“…but, but, he/she…_____________(fill in the blank). To some, forgiveness means making an injury “okay,” giving the other person a ‘free ride,” or “letting them off the hook!” In Truth, forgiveness lets US off the hook; a hook that continues to cause us pain, long after the offense was committed, that colors our future experiences with skepticism, negativity, and ATTRACTS more of the same unwanted experiences into our lives! Sound like a good reason to forgive? A fishing hook has a barb on it that KEEPS the fish from escaping! Non-forgiveness is much the same! It may be painful to remove that hook, but once it has been removed, we are free–! The decision is ours! “Forgiveness is a gift of love, from me to me.” Spirit invites us to love ourselves enough to forgive. The ball is in our court!

Just as the apple tree produces apples and the orange tree oranges, so we are here to produce/CREATE after our own kind! On a purely physical level this would simply mean human children. However, we are MORE than just physical—we are, spiritually, GOD’s own emanation of SELF; as His “children,” we ARE wisdom, absolute good, perfection and eternal life!! We are here to BE as such and to CREATE, even as God created US! all of the tools or substance we need are within us—we need nothing, for God, being all in all, needs nothing. Acknowledge, accept and celebrate this wondrous truth of our Divinity and go forth, this week, to recreate—BE—it in every area of your life!

Those who have grown up near the ocean will be able to identify! The beauty and power of the waves are unmatched, unforgettable. Those who have ridden those waves have an even deeper understanding of the concentration, determination and resultant joy of living in the moment, being ONE with nature! The same skills can be used in our daily lives, as we “surf” the challenges, and the victories, as we get up again, when we’ve fallen. There’s a saying, by John Kabat-Zinn: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” As we have a natural inner/physical balance system for those ocean waves, so too we have one in God for the daily, spiritual ones. We can–and are invited to–USE our SPIRITUAL gift, given us to ride each wave with purpose, confidence and joy.

We all–or most of us–are aware of and thankful for those greater blessings in our lives: the raise or promotion at work, the good news from the doctor, that sale price on just what you were looking for. But, some of us, due to our busy lifestyles, may be less aware of the “Ladybug Blessings” that occur throughout our day! That car that stalled in front of us at the light, unbeknownst to us, saved us from an accident three intersections down the road, perhaps! Or, catching that cup that we accidentally knocked before it spills our coffee! This week, we are invited to be aware, moment to moment, of these little blessings, and to give thanks for them, AND for those little things, even, that may not LOOK like blessings, simply because we don’t see the whole picture! In giving thanks for the little ones, we open up the way for the larger blessings to come into our lives!!

Life is metaphysical! However,, Spirit manifests THROUGH the physical, and in observing with an eye to that, we can learn a lot about ourselves through nature. The sunflower is a wonderful example: it always is turned, facing the sun, and follows it throughout the day, returning its face to the east, during the night in anticipation for the morning sunrise. If it is a cloudy day, the sunflowers turn toward EACH OTHER! We, too, can be as such; turning towards God, the LIGHT, and following throughout the day, receiving that life energy, that love, and ALL that we need. In our times of “darkness,” we can turn to each other, and raise each other, through that indwelling Light and Love that we ARE.

Unity’s White Stone Ceremony is based on Revelation 2:17, in the Bible, which states: “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone, with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” As we start this New Year, we each receive a white stone, on which we will write our OWN “new name.” To be noted: In Biblical times the “NAME” of anybody/anything also represented their/its character, or nature. As you “name” yourself, anew, you are setting in motion new ideas, new states of consciousness–a NEW YOU!

While most of us may think of freedom as having come THROUGH the flames, in truth, it CAN be the flames, themselves, which GIVE us our freedom! One of the Twelve Powers, taught by the Fillmores, is RUNUNCIATION! The most FREEING use of RENUNCIATION is FORGIVENESS! True forgiveness, does not  make “okay” the actions of another–one of the biggest mistaken beliefs we hold, as we hold onto resentments. Rather, forgiveness DENIES that the actions of others has ANY power over us! Another act–and a most important one–is to forgive OURSELVES! We did the best we could do at the level of consciousness we had at the time. Our Burning Bowl Ceremony gives us a physical example of the COMPLETENESS of Renunciation, as we watch our denials, written on a piece of paper, be dissolved into nothing in the fire! We are FREE, to move ahead in the consciousness of our Oneness, with The Most High!

Christmas is more than just a holiday! It is a way of life, wherein we LIVE those things that Jesus taught, throughout the year! Yes, we celebrate His birth! It represents that recognition within mankind of our divinity, as children of God, and our oneness with Him! But what we DO with this knowingness; how we express it in our everyday affairs; generosity, patience, forgiveness and seeing the Christ in others, to name a few ways, is how we LIVE Christmas! WE carry the Christmas Heart INSIDE! May we receive and BE the Christmas Heart to all!

Joy is one of the innate God-qualities within us, from the beginning; before we were born, or even conceived! We, as God’s own awareness, and emanation, of SELF, ARE joy!! Metaphysically, the birth of Jesus, which we celebrate on Christmas, is the birth of this recognition into our own consciousness, on the human plain! To KNOW that we are DIVINE, SACRED, HOLY and FOREVER MUST bring joy!! Our part is to CHOOSE to acknowledge accept and celebrate this absolute Truth, to live it in our daily lives and to radiate it out to all, unconditionally!! Wishing all a joy-filled Christmas that will last all year long and every year, going forward!