I’m glad to be in 2017, meditating, dancing, creating, establishing, loving, laughing, eating, exercising, giving, and growing into 2018.
I feel blessed to have an opportunity to resolve yet again that I’m going to do something to make my life and the lives of others better. I choose to use the energy of this season to recognize the infinite power in me to demonstrate the awesome presence, wisdom and grace of love.
This is my dance: one of absolute good, expressing itself as the most loving person I can be. In this infinite light of love, I resolve to be worry-free, debt-free, guilt-free, shame-free, blame-free, doubt-free – living a life of moments rather than mere days, but moments that are mindful about breathing in nothing but the pure power of possibility. Like Joseph in the ancient, sacred text (Genesis 50:20), I like that even what somebody else intends for evil, God simply blesses me with, without ceasing. I, like Jesus Christ, can call it all good (John 7:24): the appearances bless me, bless us, restore us.
Here and now, I am liberated to love the power of Spirit like nothing else: to love it morning, noon and night and in that well-spring of love to be the best that I am called to be. I am liberated from any requirement as to what form or shape my “best” will take. The blessing is in the divine idea of simply being.
How liberating it is to walk into the New Year unencumbered by mistakes or regret. How great it is to know that the truth that sets us free is being one with now. The truth is that we are one with absolute good right now – good that is always expressing in, as and through us. The truth is that the pure consciousness of God radiates through every cell of our body, awareness of our mind and expansion of our soul. The truth is that God really does do the work that we are appointed to do. The truth is that Spirit opens new doors, creates new circumstances, and gives us what we need before we even ask. In this consciousness of grace, we can release needing, wanting or desiring and instead accept the infinite blessings that the universe is breathing through each one of us.
I resolve to forgive myself for everything I started to do but didn’t, wanted to do but forgot, or did do but failed to appreciate. If I can’t do it, I won’t. If I must do it, I’ll try. If I don’t do it – well, there’s always next time. The good thing about forgiveness is that we can do it right now, and it’s done. I release all obligations, all debts and all concerns of myself and others. Yes, I forgive seventy times seven, and in the energy of the seven of completion, I let go and move forward to do the greater things that I must do, can do, and will do.
I leap into the awareness that I am free in the fluid stream of absolute good and marvelous in the manifestation that my goals are accomplished the moment that I claim them: the rest of the time is merely the process that I must grow through to accept their completion. Here is to perfect health, wholeness and mindful acceptance of beauty, movement, lifting, energy and grace.
I resolve to love, and this resolution to be the pure power of love everywhere present expresses itself right now. This is a no-brainer: a simple truth that can be used to harmonize any situation. I am love right now, and I love unconditionally. The bible can be summed up in this one resolution: love. As John said, God is love. I allow the loving energy of God to express in, as and through me right now.
I resolve to laugh. We can’t take ourselves too seriously. Otherwise, we will stop the endless flow of God’s good due to our own rigidity. When we take ourselves too seriously, we do not keep our consciousness open to receive the blessings that are always calling us. We place boundaries before blessings. But with laughter, we are blessed to not hold grudges, to wear the world as a lose garment, to refuse to worry about what others think of us.
I resolve to dream. Dreaming of endless possibilities and inexhaustible supply is the gift of being alive. This is another resolution that is not confined by 365 days; we can dream right now and be done with it. Or we can continue to be anointed by the grace of God’s favor dreaming through us. It’s our choice: to be given the gift of dreaming Spirit’s divine call whenever we desire. I resolve to dream as often as I desire, stepping well beyond the conventionality of the box in which I thought I was limited. Spirit gives shape to divine intention through our dreams.
I resolve to give. This is the answer to the question that is always asked: what is my purpose in life? The truth is that I am here to give. When we are consciously aware that we are here to bless, we stop holding back our good and instead give. Give smiles. Give hellos. Give thank yous and you’re welcomes. Give encouragement, handwritten notes, high fives, subway fare, spare change. Give secretly, for nothing in return – not even the right to say, “I gave.” We don’t even have to keep track of when we have to give. Giving feels so good that the universe will provide so many opportunities that we don’t even have to be aware of them.
I resolve to listen. We are all one with the pure consciousness of God speaking everywhere present. We just haven’t taken the time to listen. Listening hears the whole being of God emanating as us. We listen every day to www.mindfulnessgroup.blog. We listen to the eternal breath of Spirit move through us as the completion of all good. This resolution can be accomplished right now, in a single breath. Breathing in, I listen. Breathing out, I hear. Listening has no agenda: we just are.
