Happiness

I was watching a PBS program recently on inspiring happiness and my reaction was: this sounds a lot like Science of Mind; these ideas are not exactly new. Ernest Holmes wrote about happiness and the power of positive thought in the early 20th Century.  “Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life” is a main idea in his book, Science of Mind.

News seems to focus on the negative, on the idea “if it bleeds, it leads.”  Who hasn’t come from being exposed to the news -- print, Internet, or television -- feeling down and depressed. Things seem bad and getting worse, and it affects our mood. It affects the race consciousness.

Ernest Holmes knew that, and wrote about it:  develop a positive mental atmosphere to power our journey through a life filled with love, peace, harmony, wealth, opportunity, good health and success.
Holmes’ philosophy differs in it’s spiritual component. As spiritual beings having a human experience, we can use the power of our thought, of our consciousness, of our thought vibrations, to create a magnificent human experience.

Today happiness is big business. Books, Internet sites, programs, corporate training and more.  In the book, Broadcasting Happiness, author and researcher in the emerging field of positive psychology Michelle Gielan says:  Change Your Story, Change Your Power; Change Your Broadcast, Change Your Power. A shift in mindset can improve not only your life, but the lives of others. Sound familiar?

She was a former TV journalist who tired of the emphasis on negative news, and developed a popular series on happiness for CBS. She then quit her job to co-found the Institute for Applied Positive Research.

Positive psychology and neuroscience research show that shifts in the way we communicate can ripple out to effect business and education, with higher productivity, better performance ratings, higher sales and lower levels of stress. 

For the news media, she recommends adopting “Transformative Journalism,” which is “better for the bottom line, better for the public’s health, and better for society.” It’s an “activating, engaging, solution-focused approach to covering news.” Highlight stories of successful action that people or organizations take in the face of challenges that lead to success., she says. Be optimistic; believe that change is possible, empower people to take action.

On the personal level, use power leads in communication with others. Have a positive, optimistic, and inspiring beginning to set the tone in any interaction. Even small words can have an impact, so pay attention.

In an interview on the website, Experience Life, she says: “What research is now helping us understand is how choosing to broadcast positive, optimistic, idea-generating messages — even during challenging circumstances — can fuel hope and inspire others.”

Years ago, Ernest Holmes predicted that the ideas in Science of Mind would go mainstream. We see that happening. From Oprah to the myriad of books, magazines, websites and more, the race consciousness is shifting and lifting.

And so it is.

Sad and Lonely Life

My family recently visited for the holidays, and we had a wonderful time. I commented to my grandson, who is 11, that it was so nice to have the family visiting, and to hear the sounds of fun and laughter in the house. To which he replied, "...and when we leave, Grandmama, you'll go back to your sad and lonely life."
   
Wow! My sad and lonely life! I added that to a question my son-in- law made on a previous visit, "Why are you still living in this relic?"

Hmmm!
  
 AM I living a sad and lonely life?... in my relic? No roommates, no pets...not even a goldfish, here in the home I've occupied some 44 years, the last eight years alone.  I don't feel sad and lonely. Basically I feel happy and connected. And as for the relic, I'm the queen of my domain and I like it.
   
I wondered what an Internet search would bring up for "sad and lonely life."  Whoa!  Pages upon pages.  Topping  the list was an article about "Donald Trump’s Sad, Lonely Life." Really?

Other links were: “Being Single: How to Handle Loneliness," "10 More Ideas to Help with Loneliness," "I am So Sad and Lonely that It is Killing Me," and articles, poems, song lyrics and images with poetic quotes. Amazon had entire books on sad and lonely, plus books on happiness - the basic cure.
  
 A sad and lonely elderly life search yielded links to articles and images of sad and lonely older people and how to help them.
  My grandson’s comment about my sad and lonely life reflected the perception, the race consciousness, that if we're living alone, we're destined to be sad and lonely.
   
An antidote to this attitude is in the book, Going Solo, the Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone by Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology at NYU. 
  
