In Gratitude for the Gift of Spiritual Classes

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I focus with gratitude on the many gifts of this past year.  I am reminded of the wonderful connections and experiences I have had with teachers and fellow students in my spiritual education classes.  There is something special that happens when like-minded thinkers come together for the shared purpose of personal growth.  These are the gifts that come forth from our Oneness with each other when we can let go of ego and give way to the power of the group dynamic.



Whenever I think I may be on this path alone, I call to mind the blessings of hearing the thoughts and intentions of others who have motivated me by often expressing the same dreams and questions as mine.  In one person's story may be the answer I have been seeking, or the lesson of some unresolved situation.  Hearing of a classmate's success inspires me to keep dreaming and moving forward.  I never know what gift a class has in store until I get there and witness the class unfolding in its own order based on the consciousness of each person present. 

In The Universe is Calling, EB brings clarity to our understanding of what is happening energetically when groups come together for prayer and discussion of spiritual laws.  This small group style of prayer and learning is how Christianity began.  According to EB, "Christianity began as a movement within Judaism" of enlightened Jews who met in small groups to pray and discuss "the spiritual laws revealed by Jesus." (p. 143)  As mentioned in Unity: A Quest for Truth, Unity has been called "a return to first-century Christianity," and I can see this reflected in the emphasis Unity places on experiencing spiritual growth in a small class atmosphere.  We know that it is not enough to know spiritual truth teachings, we must apply them in our lives, and it is in the classroom that we are given a forum for sharing our ideas and progress.

EB gives a mystical definition of the group dynamic that occurs in a spiritual class.  He explains that out of the common bond uniting people who gather together in shared interest arises what he calls a "group soul."  This is a "transcendent awareness of the I AM," and is what Jesus was referring to when he said, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matt. 18:20) (p. 144)  When we come together "in a commitment of spiritual union," a process takes place which EB calls "the power of the swarm." (p. 144-5)  The group takes on a "group soul" which is a collective consciousness "to which each person gives and from which each person receives." (p. 145)  This "soul" contains the collective needs of the group, and has within it all the answers for each individual's needs in the group.  Through the mystery of what occurs in this shared experience, we join in Oneness to meet the needs of each other while finding answers to our own needs. 

This doesn't just mean that if you attend a spiritual class, you are guaranteed this transcendent experience.  As EB states, if you can "let go of self and its ego needs, and give one's self over to the larger good of the group," then you can reap the benefits that this gathering has available in potential.  (p. 145)  Like all things in life, you get out of it what you are willing to give.  You will receive a great blessing from this group experience if you "give yourself lovingly to the group, and trust the process" while making a "commitment to the greater good of all." (p. 146) 

I invite you to take a moment now to remember the special bond created when you have participated in prayer groups and spiritual classes.  We know that these experiences are always available to us, whether at Unity Village, your Unity center, or in an online course through Unity Institute.

Thank you to all my Unity teachers and classmates who have shined their light into my life this year.  As I journey on this life-long path of spiritual unfoldment, I know that I am never alone, and that we continue to walk this path together in Oneness. 

Many blessings for a Joyful Thanksgiving!
 

Working with the Workable Prosperity Law

With the national unemployment rate at 9% in October 2010, and in some states up to 12% (according to U.S. Dept. of Labor statistics), I imagine that many of us are wondering how to experience the flow of prosperity in our lives.  Eric Butterworth addresses the prosperity law as a major theme in his writings. 

In Unity: A Quest for Truth, EB presents the prosperity law, one of Unity's main Truth teachings.  He states that "when you understand the law and work within it, you not only begin to draw prosperity and success to you, but you can't keep them away." (p. 61-62)  EB is clear that this is no "get-rich-quick scheme," but a way of thinking and living. (p. 61)

The prosperity basics introduced in UQT are: to acknowledge God as our Source of supply, express gratitude that within us is the potential of "opulence and fulfillment," and "condition our minds to receive and express this infinite possibility." (p. 62)  We do this through affirmations, such as the one he shares on pg. 62:  I am a rich and healthy and dynamic child of God.  I think rich and healthy thoughts, and I expect rich and healthy results.

This introduction to prosperity is reflective of EB's statements that "the entire Unity teaching might well be summed up under the headings of 'prayer' and 'right thinking.'" (p. 52) As I mentioned in an earlier post, what is missing is action.  EB delivers what I consider this missing element of action in his subsequent writings on working with the prosperity law.

In Spiritual Economics, EB shares positive actions to take in order to "resign from enlistment in the 'army of the unemployed.'" (p. 121)  EB states that many people who are unemployed actually become unemployable because they have firmly established in their consciousness "the idea of lack and inactivity." (p. 121)  The thing to do is to first change your self-image. See yourself as "ready to work," rather than unemployed.  When you do this, you can stop identifying with Labor Department statistics, and realize that you do have a job.  This job is to get work.  EB suggests that you get up early every morning and go about your important task of finding a job, including packing your lunch and dressing for work.  This change of approach is in line with EB recurring theme that life is lived from within-out.