I resolve to create. The truth is the “I” that creates is the “I AM” of God energizing, igniting and enjoying life in endless shapes, forms and dimensions. No need to worry about the old ideas; the universe is filled with new ones. By resolving to create, we open our consciousness to allow Spirit to co-create through us. No need to judge our creations. Creativity is bigger than us. Whether we witness it or not, God’s good is always using us to bless others. In the power of this resolution, we allow ourselves – here and now – to be the conduit of change and transformation.
I resolve to heal. This resolution only requires the acceptance of grace. In grace, we are whole. In grace, we are lifted from our mats of affliction and realize that there is no sickness, illness, frailty or infirmity in the kingdom of God. Right here and now, we accomplish the wholeness of Spirit and know that we are well. We can look in the mirror of Christ consciousness and see ourselves as we really are.
I resolve to grow. The humility of not knowing is a constant blessing. I study the truth that sets me free. The teachers that I need reveal themselves to me. The books that I must read fall from wisdom’s shelves and open without prodding. My eyes fall on the perfect words. The students who bless me with guidance appear. The journeys that I must take provide new paths. The questions that I must raise ask themselves. The epiphany of realization always blesses us.
I resolve to harvest. We take advantage of so much that we have not worked for. This is the season – right where we are – to reap what we have not sown. We are enjoying so much for little that we take it for granted. This season, I will open my eyes and experience each blessing: the beautiful apples, the smell of butternut squash soup, the rising of the sun, the solitude of the darkness, the tapestry of autumn leaves, the sound of waves at the shore. Every day of the year, we can celebrate the harvest of the kingdom in whatever form or shape it takes.
I resolve to praise. In fact, I praise and give thanks right now. I give praise and thanks for health of mind, body and soul. I give praise and thanks for my family – my marital, biological, spiritual, and work family and friends. I give praise and thanks for the daily manna that God gives me to take care of every need. I give praise and thanks for this country and this world and for the ability to keep everyone in the universe raised in perfect success.
I resolve to enjoy. This is not going to be a month where I look back with regret or criticism because I enjoyed life a little too much. I saved a little less, spent a bit more or just chilled out. I resolve here and now that I will enjoy life – every tree, every manger, every carol, every taste of pleasure created for our benefit. This, too, will I resolve to do each month and at every opportunity. I will visit, celebrate, cook, dance, sing, swim, hike, run, drive, write, draw, paint, participate, preach, lift, work, walk, shop, and play by enjoying life.
In 2015, I declared that no-fault resolutions can’t go wrong because we are relieved from the responsibility of doing any more than what we will. This re-mix recognizes that nothing is required except to lift up the awareness of Spirit moving through our lives each and every moment except to be still, and know. In this awareness: I resolve to be one with each moment, and I let go of everyone and everything.
In letting go, I welcome each moment as a new me.
Happy New You!!!
Last night, I was watching Will Smith’s movie Collateral Beauty, about a man who loses his only child, a daughter who was only six years old, and the pain that he grows through in order to return to himself. The movie raises the question what is “collateral beauty”? We always talk about collateral damage, the negative secondary or by-product of an accident, catastrophe or tragedy that brings additional pain, hurt, injury, and suffering. But we never talk about collateral “beauty,” which is, to me, the ability to see the glass half-full instead of half-empty, the ability to see the presence of God, even in the midst of messiness, turmoil and strife.
The movie Collateral Beauty focuses on three attributes, which in many respects reflect mind, body and soul: death, time and love.
The collateral beauty of our challenges is that they allow us to re-start, to re-invent, to re-create, to re-establish who we are – to get rid of the old so that the new can emerge. In John 8:51, Jesus says “Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” Nothing and no one can destroy the pure presence of Spirit expressing as us. So we get up from our mats and walk. We rise like a phoenix from the ashes. In three days, we find our temples restored.
It doesn’t matter what or who we are confronted with in the world, nothing or no one is too great for God. Even what others mean for evil, God means for good. As the scripture teaches us, the battle is not ours, it is God’s. No weapon formed against us shall prosper.
The collateral beauty of disaster or difficulty is that we can experience the fullness of the perfect divine order of life, realizing that despite appearances, we are in our right space at our right time.