According to his studies, a huge demographic shift has been taking place since the baby boom, with nearly 50% of American adults now single and one out of every seven adults living alone.  In 1950, only 22% of American adults were single. And most singletons, young and old, are now leading happy, active, and fulfilling lives.
   
This preference for the single life is happening globally. Klinenberg asks: “Why has living alone become so common in the world's most affluent societies? What makes it so compelling?” 
   
"Living alone helps us pursue sacred modern values --individual freedom, personal control and self-realization", he says.  "It allows us to do what we want, when we want, on our own terms. It liberates us from the constraints of a domestic partner’s needs and demands, and permits us to focus on ourselves.” Also,  it offers time and space for restorative solitude from busy lives and digital media.
  
 “It can help us to discover who we are, as well as what gives us meaning and purpose,” he adds. Although we could see this as very self-centered and selfish, it's a validating and uplifting message for the many singletons.

But if we're in that sad and lonely place, how can we be happy and connected? Emerson says: "If you want a friend, be a friend." Ernest Holmes says, "Cultivate an attitude of friendship toward everybody and everything. Learn to love all people, and you'll find plenty of people who return that love. We attract to us what we first become."

If our mental atmosphere is one of sadness and loneliness, then that is what we attract. That is what we become. 

Bottom line: send out love vibrations to become a love and friendship magnet.  As to sadness, he says,  “There is no sadness in the Spirit. It is happy and free, for It knows neither depression nor confusion, and we belong to It, and are in and of It"
    
So...sad and lonely, or happy and connected? It's our choice.

And so it is.

Humanity and Divinity

I recently visited my family in San Francisco for Thanksgiving, and also to celebrate my birthday. As I was preparing to buy my usual bus ticket home, my daughter -- who didn’t like me to ride the bus -- said, “Mom, you’re 79!”


What? You’re afraid I’ll have a heart attack on the bus? No. It turns out she felt guilty leaving me on the corner of Mason and O’Farrell to catch my shuttle bus back to Los Angeles, where I am dropped off in North Hollywood.

Long story short. She offered to pay for a private limo service to whisk me in luxury from door to door.  
And for the first time, I actually felt “elderly,” like I needed to be looked after. I know the hair has gone gray and I’ve slowed down a bit, but “elderly?” 

Nah! Gotta think youthing! Gotta create a mental atmosphere around strength, vitality, radiant good health! And what would Ernest Holmes say to this unexpected offer?

Accept, absolutely! Tootling down I-5 in a sleek, black chauffeur driven Cadillac is a joyous experience. And a lovely gift. 

To put this in perspective,  I had decided to pay for six months of vocal lessons for my granddaughter, who watches The Voice and wants to sing. We even wrote up a mini-contract, where she would practice so much each day. Three generations of women...lovingly looking out for each other. All good.

Then there’s the bad. My daughter was quite sad about the election. My advice? The antidote to despair is action. Look into the local political party. Possibly run for office. She has natural leadership abilities. When the kids were in pre-school she was president of the board. Now that the kids are in elementary school, she’s president of the PTA. She’s a great fundraiser and runs a junior scout group.

So how does this relate to Religious Science?

The answer may be in the writings of Walter Starcke. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly all around us. Whether it’s the recent election or personal losses we’ve endured, Walter Starcke puts it in perspective. 

It’s necessary to find a realistic balance between living in the Absolute and the Relative world, he says, -- to find the balance between our humanity and our divinity.

It's not a matter of “one or the other,” but rather, discovering the key to doing both at the same time. God is ever present--he says. God is all there is. It’s in the bad and the ugly, as well as the good. The human and the divine are one and the same. Even Christ was flawed, and we can learn from his mistakes.

In the very controversial Martin Scorsese film, “The Last Temptation of Christ,” based on a book of the same title, Jesus struggles with his divinity. 

He is tempted with the possibility of living a regular, happy, human life -- marrying Mary Magdalene, having a family, and being free from the weight of being the savior. 



