PRACTICING THE PRESENCE

Practicing the Presence of God is a powerful spiritual approach to life. It means that you have cultivated such a strong sense of the Divine within during your spiritual practices (prayer, meditation, contemplation, etc.), that your very countenance shifts in everyday life.

I have known a few people who have attained that countenance - they are unfailingly kind and loving, and they are grounded in truth - that is, their kindness does not include the blind acceptance of ignorance or unkindness on the part of others. The countenance is one of a loving powerfulness. It is one that I seek to cultivate in my own life.

Practicing the Presence is the continuing awareness of Spirit within - and the determination to live a heart-centered life. To live and relate at depth and to free yourself from the turmoil and confusion of the surface of most thought - and of most relationships, is the result of this consciousness.

It brings to mind a line from Kipling's poem, "If": "If you can keep your head when all about you, men are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, and make allowance for their doubting, too."
This is an aspect of the outer effect of the inner countenance of Practicing the Presence. You go through the day with the realization of your own inner power right there in every breath - there is no need to fear, no need to project ego needs, no need to control.

So I cultivate this consciousness each day - seeking to find within myself that which is already present, awaiting my acknowledgement and embrace.

Love and Light,
Rev. Lockard

Matthew Fox on Ernest Holmes

I am posting this longer-than-usual article because I think it says something important about Dr. Ernest Holmes . . .

Love and Light,

RevLockard

Ernest Holmes as a Creation Spirituality Mystic

By Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox

If Jesus is correct when he says “by their fruits you shall know them,” then Ernest Holmes is a mystic to be admired because of the many fine practitioners and followers of his work that even I have encountered in the Church of Religious Science over the years. I have often felt a deep connection with persons who live out Homes’ teachings and so I would like here to draw some parallels between his teaching and the tradition of Creation Spirituality which he is clearly a part of and which has occupied me for some thirty-five years of work and research.

1. First is Holmes’ understanding of the spirituality/cosmology connection. His very definition of spirituality is as follows: “Spirituality is a word too often misused. From our viewpoint spirituality is one’s recognition of the Universe as a living Presence of Good, Truth, Beauty, Peace, Power, and Love.” (p.33) Notice how the universe itself plays a central role in his understanding of spirituality. That is creation centered spirituality indeed. And ours is not a neutral universe but a loving one full of goodness (i.e. blessing), truth, beauty and more. It follows that Holmes demonstrates a keen interest in cosmology as when he says: “The Science of Mind does not deny the physical universe. The objective universe is the Body of God. That body includes our physical being.” (p. 4.) The universe is how we name the divine in the human for “Every man becomes a unique manifestation of the Whole, a microcosm within the Macrocosm; rooted in the Infinite, he personifies it….God incarnate in man.” (p.31) Not only humans manifest Divinity but “everything that exists is a manifestation of the Divine Mind; but the Divine Mind, being inexhaustible and limitless, is never caught in any form; It is merely expressed by that Form. The manifest universe, then, is the Body of God.” (p.87)

Consciousness is a universal phenomenon. “It is enough for the intelligent person to know that the entire planetary system manifests intelligence and organization; that is, it manifests intelligence plus direction, and intelligence plus direction means consciousness.” (108) Another word for such consciousness would be Wisdom!

2. For Holmes, spirituality is about practice, not just theory. He says: “For every science there must be a technique or a way of proving its truth. …We must lay even more stress on the use of the Science of Mind than we do on seeking to establish its Principle….The first thing that any student of this science should do is determine to make daily use of it. In this, as in all other things, we should be practical. Too much study of any principle without making conscious use of it will lead to mere theorizing, and I am sure we all wish practical results.” (pp5f.)

3. Religion and Spirituality are not necessarily identical. Holmes writes: “People are more interested in God than they are in religion, because religion has been more or less mixed up with superstition, theology, and ecclesiasticism”. Holmes criticizes religion for being too small at times, too committed to its tribal gods. “When we use the word “God” or “Spirit” we do not mean a tribal God, but the Supreme Mind and Power back of all created form, the Intelligence which responds to us, the Intelligence which rises through the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, and blossoms in the human mind as it approaches the conscious recognition that it is one with the Oversoul….The nature of man’s being is God.” (107)

Furthermore, religion sometimes succumbs to Bibleolotry and Homes warns us: “The real Bible is inscribed on the walls of our own consciousness which by pure intuition knows that the Universal Intelligence that we call God exists.” (p. 108) And so he instructs his followers that “when people say “that they are not interested in a new religion, be sure to explain to them that you are not offering them a new religion you are merely seeking to give them an interpretation of life.” (110) He believed Science of Mind “does not necessarily create a new religion or sect, for it may be added to any spiritual system of thought since it is a complement to all”. (p.5)

4. Holmes prefers original blessing (goodness) over original sin when he writes: “The Will of God is never toward suffering ….Man must constantly reaffirm his belief in the Infinite Goodness if he expects to exclude the idea of evil from his thought.” (137f.) This is like Julian of Norwich saying “God is goodness” and Meister Eckhart teaching that “whenever we speak of the God of creation we are talking about Goodness.”

Holmes says: “God’s Will is always toward Life and more Life….The Life within you is God; whatever is true of God is true of your Life, since your Life and the Life of God are not two but One…. This Life within you, being God, did not begin and it cannot end; hence you are immortal and eternal…. The God that is within you is Truth, Beauty, Harmony, and Wholeness. Every apparent imperfection from which you suffer is a result of ignorance.” (116f.)

