Metaphysics Course from ULC

Spiritual Development

2012-02-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

By Jason Stone

I sort of have a knack for being in the right place at the right time when it comes to meeting someone in need, spiritually that is. Several of those times although I knew in my heart what I wanted to tell that person, there seemed to be a wall between my heart and my mouth and I just couldn’t seem to find the right words. This course helped me tremendously find what I was missing.

This course hit the proverbial nail on the head with the section on Clarity and my personal favorite was the section about the “Power of Now”. The power of now was very insightful to me. Being pagan I have been involved in many different meditation courses, read many different mind quieting books, and done several “shielding” techniques which are really nothing than blocking yourself from all negativity, all frantic thoughts, or one may say finding clarity and finding the power of now. I work a very stressful job as a Security Officer in a School. Many times I come up on stressful events where I have put myself in the power of now and found clarity without even knowing that is what I was really doing. The power of now is so obviously true. I mean after all you can’t change the past, and you can’t see the future so the only thing you can really address is the present, so why not give every drop of attention you have to it. I very much enjoyed this course. I am looking forward to continuing my education through the ULC. Thank you to all.

Jason Stone

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have various classes in Christianity, one on Wicca, along with several Pagan courses, more than a few courses about Metaphysics with more being added regularly.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, legal and lasts for life, so please take advantage of our Free Online Ordination.

The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of minister supplies. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and am proud to have started the Seminary.

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Spiritual Awareness

2012-01-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

Master of Spiritual Awareness Essay by Rev. Alicia Gamble

This course was one of the best I have taken. I don't think there was anything I didn't like about it. It was written in a beautifully easy to understand way. The exercises were enjoyable as well as helpful. In fact, the whole thing was so good I don't know if just answering the questions can do it justice, but I will give it a try.

The first insight is about awakening, realizing that there are more than just the five senses and the physical world.

When we adopt the first insight into our present lives we start to realize that there is much more going on around us than meets the eye. If we start to pay more attention to the coincidences that happen in our lives we can start to see (and feel) something much bigger than us and our individual lives operating in the universe. What we once thought of as "blind luck" or "mere coincidence" is now seen (and felt and known) as meaningful divine assistance. The more we pay attention to the coincidences and synchronicities that happen in our lives, the more they occur and allow us to grow further spiritually.

The first insight for me was just confirmation of what I have always felt. For as long as I can remember I have always questioned and looked for the truth and reasons behind everything. I have always had an insatiable need for knowledge and to understand everything. Before I could even read I was fascinated with religion and peoples beliefs especially about God. As I grew this continued, for years I researched all different religious texts, and questioned people of all faiths but I never fully got the confirmation for what I felt deep inside of me. Finally, I simply "asked" to be led to the answers I was seeking, I just asked for help. Oddly enough, it was instant and in the form of a coincidence and everything has opened up from there.

The fourth insight was of particular interest to me as I have seen how people steal energy literally and through control repeatedly on an individual level. Though I saw what happens and how I didn't realize the immensity, nor full meaning until now. This insight shows that people treat each other in such violent manners all for the competition of energy. I have seen it time and again all because people don't realize they are fighting for human energy which does not and cannot ever provide the sense of completeness that people really hunger for. The only way to get that is from a connection with divine energy.

In order to begin to open up and share positive energy with others one must learn to tap into the universal energy. To do this we need to be able to surrender our need for control and open ourselves up. Then we need to be able to realize the feeling of being filled up. When we open ourselves up and we can receive energy, coincidences and all of the gifts from the universal intelligence start to flow more easily to us. Only then can the oneness of body, mind and spirit be found. Once we get to the point where we can feel real divine love (which is different than the earthly love we are used to) then through will alone we can send the energy back.

The main lesson for me in the seventh insight is to really pay attention. It is being fully present and watching what is going on in the environment around me, my thoughts and my interactions with people. To really be aware of these while staying connected and feeling and being love and the universal energy. To watch for people and things in the environment that seem to "shine" just a little brighter. To expect coincidences and for people to bring the information and/or answers I desire because we get all the answers and information we need from others. Which means it is especially important to be connected when dealing with people so we, and they, can receive what we are supposed to from each other.

Of particular interest is the fact that humans will change from the five sensory beings of today to the multi-sensory beings of the future. Five sensory beings live very much in the physical world feeling very detached and alone because they, for the most part, are limited to the five senses (taste, touch, smell, feeling and hearing) as their sensory experience of the world. Whereas, the multi-sensory beings we will/are becoming know that we are never alone, we are all part of the whole and that we all share in the creation of the physical world for our learning and growth. They understand that the intention behind every action creates its effect, that intention affects others as well as ourselves and that the effects of the intentions are not limited to the physical world. Five sensory beings on the other hand, do not perceive the effects of intentions, to them, the effects of actions are physical and do not always affect themselves or others.

In the next millennium we will be looking at a completely different way of life. We will see things like forests being left to grow and mature into powerful energy centers which people will live among or by, while tending to beautiful gardens. Things like food, Shelter and transportation will be automated and available to all, with no need for currency, overindulgence or laziness. There will be no need for power and control as people will live more intuitively always knowing what needs to be done and when, which will work in harmony with the actions of others.

Living with and acting on intuitions will help to satisfy people's sense of purpose as they watch their destinies unfold.

People, of their own accord, will start to decrease the population on the planet. They will experience a period of deep introspection then they will begin to realize how beautiful and spiritual the natural world really is. The things of nature will be revered for the great and powerful things that they are. There will be great demand to end any economic ventures that threaten the natural world. Pollution will no longer be a problem as there will be people who will intuit alternative solutions.

As this shift happens people will begin to realize that we are here to evolve spiritually through loving action, with this understanding our vibrational frequencies will change. As people raise their vibrational levels they will fulfill the purpose of human existence – Heaven on earth, where there is no division or separation, where we are all one.

This course is a must, especially for those who are feeling the energy shift or are worried about all the 2012 hype.

We are being presented with a wonderful opportunity to reshape ourselves and our world. Instead of fearing the changes ahead we should be embracing them and spend our time and energy learning how to encourage and grow with and into the wonderful new way of life that is emerging. I will definitely recommend this course to others as I think it is very important to get important powerful information like this out there. Thanks so much!

Rev. Alicia Gamble

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The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program 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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Metaphysical Healing

2012-01-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Metaphysical Healing lessons were very informative. Since I am trained in the Reiki Usui Japanese traditional; method of natural healing and a teacher of this, I am very interested in the other styles of "hands-on healing" and stories of successful healing.

No matter what description, Bio-energetic, energetic, holistic, or vibrational to describe this process, it works wonderfully alongside traditional medical treatments. Any person wishing to heal and take the time to seek out such healers will heal.

There are healing circles which are open for anyone who would like to experience this wonderful relaxing healing technique. Some try this before seeking out an individual healer.

While most prefer a relaxing atmosphere with dim lights, meditative music, candles, sound of running water, and the smell of incense, others do not. Some believe in god, others do not. They need only the deep desire to heal. If deep down inside they do not want to heal, even though they say they do, they will not.

I could go on and on, however, Rev/Dr Kreigers lessons are so identical to the Reiki way, It would sound as if I was just copying her lessons. The need for knowledge of the anatomy, Chakras, Aura, and induction are all necessary and her instructions are wonderful.

I do not feel that I am ready to take a client in a past life regression journey and definitely not an exorcism. I love absent healing. Often our friends and family need us. For example, my daughter calls "Mom, I need your help. A man walked into me and I fell, knocking my knee out of place. I put it back into place, but it is swollen and hurts. I need you to send me Reiki. I was doing so good, being careful with my knee. Why now? The holidays are coming and I need to be at work. (pause) Mom? are you sending me Reiki right now? I feel warm and tingling."

My response, "Yes I am."

She went to work the next day.

There are so many cultures and religious customs in our world and they are all very interesting. I thank Rev/Dr Kreiger for sharing her experiences and that of the Africans calling to and learning to be a traditional healer. You mention that in Africa witchcraft is rife. So it is in other areas. Some cannot be happy with the wonders of special gifts for doing good. Some have to take it to the dark side.

I do believe what goes around comes around three times. If you do a good thing, you will reap the rewards. If you do something bad, Look Out. I have never understood why a person would want to and enjoy hurting another person, nor would I want to understand.

I believe "Harm None."

Rev Diane L Orr

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Spiritual Awareness

2012-01-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Awareness Essay

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

1. A new spiritual awakening is occurring in our culture, an awakening brought about by a large group of individuals who recognize their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious circumstances. What sense of Awareness can be gained by adopting the First Insight into your present lifestyle?

The first insight tells us that there are no coincidences,; instead there are mysterious forces surrounding us which affect our lives and that by becoming aware of these, we can mold our lives into a more productive and satisfying form. We are not victims of fate, for we have the power to change our lives. The skill is in recognizing the external forces and using these in a positive manner rather than allowing them free-rein over us. We need to learn to listen to that inner voice of intuition. There have certainly been many occasions when I failed to heed that inner voice and later wished that I had. So, for me, I will use the first insight to bring me a greater awareness of those things beyond the physical that impact on our lives. I shall develop that inner voice of intuition and shall learn to listen to it, and I shall use all these things to guide my spiritual growth and practice, drawing on all these forces so that I might use them in a good and positive way.

2. This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort. While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet and the real nature of our universe. How or when did you begin to question traditional religious views? What, if any, reactions did those around you have to those questions you posed?

I suppose that I have always been unhappy with traditional religion although it took me a long time to find the path that suited me. It was really thanks to the internet that this finally became possible. The traditional view of an aged God in human form controlling our lives in the manner of the Olympian Gods was an awkward concept, as was the view that man held superiority over all other things – which I found an arrogant attitude. I was also aware of the hypocrisy among many church goers who viewed themselves as "good Christians" but didn't show it in their behaviour. I had always felt closest to deity outside, in the wonder of the whole of creation, for that is where the wonder of deity is to be found. Turning away from the supposed mainstream religion is never easy, and, like many, I have kept my religious and spiritual life secret. Many are too quick to judge, too unwilling to understand other faiths and it is safer to avoid precipitating prejudice. This xenophobic attitude permeates so much of society and is the cause of so much violence, discrimination and war. It is time that society as a whole opened its eyes and adopted a new, accepting and peaceful attitude. Maybe one day it will come, but for now it is a distant dream.

3. Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure. To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy. When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce human energy is the cause of all conflict between people. Discuss the lessons of the Fourth Insight in how it affects your life. What does this Insight teach you about the reasons why humans treat each other in such a violent manner?

The fourth insight teaches us about power, what it is and how we use it for good or ill. But it shows us that we can gain energy and power without drawing it from others, and it shows us how to avoid being drained by other people. There was a recent re-run of a 1960s experiment which had demonstrated how much people enjoy torture. Sadly, the new experiment produced exactly the same results – a sad reflection on humanity. The quest for domination is seen everywhere – within families, within communities, in the work place, among world leaders, and even in the playground. No part of life is exempt. And yet we do not need to follow this route, nor do we need to lay ourselves open to the psychic vampires, or just give too much of ourselves (my usual action). By thinking about our actions, by connecting with the spiritual world, by generating power within and using appropriate shielding, we can gain all the power we need without harm to anyone, and we can protect ourselves from others. But we need to go one step further, we need to show others how to act in a similar way and this is the long, slow process, but it is something that I am actively trying to do even if it is sadly often a case of "preaching to the converted", there are moments of breakthrough.

4. Insecurity and violence end when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by the mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness -- buoyancy -- and the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. If these measures are present, the connection is real. If not, it is only pretended. What method would you use to assist a congregant in learning how he/she can open and share positive energy with others? Give example of how and when they can do this.

There are so many ways of gaining this connection. One method I use is through guided meditation, taking the congregant on a soft and spiritual journey, in which they can begin to experience that divine connection for there is that moment when conscious visualisation takes on a life of its own and becomes true connection with the divine. Giving the congregant an experience of this connection and the ability to achieve it for themselves is an important first step, but is not the only one. I would also work through prayer – not the ones repeated mindlessly by rote, but new prayers worked out with the congregant that are meaningful. Often saying these regularly and meaningfully with the aid of prayer beads can take the individual to that place of divine connection. As with all things, practice is essential and the connection will become faster and stronger with time. As for sharing with others, the congregant will notice that others are automatically affected simply by the change in his/her attitude, and in his/her energy and aura. The congregant may well be drawn to share the techniques, but this may not always be appropriate and often it is best to simply let the energies flow as they will, rejoicing in their own new-found spiritual place and allowing the benefits of that to filter through to others.

5. Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First we have a question, then dreams, day-dreams, and intuitions lead us toward the answer, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being. For you as a minister, what is the lesson found in the Seventh Insight. And how will you use this knowledge in your work?

The seventh insight teaches me that all things have purpose and that we are masters of our own destiny. All the strange coincidences and synchronicities in our lives are meaningful and may be used for positive gain. Whether these guidances come from the divine or via another person is immaterial, the important thing is to connect with all that is happening and to direct it to the desired outcome. As a minister, I shall use the lessons of the seventh insight to guide my spiritual development and my ministry. I shall learn to form a greater connection with these forces, to draw on them and to use them wisely. Through them I shall pass on the benefits to my congregants. The seventh insight is a learning process, and is one that is very important. Like all the insights I shall adopt it and work with it to achieve maximum benefit.

6. As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth. Such growth will move humans into ever-higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the afterlife dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death. How will society change in the coming millennium as a result of the growth in awareness and conscious evolution? What is the reason for people being here on this planet? What is the spiritual intent and meaning of life?

If the growth in awareness and conscious evolution continues and gathers pace we can hope to see a new awakening, a new dawn of greater peace and understanding, a new world of light and happiness. I hope with all my heart that we will reach this stage and will do all I can to aid this process. As for our purpose on this planet. The lesson teaches that we are here to take part in the cosmic evolution and to teach less developed souls than ourselves, taking them towards this awakening. My own view is that we are also here as guardians of our planet – not as masters but rather as caretakers, a role at which we have so far failed miserably. The human mind is yet poorly developed. Research has shown that we use only a minute percentage of the mind power available to us. What wonders will be achieved if we can tap into this enormous resource, how will we and our planet develop as a result? But it is important that this resource is used for good, and maybe this is why the awakening is so slow. It is our job to guide this process through our ministry. What is the spiritual intent and meaning of life? Some would say it is to reach the ultimate state of enlightenment. Maybe this is so, but I believe that we also need to make a positive impact during our lives on our planet and others. We are part of the plan for true cosmic and global awareness. In our ministry we need to foster this development, and we must learn to maintain and strengthen that link with the cosmic energy and with deity.

7. What is the idea behind becoming multi-sensored beings? How can you achieve that personally and how can all the lessons in this course help you in your life both as an individual on your own spiritual journey, and as a minister working with congregants in your capacity as a spiritual counselor? There is more to the world than our 5 senses can show us, and as a result there is so much that we are missing. Learning to use our other occult senses is an important step in spiritual development – allowing us to connect to deity, to the planet and to human awareness, and bring about positive change in ourselves, in others and in our world. The lessons in this course have been a revelation, clarifying some things that I had figured out for myself, and bringing multiple other new insights and viewpoints. Our spiritual journeys are ongoing, and these lessons will continue to help me as I progress on my own journey. It is through the practice and understanding of the insights that I can create a new inner awareness and strength, and use this to guide and strengthen my ministry. The lessons in the course have provided many ideas that are adaptable for spiritual lessons in my ministry and has sparked ideas for many more. My goals are both personal spiritual growth and assisting others to achieve their growth; to work towards peace and to protect our world. These insights will aid that process.

8. Overall, what have you taken from these lessons? Discuss the various activities and your reaction to them. Which ones do you feel were most effective, and which, if any, would you consider using in your work with your congregants?

Overall, the lessons have given me another viewpoint, another way of looking at things and so have made clear many things that were previously hazy. The insights are something I shall keep with me always, building on them and growing with them.

There were so many superb activities that it is hard to choose between them and I believe that all will find their place. Examples are the techniques for teaching children, the assignment for capturing a moment of joy and holding onto that feeling, drawing it from the memory and feeling it again; or the exercise teaching increased awareness – of messages, of energy of others, of the whole pattern of life, or the dream work, the practice of mindfulness, the awareness of fears, the awareness of things that influence personal energy flow. All these techniques are perfect to incorporate into spiritual practice, either directly or after adaptation. They all make small and simple exercises that can be slipped into the general lesson, allowing them to work on the subconscious, while bringing the conscious mind to bear. This has been an outstanding course – my appreciation to ULC and to the course author.

May blessings surround you and your families.

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Ordination with the Free Online Ordination button.

The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Spirituality - ULC

2012-01-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

Final Essay on the course for Dr. of Spirituality: Rev. Loretta Siani

Now usually one writes about the content of a course and what one learns. But my personal experience while taking this course showed me its value to me and what I learned became reality. I share this personal experience as my essay on the power of this thought and what I was able to see in my own case. I hope it shows what I have learned and how it worked through my saga.

So I start by saying I have had an interesting time during the passage of time of taking this course. The lessons learned were complex and I am still dwelling on the elements placed in front of me in the course on Spirituality. For during this time, my personal life has been challenged in my heart. I have lost the life of my hero, my father, who succumbed at 87 years old and my mother was injured in the family home while my dad was fighting for his known life in the hospital. My dad lived long enough at, I hope my urging, to celebrate his 87^th birthday and then when at the sickest moment he lived to see in my parent's 65^th wedding anniversary one month later.

