Center for Spiritual Living Midtown

10 Years - Rev. Angela Harmon

Wow! It’s Fall 2013 already. Over the summer I realized how significant the past 10 years have been in my life. Since 2003, my eldest grandchild turned 10 years old and I've been a Science of Mind Practitioner for 10 years, to name a few. Wow happenings! 

On one hand, there are areas of life I wish to keep, maintain harmoniously, and open for enhancement. On the other hand, there are things I would like to improve, change, and do differently. This Sunday’s talk will be a stroll down memory lane as I reminisce on the past 10 years sharing how the SOM principles paved my way, andhow these same SOM principles will allow the next days, weeks and years to be "A list" living for me.  

I invite you to take a stroll with me, recalling your "best of times and worst of times,” as we summon ways to live life abundantly, applying the SOM principles. Keeping in mind “all things are possible," attracting greater possibilities for ourselves and all others. And so it is

The Suspension of Disbelief - Rev. Kim Brown

In 1817 the mystical poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined the phrase the "suspension of disbelief " to mean the point at which you must give up all skepticism and accept what goes against what you've known before.

 

This term is still used today when discussing the production of literary and artistic works...whether art imitates life or life imitates art , when we consciously choose to create our lives, this same creative principle applies.

Closing the Deal - Rev. Paul Gonyea

"The hard part is, agreements are not always as clear as we would like them to be. Sometimes we aren’t sure exactly what we want, and sometimes we aren't sure what we have once we get it. That’s still no excuse for not keeping commitments to our Self as well as we possibly can at our present level of awareness. It’s all part of the spiritual learning process. We don’t have to be completely certain all the time that we’re doing the right thing; we just need to be open.  Who knows; if we do, we might even learn something about ourselves that we needed to know. And we might end up having a lot more fun in the process."

A Deep Release - Rev. David Barrett

"Oh, how we gloss some events over in our lives! Believe it or not, our subconscious mind has a way with dealing with all the myriad of things that have come at us in the past, that are coming at us now, and may come at us later in the future. It’s a protection mechanism from the Universe so that we are not so overwhelmed. But there comes a time where we need to release it all for good, so that we stand at a new beginning point, free from any subconscious patterns that may be binding us. Those constricting bands are in Mind only, and that is where those bands are cut."

The Expectations of Others - Rev. Paul Gonyea

"The first thing we need to recognize is that expectations, whether they're ours or someone else's, can (and frequently do) affect the direction our creative energy takes. That means, if we aren't taking full responsibility for our own beliefs, expectations will either push or pull our thoughts in a certain direction. They also, depending upon what the expectation is or who is expressing it, can determine how motivated we are to have that expectation come true."

1:1, 10:1, 100:1 - Rev. David Barrett

One to one is working in the Law of Averages, 10 to 1 is working with Mental Law, 100 to 1 is working with Spiritual Law, and all of it is wrapped in Universal Law.. As Ernest Holmes stated, “There is a Law for Good in the Universe, and we can use it,’ but I will have us question which aspect of the Law are we using… the aspect where I seem to struggle with my troubles, the aspect where I intellectualize my troubles, or the aspect where I spiritualize my troubles. And the good news is, when you finally get to that depth of understanding of YOURSELF, there was never any troubles to begin with. Come hear how deep Mind is already within us to unfold beautifully.

So, What's the Problem Here? | Rev. Paul Gonyea

"When we get outside of ourselves and notice what other people are dealing with, our problems often look so much smaller than they did before. I like to think that I have earned my problems by right of consciousness, and that finding the answer is its own reward. The issues I have to deal with in order to grow, and to move forward on my spiritual path, have been custom-designed by my own inner wisdom to help me learn the things my soul needs to learn. When I finally solve all the problems I have now, I have no doubt that I'll receive a whole new set. Only the new set will be even more exciting and interesting. It's just like a video game; the reward for succeeding at any level is the right to play at a whole new level!"

Dangerous Prayers | Rev. Paul Gonyea

"In order to broaden and deepen our connection with all of Life, we need to practice being spiritually present every moment of our life, which means having an open heart, an open mind, and open eyes. We must be able to look at what is in the world, really and truly --- the beauty, the joy, the opportunities; the suffering, the pain, the inhumanity --- and not try to use prayer to deny it, to ignore it, or to explain it away with some simplistic spiritualized explanation that we learned in some book or seminar. This decision to be open and accepting of 'what is,' is one of the most dangerous things we can do in this new and deeper way of praying because it doesn't allow us to hide behind our intellect or our assumptions. It requires us to see what we see, and to relate to it as God relating to God, without letting our ego or our intellect get in the way. But until we actually try it, we don't realize how hard it can be."

18 Inches/23 years - Rev. David Barrett

Some of us have traveled great distances in our lives... Some around the world, and for some it takes a lot to go outside of the Perimeter. But possibly the hardest distance that ANYONE goes is 18 inches. We will discuss from whence the 18 inches start, and to where the journey end up. As for me and my 23 years in this teaching, my journey still continues.

From Russia, With Love Rev. Paul Gonyea

“In the introduction to The Science of Mind, Dr. Holmes tells us that one danger of this teaching is that we spend too much time on theory and not enough time on practice. I agree completely. I believe one of the best ways to practice spirituality is to get out of our comfort zone and to travel the world. I recently returned from a trip to Russia and, like so many other places I've visited, I had many chances to practice what I believe. Sometimes it was hard, and other times it was magical. Come by our Center this Sunday and I’ll share some spiritual lessons learned while visiting the biggest country in the world!”