Hildegard of Bingen agrees for she wrote: “God is Life” and Thomas Aquinas said: “God is Life, per se Life.” Holmes adds: “I know there is a Power for Good which is responding to me and bringing into my experience everything that is necessary to my unfoldment….I know there is a Power for Good that enables me to help others and to bless the whole world.” (434)

5. Holmes understands the distinction between Jesus and Christ and teaches the Cosmic Christ when he writes: “The reference to Christ is not to the man Jesus but to the Divine Incarnation in all people.” (154) And again, “every man is an incarnation of God….each man is an individualized center of the Consciousness of the one God….”(90f). Religious Science is dedicated to teaching “an absolute union of man with his Source….The whole process of evolution is a continual process of awakening. It is an understanding of this indwelling union which constitutes the spirit of God.” (p. 96) “Every man is an incarnation of God”—and a unique incarnation.

Holmes cites the “I am” sayings that are attributable to the Christ as being applicable to all of us when he writes: “I am the Christ dwelling at the center of every soul: human, yet Divine; Infinite, yet flowing through that which is apparently finite…I am the abundance within you….I am the Creativeness within you….I am the Sustainer within you. In the heart of each I live; at the center of all creation I dwell. I fill all space. I am All-in-all, over all, and through all. From the mightiest form to the smallest atom, my presence covers all, pervades all, and animates all.” (131-135)It follows that the Kingdom of Heaven means the kingdom of Harmony, of Peace, of Joy and of Wholeness. It is an inward Kingdom. “Heaven is not a place but an inward state of consciousness….The Kingdom is not external but within….within the mind.” (92) It follows that “there is a great difference in believing God to be within you or outside you.” (117)

6. Holmes works continually from a perspective of Deep Ecumenism. He cites from that Tao te Ching, the Gita, the Upanishads, Talmud, Koran, Bible, Hermetic philosophy, and more. He says: “All Scriptures declare that man is the spiritual image and likeness of God.” (p. 89) He cites Professor Max Muller affirmatively when he says: “The true religion of the future will be the fulfillment of all the religions of the past….love and embrace what is good in each.” (p. 105) Holmes believes that “All sacred scriptures have proclaimed the Unity of Life; that every man is a center of God Consciousness. This is the meaning of the mystical marriage, or the union of the soul with its Source. Jesus boldly proclaimed that he was One with the Father. This is the basis of all New Thought teaching, the Spiritual Union of all life.” (95) Curiously, the name of my book on Deep Ecumenism is One River, Many Wells and Holmes invokes a similar imagery when he writes: “In the Colorado Rockies there is a beautiful valley form which many fountains gush forth. Each fountain is different, more water comes from some than from others, but there is only one body of water at a deep, subterranean level which flows through each one of them…. We as individuals each have our own thoughts, feelings, hopes, aspirations, and desires and each is directly and intimately connected with the one Divine Life, energy, and Power. Each of us is a fountain of Life. There is a God-pressure back of each one of us, a Life-force seeking outlet though our thoughts and acts. There are many fountains, many individuals, but only One God-pressure back of all.” (23)

Holmes sees water imagery everywhere. “Throughout the Bible we have this simile of water, typifying the flowing Power of pure Spirit. It is impossible to think of Spirit as being anything solid. It is always fluid….We can hasten the advent of this Good by definitely clarifying our thought and by daily meditating upon the invisible Source, the wellspring of Life within each one of us.” (166) Meister Eckhart also wrote about the Holy Spirit as a “rushing and violent river.”

7. Part of the fluidity of the spirit in us is our Creativity as I point out in my recent book, Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet. Holmes also underscores the power of our creativity when he writes: “The real creative power of the mind is deeper than the intellect. It passes into the realm of feeling and acceptance…. you will frequently find people who have splendid intellects, whose logic is almost perfect, but who seem never to penetrate the deeper mind where the creativity resides…There must be added this deep feeling and conviction that enable one to commune with the Invisible.

As I have so frequently said, the best comparison I can think of is the feeling that an artist has toward beauty, for beauty is an invisible essence, an all-pervading, all-penetrating something that cannot be adequately expressed in words but only in thoughts. It is an inward emotion of the mind which reaches out until it strikes some corresponding chord emanating from the Universe Itself….This is what an artist feels….Perhaps this is the real and true meaning of communion; something beyond prayer as ordinarily thought of; something which cannot be described but can be felt. God does speak to the heart more than to the intellect….” (164f) Holmes connects creativity to Spirit: “We do affirm the Spirit as transcendent, having the ability to create new thoughts while new thoughts create new situations.” (321)

8. Holmes acknowledges our role in combating Evil and how our creativity can contribute to evil or to good. “The whole Divine nature is reproduced in us, but we are ignorant of the fact. Our thought is creative, but in our ignorance we use it destructively. Theology has called this the problem of evil. We call it a misuse of that which is Good….To learn to think in the right manner is to learn to create that which is Good, and which gives complete expression to the self without ever containing anything destructive or negative.” (201)How do we choose to use our creativity? “These same laws, wrongly used, impose suffering upon us. We can use our minds to be happy or unhappy; we can think peace or confusion; we can be loving and kind, or disagreeable, because we are free.

If we were so created that we did not have this freedom, we should be eternally bound. Life would have no meaning. Everywhere we look in our own lives and the lives of others we see the use and the abuse of this power. For instance, the atomic bomb could destroy civilization, yet atomic energy could run the machinery in the world…We are finally discovering that the very power that makes us sick can heal us, the very things that bind us can free us, and that the imagination we use to destroy our happiness rightly used, could create situations that would make everyone happy. Well, this is the meaning of the serpent and the savior and the great symbol which runs throughout the Bible depicting the right and the wrong way to use the Power which is within us; the Power that is greater than we are.” Evil is not to be projected onto any particular person or place. “In spiritual mind practice evil is never treated as an entity but as an operation of thought. The practitioner never deals with evil as though it were big or little, and he must be careful not to locate it anywhere, in any person, or any group of persons. It is easy enough to see that the mentality of a practitioner must be kept free from the belief in evil, which unfortunately obsesses most persons’ thoughts much of the time.” (167)

