What happened to the podcasts?

Ah, yes. The best laid plans. The road to **** is paved with good intentions. Any other cliches?

Starting to do my year-end review and my next year planning and although I did accomplish the setting up of a podcast as was part of my list of goals for Conscious Kernels for 2008, I have only recorded the inaugural episode.

The original plan was to create a weekly podcast, especially for those who do not have a New Thought center in their community. Something that could stand in for a weekly Sunday Service or weekly classes, albeit a short one. Just something to help facilitate a spiritual practice, a spiritual pick-me-up, a spiritual boost to an otherwise ordinary day.

So now, 2009 is just around the corner. And a new commitment to recording podcasts. Maybe the once-a-week was too ambitious. Or maybe a shorter length of podcast would be doable.

In any case, stay tuned. There will be a second episode of the Conscious Kernels podcast. Maybe even a third and fourth.

Thanks for hanging in there. Sign up for the feed either at the website or in the righthand column of this blog page.

Peace.

Peace Be Still

At this time of year, we often turn toward innerspection, as well as looking at where the world is. As I wrote in the December issue of the Conscious Kernels newsletter, the idea of Peace has been forefront in my mind. And I wrote that before the attacks in India this past week.

Now, more than ever, we need to focus on Peace. Why is the violence happening? What is the real cause behind it? The conflicts seem to be coming from people trying to control other people or people thinking they can be controlled by other people.

If we all realized that we are the power in our own lives, that no one can take our power from us, that we are the only ones who can give our power away, then perhaps a small kernel of peace will begin to grow out of the knowing that we are the power.

We welcome your thoughts. How do you grow your kernel of peace in your own life?

Our leaders reflect our group consciousness

Regardless of political affiliation, the election of Barack Obama reflects the group consciousness of American voters. Where are we going as a people? Look at what Barack Obama is and represents and where his policy positions stand to answer that question.

First, he is of mixed race. A physical reminder that we are moving beyond one race vs. another. As all the newscasts during the election kept bringing up the fact that he would be the first African-American president, I kept realizing in myself that I never thought of him that way. I saw a man. That's all. A man. A smart man. I wanted to know what this man would do for this country and this planet.

So badly in need are we of intelligent, humane, logical, practical, forward-thinking leadership, I wanted to find out how he would lead us. I saw in him a person who thinks like I do on so many of the issues facing us.

He represents respect for this planet in his positions on renewable energy, environmental protections and global warming. He represents respect for the common man trying to live a life of dignity and prosperity and providing for his or her family. He represents scientific advancement for the betterment of life. He represents decency and transparency in the workings of a government that is supposed to be: of, by and for the People. (The "for" part has been sadly lacking.)

What his election really says is that we, the People, are finally starting to recognize our own respect of this planet and its people. We are starting to recognize our own power and our own responsibilities. This is a great step forward in the Consciousness of America as we become again a beacon of hope and great stewardship for the World.

Listen to his words in a spiritual context. He mentions Unity alot. He talks about us coming together as a people. He talks about making the world a better place. He talks about the future for posterity.

I don't know what the George Bush years said about our collective consciousness (I never voted for him), but we can call it a dissipative structure eventually leading to the good. A dissipative structure, which my spiritual teacher taught me, is when everything seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, a breaking down of the old, so that a better new can be built up. Sometimes you have to go through a dissipative structure to come out the other side, stronger, smarter, with more understanding, and a higher consciousness.

If things had not gotten so bad, we would not, as a collective group, noticed. We would not have gotten up and done something. We would not have organized and mobilized and made our voices heard.

We want to be heard and with the election of a man like Barack Obama, our consciousness has created a new experience where we are heard. Our leaders hear us and are doing something about it. What a refreshing change.

I feel this is a turning point in America. What has happened to our country in the last 20-30 years? Yes, it goes back that far, at least for me.

I see the connection between everything. One thing truly affects everything else. We do not live in a vacuum. Nature is not a vacuum. Our issues must be solved from that stand point. And things will change faster and easier when we see the interconnection of everything.

This has become an open letter to the President-Elect. Approach everything from a sense and spirit of Unity and you will succeed. We will succeed. Together.

Everyday Faith and the Joy of Gratitude

For November, our idea of the month is the Joy of Gratitude. With Thanksgiving being celebrated in the United States, it is an appropriate and timely topic. Do you experience joy when you are giving thanks? What feelings do you associate with gratitude. Feeling joy in the midst of being thankful takes your thanksgiving to a whole new level.

How can we raise our thanksgiving to joyous levels? Post your comments.

Also in our November newsletter, our featured article is about Everyday Faith. What is Everyday Faith? Read our newsletter and post your comments here. Sign up for our newsletter in the handy form to the right.

Peace and blessings to all.

Until next time.

A Universe of Good and Fruits of Our Labor

The September newsletter's feature article is about how can we say that we live in a Universe of Good when it LOOKS like we are not receiving our good.

What's your opinion?

The September Idea of the Month is "Fruits of Our Labor". How do we receive the fruits of our labor? What exactly is our labor -- our job. It is not what you think. Do we receive only through the physical means? Then we are doing it Wrong!

Share your opinions here.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

The feature article in the August eNewsletter discusses the metaphysical meaning of this phrase from the Lord's Prayer.

You've read my interpretation as well as Emmet Fox's. What do you think?
Share your views here.

(And if you are not signed up for our newsletter, there is a convenient sign-up form in the right hand column of this page. Once you sign up, you can view previous issues of the newsletter including the one that contains this article.)

Prove Me Now

Prove me now, saith the Lord of hosts.

Metaphysically, this means: Prove the Law. Prove the Law exists. Prove the Law exists to yourself. Prove the Law exists to manifest your Good for you. You only need to convince yourself that the Law exists. It exists to create for you, through you.

I had an experience just the other day with this. I was trying to log onto the internet and the software I use somehow got corrupt. I tried uninstalling it and re-installing it. Error messages. I tried uninstalling that version and installing a different version. More error messages. I cleaned up my hard drive and ran a diagnostic check. Everything was fine. No bugs, no fixes.

I attempted to install the software for the third time. Then I stopped for a minute. I had my doubts that this would work. After all, the check found nothing wrong to fix. And I was about to do nothing different installing the software for the third time. I have to admit I was holding my breath a bit to see if this would actually work.

As I launched the software, still apprehensive, still in doubt, I said out loud "Prove me now, saith the Lord of hosts." In other words, I was saying to the Law, prove yourself. Prove you listen to me. Prove you work.

And wouldn't you know it ..... the software launched with no error messages, got me onto the internet and I was able to do what I needed to do!!

It is hard to describe what I was feeling at that moment. I was shaking my head in pure delight and awe. The Law did prove itself to me. It proved it can and did create my good for me.

Oh me of little faith! I was so delighted it worked and at the same time, shaking my head because it worked even when I had some doubt. That is how powerful the Law is.

I was always taught that doubt prevents a demonstration. But I had a demonstration even with my doubt. Maybe despite my doubt.

So what does this mean? It means the Law is more powerful than my doubt. God is bigger than my doubt. I will never doubt that fact again!

Until next time,
Namaste