Collateral beauty is more difficult to see because we are distracted from seeing the good everywhere present, the birth of Spirit all around us, the widow’s oil that keeps pouring, the baskets of fish and bread left over. The Psalmist says (27:4) “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
So even when we are blinded by the events and transgressions of the world, through their impact, we are given a new vision: one that allows us to see God in every word, every breath, every event, and every circumstance.
Or I can step out into the sunlight of a new day, a day that I have never seen before. I can release the baggage of yesterday. I can climb a new mountain and cross the waters of new faith, realizing that this, too, shall pass, but more importantly, that this – whatever this is, is the blessing of collateral beauty: a small crack in the universe, where I can see God.
YOU,” from the book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, by Joe Dispenza, which you can also purchased on Amazon.
Luke 17:20-21 says “ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’” The kingdom of God is everywhere you are because the soul is everywhere you are.
Joel says “God is the divine being of you, your very life, your very Soul, the Self of you.”
Our resurrection comes with rising from the dead of complacency, the dead of fear, the dead of regret, the dead of worry, the dead of shame, the dead of the appearances of things. “The goal is releasing the Soul from the tomb of human existence, more especially the tomb of the human mind. In your periods of introspection or contemplation check to see to what extent you are imprisoned in your mind and body. ” (Joel S. Goldsmith, Consciousness Transformed)
The soul is always waiting to align us with the favor that is everywhere present. Albert Einstein illustrated the pure potential of life with a simple equation: E = mc2, demonstrating that energy and matter are so fundamentally related that they are one and the same. Essentially, his work showed that matter and energy are completely interchangeable. We are gods, as Jesus said, given the power of pure potential. In this realm of pure potential, all else is added. Our good is already there, already here.
Walt Disney carried Mickey around in his pocket in the appearances of poverty and despair, failing to realize that a mere mouse would manifest millions. Connecting with the soul, finding space in the kingdom within is endless abundance, infinite prosperity filled with love, gratitude and grace that will bless us past, present and future.
Today I envision myself as the whole being of God: without boundaries, limitations, or doubts. In this kingdom, I see my soul, beautiful, loving and powerful. Everything that celebrates me as a full expression of God is here. I am free. I do the work of God with brilliance, integrity, joy, and light.
I am love in all things.
This is a prayer that we not lose ourselves in the fabric of the law firm, the corporate world, the police force, the military, the government, the university, the hospital—or wherever we find ourselves collectively giving to society—but that we understand that Spirit put us there for a reason, and part of that reason is what we as individuals bring as separate, creative expressions of Spirit.
This is a prayer that we have the vision and the faith to celebrate our gifts with every task that we perform by never being afraid to speak our truths and tell our stories and do our best. Being the best at who we are in all of our imperfections, not perfection itself, is a blessing.
This is a prayer that we put our egos aside to contribute what we can, whatever guise it may take, and that we be there to mentor those who need mentoring and that we grow and improve ourselves and increase our knowledge. We pray that we continually bless others in ways we cannot even imagine.
If others second-guess our skills and abilities, it only shows their shortcomings, their fears, and their need to grow, not our own. More importantly, the opinions of others are grossly over-rated and give us an opportunity to trust our own judgment. This means that we must be open-minded and receptive to good advice but know the difference between someone else’s judgment and our own wisdom – by developing a discernment that is not merely intellectual but Spirit- based.
Centering in Spirit helps us stand strong in the workplace, to be a tremendous success and a great asset because Spirit guides us continuously. Regardless of what we are doing, all we need to do is to be open and receptive to that guidance.
This is a prayer that we center ourselves in the guidance that Spirit gives us, especially in the midst of those who do not recognize our greatness, those who question our worth, those who diminish what we can offer. Only God realizes our greatness, and God puts us in our right time, at our appointed place to contribute, develop, and move forward. This is a prayer for us to shine our light, our gifts, our talents – that only we can offer.
This is a prayer that we find a space for Spirit at work. We spend such an enormous amount of time giving to our jobs and our businesses that if we do not take Spirit there, it is absent for 75% or more of the time that we live. There is no separation between us and Spirit merely because we leave church, or temple, or synagogue, or mosque. This is a prayer that we continue to be centered in Spirit—particularly in places that are most in need of its presence. This is a prayer that we allow Spirit to use us and to be so centered in Spirit that we realize it is with us—especially at work. This is a prayer that we open our consciousness to the presence of Spirit in the mundane and everyday, ordinary encounter. . . .
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM REV. LOVING’S BOOK
God is a Brown Girl Too 