Now one could ask me what happened during this time and how this course worked for me? Well, an hour before their anniversary day came to be I was with my father at 11:03 p.m. Dad coded and there was a DNR note. However, due to some confusion in the directive, they revived him. I prayed like never before in my life for him to pull through to be able to be alive for he and mom to reach such a huge day of value and meaning for them. Dad was on a ventilator, suffering the beginning of renal failure and he was a victim of pneumonia, heart failure, renal shutting down and blood septicemia, just to mention the most important issues.

Although he was in what was a drug induced state, I held his hand and told him it was okay and that if he wanted to God would let him live long enough to reach such a huge momentous occasion of 65 years of wedded bliss.

Well, I need not tell anyone who has taken this course that I opened my soul to God and told my dad to do the same. The nurses told me they knew he could hear me and he did it, although never opening his eyes. I cleared myself of all self interest and just prayed. And so the miracle was given to me and my parents. Something no one else probably understood or even cared about, but I was granted such through the grace of the Almighty for opening myself to pure love and affection to the most important person in my life and my hero to boot. I did not ask for me, I asked that God give my dad this one gift and miracle when all the odds were against it and he was basically going to leave his human form. Somehow, it happened and he celebrated his anniversary with just me in the room. My mom was in a rehab facility with a broken vertebra as she slipped while alone in their home and dad was in the hospital. So she could not be there to share in this blessed event. With open heart and all love I had, I let God guide my words to my father to hang in to make it to the day he married my mom. There was no reason why this happened. I just prayed and gave myself to God's hand.

Three days later I again was alone in my father's hospital room and he was now in renal shut down and going to die naturally. It was about 2:10 p.m. that I felt something inside while visiting my mother. I told her I had to go and see dad. So I drove the few miles to his room and once again I saw that this was his time to join the life in God's arms. I went to his side and told him to fear not as he was in God's hands now and that he had met his mission of life here on earth and it was okay as he had succeeded at everything he had wanted and it was time for him to find his peace. Of course, this was in prayer, but it was prayer aloud for him to hear and for me again to give of myself and let my dad be given continuing life with God as his holder. I could see that his body was giving up and he took two breaths as I spoke to him and asked him to let God enter his heart to guide him further in everlasting life. Well, there was no fear, no pain and no tears, but he calmly took those two breaths and turned his head a bit and then he was on his way to what stood in front of him forever.

I sat in his room for two and a half hours and the nurses cleaned him up and removed all of the tubes and such. They combed his hair and placed his hands and arms across his abdomen with his wedding ring finger on top of his other hand. I should note that this is so hard to write through my tears as I complete this essay. I was trying to think of how to show what I found out of this course. But, while taking it, the contents found me and provided me with what I needed to handle this process of loosing the most revered person I have ever known.

I prayed continuously for dad to fight when needed and he did so and then I prayed for God to enter his body and cure him of his earthly illness and take him with open arms to his new life. I found the fear I had of seeing him go was nothing. I had prayed for God to help and guide me through the process I was experiencing. I asked for nothing but for God within me to guide my heart and soul/mind to accept this happening. I guess I can say without reservation that the element of the course were not coincidental to my needs for love and to let that miraculously happen. And so it did! I do not know how I was given such strength and guidance, but it came and it came through prayer as the course so indicates and I was given the gift of such. Now it is a month past and I still wonder how I was given such a course and what brought me to take it at the time I did. I did not know in advance hat was waiting for me. I read the course lessons earnestly and took all I could and as things unveiled in front of me I tried my best to use them so I could handle what was given to me. I guess God just decided I needed my miracle and provided me a vehicle to read to help me understand how to find it.

Now I had to speak at one of my dearest friend's funerals back in January when I first started taking the course. I thought I did good for the family of my departed friend and colleague and was given various accolades for such a meaningful tribute to a man who I cared about like a brother. But, I had not yet reached the spot of using it for more and now I find I can give so much more to those in need by prayer and the gift of God's graces within.

So that is my story about this course. I was going to delineate all of the various lines and sections as I found them relevant, but they found their way into my reality and I hope this summary of events in my life, shows the value I found in this course and its contents. I found things about me I did not know existed within and I do believe that miracles can happen through prayer and love… and God gave them to my father, who by the way was not a particularly religious man. But, as these events unfolded, I kept telling him to realize the God and Great Spirit within himself. And, I found the love and miracles in my heart that were there with God within me….

Amen and thank you for this course!

Sincerely,

Adam Rocke, Reverend

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Spirituality

2012-01-07T03:32:00.000-08:00

Dr. of Spirituality

Essay: What I have learned in this course.

(Looking for the truth in the spiritual world)

My father once said to me: Son, always remember that learning never ends - no matter how old you get.

Now I am 56 and I have to admit that my father was right.

We live in a cruel world, lies at every corner and most of them blend-in perfectly with what we like to hear and our views of how the would 'ought' to be.

For 2,000 years we are being told that there is only one savior `Jesus Christ`.

Wars are being fought because we need to defend our countries.

Religious wars are being fought to 'defend' our different Gods, given or assigned to us by our churches, who like to dominate us just as governments for their political wars.

Who can you actually trust ?

We are all the same humans, brothers and sisters indeed. And there is only one God in Heaven and this God`s name we do not need to know and neither do we need to kill each other in His name. We are the ones who have given this God different names, beside the other Gods who visited Earth, self-proclaimed Gods, Gods made by humans, Holy messengers and Prophets. Who is the real God ? There can be only one real God in Heaven and that is the almighty God and His name is God (in English) and in another language you might call him differently.

How much do we know about Jesus Christ (New testament) and (Old testament) Joseph in fact / ? What about all the other Gods (whose names I will not mention now), are they fake Gods or fake Sons of Gods ? Certainly not !

What about the great (Genesis) flood / And, what about the Epic of Gilgamesh (around 2,600 BC) ?

What about Moses (Sargon), and all the other `moses-like-human prophets before;

in Babylon it was Nemo (10 tablets)

in India it was Manou (10 tablets)

in Crete it was Minos (10 tablets)

in Egypt it was Moses (10 tablets)

... and have you ever sought about the ending in our prayers: AMEN ? Where does it come from and what does it actually mean ? Are we worshiping Amen-Ra / Sun-God ?

Are we really knowing the truth about Earth and Humans and their Gods, or are we just living in a great Disney Land ?

Is everything just developed for political reasons so that religion can be used for slavery ?

Religion is a myth indeed, it is not debatable nor questionable, it is divine authority.

At young age I quit religion and I found it again through the ULC, especially the Spiritual course they offered.

In the end that is all I had left, a broken-view regarding religion and belief. All there was left in me was the Spiritual belief.

It is rather difficult to build-up that belief without some help of an spiritual advisor. Then the praying, we all pray for so much, but then is it right to pray that much ? And what kind of prayer is correct ? To whom should we pray ?

Beside weddings I do counseling of all kinds and children support, visit hospitals and prisons were I meet all kind of different nationals and human characters. I do not use the cross, of course when I am forced to use it then inside my heart I think of Jesus Christ but still fighting with my inner-self then. I rather wear a pair of praying hands instead of a cross.

Spiritual belief in the (Nameless) Almighty God is my belief and I consider myself an International Christian who welcomes all Gods and all other Religions for the purpose of uniting all humans together again.

The Free-Will being given of being able to choose an religion (Universal religious belief) and practicing it as granted to me by the ULC means a lot to me and the most-high in heaven will certainly agree to that. Arguing about religion is a waste of time, since all religious books are either partially incorrect, misinterpreted and anyway are not fully proven to be correct. Better be spiritual and study about Astronomy, Astrology and Archeology and really help-out others and then you will be on the right track.

Most of the people say they are spiritual, because they do not know anything about religion, neither won`t have anything to do with it for personal or other reasons. The question is just `Do They Understand Spirituality` ? Maybe 90% does not. Rev. Dr. Loretta Siani has been a helping hand to me with her lessons, Spiritual prayers and the deeper meaning of it. Of course not everything is according my spiritual belief, what she has taught me, but she awakened inside me the deeper free-spiritual thinking and in the end that is all I hoped to happen. Reading, learning, processing and sorting-out with a clear and free-thinking and feeling mind is important in order to evolve to the next spiritual step (per aspera ad astra). No human is perfect, no book is correct but we can correct our current dependent mind (s) and thinking as long as we keep ourselves open and uninfluenced to choose a new or different way of thinking according our heart and independent open mind. Whatever we read or study does not mean that we have to accept everything what is written or being said, but without studying and freely considering a learning process is not possible.

Spirituality is something you can not touch, not buy, not be given to but only slowly learn through study and life experiences and an open mind and an clean heart, otherwise the spiritual picture will not be visible and the guideline is not there.

I like to thank the ULC and Dr. Siani for their kind support till now and I like to encourage my other Pastor-Reverend brothers here on Earth to keep an open mind and always consider the cost of misusing the most powerful weapon `Religion` in the name of our most high GOD.

Blessed are those who spiritually support their brothers and sisters.

Brother Georg - Japan

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Metaphysical Healing

2012-01-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Final Essay for Metaphysical Healing.

Sharon J. Mayer

This was a very interesting course that helped me understand the alternative aspect of faith and spiritual healing for all. The healing of mind, body, and spirit all working together for the person and the community is new to me. While I am not sure that being a healer is my calling I have come to better understand the use of such practices and have understanding of what practices work with other means to totally heal the patient. I am continuing my education in the field and exploring all the aspects of the many types of healing that are available in the world. Because of my new understanding I am more open to the ideas that the spirit must be healed as well as the body to have a whole and complete healthy life.

I was most impressed with the manner the class was given and the questions at the end of each chapter reinforced the learning experience. I have seen these practices work when I lived in various parts of the United States and among the North American Indigenous. In the far spread areas of Alaska it is the native healers that serve the people most. They also use the concept of healing the whole body to bring it into harmony.

The concept of faith or spiritual healing does not come easy for people in the United States as the medical field in this country has relied so heavily on the sciences. The idea of using alternative means of healing is not one that is practiced by many. I can remember when we were given teas of herbs or poultices were put on injuries with plants taken from the woods around us or from the garden. People who used the old ways were considered out of the normal channels of healing for practicing what was really a normal healing method and were thought of as substandard health practitioners. When one realizes at one time the barbers were the healers (and that is why there were red and white striped poles outside the shops) and they used bleeding as a means of riding the body of illness before medicine was formalized with specialized training it is not hard to understand that different means of healing are looked at with suspicion until proven to be a good healing process. Healing has come a long way and each day a new cure can be found but we must understand that there are other ways than science to heal that have only recently been recognized and added to the specialties of medicine in some parts of the world.

It seems that modern medicine has forgotten that these same herbs, barks, and plants are in the compounds of our modern medicines or a synthetic version of the same. Also it is just being recognized that laying-on of hands or using energy fields should no longer be frowned upon but used more to help the patient. The touch of one on another can create a feeling of love and promote the healing process in many ways. The used of the energy fields to clear negative forces is now being recognized not as something outside the box but a way to help the patient. Even those who advocated special diet were considered odd at one time and now that is a part of the whole process to heal. Granted many reasons include the actions of the few that were out to fleece the customer but to lump all of these practices into one basket because of a few is not using all the healing resources available to the community.

Now we are being given a choice of medical practices from many areas and the idea that other than what the doctor prescribes is wrong and won’t work is being replaced. This has lead to a more holistic form of healing the body and spirit. Many of the mainstream medical profession have started to understand that there is truth in alternate means of healing. Practitioners of many healing disciplines are now being covered by insurance in the United States that just a few years ago would not have been something that would be allowed.

I was interested in the community concept of healing one member to heal the whole. This was new to me but after many of the classes I have taken at ULC Seminary the idea is not as foreign because I have come to understand that we are One and what affects one of the whole affects all. The used of this understanding to heal the spirit gives me understanding of how wrongful thought can affect not only the patient but the community.

The amount of time for training and the education that must be completed is very interesting. The concepts provided in the training are universal and the words used to help the person relax and the care to not harm the patient is very important. There are so many things to learn about and to do properly so as not to harm the patient further but to bring them back to the fullness of health. I myself have not seen an aura around a person. I think I have been looking too closely at the actual earthly body to see it but I have felt heat energy near persons. I did once see a dear friend of mine in ghostly pallor and a grey area about her. She was walking toward me and as she was with her boss who was speaking in a negative tone to her I was unable to speak to her. The next day she drove 20 miles in to work and died at her desk from heart failure. I now wonder if what I was seeing was the beginning of the spirit leaving her earthly body and taking the energy field with it. This was the turning point of my life and I have been seeking to learn and grow every since.

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Spiritual Awareness

2011-12-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Insight Into Awareness course is based on the ten insights presented in the Celestine Prophecy. It is a wonderful course that can be easily applied to provide intense spiritual growth. I loved this course!

The First Insight is the awakening. It talks about an awakening that is currently occurring on the planet. There is a critical mass of people who are experiencing their lives as a spiritual unfolding through meaningful and mysterious coincidences. As we begin to pay attention to the coincidences, we notice more of them. This is the realization that the divine is leading us in a particular direction to fulfill our mission. Many times we do not recognize the “blessing in disguise” until later. An example in my life was when I decided to take a class in herbal medicine. I loved it and thought it was fun, so I became involved in an herbal apprenticeship class for 7 months. I still wanted to know more after that 7 month class, so I decided to look for a degree program and found one that fit my needs (and budget). Five years later, I have a doctorate in natural health and will open a business in a few years when the finances allow for it. This will help me fulfill my mission of helping others with their health and stress.

The Second Insight is called the “longer now”. People are becoming more aware of the purpose of our lives on this planet and the real nature of the universe. We are spiritual beings with a spiritual nature. This new focus replaces the preoccupation with technology and the gaining of material comforts. In the past, I was always focused on my career, being promoted and being a super-achiever. At a point in time (when my Dad passed away), I became much more focused on spirituality. My focus increased considerably when my mother passed away a couple of years later.

The Third Insight is about energy and the fact that our universe is composed of dynamic energy, not matter as we had previously thought. This energy is sacred and through projections, people can focus this energy and increase the number and pace of the coincidences. Wherever we focus our energy, is where the energy flows. I became aware of this truth with my Reiki training and am now a Reiki master. With the constant use of Reiki, my understanding of this truth expands.

The Fourth Insight makes us aware that we are in a struggle for power. Too often we cut ourselves off from the source of energy. We tend to compete for other people’s energy by wanting attention. This competition for scarce human energy is what causes conflict. This insight explains why there is conflict within families—especially between parents and children.

The Fifth Insight teaches us that when we tap the source of divine energy within us, all of the conflict and violence ceases. This is the message of the mystics. Once we make this connection, we feel light and a constant sensation of love. I have found one way of making this connection is through meditation and Reiki.

The Sixth Insight show us when we tend to lose connection… usually when we are under stress. We become aware of when we manipulate other people’s energy and steal it. The more we become aware of when we are connected and when we lose connection, the more connected we will stay.

We also must recognize what our parents gave us, how we are using it and then clear the past so we can eliminate our control dramas. This opens us up to aligning with our spiritual path more clearly. I find I lose connection when under stress. I am trying to become more aware of every situation in which I do this.

The Seventh Insight is about engaging the flow of energy once we become aware of our personal mission. Once we are in the flow of energy, the coincidences increase, we daydream and have meaningful dreams to find answers to our questions. At some point there will be synchronicities that when we have a question, it will be answered intuitively by another person. This has occurred for me on several occasions. Usually, the answer comes from my husband a day or so before I ask the question!

The Eight Insight teaches us the interpersonal ethic and how to conduct our relationships. We need to uplift everyone that comes into our lives and be careful not to lose our inner connection with our romantic relationships. It is easy to become co-dependent on another’s energy. It teaches how to project energy to others and handle family situations. This is one insight that I will use from now on.

The Ninth Insight is about our evolution to spiritual beings through synchronistic growth and attainment of higher energy states. We will eventually end the cycle of birth and death and will unite the afterlife dimension with the physical dimension of earth. I work with Reiki to continually attain higher energy states.

The Tenth Insight is about fulfilling our birth vision in remembering how to live this spirituality on earth. This spirituality is what all humans have strived to accomplish. Once we remember that we are here on assignment, we will pull a fuller vision of what we wanted to accomplish while on earth and be able to live it. I have the vision of what I wanted to accomplish and that is helping others through counseling. Living it on a daily basis is a challenge.

As I have a strong interest in the Celestine Vision, I went a little further and found that there is now an Eleventh Insight that talks about extending prayer fields. Every religion and sacred writing refers to the power of prayer, positive thinking, etc. Using a prayer form of holding a vision of intention for a spiritual world, we are helping to transform the world into spiritual form. I have been participating in a global prayer forum where many people hold a positive vision for the world together.

There is a Twelfth Insight under development. Stay tuned!

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Spirit Quest

2011-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Spirit Ques

When I first started taking this course I had been estranged from my then 19 year old daughter. I was at a crossroads in my life and was feeling as if I was spinning out of control. Now, approximately 7 months later I find that my life has almost complete balance. My now 20 year old daughter has reconciled with our family and my husband and I are both anxiously awaiting the birth of our first grandchild.

While the reconciliation is ‘icing on the cake’, my entire world feels as if someone turned on a light in the dark room in which I was living. Last June when I decided to become an ordained minister and attend seminary I was seeking answers to questions that perplexed me. I have always had a close relationship with God, but I couldn’t hear or feel him anymore. Because I know that he didn’t change or go anywhere, I knew that I needed to look within myself to reconnect to Him. I believed that a course title “Spirit Quest” was just the vehicle that I needed. Using the various tools provided me in this course, I was able to literally relight the candle and see not only myself but the world more clearly.

