SPIRITUAL QUOTE
Make it your mission
in life to not merely survive
but to thrive and
do so with passion,
compassion, humour,
honour, joy, integrity
and most of all
Love.
.....Maya Angelou
Hello My Lovelies,
It sometimes can happen that I am ‘not quite up to par’ as the saying goes when I rock up for Church on a Sunday and that was the case last Sunday.
However, when I saw Val opening the door and Aaron getting ready to do his fabulous act of setting out the chairs, creating the Healing Circle, and Liana coming in with her bright personality that feeling vanished, and I was in my ‘right mind’ to do my bit to transform the hall into a place of worship.
Which goes to prove again that, just because I may be a little ‘how’s your father’ it will not last, so long as I am willing to get out of myself and look to what can be done to alleviate the blues and there is no surer way than working with a special bunch of folks whose mission is to give of themselves and help others. To quote those mischievous Meerkats, “Simples.”
HOMILY - Presented by Val Ollive
Take Time
“Whilst sitting with pen in hand wondering what to write, l became acutely aware, once the washing machine had stopped, how quiet it was. For a moment or two there were no cars, no trains, no aircraft, just the sound of birds twittering and singing. And I thought, ‘how lucky am I that I had this moment in time where nothing mattered, when everything could be put aside for this brief moment of joy.’
Joy to feel that I am a Spirit experiencing an exceptional moment of peace and harmony, not just in what is around me but what’s inside of me. I know some people will say “Well, lucky you, I haven’t got time.”
But it is all about managing your time. It does not have to be a huge amount of time. Just take five minutes to appreciate this beautiful earth. We know what is going on all over the world, but we cannot hold onto that. That does not bring us peace. What we can do though, is put love, peace, and harmony in our world every day.
We can take time to appreciate what we have and not dwell on things that we think we lack. It is better to go towards the things that will uplift us, not those things that will bring us down.
I know that we cannot do everything. We cannot change what is going on out there but, we can be the change in ourselves and remember the saying, “What you think, so it shall be.”
Now I am not talking about all the monetary wishes, although that would be nice. No. What I mean is, we can think about all that we have; the love of another human being, the love of our children, the kindness of friends. All these make for a happier outlook.
It is the small blessings that will uplift your heart and, you know, that all through this life, your Guardian Angels walk with you and are always here to help. Just do not be too busy to ask. Unless you ask, they cannot help.
LECTURE - Presented by Matu Apiata
PASSION AND PURPOSE
For the last few weeks my Guides have been bringing through what I am to be speaking about today and, as a part of the conversation, they brought a webcast by Mel Robbins who was talking about passion and purpose.
My ears pricked because that is what I have been working on. Mel was saying that passion and purpose are often confused and seen as one when they are not. We have things that generate passion in our lives and for other things there is a sense of purpose.
Mel believes that “passion is about what excites and motivates you, and purpose is your deeper reason for existence. These concepts are deeply interconnected and aligning them will give you the best chance at having a fulfilling life and career.”
We don’t find passion, we feel it. When we do what we are passionate about we feel energized and excited. If you are feeling depressed or stuck, then there is the strong possibility you haven’t done something that brings you excitement or enlivens your spirit for some time.
I love walking through tall, established trees. I love learning something new. I love painting and being creative. What do you love? What excites your life and gives you energy?
Purpose on the other hand, is something you do, and it is not just for yourself, it is for the world. When you do something that gives you a sense of purpose, your life has meaning.
Sometimes though, you can get lost in the desire to find our “Life Purpose”, that one thing that you were born to do. But what I have found during my life is that it’s more about the little things so that when you look back over your life, these little things add up and reveal an extraordinarily purposeful life.
However, when you are doing what we are meant to be doing in our lives, you need to pay attention to every moment. This is why raising your awareness of who you are is important.
And if you are thinking, “I don’t think I can do that. There are so many things in my mind. Which do I pay attention to?’ it is important to remember that if you are not paying attention, you can lose your connection with the God mind. You become distracted by the body, the world of form.
This is where you need to reconnect with your purpose and do something that you are passionate about, something that will help you refocus on your connection. So, what steps can you take to change? How do you do that?
Perhaps you could sit quietly by yourself. A friend likes to do jigsaws. She finds that fitting one piece to another quietens her mind. Perhaps you could Meditate.
Meditation helps quieten the mind because it is the chatter in the mind that distracts you and, when you quieten the mind, you can hear the true voice of your true self.