Love overcomes evil. “To understand that Love overcomes both hate and fear is one of the chief requisites of a scientific mental practitioner. Love does not overcome hate and fear by argument or force, but by some subtle Power of transformation, transmutation, sublimation, invisible in its essence but apparent through its act….Love is the victor in every case…. Love sets the captive free.” (331?) At the same time we should not flatter ourselves that we can overcome goodness. “It appears that we have the ability, at least temporarily, to pollute this Stream of Life with the consciousness of hate, despair, or any negative thought which denies its purity. But of course we do not really have the power to destroy, only to mold and remold.” (166)

Much of the cause of evil is fear. “Fear is the great enemy of man”. (376) It is possible for us to catch fear from others “much as we world catch a cold, for we are all unconscious mental, emotional, and spiritual broadcasting stations.” (This is a lot like Rupert Sheldrake’s teachings on morphic resonance.) Holmes continues: “This takes us back to a thought in the Bible which says that a man’s enemies shall be those of his own household, for our real enemies are our fears and phobias, our doubts and uncertainties, our anxieties and our inner conflicts.” (359) Holmes recommends that we learn to “tune in to the Mind of God, which is free from fear and doubt.” We do this by prayer and meditation. “Mental fear is resisted by a whole and happy mind….The quickest and most effective method to get rid of fear is to get quiet and lift up the whole thought in confidence and faith to something bigger than we are. (360f) Ultimately, God should be loved and trusted rather than feared. (364)

9. Celebration of life, wonder and youthfulness are signs of the spirit. Holmes believes that “Youth is not a time of life—it is state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals.Whether seventy or sixteen, there should be in every man the love of wonder, the sweet amazement at the stars and the star-like things and thoughts, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing childlike appetite for What next?, and joy in the game of life.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hopes, as old as your despair.” (177) Meister Eckhart taught that God is “the newest thing in the universe” and therefore the youngest spirit of all. To be God-like is to be young in spirit.

In all these nine ways—and many others—Holmes’ spiritual genius is on a parallel with great creation mystics of the past from Jesus to Hildegard to Aquinas to Eckhart to Julian of Norwich and more. We are blessed to be drinking from his wisdom today and today that wisdom is needed more than ever.

© Copyright 2004 Matthew Fox

BACK FOR THE NEW YEAR

Hello -



HAPPY NEW YEAR!


I am back to posting after a wonderful Holiday season, including a week with Dorianne and our friends, Robert Hitz & Jane Hughes, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. it is a beautiful place - we stayed south of the city in a town called Mismaloya, nestled between the jungle and the ocean. Very quiet and peaceful.





The Westlake Church is in the swing of the New Year, with increased attendance, new classes, and a wonderful energy. Cherie Deeds and our musical team have been especially powerful this month. We are finalizing our budget and preparing for our Annual Membership Meeting on Feb 11th.





On Feb 10th, our Wine Tasting trip will see 50 Westlakers headed to the Santa Ynez area for a day of tasting and communing with nature and each other.





The BIG NEWS is that I will be leading a trip to China in October. The ANCIENT WISDOM tour will depart Oct 22nd and return Nov 1. We will travel to Bejing, Xian, Shanghai, and Suzhou, visiting the magnificent sites, the many temples and shirnes, and the wonderful Chinese people. More info to come on this trip - reply if you would like to join us. We will will traveling with a group from Simi Valley (Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones) and one from Edmonton, AB (Rev. Patrick Cameron).





More observations and ideas later - keep checking in.





Love and Light,


RevLockard

CHRISTMAS LOVE

This story came to me by way of Glenn, a Buddhist friend. Enjoy.

CHRISTMAS LOVE

I remember the first year I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I remember trying to cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless gift buying, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I remember finding myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My daughter, Jennifer, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a five-year-old. For weeks, she'd been memorizing songs for her school's "Winter Pageant."I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss her shining moment, I spoke with her teacher, who assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation, and all parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Jennifer seemed happy with the compromise.

The morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my daughter's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Jennifer was aglow, as were all of her classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up theletter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his or her portion had presented the complete message, Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed him; a small, quiet, boy in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally unaware his letter "M" appeared as a "W."The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But he had no idea they were laughing at him, so he stood tall, proudly holding his "W."

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And He still is. May each of you have a merry Christmas, and regardless of your thoughts about Jesus, your belief or religion, we can all celebrate LOVE during this wonderful season.May your Christmas not only be merry but may you be blessed beyond all expectations.

Love and Light,

RevLockard

Guest Article by Bob Luckin

A CHRISTMAS DREAM

I had a dream the other night that I met Jesus in acoffee shop. He wasn’t having one of those fancy lattés; he was quietly drinking the house brew. He didn’t have a name tag or special robes, nor was there a chariot parked out front. What I felt when I was near him was the outpouring of more love than I have experienced in my entire life. You could feel love in his entire being.

I asked him why he had come back. Smiling he answered, “I never left. I am here in physical form today to celebrate your birthday.” Before my mind could edit a single word I heard myself say, “But it is your birthday we are celebrating.”

Still smiling he replied, “I was not born on December 25th. That date was picked for reasons having very little to do with me. I came to celebrate the birth of the Christ consciousness in you. I was once reported to have said, “…he who believes in me will also do theworks that I do; and greater works than these will he do.”

I said something close to that so you would know that I was not an exception, but was instead an example of how God, through each of us, can do great things. It is God in you I have come to celebrate. I am honored that so many remember me. I am saddened by how few remember the God living in me is the same God living in every atom of creation. The God I celebrate is everywhere present. God is not reduced nor increased by height, weight, color, nationality, raceor religion. The only thing that can be reduced or increased is your awareness of God”.

Suddenly I became aware of a wet tongue licking my face. It was Max, my dog, telling me it was time to get out of bed and feed him. I know it was only a dream. I also know that truth often seems more like a dream than what we call our daily reality.

