Consciousness

Recently I mentioned to some Religious Scientists that as a breast cancer survivor, estrogen responsive type, I habitually avoided soy, chlorinated swimming pools, and anything I deemed estrogenic. I’ve done a lot of other things for my health, and I’ve survived 25 years.

 I also referenced a news story about a professional female swimmer who developed breast cancer, even though she felt she was doing everything right. It could be the chlorine in the swimming pool, I said. And another minister said, It’s her “consciousness.”

So that got me thinking. What exactly is consciousness? It’s a key, if not THE key, to our teaching.  There are hundreds of times Ernest Holmes discusses consciousness in his book, The Science of Mind.

In surfing the Internet, I found debates on consciousness.  Can science actually explain it using  psychology, neurology, biology and/or physics? No, it turns out there’s no consensus on what “consciousness” actually is.

Going back to the metaphysical, Holmes says consciousness is mental awareness--the tendencies and patterns of our thoughts, feelings, actions --the totality of our personal mental atmosphere. We develop our own lens on life, but we are, in reality, individualized expressions of  the One Mind, and Universal Consciousness expresses through us at the level of our receptivity to it.

So the limits on our own life experiences come from limiting how much of Universal Mind and Power we allow into our own cauldron of mental activity. How much faith do we have? How much belief? Can I just speak my word and demonstrate what I desire? Do negative thoughts and feelings bring on what I really do not want? These are big questions.
   
For me, I’m a “treat and use your feet” practitioner. Yes, I use affirmative prayer, known as Spiritual Mind Treatment, block out negative thinking as best I can, and back it up with action toward my goals. My actions then become part of my mental atmosphere.

For health and healing, I'm proactive: Gluten free, dairy free, probiotics, supplements, exercise, turn off WiFi at night to reduce EMFs, experiment with gadgets like red light therapy, PEMF mat, magnets, a magnetic pulser and more.

So I wonder...am I overdoing it? Does this signify my belief, my faith, is lacking?. Body management is taking up an inordinate amount of my time as I age.  I want to enjoy time left, not deal with physical challenges.

Recently I took a fall at home and injured my foot. It hurt like the Dickens. My whole foot was swollen. I'm living alone, so.what to do? I hobble to the couch, then to the garage where a walker is hanging on a nail, and make it to the kitchen for an ice pack.

I felt too sick to go to my health clinic, so I did the RICE treatment. Then I also used my red light therapy and magnetic pulser gadgets, wore a foot boot and elastic support, and basically lay around, getting fat.

To lift my spirits, I affirmed:“Things are always working out for me,” along with treatments for health and healing.

Eventually I made it to a doctor, who found no fractures on the X-ray. It was a bad sprain. After an inactive three weeks, I’m able to put on my sneakers and walk around. It could have been worse, but wasn’t. I feel light, joyful and incredibly grateful for this healing, resiliency and willingness to use whatever tools, even weird ones, toward health and healing, while being open and receptive to Cosmic Consciousness.

So I don't just treat for healing. I help it along. Treat and use my feet! Being proactive seems to be the lens with which I currently view life. After all, the One Mind, the Universal Consciousness, is putting these tools in my path, so I figure it’s all God.

And so it is.

See service on 9/25/19:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER5MwgU8sVw

Robots and Science of Mind

A few years ago I saw the film, Robot and Frank, about an elderly man whose children bought him a robot assistant.  I thought: I want one. I’m getting older, and wouldn’t it be great to have a robot companion who could cook, drive, take care of the house, participate in fun activities, even engage in conversation. In the film, Frank taught the robot to assist him as a jewel thief, so that didn’t end well.

Most recently, I enjoyed the British series, Humans, about a society where humanoid, anthropomorphic robots, called synths, are everywhere, filling roles from household help to physical therapist, marriage counselor, medical personnel and sex workers. When one character was asked why she isn’t pursuing her dream to become a doctor, she says: Why spend seven years learning something that a synth can learn in seven seconds?  With synths taking most of the jobs, it’s unclear how anyone earns a living.