Living a life of purpose is about being authentic and inspired. When you live like this, you share your unique self with the world. It takes courage to live authentically but when you do, your life becomes a beacon of inspiration in effect, a Light for others.
LOVE AND LIGHT
I have been using a mantra that includes the phrase “Love and Light” and I started to wonder what it meant.
When we think of Love, we may think of it as an emotion, or a deep affection, romantic or intimate, for someone or something psychological in nature.
However, my Guides specified that Love is much more. It is the expression of God’s Mind into the world of form. The source of Love is God’s presence within our minds.
The more you explore and express Love, the closer you get to your true nature. The more you recognize yourself as an extension of God, the more you become Love.
We think of Light as an illumination, a vibration, a frequency that shines down upon us. However, my Guides tell me that it is more about the illumination of the mind than a photonic experience.
When Light is used in Spiritual work it refers to the Right-mindedness that occurs when we are in alignment with our inner True Self. This is when we are thinking as a Spiritual Being. Right-mindedness is opposite to the ego-based thinking that proceeds from the world of form.
The quote, ‘The Dark Night of the Soul,’ describes moments in our lives when we may feel a sense of despair, an absence of faith, focusing more on what is not right in our lives or what is not happening; on moments of pain and difficulty that can either result in growth or in a deepening crisis in our lives.
In these moments we are thinking with our ego self and using our personality-level mind. This level of mind holds our attention on the world, on what the world is doing to us, and our fear is heightened.
When we allow the Light (right-mindedness) to illuminate our minds, we allow our connection with the God-mind within to show us how to navigate our experiences.
The world pushes us to think in dualist terms. That is, there are two ways of looking at things - good or bad, black or white, abundance or poverty, life or death. This means there is always a battle causing cycles of happiness and sadness, feast or famine. And yet, the Law of Cause and Effect would say that it is all in our minds.
LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT
The law of Cause and Effect demonstrates that a Cause produces the Effect that we see. The law also states that the cause is always a thought.
We create the moment we begin thinking, and our emotions are triggered by what we are thinking. Everything we think becomes our experience. Some of you will not accept this as true but, I would encourage you to pay attention to your life.
Imagine every experience you have is a witness to what is happening in your mind. What we hold in our imagination must become manifest in our experience. This is a natural law and will happen even if we do not believe in it.
This natural law makes us responsible. Responsibility is one of the principles within Spiritualism that requires us to take account of our actions and words and there is always an effect that is caused by what has been done or said.
We are extensions of the God-mind. We are co-creators with the Universe. This makes us powerful beyond measure. We are not our bodies. We are one with the energy and force that created the Universe.
So, when we are vigilant in our thinking and hold ourselves in alignment with that part of ourselves that is the God-mind, we operate in a state of Right-mindedness. We become the Light. When we stay true to the Light, the world reflects at us a beautiful witness to our truth.
When you use the phrase “Love and Light” and you work with passion on your life purpose, you are placing yourself in a state of being that expels any darkness, and you reaffirm that you are a co-creator with the Universe.
“PROOF of LIFE” DEMONSTRATION
Presented by Anna Catanese
On speaking with Anna prior to the service, she confided that she was always nervous before stepping on Platform and, even though she knew that her Guides were with her, that feeling of “what if” preceded any work she was going to do.
However, Anna was in her element as she brought through descriptions and messages from loved ones to some of the congregation and there was no evidence of the nerves she had previously felt.
Anna is a ‘walker’ so, as she delivered the messages, she roamed across the front of the congregation giving a sense of gathering the meaning of the message so that she could give the best image to the receiver. If things didn’t quite gel, then Anna persisted until both she and the receiver were satisfied with the significance of the message.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
We welcome new members, Julie and Katrina, who joined after the service on Sunday, 5th May 2024.
And we would like to thank those people who have renewed their membership which is only $20 per year.
As we are a “Not for Profit” organization we rely on your donations and memberships to keep the doors open. Also, that $20 entitles you to a discount of $5 on every Workshop you attend. Good value in anybody’s language.
WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Our next workshop titled “Your Aura and Transformation” will be presented by Christine Goritchan on Saturday the 25th of May.
Book early to secure your place.
For more information about our Workshops, Church Services, Membership Registrations, etc, please see our website: mornspiritchurch.com
Blessings to all Maureen.
On behalf of the Mornington Spiritualist Church Inc.
