Center for Spiritual Living Midtown

Count Your Blessings - Rev Paul Gonyea

Though we continually hear, in this teaching at least, that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, our human side often tends to take the normal, average, day-to-day experiences of our life as “just the way things are.” If something happens every day, the same way, for a certain length of time, we tend to stop thinking about being grateful for it because we see it as something we deserve. We see it as the status quo, as an element of our life that’s simply ‘supposed’ to be there. As a result, we save the great gift of our appreciation for those one-time good deals that show up every so often, if we’re lucky. And the regular, everyday stuff, we ignore.

Borders and Boundaries - Rev Paul Gonyea

The purpose of having healthy boundaries is not to build a wall around us to protect us; it’s to take care of ourselves. It’s to honor ourselves. It’s to create a nice, safe, fun place for us to live, work and play, without being involuntarily or unnecessarily sucked into the problems or the affairs of other people who should be taking better care of themselves. Our spiritual birthright, which means simply our right to express Life by virtue of being here, gives us permission to live in a much larger space than the world (and some of the people in it) want to give us. That’s something that needs to change, but only we can do it, and we can only do it consciously. It doesn’t happen by accident.

Do you have the Time? Rev Paul Gonyea

Instead of working so hard to manage our time, most of us would be better off if we spent more time learning how to manage our consciousness. In other words, if we can learn to center ourselves whenever we want --- if we can learn to distinguish between what gives us energy and what drains our energy --- then Time will no longer have a hold on us. It can't. Because Time really is a spiritual concept. It isn't something that's imposed upon us; it's something that appears differently and responds differently to each of us as we change the way we look at it, because it's an essential part of the way our spiritual nature experiences this physical world.

How To Straighten Out the Rest of the World - Rev Paul Gonyea

One of the most basic laws of our being states that what we see in our experience is always a reflection of our deepest beliefs. This is especially true about the way we get along with people. We do not see other people the way THEY are; we see them the way WE are. Any time we find ourselves frustrated about dealing with a difficult person, the frustration and the irritation we’re experiencing is not in the other person, as much as it is in the way we’re reacting to them. It’s in our consciousness. How you can tell? Because, even when we get away from them, it’s still there. We carry our resentment around with us. That means there’s some painful area IN US that needs to be healed

The Incredible Expanding Universe– Rev Paul Gonyea

When we talk about ‘an expanding universe,’ our focus should not be so much on the physical expansion; instead, we need to be paying very close attention to the mental and spiritual expansion that is now our responsibility. The universe at large will continue to work the way the universe works, because the laws are fixed. But as far as we’re concerned, as a race of beings in our little corner of the universe, the blueprint of Life is now no longer fixed. Along with the ability to grow and expand that we have always had, we have now assumed the responsibility for our own success or failure, for our own growth or annihilation.

It’s Only Money! - Rev Paul Gonyea

Money is not a thing --- it’s energy. Joseph Campbell said that “Money is congealed energy, and releasing it releases life’s possibilities.” So even when we don’t have cash and coins or money in our checking account to spread around, or to buy the things we want, we always have access to an endless supply of energy in the form of ideas and passion and creativity. We also have the freedom to use these intangibles. We need to get it into our heart and mind that there is no such thing as a money problem; there is only an idea problem. There is only a blockage of flow, a blockage of energy, and the only possible place the flow of ideas can be blocked is from inside our consciousness. to spread around, or to buy the things we want, we always have access to an endless supply of energy in the form of ideas and passion and creativity. We also have the freedom to use these intangibles. We need to get it into our heart and mind that there is no such thing as a money problem; there is only an idea problem. There is only a blockage of flow, a blockage of energy, and the only possible place the flow of ideas can be blocked is from inside our consciousness.

The Past Does Not Define … It Prepares - Rev. Angela Harmon

Every Life has many defining moments. For me, three that immediately come to mind are, (1) Becoming a Mom; (2) becoming a Grandmother; and (3) becoming a Metaphysical teacher and minister. All these things, while challenging, were important to my spiritual development. But do those things make me, me? And while we’re at it, what makes You, You?

I’ve come to realize that it takes everything that has happened to us to make us who we are today. But while we learn lessons from the past, the mistakes of the past do not have to define us in the present.

In my journey, I’ve found that without learning life’s harder lessons, I may not have sought out and found my spiritual path. Adversity required me to receive the lesson, to learn from it and to keep moving forward. So remember to celebrate the triumphs because you made it through it ALL

Getting Ready For The Fall - Rev Paul Gonyea

There are too many people in this world living their lives afraid of making a big mistake. They’re afraid that if they fall down in life, or fail to please God, or get in a ‘dangerous’ situation, they’ll never be able to get up again. So they stand in one place, holding on to the rail, and they watch life pass them by. That may keep you from getting run over, or from falling down; but it isn’t a very gratifying way to live

My Greatest Gift - Rev Paul Gonyea

The most wonderful gifts of all are those that we can give completely to one person, and still have plenty left over to give to someone else, or even to ourselves. These are what we might call “spiritual gifts.” They don’t cost anything. You can’t find them in a store. You can’t buy them on-line. And it feels as good when we give them as it does when we receive them. These are gifts of the heart, which actually means they are gifts of the Spirit. With these things, the act itself is not the gift; the real value lies in the way the gift is presented. It’s not the wrapping or the timing that’s important; it’s the consciousness.

To be aware is to be awake! - Greta Counts RscP

Awareness is the beginning of change.  Self-awareness is the key to experiencing that change.  Our realization of our oneness with Source opens us to transformation. When we tune in to the Divine potential of the internal and maintain a consciousness of Oneness with Source we can live joyously. You are cordially invited to wake up & live!"