Right out of the box (my email in box), the first lesson reminded me that I needed to take charge of my life instead of letting it take charge of me. Although I had always believed in goal setting, like many other aspects of my life, I had gotten out of the habit. I immediately sat down and wrote out what I really wanted. Although I did not necessarily meet every goal (like losing weight), I find that the more substantial goals (like forgiving others and myself) have been attained. One of the biggest gifts that I have received from this course is forgiveness. During week 1 I wrote that one of my goals was to “let go and let God.” Basically I needed to forgive certain people in my life who had harmed me and allow God to hand out their punishment. Shockingly, when I opened week 2 the word FORGIVENESS jumped out at me. I knew right then that I was in for a life changing experience. From that moment on I would anxiously wait for Tuesday when I would receive the next lesson.

I did have a difficult time with Meditation. I never “saw” anything other then darkness. At first I was stressed over this and decided that I either needed to have a lot of work done on me or I was doing something wrong. I eventually emailed Amy and she graciously told me that I was not the only person who never “saw” anything. I eventually learned to use meditation as a means to listen. Darkness became my friend as it shut down all other senses and allowed me to hear and feel. Because I never “saw” anything I was not able to create an image of a rose in my minds eye. However, I lit floral incense or candles and opened up my sense of smell. To clear my mind I would stare at flower (not necessarily a rose) and focus on each of its parts. It was very difficult at first for me to “sit still” long enough and I felt it was a silly exercise. However, over time the clearing of my mind happened quicker and easier. Now, when I see or smell a flower I almost immediately get a sense of calm. I feel centered and rejuvenated.

Another lesson that I felt was life changing was discourse #16, Speaking in the Positive. It was very difficult to change the way in which I communicated with those around me. I had to consciously remove negative words not only out of my vocabulary but my thoughts as well. Instead of focusing on the estrangement that we had with our daughter and the anger I had towards those that were responsible, I focused on the love I felt for her. It was very agonizing to do this, however with the other tools that were provided to me through this course I was able to push through the pain. Simplistically speaking, I tried to only think “happy, positive thoughts”. Those happy thoughts translated to positive words flowing out of my mouth. Lest one think that I have created a “Pollyanna” environment (although my husband has taken to calling me that), everyday I make a choice to be happy and productive. When I get angry or sad, I pull upon lessons learned these last 30 weeks to refocus my energy and remind myself that I am in charge of my life and therefore my emotions.

Rev. Michelle Fields

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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.

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Spirituality Course

2011-12-25T05:55:00.000-08:00

Defining Spiritualism is a very insightful course that gives a terrific overview of how various philosophies have influenced religion and how such extremes in thought developed. It is very helpful in understanding others and how to minister to them – especially those with a more scientific worldview.

The lesson on atheism was very interesting. I always wondered how people could hold this philosophy and where it came from. This philosophy is based on an extreme view of science, and assumes that nothing exists outside of our five senses. It does not recognize our spirit or unconscious mind. It is a very narrow view of the world.

Many of the world’s atrocities were justified by the concept of predestination. This was one aspect of Christianity that I always struggled with. I could never understand how Christians could kill others in the name of Christianity. It was interesting to learn that if someone was not “called” to Christianity then it was assumed that they were somehow “predestined” not to be saved.

In summary, I really enjoyed the course and would recommend it to others. I think it is very important to understand how various philosophies were created and how they have influenced the modern world. As ministers, we need these insights and understanding in order to be of most benefit to those we minister to.

Thank you for making this course available!

Rev. Patricia Buben

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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.

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Metaphysical Healing

2011-12-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

Topic: Anatomy and Physiology

We all have one of the greatest gifts our on human body, more advanced that any computer that has been made or will be made. Our Creator did a miracle job putting in place all the needed elements on our framework and inside on structure everything that can heal our self.

When we look at the different systems which makes our human body so remarkable to be a city worker all the time for the goodness of our health and well being is truly greatness.

As we gaze to the other-side or our outer-side where we find a part of our energy field and how our Aura Shield protects us from harmful contaminated elements that can harm us in different ways.

This why we need to understand how and why our human bodies work so to head off illness and disease from entering our bodies. By understanding the why certain systems work with our other systems not readily mentioned in the medical field can assist you in compassing how to control your health in a easy way.

As a healer it's very important to know what you feel, in working with clients, I inform them that I'm not a medical doctor and I do not give diagnose, but will give my opinion to what I feel after I scan the body and in doing so when I feel spots in the chakras area's and the appropriate organ or area most of the time I can tell and also assistance from my guides I give a pretty good opinion to what is troubling a client.

Everything that I learn about structure of humans, animals, elements,the world in general assist me in gives the client re-reassurance to their troubles and health problems.

We as healer remember we are not medical doctors, it's important not to confuse the clients with terminology that medical doctors use and for us to stick to the simple terminology that we are familiar with. As a healer is important to know the terms for our own self.

I did a unusual scan on a person, instead of laying down, I scanned standing up from head to base just to make sure I wasn't missing something. The client came in with swollen upper lip and in pain, A cyst had been growing for days and antibiotics were not helping;

I placed my hands near his upper right lip, an gave him some energy heat to promote the cyst to come to a head and release. I informed him that the pain may increase until it released. The next day he told me as I was treating him he felt a lot of heat inside his lip,after getting home still in pain, he placed a warm washcloth on the lip and it exploded and everything came out, he said it was a bloody mess, but soon after there was no pain and no swelling anymore. He said what every I did felt like heat pushing the cyst out of my lip, and he thanked me.But some of the of the help came from within his system doing their job that just needed a push in the right direction. This is my opinion our body works.

Would you send this message back to me because I'm unable to copy the whole text in my small box. Thank you, Rev. Joe

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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. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Spirituality Course

2011-12-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

ULC Defining Spiritualism course

I felt the course was a very thought provoking and unique program. By looking into the history and development of western intellectual thought as is associated with the development of religion one can see how this evolution morphs according to what is most accepted at the time.

The tools in the form of information within this course will aid me in dialoging and ministering to skeptical individuals. There are those who rather ridicule people who believe in mysticism. These are individuals that too are looking for meaning in life and when seeking our council we can approach carefully with the knowledge necessary to deal with those driven by the mind.

Placing complete faith in the powers of logic and reason is a method that is inherently flawed. What was determined as logical and reasonable most often changes with time with other discoveries and insights which make original thought void or at least altered to adjust.

By better understanding that mysticism can be considered the truth of all things but that that truth can be understood in different ways through various spiritual paths. I realize I must learn as much as I can about other religions as possible and I see how it can be closely compared to a more mind centered scientific outlook so I can help others on their own journey more effectively.

With this understanding I conclude that essentially religion and “scientific outlook” are alike in their core beliefs. The following was helpful:

God………………………………Energy

Miracles……………..Discoveries

Magic……………………..Scientific Process

Faith……………………..Objective Reality

The truth we speak is exactly the same though the terminology is different. The universe is an interaction of the mind and energy therefore is always changing. No one can KNOW anything absolutely. God transcends limitations such as weight, size, and mass. These are illusions. Suffering is the condition by which joy is possible. Suffering drives us to greatness. Is this illusion’s purpose a growth process?

What is predictable according to Newton has inherent uncertainty according to Heisenberg. One can propose this question to the scientifically minded. How much of what science had proven to be true one hundred years ago is still believed to be true today? About 90% is now proven false. What of today’s proofs will be considered false in the future?

We must remember we are forever learning. We are forever changing.

I realize my purpose is to be one of a guide not the expert who knows the truth. I can give guidance through non-threatening questions. I will plant the seed and perhaps see it germinate but perhaps not. I must be patient to let others blossom according to their understanding on their own journey.

Every ministry is an opportunity to learn.

If we believe our reality is a creation of a collective manifestation of imagination we can realize our expansion continues in search of more perfect conditions existing somewhere else that we cannot currently see.

Physics unite the two predominant views regarding the physical world versus the psychic world. This ultimate philosophy would unite the truth in these two philosophies, as there is truth to both. We limit ourselves with words and need to focus on intuition.

As ULC ministers we accept a more open interpretation of God and God’s Love. We look forward to a day when we realize the oneness of all, to our service to man, not to be envied as a chosen group.

“I am the chosen favorite” is arrogance of Christianity that runs rampant throughout the fundamentalist movement. This attitude is reflected in other fundamentalist groups as well. We are all children of God and we all find our way on our own unique path. Pagan, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or other. We as ministers must never think our faith is the one true path.

We need to reach out to those in need. The more we give the happier we are. The less we think in terms of what others are doing for us the more we think of what we can do for others the more at peace we are. To love is better than to be loved and through loving we can feel love. To give is better than to receive and through giving, we do receive.

When we fight or struggle against these teaching, diverge from this thought, we ourselves suffer. We need to focus on the positives and on beauty so this is what we see.

We are all God and as such we are all a part of this self-awareness process. Our contribution is our own introspection as we work to honestly come to know the nature of our own souls, so too does God come to know the nature of his/hers. If you want to do God’s work, look honestly into yourself and know that by doing so you are doing the greatest of his work.

When ministering to another use their language such as spirit and soul, physical, psyche, demons, multiple personality disorder, etc. It does not matter which name is attached if the person is deeply touched.

By taking this course I have been given an overview of the influences philosophy has on even those who know nothing about philosophy. This is the way of society in that everything influences everything else.

This realization that I know nothing keeps me humble and ready to listen fully to the person I minister to. I need to put myself aside and always question my motives and be aware of when my ego tries to creep in.

These are only highlighted points of which I found useful and I continue to reread the info to gain deeper perspective of the content.

Rev. Denise

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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.

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Spiritual Awareness

2011-12-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Essay on Spiritual Awareness Course

As I began taking this course, I was not prepared for the insights that would be given to me in

my personal spiritual journey. One of the topics that really helped me on my sacred path is the section regarding the Eighth insight. I discovered through this topic in the course an issue that I struggle with and a need to overcome it in order to help other congregants in my capacity as a spiritual counselor. Through this experience, I was led to begin a step study for co-dependents. Twelve women have joined me on this venture, congregants within my immediate ministerial capacity. We are working through the twelve steps created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous however; we are using the materials created by John Baker’s A Purpose Driven Ministry Resource Guide, a recovery program based on eight principles from the Beatitudes. At this stage, we have worked through the first participant’s guide, which includes the first three steps and I, and these benevolent women have discovered many important spiritual truths in our personal struggles with co-dependency. As a group, we have grown closer to one another and closer to Spirit because of taking this leap forward in our personal growth.

I realized through this part of the course that I was struggling with an addiction to people. This carries into every area of my life and as a minister an area that I must deal with in order to be of greatest service to my fellows. It is another step towards spiritual freedom and liberation for me. As I know the importance of engaging in my own evolution, but have a tendency to put that to the side to help others, which is a selfless quality, a merit in one respect, but one that needs to be in balance and harmony with my spiritual ascension and evolution.

I further realized that I was having issues in my romantic life because of this problem, issues in my marriage, that I certainly contributed to as a result of being completely addicted to my spouse who struggles with various forms of addiction, though is in recovery. It led me to look into myself and to find answers to the questions of why the bliss of our initial love relationship had turned into turmoil, chaos and conflict and what my part of the conflicts were and most importantly what Spirit could reveal to me in this regard and how I could seek to recover from these patterns. I realized that I dependently so relied upon the energy of my spouse. When he stopped sending that energy in the initial full force that began our love relationship I began to seek to control him and in effect repelled his energy, forced it away and we each somewhat pulled apart from one another thus the oneness we initially shared was crushed.

Thus, resulting in power struggles, and conflicts, many issues, and distance, withdrawal, retreating, arguing, disharmony, among many other forms of overwhelm, stress and burden. He turned to addictive traits and solutions that offered initial promise from his pain but began to quit working and I continued to try to control, manipulate, lecture, teach, and thus creating more distance, withdrawing and pulling back of energy and attention.

I discovered many truths about addictions from this course. I grew up in an alcoholic family, as my father was a practicing alcoholic in the formative years of my life. When I turned sixteen, he got sober through the assistance of a treatment facility, counseling, alcoholics anonymous and spiritual beliefs and practices. I knew about chemically addictive personalities and traits, and problems. I knew how these affected family members through my association with twelve step programs over the years. What I had not considered was the greater range of addictive issues and so this course lead me to seeking what might be affecting my husband, what issues were causing his addictive and compulsive tendencies and I began to pray about the issues that Spirit revealed to me through my search for higher truth and solutions.

As I uncovered the truths through the guidance of Spirit, I tried discussing them with my spouse but he was not ready to deal with these issues and was very much in denial. I knew that I could not make him see the Light in the circumstance. However, I also knew as a Minister of Light that I could pray for him regarding these issues. I could ask others to pray for him. Therefore, I did pray that Spirit would reveal these truths to him in such a way that he could no longer be blinded to the truth, in such a way that the revelations would come through Spirit and not me. I prayed that the chains would be broken, the karmic ties, bonds would be severed and cut and in such a way that he was revealed to himself and others, thereby being accountable not to just me, but to others, and to Spirit. This miracle happened, and the way it happened was not by coincidence or happenstance, but was indeed the divine intervention that I prayed for and that others prayed for on our behalf. His behaviors were revealed in such a way, that I could not have created it or thought it up, or plotted, controlled, in anyway, as the Divine has a perfect plan for us all, if we can just be patient and wait on the Divine to act on our behalf.

I have begun to give him the freedom to recover in his own way and pace, and to accept where he is and who he is in this moment and each moment. This has given me more time and freedom to focus my attention on my own actions, reactions, thoughts, feelings, and to be free from having to try to control things I cannot control anyway. I realized that my struggle for control really kept my spouse from getting the recovery he needed, because I was in Spirit’s way, as I was not allow the synchronicities of the Universe to come into play.

Today I do not have to get my energy from my spouse, or any other person. I am not focused on the actions of others, I am less sensitive to what others say, and I am more open and receptive to allowing others to get close to me. I have addressed my issues of control and realized that I have control over nothing that another person does and my attempts to control were misguided, and ineffective, and harmful to others and me. My life is no longer on hold; rather I am progressing spiritually at an accelerated rate. I am no longer tired all the time or feeling lifeless and drained, I am full of life, aliveness and energy. I feel like enormous burdens have been lifted from my soul. Thank you so much for this awakening. I have given up my unrealistic expectations of others and myself and this is so freeing to be able to accept others not as I would have them, but the way they are and the beauty is I am able to see their divine perfection rather than character flaws and defects.

I realized my completeness, wholeness, comes from Spirit, not from others. My spouse and I are closer than we have ever been. We are praying together and choosing things that bring us closer and illuminating things that cause us to separate and pull away from one another. We are each developing a deeper sense of self, and of compassion and understanding for one another’s struggles and the pain, we have caused one another through our power struggles and conflicts, and destructive behaviors. We are no longer pulling one another away from our individual evolution but enhancing one another’s spiritual growth and this is a miraculous indescribably wonderful adventure.

Rather than focusing on physical intimacy, we have begun to focus on inner intimacy, revealing ourselves totally and completely, and talking, sharing our wants, needs, desires and dreams. We understand one another on the inside, developing a deeper sense of one another’s well-being so that we can move upward, and onward forward on our sacred journey together. We are in counseling together working on having a deeper more intimate physical and romantic relationship doing healing work individually and together. He is participating and leading a men’s step study for men struggling with life issues and addictions of broad scales. Through these constructive actions, we are developing a strong spiritual connection, without power struggle, rather accord, having a close relationship, greater than what either of us thought was possible.

I decided that can live with or without the marriage, but I wanted it, but free from having to fill myself with his energy, and I relinquished control over his actions to Spirit and to his accountability partners, trusting that Spirit will act on both of our behalf leading him and us to our highest, best good. I am choosing to stay centered in my own energy and life. I have had victory over my tendency to control, over my angry outbursts, and manipulation tactics for about three months. I do not have to create crisis, chaos or drama to get what I want, I simply share my feelings honestly and openly with respect and dignity. I am detached from his problems most of the time.

Thank you so much for the insights and awareness of these issues through this course. It has helped me tremendously in my marriage and my relationships with others in my community, spiritual life. I no longer feel the burden of the problems of others, and am able to allow Spirit to guide my steps and trust that Spirit will help others with their problems as well. Blessings be upon you in the greatest measure.

Love and Light,

Rev. Tracy Loper

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Spirit-Quest

2011-12-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Spirit-Quest

The Spirit-Quest course is just what I needed. From the very first lesson I studies, my life began to change for the better. From the first discourse, I realized that in order to reach my goals, I first needed to make a list of spiritual goals. My first was to lose weight and quit smoking in order to be healthier and to be in a better position to be able to respect my body, as well as my spirit. I do believe that my body is a temple that should be treated respectfully. With the lesson on forgiveness, I started the process of forgiving people, including myself. I had built up anger and resentments through my life which caused me to have a short temper and frequent outbursts.

After writing some letters to the people that I felt anger and resentful towards, a lot of that anger and resentful feelings just disappeared. Another lesson I gained a lot from was the lesson that dealt with competition, both physical and spiritual. I was an athlete from elementary school through my sophomore year in high school. I was always driven to win that game that we were playing. But I was always telling myself and other people how much better I was than them which are spiritual competition which isn’t good. I realize that now after taking this course that I am no better and no worse than anyone else that I know or will come to know. Because of this spiritual competition, I spent a lot of time being isolated and separated from people and God. I also learned to speak in the positive since that is what the universe hears. I am still working on improving my speaking in the positive since I have been speaking in the negative pretty much all my life. I liked the lesson on amusement. Since I work in a big grocery store, a lot of people come through so I sometimes try to amuse the customers as they check out. I am working on be more amusing and less sarcastic which at times is amusing when the time is right.

Another lesson that stuck out at me is the lesson on music. There are some songs that just vibrate with me just the right way. If I am having a bad day, music will be able to turn that around and I will finish that day out pretty happy since the music resonates with me real good. The lesson in asking the right questions was a great lesson for me. A lot of the times, I end up asking the question in a bad way and then I get a bad response to that question or don’t get the answer I was looking for.

