Sunday Message for April 23, 2017

A FLOW OF ABUNDANT GOOD

This Easter month, we have brought forward a term that we coined last Easter. The term is "Easter Moments." An Easter Moment is that moment when we consciously, intentionally, deliberately let something die that does not serve us, so that we can be born into:
* a heightened spiritual awareness,
* a new consciousness and
* an expanded way of revealing the spiritual nature that is already ours - so that we can share our gifts with the world.

And, as I've shared this month, that is certainly our metaphysical interpretation of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, isn't it?

We have explored having an Easter Moment in different areas of our lives, and we have anchored that Moment in a specific and sacred activity; as we will today.

ABUNDANCE

Our topic for this morning is where the rubber often meets the road with our spiritual beliefs and our experiences in life. Specifically, I want us to look at our financial abundance in relation to our spiritual beliefs about abundance.

And, this is a topic you want to talk about. These are questions we often get in conversation, in our classes, in one-on-one coaching sessions, etc.:
* First: How can Unity teachings help me change my thinking to create greater abundance?
* Or: Every time I get ahead and have money in the bank, something happens and the money is gone. I am grateful I have that money. My desires are bigger than my bank account, but feel God will only allow me just enough to get by.
* And last: What is the biggest obstacle that keeps people from manifesting consistently?

And it is my intention that this morning we address those concerns and that each of you have an Easter Moment that will support you in living a more consistent, abundant life.

So here is often our experience. We spiritually believe we live in an abundant universe and abundance is our spiritual birthright, right? We took the Jesus at his word when he said: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."^a (John 10:10)

We shake our heads "yes" to when he said: "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?"^b (Luke 12:27, 28)

And we are in full agreement with these words: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."^c (Luke 12:32)

Or we say "yes!" to Fillmore's words from his book, Prosperity: "The spiritual substance from which comes all visible wealth is never depleted. It is right with you all the time and responds to your faith in it and your demands on it. It is not affected by our ignorant talk of hard times, though we are affected because our thoughts and words govern our demonstration. Pour your living words of faith into the omnipresent substance, and you will be prospered tho' all the banks in the world close their doors."^d

We say "yes," we know that the Truth is -- the Spiritual Truth is -- there is more than enough of everything. The Truth is -- the Spiritual Truth is -- there is more than enough - way more than enough! -- for all our wants, needs, requirements and dreams.

But that isn't always our experience is it?? In fact, our experience is sometimes the opposite of that; we struggle to make ends meet, let alone have an ongoing flow of abundant good to spend, to spare and to share.

So, this morning, I want to do three things:
1. Give you perhaps a new way of being in relationship with Abundance,
2. Look at some of the reasons we might not be in relationship with Abundance in that way, and
3. Do a two-part Easter Moment activity.

CIRCLE OF ABUNDANCE

First, a new way of being in relationship with Abundance. In her book Trance of Scarcity, author Victoria Castle writes: "We often think of abundance as being like a river: flowing but moving only in one direction. That image is misleading because abundance is much smarter than that. Abundance renews and replenishes itself, flowing in a circular pattern the same way the breath moves . . . .Each part of the cycle naturally makes way for the next."^e

So look in your program for the clock. It is the Circle of Abundance. And this Circle of Abundance is like a clock, in that we will start at the top and work our way around clockwise. So, we start at high noon.

12 o'clock, high noon is ALIGNING. We must start by aligning. Aligning with what? Aligning with those Spiritual Truths we just talked about. Aligning with the realization that we are already in the Circle of Abundance. Always have been; always will be. We can't not be!

When we recognize that we already belong in the Circle simply because of who we are, we will awaken to inspiration and opportunities and ideas, which are God's first currency.

So here's a little test to know if you are in or out of ALIGNMENT. Do you find yourself trying to force things to happen? Are you trying to figure it out? Or are you trying to make it happen all by yourself? If so, you are out of alignment.

Perhaps your Easter Moment today is to release whatever is pulling you out of ALIGNMENT - more on that in a moment.

The second stop around our Circle of Abundance, at approximately 2 o'clock is the idea of GENEROSITY because when we are aligned, sharing/giving come naturally.

We are made in the image and likeness of the Infinite Giver. To give, to be generous of spirit, is our Divine Nature.

Giving is the exhalation that makes room for the inhalation. A beautiful mystic from Africa by the name of Brother Ishmael Tetteh always has his students exhale fully before taking a deep breath in.^f

This is the wisdom of the exhale: I can release all the air from my lungs with the full confidence that a new fresh breath of air will be there, just waiting for me to inhale. Once we clearly understand that no matter what happens we cannot be diminished, we are truly free to give.

Not only are we not diminished by this letting go, we are in fact enriched.

There's a story of a wise woman who was traveling in the mountains, and she found a precious, extremely valuable stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune, because he knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for the rest of his life. But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said. " I know how valuable this stone is, but I want to give it back to you in the hope that you will give me something even more precious."

"And what is it that you want?" the wise women asked.

And the traveler replied "I want whatever you have within you that enabled you to give AWAY this stone."

