I am now a little more aware of others. I mean to say, I am more aware that just because I feel, think, or know something does not mean that the person I am communicating with feels thinks or knows the same way.

Some of the time, I still cannot identify what I am feeling in a given moment or circumstance. I have to focus on the inner "me" to discern if it is old shame, anger or defensive habits surfacing or if I just don't know because I have not experienced this feeling before. This is now fairly rare, but for much of my life feelings were not felt. So how could I possibly know how other people were feeling. I assumed they would feel like I was feeling. I now realize that this is not the case.

When I had moved into knowing what I felt or thought, that was my focus. When another person was speaking I strived to be one step ahead and to show that I knew what they meant, I would finish their sentences. I have made much progress in changing this habit into a way of listening more deeply and actually hearing all of what another person has to say.

As to knowing anything to be absolutely and always true. I realize that more than one thing, one idea, can be true at the same time. I am aware that there are always as many perceptions of what happened, what the facts are, as there are people present. We are all right - The work is in accepting this and striving to understand other people's perspectives.

What I believe about people is that we are all right some of the time, we are all not right some of the time, we are all growing and changing with each experience, and we are all wonderfully unique.

As the days become shorter and the nights longer, it is a perfect time to contemplate embracing darkness. Studying the rituals of Winter Solstice and the cycles of nature offer many insights into our own lives.

Humans are very conditioned to believe that only the light represents the Good. Darkness is most frequently associated with what someone has labeled as being bad.

In the cowboy movies of my childhood, the good guys always wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats. When a friend, partner, or boss is in a bad mood, one may say something like “Watch out, the boss is in a Dark mood today.”

Being afraid of the dark is so very common, not only for children, but for many adults, as well. Perhaps because darkness also symbolizes the unknown and humans continue to have fear of the unknown.

Do these beliefs really serve our highest purpose today? Did the ONE, the Great Spirit create life from (or out of) Light? Explore loving and embracing both the Darkness and the Light in our universe, our world, and in ourselves.        Love You All & All You Are, ~Rev. Carol~

Simply Water

© Carol A. Hanson, 01-2008

 

Oh, how I love this glorious, gentle misty, rainy day

Each blade of grass, each flower stem and petal

Each branch, limb and trunk drink in each drop

Giving thanks with their beauty, strength, and glory

Giving back with oxygen for other life to breathe

 

Oh, how I love this glorious, pouring  down rainy day

Rivers welcome each drop into their flow so that they may

Give thanks with the joyous sound of rushing water

Delivering the life giving moisture out from their banks

Growing bountiful crops of vegetables, fruits and grains

 

Oh, how I love each and every dark, cloudy, rainy day

For I am a recipient of all life’s abundance produced with the

Gift of this most brilliant of God’s creations –water beautiful water

Giving thanks each day with my love for Mother Earth & Father Sky

May I give back with the passion of each raindrop that is – simply water.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? Who else could I be other than me? Yet this is not what I come to believe of myself so learning to be me has been a journey. I t may be simple, however, simple does not mean easy.

-E.E. Cummings- wrote: “It takes courage to grow up & become who you really are. The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”  

I found this quote while doing a search for song lyrics that contain my talk’s title. It was used on a blog site “Kind Over Matter”  - the days post was about how, when she discovered so many were reading her blog, she changed her style and was not writing from her heart.  Instead, tried to impress her readers with flowery words and soon her readership dwindled away. Also among the many results of the search, was a book by Jocelyn Golden, “Learning to Be Me: My 23 Year Battle with Bulimia” -  Her story links her inability to be who she really is with causing her eating disorder.

These, among others, brought home to me how wide spread the blocks to success and happiness are so tied to denying or resisting being true to our nature –

The last two Sunday messages have related to this subject in unique ways. Elizabeth Rowling made reference to famous people, like Edison, who were very confident and courageous in being themselves even with teachers, friends or parents telling them they were stupid or lazy, yet still accomplished great things.  And in her message last Sunday, Rev. Ouida said about the Rooster’s Cock-A-Doodle-Doing. “He just does what he does, what the Divine has created him to be.”

