One Spirit Center

JULY 3 – FORSIGHT – I am farsighted. Using our meditative practice, we have reached out into the future, establishing a vision of what our lives might be like if we were to release our character flaws. We have seen bright possibilities of allowing spirit to guide us in all of interactions with the world. Hopes and dreams can come back to life. Our grandest imaginings, our greatest ideas, our most cherished aspirations can be realized by simply continuing on our spiritual path. No longer daydreams or fanciful reveries our vision begins to take on solidity based on our strong foundation of principle. The nightmares can stop; the delusions can be dissipated in the light of our hearts’ desire. Our goals and ambitions once thought impossible are now within reach. We now see clearly that grounded in love all of our aspirations can come true. With these visions held firmly in mind we move forward in all humility.

JULY 2 – READY – I am entirely ready. Are we willing to have all of these defects of character removed? Is there still a little fear of what will be left after this attitude adjustment? Having considered the benefits of a personality change and found it desirable, we are now ready to let a loving God remove the negative and improve the positive. We have prepared the way by becoming aware of the impact of fear on our lives. We know that only suffering comes from fear; we have faith that our healing and respite arise out of love. Being ready and willing to have these defects removed means that we are ready and willing to begin to live primarily out of love, letting spirit show the way. So, we accept ourselves the way we are. We admit that our reactions to life have been neither all bad or all good, we acknowledge that God is the only power that can heal these issues, and we strengthen our vision of what life will be like free of defect.

JULY 1– CHANGE – I am changing my mind. Let us change our negative attitudes, modify our approach to life, and vary our methods. We are more than our habits, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to improve them. In the past we may have been afraid that we would never be able to escape our bad habits. We can decide to change the temporary (our ego identity) and embrace the eternal (spirit). We can order our behavior and our lives as we wish. Let us release all fear of change, embracing new ideas and positive habits. From time to time we are getting signs and signals that something wonderful is underway in us. We know that there are still nagging little habits, but we can see there is a solution. As we continue to embrace change and practice new ways, our habits begin to change. The outer is all about change, the inner, the deep is changeless, God is changeless, always present, and always available.

JUNE 30 – PERSEVERANCE – I am determined. As we have seen, there are many things that can distract us from our purpose. All day, everyday detours will come in front of us. We may think of these as temptations, all of the ego issues come to us in enticing forms, which tend to obscure our best intentions. We can avoid the pull of these illusory cravings by simply putting our attention on what we really want. Forgiving the entire world seems like a big task and we may want to avoid the work; that’s why the ego presents alternatives. Our function of forgiveness is our true happiness, but our small self does not want to accept that. So, we must be resolute. Let us insist on the Love that is ours, refusing any substitutes. Devotion to our mission brings its own strength. Tireless because spirit provides divine endurance, we continue to move forward on our path. We can only burn out when we pursue goals that are not in alignment with goodwill.

JUNE 29 – ATTENTION – I am attending to the moment. The practice for today is vigilance. To be vigilant is to be attentive to the present moment. Awake, alive, alert, enthusiastic, we observe what is happening and respond accordingly. Cautious only for our temptation to be fearful, wary only of the ego, we stay on watch for self-centeredness. Let us recognize deception in ourselves so that we do not project it onto others. Heedful of the needs of those who come to us, we continually look for ways to serve. We observe our own actions and reactions; we notice the actions and reactions of others. We need not be unkind to others or ourselves; we consistently realize that our bad behavior and that of those around us springs from fear. Our task is to forgive the fear in “us and them”, to see through it to the pure and loving spirit in us all. Let our vigilance be calm and peaceful rather than a nervous state of being on guard.

JUNE 28 – RESPECT – I am respecting. Today we practice respect, giving it and receiving it. Previously we may have thought that we wanted prestige. Respect is different from prestige, which comes from a Latin word that means conjuring, trickery, and illusion. So, prestige is actually an illusion and cannot really satisfy. Seeking it, we are pulled apart; apart from our fellows and at odds with ourselves. Dismissing our brothers and sisters, as not good enough, we cheat ourselves out of their love and esteem. Prestige is an ego goal, which stratifies, respect is a gift between equals. Let us hold one another in high regard, recognizing our innate equality. Prestige is a distraction, the pursuit of which deters our true mission. We approach our calling with deference; we have a reverence for those we serve; that venerated state of mind becomes reciprocal. We remember, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”.

JUNE 27 – FUNCTION – I am fulfilling my function. Living on purpose brings joy. It has been said that our function actually is our happiness. Distraction from purpose is painful and following the distraction sets up further suffering. Ego pursues gratification that it promises will result in contentment but then is never satisfied. Continual disruption is the ego’s true goal. It does not want us to be focused on a spiritual path because it believes it cannot survive the journey. Let us not be disturbed, we don’t need diversions, our mission itself will provide enough adventure and great bliss. A meaningful life is one in which we play our role to the best of our ability. When we are occupied with love, all of tasks grow lighter. We have a calling, and it beckons us forward with the aim of forgiving the world through our love and our loving actions. No need to chase the thrills of the ego, we delight instead in the fulfillment of our function.

JUNE 18 – ACTIVE – I am active. Newton's first law states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force. This is normally taken as the definition of inertia. The key point here is that if there is no net force acting on an object (if all the external forces cancel each other out) then the object will maintain a constant velocity. If that velocity is zero, then the object remains at rest. If an external force is applied, the velocity will change because of the force. So, for us as people how does this apply? Simply, if we sit we will not move unless compelled to move by a greater force (our choice guided by spirit). Likewise if we are moving in a direction that is not helpful, that same power can alter the direction, or if we are doing things that are not for the common welfare spirit can help us stop. On our spiritual path, all motion can be regulated divine inspiration.