Sometimes, not asking a question is considered an act of omission and also a case of not asking the right question. I also found some things interesting from the lesson about pain. The thing that I really liked about the pain lesson was the Emotional Cellular Release Therapy that was mentioned which described how emotions like anger and resentment are stored in our bodies in different places and if these emotions sit there long enough, they will create illness.

The money lesson was a very important lesson to me because I am one of those people who would never worry about money and I would go out and shop to buy things because that is how I valued money. But since reading this lesson, the way I have valued money is not the way I want to value it anymore. I did some meditating on this and decided to come up with a budget to live within and the budget includes pay off my credit card bill which has a sizable (at least to me) balance on it. I am viewing money as a safety net for the future, my retirement, and for unexpected emergencies. I think that money does symbolize power and status, at least here in the United States. I am not interested in money for the status of having it or the power that might come with it. I am just using it as a safety net so that I can lead a decent life so I can help others in their lives too.

I found this course very worthy while and will keep each lesson that was e-mailed to me so I can review them more times in the future. There are a lot of great things that I have learned from this course. I will keep incorporating things from Spirit-Quest into my life.

By Michael Barth

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Spirituality

2011-12-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

Doctor of Spirituality Mid-Term Essay

Rev. Michael Barth

This course on the miracle of prayer has totally changed my view on prayer. I had always thought that prayer was talking with God but never realized that prayer is also a way we show love to God and how God shows love to us. I did not realize that we have free will to listen to God, but at some point we will all listen to God. The revelation of love was something totally new to me. I thought that this section would explain what love is but could not explain the meaning of love and used the analogy of breathing as why love could not be loved. Learning that love is all-encompassing and that there is no opposite of love really shocked me since I think it terms of opposite like good/evil, wealthy/poor, etc. I learned that we cannot have any fear if we are to show true love. Any self-doubt and/or fear takes away from any true love we try to show.

The way that God is described is a new concept of God to me. I grew up in a non-denominational Christian family and had a pretty traditional of God. To me, God looked like us, was punishing, and to be feared. Like a lot of people, I also thought there was a heaven and hell. Heaven was where the good people went to be with God and the bad people would spend eternity in Hell. The concept of God being all love and all encompassing was a radically different way to look at God. I liked how the love of God is described as pure, perfect, abundant, changeless, limitless, indestructible, joy, and peace. Before taking this course, I never had considered myself a son of God, but now I do. Also, I never considered Gods purpose for me which is to extend love. I have always lived life the way I wanted to and if I didn't spread love, I didn't care. I didn't even care if I had spread hate or other ill-will with other people. Now I know that God's love is all-encompassing and that I need to spread it around this planet.

The blood sacrifices in Lesson 3 got me thinking quite a bit. How and why would God need blood sacrifices to atone for sins? This lesson answered these questions by telling me that blood sacrifice was a human invention. Before this lesson, I thought that God had already condemned this world for all its transgressions that have occurred and God would punish us all. I had never considered the fact that God has already forgiven us. The fact that this course has altered my thinking about is great because now I think that God is a loving and merciful God. I liked how Jesus was used in the course on how perfect innocence cannot be destroyed because perfect innocence is indestructible which gave Jesus the power to overcome death. I liked how Jesus is described as a son of God, like us, and not part of God, unlike some Christian sects who say Jesus is part of the Trinity. Just the fact that Jesus is our brother and will help people bridge the gap between themselves and God is reassuring to me. I too, have prayed in Jesus name and have not understood why we always said "In Jesus name we pray. Amen." Now I know that we are calling on the power of God and remembering and calling on Jesus' promises to us.

In Lesson 4, I learned that I was one of the many people who was using forgiveness to destroy. I would forgive people for harming me because I felt that they were below or inferior to me. Also, I would forgive people if they did something in return such as I will forgive you if you stop stealing from me or give back what you have stolen from me. I have also forgiven people because I felt that they were just like me or were very similar to me and what I had done to others. I also had used the third type of forgiveness described in this lesson as the martyr. I would suffer in silence at the hands of other people and then have people look at what I have to go through. I realize that these types of forgiveness are not true forgiveness because I will be expecting something in return for my forgiveness, will be letting myself still feel guilty about forgiveness, will be self condemning myself, or will be trying to destroy another person. I never knew that true forgiveness involved mercy from God or help from God. Also, I never considered that true forgiveness changes us and not the other person with whom we are forgiving. I also had a real problem with forgiving people who had committed really bad acts or bad behavior. I remember growing up and being in 6th grade when a school shooting took place at an elementary school in our school district in Winnetka, IL.

After the shooting happened, the person that had been killed was a person that I had met the night before at a baseball game because his older brother was on my team. I was unable to forgive the person who did the shooting because of all the harm that it caused the people involved and the community. The family of the young boy that had been killed was very distraught and was in shambles. This shooting scared me and robbed me of my peace but have learned in this lesson that I need God to help me forgive myself and the shooter. Also, I let this shooter rob me of my peace of mind at the time too. I liked how this lesson teaches how there is no sin and that we have to look through Christ's vision instead and respond with love. I loved the 3 steps of forgiveness in this lesson too which I am working on incorporating into my life right now

The Holy Spirit is a concept that I have always had a problem getting. I have always been trying to figure out what the Holy Spirit really means to me. This course has helped a lot because it gives some symbolism of what the Holy Spirit is, such as fire being purification and wind being inspiration. I realize now that the Holy Spirit can be represented by different symbols. I liked the section on how the Holy Spirit functions. I never knew that the Holy Spirit functions as a completion of the redemption of mankind or for healing our mistaken perception. I learned also that the Holy Spirit is a mediator between our illusions and the truth and also helps us with our separation with God. I know that there are a lot of illusions that I see and need help seeing God's truth in what is happening. Also, I know that for myself, I need the Holy Spirit to help me bridge the separation between God and myself since I definitely am not living the Godliest life possible. I know that the Holy Spirit is teaching me more about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, honesty, and much more since I am allowing the Holy Spirit to work within me. As a kid, I was really impatient, angry, hateful, and would flat out lie to people. As I have gotten older and since taking this course, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me patience, peacefulness, love, and honesty. I still have a long ways to go and still have a lot of teaching from the Holy Spirit, but I am making good progress. I definitely need the Holy Spirit in prayer to bridge the separation between myself and God and also for taking up my false thoughts that I have. During prayer now, I try to be one with God instead of telling God how things need to be done and when to be done.

In this course, I have also learned what true prayer is. I grew up thinking that prayer was when I asked something from God and always thought that prayer began with me. Growing up, I would ask God for many things just like asking Santa Claus to bring me many gifts for Christmas. I never thought that prayer began with God and is a way of communicating with God and being in communion with God. Also, I thought that my prayers were often not answered or heard by God because I never received what I had prayed for. Now I know that prayer is to fix me and my issues and will be done in God's time. Also, my prayers are heard by God and are also answered by God in his way and most likely the answer isn't what I wanted like a fancy car showing up in my driveway or a lot of money appearing in my bank account. Substitution is something I also learned too. I thought that having money or material things would bring me happiness and would often pray for money and material things but realize that I am just substituting things here for real happiness which already exists within me.

I also learned a lot about the different levels of prayers that we use. I never had thought about the different types of prayers as being higher or lower than another type of prayer. I am used to using the prayer of need followed by the prayer of freedom. I cannot recall using prayer of joining or prayers of humility when communicating with God. With the prayer of need, I am usually asking God for help with something like helping me deal with my depression or helping someone I know that is dealing with serious illness. I also was given a thought provoking statement about prayers for our enemies. I never thought before that considering someone as an enemy was also reinforcing my own guilt and rejecting God since I would be rejecting one of God's children. Prayer of freedom is a type of prayer that I have used to help me release guilt that I have over something or to release myself from a self-imposed imprisonment of some kind. I think I might have used some prayer of joining but not in a positive way. I have always prayed for God to do this or that to someone who has harmed me in some way. I now realize that this isn't something that God is going to do to one of his children. I don't think I have used the prayer of humility because of the fear of letting things go. For some reason, I have also felt a need to control things or a certain amount of things in my life but I know now that I have to let go and let God do his work with me so I can go do things that will be in love.

The lesson on the power of prayer was very interesting to me. I have read in the newspaper and have watched the news where scientific studies have shown to heal people and also increase the life expectancy of people who had strong faith and prayer. This lesson explained to me why these studies have shown these results. I had never considered before that each thought that I have produces a chemical reaction in the brain and that the brain does not determine between good and bad thoughts in which to produce these chemical reactions. I also never thought about taking responsibility for my thoughts and try to change the way I think. The sections on unanswered prayers struck home with me since I often believed that my prayers were going unanswered but now realize that my prayers are answered but not the way I wanted them to be answered. I realize that I just maybe afraid to see God's answer or just not be accepting of God's answer that he has provided to me.

I liked the section on magic versus miracles since it explained the difference. I did not realize that magic is an attempt where a person or thing would apparently use super natural powers that were exempted or overruled the laws of the universe whereas miracles appeared within the laws of the universe and are thought to be of divine origin. I never thought that miracles were all the same. I thought that one miracle would be greater than another but the lesson taught me the one miracle is no more difficult or harder than another miracle. I also like how miracles can shift perception. I could use a shift in perception from my ego's thinking to the Holy Spirits thinking. This lesson also pointed out the miracles point out the truth and that no illusion can threaten the truth. This lesson also pointed out that I need to be more miracle ready than I am presently ready for. Unfortunately, I am still thinking a lot from my ego and would not recognize a miracle right now if one were to happen.

This course so far has really jolted the way I have thought about prayer and miracles. I have been inspired by this course to actually start reading the book A Course in Miracles. So far, I have found this course and the book to be of great help to me and I have found it fascinating on how the book came to be. This course is a lot easier for me to understand than the book is due to the way it is written. I have gone to the A Course in Miracles website and now get the newsletter from the Foundation of Inner Peace. This course has really got me thinking on how I think and pray and have located a study group that deals with A Course in Miracles. This course is teaching me a lot and I am glad that I am taking it currently and have been incorporating things in the course into my everyday life which has been very helpful with dealing with issues such as depression, relationships, and guilt that I have. I definitely think this course is well worth the time and effort.

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Spirituality

2011-11-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

Spirituality
Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

As a Buddhist, I am awed when I read the Pali Canon and the knowledge and wisdom of the Buddha's teachings. He was fully awakened and in receipt of all the intrinsic intelligence of the Universe. I aspire to becoming an awakened being that I may bring all whom I come into contact with the same awakening.

I have been on a solidly spiritual path for over 24 years now, but that was not always the case. I am a 59 year old woman who struggled through the lessons of this lifetime for 35 years before I began to see just who and what I really am.

I have tried to instill the knowledge of my journey in my daughter and now my granddaughter. I find that we are so frail until we take the journey within and discover the truth of our existence.

As a student of Buddhism, I have trained myself to be the objective observer so that I may not judge others, but see the lessons that they struggle with and be compassionate. This also allows me to be compassionate with myself and that is the greatest gift of all.

You were so open and honest in your final lesson to us; I will try and be the same. Like you, I did not have a wonderful mother. She was distant and silent, and I struggled to make her love me. I was and still am an artist and she felt that I was a failure even though I graduated from college and went to grad school, taught college and am a success as an artist. This was not good enough for her.

My father abandoned her when I was born, and so to her I was, â€œjust like my father and so she never attached herself to me as I would, like my father, leave her. She remarried when I was 4 and he died of a heart attack when I was 7. I saw the whole thing, he was sitting in front of me, but she never explained anything to me, didn't take me to the funeral, just abandoned me even more completely.

I was constantly seeking affection, someone to pay attention to my emotional needs and unfortunately I was a beautiful young girl and this got me molested by a 25 yr old neighbor when I was 13. I was severely traumatized but again she ignored me. Her solution was to have our family physician prescribe mild tranquilizers for me and force me to live on them for 3 years.

My pattern became to seek out men who were emotionally distant, who would abuse and ignore me and then abandon me. After a second divorce at 33, I was a brilliant artist who suffered from chronic migraines, hated men and had managed to give myself uterine cancer.

After my hysterectomy, I gained weight for the first time in my life. I was 35 and no longer a perfect size 8. Since I had based my entire life on how I looked and how many men I could attract, I was devastated. I actually would cross the street if I saw a good looking man sitting out on his porch for fear that he might cringe if he had to look at me. (And I had only gained 25 lbs.)

Loosing my perfect figure was the perfect catalyst for me to begin my spiritual journey, the why me? became, who am I and why am I here? And this led to a number of synchronicities that became the path that I followed. As I opened myself to a higher consciousness, I was pulled through one door after another and allowed to explore the rooms within myself.

I learned to be completely quiet within, and then to journey out of body, to meditate for hours on end and to see the magic of the universe unfold before my eyes. I flew in my lucid dreams, brought back the wisdom of the clear light beings that woke me and took me on expeditions into the universal consciousness and beyond.

I have been given a gift that is beyond riches. I have come to a place where I am approaching clarity. I am grateful for that gift everyday, thankful that I found this church of open-minded beings that I can commune with over the internet. Happy that people like you have chosen to dedicate themselves to the greater good and hopeful that you will achieve clarity also.

In your final essay to us you wrote:

I have decided that any philosophy written by a philosopher who has never been married (and who if married has not made it through at least ten or more years of marriage) is a philosophy that is less than worthless. Marriage teaches us about ourselves like nothing else. When we live with someone, that someone will eventually learn who we really are, not who we want the world to think we are. This forces us to look at ourselves. This is so traumatic that divorce, as difficult as divorce can be, is often easier than honest introspection. Without this part of life, any philosophy is left wanting because the philosopher has never had to face himself in so honest a way as marriage requires.

This caused me to stop and take pause. I can see the truth in your words and yet I know that this was not true for me. I could not see myself or the person that I would become while I was in an abusive relationship. I kept asking, What is wrong with me? and, How can I make him love me? These were the very same questions that I asked my mother.

When I realized that I could not be whole while I was trying to get someone to love me, I left my husband whom I loved with all my heart and soul. I left him so that I could love me, so that I could discover the woman that I have now become. And now when I perform weddings, I am filled with joy for the couples that I am marrying, I don't feel the sadness of loss, the why am I alone?

I am full, whole and complete. And this was only possible by giving up the need to have someone love me physically and emotionally. Balance is best kept by finding your ground and staying in the moment.

At this moment, I am reading Quantum and the Lotus it is a dialogue between a Buddhist monk (Matthieu Ricard) and a physicist and professor of astronomy (Trinh Xuan). It is the meeting of two minds discussing the reality of reality

The Heart Sutra is the mainstay of Buddhist thought, form is emptiness, emptiness is form meaning that nothing in and of itself arises independently and so everything is devoid of intrinsic being. We are just collections of atoms (energy) each creating our own universe with that energy and colliding with each other so that our realities overlap and evolve. Thank you for sharing your energy.

We are all one.

Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

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Spirituality

2011-11-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

Defining Spirituality Essay
Rev. Francis J Douse, ULC Seminary

Introduction

This is my essay for the Defining Spirituality course with the ULC Seminary. A matter of confusion on my part had occurred, which is not a good start on any course of study. I was thinking the course dealt with actually defining what spirituality is, which would have been a monumental task in itself effort to devise let alone study. Instead, I soon discovered it was quite different to my expectations and truthfully some prejudices on my part and yet it has proven enjoyable, informative and complemented studies and thoughts I've followed during my life.

The course itself explored the basis of current Western thought and how it has developed over the centuries, this was presented in the context of ministering to scientific and/or rationalist minded people.

Manifest Matter and Mysticism at the Heart of All Things

Something I felt was implied if not asserted was that matter can be manifest or at least manipulated by will. But this is not expanded upon, or at least not to the point where a minister is attempting to breach the gap between themselves and someone who is scientifically minded, can discuss the matter in a meaningful way. The hardened rationalist will be looking directly for logical evidence during such a discussion and I did not feel that 'rational' examples were given. I would have liked to have seen this explored in more depth. The course writer states that science proves mysticism to be at the heart of all things and whereas I can agree, again, I cannot see how a rationalist will accept that statement without irrefutable evidence. I've encountered some concepts posited to support this, firstly Shrodinger's cat - a quantum mechanics thought experiment. A cat (or other living organism) is placed in a sealed box with a poison. According to the Copenhagen Interpretation, the cat is both alive and dead until the box is opened, the act of observing the end result determines the outcome. Another is a phenomenon known as wave-particle duality, for example photons behave like a wave or a particle depending on how they are being observed. Whereas these seem almost mystical and would indicate that the mind does affect matter, the reality may be more complex. For example, with the cat experiment the Copenhagen Interpretation is just that - an interpretation and there are and probably will be more now and in the future.

The Classics, The Cave and Religious Philosophy

I've always believed that a classical foundation is a good starting point for education and for understanding our roots in western culture. I enjoyed the material presented especially the cave allegory by Plato. It was similar to an example given to me when studying quantum theory at university. In this example, imagine a sheet of paper which represents a 2 dimensional world in which 2D stick people live. They can only perceive the X and Y axes, there is no Z axis for them - it is beyond their perception. Now imagine I take pencil (which can also be a Platonic perfect form) and pierce the paper on which they live, I pass the pencil through along it's length and remove it on the other side. What would the folk in 2D world see? A 3D pencil? No. They see a dot form where the pencil pierces, the dot grows into a circle, the circle persists for a time and vanishes. The idea that a 3 dimensional object had passed through their world would be ludicrous to them! It underlines the limits of our own perceptions and knowledge.