During this season of remembering, allow yourself todream. Allow your awareness of God to be as close as your dreams. Give yourself the gift of basking in the knowledge that God in you can do anything and is as close to you as your very own heart. And while you aredoing these things, remember to enjoy this holy seasonof love. As you show your love to others, you also express it to God.

By Bob Luckin 2006
More info about Bob is at www.montereycrs.org

A HEALING PRAYER-TREATMENT

I AM HEALED

Spirit knows only completion, only wholeness. Spirit is perfect Love expressing perfectly. I am a part of that expression. I am the energy of Love, expressed in human form, in turn expressing according to my intelligence. Knowing this empowers me to greater expressions of joy, abundance, and health. I hereby accept that health is the natural state of being. I hereby remove any obstacles to that expression within me.

I am healthy, radiant, and the perfect expression of Life. I accept myself as a healthy being. All of my thinking is directed toward this belief, and my feelings are consistent with an expectancy of good health. My need for dis-ease is ended. I am now open to the natural expression of wellness that desires to express within and through me. I have perfect respiration, perfect circulation, and perfect elimination. The energy of Life flows perfectly in me at all times.

Releasing any fears, and refusing to accept any lesser idea, no matter the source of that idea, I turn to the greater possibility. I turn to Spirit within me, and I know that it is complete and perfect. I accept this Power within me, and I accept my own power to direct It for good. I am healthy and radiant, right now!

I feel the gratitude within me as I realize this Truth. I give thanks that this higher idea is now manifesting in my body and in my life. I know only the Truth! I love myself! I trust the loving process unfolding within me. And so it is . . .

Love and Light,
RevLockard

If It Is Not Too Dark

If It Is Not Too Dark
Go for a walk, if it is not too dark.
Get some fresh air, try to smile.
Say something kind
To a safe-looking stranger, if one happens by.

Always exercise your heart's knowing.
You might as well attempt something real
Along this path:

Take your spouse or lover into your arms
The way you did when you first met.
Let tenderness pour from your eyes
The way the Sun gazes warmly on the earth.

Play a game with some children.
Extend yourself to a friend.
Sing a few ribald songs to your pets and plants -
Why not let them get drunk and wild!

Let's toastEvery rung we've climbed on
Evolution's ladder.

Whisper, "I love you! I love you!"
To the whole mad world.

Let's stop reading about God -
We will never understand Him.
Jump to your feet, wave your fists,
Threaten and warn the whole Universe
That your heart can no longer live
Without real love!

~ Hafiz ~

SEEKING VALUE IN LIFE

What have you decided about yourself?

Where did you get the self-concept that you currently have?

Who did you listen to growing up?

Who do you listen to now?

These are all critical questions - your self image is the key to everything that you experience about life. It is the collection of ideas that you have come to accept about who you are - about your self worth - about your value as a person.

The set of beliefs that forms self image - the collection of ideas that you have accepted whether true or not - becomes the filter through which all perception and thought must pass. You literally view the world through the lens of self image, coloring perception with who you think yourself to be, even altering perception to fit your beliefs.

For example, you cannot accept a compliment that you do not agree with. If someone says, "You are really intelligent," you will reject the compliment unless you agree.

At the same time, you cannot be criticized unless you agree. If someone says, "You are really dumb," you will accept the criticism to the degree that you already believe it to be true.

Add to this the fact that you will tend to seek out experiences and people that produce the affirmation of your self image - low self image people surround themselves with people and events that tend to confirm their image of self. High self image people do the same thing. Hence the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

You begin to build a better self image in the following way:

1. Become aware of how self image works - you build it yourself.
2. Decide to build a positive self image.
3. Continually affirm your qualities; refuse to focus on negatives.
4. Seek to learn new things - expand your horizons in areas that interest you.
5. Make it clear to your friends, family and associates that you will not engage in negative talk, belittling others, or gossip.
6. Begin each day with quiet time - meditation, journaling, prayer.
7. Identify positive people in your life and cultivate connection with them.
8. Read inspirational books, listen to beautiful music, fill your life with beauty.
9. Do something positive and nurturing for yourself on a regular basis.

When you begin to nurture a positive relationship with yourself, then your relationships with others will flourish. Some relationships may fall away, because people in your life may not be willing or able to accept you with a positive self image, but others will bloom and new people will show up who connect at a more positive level.

So assess your self image level, find where it can be raised, and decide to do what it takes to elevate your inner self. You will never regret it.

Love and Light,
Rev. Lockard

NEW THINGS HAPENING

Hello,

I've been away and doing the usual busy stuff when at home, getting ready for fall classes and upcoming events - plus having the kitchen remodeled at home. I thought I'd take a minute to talk about some new things that are going on.

Here at Westlake Church, we are sponsoring an appearance by Jack Canfield on Nov 3rd at the Westlake Hyatt. This is an exciting opportunity to see a leading author speak on success that blends personal growth with spirituality. For more, go to our website - the Westside link is on the right.

My dear friend Barbara Marx Hubbard is premiering her new film, HUMANITY ASCENDING, on September 28th in Santa Barbara. For more info, go to Barbara's website - the link is on the right; or go to www.humanityascending.com.

The Visioning Bridge Committee of Religious Science International & the United Centers for Spiritual Living met last week in San Juan Capistrano. Out of that meeting came a powerful new outreach program -- a corporation will be formed by both organizations to create a website that will highlight empowering outreach programs that our churches, centers, and others can access and support. Then, in November 2008, there will be a gala celebration in Los Angeles to honor those who have received support and those who have given support. This is a powerful new way for the two Religious Science organizations to be together in the world. There will be much more news forthcoming soon. Dr. Jim Turrell, of the Costa Mesa Center and Rev. Norvana Gayle of the Guidance Church in Los Angeles will coordinate the project.