Today I will focus on the Un-learning of “Learning to Be Me” because I believe there are many more of us who either didn’t have the strength of Soul that Thomas Edison had. Perhaps some had even more severe critics and experiences and, unlike roosters, we humans forget or resist that unique purpose created within us by the Divine.

Science of Mind - most of those here are familiar with the power of thought in our lives. “Change your mind, change your life”  and from Unity and the Rix Sister’s teachings on “the Christ Consciousness” within all of us giving us the power to heal our bodies /lives.   “It is done unto you, as you believe” – “It is not I, but your faith/belief that has healed you” ~Jesus~

The same concepts have been know, understood, and presented in many religions and even in non-religious texts. The book that changed Phyllis Diller’s life - ~Claude Bristol” The Magic of Believing”

 “It’s the belief or the basic confidence within you that brings outward material results.”   Bristol had done a great deal of world travel and had become amazed at the power of belief in all cultures, religions, or traditions. Yet, he also wanted to reach people who were “put-off” by religious influence.

So what we believe creates our reality – Do we really accept this deep within us? And if we do not, does it still work like magic. Could there, Perhaps be other factors? For example “REASON” - Should I believe that I am capable of being an Astronaut in this life time – Would that belief be a reasonable possibility for me to be?

From “The virtues of Selfishness” by Ayn Rand

“Self Esteem is the consequence, expression and reward of a mind fully committed to reason.  Reason is the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by the senses.” Ms Rand goes on to connect reason with consciousness: “The proper function of consciousness is: perception, cognition, and the control of action.” 

Perception = insight, awareness – Cognition= ability to acquire knowledge. Though her philosophy is considered to be Athiest, there are similarities to the Diest focus on reason though a Diest retains a belief in God as found in Nature.

So now, WHAT IS RESONABLE? - I recommend the movie, “A Reasonable Man”. This movie makes it very clear that what is reasonable to one person is not necessarily reasonable to others..

And from the Eastern Religions, translated from the Buddha - “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” (common sense – meaning, rational or reasonable.)

I have arrived at the conclusion that all I have learned from reading, studying, listening, and experiencing during this life is simply a journey to my SELF. I know that what I Believe creates this day’s reality for me. And what I believe about me reflects out to others, strongly how they perceive me. "Learning to Be Me" is not only a journey, it is an Adventure!

A Truth I believe to be Universal is that I do not have to be a prisoner of my old beliefs – It is ok, no more than ok, it is imperative that I change, modify, adjust, evolve, my beliefs. I believe that I have the ability to acquire new knowledge about me, about the entire universe, about God.  For this to be an absolute unchanging TRUTH it must also be true for all people, in all places, at all times.

Right now, I believe that there is ‘Magic in Believing’ and that this magic does not manifest my reality simply by thinking positively, reciting affirmations, in effect – reprogramming my brain - That this “magic” is a scientific quantum physics process of thought that works at all times, in all cultures, for all humans. The “not easy” part began when I came to believe that I possessed the power to direct this process. And that with power comes responsibility. I am responsible for directing this “Magic” with insight, with awareness, and with reason. Through all this inner/outer work I must remember that what is reasonable to me may not be reasonable to you. Reason can only be based on the reality one has experienced, thus to expect others to believe as I do, they would have experienced a similar reality. I leave you with these three possibilities related to Believing:

1. What I believe creates my reality

2. I have the power to change & direct my beliefs with insight (within/Soul), awareness (without/ the material) & reason (integrating inner & outer  - heaven & earth – God/HU & Man)

3. I do not compare: What is reasonable for me may not agree with what is reasonable for others.

With these three beliefs I am becoming the master of this journey, the Adventure that is my life – I Am Learning to Be Me!         
Sending Love, Light & Laughter, ~Rev. Carol~

Breath of Harmony

June, 2012 © Carol A. Hanson

 

I breathe in the breath of trees

I breathe in the breath of leaves

I breathe in the breath of all things green.

 

A tree breathes in the breath of me

A tree breathes in the breath of you

We All give breath to all things green.

 

I give thanks for all that breathes this day

I give thanks for Creation’s harmony

All of life supporting other life.

 

I breathe in the breath of trees

A tree breathes in the breath of me

I give thanks for this Life of Harmony.