shows the circularness of history, but also the eternal truths that speak through the many different wells that the Holy Mystery manifests itself to humanity throughout the ages.


Shalom,


Ty Ragan, DD, PhD., Psy.D.
A Robin Hood’s Musings (http://www.tyragan.wordpress.com)