The next Visioning Bridge meeting will be held on January 11th at the Westlake Church. A Rally and Ministers' Reception will be held on January 10th at Westlake. The rally will feature speakers from RSI and UCSL and wonderful music.

Robert Hitz will visit Westlake in October. The musician and composer is a favorite at Asilomar and is music director of Religious Science Baltimore. On October 15, a concert will be held at Westlake to benefit the church and the Ventura Wellness Community.

So, lots going on -- later in the week I'll have a new message. In the meantime, mark your calendars!

Love and Light,
RevLockard

I AM AN EXPANSIVE EVOLUTIONIST

After a spirited discussion about what's going on in the world the other morning at the local coffee shop, I was walking home and thinking about the whole labeling thing that goes on in such discussions. The labels are most often "liberal" and "conservative," which have become difficult and charged over time due to overuse and the inherent limitations of such labels.

So I was thinking, what term does describe my current world view - the perspective from which I view events, politics, human behavior, etc.

The term that surfaced and seemed right (for right now, anyway) was "expansive evolutionary." What I mean by this is that I tend to take an expansive view of things, I tend to be generally progressive, and I tend to view human development as an evolutionary process - one that goes through stages and moved toward greater complexity and levels of expression.

I believe that all of humanity continues to evolve through a process of creating and responding to greater and greater conditions of complexity. I think that in this regard, Spiral Dynamics is right on the money in describing the different "Levels of Existence" from the primitive and simple to the more complex and emerging. This leads me to see people as existing at certain levels of existence which tend to match the living conditions in which they find themselves. When different levels of existence come into contact, there is often conflict, due to their differing world views. Each group sees the others as unreasonable (or worse) for not seeing things in the same way. Communication is difficult, and often breaks down -- and this can lead to conflict.

So the question in, say, the Middle East, is not will all parties come to their senses and see the world as I do, but is more about how each party sees the world and can ways of communicating which recognize and honor these different world views be developed and used effectively. In other words, peace can't be imposed from without, especialy by those who have different levels of thinking than the participants in the conflict. Thee two somply will not value the same things in the same way.

I also believe that what we often see as negative situations are often the device through which people (from individuals to families to societies) grow to greater levels of complexity. This is a mostly unconscious process toward growth - a process that becomes more conscious as levels of existence become more complex. At the individual level, you may sabotage your success in order to put yourself into a place where you have to make a choice - and the possible choices will include ones that lead to your growth. Make that choice and you rise above the level of the problem to a new level - make a different choice and you stay at the level of the problem. Societies do the same thing. This is how we grow in an evolutionary way - the better choices lead to the emergence greater levels of complexity and potential, and humanity evolves.

So the earth can be seen as going through "growing pains" that will lead to a greater awareness and greater abilities to deal with problems and issues -- IF we survive the growing pains.

I think that people are capable of great evolutionary leaps in awareness -- but that we rarely make them on collective levels. Collectively, we tend to move forward in a more ponderous, trial and error fashion, needing things to get pretty bad before we are forced to make changes, evolutionary or otherwise.

Yet, we live in a time when the living conditions are rapidly becoming more complex and the demands on humanity are reaching crisis levels in some areas (overpopulation, global warming, political vision, and more). We are called to "evolve" and emerge more rapidly. Those at the leading edge of complexity as it has emerged have a great responsibility to be leaders and examples in this time - the leadership examples must be loving, intelligent, practical, and compassionate (a mix requiring a capacity for great complexity). They must also bring a mature spirituality into the heart of their efforts - one that is free of the trappings of traditional religion.

The goal of a sustainable earth which works for everyone is emerging as the clarion call for the 21st Century. How successfully we collectively approach that goal will be determined by the degree to which those who can be labeled "Expansive Evolutionaries" emerge and come to action.

Love and Light,
RevLockard

THE MEANING OF PEACE

The meaning of peace - real peace, not merely a cease-fire - is in the realization of Power. We fight when we feel threatened, when we feel weak. Even if the idea to fight comes from the desire to conquer a "weaker" opponent, that idea comes from a consciousness of fear - of essential powerlessness.

Peace is an inner consciousness of the realization of divine Power -- and of one's connection to Source. The belief in this connection is a belief in plenty, a belief in love, a belief in oneness. You do not go to war from a belief in oneness. You do not rob another from a belief in oneness. You do not abuse another from a belief in oneness.

A religion teaching oneness cannot be used as an excuse for a religious war. Yet, oneness is our essential nature, our birthright, our essence. Failure to realize this is to live from a consciousness of separation - a lonely place to be.

Unless and until the belief in oneness becomes more pervasive, we are doomed to conflict, war, terrorism, and grief - with an occasional cease fire. A cease-fire is a pause between battles, not a sense of peace. A cease fire seems to recognize conflict as natrual, or at least inevitable, and is a temporary lapse in that violent state.

Peace is a recognition of Power and a choice to live from that powerful awareness -- that you are connected to Spirit, that you are divine in nature, that you are an eternal being at the soul level. From such beliefs spring the decision to live in peace -- to BE peace.

This planet, if it is to have true peace, will have it as a result of the decision of each person to BE peace. More of us are making that decision.

For those interested, a gathering to explore the true meaning of peace is being held at the Westlake Church of Religious Science on August 17th at 7:00 PM. Come and join in a celebration of oneness and in setting a personal intention to BE peace in your life.

Love and Light,
Rev. Lockard

Heading for Asilomar

Beginning on July 23rd, Religious Science International members will gather at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA - on the Monterey Penninsula.

This very special week is a time of total immersion in a consciousness of acceptance and connection. It is a time when you know that you are welcomed and accepted, simply because you exist. Before I found this wonderful teaching, I did not know that nearly 1,000 people could act this way.

The spiritual atmosphere brought by the people is amplified by the beautiful surroundings of the unique conference center that is also a nature preserve. The ocean is just across the street, there are deer and a multitude of birds and other wildlife, and the grounds are populated by stately trees. It is truly an escape.

