Advent holds such a sacred space - the story and formation of the womb is tucked into our souls. Advent is most often thought of as an individual journey, even though we may celebrate together. We can think about it all year around, but probably don’t. This year, the invitation is something different, holding it [...]
The reason that singing restores harmony to tense nerves is that its vibrations stir them to action, thus making it possible for the ever-waiting healing Spirit to get in. - Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity Throughout history humans have been immersed in music. In all societies and cultures, ancient or contemporary, every ecological biome from [...]
For white people who need translation as you read the headlines from Buffalo yesterday: Lone wolf = white supremacy terrorist Mentally ill youth = white supremacy terrorist (white supremacy is not a mental illness) Random act of violence = white supremacy terrorism Unspeakable tragedy = white supremacy terrorism Buffalo shooter = white supremacy terrorist Killed [...]
In my lifetime the word “feminist” has taken on multiple meanings. Sometimes I’ve experienced the word and feminists themselves, as uplifting and empowering. Other times women have been labeled “feminist” in quite unsavory ways, assigned a derogatory meaning, what we might call today the “toxic masculine” embodiment. I’ve seen images, listened to songs, read essays [...]
The other day I was talking with a friend and jokingly he said, “Well you know, sometimes love lives in the hallway cupboard, in the dark.” We both chuckled for a moment, as we thought about the people who are hard to love and the times you just can’t summon the requisite “love” needed for [...]
Every year when decorating the tree on Christmas Eve at my mother’s there comes a point when we become still and fall silent. We oftentimes wait until Christmas Eve to decorate the tree in order to have everyone there. It makes for a much more precious and meaningful experience as each ornament is taken out [...]
Charles Fillmore, cofounder of Unity, said that prayer is “communion between God and man ... it is the language of spirituality.” Just as our physical senses give us language and experience for our human world, prayer awakens our “spiritual senses,” giving us language for the ever-deepening felt presence and expression of the living Christ energy. [...]
We are a little bit obsessed in our culture around ideas of worth and value. We spend so much of our time running after something, what we might call the “gems,” or running away from other things, the “pebbles,” in the hopes of having a sense of belonging, feeling worthy and valuable. In our [...]
How many times have you found yourself interacting with a person you find challenging, and thinking how hard that person is to love? Have you ever wondered if you’ve been hard to love? I know I have been. Sometimes I’m just prickly, aware that I am angry, tired, lonely or confused. Some days I [...]
How many think we can use more Golden Rule days? Raise your hands. Did you know there is a Golden Rule Day and it's April 5th? It’s a day to focus on and embody the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would like to have done unto you.” It’s a good rule and [...]
Some of you know I have struggled with severe depression for about 5 years. A by-product of the traumatic illness that landed me in the hospital for a few weeks, on life support and a couple of near death experiences to top it all off. One of the things that can happen in an experience [...]
Don't be distracted my friends. Take a deep breath and remember your inherent goodness. I have seen many on social media envisioning 2021 would be better than 2020, and maybe this is a sign of a final breath. It’s not a final breath. This is a blatant, extremely excellent, horrific demonstration of white privilege. What [...]
A prayer without desire in it, a prayer without sincerity in it, a prayer without soul in it, a prayer without Spirit in it is a fruitless prayer. - Charles and Cora Fillmore, Teach Us to Pray I was raised with prayer. Prayer before meals, prayers in church, and prayers to give thanks. Prayers were [...]
There will be a time when one will have come such a long way over the high way of God, that the valleys would cease to appear… just the hilltops would appear to us. After we have passed through these valleys which may seem less desirable than the hills, we may look back over the [...]
Recently a friend and I were talking about what life was like when we first got into 12-step recovery, and what we needed in order to break the bonds of addiction. I rarely talk about the beginning because frankly most of it is a blur, and it was a few decades ago! All I wanted [...]