EB reminds us that we each have something unique to contribute, and that somewhere there is a need for exactly what we have to offer.  We live in an orderly Universe, and we are "an individualized expression of the creative flow." (p. 122)  When we understand the order of the Universe, we know that for every job seeker, there is an employer looking for the right person with the gifts that job seeker has to offer. 

According to EB, the reason why we feel "fear, self-pity, and a sense of insecurity" when we are unemployed is because we have subtly accepted that this condition is permanent. (p. 123)  The way to change this thought is to remember that recurring scriptural statement: "it came to pass."  EB assures us that you will feel "oneness with the divine flow" when you hold the thought of this Truth, and your confidence will be restored. (p. 123)

I also found helpful EB's action step of approaching a career challenge as a project rather than a problem.  Problems bring on ideas of burden and self-pity, but projects invigorate us to tune in to the awareness that the answers are unfolding from within.  This involves making the choice to see a challenge as a growth opportunity, and putting our faith in the principle that "all things work together for good." (p. 128)

In The Concentric Perspective, EB offers a term for the process of living from within-out: concentrics, which he defines as continually returning to the center.  In this book, he includes another action step in the process of working with the prosperity law: the art of giving yourself away.  When your goal is only your paycheck, you are out of the receiving flow.  EB suggests that you "think of work as a giving process." (p. 63)  When you allow your work to "be an outworking of the creative flow, engaged in through the sheer joy of fulfilling your divine nature," you will prosper because you will be in the consciousness of giving. (p. 63)

When you give less than your best to whatever you do, you lack fulfillment in life.  Even if you don't like your job, EB emphasizes that "if your work is essential to anyone, it is ennobling to perform." (p. 70)  When you change your approach to your work to think "give," new opportunities become available.  If you are unemployed, this "give" technique will help make you employable because you will cease looking for work solely for a paycheck and will be "eager to serve, to give yourself away." (p. 71)  When you take this approach, "you will draw to yourself or be drawn toward the kind of work opportunities where you can be blessed and be a blessing." (p. 71)   

This is just a small selection of EB's action suggestions for working with the prosperity law.  These two books are excellent resources for further growth in experiencing true prosperity, and their timeless wisdom is just as relevant now as it was when they were first published.  If you are approaching the job market, change your outlook from being unemployed to "ready for work," and remember to begin with the concentric perspective, knowing that it is in giving from within-out that we become open to receiving. 



 

What is the difference between Jesus and the Christ?

In Unity, we use the phrase: "I behold the Christ in you," or, "I behold the Christ you are."  Does this give you the image of a little tiny Jesus inside of you?  Do you think Christ was Jesus' last name?

In response to the volumes of questions Eric Butterworth received about Jesus, he shares with us his second book, Discover the Power Within You (I will refer to as DPWY).  In this popular best-seller, he gives a thorough response to this frequently asked question: "What is the difference between Jesus and the Christ?," while using an approach to exploring the teachings of Jesus as a way of life that is you-centered.  

The awareness of the Christ within is not new to Unity.  It can be found in Paul's Letter to the Colossians 1:27, where he states: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."  According to EB: "Paul is not referring to Jesus, but to the divine potential within every person that Jesus discovered in himself." (DPWY p. vi)  This book presents a further expansion of EB's Christology as stated in UQT, Chapter 2.

Most likely none of you believe there is a tiny Jesus in you, but do you believe that you can do the works that Jesus did and greater? (John 14:12)  This is the "power within you."  EB states that it is not enough to believe the things about Jesus, we must believe for ourselves what Jesus believed about himself, and apply these teachings to our lives. (p. ix) 

EB reveals his thesis statement on page 12: "'Christ' is not a person. It is not Jesus. Christ is a degree of stature that Jesus attained, but a degree of potential stature that dwells in every man." 

Jesus discovered the divinity in man: "Now He knew Himself to be an expression of God, or the activity of God-life and intelligence pressing itself into visibility. Now He knew that the Kingdom of God, the wealth of the Universe, was within the depth-potential within Him." (p. 7)

This "depth-potential" is the Christ consciousness, as EB quoted from Charles Fillmore: "The unfoldment of this consciousness by Jesus made Him God incarnate, because Christ is the Mind of God individualized." (p. 9) So, you see, the "Christ in you" is your potential perfection in your consciousness, it is "your spiritual unity with the Infinite, the key to health and success." (p. 45)  This is our Divine Nature. 

EB's view of God and Jesus in DPWY is in line with Unity's metaphysical teachings: God is the Mind which is the infinite Source of Divine Ideas. Man is the expression of the Ideas. Jesus dropped his personal consciousness and was one with pure Being. We all have this potential within us.  EB references Meister Eckhart to support his claim: "...God never begot but one Son, but the eternal is forever begetting the only begotten." (p. 11)

If you are still wondering about Jesus' last name, EB shares that people back then did not use last names.  The word Christ "is simply the Greek version of the Hebrew word meaning messiah or savior." (p. vii)