So I'll be joining friends and colleagues for a week of energizing bliss! There may or may not be an entry between now and then - if not, see you in August!

Love and Light,
Rev. Lockard

Sojurn in Europe

After two weeks in Europe - Italy, France & Spain - I am still marvelling at the incredible churches, cathedrals, and synagogues that we visited.

Even the "local" parish churches that were constructed from about 1100 ACE to 1750 ACE, were clearly lavished with great care and substantial resources. The architecture, the art works, the statuary, the altars, etc., reflect a level of devotion that is remarkable.

Indeed, these buidlings in those times represented the center of life. The culture of day-to-day life, event the government, was centered on the church. So the level of effort that went into these structures reflects that connection.

How odd, then, to see that today, in the communities that we visited - from Rome to Barcelona - these great edifices are used primarily by tourists. Even the services and masses seemed to be mostly populated by tourists. I suppose that this can be seen as the result of the erosion of the influence of the Church(es) in modern Europe.

That being said, the churches themselves (we also visited a synagogue in Rome) were amazing. Meditating in a chapel build in 1600, or viewing art by Raphael, Michelangelo, and other masters was transforming. Most of the churches in the areas we visited were Roman and Baroque architecture - we only visited two Gothic churches. One gets a sweeping sense of the sacred in these buildings, designed to take one out of oneself, toward the transcendent.

This was a trip that I will never forget. I intend to honor the consciousness that build these wonderful buildings, and the tender care with which the designs were executed.
What a joy!

Love and Light,
RevJim

SPIRITUALITY AS A FORCE FOR CHANGE

I often say that religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell and that spirituality is for those who have already been there.

I associate religion with an organized, dogmatic approach to theology and to human behavior. Spirituality is more an individual recogniton of the presence of divinity and how you live from that recognition.

People go to war over religion every day, even within the same denomination. I can't imagine anyone going to war over spirituality, because it is essentially free of dogma; it is more of a feeling of your connection to Spirit and to the worls around you. Religion can drive spirituality out of a person, replacing the feeling of connection with a groupthink concept of separation. Spirituality never leads you to feel shame, or that you are a miserable sinner, or unworthy in some way; it will lead you to feel small in the awesome nature of the presence of divinity, but never out of fear of an angry God.

Because of all of this, I think that spirituality, rather than religion, is the necessary force for change that can lead to the healing of our planet - actually the healing of humanity, for the planet is just fine except for what we are doing to it out of a mixture of greed, ignorance, fear, and arrogance.

Where religion drives us to a need to be "right," and makes others "wrong," spirituality allows for acceptance of other points of view, if not agreement with them. Where religion is often strident and rigid, spirituality is flexible (without the loss of integrity) and open. Many (most?) religious people are also spiritual - the problem, is that many are not.

Our religions, or at least the most fundamentalist branches of them, are creating so much intolerance, hatred, and violence today, that we are truly in a global crisis. Just when we need new and innovative thinking to step into a greater level of human behavior, we have a pulling back into old ways of thinking that are ultimately destructive. There is no need to give examples, for they are everywhere.

The good news is that there are thousands of spiritual people, whatever their religious affiliation or lack of one, who are generating leading-edge thinking and creative endeavors in every area of human activity. Many of these people have stepped away from mainstream politics and its divisiveness to work in collabrative networks of creative, pioneering souls. Much of this work is being done in faith communities that are more spiritual than religious, and much of it is completely separate from any organized faith tradition.

The work of these people barely penetrates the mainstream media. This is so because it takes the media awhile to generate an interest in what truly represents leading-edge creativity, and because there is a bias in the media to present only that which is reliably controversial to draw a predictable audience. So we see and hear much about Ann Coulter's latest contribution to American harmony and next to nothing about creatives like Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ray Kurzweil and others.

In my faith tradition, we stress the need to use the qualities of intelligence and love in all thought and in all actions. This spiritual approach leads to the discovery of the best of yourself - not that you are guilty of "original sin," but that you are connected to a Divine Itelligence and Love which is infinite and the Source of all Love. When you can truly come to see yourself as both worthy and an extension of an Infinite Spirit, it becomes impossible to do anything to harm another. If our major religions could produce that sense of a divine self in each of us, the earth would truly be healed. If they cannot, we must try something else.

Love and Light,
RevLockard

RELIGIOUS SCIENCE AND THE FUTURE

In developing the philosophy that became known as The Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes drew from many sources of wisdom. These included The Bible, the emerging New Thought Movement, Christian Science, psychology, physics (including quantum physics), Eastern mystical philosophies, and more.

What emerged from all of this study is a philosophy both rich and deep - one which can be used in practical ways to improve the experience of life and to connect you with your own transcendent self. It is in this multi-faceted usefulness that the teaching is so powerful and unique.

Another unique aspect of Religious Science is its lack of dogma. We say that we teach you HOW to think, not WHAT to think. There is no loyalty oath, no requirements that you believe any specific creed or dogma to be a part of a spiritual community. Since the teaching is based on the premise that your beliefs direct your experience, the goal is to have you come to understand this through self-realization. Any other means, such as a requirement that you believe a specific creed, would undermine this all-important self-realization process and limit spiritual freedom.

Right now, the Relgious Science organizations and independent churches and centers are struggling with the issue of name - what should we be called? Both Science of Mind and Religious Science are often confused with Scientology, or are simply not known by the general public. Part of the frustration comes from the experience of having new comers say, "Why this is what I've always believed! Where have you been hiding?"

Our future as a viable, relevant teaching is about more than our name, however. It is primarily about the degree to which our churches and centers - our spiritual communities - provide relevance and connection for people seeking the best of themselves and the best of life.

Viability and relevance are intertwined and the keys to our future. This means that we must do what Ernest Holmes did, not just in the early days of the teaching, but throughout his life - we must continue to study and add great wisdom to this teaching. Any reluctance to go beyond what Ernest discovered must be set aside to allow for the continued expression and expansion of the field of knowledge that The Science of Mind contains.