Instead of being crucified, instead of being the son of God, he experiences being a man.  On his death bed, he realizes  his mistake, and remedies the situation.

If we can accept failures, weaknesses, and the bad or the ugly in life as opportunities for expansion, growth and learning, we can evolve our own Christ consciousness. 

Knowing we are divine as well as human, knowing we are energized by spirit, knowing we can develop a positive mental atmosphere around things that concern us, we can work toward, and we can create, a world that works for everyone. 

And so it is.

Transformation

Chicken breasts with broccoli, every three hours, six times a day for months. Canned tuna, mixed in a blender with water, and downed day after day for months.  Sound appetizing?

Who would eat that way? Actors prepping for roles in movies, that’s who.


In my ongoing relationship with Netflix and Amazon Prime, I rented two movies which starred men who literally transformed their bodies through rigid diets and intense workouts.

Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, pushing his body to its extreme, chiseled himself into the hunkiest beefcake ever to leap and swing through a CGI jungle. He was described as “incredibly ripped” with not six-pack, but eight-pack abs for the film, The Legend of Tarzan.

Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts gained 50 to 60 pounds and, along with exhausting iron-pumping workout regimes, transformed himself for the lead role of Jacky in Bullhead, an academy-award nominated foreign film.

Jacky is a cattle farmer, part of the “bovine mafia” in Belgium who illegally shoot hormones and steroids into their cows to make them bigger.  Because of a tragic childhood incident affecting his manhood, Jacky regularly shoots hormones and steroids into his own body until he is transformed -- looking a bit like the bulls he works with.  Unlike Jacky, the actor transformed his body with food and intense exercise, as did the actor playing Tarzan.

Both films are fabulous examples of physical transformation. The actors struck me as men who had a strong desire, made a decision, developed a vision,  set goals, and had the discipline and determination to manifest that vision.

They demonstrated what Ernest Holmes would call “a mental atmosphere”-- which is the result of all we have thought, said and done, and consciously or unconsciously perceived. They each had a very clear  picture of what they wanted to achieve, and adhered to that picture, regardless of circumstances or conditions, with single-mindedness of purpose.

Although we might not want to transform our bodies as they did, we may seek other ways to transform ourselves, to move away from littleness, to develop a greater vision, to push the limits of our experience, to renew ourselves, and to bring greater health, wealth, creative expression or loving relationships into our lives.

The process is the same: change our thinking, change our lives. There’s a pragmatic side to  affirmative prayer, also known as Spiritual Mind Treatment.  "Treat and Use Your Feet" means be proactive: take action toward our goals.  As we do that, Universal Spirit, the One Mind, responds and supports us.

If it’s health we seek, our bodies can be healed as we transform our inner mind with thoughts of radiant good health. We replace any negative thoughts of disease or failure with positive ones of health, harmony and success.

I was reminded recently of my own encounter with cancer some 22 years ago. I took the medical treatment, and then I decided to do everything I could to survive. I took vitamins, went to support groups, stayed for a week at the Optimal Health Institute, and lost 35 pounds on a special  immune system enhancement diet.

One thing I did to change my mental atmosphere was to write a song, and sing it every time a negative or catastrophic thought came into my head. Although my voice is not ready for prime time, here it is.

I, Elizabeth, am radiantly healthy
Robust and strong, robust and strong
Free of all cancer, free of all dis-ease
Yes, yes, yes! Good health, health, health!
Yes, yes, yes! Long life, life, life! Yes!

Millions of white cells, created every day
Travel my body, searching for prey
They find and destroy, every cancer cell
To keep me strong and healthy, Yes!
To keep me strong and healthy.

And I’m still here...

And so it is.

Empower Yourself

I recently picked up the book, “The Hell I Can’t” by Terry McBride, and couldn’t put it down.


What was most interesting was Terry’s process of evolution in taking charge of his health and healing. He experienced some 27 surgeries from an incurable e-coli infection that had started in his back and moved to many other parts of his body. The medical interventions became overwhelming, and he decided he didn’t want to be crippled, to be an invalid, and to wear a colostomy bag for his entire life.

