Advent: Metaphysically Speaking

Joy to the World!

Like the Wisemen, we seek the Star in the East. During Advent we journey from that place in consciousness we now inhabit to the birth place of wisdom and love, deep within our soul. Our journey can last a mere heart beat or a life time.

Jesus, the teacher, was born 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. The Christ is born anew in Man with every prayer, with every awakening soul. No matter who we are, where we are or what we have done along the way, the Christ affirms: "and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." (Mt.28:20)

The Children of Israel were notoriously bad about going astray on their journey of awakening. During the time of Isaiah, God finally resorted to what we would call tough love because the people failed to heed His Word and ignored punishment. But even as He condemned them to paying the consequences of their actions, He reaffirmed His love for them with the promise of a redemption. Isaiah prophesied the return of the people to the House of the Lord:

Many people shall come and say,
"Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths."
He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
Is. 2:3-4

If we are to live with hope, in peace, and celebrate the birth of our own indwelling Lord, then we must set aside all warring thoughts and feelings. And if we would feel the joy of Advent, then let us join together to Behold the Christ in all who would war against us. Not to fix them, but to hold them in the Circle of God’s Love.

Rev. Claudia Naylor

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Advent: Metaphysically Speaking

His Peace Be Upon You!

Advent is a spiritual journey into the birth of Christ consciousness. If we set aside time from the holiday rush to meditate upon the true meaning and purpose of Christmas, then we feel the rush of joy and anticipation which come from seeking and finding God in the very inmost parts of our being.

Jesus was not born to die for us, but to teach us how to live! To know the love of God and to seek a deeper understanding of His law. Advent and the birth of Jesus symbolize the coming of light into the world at the darkest time of the year. The teachings of Jesus are a shining light amidst the confusions and temptations of the world.

Let us pray for peace of mind and heart for all people, everywhere--and mean it! We pray not just for those we know and approve of, but for those who's actions and beliefs are contrary to all we hold dear. When we behold the Christ in everyone, our light shines brightly unto all the world and we are made new again, free again, in Christ.

Rev. Claudia Naylor

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A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

The Discovery of Inner Space

The sense of balance and perfect peace which comes with finding one's center is pure joy. Eckhart Tolle quotes the phrase This, too, will pass to point the way through adversity and unanticipated changes. My Mother's preferred version was And it came to pass. The key, here, is in not getting hooked into roller coaster emotions, but maintaining a sense of perspective. In A New Earth, Tolle wrote:

Once you see and accept the transcience

of all things and the inevitability of change,

you can enjoy the pleasures of the world while they last

without fear of loss or anxiety about the future.

He went on to say that it is through detachment that we gain a higher point of view which allows us to see and experience the wholeness of life as a journey rather than as a specific event. Last Sunday I talked about making choices without expecting or demanding the cooperation of others. If I choose to arrive at work early and get organized for opening, co-workers may choose to let me do all of it. I can get angry and self-righteous at being "used". Or I can acknowledge that my choice is just that--my choice.

Tolle defines nonresistance, nonjudgment and nonattachment as the path of true freedom and enlightenment. And in a helter skelter world, it is also the path of peace, a life focused on the journey rather than the destination.

Rev. Claudia Naylor

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A NEW EARTH: AWAKENING TO YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE

Finding Who You Truly Are

Know Thyself! is one of those well known precepts to which most of us rarely give due consideration. When we cease defining ourselves by the roles we play and the image we see in the mirror, we begin to see truly.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
but then, face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I shall
know just as I also am known.
ICo.13:12

Who am I? and Why am I here? are questions which echo across the ages and are just as important today as they were in the beginning. I answer the questions with every thought, every word spoken, every action taken. My heart's desire is that which truly defines me and creates my sense of self, which is not to be confused with those things which I believe I ought to do and be.

If peace is really what you want,
then you will choose peace.

Eckhart Tolle says that if we truly desire a deep abiding peace, we will be that peace even in the midst of chaos or attack upon our person. Sitting alone in quiet prayer, finding peace was a piece of cake, but I remember all too well just how challenging I found true non-resistance in the face of confrontation. And I know that he is correct when he writes that:

When you realize that what
you react to in others is also in you
(and sometimes only in you),
you begin to become aware of your
on ego.

When I cast off the false images and projections of a negative mind set, I free myself to peel away the layers of limitations I've acquired over years of sloppy thinking. If I shift my focus to the good in my life, praising it daily, and begin to send my assurance of good into the world, I open the way for more good to circulate through my life and the world.

Whatever you think people are withholding from
you--praise, appreciation, assistance, love--give it to them.
You cannot receive what you don't give.

My answer to the opening questions: I am a child of God and my purpose here and now is to know more of God, to love God more and to express more of God in my life.

Rev. Claudia Naylor

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