Modern scientific discovery is a rapidly expanding field of exploration that adds much to our understanding of ourselves and our world (universe). Greater availability of Eastern teachings than in Dr. Holmes' time brings great opportunities for greater understanding through the integration of eastern and western concepts and practices. And new ways of understanding such as Ken Wilbur's Integral Psychology, Spiral Dynamics, Conscious Evolution, etc., open new possibilities on an ongoing basis.

We must be courageous and dilligent in our pursuit of this new (or newly available) information - to incorporated what is of value and release what is not. In doing so, every Religious Scientist becomes an extension of the mind of Ernest Holmes - with an insatiable thirst for what is new and what is relevant.

Whatever we call ourselves, if we lose our sense of curiosity and our ability to be relevant, we will wither as a movement. I believe that it is through our openness to the new that our greatness emerges.

Love and Light,

RevLockard

SYNTHESIS

If you begin with the idea that your beliefs strongly influence your perceptions (as I do), you open significant possiblities for new ways of looking at the big questions of life.

One thing that becomes apparent is that there is some kind of Intelligence at the center of everything. The incredible complexity, beauty, and synchronicity of our universe is obviously (my bias) the result of Something pretty smart.

The difference between most orthodox religious beliefs about the nature of this Intelligence and New Thought beliefs are mainly about the "humanness" and the "physicality" aspects of this Intelligence. Traditional western viewpoints posit a "God" who has a form, lives in a physical place called "Heaven," and generally acts like a human being. He gets angry, has his moods, punishes with vigor and can be very unfair and unloving.

The New Thought God or "Spirit" or "Universal Intelligence" has no person, nor any personality. It (rather than He) is First Cause, the Creator of all, Infinite Intelligence - containing all of creation within Itself. More like "The Force" in Star Wars, Spirit is the energy and intelligence that is Infinite and inclusive of all that exists. You and I exist within this Spirit, this God as It exists within us - we are not and can never be, separate from It.

This description of a deity, one that is Pure Potential, unfolding as the physical universe and all of its creatures, is one that many scientists can embrace, because this viewpoint allows for all scientific discovery. In fact, scientific exploration and discovery are the Creative Expression of Spirit in action - totally in accord with a viewpoint of an Infinite, Intelligent Spirit and the evolving and unfolding universe of Its creation.

So evolution becomes the natural and divine method of expression to bring the physical universe into increasing levels of complexity - Spirit does not "direct" evolution, Spirit IS evolution. Scientist Ervin Laslo calls this "The Informed Universe," that is, a universe that contains the seed of God, the seed of Intelligence, within every particle.

This viewpoint also allows the end of the false duality between matter and spirit. When you think of everything as infused with the spark of divinity, then everything suddenly has divine potential and divine value. No one is left out, nothing is "less than." There is no more Satan - no power in opposition to the One Power. Our difficulties flow from our failure to see ourselves as part of something magnificent, and as worthy of good and joyful lives. While we will struggle within the biological level of existence, we can release the emotional and relational struggles which are all based on ignorance and fear that is based on that ignorance.

As we celebrate nationalistic freedom this Memorial Weekend, can we not also celebrate a more essential freedom as well? I am talking about the essential freedom to live from the deep realization of your own divine nature - a nature that you share with every person, animal, plant, planet, and particle in the universe.

Love and Light,

RevLockard

Are We Entering a Sea Change?

I have been very restless lately - at least for a couple of years. This restlessness has included my professional and personal lives. It has led me to significant changes, including moving across country, a new position in a new church, a new marriage. Lots of changes, and as I settle into my "new life" the sense of restlessness persists. It is a sense that something is ready to open, to emerge, to take flight; something just beyond the visible horizon of my experience, something I can't quite touch or visualize.

It's not just me. I can't tell you how many of my colleagues in ministry have shared their own sense of restlessness with me in recent months. They keep feeling that their situations are inadequate for what they have to express, and they are increasingly open to new situations, to moving, to changing - although they do not know exactly toward what.

There are a number of marriages and other long-term relationships in my circle of friends and aquaintences that are breaking up. Not because of abuse or the usual negative aspects that bring relationships to an end - but because one or both parties have developed a strong sense of restlessness - and seek to move on to something greater, even though they do not know exactly what that "something greater" may be.

Last week at the Westlake Church, Barbara Marx Hubbard spoke about humans as evolutionary souls on the verge of opening to a new way of being. She said that a review of the evolutionary history of the universe reveals that great changes occur in jumps, that something that did not exist comes into form, and that such events are preceded by times of uncertainty and chaos.

In modern human beings, restlessness or dissatisfaction, are evolutionary drivers - pushing us forward into higher levels of consciousness and conscious awareness. The human species seems to be entering a period of great change - perhaps one of those momentous jumps is coming and we are realizing it at a deep level, like some animals sense a coming storm or an earthquake.

This sense of restlessness or dissatisfaction will come to each one according to his or her level of being, or world-view. I know that I and many of my friends and associates are very much involved in personal growth and change, so our restlessness brings a strong desire to move into something more expansive - a life that is a larger container for our desire to express, if you will. Others, more involved in a consciousness of protection of the status quo, feeling safe, or maintaining stability, might be manifesting more dissatisfaction than restlessness. For them a more conservative, even fundamental, response is emerging.

One thing seems clear - the world, humanity, is heading for a very uncertain future. No one can predict what is emerging - the changes come to quickly and the world has become so complex. The question is not whether we are changing, but what are we changing into. Are we going to consciously evolve toward a greater level of humanity - or will be take the species into a tailspin out of fear and a refusal to embrace the changing nature of our experience on this planet?