As he discovered the principles of metaphysics, he started small. He began with one thing he wanted to change: that his colon (which had been cut apart from one surgery) would be reattached and he would be able to go to the bathroom in a normal way. It’s fascinating to follow his journey of building one successful outcome after another to return to good health.

“It didn’t matter that the odds against my getting well were a million to one. It didn’t matter that some of the finest doctors in the world said I couldn’t expect to come out of this ordeal whole. I was done listening,” he says in his book.

He has a website, terrymcbride.net, with many inspirational articles designed to empower us to move beyond our limits and into the freedom we desire and deserve.

He advocates spending a few minutes a day creating our own reality, and recognizing that we are more powerful than we realize.

Let’s learn to focus our minds on what we want, rather than the distractions of everyday life, he advocates. Let’s create a supportive mental environment, use our imagination to daydream about our goals, and take the needed action to make those goals a reality. In Religious Science we call this “Treat and Use Your Feet.”

What about choice? We can take charge of our creative mind, but not with just a few affirmations or the occasional positive thought.

Our minds can be stuck in habitual grooves, running automatically according to our usual, programmed thinking. By using choice, we can act “as if” we are the person we want to be, and reprogram our mind to support our new process.

When an old thought pattern arises, we can become aware and change it; we the thinker; we are in charge of our creative mind, our life.

We can target what we are moving toward. We can ask ourselves: where do  I want to be at the end of this year? next year? Who do I want to be as I go on this journey? How can I best focus my mind to get the results I want?

Of course we want to move our energy and focus to what we DO want, rather than what we don’t want. It’s easy to get into a negative mind set about what’s not working, or what’s not showing up. It’s easy to focus on the negative, because so many things going on in the world around us seem to support that.

As we integrate our choices with mental power and physical action, we can say: “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if...” We can finish the sentence with the goals and dreams we want to show up.

Terry developed a Statement of Being to help him with his healing. We can adapt this to our own situation, whether it be in the realm of health, financial abundance, loving relationships or creative expression. His statement reads:

“As I move into this time of creation, I feel the power of something bigger than me, moving with me, supporting and empowering me.  I know all things are possible.  And as I explore how I am going to create the healing I desire, I will notice this support and acknowledge it. I know that I do not have to figure this out all at once.  All I have to do is begin right where I am and consciously choose to move toward what I want. My life is not one problem after another, it is right now a time of discovery and creation, and out of my own being I feel the joy and freedom that comes with knowing I can create reality.”

And so it is.

A New Story

Recently in the throes of looking through old slides, some from over 50 years ago, I came across a photo of myself. 


There I was, age 25 or so, gazing at the scenery of Versailles, the palace of Louis XIV, outside Paris. The image reminded me of something my mother used to say: “All young people are beautiful.”


I remember the outfit I was wearing...dressy by today’s standards for touring. Heels, stockings, a black sweater with the skirt from a lovely mohair walking suit. We dressed up in those days for traveling...no sneakers and denims.

On that day I was in the company of a friend, Jack, from San Francisco, where I had lived prior to my stint with the Foreign Service. 
 He was on a world tour with a wealthy, elderly man who wanted Jack along to carry the traveler’s checks and make arrangements for him should he die. 


We had a personal female guide, a private sedan and driver, and after some sightseeing in Paris we drove out to Versailles for a delicious lunch at an elegant outdoor patio. That’s where the photo was taken.


I thought: Who was that girl?

She was a risk taker--left everything behind to live and work in a foreign country. That was so long ago, and yet -- that period in my life is so vivid. 


Much has transpired since then. Marriage, family, working life, retirement, widowhood, and increasing age. 


Living on my own I sometimes feel stressed and overwhelmed by the conditions of not just my life, but the conditions of the world. 