Although we are concentrating on western philosophy, no man is an island. There is a massive jump from the Greek philosophers to the Renaissance thinkers, I believe an acknowledgment must be given to Islamic scholars who gathered and built upon Greek knowledge and it's re-introduction to the west. Also Constantinople should be given a nod, as the capital Eastern Roman Empire it persisted another 1,000 years after the collapse of the west, and traded heavily with the Islamic world especially in regard to the ancient texts. Such knowledge was highly prized and the Byzantine book markets still survive to this day. After it's fall in 1453, the great Byzantine thinkers came westwards bringing the knowledge with them. Similar events occurred in Spain too. I admit I am over-simplifying a complex issue but none the less, a paragraph about where the knowledge was and how it was used when Europe languished in the so-called Dark Ages would have been useful.

One thing I am not too clear on. Renaissance thinkers worked (generally) within the rules of the Church (and failure to do so would be at their peril) and many have been men of great faith, yet rationalists build on that foundation to assert their own cold God-less world views. I'm not sure how they reconcile or reconciled that. How many of these more recent philosophers will still stand the test of time in another 1,500 years or more? I would be surprised if the likes of Plato and Aristotle aren't still read. Will Nietzche's syphilitic nihilism still hold any real value? How much philosophy is useful and how much is just plain old over-thinking? These are issues I have been motivated by the course to question and to continue seeking meaningful answers to.

Atheism - A Clear and Present Danger

Atheism is a subject that was explored. There are those who use the foundation of other philosophers and thinkers (many of whom had faith) and a conceited reliance on logic, reason and science to support their atheism. Just as I cannot prove the existence of the Divine using science, they cannot disprove it. I assert that atheism is simply a belief and not a 'non-belief' as some would say. It is a system of belief like any other, and a narrow myopic one at that. For the atheist, life essentially has no meaning, no purpose. We are born, we live, we die and that is it. Anything else is just wishful thinking and fantasy, a coping mechanism to deal with our own mortality, it is placed into the same category as Father Christmas and the tooth fairy.

I further assert that reason, rationalism and science cannot be used in any context of spirituality anymore than carpentry can help in mountaineering, they are separate fields of human endeavor. Also from all the experiences I have had with atheists - and I say this as a former atheist myself, that there are those who reject the Divine because they had a limited and naive view of it to begin with. If one has been exposed to a literal view of God as a human dressed in white with a long gray beard sat on a throne behind pearly gates, then I could sympathize with their rejection, after all, such symbolism is a relic from Greco-Roman paganism. To me, to rely on science to provide 'proof' that God does not exist is a lie and a conceit because science has no bearing on faith whatsoever.

I believe that extremist secularism and atheism as espoused by Richard Dawkins represents a real danger in society, just as real as religious extremism. Here in the UK as more and more are brought up without any spiritual dimension whatsoever, society is in a real and demonstrable moral free-fall. Nobody thinks twice now when an 11 year old boy fathers a child with a 15 year old girl! Even here in York, I've witnessed with horror a medieval church being transformed into a hedonistic nightclub! The moral vacuum has lead to over-inflation of the ego, loss of self-respect and ultimately damage to the soul. It is a sorry state of affairs and very few seem to even care.

My own conclusions

As I said in the introduction, I had a little confusion about the course when I began but it has proven to be a most insightful and enjoyable course. I believe that there is no conflict between science and spirituality as they are separate endeavors. Science deals with what can be observed and measured while God is beyond all things, ineffable and transcendent, as mankind learns more about it's place in the cosmos God will always be beyond touch. For me, He is beyond mathematics and reason, He has revealed Himself to me and thus in my mind I have all the evidence I need.

Science is not a subject where one should place all of his or her stock, it;s a systematic way of objectively viewing what we perceive, it provides no meaning and no idea of what happens after death. Science has limits, we will never know what happened before the Big Bang, we don't even know how the universe will end, only that there is an almost biblical cosmic struggle between dark matter holding the universe together, while dark energy seeks to pull it apart. We think the universe is one of many and we know the universe is some 14 billion years old, we know many things and their mechanisms. We know the odds of producing a world full of complex creatures are against us, let alone the mass extinctions that life has fought through. The odds against us being here are literally astronomical and yet here we are. Is it by an intelligent design or simply pot luck? As stated in the discourses, we can only say we know nothing.

As sad as it is, there will be people we cannot minister to. I have encountered people who simply cannot believe in a concept of a soul and anything of a Divine nature. This is anathema to me, to reject one's own soul is like rejecting the mind and consciousness itself. Approaching scientifically minded people is possible if they have a seed of spirituality within them, as ministers we can nurture that and allow it to grow to its full potential.

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Spirit Quest

2011-11-19T08:48:00.000-08:00

Master of Metaphysics

Spirit Quest Review

I just finished the final module in the Spirit Quest Course and I can't believe it's over. I feel enlightened, free, and a bit more prepared to face the world in to which I have been reborn. The mission I have been assigned to complete has been elusive, but at this time clarity has been bestowed upon me. After my first near death experience there was an abundance of confusion, my thought processes were almost abstract. I had a sense of what happened but could not find relevance for my life. Previously, I had never been a religious person, despite the fact that until the age of maybe thirteen, I was raised as a catholic. I attended church services infrequently but I did complete the childhood sacraments christening, first Holy Communion and confirmation. Christmas was always special and even at a young age there was a distinct feeling within that was far more than just the enjoyment of being gifted with all of the worldly delights of a child. There was one more special time of the year when I would actually attend mass and other ceremonies namely The Stations of the Cross, which were celebrated during the Lenten season before Easter. During the Stations of the Cross I would again sense something very enjoyable and comforting and it was deep. I realize today that it was a very Spiritual sensation.

I think my confusion stemmed from the discourse I had felt while attending mass on Sundays and the classes I needed to attend to complete the sacrament of confirmation. By this time I had developed the cognitive abilities to Question. The things that I questioned the most were the way the Church (Catholic) would change the rules in mid stream to suit their needs. The time was the 1960's there were a lot of changes going on in the world and here in the United States. Technology was at its birth stage, television was more readily affordable for more of the population. The drug culture was in proliferation and people were getting busy with things other than going to Sunday Mass, at least that was the way it was for Catholics. This may sound petty maybe even a bit insincere but believe me this was the onset of my discourse with the Catholic Church and organized religion as a whole. Scenario, census in the Catholic Church had been dropping off for month's maybe even years; during this time the Church decided they could re-write Gospel and church law to suit their needs. While I was growing up we were prohibited from eating meat on Friday now this may sound trivial but it was profound to me. All of a sudden, it's fine now we can eat meat on Friday. They changed God's law. What Spirit Quest did for me, was to bring my focus back to my own spirituality and made me realize that God lives in me and even though I am more tolerant now of organized religion (I just opened Port St. Lucie Church of Spiritual Enlightenment) fully operational and all the legalities covered and Incorporated. So thanks to this course I obtained the strength to forge ahead. So from the very first lesson it was stated "Overcome the roadblocks that keep you from reaching your goals". I found things in every lesson that helped me overcome my roadblocks.

Thank You,

Rev Glendon Ricker

Pastor, Port St. Lucie Church of Spiritual Enlightenment

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Spirituality Course

2011-11-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

There is a Twelfth Insight under development. Stay tuned!

Rev. Patricia Buben

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Spiritual Awareness, 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.

Spirituality Course

2011-11-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

In the beginning Man and God, by most accounts, were on a first name basis.

Then, Man began to explore the world, and soon there was THOUGHT. The first thought was good, but it led to another, and another, until finally Man had invented a NEW God.

And so it has gone over the millennia. Every few generations God is re-invented so that God will fit Man’s paradigm of what God should be.

You may well ask, “Where did this heretical woman get her blasphemous ideas!”

My ideas have come from many places, most recently the Universal Life Church Seminary course “Spiritualism.”

Religious practices of pre-history were based on empiric observations by people who depended in large part on their skills as hunter-gatherers. Their God/s images revolved around the hunt and fertility of the land.

As civilization spread, Man had the leisure to pursue higher thought, and philosophy emerged, changed, changed again, and evolved into formalized religious beliefs.

The advent of scientific investigation began to alter philosophy, turning thought away from empiricism toward reason and scientific observation of reproducible data. These data lead to physical laws, mathematics and facts being the basis for beliefs. Thus began the decline of mysticism, astrology and empiricism.

Thankfully, the pendulum never stops moving, and the writings by early philosophers remain in the world, and are still read by many.

The teachings of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, the Cynics and Stoics are still revered in our culture, and bring the human race closer to its feeling side.

The more we understand of the elder philosophers the better able we are as ministers to see the vulnerable and helpless side of Man; thus revealing our own weaknesses and strengths. Once we are able to identify these qualities, we can reach out with our good right hand to those whose spirits are in need of support. Then will we be a blessing, as we have been blessed ourselves.

Rev. Kristine Dice

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Spirit Quest

2011-11-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Spirit Quest
The experience of a lifetime.

When I first signed up for this class, I was expecting to talk to a spirit guide and have some sort of out-of-body experience. Instead, I practiced using an amazing array of practical spiritual tools. I would subtitle this course “Practical Spirituality”. It's a course that takes 30 weeks to present, and a lifetime to learn.

My favorite lessons are the ones on using energy. I'm a mother, wife, and teacher. Most of my time is spent responding to the needs of other. I often use the grounding cord to remove the negative energy that my husband and kids generate when they complain. Their negativity doesn't affect me as much. I use the grounding cord when I'm driving in congested traffic. It's a great way to remove the frustrations of stop and go driving. I like to run energy, too. It gives me a boost when I'm feeling tired. The very last lesson talks about using personal energy versus cosmic energy in healing. So many times, I try comforting my family by using my personal energy. I wind up feeling very drained, but I want to help them. Now, I going to invite cosmic energy in to use in healing them. Of course, the hardest thing to do is remember to use these tools in a situation.

Some of the tools don't work as well for me as others do. I have trouble creating a protection rose. I can create one and sit in it, but I don't feel protected. This tells me a couple of things. One is that I probably don't need protection as much as I think. If one sees love in all of creation, why is there a need to be protected? Of course, we have a society which encourages and rewards victimhood. Why seek protection and seize controls of one's life when being a victim works so well? There is a lot to learn from our struggles with certain lessons.

I am very grateful to Amy for this course. I now have more tools in my toolbox for integrating spirituality into day to day living. I've saved all of the lessons, and I will go back to them from time to time. I'm sure that some lessons will become clearer after I've had a little more time to reflect on them. It has been a fun and interesting journey. I rather sad to see it come to an end.

Rev. Donna Kruse

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Spiritual Awareness

2011-10-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Final Essay for Spiritual Awareness Course

By: Rev. Cynthia Ewing

When I started this course, I was not expecting a lot from it. I was already in the middle of taking the Spirit-Quest Class and thought that the Awareness class would be a lot like the other class. As I finished the class I found myself taking away more pearls of knowledge.

The first pearl I took from this class was that mankind is definitely awakening from its slumber. I know I have seen this before, but did not take as large a notice to it in the past. I see my family for one start to awaken. My sister, who I would not expect to be using metaphysical tools, has been using them on her children to help them in their waking and sleeping hours. I think she is just starting to understand what tools she is truly using.

The next pearl is not new to me either. Our thoughts are very powerful. Because we are in this murky third dimension we do not believe that our thoughts play a large role in shaping our lives. We believe that if we do what is right and expected of us that everything will go well. Our thoughts bring in the opportunities or the difficulties we ask for. If we think in a negative manner and speak in one, we bring negative events into our lives. It is therefore important for everyone to think in a positive manner. The whole key is spinning the negative into the positive. One must pay attention to ones thoughts.

Keeping our energy our own is another important pearl. I have had many experiences in my life where I have given away my own energy in a relationship without realizing what I was doing. Rev. King describes it so well when she talks about starting a new relationship. You feel like you are flying high. Then one day you realize that either you or the other person is trying to control the other. The person is put down or made to feel inferior. They are feeding off of the other's energy. This can also happen in other types of relationships. In a parent-child relationship, my Mother was constantly trying to take my energy. She felt inadequate and was willing to take it out on me. In this course I was able to see our relationship a little differently. There are more than a couple views in a relationship.

Rev. King also spoke of tapping into the universal energy and using it to help our environment. I drove around at lunch time one day after reading the lesson and marveled at the beauty that was all around. I also noticed shadows and nuances that brought to my attention hidden things. We can use the universal energy to help our planet and therefore help ourselves if we just open ourselves up to a power larger than ourselves. If we close ourselves off to this source it just stands to separate us even more from the Light and in the process making us feel very alone.

I feel privileged to have been able to take this course. I found the insights to be very helpful to my mission. They have helped me to understand my relationship with my mother on a different level. They have also given me some pearls of wisdom that I can pass on to others who seek my counsel and advice. I have read the Celestine Prophecy many years ago and did not get this much information out of the book itself. I guess I was not ready at that time. Thank you for the experience.

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Metaphysical Healing

2011-10-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Metaphysical Healing Final Essay

By Rev. Patricia Buben

I really enjoyed the course in Metaphysical Healing and came out with much more knowledge about the Chakra system, how the chakras align to the glands, the layers of the aura and the function of the aura.

It is interesting how similar metaphysical healing is to Reiki. The big difference is that there are attunement processes in Reiki that help to balance, align and open the chakras. Both methods align to the Universal Energy Field and can be bring Universal Energy into the body systems to cleanse and heal the body. The aura and energy anatomy are actually the blueprint for the body. Illnesses and imbalances show up in the energy field first, before they affect the body through disease. In this way, disturbances can be felt by the healer while scanning the auric field and can be remedied by bringing in Universal Energy even before the physical body is affected.

Hands-on healing has been used for many centuries by spiritual healers inside and outside of religion. It is referenced in the Bible and is the most ancient of healing techniques. It seems to be making a comeback in the forms of Therapeutic touch, Polarity therapy and Reiki.

The metaphysical healer has many tools in helping a client heal. Positive affirmations, visualization and meditation techniques help to prepare a client for healing and puts them into a higher energy state which can help to make the hands-on healing session more effective. Healing is strongly connected to spirituality as it is believed that Universal Energy Field is directly from God.

There is also the concept of absent or distance healing where the healer uses a representation of the client (can be a picture) and performs the healing service without the client being in the room.

As a Reiki practitioner, there are many techniques I can add from this course. I like the idea of using affirmations, visualizations and meditation to the practice of Reiki to help the client get into the right frame of mind for healing and also to use them on an ongoing basis to help the client relax when under stress.

In summary, this class was very well written, presented much detailed information about the body systems and integrated everything very well. Hands-on healing has become very popular over the last 10-15 years and I think it is important for people in the healing professions and ministers to understand how it works so that they can advise their parishioners as to the value of it as well as include healing services into the churches.

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Spirit Quest

2011-10-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Spirit Quest at ULC Seminary

After working through my first lesson, I looked forward every week to the Spirit Quest discourse waiting in my email box. I had no idea what to expect and I was always enthralled by whatever the latest installment would be. I had been taught how to ground myself in a number of different ways but none of them worked like the one in the lesson. I had never known that I could ground a room, a building, an area or even body parts! I love that and I use it almost everyday and I am working on making that every day. And yes I can ground with my eyes open too!

Ahh the roses and golden suns. I love them too. The more I practice creating and destroying the more beautiful each rose becomes. I can see the veins, the deep red color and even the drops of dew from time to time. Once I swear that I could even smell it! Sometimes remembering to do the protection rose is not as easy as I thought it would be but I am getting better at it. I just have to be and stay present then I can do it. The first time that I actually felt like I had blown up a rose was odd but I like doing that now. The golden sun makes me feel warm and soft. Now I don’t really have to anything but just think of the golden sun and it is there for me.

I did get stuck on the mock ups though and I think those are very important for me. I am going back over that part to try to learn it better. It is odd that sometimes we “checkout” in areas of our lives that we need that most. I think this part was harder than I had expected and actually my life was getting a little bit crazy then. But things are better now so I can do some more work on it.

A lot of the rest of the lessons I had a bit of knowledge on but I still learned plenty. I copied and read ever article that was sent along with the weekly lessons. These I liked a lot. I am planning on taking more courses on line in the very near future because for me this one was so good.

Thank you for putting this together so we can learn.

Rev. Jen Dearborn

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Spiritual Awareness

2011-10-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Awareness

As a Reiki III Master I have practice positive healing energies on both myself and others for many year but the Spiritual awareness class had made me aware of other channels of energy as well and how to work with them. Often what appeared at first to be heath issues has turned out to be negative energies draining the body that are being sent by others.

Thus now I cleanse the negative energies before I even start to use healing energies, often this alone restores health to the body. When I find this the case then I teach the person to do this for themselves for if we have enemies they continue sending us these negative energies as long as they have them their selves and want to blame others for it.

Using the system taught in this class I have coupled it with a positive energy of love to aid the negative person to gain healing too if they so choose. I find seldom does the negative energy stop by just telling it to stop thus I send back what they have received and triple it if necessary so they feel the pain the are sending but then I place a crown of thorns around that individual where the thick energy is trapped from being sent out again but then I go a step forward and send an energy of white light and love through the thorns as love energy is light and can move easily and the negative is a heavy, thick energy and cannot pass through the thorns.

Thus for a while the person sending out this negative energy is weakening themselves to the point they must stop sending it out, for it only rebounds and then in the weakened stage they become still and can finally feel the strength of the love energy I am sending to them and thus not only is the person I am working with finds healing the other person does too if they are willing to let go of their anger and do so.

Often these are not bad, mean people but folks who feel trapped in life and cannot find a way out and thus they find others to blame and send out this pain to them as a sub conscious call for help themselves.

This new Spiritual Awareness has served me well and hopefully will do so for the many I am called on to help, as well.

