Ashes to Ashes - time to begin again...

Today is Ash Wednesday - the official beginning of the Lenten Season.  The word Lent comes from the latin meaning to "lengthen" - it is the beginning of the Spring season - when the days are lengthened.

Lent is a 40 day period of spiritual practice - focused on giving something up, fasting and praying.  There are actually 46 days between now and Easter, but Sundays are traditionally considered Feast Days and as such do not count as part of the 40 day practice.

I know, I know, you are thinking, "well this all sounds very Church-y" - What does any of this have to do with New Thought?

Actually... EVERYTHING!  Think about it.  What do we teach in New Thought?  "Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life."   The season of Lent is designed to do exactly that.  We begin with Ash Wed. in which the ceremony of the ashes represent the need for "repentance" - which simply means to "Re-Think." Lent is not about giving up sugar or white flour or latte's - though we all could benefit from less of those.  Lent is about giving up ways of thinking that no longer serve us, it's about entering a 40 day period of spiritual practice that seeks to remind us of who we really are, a perfect child of God.

Is there any area of your life where you could benefit from re-thinking the situation?  A relationship, health, daily routine, prayer and meditation practice, finances?  The ashes symbolize that we have had patterns of thinking and being in the past that no longer serve us - and are keeping us from our greater good.  It's time to let them go, it's time to Think Again!  

Matt: 5 13-16 

 ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

And so Lent is a season to engage us in remembering our Divine Truth and nature.  That we are in fact a Divine Light meant to shine into the world.  So, are you ready to re-think who and what you are?  Are you ready to begin a practice of giving up the thoughts and attitudes that no longer serve your greatest good?

If your looking for a great resource to guide you - the book Keep A True Lent by Charles Fillmore is a must!

In the meantime - here's a little Lenten Humor!

A Closer Walk with Thee

Yesterday in service we talked about the season of Lent and what it means to be in a spiritual practice of fasting from thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that are no longer serving us. The most useful spiritual tool that I have found regarding a new thought look at Lent is the book "Keep a True Lent" by Charles Filmore from Unity Press. In the forward by Georgiana Tree West we read:

"When we withdraw our attention, interest, and support from the false and unworthy, this is true fasting. When we give that same attention, interest, and support to the enduring good, we are feasting on the things of the Spirit, and this is true prayer."

This idea alone is worthy of forty days of mindful focus. What are the false ad unworthy ideas, thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that we have been walking with? Are we willing to shift our attention, interest and support to that which is the enduring good of our life?
The Lenten season is a church institutional idea that is based on a very sound idea - taking time to internally clean house so that we are prepared for a deeper spiritual journey into our Christ Nature. Ultimately this is a very personal journey and no institution, church or spiritual system can facilitate (even though we may find ritual, community and inspirational support in them) that which is between God (whatever we conceive it to be) and ourselves.

I believe it is this notion of the very intimate and personal spiritual journey that we are each responsible for that Ernest Holmes was speaking to in his first published work, Creative Mind in the passage entitled "The Church of God"

The Church of God is not built with hands, it is eternal in the heavens; it is not lighted with candles; its dome is heaven and it is lighted by the stars of God's illumined thought, and each member in his separate start "shall draw this thing as he sees it, for the god of thing as they are". Here all people recognize the God within their own souls and ask for and see no other God. When you can look upon all creation as the perfect work of a perfect God, you will become a member of this church. I doubt very much if the church universal admits members from the church individual. When you can see in the saint and the sinner one and the same person, when you can realize that they one who kneels before the alter and the one who lies drunk in the street is the same one, when you can love the one as much as you do the other, no doubt you will be able to qualify. As it is now we have too many preachers who do not understand, that have no purpose; too many prayers, too many creeds, too many teachers, that have no message; too many churches, too many "learned" people, and too few thinkers. "The Kingdom of Heaven cometh not by observation". It is the "still, small voice" within the soul that speaks. The expanded thought will never wish to join or be joined to. Nothing human can contain it. It feels the limitation of form and ceremony and longs for the freedom of the Spirit, the great out of doors, the Great God of the everywhere. Alone in the desert, the forest or by the restless ocean, looking up at the stars, man breathes forth these words, "With only my maker and me".

- Ernest Holmes

New Thought: To Be or Not to Be - Christian...

"Is New Thought Christian?" This seems to be a frequent and popular question in New Thought, and a hotly contested one among our own. The question that I have is Why? Why is this a debated issue and why is it important?

*Disclaimer before I go on* While using the term "New Thought" in this post I am mostly referring to Religious Science. Being that Unity historically is more biblically based and "Christian" identified. However, the issues I'm attempting to address may be relevant to the Unity movement.

The most common answer to the "Christian Question" within New Thought is "Yes and No" Yes, in that we are followers of the Christ Principles, No in that we are not burdened with dogmatic creeds or other limitations. Much of New Thought has attempted to separate its identity from the standard labels and race-consciousness associated with Christianity. Indeed a separation from the race-consciousness and general perception of Christianity is a very good idea. However, this has occurred at the cost of a true knowledge/Gnosis of our theological roots. And that should be of great concern.

Most of the ministers and general practitioners of New Thought that I have engaged with on this issue bring up the same concern. That is, if we align ourselves with the term "Christianity" it will automatically alienate our roots in other great world religions and traditions. Afterall, we believe in the golden thread of truth that runs through all faith traditions. Is it not the great gift of our theology - the ability to "stand for something and against nothing." Therefore, we believe in and honor all paths to God.

Yes - that is exactly true! Which is exactly why a true, deep theological understanding of Christianity and our connection to it is so important. For if we stay clear of the term due to the modern and current interpretations, most of which make us fairly uncomfortable, then we are doing a disservice to the deeper meaning of Christianity that New Thought is uniquely poised to express in the world. So much so , that one could argue that with out our expression - it would be lost to history forever.

Consider for a moment that all of our most important founding writers within New Thought both have and express a deep embodiment and understanding of this unique and powerful expression of Christianity. These writers understood, as we must do today, that embracing our Christian roots does not exclude our connection to eastern and other spiritual wisdom. In fact, it does just the opposite! Embracing our authentic form of Christianity - theologically empowers us us to embrace all paths to God. This is why and how our founding writers were able to so clearly speak of terms like "Christ Consciousness"

How? Because Christianity at its core is not about religion or creeds, nor is it about a man. It is fundamentally about a new way of Being.

Jesus represents a New Way of Being (with God).

Paul Tillich

...no religion as such produces the New Being. No religion matters - only a new state of things.

Paul Tillich, The New Being - p. 16

Christianity is more than a religion; it is the message of a New Creation. Christianity as a Religion is not important.

Paul Tillich, The New Being - p. 16

What do you think? is this perspective of Christianity important in defining New Thought?