My head will swim with the latest media circus election news, as I try not to engage anyone in talking politics. It’s so partisan! Then I’m immersed in pragmatic concerns such as RMDs (required minimum distributions), long term care planning, social security issues, drought-stricken yard maintenance, health and fitness management, and attempts to get my book manuscript off my computer and into print.


So much to do. Flagging energy. Sometimes I feel stuck.  Sometimes I forget I’m a Science of Mind minister.  Sometimes I fail to see the perfection behind all things.


Where’s the verve, joy, passion, boldness, inner vitality and adventurous spirit of that girl NOW, TODAY? Her story is from yesterday, faded into the dustbin of history. Yet she was illuminated with life, with possibility. The future lay before her.

Today I, facing my 79th birthday, need a new story. I need that verve, joy, passion, boldness, inner vitality and adventurous spirit.

Dr. Cara Barker, on her website (www.carabarker.com) has this to say: “Living in the gap between what was, the present, and what has not yet formed, is a course of secret anxiety and suffering. Learning how to address these times creatively and mindfully, brings transformation and healing.”
   
What would Ernest Holmes say?
   
“Every day is a fresh beginning, every day is the world made new...That moment in the eternal present when we are no longer conditioned by the past and when anticipation of the future does not condition the present -- we shall be free.”

And so it is.

Reinvention

How do we know when it's time to reinvent ourselves?

For me it came with an 8th grade English project. My son was assigned the "Time Magazine Man of the Year Project." Being artistically and mathematically talented, he chose Leonardo daVinci. He started with the cover, followed up with some colorful ads, and then the copy.

I don't remember how I got involved, but I do remember taking photos of Leonardo's projects, helping with layout, typing and captions, and overall using my journalism and photojournalism skills to help him create the magazine. Of course it was an outstanding project; no doubt he received an "A."

For me, it was a lot of fun, but I also had to stop and ask myself: What are you doing?

Basically I was having a midlife crisis. I wasn't sleeping well. Children were growing up, needing me less. I was into my helicopter mom mode with the Leonardo project, and it made me realize that I had to make a change.

Of course there were starts and stops. I've made mistakes, I thought. I had opportunities I didn't grasp. I had gone for an interview for an unpaid internship in public relations, using my journalism background. But the result and underlying message was very negative. I was already 40. Younger people just out of college were preferred. I felt my opportunities were limited. I was not in a good place.

My husband was concerned, and if not for him I wouldn't have taken my first job, my first step back into the world of work. I had seen an ad for a job as a clerical assistant at the local university, which was walking distance away. I had a resume, but I didn't want to send it in. I thought: I have a master's degree in journalism; what am I doing looking for a clerical assistant job? I felt it was beneath me.

Well, my husband dropped the resume off right before the deadline, and before I knew it I had a job working for three professors on a gifted education project. I did that for a year; I still had insomnia and was working on my emotional issues. But it was a start.

While there I learned of a master's program in counseling psychology. I spoke to someone who had gone through it, and she reported it was "Micky Mouse," and very "touchy feely." Being more of a thinking, intellectual, head person, I immediately decided: that's exactly what I need. Something "touchy feely." So I enrolled and had a wonderful three years of learning not just about educational psychology, but about ME. And so I began my journeys in personal development.

Lately, in decluttering the garage, I came across some of my son's schoolwork, including the Leonardo project. I was reminded of my younger self, of the need to reinvent myself at that point in time. And of the ongoing reinventions during different periods of our lives. Recently I heard of a book called "The 100-Year Life: Living and working in an age of longevity" by Lynda Gratton. 100 Years! That's going to take quite a few reinventions.

And as Ernest Holmes says: "In mental work, we must realize that there is One Infinite Mind, which is consciously directing our destiny. Declare every day that: 'No mistakes have been made, none are being made, and none CAN be made.' And know that we stand at the point of limitless opportunity; that opportunity is right here today; that we see it and grasp it. We exist in Limitless Opportunities, which are forever seeking expression through us."

Leonardo seemed to express limitless creativity throughout his long productive life. So can it be for us. And so it is.

One of the ads in the Leonardo project.