Rev. Linda Francis

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Metaphysical Healing

2011-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Metaphysical Healing

I am glad to be at the ending of a new beginning, by taking this course. It has been a wonderful learning journey. What I most enjoyed about taking this course were the multiple references made to traditional African healing modalities. I felt it reconnected me back to a portion of myself. I felt this was the richest portion of the course because it illustrates the long line of ancestral healers. Learning about how to heal myself, has proven to be a wonderfully useful tool. On several occasions during this course I have tested the effectiveness of the tools I was learning. I was not disappointed.

From an early age, I've felt the gift of being able to heal myself, but I now have more confidence than ever in my ability to heal others. I also learned about the different roles of traditional healers and how they rebuild relationships within physical and spiritual communities. I also learned how they utilize herbs, seawater and other tools for healing. I very much enjoyed learning about the different body systems, and how they are connected to the meridians and chakra systems. This vast and sometimes complicated knowledge was broken down into simple understandable components that enriched my knowledge of the body.

Before going into a healing session it is important that one has been thoroughly cleansed and spiritually aligned and in tuned so they can be an effective, cleansed and open vessel to receive assistance from the spirit world, this would also apply to both physically present healing sessions or distant healing sessions. Conducing healing sessions requires one to be able to use various induction methods that are dependent on the personality of the client. I also learned how to go about lining with my client, and what professional office procedures to use for patient intake, follow up and develop a system of accurate record keeping. Not only did I learn how to address the physical illnesses of the body, but also how to address spiritual issues, such as how to do soul retrievals, and perform spiritual baths, facials, etc that can aid in the spiritual and physical healing of a patient.

I thought the course was through in its content and it is up to the student to study and practice the lessons in order to become an effective spiritual and metaphysical healer. I would have like to receive more information on how to set up a office and healing practice. I am thankful for this course and realize it is time for me to begin to use it as a practice. Just recently I lost my job and am feeling a strong call to begin to do my spiritual work full time as a method of earning an income. Thank you for the years of toll, strife, joy, success and spiritual growth that you have been given to be able to gift others with the knowledge to do the work of spirit. I am sending much light your way, for having made my path brighter, and for validating the work of spirit in my life.

May the spirit of creation continue to bless you in all your endeavors to maintain this ancient traditional practice.

Rev. Dr. Edonna Alexandria

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Spirituality

2011-10-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Spirituality Course

This was a challenging course that provoked much inner thought. It is near impossible to know what to pick for this discussion. Perhaps one of the most interesting lessons was that on different spiritual philosophies. Here we learn of stoicism that played an important role in defining much of Christianity.

The stoics believed there was no higher God than reason, a direct challenge to Christianity so it was interesting to uncover why stoicism was such an important tenet for Christianity. Stoicism says that everything may be understood through reason, and the Christians equated reason with God, so all things can be understood through God. This is a very profound statement. In spiritual development, to achieve true growth we must seek reason, we must understand concepts and understand God. The stoical Christian tenet says effectively that true understanding comes through connecting with God.

This leads to the crucial statement of the lesson "understanding what influences us makes us better ministers". This is certainly true. To be able to act as a minister for others we need a true understanding ourselves – an understanding that must act on all levels. How can we lead others when we are searching in the dark ourselves. This does not mean that one must achieve perfection to minister, but it does mean that we need to understand the means for working towards perfection. Here, stoicism progresses to give revelations – that God is energy (and therefore part of everything as with the divine spark I discussed in the paganism essay) and that the way to oneness with god is to accept this existence and therefore god, exactly as it is.

The next key point of the lesson is that the bible is not the only source of Christian ethics and it goes on to show the key philosophical thinkers who shaped Christianity such as Saint Augustine. This gave rise to many of the concepts that have been accepted as Christian truth, coming from God, when they were not. These include pre-destination, the idea that only the chosen may go to heaven, and it was this that powered the inquisition and the burning times. This lesson shows one of the key points of the whole course, that spiritualism involves questioning, that nothing should be taken on trust, and that with an inquiring mind we can come to true understanding.

Again, an excellent course and I thank the creator for the wisdom it contained.

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

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Spirituality

2011-10-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

Spiritualism

An interesting concept from this course was the discussion about not being able to learn anything if you already thought you knew about it. This ties in with the concept of each of us finding our own path to god. Believing that we alone have the secret formula, the one true way to reach god, divides us from all others, when we should instead be recognizing and celebrating the gift of our own unique experience of God’s creation.

Much horror has been perpetrated in the world in the name of God. Believing that we alone know the truth is a very dangerous idea. It is only in recognizing that we are all travelers on the road, searching for the way to whatever our own concept of God may be, that can we be freed of the human ego trip of being right and justified in our actions.

The second concept I found of interest was the one about scientists in their white lab coats. The white lab coat being a form of spiritual dress for the religion of science rang a bell within me. I find this idea to be very true.

Western civilization has embraced the notion of reality being only that which we can demonstrate, prove and repeat under controlled conditions. The problem inherent in this is that we have no way of actually verifying or observing anything other than through our own senses. And by their very nature our senses limit us. A dog can hear and smell things that we can not perceive because of the limitations of our physical senses. Does that mean that what the dog smells or hears does not exist, because we can not hear or smell it?

That is the type of logic on which scientific experiment is based. More and more we are finding that as we create more sensitive devices we are detecting things that science did not admit the existence of in the past. How much of what we believe will be proven false by the very science that created our beliefs to begin with? We have latched on to science as the new religion although few would look at it in that way.

The interesting thing is that now the science of quantum physics has brought science back to the idea of God. Science is now demonstrating that the hard fast rules we thought the universe was working by are not so hard and fast as we thought. Quantum physics is not yet a household word. But as more and more people are confronted with it, we will be forced as a society to acknowledge that the spiritual has a real place in our lives.

As a minister I struggle with finding my place in the world. My life has been rich because of the spiritual dimension that gifts me with a true appreciation of how wondrous the world is and what a blessing it is to be alive, even in its most painful moments. But my own experiences and beliefs do not put me in a position of being able to counsel others on how they should approach life. I try to be open and listen, to perhaps point out things I see from my perspective. But, the ministry does not confer the right to impose anything on those who seek our help. It is many times difficult to stand back and be gentle, when the impulse is to rush in with what is after all, only my own opinion, the fruit of my own experience.

The ministry is both an opportunity and a burden in many respects. The opportunity lies is seeing the ministry as a prod to always examine what it is that motivates us. It gives us frequent pushes in the direction of self growth. The burden lies in the fact that it is a way to feed the ego. It is only too easy to succumb to the belief that as ministers we are closer to God than others are. The final lesson in this course spoke to that in a very real way.

We are all only fellow travelers, one no better than the other, just on a different road, at a different point in the journey. The only clear thing I can see is that our society is in a spiritual crisis, longing to find some meaning in our existence. If there is any place that I believe we as ministers can truly be of help, it is in reaching out and affirming that there is no one right way of finding God. We must all struggle to find our connection, and only in respecting each man’s right to choose his own path can we support each other.

Rev. Cynthia Boelens

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Metaphysical Healing

2011-10-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Metaphysical Healing

As with spirit quest – it is impossible to detail all I have learned in this excellent course. To deal with the aspects I found hardest to accept first. My main problem is with the shamanic approach to illness, the view that illness is self-created and that anything can be relieved by the power of thought. While I agree that mental attitude has a great effect on recovery from illness, I can’t accept that illness is self-caused in all cases. There are too many illnesses that just don’t seem to fit the pattern quite apart from accidents, birth abnormalities etc.

This aside, the other methods described in the course are definitely ones that I shall continue to use in the future. For example, I like the concept of past life regression as a tool for healing the present by unraveling complex behavior loops and to explain choices and preferences in the current incarnation. Equally valuable are the methods of energy healing including reiki, which have produced some excellent results in my hands. Combining energy healing with assessment of the aura and of the chakras greatly increases its power. As a rule I find it easier to sense the aura with my hands rather than see it with my eyes, and yet my hands can sense colour as well as areas of high and low energy and areas of damage. The aura is therefore very useful when I want to identify areas in greatest need of treatment, or identify the problem. The chakras as energy centres of the body have a major role in health, and aligning the chakras as part of a healing treatment greatly increases the success.

In my opinion, Teiki (and other energy healing) is a valuable method of healing but it should be noted that Reiki is not a magic cure and it cannot successfully treat every condition. To state otherwise is to mislead and to give false hope, and to promote Teiki as a cure-all for monetary gain is unconscionable. Despite this, Reiki may bring spiritual and mental relief to those with serious and incurable conditions (Rand, 1995). It can be argued that Dr Usui’s views that those who did not respond to Reiki were simply unwilling to accept the cure are far too simplistic. The majority of illnesses, though possibly exacerbated by stress and/or mental health, are caused by external factors beyond the control of the patient. Students of the chakras and the subtle bodies and of shamanism will interrupt here and point out that disease is often manifest in the higher bodies – the mental and etheric, before it becomes manifest in the physical form, and accordingly may be treated at this nascent stage. This is entirely possible, but appearance of disease in these higher bodies does not imply voluntary or even subconscious acquiescence to the illness. I do not subscribe to the view that illness and disability is a form of karmic payback, our Gods and Goddesses are not cruel, vengeful beings and have better ways of teaching us. Maybe there are some people who enjoy ill health for reasons of their own, but the majority will be only too eager to regain health. This unfortunately means that the many patients with life-threatening and incurable illnesses who want nothing more than to survive and will try any method of treatment offered are potentially vulnerable to charlatans.

The course offered a lot of very useful advice on setting up a healing practice. I do not intend to use the healing methods learned in this course in a practice setting, reserving them for personal use among family and friends, and for animals. Being trained in main line medicine, these techniques offer a valuable addition to the traditional methods of healing and using a combination of both has dramatic results.

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

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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, as well as courses in Mystical Christianity, Buddhism and Comparative Religion. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

Spiritual Awareness

2011-09-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

As a child I was deeply spiritual, something that I brought with me into this lifetime. I had visions and was clairvoyant from the time I was around 7 years old. I soon realized that I was different than my friends and by my late teens had suppressed most of my psychic abilities. I then lost (for lack of a better word) my way spiritually for the better part of 15 years.

Every good story has to have a starting point and this one begins in my late 30’s. I am restless…I know that I want/need something but can't quite put my finger on it. I quit my job and go back to college…maybe what I need is another degree. After a year I am still floundering, but I have a new neighbor and she draws me into conversation about psychic phenomenon. She wants to buy a deck of Tarot cards and wants me to go with her to a “new age” bookstore.

I have no clue what “new age” is all about, but I read Tarot cards when I was 19 and I think, this could be fun again, maybe I will get some answers. I end up buying the cards, but I find Ralph Blum’s Book of Runes. I buy the Runes, incense and Tarot cards and spend the entire weekend sitting on the floor of my tiny apartment reading the cards and runes and journaling every reading. This will continue to be my way of contacting that higher self for many years to come.

Every reading takes me a little deeper into myself and I am amazed at what was there to be discovered. Soon I am reading everything there is about becoming aware and enlightened.

I take classes in crystal healing and learn how to journey out of body. I decide that I will be a healer and a teacher. I find an incredible Reiki master and receive my attunements from him. I know that now I have found my path and am anxious to see where this will lead me.

By chance, I pick up a book on Native American Spirituality and then go on to meet up with a friend of mine who is a therapist. While waiting for her, an associate comes over, sees the book and tells me that he is doing research on Shamanism and there is a woman who is working on her PhD studying Native Shamans. He promptly gives me a flyer for her workshops and walks away leaving me bewildered.

My friend never shows up, she has forgotten our meeting. So I go home and finish reading the book. Next I get books by Fools Crow and then study the visions of Black Elk and want to know more about the Lakota. How can I do this? I don’t know anyone who is Native American, much less how to approach them.

So I root around and find that flyer that I was given 4-5 months earlier. I call the woman and she is excited to hear from me and wants to share her journey with me. She is having a drum making ceremony and she tells me to order a kit from this Native man in Washington State and come to the ceremony in 4 weeks.

I am awakened again and again the night before with dreams that my drum won't go together. I wake up groggy, grab the wet leather from my bathtub and drive to her house. I stop at a traffic light and next to me is the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. He is definitely Native American, long flowing black hair on a huge Honda motorcycle. I say to myself, “why can't I ever meet a man like that..”

He is totally oblivious to me, and he drives on toward the river. I turn toward her house and then decide that I need caffeine to make this day work. After a quick drive through, I pull up in front of her house and a big black motorcycle flies past and screeches into her driveway. Yep, it’s him.

Long story short, his name is Petaigig Ichiwaiwanka (Peta for short) it means “Keeper of the Fire” in Lakota. We spend the next year together as he is dying of cancer. He tells me as he lay dying that I am to write the book of the warrior of Black Elk’s vision who brings the world together in peace.

I tell him “NO”… he refuses to let it go. Finally to shut him up and maybe give him some peace, I agree. He dies that night and I spend 8 years studying with the Lakota.

My life is completely consumed by the writing of this book. I am having visions almost every night; the spirits come into my room and awaken me, explaining what I need to do next.

When I ask a Lakota medicine man to bless my ceremonial pipe, he blesses my apartment first. When he enters my bedroom, he stops dead in his tracks, turns to me and says, “Are you aware that you have a doorway to the spirit world in your bedroom?”

“Yes I am aware.”

He just nods and continues with his ceremony. The book of the warrior takes 6 years to finish. When it is finally done I think, “This is the path of my life, this is what I came here to do.” But nothing happens. My agent has a meltdown and runs away from Manhattan and never returns the hundreds of pounds of paper that I have sent her. I finally self-publish the book.

When the Celestine Prophecy comes out I read it in one sitting. I have experienced so much of what he is writing about and I share the book with my friends. We are all amazed at the journey that we have embarked upon and that so many others are doing the same.

I am getting restless again, so I go back to teaching college and it is a student who gives me the next push. She is getting married at a small wedding chapel. It is a sad little affair and the people who own it are fairly miserable…no happiness, no smiles…just business. Take your money, rush through a short ceremony and toss you out. No photos, no nonsense.

She says to me, “YOU SHOULD DO THIS, YOU COULD DO THIS SO MUCH BETTER.” I laugh. She goes on to say that I have the personality for this, that I would make brides feel special and…on and on she goes.

Six or eight months pass and I get to thinking about what she said, it suddenly piques my interest and I think, “why not?” I call to see what I need to have to do this and am told I need to be either a minister or a judge.

I am neither. But when I was a hippie…(insert laughter here) there was a church in California that was ordaining people. And my friends were all ministers performing weddings. What was that church called…you guessed it…Universal Life Church. I did a search online and found you.

Now, this was a big step for me. I was by this time in my mid-50’s and a Buddhist. I take my spiritual path very seriously and I am not sure that I want to be ordained online. It takes me several months to decide that I could still teach and do this too.

That is how I came to you. My wedding chapel is all the rage, I am an older woman who has seen much and experienced much more. My life is filled with love. I am called upon to share the most important day of a couple’s life. I get to join them in love and compassion and send them on their way to fulfill their dreams. I wrote this for the ceremonies that I perform, it is a Buddhist way of thinking, but I think that it applies to all people who are in a relationship:

Today you have declared yourselves to be husband and wife. Today you have committed yourselves to one another for the remainder of your lives. This one simple act has changed your lives forever. It was your passion for one another that brought you together originally and passion that brought you to this moment. But a union founded on passion alone cannot survive. From this moment on, you will need to learn to transform your passion into compassion. Compassion for one another will give you the strength to grow and endure as the years go by.

And when things get rough as they will in any relationship, I ask you to stand before one another as you are doing here today, hold hands, look deeply into one another’s eyes and remember this day, this moment, the sacred vows you have just pledged to one another and the deep and abiding love that you share.

Thank you for the gift of the seminary. It is a wonderful place to share and express ideas and most of all faith.

Namaste,

Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

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Spirituality

2011-09-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

Defining Spirituality Essay

I will begin my essay by first stating that I have never been much of a reader, let alone a person who enjoys studying information in books. I have learned that what comes from books are always someone else's beliefs or opinions that may or may not resonate with your individual life lessons. Everything that I know in regards to my own understanding of spiritual truth, are things that I discovered on my own. They involve my own personal experiences, research and discovery. While some insights were gained from material I was guided to read, such information was merely a tool in which to propel me forward within my own understanding. I have learned that there is no definitive source of "truth" in the world, however, there are many sources of information that provide keys to helping unlock our own individual understanding of truth and this individual understanding applies directly to our current soul age. What this means is that we can only understand information that our soul is ready for- if we are not ready for it, then we will not be able to comprehend it in this particular lifetime.

What I have come to know is that our soul incarnates into human form in order to learn, grow and evolve, which involves numerous lifetimes. Basically, our physical world is nothing but a classroom for our consciousness. As beings of conscious energy, we are connected to all things, and as such, we are also always connected to our creator (God). Each new lifetime results in the creation of a new temporary personality (self/ego), which we explore the world through. Death is nothing but a transition to the next lifetime, or if you are at the end of your human lessons, you will move to the next level of lessons and experiences, whether that is another dimension or plane of existence.

Mature and old souls are much more aware of their spirituality, while younger souls are scarcely able to comprehend such things. It should then be of no surprise to learn that an overwhelming majority of souls currently on this planet are younger souls. New souls have had to be created as the planet's population increased, which happens if there aren't any previous souls ready to reincarnate. Everything about our new incarnated life was predesigned - who our parents would be (genetic makeup), where we live, astrological alignment, etc. From that design, we would be assured of experiencing things that would help us learn whatever lesson(s) our soul decided to learn during the next lifetime. Nothing is ever "predestined", which is why it takes many many lifetimes to evolve to the next soul age. Souls may get trapped in ego, never following their guidance and learn their life's lesson, so they recycle and repeat until they learn what they need to learn to move forward.