There is a sense on the macro level that the wisdom and institutions which have taken us to this point in our evolution are not up to the task of taking us to the next level. We are moving into uncharted territory. This is also the sense for many on the personal level . . .

I happen to believe that there is an Inner Intelligence which both joins all of us into a single human organism, and which contains the blueprint for our success. But that Intelligence cannot override the individualized intentions of human beings - It responds to us by corresponding to our accepted beliefs about who we are and the nature of our reality - whether those beliefs are true or not.

Maybe it is a good idea to search within yourself. Is that restlessness present within you? What is it urging you toward? What is it's meaning for you and for your future? Asking these and other questions is an important step in designing your life to be the highest expression that is possible for you.

Love and Light,
RevLockard

THE RELIGIOUS SCIENCE MOVEMENT

Hello:

I just returned from a Visioning Bridge Meeting - a committee of people from Religious Science International (RSI) and the United Centers for Spiritual Living (UCSL) - formerly the United Church of Religious Science (UCRS). The purpose of the 3 year-old committee is to explore ways to be one presence for Religious Science in the world. (If you don't know what Religious Science is, you can go to www.rsintl.org, or www.wikipedia.com, among other sites.)

The meeting was a wonderful experience of loving people committed to a powerful teaching coming together to facilitate a new expression of that teaching in the world. The ideas ranged from the creation of a single organization in the near term to remaining as separate bodies but collaborating more on projects and activities. What arose from our visioning together is an intention to discover the "Greater Purpose" for our presence as organizations. That purpose can be described as serving the planet from a position of love and acceptance.

We feel that out of that purpose will come the form necessary to bring the gifts of Religious Science to the global community. This is a time of emerging crisis, which indicates that it is also a time of a new birth of consciousness. It is both a dangerous and an exciting time filled with great potential.

If you are a part of the Relgious Science community, whether part of RSI or UCSL or not, you can support your local spiritual community in developing programs that open the community outward in service to all. We must move from a teaching that is inwardly faced toward our own personal growth, toward one that faces outward and connects with the global consciousness.

If you are a person who believes that our thoughts create our reality and that we have the power to direct our destiny, you might want to locate a Religious Science spiritual community near you to find kindred souls.

As we grow as a movement, and more people become familiar with the loving and powerful truths of our teaching, the planet will become a friendlier place. It all begins with a loving thought, a clear intention, and coherent action.

Love and Light,
RevLockard

THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS

Hello,

It has been a while since my last entry, but the Gospel of Judas provides an great opportunity for disucssion. The recently revealed Gospel of Judas is an exciting discovery that sheds more light on the turbluent world of early Christianity. Like other texts discovered at Nag Hammadi in the 1940's, this appears to have a Gnostic origin dating sometime after the synoptic gospels, Mark, Matthew, and Luke were authored.

I just finished teaching a Metaphysical Interpretation of the Bible Class when the new Gospel was announced, so my reading of many of the Gnostic texts and the Gospel of Thomas were recent. Like many of the others, Judas seems to be a device to gain adherents to a particular point of view. Many of the scholars who have weighed in via the National Geographic presentation seem to believe that the narrative portion of all of the gospels were largely invented to persuade a target audience of a point of view.

The Q Document and the Gospel of Thomas are the only ones thought to have been written contemporary to, or just after the time of Jesus. Neither of these has any narrative to speak of - no birth, crucifixion or resurrection stories, no miracles. Instead, they contain statements and small vignettes that contain teachings of Jesus, many of which are reproduced (with some editing) in the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of John in the New Testament.

It is doubtful that any writings will be discovered which remove the need for interpretation and faith with regard to the story of Jesus. There is "evidence" to support a number of views in what has been published, and nearly everything has a questionable history, in terms of authorship, intention, changes in copying and translation, etc.

I found Elaine Pagel's book BEYOND BELIEF to be and excellent source regarding the process of selection of materials for the version of the Bible first certified in the 4th Century. Some of this is represented in the National Geographic special about Judas. The amount of fascination with this discovery is pretty amazing - it is good to see so many people focused on spiritual topics, and it is also interesting to see the interaction of scholars, scientists, clergy, the faithful, and skeptics as this story unfolds.

What do you think?

Love and Light, Rev. Lockard

PEACE

Can you be FOR peace and not AGAINST war?

In his final "Sermon by the Sea" in 1959, Dr. Ernest Holmes spoke about the next step in human evolution as the development of someone who "is FOR something and AGAINST nothing."

This statement recognizes a deeper way of being, a more spiritual approach to life than ordinary human existence. How much of your energy is spent in opposition to something? Much of the peace movement is energized by those against war, or against a certain philosophy, or political party, or politician.

Ghandi saw this in starting the largest non-violent peace movement the world has ever known. His quote, "Be the peace you want to see," is a statement of deep spiritual conviction. Martin Luther King saw this as well, and today, the Season For Non-Violence covers the 64 days between the anniversaries of the deaths of these two giants.


In a recent conversation, a man saw a button I was wearing that says "May Peace Prevail on Earth," a button that I got at the Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona in 2004. The man saw the button and said, "So you are against Bush?"

"No," I said, "I am for peace."

"That means that you are against Bush and against America," he replied. "You can't have it both ways."

"Can't I just be for peace and have nothing to say about a particular leader or a particular policy?"

"No," he said, "If you are for peace, you are against our president."

I found the conversation frustrating, in part at least because I could not say that I had perfected the consciousness of being for something and against nothing. I was, at least part of me was and is, against war.

While I believe that I can be for peace and not against anyone or anything, I also recognize that this is an idea that is both alien to many and difficult to achieve. Our nature seems to be to resist what we do not want, not to take another, positive pathway to change.

Spiritualization is the overcoming of instinctual drives (at least in part). Arriving at the place of being FOR something and AGAINST nothing is, in my mind, a worthwhile goal. If and when I fully get there, I'll let you know.

Love and Light,
RevLockard