Most synths are simply programmed robots, but a special group was illegally developed to be conscious, sentient beings who don’t want to work as smiling slaves.  One plot line revolves around their quest to obtain the code for consciousness. They want to create more synths like themselves.

This smacks of the concept of the technological singularity, when intelligent machines become capable of progressively redesigning themselves to build even smarter and more powerful machines, a superintelligence that would vastly surpass human intelligence and abilities.

One character says this would be a threat, the end of humanity. Another says it’s the future of humanity. With scientists working feverishly to advance artificial intelligence, and with examples of present-day robots presented on YouTube, this fictional near-future may be closer than we realize.

In one scene, Max, a deviant synth separated from and worried about his “family” of similar androids, decides to try prayer. He kneels and says:

“Hallo. My name is Max. I have two brothers and two sisters. But... I think I may have lost them forever. I don't know if you can hear me, your existence is unproven and seems extremely unlikely, but if you are there, and if you listen to... things... like me, please help! I don't even have to see them again, just keep them safe! In return... I will be available to assist you in any way I can, and I will try to believe in you.”

This stimulated my thinking about artificial intelligence, robots, and religion.  In Science of Mind, we teach that all beings are expressions of and part of Infinite Intelligence, Spirit or God. God is all there is. God is in us, and of us, and for us...in our own soul, operating through our own consciousness.

If a soul is the metaphysical, eternal part of us, imparted by God, can it be programmed? Would robots have souls? If they truly have consciousness, would God operate through them? If robots have consciousness of self-awareness, free will and decision-making, will they have a relationship with God? Will we welcome them into our churches and spiritual centers? Can they be spiritual beings? Will we grant them personhood?

Lively debates around these issues of robots and spirituality are presently swirling on the Internet. The synths are coming. Not if but when.  Be prepared. Join the conversation.

And so it is.

It's Never Too Late

Recently, I sat down at my computer thinking, I have to come up with three Creative Thoughts for upcoming Presider assignments.

What can I speak about? I felt empty. I was sad about the recent death of a friend in my age range, and about an acquaintance, also in my age range, moving away because of health challenges. And I’d been thinking: Am I in denial to stay here in my home, alone?  I have another birthday coming up; the sands of time are running and I'm getting older.

All sorts of catastrophic panoramas played out in my mind. What if?  I don’t even want to go there. But I’ve been feeling tired; my extra weight is weighing me down. I wonder about my health, my vitality, progress on my projects. Basically I've been down in in the dumps.

I guess the Universe heard me, and responded.

Before I even touched fingers to keyboard, the phone rang. My friend Elaine called to tell me of an inspirational story she’d seen on television...about an 80 year old body builder, Ernestine Shepherd. I could immediately see Ernestine on the computer, thanks to the Internet. Wow!

Here’s someone who ls a personal trainer, professional model, competitive bodybuilder and was declared the World’s Oldest Performing Female Body Builder by Guinness World Records in 2010 at age 75. Then she lost that title to another septuagenarian, Edith Connor, age 77, in 2012. So here are these two 80 year olds, pumping iron and who are, in the words of Ernestine, "determined, dedicated and disciplined to be fit."

Reportedly, when Ernestine prepares to compete in 5K and 10 K races and run marathons, she’s up at 4 am for a 10 mile run, runs 80 miles a week, and of course trains in the gym with weights several days a week.

What do these women eat, I wondered. One source says Ernestine eats 1700 calories a day, mostly from boiled egg whites, chicken, vegetables and liquid egg white drink. Edith Connor’s recommendation is don’t diet: see what foods increase body fats; set reasonable goals.

Edith didn’t enter her first body building competition until age 65...She has three sons, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Well, really!  After reading about these two ladies, I decided to throw on my clothes and go for a morning walk.   I’ve been going to the gym at least five  times a week lately, doing the elliptical and the bicycle, but it’s obviously not enough. I don’t see myself running 80 miles a week, but I need inspiration to up the ante, and this is giving it to me.