Yet, within each new incarnation, we are still connected to the experiences of our previous lifetimes. While we may not readily remember them while incarnated, we still have a 'sense' of the past.

There is, of course, a lot more detail involved, but I'm just trying to give an overview of some of the things that I have learned during my own life's journey. As for my own soul age, I am reaching the end of the road for my human incarnations. It wasn't until I came to understand the lesson of soul ages, that I realized why I've felt so detached from humanity during this life. Part of the process of the final transitioning is the gradual disconnect from humanity, as we prepare to move forward into the next evolutionary state.

With this knowledge, I began the Defining Spiritualism course.

Upon completion, I came away with mixed feelings about the course, mainly because of disagreements with the author. While he says at the end that he never attempted to be objective, it truly showed through several comments he makes throughout the course. I also find it quite odd that a course primarily written to showcase various forms of spiritual philosophy was written by an author who basically says at the end that he doesn't even believe in philosophy.

However, from a historical overview perspective on philosophy, I enjoyed the course. I think the background information and the various schools of thought were well done. I was not, however, in agreement with some of the author's personal conclusions.

Here are some of those disagreements that I discovered during the course, which is based upon my own perception of what was written - right or wrong.

· The author believes that 'thought' can never answer the question regarding spiritual truth.

I believe this is wrong based upon my own personal experiences. There are numerous ways to reach insight and truths, and if you are ready to understand something, then you will be guided to that information through whatever means you're ready for. How can intuition be followed, if you aren't able to understand or trust the intuition through thought? Words may be a limiting factor, but again, if you are ready, information will be decoded enough for you to understand. Yet, some of the things I have come to learn, even I cannot put them into words… but then again, this information was for me on my path, not meant for everyone else.

Many things have come to me during what I call, "thought meditation". A question will appear in my mind, something profound that I want to understand… and as I sat pondering the idea, an answer or understanding would be shared with me. Simply, you have to be open to finding guidance and truths through any means available- emotional, mental, and intuitive.

Synchronistic events are what I consider to be thought-related guidance. While some events may be intuitive, the vast majority are things that occur which are meant to make us 'think' about what they mean. They help us to question, ponder, and dig deeper for information within ourselves. Truly, when you can achieve trust in combined mental, emotional and intuitive guidance, you will begin to understand everything on a much deeper level.

· The author believes that, "when you realize you know nothing and then begin to realize that there is nothing to be known, it is then that you come to know everything."

I strongly disagree. This concept would basically mean that there is truly no point to our existence, other than just existing. Yet, I know that our entire existence is as a vessel for our soul to learn, therefore, there is quite a LOT to be known. It would be wiser to say, "I do not know everything and never will," then to say you know nothing and there is nothing to ever know.

However, the fact remains, while incarnated, we will never know everything, because if we truly did learn everything, we would cease to be able to have a human experience. How could one know everything, and still see and interact as a normal human with the world around them? Such a thing would be impossible. However, the author does refer to this concept by saying, "The universal truth cannot be learned, cannot be understood and cannot be taught. It cannot even be known as it is so vastly beyond the confines of the self that the self cannot exist in its presence," although I'm not sure if he even understood the point he was making. Our mission isn't to become spontaneously enlightened in one fell swoop, but to gradually develop enlightenment through numerous lifetimes of experiences and lessons.

Furthermore, the author's statement does bring up a good point in that, "The universal truth… cannot be taught." This is true because we are programmed to only be able to understand what we're ready for, what our soul age is capable of grasping. Ever wonder why you can discuss something with someone, show them proof of what you're saying, but they will simply just stare at you blankly, unable to comprehend what you're saying? The fact is they are not ready to understand it; their soul hasn't reached the level where they are ready to understand what you are trying to teach them.

· The author also made personal statements sounding like fact such as, "Help the people you minister to by encouraging social interaction. This is such a necessary part of the human condition…"

I can personally tell you that this is not true. That is the problem with many people, they teach in terms of absolute fact based upon their own personal beliefs and assumptions, that they leave those who don't fit that mold, feeling like there is something wrong with them. Throughout my life I have never really enjoyed interacting with other people, I have never really felt a need to, and when I did interact, it felt somewhat foreign to me. Yet, those who understand about spiritual progression know that once the soul has grown to an advanced level, they begin to drift away from mundane human interactions. The fact is, by the time our soul reaches advanced levels, we have already, "been there, done that" in so many previous lifetimes, that it just no longer holds meaning for us anymore. While people around us are excited about events or traveling, etc… we just have a sense that we've already done it, so why bother doing it again. It is easy to become frustrated and even more reclusive during this time, because so many people think there is something wrong with us, because we're not behaving like everyone else. The fact is, we are just aware of so much more than everyone else, that forcing ourselves to behave like them is just pointless to us.

I think as ministers or anyone for that matter on a profound spiritual journey, would do well to avoid seeing in personal absolutes when it comes to teaching others. This was just one example I highlighted in the course, but there were several others I found while reading.

I do want to touch upon one final idea that the author mentioned.

· When he described the Buddhist idea of nirvana and how western people have a problem with that.

The "problem" basically stem from the human ego. The human ego causes us to believe that we are special, we are perfect, we deserve to live forever, and that ceasing to exist means everything about our life was pointless. However, if people understood death as I do, they would realize the errors of such thinking. If any person can honestly look in the mirror and see all of the times they have judged others, been prejudicial, been angry with someone, hated someone, wanted to get even… once they honestly remember those things, can they truly say that they "deserve" to be immortal? Would they want a heaven or afterlife with the same judgmental, prejudice people they currently walk the earth with? Personally, I can say without hesitation that I would not want my human life's "personality" to be immortal. I would not want to think, act, or react with this faulty human-ego process. I know that beyond this skin, my consciousness is void of such fallibility, so why would I desire to see it tarnished by forever by human ego?

In closing, I'd like to add my favorite Buddhist quote, "Do not believe something, just because I have said it." I tell this to everyone I talk to about what I have learned. Therefore, I tell you now, do not believe what I have told you and do not believe what you read or hear, believe only that which you experience yourself, directly. Because if you cannot trust yourself, if you can't believe your own personal experiences, then how can you trust and believe in something outside of yourself? The answers lie within, not outside of you.

Thank you for reading.

With Blessings.

-Rev. Bradley

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

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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Metaphysical Healing

2011-09-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Master of Metaphysical Healing is a fascinating course, which every healer should take. It coalesces many, if not all, facets of the art of healing. From anatomy to the healers prayer it teaches, or reminds, us of those aspects of healing every healer should know.

Written from the perspective of South Africa, Rev. Dr. Katherine Lee Kruger presents a view that was new to me; with which I was vaguely familiar, but about which I really knew little. The teachings of the African healers are deeply meaningful, giving a much broader and deeper understanding of the healing arts.

This is a really complete course on healing. Many other teachers pick one aspect or method and go into it in great detail. Rev. Dr. Kruger goes in depth for many methods. I appreciate the fine background, which she has presented. The anatomy and aura sections are the perfect start. It would be useful to have each lecture on cards that could be filed for easy, future reference.

As for the practice itself, I am a Reiki Master so am familiar and comfortable with all of the hands-on healing approaches. I do not feel that way about some of the other techniques. In particular, any practice which involves deep relaxation bordering upon hypnosis, can be dangerous if used by someone who has not been trained. Practicums are needed in these areas, especially something like past life regression. What if the client sees something violent or threatening and becomes panicked? What if it seems impossible to bring the person out of trance? I was once involved in a relaxation session that took us through our own deaths. After coming out of it, one person became hysterical. Fortunately the leader was a trained psychologist and was able to handle the situation.

Finally, I am looking forward to my attempt to see auras. I have been trying to do this for many years. Hopefully with Rev. Drs Kruger’s instructions I will be successful.

Rev. Judith Wolf

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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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Metaphysics

2011-09-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Master of Metaphysics
by Rev. Judge Edward Singleton

There is so much I can say about the Spirit Quest Course and the thirty weeks of enlightenment. I have truly, truly enjoyed it. I took so much from each of the topics such as karma, meditation and, in fact, all of the topics. It would be hard to pick one to be my favorite but I would like to express my gratitude for the course and your enlightening spirit you gave throughout the lessons. I came into the course almost 8 months ago with some personal issues that I was working on and through the techniques used in this course I was able to work through the issues with a minimal about of stress and problems.

It is nice to know that this course it out there and available to people, especially those that are under stress, anxiety, drug/alcohol abuse and any other mental or physical disorder. The thing taught in this course are valuable to all and will help those with the previous mentioned problems and any that choose to use the lessons to better themselves in any aspect of their life. I can sit here all day and talk about how much I enjoyed it and that I am better for having taken the course, but you will not know until you have taken the course yourself. I encourage all to sign up today and learn for yourself the benefits and knowledge that the course offers. Thanks again Amy for everything.

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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.

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ULC - Master of Metaphysics

2011-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Master of Metaphysics

Spirit Quest Final Essay

Universal Life Church Seminary

I thought today would be a great day to write my final essay for the Spirit Quest course that I have just completed. There's nothing like Christmas day to inspire ones faith to grab hold and take you for the ride of the year. The birds sing louder and the breeze blows fresher.

Ever since I was a boy I heard people say that you should watch what you say and do, because it will always come back on you. Well, karma has always been a big part of my life and the lessons that came with it. After reading about karma in this lesson, and practicing or applying those principles, I'm even more of a believer than before. I can notice a change in my life when I'm more careful of how I say and do things each day. Karma has a big part in the happenings in our lives. I think it's Gods way of telling us to do that which is right.

The meditation part of the course was a little too bizarre for me. I guess that I'm just not ready for that. I did get a lot out of sitting quiet and still and just thinking about all the negativity and bad things that go on in my life. I've been having some difficulty getting over a divorce for the past two years. When my ex-wife remarried, she moved 3,000 miles away with me five year old daughter Miranda. I was beating myself up pretty badly. I created a glass bulb with all the negative and energy zapping stuff, and smashed it into the walls. My daughter Miranda is my golden sun, the best thing in my life. I've had some personal healing energy that keeps me from putting the blame on and carry on like the wayward son.

By not reacting, like I used to, to a very aggravating, pompous and obnoxious supervisor at work, I took away the energy that used to make me want to punch his lights out. Now I understand that I was feeding the energy by reacting to his insults. A lot of people are controlled by the big green monster, and treat others badly when under it's spell. Insecurity also plays a big role in such behavior.

I learned quite a lot from the Spirit Quest course, and am a better person because of it. I try to better myself in any way I can and try to be a better representative of the lord above. By knowledge and understanding myself and other people around me, I will be better to myself and the rest of the world. There's much that we don't understand about our world and life itself, but I do understand that we are here for a reason. The biggest part of it is for the good of people and the lord above. Merry Christmas.

Reverend Robert A. Kenneway

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Metaphysical Healing

2011-09-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

I found this course to be very informative and enlightening. As a nurse, I inherently

feel that God has blessed me as a healer, and called me to ministry of healing. The author

of this course describe that many of the tribal healers had experienced a major illness, and

then received the calling as a healer. The tribal healers often tested the new healer in

training, to ensure that they would be true to their calling. One of the major themes I was

impressed with throughout most of the course was that Spiritual Healer must work using

integrity and honesty. The last lesson ended with an oath, I found this very impressive.

Metaphysical healing, is a form of healing that the mainstream medical society may not fully

understand, but it is beneficial to many.

In one of the lessons, the author described that the participant of the healing session, did

not have to believe in the healing. This was fascinating to me. I have a core belief that healing

requires faith, it is the faith of the healer and the person seeking healing that interacts and

with Gods power and produces the healing power. To me it requires a certain amount of faith

for one to even seek spiritual healing. When Jesus healed many one of the questions he

frequently asked was “Do you believe”. It is difficult for me to comprehend, that the clients

faith does not affect the healing process. Though it is a powerful thought to think that I could

heal someone whether they believed me or not. I know that Jesus did heal some that did not

believe, and there faith was strengthened as a result.

The author of the course also discussed aura's. There are aura's around individuals,

with dis-ease an individuals aura is interrupted. Part of the healers job is to recognize that

these aura's exist,and to smooth entry ways of dis-ease in the client. The function of the

medical intuitive was also discussed in this chapter. A medical intuitive, is able to see right

into the body and locate those areas that need attention. It is important to ask for permission,

from the persons higher self. As the healer takes the journey through the clients body, using

visualization and meditative techniques, the diseased parts are identified. All of these

techniques, involved using the part of the human that connects with our God self. It is the

higher self of an individual. Traditional healers tune in or participate in active communion

with God. Witch doctors practice witchcraft and there are differences. As for me God is

an essential component in the healing process. He guides me to the affected areas and allows

me to be used as a vessel of healing. I choose not to get away from this point. He gets all the

glory for the healing, for the healer is just a vessel. Since the healing process is a spiritual

process, if there is a client that you do not feel comfortable with you should not participate

in the healing process. Witchcraft exists, there are good and evil spirits, and as healers we

must be sensitive to the spiritual world. Part of being a healer of integrity is not dabbling in

occult type practices. Willfully participating in ritual practices that could harm another, could

open up spiritual doors. One of the items discussed in the lessons was about absent healings,

there are times when the healer does not have to be present for the healing process to occur.

This truth can be very beneficial to the healer,in providing healing at any point for the client.

Which justifies my ideas about healing and the healing process of individuals. Healing is

on such a higher frequency than Western medicine presents. A healer also has to be in tune

to the spiritual world. Healing requires the mind to be in a positive state, and This requires preparation of the mind. Positive affirmation, positive thinking, meditations, visualizations, along with spiritual practices all are the basis of preparing the client for healing. The words we

speak to our clients are of utmost importance. As healers our words are powerful and provide a

visual field that fosters healing. Keeping that statement in mind, we must ensure that our words are wisely spoken, and foster a positive environment for the client's healing process to occur.

Most of the theme of the lesson was that we as healers, must recognize the importance

of our work. We must also foster a sense of confidence and professionalism for our clients.

All of this will legitimize our practice, a dream of the author. I was thrilled to see in part of the last lesson that in South Africa the mainstream of the healing arts were recognizing the traditional healer. This gives one hope that the medical society will recognize that healing of an individual comes in many forms. It is a spirtiual journey to healing, our creator designed us to self heal. The ancients recognized this fact, and passed this on from one generation to the next. Traditional healing practices should complement modern madicine and does not have to compete with the modalities of modern medicine.The types of healing modalities the client chooes should be a personal choice , encouraged and respected by all health care professionals.

In conclusion, I found this course to open my mind up to a new thought process. As a

nurse, from the western traditional medicine scene, and with the interest in nontraditional medicine, this course help me understand how to intertwine both to aid in the healing of the whole person. To treat the healing practice as a gift from God and to work with integrity and professionalism. The author did a great job in presenting the information each week. I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I know that in the treatment of my patients I can complement both the traditional and non-traditional modalities to treat the whole person. One of the last lessons of the course ended with with an oath for the healer to take I found this to be very exciting. I really agree with the author of this course that as healers we work with truth and intergrity, and eanding with an oath holds us accountable to our calling. This course was very inspiring and I do not think that there is anything different that I would recommend.

All work cited from this paper is a summarization from the material presented in this course.

Rev. Linda Muhammad

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Spiritual Awareness

2011-09-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Michael S Barth

Doctor of Spiritual Awareness Final Awareness

This is one of the most interesting classes that I have taken. In the first lesson, the instructor said that there would be new things we would learn and there would be old things where we would look at them in new ways. The instructor was definitely right. I did learn a lot of new things and I am definitely looking at old ways in a new light. This really blew my socks off when I was going through this course.

The first thing that got my attention was a quote by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce. Chief Joseph said "We are not humans having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." This quote by Chief Joseph really hit home with me. This was the first time I had seen this quote. It sticks out because it really went against my thinking the first time when I had read it. But as I went through the course, I realized that Chief Joseph is right. We are "spiritual beings having a human experience." We are all spiritual beings that are here to learn lessons that would take a lot longer if we just stayed as spiritual beings. All of us, as spiritual beings, need to have this human experience to learn the lessons that we need to learn. These lessons could be such things as dealing with anger or jealousy.

I enjoyed the lesson on evolution. Early on, I was trying to figure out how evolution related to spiritual awareness and that question was quickly answered. I had never considered before that the spirit evolves into higher and higher levels of being. I had also never thought before that as a spiritual being, that we could continue to evolve into higher beings. In science class, I was always taught about how species adapt to new environments, but never thought that spirits did the same thing to learn new lessons to evolve into higher levels of being. In the past, I figured that I had been on this planet before because of dreams that I have had and that I have been to places and have said that I have been here before but not in this lifetime.

I like the section about choice. I never considered the fact before that we make choices and we can either learn or lose by our choices. By our choices, we also decide on how we are going to learn the lessons that we have chosen. This fact was totally new to me and I had never thought about my past and current choices that I have been making. Over the years, I have learned many lessons through good and bad choices which I never had thought about before taking this course. Both the good and bad choices have taught me lessons that I needed to learn as a spiritual being.

The section about balance really got me thinking about myself. I tend to act in extremes. With me, there seems to be no middle ground. One minute, I could be really happy and then the next minute, I could blow up with anger at someone for something that they said or did. Obviously, this is just one example with me but I need to find balance and try to find that middle ground. I have been this way as far as I can remember in this lifetime and only since I have been taking this and other courses here at the ULC Seminary has it occurred to me that I need to be more loving and find more balance in my life.

