Unity of Vermont

Moving Toward the Light by Rev. Lane Williams

         We’ve just begun the Lenten Season, a time when Christians traditionally spiritually prepare themselves for Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. We in Unity use this time to reflect on what we are willing to release, change, forgive and be rid of in every part of our life – the physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of life. This can be a time of crucifying what no longer serves us. This can be a time of blessing all of it, the desired and that which we don’t want as we release it. This can be a very powerful time for those dedicated to enhancing their spiritual journey.

As we reflect on the unresolved tensions in relationships, those people we hold grudges against and have not forgiven (including ourselves), those habits that no longer support us and are a hindrance to our health and well-being, we can choose again. We can step forward to the light and the promise of new life – a resurrection into being more of who we came here to be. We can affirm to ourselves as we move through the process that no circumstance, no matter how troubling it may be, has the power of itself to hurt us. We give that power to them by how we choose to interpret them.

Charles Roth, Unity minister and inspiring writer, uses an analogy I like.  Imagine that there are 20 pairs of reading glasses lying on a table, each one ground differently, some magnifying greatly and others less so. Then 20 people each put on a pair of these glasses and are asked to describe a certain object that’s then presented to them. What would the result be? Yes, each person would describe it differently, the size and detail of it, depending on the glasses through which she was looking. So it is with us. The world as we interpret it is determined by the lens through which we are looking – our consciousness, our awareness, our thinking, attitudes and beliefs.

Recently on a call from my gardener friend, Karen who lives in California, she told me of how she found a twig in her compost as she was turning it. Annoyed she pulled it from the mulch to discard and discovered that attached to the twig was a lump, which as she brushed off the dirt turned out to be an avocado seed. The twig was long and gangly with a small clump of green leaves at its end. Imagine this, she said, imagine that this avocado grew so diligently, so patiently in the dark, forming roots and then leaves in hopes of reaching the light and thus nourishment and continued growth.

         So it is with so many of us humans. We so patiently and diligently grow in the dark, preparing ourselves for the light that we trust will be there. We have faith that we will be provided for; we have an inner urging to move toward renewed and invigorated life. We live in the midst of challenging times, yes and there is seemingly unending conflict in the world. Try as we might to remain positive there are many naysayers to point out the error of our thinking. Oscar Hammerstein wrote “that a man who is happy seldom tells anyone. The unhappy man is more communicative. He is eager to recite what is wrong with the world and seems to have talent for gathering a large audience. It is a modern tragedy that despair has so many spokesmen, and hope so few.”

         Jesus trusted in the all-knowing, ever-present goodness of Life. He knew; he experienced the unconditional flow of love, good will and perfection in the universe. He repeatedly taught that anything that would keep us from alignment with Source, from the awareness of our oneness with God, is to be cast from us. Jesus knew that what we really wanted was the experience of bliss that comes from being in the Presence. Jesus knew that aside from the temporary pleasures of the human experience, what we truly want is to BE in God, in Love, in Peace, in Bliss! Let us join together as spokespeople for hope, with faith in the ever-present and all-powerful presence of God active in our life and in the world. Let us move toward the Light. And so it is. And so it is.

As We Sow … by Rev. Lane Williams

          When you live in Vermont it’s easy to be filled with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness. It swells up inside us as we see the beauty of the trees turning color and sense the serenity in the woods as we walk. God’s grace is all around us. It is easy to see that Divine Love is bestowing more peace and well-being into our lives than we could imagine. We are reaping more of Spirit’s harvest of plenty than the seeds of hope we have sown. This is the Grace of God and we are thankful!

            Today’s challenge in the midst of dire economic predictions and earth shattering calamities is to cultivate gratitude even when so much of the world around us is not expressing this. We can choose gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation for that which we have and that which we envision possible. For yes, we do live IN the world, yet we can be not OF the world. Instead of operating with the “normal” and expected human thought patterns, we can choose to come from a higher consciousness. And as we do, we are sowing seeds of joy, peace, and love to the world.

            When the outer world is not revealing anything that we can give thanks for in the present moment, the accepted pattern is to worry, complain, to withhold ourselves, waiting until the world gets better before we move forward. The usual, “normal” way of expressing gratitude is to see something deemed wonderful in our midst and from that place say, Thank you. But let’s choose another path.

            The opportunity now is to lift our consciousness to the level of Spirit and decree from that elevated plane that Life is good all the time. This is the chance to affirm that God’s good is flowing in and through my life, no matter what evidence of lack there may be. Eric Butterworth says that “thanksgiving is not just a reactionary emotion; it is a causative energy. It is an effective key by which anyone may meet life as a powerful conqueror.” Let us be spiritual conquerors of our thinking and therefore our lives. As spiritual masters we decree that lack is an illusion, a misperception. We decree that what we are envisioning is present now and active in our life, and we give thanks in advance for the beauty, the wonder, and the magnificence of God’s abundance.

            Just as a gardener prepares the soil, plants the seeds and tends the garden through the growing season, we are to prepare our minds by releasing our fearful, anxious, negative thoughts. We are to plant the seeds of peace, prosperity, perfect health, and well-being in our consciousness. We are to weed out all negative error thinking as it arises, to remain vigilant to our anxious monkey mind chatter and root it out before it takes hold. And just as the wise gardener uses companion plants that support the growth and vitality of his crops, we promote our well-being by being with positive people, associating with friends who focus on thoughts of love and harmony – those positive, uplifting expansive thoughts that support the development of our higher consciousness.

            Joan Borysenko says that “gratitude is like a gearshift that can move your mental mechanism from obsession to peacefulness, from rigidity to creativity, from fear to love.” Sowing gratitude is consciously directing your thinking and resisting the call to join the naysayers. Practicing gratitude is part of the mindfulness exercise I use. When I notice the swirl of stress, tension, fear, and anxiety building within me, I pause and look around me. I take a breath and BE thankful for what I see. I am immediately rescued from the regrets of the past or the worries about the future to experience the calm, peace of the present moment. I live, I move, I have my being in God’s grace. I am thankful. I am grateful for the abundance of good in all forms flowing though my life. And so it is.