Fillmore in Prosperity writes: "There is no reason why we should not have a continuous even flow of substance both in income and outgo. If we have freely received we must also freely give and keep substance going, confident in our understanding that our supply is unlimited and that it is always right at hand in the omnipresent Mind of God."^g

GENEROSITY then sends us to our next stop around the Circle of Abundance at about 5 o'clock. That stop is ATTRACTING.

A generous soul is a soul that is attractive to its good. Why? Because generosity comes from a place of sufficiency; I have more than enough, so I give. And knowing that we already have is the key to attracting what we desire!

And there is your answer to how our teachings can help you create greater abundance. ALIGN with Spiritual Truth, be GENEROUS of Spirit not out of obligation but out of a knowing that supply is unlimited and ATTRACT our good by knowing it is already here.

To be a powerful ATTRACTOR even when circumstances do not appear to be abundant, we must realize that the absence of evidence is NOT the evidence of absence.

Let me say that again. To be a powerful ATTRACTOR even when circumstances do not appear to be abundant, we must realize that the absence of evidence is NOT the evidence of absence.

Then we move to 7 o'clock, which is RECEIVING.

Receiving is the depth of inhalation. In Religious Science, Ernest Holmes wrote: "[Principle] is ready to fill everything, because It is infinite. So, it is not a question of Its willingness, nor of Its ability; it is entirely a question of our own receptivity."^h

Here's a quick test of your ability to receive. Suppose someone gives you a gift or does something special for you. Do you accept it graciously? Or do you protest that you are not worthy, that he really shouldn't do it, or perhaps do you hasten to repay it?

To live in the Circle of Abundance - just receive! Just receive!

And be open to receive even when it comes in a different form or has a different look than you thought or expected!

And finally, at approximately 10 o'clock is GRATITUDE.

If we receive fully, gratitude follows naturally. Gratitude is a generative energy that acknowledges our connectedness.

Eckhart Tolle said: "It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up."ⁱ

And, of course, when the spiritual dimension of life opens up, we are beautifully and powerfully aligned, so we have returned full circle back to 12 o'clock, to ALIGNMENT.

Alignment-Generosity - Attracting - Receiving - Gratitude - back to Alignment.

That's the Circle of Abundance. Today, I invite you into a relationship with the Circle.

WHAT KEEPS US FROM LIVING IN THE CIRCLE OF ABUNDANCE?

One of the biggest obstacles that keeps people from manifesting consistently, from living in this Circle of Abundance are the stories we tell ourselves about abundance.

Here are some impoverishing stories. See if any of them have a familiar ring:
I never have enough.
Life is unfair.
If I have this, others won't.
You have to work hard for everything you get.
It's too late for me.
I don't deserve abundance.
I have to do everything myself.
No one in my family ever amounted to much so I won't either.
Life is hard.
God will only allow me just enough to get by.
I can't ask for help.
I have to hold on to everything I get.
It's all a matter of luck.
Nothing ever works out for me.
You can't have money and live a spiritual life.
I'm not responsible enough to handle money.
Attracting good clients is hard.

Regarding our stories, the question is never "is it true"? because it can't be true, it's just a story. The question also isn't "is it the right story?" because that implies there's only one correct choice.

The most helpful question is "Is this story useful?" Given what I care about, what I want to contribute to life and what matters to me, is the story I'm telling myself a useful one? Most of us constantly replay hundreds of inherited default stories that trample our life energy and steal our peace of mind.

We tell ourselves these stories and then they become self -fulfilling prophecies and they are like an ejector button out of the Circle of Abundance.

So this morning, it is time to eject one or more of the stories you tell yourself about abundance so you can be in a living relationship with the Circle of Abundance.

I would like for you to meditate on this. Close your eyes. Begin now to be in touch with your breathing. Let yourself become prepared. Ask the part of yourself that takes in information and new experiences to allow you to be relaxed and open.

At this moment, could you allow yourself to remember that you have lived successfully so far? The way is open for you to add to yourself.

We can learn what we need in abundance, and to be happy, productive, respected human beings. That we may not be fully there does not mean we don't have the ability, only that we haven't found it and learned how to use it yet. Everyone has this human potential.

Now go to that place deep inside yourself and give yourself a message of appreciation. Maybe now you can give yourself permission to let go of all those things you have carried around that are no longer of use.^j

Now see in your mind's eye a story or stories that are no longer useful to you and your spiritual growth. Now, looking at this story or stories shrink them down very small; small enough to be put in the palm of your hand. Once it's there, blow it away and watch it dissipate like a dandelion.

As it disappears into the wind, see yourself being drawn into the Circle of Abundance. You are at the top of the Circle in complete alignment with the Spiritual Truth.

And now, move clockwise around the Circle and come to GENEROSITY, the place of overflow. Let generosity pour out of you in a very specific way.

In your program there are note cards. Take out a card and LEGIBLY write out a prosperity blessing, good wishes or whatever outpouring of generosity you would like to write knowing that in a moment someone else in this room is going to get that card and you will get one of theirs. You may sign it if you wish; or not. Your choice. Remember to please write legibly.

Feel free to read you card now

Let gratitude be your way this week...