As it often happens with the Internet, one source leads to another, and I found myself looking at the work of Vic Johnson, writer and motivational speaker, and his book “It’s Never too Late and You’re Never Too Old.” He writes about 50 people over 50 who illustrate changing mindsets and cliche’s about age, as well as overcoming obstacles related to health, income, retirement and reinvention.  Age is not an excuse for inaction, giving up on dreams, or finding new successes in life, he says.

Johnson’s book profiles people who illustrate letting go of old notions, embracing the new, moving out of one’s way, ignoring past failures or lack of progress, experimenting and embracing new possibilities. Perhaps a skill we’ve been honing for years hasn’t blossomed, he writes. But by focusing more time and effort, we can create a breakthrough moment.

Yes, we might have to start slowly and set reasonable goals, but with persistence we CAN rejuvenate and reinvent ourselves. I like this quote from 19th century writer George Eliot: “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.”

Ernest Holmes would agree. As he says, life lies open to us, full, rich and abundant. So get out and manifest who you want to be.

And so it is.

Evoking Our Inner Mystic - Part II

 

I, along with Rev. Nancy Woods, am in the throes of teaching the class, Practical Mysticism, and we’re continuing to awaken our inner mystics.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, we use the book by Caroly Myss, Enter the Castle, which is inspired by Teresa of Avila, who views the Soul as a castle with seven mansions and much soul work to help our evolution.

The soul is our divine essence, a masterpiece of divinity in miniatures and this soul castle represents our deep inner consciousness. It’s an inner sanctum to gather the strength, clarity and stability to access sublime divine guidance, says Myss.  As we journey into the Castle, we grow to understand the meaning and purpose of our lives. We build soul stamina and endurance.

According to Myss, the reason we have descended into physical life is to unleash the power of our soul upon Earth, and we can strengthen it.

In the lower three mansions, we work to clear our soul of what Myss calls “reptiles,” those interior sufferings of mind, heart and spirit. These are attachments to the physical world that bring pain, distraction, and haunt our thoughts and feelings. They need to be faced and expelled, which is not easy. 

Reptiles can be hatred, jealousy, envy, vengeance, arrogance, dishonesty, vanity, guilt, memories of abuse, inability to forgive, addictions and more. It takes a boot camp of disciplined soul work to expel these venomous, slithering reptiles before we can move along. In the Fourth Mansion, we are purified enough to stretch our soul -- to become a divine container of love.

Traveling through the fifth, sixth and seventh mansions successfully brings us to fearless bliss, united with divine enlightenment.

Quite a journey.

Along the way we encounter Chaos. This may be Divine Chaos, such as a health challenge, death of loved one, earthly disasters or other traumatic events which bring new decisions and directions to our soul’s journey.

For example, a bout with breast cancer twenty years ago prompted my spiritual quest. I found this Center, and never left. Without the chaos and emotional turmoil of that health challenge, which of course I didn’t want, I wouldn’t be here today.

Chaos can also be self-created...to avoid confronting an unpleasant truth. As we examine our actions, reactions, personal choices and motivations, we become aware of how we create chaos to distract ourselves, to cloud reason and create confusion. Perhaps we’re attached to an addiction, and blow up in anger if someone suggests we give it up.

As we examine our attachments, we can ask: "What power do they have over me?
How can I get free? How might it change me to detach?"

A First Mansion challenge is to go through the door of humility. This is not humiliation -- that assault on our self esteem when someone demeans us. No, this is being humble, detached from the need for praise, or approval or the need to win. It’s listening for divine guidance and following it. 

We detach, as Myss says, from everyday “earthbound madness.” As we liberate ourselves from the fear of humiliation we can live a “wildly free life.”

I’d like that. Wouldn’t you?  And so it is.