I loved the section on Universal Laws. I did not realize that there were so many of them but saw some that I need to apply. The Law of Abundance is one that I need to apply and have started applying since I started taking this course. I have started branching out more in my educational pursuits. The Law of Action is another one I needed to apply because I kept waiting for things to happen but the things never happened. I have been applying more of this Law of Action such as trying to understand things better and trying to learn about things that I am interested in.

This course is one that I could keep writing about since I learned a lot of new things and look at things completely different. This course really got me thinking about things which is great. I know that I need keep applying the Universal Laws. Now, I know that I am a spiritual being here learning new lessons that I need to learn so I can keep become a higher and higher level of beings. This class was wonderful. I wish I had taken it sooner than when I did but I am glad that I took it now. I loved all the new things I learned and how this course got me to look at my old ways in a new light.

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Metaphysical Healing

2011-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Masters of Metaphysical Healing Essay

Rev. David Hester

I found the following definition at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holistic_health):

"Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social, should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, the holistic view on treatment is widely accepted in medicine.^[1] A different definition, claiming that disease is a result of physical, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental imbalance, is used in alternative medicine.^[2]"

Holistic Health addresses how to treat the entire person (Whole-istic) including the Spirit, Soul and Body utilizing skills that are "non-evasive and hone into the root cause of conditions" (Class overview). Often, medical physicians merely treat and/or temporarily cover the symptoms of our sicknesses but don't ever find the root cause of our disease, which is absolutely necessary to the true "healing" of the entire person.

Throughout this class, I have learned that it is essential, not only to determine the cause of illnesses, but also treat the entire Being with non-invasive techniques such as praying, meditating, massaging, and learning to relax. I deeply believe these techniques reduce stress, increase the release of natural endorphins and have significant healing benefits to the body and mind, However, as a Christian I feel that the greatest Healing is that of our spirit (our Eternal Spirits) being saved by the Blood of Christ Poured Out at Calvary 2000 years ago.

It is recognized that metaphysical healing is definitely a helpful addition to the western medicine, but would not be considered a replacement!

As a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an Herbalist who desires to treat all facet of an individual, it is my hearts desire that the various fields of the medical profession and meta-physicians and other Holistic Healers work alongside each other, acting in concert to treat the Whole person!

Ultimately, I deeply believe that this type of setup is a part of the solution to the health care crisis. After all, it would lower costs related to medical expenses by minimizing invasive procedures to those that are absolutely essential and promoting the natural healing powers of our body, given to us by our Creator. This would definitely increase the effectiveness of our treatment of disease, and most importantly, a holistic approach to medical care benefits the patients by truly meeting all of their needs, physically, mentally, and spiritually. In my opinion that would be the ultimate fulfillment of God's Greatest Commandment.

This course has helped me to formulate a Healing Practice and has given me various techniques that I can use to promote and stimulate healing of the body, and mind for both myself and others.

All My Love,

Rev. David Hester

http://davidhesterministries.tripod.com/index.html

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity two courses in , Wicca, several in 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.

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Spirituality Course

2011-09-04T03:56:00.000-07:00

I think I will begin with the fact that I truly thought that by taking this course I would actually be able to “Define spiritualism,” once I had completed this course. What I have truly learned, is that I cannot. Definition, like beauty, is the eyes of the beholder and I believe ironically, that by not being capable of actually being able to define spiritualism, I got it! Of course, this little fact escaped me until the final lesson, which then lead me to understand why we have to completely read each and every lesson over and over again.

I imagined that becoming a Chaplain would make me all-knowing. I believed that I HAD to have all of the answers that may be asked of me throughout the rest of my life. I was now a person of higher power. I made a vow to My God to be able to do this when I became ordained. However, I now know that although I do have the knowledge of from whence it came, (The beliefs of others and how it all began,) it does me no good to speak - but to listen and that what I think really doesn’t matter at all in ministering. What matters is how that person feels when they leave me. Perception is everything.

Having taken this course redirected my thought process to a completely different level. I have noticed that when people come to me for advice, they really aren’t searching for advice – but for an ear to listen and confirmation that all will be okay. That is all anyone really wants to know. Don’t we all? I believe this is why countless folks pile in to wherever to have spiritual readings done. I have done this myself in the past - and when I think about it, I already knew everything that the reading person told me. But I felt better when I left because it had been validated!!! My feelings had been validated. Validated by someone who seemed to be in a more knowing position than myself. After all, they had their own little space, with their own little table and their own magical cards and I didn’t. Sounds very familiar to church which brings me back full circle to my ordination.

I have learned that I cannot promise anyone that all will be okay because their perception of okay may be completely different than my own. However, I can create the feeling that, “Everything will be as it should be.” This I can honestly and wholeheartedly promise. Once I realized this, (More like an actual brick hit me square between the eyes) I felt absolute peace in knowing that I don’t have to know anything at all!!! I simply have to have the ability to be compassionate and understanding and non- judgmental. Not having to have an opinion is just about the best freedom I have ever been given.

I cannot thank you enough for the guidance of this course and I still continue to read from it daily and probably always will. As stages in my life continue to change, so do the meanings and teachings of this lesson. Another brick between the eyes I suppose.

In closing, I would like to share with you that I have never been so thankful to have knowledge - of nothing at all!

My Sincerest Thanks –

Martha J. Tote

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Metaphysics

2011-09-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Master of Metaphysics essay by Pastor Diane Louise Watkins

At the end of Spirit Quest. My own previous beliefs were confirmed and even expanded upon. This is why I am happy I took this class.

I remember the day I re-read the bible, I say re read because I had read it often before. My eyes were upon the words from Genesis,"And he created them in his own image,"Or some other bibles God said,"Let us create them in our own image" Well some people say God made us look like him some will say he (she)gave us the abilities to be like him some say both.But one thing I knew deep in my heart was,god was our creator,some like the Native Americans even refer to him as "The Creator" so if hes the creator and like him in his image we are created,Then we are creators!

I often knew it was more than a coincidence when I spoke something and it happened.but I'm not saying there's anything special about me I'm talking about everyone on earth,We are creators and like children running lose in the house with a crayon,We humans spend our life running around earth.creating and coloring everything in sight good or bad unaware of our creative powers.I wish more people would take the time to understand we are creators out of control.Well that's generalizing. Because a lot of people indeed do know the power of thought and intent a lot really. So in the Spirit quest course a person learns the tools to direct the creative energy stored in us.Like a carpenter who stands on a piece of land, in front of a pile of wood and bricks with the intent of building there.

Spirit Quest is like a truck full of tools pulls up and says, here's what you need to get the job done.Buy learning to use the tools included in the Spirit quest classes ,I realized they worked and it wasn't long before I realized that I could make tools of my own like a example within the carpentry theme would be, Spirit quest handed me a hand saw and it wasn't long before I discovered the power saw or if you not a carpenter let me say this, Spirit Quest taught me how to bake bread and by the end of the class I had learned on my own how to serve an entire dinner.

In other words I learned that the basic tools in the class if applied ,worked so I invented ,discovered , made some of my own.The golden sun was especially helpful to me and it wasn't long till I added a silver sparking star to assist the golden sun.The Golden sun was my favorite but the grounding cord was a with out question the most useful.The way these tools changed my life is, this is beautiful, there always there.

I don't have to wait till I go and get the tool to fix the problem there always with us in our mind available and read to be used.This has helped me control a lot of emotions and uncomfortable life situations.

Before I felt somewhat victim to my problems in life.now I have the tools to take that uncomfortable energy and transform.Problems now become removed or at least bearable. I recommend the information in this course to anyone with a open mind willing to apply it to their life.

Pastor Diane Louise Watkins

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Spiritual Development

2011-08-30T04:08:00.000-07:00

Dr. Of Spiritual Development

Final Essay

By Dennis Zerull

I appreciate Dr. David Crouch in authoring this course and the ULC Seminary for making it available to all students participating in this wonderful program and making a difference not only their own personal lives but making a difference in their relationship to fellow beings and communities around the world.

Today in an age when science and technology have reached a most advance stage, we are incessantly preoccupied with mundane concerns. In such an age, it is crucial that we attain faith based on various traditions of religious and non-religious teachings on the basis of genuine understanding. It is with an objective mind endowed with the curious skepticism that we should engage in careful analysis and seek reason behind our beliefs. Then on the basis of seeing the reasons, we engender a faith that is accompanied by wisdom. It is this wisdom that should be the emphasis on approaching any kind of spiritual development not just through faith and devotion but also through critical inquiry. In Buddhism for example this approach is known as the "way of the intelligent person". Another saying I'm sure many have heard is "no self, no problems". The selflessness of both the person as well as the psychophysical components of the person is another way of understanding "no self".

In this course, NLP, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, is one of the main focuses as a method for self-improvement in achieving a higher plain of spiritual development.

It is my belief that Dr. Crouch needs to go a bit further into the history if this controversial approach to psychotherapy and organizational change based on a model of interpersonal communication chiefly concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behavior and the subjective experiences underlying them and a system of alternative therapy based on this which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective communication to change the patterns of mental and emotional behavior. We know that Richard Bandler while a UC Santa Cruz, was listening to taped portions of therapy sessions of the late Gestalt therapist Fritz Perls and Bandler believed he recognized particular word and sentence structures which facilitated Perls' therapeutic suggestions. Bandler took the idea to Linguist John Grinder and Virginia Satir to produce what the termed the meta model which gathers information and challenges a client's language and underlying thinking. It was then presented in 1975 in two volumes, The Structure of Magic I: A Book about Language and Therapy and the Structure of Magic II: A Book About Communication and Change. They believed that the "therapeutic magick" as performed in therapy and by performers in any complex human activity, had structure that could be learned by others given appropriate models. They believed as Dr. Crouch, that implicit in the behavior was the ability to challenge distortion, generalization and deletion in a client's language. We also know that later Milton Erickson became the third model and wrote Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton Erickson, Volumes I & II.

Basically it was it was a model that was vague and metaphoric in the inverse of the meta model. It was a combination used with the meta model as a type of softener, to induce a trance, and to deliver indirect therapeutic suggestion and includes the models and techniques mentioned by Dr. Crouch such as anchoring, re-framing, sub modalities and representational systems. It was also a time of the so-called human potential movement and was developing into an industry. One so lucrative that Bandler and Grinder gave up academic writing and produced popular books from seminar transcripts such as Frogs into Princes.

It may seem that I am a bit skeptical about this system but as I mentioned before I do have curious skepticism when it comes to representational systems. NLP doesn't seem to concentrate on diagnosis, treatment and assessment of any disorders. Instead it focuses on help people overcome their own self-perceived, or subjective problems. And as they learn more about their problems they learn how to modify those goals further as a result of extended interaction with a therapist or teacher. But what does NLP have to do with spiritual development. Dr. Crouch explains that there is "the application of mental technologies in spiritual change". I assume those technologies which are presented throughout this course is NLP. In all honesty I have found NLP to be a bit like a Tony Robbins seminar. I find NLP to be somewhat vague and ambiguous in its language, which can mean different things to different people. NLP tends to offer you a sort of users manual for the brain. This seems to be a metaphor as I have also hear it referred to as "software for the brain".

NLP relies heavily upon the notion of the "unconscious mind" as constantly influencing conscious thought and action. A common thread I did find in NLP is the emphasis on teaching a variety of communication and persuasion skills, and using self-hypnosis to motivate and change oneself. I certainly have no doubt that many people benefit from NLP training sessions and from these lesson but there seems to be several questionable assumptions based on such beliefs about the unconscious mind, hypnosis and the ability to influence people by appealing directly to the subconscious mind. All scientific evidence, which exists on such things, indicates that NLP claims are not necessarily accurate. You cannot learn to speak directly to the unconscious mind as Erickson and NLP claim, except in the obvious way of using the power of suggestion. We know that Einstein and Tolstoy's work as an example might produce a dozen "models" of how the mind works, but there is no way of knowing which, if any models is correct.

In lesson 18, Dr. Crouch talks about Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now" and how it made an impact on his life. I can also attest to Tolle's works. I have read most if not all of his works and have attended his seminars and lecture. He is a contemporary prolific spiritual teacher who expands on powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. In his book the Power of Now he talks about methods and "how methods are sometimes needed until they are no longer needed and should be cast aside or dropped". An essential part of spiritual awakening is the recognition of the unawakened you, the ego as it thinks, speaks, and acts, as well as the recognition of the collectively conditioned mental process that perpetuate the unawakened state. I submit that unless you know the basic mechanics behind the workings of the ego, you won't recognize it, and it will trick you into identifying with it over and over again. It takes you over and pretends to be you. The simple act of recognition itself is on of the ways in which awakening happens. No other complicated methods or hours of writing are needed. "When you recognize the unconsciousness in you, that which makes the recognition possible is the arising consciousness, is the awakening." Eckhart Tolle, a New Earth. Over and over again Tolle talks about living in the now and that the past and the future will always manifest themselves as the present. Therefore any method that uses projections into the future as to where your life will be is both illogical and not grounded in reason. It is of course possible to plan for the future as long as it is done in the present moment and done with understanding and reason. In my opinion NLP places outcomes on the criterion of usefulness rather than objective truth.

Metaphors for the mind conflict with what cognitive science have discovered. This does not imply that NLP would argue against the mind being embodied. The difference between researcher working on Artificial intelligence and NLP is that the first use a computer as their laboratory, while the latter uses human subjects to test their theories. Again it is vital for us to obtain genuine confidence in the nature of mind and reality, grounded in understanding and reason. As long as you are unaware of being you will seek meaning only within the dimension of doing and of future. That meaning will dissolve or turn out to have been deception and it will be destroyed by time for it is only true relatively and temporarily.

Earlier in this essay I mentioned selflessness. Let me further expand on this subject briefly and how it relates to spiritual development. What would you say that success is? The world tells you that success is achieving what you set out to do. It tells that it is winning, finding recognition is essential in any success. They may be by-products of success but they are not success. The conventional notion of success is concerned with the outcome of what you do. Some say it is a combination of hard work and luck, determination and talent, being in the right place at the right time. What the world doesn't tell you is what it doesn't know. That is that you cannot become successful. You can only be successful. Being successful is nothing more than a successful moment. The sense of quality in what you do. Care and attention which comes into awareness. The joy of being conscious, of being awake, of Being.

We create a universe with ourselves in the center, and from this point of reference, we relate to the rest of the world. With this understanding it becomes crucial to ask what the self is in relationship to spirituality. Self can be described as ego, as ignorance, which is the failure to see reality and the ultimate nature of reality. But once we gain insight into ultimate reality we ask what is it's nature? Since the physical and mental faculties that constitute our existence are transient, they change, age and then one day cease they cannot be true self. The answer may be that the existence of the individual is accepted only as a dependent entity and not as n independent absolute reality. We are a convergence in the world and the universe and are the interaction of all constituents in mutual interdependence. Each person's life and each life form represent a world a unique way in which the universe experiences itself.

In place of spirit I use consciousness or Being. Consciousness is already conscious. It is timeless and therefore does not evolve. It was never born and does not die. When it is manifested it appears to be subject to time and undergoes some sort of evolutionary process. No human mind is remotely capable of comprehending or fully understanding the reason for this process. But we can become aware of it in ourselves and catch a glimpse of it and become a conscious participant in it. It is the intelligence, the spiritual, and the organizer behind the arising of form. Spiritual development is nothing more than an awakened consciousness. That realization is awakening because awakening is the realization of Presence.

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A Course in Miracles

2011-08-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

A Course in Miracles

The following are the three sections that most spoke to me. From the outset it was amazing, on through to the "where is she going with this"?

EGO

I agree that Ego is the barrier that separates us from our spiritual connections to all others, including God. In my perception the ego is like a bandage that has been placed over where a wound might or might not take place. It gives us cushion from possible harm from the perceived world at the cost of loosing feeling and sight of our spiritual self. In essence, the Ego is our false wall that isolates us from God.

Guilt

I must agree and yet respectfully disagree with some of the given lesson on the root cause of guilt. We are taught by main stream Christian theology that the human is an inherently spiritually weak creature. That we are subject to bodily and material urges and must be convinced that there is a brutal reprisal from God for having fallen to such lows of existence. This teaching in itself isolates us from God. From my own life's experience, the churches I grew up in taught that we should fear God, that everything we do without the heirarchy's guidance will lead us to sin and damnation. I believe that this form of enforced control through the dogma of guilt is what keeps us from our spiritual connection to God. many teachings are that if you hear voices in your head or near about you when you are alone, it is the work of the greatest of evil. We first must love God without fear as the basis. Only then can we meet with the touch of God's self which is always at our heart's door. With spiritual cleansing done out of love and not fear, we can hear the voice of God. I digress as usual. I do not believe that guilt is caused by our disconnection form God, i believe it is a tool that maintains control over the people and as a byproduct estranges us from God.

Miracles

Miracles are as real as the feel of the wind on a breezy day. Miracles are generated by a focused belief in the healing powers that we all have. In order to effect the change, we must fully focus our spiritual mine, our third eye on accepting the gift of healing that we were given at the creation of our souls. Not all miracles are of the high grandeur that we look for as proof of the existence of this ability. It comes in many ways, simply seeing the pain in another's soul, connecting to that pain and share in the burden. This gives strength to ourselves and our fellow traveler. With diligence there will be a healing, a miracle. My brother was given a death sentence at the age of thirteen due to the ravages of rheumatic fever. I remember the doctors telling my parents that he would not survive another six months. The damage to his heart had been to great. The family kept this from my brother. My brother, in his own journey, began to focus on St. Christopher for his physical salvation. Many scoffed at his belief, we did not. My brother not only recovered fully, his healing was such that he spent 25 years on active duty between the Army in Vietnam and entry into the Navy. Miracles are not like a puff of smoke, they are the result of diligent true belief, in ourselves and the hand of God working through us.

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